Barclays is exiting its cobranded airline credit card partnerships with both American Airlines and Hawaiian Airlines. Citibank, which has been American’s primary card issuer for nearly four decades, is taking over the entirety of that business, while Hawaiian’s portfolio is being integrated into Alaska Airlines’ unified Atmos Rewards program.
These shifts leave Barclays with only a handful of smaller airline card relationships.
“Currently, Barclays has only two airline co-brands left: JetBlue and Breeze Airlines,” said Brian Riley, Director of Credit at Javelin Strategy & Research. “JetBlue has experienced some revenue headwinds, but Breeze recently posted a profit. Barclays’ presence in air travel will likely temper, but this change will help it focus on its recent acquisition of the Goldman Sachs GM card.”
Playing Second Fiddle to Citi
Although Citi has been American’s long-standing partner, Barclays involvement stemmed from the airline’s 2013 acquisition of US Airways, which had previously relied on Barclays to manage its card business.
Still, Barclays consistently played a secondary role to Citi. When American renewed both partnerships in 2016, Citi secured broad market rights—including online channels, direct mail, and airport lounges. Barclays, by contrast, was limited to in-flight solicitations and barred from advertising within 100 feet of an American Airlines airport lounge.
The merger of Hawaiian Airlines and Alaskan Airlines weakened Barclays’ position. With the transition now complete, the HawaiianMiles program has officially been folded into the Atmos Rewards, the new joint loyalty program for both airlines. The Atmos card program is operated by Bank of America, which has maintained a lengthy partnership with Alaskan Airlines.
Focus on GM
Barclays can now focus on its General Motors card business, which it acquired from Goldman Sachs last year. Goldman had long struggled with the business—one report estimated that Goldman’s Platform Solutions unit, which managed the GM credit card program, lost roughly $6 billion on a pretax basis between early 2020 and Q1 2024.
After the acquisition, Barclays overhauled the program, consolidating multiple branded rewards programs into a single, streamlined offering. The refreshed program also significantly expanded earning potential, allowing customers to earn up to 10 times more points on eligible GM purchases than before.
