award travel to hawaii

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The Best Ways To Fly to Hawaii With Points and Miles [2024]

Jarrod West

Senior Content Contributor

445 Published Articles 1 Edited Article

Countries Visited: 21 U.S. States Visited: 24

Director of Operations & Compliance

6 Published Articles 1179 Edited Articles

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Table of Contents

Best programs to book award flights to hawaii, how to find lie-flat business class seats, final thoughts.

We may be compensated when you click on product links, such as credit cards, from one or more of our advertising partners. Terms apply to the offers below. See our  Advertising Policy for more about our partners, how we make money, and our rating methodology. Opinions and recommendations are ours alone.

If there’s one destination we hear people rave about over and over again, it’s Hawaii. That’s no surprise: People spend years dreaming of a beach vacation on one of the Hawaiian Islands where they can relax by the water, enjoy some great food and drinks, and just get away from it all.

However, if you’ve seen the prices of cash tickets to Hawaii, you probably understand why people have to save up for this adventure. Fortunately, there are several ways you can use miles and points to book your flights and save a ton of money.

Today we’ll dive into the different economy and domestic first class award booking options available. For those who want a lie-flat seat that you would find in an international business class cabin layout, we’ll talk about those options, too.

Before we dig into each of the best options, it’s important to note that planning ahead when booking award flights to Hawaii can make your life much easier. Unsurprisingly, award space is not always readily available because so many people pay for cash tickets.

If there’s one variable that can simplify the process of booking an award trip to Hawaii, it’s schedule flexibility. As with all award bookings, being open to traveling on different dates or even different months can unlock some amazing opportunities.

Hot Tip: Check out our ultimate Hawaii travel guides to Oahu, the Big Island, Lanai , Maui, and Kauai , as well as the best times to visit Hawaii by season and islands .

Korean Air SKYPASS

The Korean Air SKYPASS program has competitive economy class and business class redemption rates on its SkyTeam partner Delta. There are several ways to earn SKYPASS miles, despite it being a foreign frequent flyer program.

Book Awards With Korean Air SKYPASS

Korean Air SKYPASS uses a region-based award chart for SkyTeam partner award bookings . Unlike many airlines, Korean Air considers all of the U.S. as a single region, including Hawaii. As a result, the redemption rates are quite reasonable on Delta, and much better than Delta’s own SkyMiles program .

You can search for award space on Korean Air’s website and book from there. Just make sure you select SkyTeam Award after selecting Redeem Miles , otherwise, you won’t see the necessary city pairings.

If you don’t see award space when you run a search, double-check on Air France’s site as it is generally the best place to search SkyTeam partners. You can call Korean Air to book if you find space on Air France’s website.

It’s easy to book award flight award flights with Korean Air using these steps:

• Search for flights on the Air France or Korean Air website .
• Confirm the same availability on Korean Air.
• Book the flight online or call Korean Air at 800-438-5000.
• Pay the taxes and fees.

Additionally, it’s important to remember that Korean Air SKYPASS only allows round-trip bookings for SkyTeam awards. So if you only need a one-way award, this won’t be the program for you.

Now let’s take a look at the round-trip SkyTeam award ticket mileage requirements when booking with Korean Air SKYPASS:

Unlike using Korean Air SKYPASS to book award tickets on Delta to London, you won’t get hit with high fuel surcharges. In fact, you’ll only be responsible for $11.20 out of pocket.

Need help booking? Take a look at our step-by-step guide on  booking Delta One with Korean Air SKYPASS miles  and you’ll be ready to book before you know it.

Korean Air also partners with Alaska Airlines and Hawaiian Airlines , which gives you 2 other great options to fly to Hawaii. The mileage requirement for these partners is a bit different than what is required for Delta flights, though:

The redemption rates above (round-trip) aren’t quite as good, but the ability to redeem Korean Air SKYPASS miles for flights on Alaska Airlines and Hawaiian Airlines provides you with more nonstop routes from the continental 49 states (see below for details).

You will have to call Korean Air to book, as its online search function only allows you to search for award space on SkyTeam partners. Alternatively, you can use American Airlines’ website to find award space on Alaska Airlines.

Hot Tip:  Check out some of the other fun ways you can redeem Korean Air SKYPASS miles for award flights.

Nonstop Routes to Hawaii Bookable With Korean Air SKYPASS Miles

Thanks to these 3 airline partners, there are tons of nonstop routes to several Hawaiian airports that can be booked with Korean Air SKYPASS miles. Here’s a look at nonstop routes to Hawaii’s largest airport, Honolulu (HNL):

Airports With Nonstop Delta Flights to Hawaii

• Atlanta (ATL)
• Detroit (DTW)
• Los Angeles (LAX)
• Minneapolis (MSP)
• New York (JFK)
• Salt Lake City (SLC)
• Seattle (SEA)

Airports With Nonstop Alaska Airlines Flights to Hawaii

• Anchorage (ANC)
• Oakland (OAK)
• Portland (PDX)
• San Diego (SAN)
• San Francisco (SFO)
• San Jose (SJC)

Airports With Nonstop Hawaiian Airlines Flights to Hawaii

• Austin (AUS)
• Boston (BOS)
• Las Vegas (LAS) — seasonal
• Long Beach (LGB)
• Ontario (ONT)
• Orlando (MCO)
• Phoenix (PHX)
• Sacramento (SMF)

Earn More Korean Air SKYPASS Miles

Korean Air is transfer partners with Marriott Bonvoy. You can earn Marriott Bonvoy points  and transfer those to Korean at a rate of 3:1.

There are many Marriott credit cards available which we cover in our in-depth guide.

Hot Tip:  Check out some of our favorite ways to earn Korean Air SKYPASS miles to ensure you have enough for your Hawaiian vacation.

Air France-KLM Flying Blue

Our second SkyTeam option for booking award flights to Hawaii is the Air France-KLM Flying Blue program . While the redemption rates with Flying Blue aren’t quite as good as what Korean Air SKYPASS provides, they might be the best option for many travelers for one crucial reason.

The biggest advantage Air France-KLM Flying Blue offers over Korean Air SKYPASS is the ability to book one-way award tickets at half the mileage cost, plus the ease of earning points through transfer partnerships.

Book Awards With Air France-KLM Flying Blue

Like Korean Air SKYPASS, Air France-KLM Flying Blue can book award flights on SkyTeam partner Delta.

Unlike Korean Air, Flying Blue does not charge fixed redemption rates for these flights. Prices will fluctuate and are determined dynamically depending on the route.

Take a look at the table below to see the round-trip economy class and business class redemption rates to Hawaii:

Flying Blue requires 5,000 more miles to fly Delta than Korean Air SKYPASS in economy and is more expensive overall, but allows you to book one-way award tickets for added travel flexibility.

It’s easy to search for award space on Delta by using Air France’s online search. Once you find space, you can quickly complete the booking process online.

To book an award flight with Air France-KLM, follow these steps:

• Search for availability on the Air France or Delta website .
• Select the flight you want to book.
• Confirm your ticket selection and pay the taxes and fees.

If you can find award space on the outbound flight but not on the dates you need to return, you could book a one-way award with Flying Blue and a one-way award on United Airlines or American Airlines with another program.

Hot Tip:  The fun doesn’t stop with Hawaii. Check out some of the other amazing ways you can use Air France-KLM Flying Blue miles to see the world.

Nonstop Routes to Hawaii Bookable With Air France-KLM Flying Blue Miles

As a partner of Delta, Air France-KLM Flying Blue can help you book any of these nonstop routes between the continental U.S. You can even connect from your home airport to 1 that flies directly to Hawaii at no extra cost.

Hot Tip: Flying to Hawaii is a great way to get maximum value from your points on a U.S. domestic route .

Earn More Flying Blue Miles

We already talked about Air France-KLM Flying Blue’s ability to book one-way award tickets, which is a nice advantage over Korean Air SKYPASS. However, there is another big advantage related to earning Flying Blue miles.

Air France-KLM partners with one of our favorite points programs, American Express Membership Rewards . There are plenty of credit card choices with Amex, and many cards offer some great bonus categories to help you earn more points faster. Throw in a 1:1 transfer ratio and quick transfer time, and this is another great option to get your hands on more Flying Blue miles.

In addition, Flying Blue is transfer partners with Bilt Rewards ,  Brex Rewards ,  Capital One Miles , Chase Ultimate Rewards , Citi ThankYou Rewards , and Marriott Bonvoy .

Recommended American Express Cards (Personal)

The Amex Platinum reigns supreme for luxury travel, offering the best airport lounge access plus generous statement credits, and complimentary elite status.

Apply With Confidence

Know if you're approved with  no credit score impact.

If you're approved and accept this Card, your credit score may be impacted.

When it comes to cards that offer top-notch benefits, you’d be hard-pressed to find a better card out there than The Platinum Card ® from American Express.

Make no mistake — the Amex Platinum card  is a premium card with a premium price tag. With amazing benefits like best-in-class airport lounge access , hotel elite status, and tremendous value in annual statement credits, it can easily prove to be one of the most lucrative cards in your wallet year after year.

• The best airport lounge access out of any card (by far) — enjoy access to over 1,400 worldwide lounges, including the luxurious Amex Centurion Lounges, Priority Pass lounges, Plaza Premium Lounges, and many more!
• 5x points per dollar spent on flights purchased directly with the airline or with AmexTravel.com (up to $500,000 per year)
• 5x points per dollar spent on prepaid hotels booked with AmexTravel.com
• $695 annual fee ( rates and fees )
• Airline credit does not cover airfare (only incidentals like checked bags)
• Earn 80,000 Membership Rewards ® Points after you spend $8,000 on eligible purchases on your new Card in your first 6 months of Card Membership. Apply and select your preferred metal Card design: classic Platinum, Platinum x Kehinde Wiley, or Platinum x Julie Mehretu.
• Earn 5X Membership Rewards ® Points for flights booked directly with airlines or with American Express Travel up to $500,000 on these purchases per calendar year and earn 5X Membership Rewards ® Points on prepaid hotels booked with American Express Travel.
• $200 Hotel Credit: Get up to $200 back in statement credits each year on prepaid Fine Hotels + Resorts ® or The Hotel Collection bookings with American Express Travel when you pay with your Platinum Card ® . The Hotel Collection requires a minimum two-night stay.
• $240 Digital Entertainment Credit: Get up to $20 back in statement credits each month on eligible purchases made with your Platinum Card ® on one or more of the following: Disney+, a Disney Bundle, ESPN+, Hulu, The New York Times, Peacock, and The Wall Street Journal. Enrollment required.
• The American Express Global Lounge Collection ® can provide an escape at the airport. With complimentary access to more than 1,400 airport lounges across 140 countries and counting, you have more airport lounge options than any other credit card issuer on the market. As of 03/2023.
• $155 Walmart+ Credit: Save on eligible delivery fees, shipping, and more with a Walmart+ membership. Use your Platinum Card ® to pay for a monthly Walmart+ membership and get up to $12.95 plus applicable taxes back on one membership (excluding Plus Ups) each month.
• $200 Airline Fee Credit: Select one qualifying airline and then receive up to $200 in statement credits per calendar year when incidental fees are charged by the airline to your Platinum Card ® .
• $200 Uber Cash: Enjoy Uber VIP status and up to $200 in Uber savings on rides or eats orders in the US annually. Uber Cash and Uber VIP status is available to Basic Card Member only. Terms Apply.
• $189 CLEAR ® Plus Credit: CLEAR ® Plus helps to get you to your gate faster at 50+ airports nationwide and get up to $189 back per calendar year on your Membership (subject to auto-renewal) when you use your Card. CLEARLanes are available at 100+ airports, stadiums, and entertainment venues.
• Receive either a $100 statement credit every 4 years for a Global Entry application fee or a statement credit up to $85 every 4.5 year period for TSA PreCheck ® application fee for a 5-year plan only (through a TSA PreCheck ® official enrollment provider), when charged to your Platinum Card ® . Card Members approved for Global Entry will also receive access to TSA PreCheck at no additional cost.
• Shop Saks with Platinum: Get up to $100 in statement credits annually for purchases in Saks Fifth Avenue stores or at saks.com on your Platinum Card ® . That's up to $50 in statement credits semi-annually. Enrollment required.
• Unlock access to exclusive reservations and special dining experiences with Global Dining Access by Resy when you add your Platinum Card ® to your Resy profile.
• $695 annual fee.
• Terms Apply.
• APR: See Pay Over Time APR
• Foreign Transaction Fees:  None

American Express Membership Rewards

This is the best card for food lovers who dine out at restaurants (worldwide), order take-out and want big rewards at U.S. supermarkets!

The American Express ® Gold Card  is a game-changer.

With this card, you can earn 4x Membership Rewards points at restaurants and you’ll also earn 4x Membership Rewards points at U.S. supermarkets on up to $25,000 per calendar year in purchases, then 1x.

There isn’t another card on the market that offers a 1-2 punch like this. Of course, there are several other benefits of the Gold Card as well, including extra monthly dining rewards and more.

• 4x points per dollar at restaurants, plus takeout and delivery in the U.S.
• 4x points per dollar at U.S. supermarkets, up to $25,000 per calendar year in purchases; and 1x thereafter
• 3x points per dollar on flights purchased directly from airlines or at AmexTravel.com
• $250 annual fee (see rates and fees )
• No lounge access
• Earn 60,000 Membership Rewards ® points after you spend $6,000 on eligible purchases with your new Card within the first 6 months of Card Membership.
• Earn 4X Membership Rewards ® Points at Restaurants, plus takeout and delivery in the U.S., and earn 4X Membership Rewards ® points at U.S. supermarkets (on up to $25,000 per calendar year in purchases, then 1X).
• Earn 3X Membership Rewards ® points on flights booked directly with airlines or on amextravel.com.
• $120 Uber Cash on Gold: Add your Gold Card to your Uber account and each month automatically get $10 in Uber Cash for Uber Eats orders or Uber rides in the U.S., totaling up to $120 per year.
• $120 Dining Credit: Satisfy your cravings and earn up to $10 in statement credits monthly when you pay with the American Express ® Gold Card at Grubhub, The Cheesecake Factory, Goldbelly, Wine.com, Milk Bar and select Shake Shack locations. Enrollment required.
• Get a $100 experience credit with a minimum two-night stay when you book The Hotel Collection through American Express Travel. Experience credit varies by property.
• Choose the color that suits your style. Gold or Rose Gold.
• No Foreign Transaction Fees.
• Annual Fee is $250.

If you’re a business owner, we recommend taking a look at the numerous American Express business cards that earn Amex points, as well as offering numerous travel benefits.

Hot Tip:  Take a look at some of the other great ways you can earn more Air France-KLM Flying Blue miles for award flights.

Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer

With Singapore Airlines’ KrisFlyer program , we have our best Star Alliance partner option for booking award flights to Hawaii on United Airlines. Sure, you could use United MileagePlus to book. But why would you, when you could save 10,000 to 20,000 miles and utilize more transfer partners?

Book Awards With Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer

Singapore Airlines allows you to search for and book award flights through Star Alliance partners online.

Here are the steps you’ll want to take to book your Singapore Airlines ticket:

• Search for availability on the United website .
• Head to the Singapore Airlines website and repeat the search to book or call 833-727-0118.
• Select the flight you’d like to book or give the flight details to the phone agent.
• Pay for your ticket including the taxes and fees.

Let’s take a look at how many KrisFlyer miles you will need to book round-trip award flights on United.

If you booked these same flights with United MileagePlus miles, you would need 45,000 miles for economy class and 80,000 miles for business class. Not only is using Singapore KrisFlyer miles a better deal, but they’re much easier to earn (see below).

Hot Tip:  Looking for more awesome ways to use the Singapore KrisFlyer program? Check out some of the other great ways to use KrisFlyer miles .

Nonstop Routes to Hawaii Bookable With Singapore KrisFlyer Miles

Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer doesn’t have multiple partners, which means your nonstop options are more limited than when using Korean Air SKYPASS or Air France-KLM Flying Blue. That being said, the nonstop routes operated by United Airlines are convenient for people across the U.S.

Airports With Nonstop United Flights to Hawaii

• Chicago (ORD)
• Denver (DEN)
• Houston (IAH)
• Newark (EWR)
• Washington, D.C. (IAD)

Using Singapore KrisFlyer Miles With Alaska

We’ve focused above on nonstop routes to Hawaii. We’ve already talked about booking flights on United Airlines with Singapore KrisFlyer miles, but you can actually use KrisFlyer miles to book award tickets on Alaska Airlines as well.

Book Awards Tickets on Alaska Airlines With Singapore KrisFlyer

While Alaska Airlines is a member of Oneworld but has an individual partnership with Singapore Airlines that can get you to Hawaii for even fewer miles and points. The award chart for flights on Alaska Airlines divides the U.S. into 5 zones.

From Zone 1, you can book a nonstop economy class flight from California, Oregon, or Washington for just 24,000 KrisFlyer miles round-trip. This is one of the cheapest round-trip awards to Hawaii, and you can even book a one-way award for half the cost at 12,000 miles.

If you aren’t on the West Coast, you’ll need a connecting flight on Alaska Airlines, so the options are a bit more limited. However, if your home airport is served by Alaska Airlines, you could get a great deal.

Zone 2 is a particularly good deal if you’re okay with a connection since it only costs 23,000 KrisFlyer miles round-trip. It might seem odd, but if you have a connecting flight from one of the states in Zone 2, you can book the cheapest possible award to Hawaii.

These are the states in Zone 2:

Finally, you can also book round-trip economy awards from Zone 3 and Zone 5 for 25,000 KrisFlyer miles. Zone 5 includes nonstop flights from Ted Stevens Anchorage International (ANC), while Zone 3 awards will include a connection.

Zone 3 includes:

• North Dakota
• South Dakota

The remaining states are part of Zone 4; Singapore KrisFlyer’s award chart for flights on Alaska Airlines does not allow for award bookings to Hawaii from Zone 4.

Singapore Airlines’ online search does not include flights on Alaska Airlines , so you will have to call to book this award.

Here are the steps you’ll want to take to book your ticket:

• Search for availability on the Alaska website .
• Once you’ve located the flight you want to book, call the Singapore Airlines customer service team at 833-727-0118.
• Give the flight details to the phone agent, including the flight number, date, and flight times.
• Let the agent know you are paying for the flight with your miles and provide them with your loyalty number.
• Pay for any applicable taxes and fees and finalize your booking.

Earn More Singapore KrisFlyer Miles

Singapore Airlines’ KrisFlyer program partners with almost all of the transferable points programs. So when it comes to earning the necessary points for a trip to Hawaii, this is by far the easiest of the Star Alliance programs to use.

Amex Membership Rewards, Brex Rewards, Capital One Miles, Chase Ultimate Rewards, and Citi ThankYou Rewards all transfer to Singapore Airlines at a 1:1 ratio while Marriott Bonvoy transfers at a 3:1 rate.

The time it takes for transfers to process varies depending on the points you choose to transfer. Most programs transfer within 2 days while Marriott Bonvoy may take up to 7 days.

In conjunction with the competitive redemption rates to Hawaii, Singapore KrisFlyer is the go-to program for booking award flights on United Airlines.

Recommended Chase Cards (Personal)

A fantastic travel card with a huge welcome offer, good benefits, and perks for a moderate annual fee.

The Chase Sapphire Preferred ® card is one of the best travel rewards cards on the market. Its bonus categories include travel, dining, online grocery purchases, and streaming services, which gives you the opportunity to earn lots of bonus points on these purchases.

Additionally, it offers flexible point redemption options, no foreign transaction fees, and excellent travel insurance coverage including primary car rental insurance . With benefits like these, it’s easy to see why this card is an excellent choice for any traveler.

• 5x points on all travel booked via the Chase Travel portal
• 5x points on select Peloton purchases over $150 (through March 31, 2025)
• 5x points on Lyft purchases (through March 31, 2025)
• $95 annual fee
• No elite benefits like airport lounge access or hotel elite status
• Earn 75,000 bonus points after you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening. That's over $900 when you redeem through Chase Travel℠.
• Enjoy benefits such as 5x on travel purchased through Chase Travel℠, 3x on dining, select streaming services and online groceries, 2x on all other travel purchases, 1x on all other purchases, $50 Annual Chase Travel Hotel Credit, plus more.
• Get 25% more value when you redeem for airfare, hotels, car rentals and cruises through Chase Travel℠. For example, 75,000 points are worth $937.50 toward travel.
• Count on Trip Cancellation/Interruption Insurance, Auto Rental Collision Damage Waiver, Lost Luggage Insurance and more.
• Get complimentary access to DashPass which unlocks $0 delivery fees and lower service fees for a minimum of one year when you activate by December 31, 2024.
• Member FDIC
• APR: 21.49%-28.49% Variable

Chase Ultimate Rewards

A top player in the high-end premium travel credit card space that earns 3x points on travel and dining while offering top luxury perks.

If you’re looking for an all-around excellent travel rewards card, the Chase Sapphire Reserve ®  is one of the best options out there.

The card combines elite travel benefits and perks like airport lounge access , with excellent point earning and redemption options.  Plus it offers top-notch travel insurance protections to keep you covered whether you’re at home or on the road.

Don’t forget the $300 annual travel credit which really helps to reduce the annual fee!

• 10x total points on hotels and car rentals when you purchase travel through Chase TravelSM immediately after the first $300 is spent on travel purchases annually
• 10x points on Lyft purchases March 31, 2025
• 10x points on Peloton equipment and accessory purchases over $250 through March 31, 2025
• $550 annual fee
• Does not offer any sort of hotel elite status
• Earn 75,000 bonus points after you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening. That's $1,125 toward travel when you redeem through Chase Travel℠.
• $300 Annual Travel Credit as reimbursement for travel purchases charged to your card each account anniversary year.
• Earn 5x total points on flights and 10x total points on hotels and car rentals when you purchase travel through Chase Travel℠ immediately after the first $300 is spent on travel purchases annually. Earn 3x points on other travel and dining & 1 point per $1 spent on all other purchases
• Get 50% more value when you redeem your points for travel through Chase Travel℠. For example, 75,000 points are worth $1125 toward travel.
• 1:1 point transfer to leading airline and hotel loyalty programs
• Access to 1,300+ airport lounges worldwide after an easy, one-time enrollment in Priority Pass™ Select and up to $100 application fee credit every four years for Global Entry, NEXUS, or TSA PreCheck ®
• APR: 22.49%-29.49% Variable

Business Owner?  Check out our article on the best  Chase business cards  that earn Ultimate Rewards points.

Hot Tip:  If you think you might book your next trip to Hawaii with Singapore KrisFlyer miles, check out some of our favorite ways to earn more KrisFlyer miles .

British Airways Executive Club (From the West Coast)

You might have noticed that we haven’t discussed how you can fly American Airlines to Hawaii. Well, British Airways Executive Club gives you just that option. Not only that, but you can also use British Airways Avios to book award flights on Alaska Airlines.

Book Awards With British Airways Executive Club

Unlike the other options we have discussed, British Airways Executive Club uses a distance-based award chart , so the total number of Avios required to book an award flight will be determined by the distance you fly. As a result, nonstop flights are ideal if you want to maximize your points.

With this in mind, British Airways’ award chart provides a great option to book nonstop economy class award tickets from the West Coast to Hawaii on both American Airlines and Alaska Airlines.

From many major West Coast airports, you can book a nonstop economy class award for 26,000 British Airways Avios round-trip. American Airlines would charge you 45,000 AAdvantage miles, and Alaska Airlines would charge you 40,000 Mileage Plan miles for the same flights!

If you want to search for award space on flights operated by American Airlines, you can search and book on the British Airways site . To book a flight on Alaska Airlines, you’ll need to search on American Airlines’ site and then call British Airways. The phone agent will need your dates of travel and flight numbers to search the exact flights you found on American Airlines.

Here is how you can book a ticket with British Airways:

• Search for availability on the British Airways or American Airlines website .
• Select the flight you want to book or call British Airways to book at 800-452-1201.
• Pay for the ticket along with any applicable taxes and fees.

Hot Tip:  Want some more British Airways sweet spot redemptions? Check out some of our favorite ways to redeem Avios for award flights.

Nonstop Routes to Hawaii Bookable With British Airways Executive Club

With a distance-based award chart, it’s particularly important to find award flights that are nonstop so you don’t have to use more miles and points.

Fortunately, there are some great nonstop options from the West Coast to Hawaii, so you can take advantage of this sweet spot in the British Airways Executive Club program.

Airports With Nonstop American Airlines Flights to Hawaii

• Dallas Fort Worth (DFW)

Earn More British Airways Avios

There are several options for earning British Airways Avios . You can transfer points from American Express Membership Rewards, Capital One Miles, Chase Ultimate Rewards, or Marriott Bonvoy.

Amex Membership Rewards, Capital One Miles, and Chase Ultimate Rewards transfer to British Airways at a 1:1 ratio and transfer almost instantly. Marriott Bonvoy, on the other hand, transfers at a 3:1 rate, and transfers take up to 5 days.

Additionally, British Airways offers the British Airways Visa Signature ® Card  that earns Avios directly.

More Reads:

• See our guides on: Chase Transfer Partners , Amex Transfer Partners , Capital One Transfer Partners and Marriott Transfer Partners

Recommended Capital One Cards (Personal)

The Capital One Venture X card is an excellent option for travelers looking for an all-in-one premium credit card.

The Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card is the premium Capital One travel rewards card on the block.

Points and miles fans will be surprised to see that the Capital One Venture X card packs quite the punch when it comes to bookings made through Capital One, all while offering the lowest annual fee among premium credit cards.

Depending on your travel goals and preferences, the Capital One Venture X card could very well end up being your go-to card in your wallet.

• 10x miles per $1 on hotels and rental cars purchased through Capital One Travel
• 5x miles per $1 on flights purchased through Capital One Travel
• 2x miles per $1 on all other purchases
• $395 annual fee ( rates & fees )
• Does not offer bonus categories for flights or hotel purchases made directly with the airline or hotel group, the preferred booking method for those looking to earn elite status
• Earn 75,000 bonus miles when you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening, equal to $750 in travel
• Receive a $300 annual credit for bookings through Capital One Travel, where you'll get Capital One's best prices on thousands of trip options
• Get 10,000 bonus miles (equal to $100 towards travel) every year, starting on your first anniversary
• Earn unlimited 10X miles on hotels and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel and 5X miles on flights booked through Capital One Travel
• Earn unlimited 2X miles on all other purchases
• Unlimited complimentary access for you and two guests to 1,300+ lounges, including Capital One Lounges and the Partner Lounge Network
• Use your Venture X miles to easily cover travel expenses, including flights, hotels, rental cars and more—you can even transfer your miles to your choice of 15+ travel loyalty programs
• Elevate every hotel stay from the Premier or Lifestyle Collections with a suite of cardholder benefits, like an experience credit, room upgrades, and more
• Receive up to a $100 credit for Global Entry or TSA PreCheck ®
• APR: 19.99% - 29.99% (Variable)

Capital One Miles

Get 2x miles plus some of the most flexible redemptions offered by a travel credit card!

The Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card   is one of the most popular rewards cards on the market. It’s perfect for anyone in search of a great welcome offer, high rewards rates, and flexible redemption options.

Frequent travelers with excellent credit may benefit from this credit card that offers a lot of bells and whistles. And it offers easy-to-understand rewards earning and redemption.

• 5x miles per $1 on hotels and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel
• Global Entry or TSA PreCheck application fee credit
• $95 annual fee ( rates & fees )
• Limited elite benefits
• Enjoy a one-time bonus of 75,000 miles once you spend $4,000 on purchases within 3 months from account opening, equal to $750 in travel
• Earn unlimited 2X miles on every purchase, every day
• Earn 5X miles on hotels and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel, where you'll get Capital One's best prices on thousands of trip options
• Miles won't expire for the life of the account and there's no limit to how many you can earn
• Use your miles to get reimbursed for any travel purchase—or redeem by booking a trip through Capital One Travel
• Enrich every hotel stay from the Lifestyle Collection with a suite of cardholder benefits, like a $50 experience credit, room upgrades, and more
• Transfer your miles to your choice of 15+ travel loyalty programs

Hot Tip: You can also use points to book a hotel in Hawaii ! See our picks for the best options on Kauai, Maui, and the Island of Hawaii.

Turkish Airlines Miles&Smiles

Using the Turkish Airlines Miles&Smiles program for United flights is a massive hidden gem that many are unaware of. Using Turkish miles, you can fly with United, from anywhere in the U.S., for just 7,500 miles in economy one way or 12,500 miles in business class.

You read that right.

A round-trip flight from anywhere in the U.S. to Hawaii for just 15,000 miles round-trip in economy or 25,000 round-trip in business . This is an outstanding value!

Book Awards With Turkish Airlines Miles&Smiles

Here’s the catch: to book an award, you used to need to deal with Turkish Airlines’ clunky website. If the website isn’t showing the partner-level award you’re looking for, you’ll need to call a Turkish Airlines phone agent to find the flight you want and ticket the reservation.

But you can find all of this information by first performing award searches on united.com . Remember that the award flight you want must be available at the Saver level in order to book.

Here is a recap of how to book a ticket with Turkish Airlines:

• Once you find the flight you want to book, visit the Turkish Airlines website , and log into your account by clicking  SIGN IN  at the top-right corner of the homepage.
• Once you’re logged in and redirected to the homepage, hover over your name in the top-right corner and click Miles Transactions in the dropdown menu.
• Then, you’ll find a box that says Star Alliance award ticket . Click the button that says Book now . If you’re having difficulty, click this link after logging in .
• Enter your search criteria, and locate the flights you want to book.
• Complete your booking and pay any taxes and fees.

Nonstop Routes to Hawaii Bookable with Turkish Miles

With your Turkish Miles, you can book nonstop flights out of any of the cities that United flies nonstop to Hawaii.

Earn More Turkish Airlines Miles

Turkish does not have nearly as many transferable currency options available as some of the other options on this list. But you can use currency from Bilt Rewards, Capital One Miles, Citi ThankYou Rewards, and Marriott Bonvoy to help make bookings possible.

Bilt, Capital One, and Citi transfer at a 1:1 ratio in under 2 days and Marriott Bonvoy will transfer at a 3:1 rate in around 2 days.

Hot Tip: Check out some other ways that you can get excellent value out of Turkish miles .

If you want to fly to Hawaii in style, a lie-flat business class seat is the way to go. However, finding flights that have an international business class cabin layout isn’t always easy, so we’re going to simplify that process.

United Airlines Boeing 777, 767, and 757

If you use miles to fly Hawaii on United Airlines, several aircraft types provide a lie-flat business class seat (known as Polaris class ), including the Boeing 777, 767, and 757. The image above is from one of United’s Boeing 777s with lie-flat seats. In fact, all 777 and 767 aircraft have lie-flat business class seats.

If your flight on United is on a 757, make sure you check the seat map before booking. While a domestic first class recliner is certainly more comfortable than an economy class seat, a lie-flat seat is even better. United operates its 757 planes with both cabin layouts, so it’s important to know what you are booking before transferring points.

Fortunately, United Airlines offers quite a few flights with lie-flat business class seats. While business class award space to Hawaii is tough regardless of airline, United gives you a bit better chance.

Currently, you can find lie-flat seats on at least 1 of the flights of the following routes to/from Honolulu (HNL):

Delta Air Lines Airbus A330 and Boeing 767

Delta operates several aircraft on its routes to Hawaii, but only 2 aircraft types offer lie-flat business class seats (known as Delta One ): the Airbus A330 and the Boeing 767. Its A330 has a reverse herringbone business class cabin layout that is one of the best ways to fly to Hawaii.

Unfortunately, you need to be careful if the flight you want to book is operated on a 767, as some of these aircraft do not have lie-flat seats. Fortunately, there’s an easy way to tell without even looking at the seat map. If you see a bed symbol when you expand the details of a flight option, this means you will have a lie-flat seat in business class.

Delta provides lie-flat business class seats on 6 routes to Honolulu (HNL) at this time:

American Airlines Airbus A330, Boeing 777 and 767

American Airlines has lie-flat business class seats on all of its Airbus A330, Boeing 777, and Boeing 767 aircraft. Unlike with Delta, you won’t have to figure out whether its 767s have lie-flat seats or recliners.

When booking flights on American Airlines with British Airways, you won’t see a seat map in the search results, but you can quickly check the aircraft type. If you see any aircraft other than an A330, 777, or 767, you’ll know that the business class cabin does not have lie-flat seats.

At this time, the only routes that American Airlines operates with lie-flat business class seats (known as  Flagship Business class ) are from Dallas Fort Worth (DFW) to Honolulu (HNL) or Kahului (OGG).

Using British Airways Avios won’t be a great way to book this flight, but you can use 63,000 Japan Airlines Mileage Bank miles or 80,000 American AAdvantage miles for a round-trip business class award.

Hawaiian Airlines Airbus A330

Some of Hawaiian Airlines’ Airbus A330s have lie-flat business class seats that have received great reviews. Obviously, if you find award space, you’ll want to know if you’ll have the opportunity to experience these seats.

Fortunately, Hawaiian Airlines makes it very easy to find out if you’ll have lie-flat seats in business class. While you may be calling Korean Air SKYPASS to book, you can use Hawaiian Airlines’ site to see which flights have lie-flat seats.

You don’t even have to run an award search. Just search for a cash ticket, and under the First Class column you’ll see a note that says Lie-Flat Seats . If it doesn’t have this note, the flight doesn’t offer lie-flat seats.

While finding Saver-level business class award space on Hawaiian Airlines can be very tough, there are lots of routes with lie-flat seats if you can find the space:

• Austin (AUS) to Honolulu (HNL)
• Boston (BOS) to Honolulu (HNL)
• Las Vegas (LAS) to Honolulu (HNL)
• Los Angeles (LAX) to Honolulu (HNL) or Kahului (OGG)
• New York (JFK) to Honolulu (HNL)
• Orlando (MCO) to Honolulu (HNL)
• Phoenix (PHX) to Honolulu (HNL)
• San Francisco (SFO) to Honolulu (HNL)
• Seattle (SEA) to Honolulu (HNL) or Kahului (OGG)

No matter which transferable currency you’re hoping to use, you can easily book award flights to Hawaii. In fact, compared to other destinations, it requires significantly fewer points to do so, which makes it easier to bring a loved one or a friend.

If you’re hoping to book a business class award to Hawaii, we suggest using 25,000 Turkish Miles&Smiles miles to fly with United or 15,000 miles in economy class (if you can find Saver availability).

As you can see, with miles and points, the question isn’t if you can go to Hawaii, but when to go! With this info in hand, you’ll be ready to book in no time. Just remember, for a popular destination like Hawaii, travel date flexibility and planning ahead go a long way when searching for award space. Also, don’t forget your beach packing list so you don’t forget anything at home.

The information regarding the Marriott Bonvoy Bold ® Credit Card was independently collected by Upgraded Points and not provided nor reviewed by the issuer. The information regarding the Marriott Bonvoy Boundless ® Credit Card was independently collected by Upgraded Points and not provided nor reviewed by the issuer.

For rates and fees of the Marriott Bonvoy Bevy™ American Express ® Card, click here . For rates and fees of the Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant ® American Express ® card, click here . For rates and fees of The Platinum Card ® from American Express, click here . For rates and fees of the American Express ® Gold Card, click  here .

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the fewest number of miles you can use to book an economy class award flight to hawaii.

Turkish Airlines requires the fewest number of miles when using to book Saver space on United, with ticket prices starting at just 15,000 miles round-trip.

What is the fewest number of miles required to fly business class to Hawaii?

Turkish Airlines requires the fewest number of miles when using to book Saver space on United, with business class ticket prices starting at just 25,000 miles round-trip.

Which transferable currencies can be used to book flights to Hawaii?

In short, all of them! You can use American Express Membership Rewards, Bilt Rewards, Brex Rewards, Capital One Miles, Chase Ultimate Rewards, Citi ThankYou Rewards, and Marriott Bonvoy to book a flight to Hawaii.

What airline is the best to fly to Hawaii?

It depends. Generally speaking, the best airline is whichever one you have points with that you can use for a free flight! If you have transferable points, your options open up quite a bit, but we recommend using Turkish Airlines miles to fly with United.

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About Jarrod West

Boasting a portfolio of over 20 cards, Jarrod has been an expert in the points and miles space for over 6 years. He earns and redeems over 1 million points per year and his work has been featured in outlets like The New York Times.

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Traveling to Hawaii with points and miles for 2024

Mar 28, 2024 • 19 min read

Read on for top tips on how to use credit card rewards to get you to Hawaai; Kalalau Beach on the Nā Pali Coast of Kauai, Hawaii © Colton Stiffler / Getty

This series of articles about credit cards, points and miles, and budgeting for travel is brought to you in partnership with  The Points Guy .

Advertiser Disclosure:  This post contains references to products from one or more of our advertisers. We may receive compensation when you click on links to those products. Terms apply to the offers listed on this page. This relationship may impact how and where links appear on this site. This site does not include all financial companies or all available financial offers. All information about  the Southwest Rapid Rewards® Priority Credit Card, Delta SkyMiles Platinum Business American Expre ss Card, United Club Business Card, Alaska Airlines Visa® credit card, Alaska Airlines Visa® Business card, Bilt Mastercard®, all Citi cards, and American Express® Green Card has been collected independently by Lonely Planet. These cards are not available through Lonely Planet.

For many travelers, a trip to Hawaii means a trip to paradise, where you can don a fragrant flower lei, catch a hula show and unwind at the beach. And they’re not wrong — I grew up on the island of Oʻahu and miss it every day.

While Hawaiian vacations have a reputation for being expensive, employing a few budget-friendly tricks , like traveling during the shoulder season or opting for public transportation, can help you save money on your trip. On a larger scale, saving up enough points and miles to cover your flights and hotels would free up more money for dining, tours and other fun activities.

Whether you’re into visiting volcanoes , learning about Hawaiian history and culture or vegging out by the pool, there’s no reason your island vacation has to break the bank. Here’s everything you need to know about traveling to Hawaii using points and miles , with  top tips  to help you get started on your rewards-earning journey and maximize credit card welcome bonuses.

How to get started with travel points and airline miles

The cheapest award flights to Hawaii

Most visitors will fly to Honolulu (HNL) and focus all their energy on Oʻahu . If you’re planning to island-hop, it can sometimes be cheaper to fly into HNL and then snag a 30-minute flight to reach another island. 

That said, some cities do offer direct flights to Maui (OGG), Kauaʻi (LIH), and Hawaiʻi the Big Island (KOA), so check Google Flights to see all your options. Rates also tend to be lower from the West Coast or major US airline hubs.

Here’s a look at the cheapest award flights to Honolulu from the continental US, plus tips for earning the miles you’ll need by maximizing travel credit card welcome bonuses (rates based on flights to Honolulu from West Coast):

• Cheapest economy class ticket to Hawaii: 15,000 Turkish Airlines miles round-trip
• Cheapest business-class ticket to Hawaii: 25,000 Turkish Airlines miles round-trip
• Cheapest first-class ticket to Hawaii: 45,000 Korean Air Skypass miles round-trip

There are two important things to remember: Most airlines are part of an alliance — Oneworld, Star Alliance or SkyTeam — so it’s worth checking how much points redemptions cost with a main carrier as well as its partners.

Secondly, signing up for travel credit cards with flexible rewards programs and lucrative welcome bonuses — Chase Ultimate Rewards, American Express Membership Rewards, Citi ThankYou, Capital One Rewards, Marriott Bonvoy and Bilt Rewards — lets you transfer points to airline and hotel partners within those programs, so you’ll have even more options.

• Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card : Earn 75,000 bonus points after you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening. That's over $900 when you redeem through Chase Travel℠. ( See full review here. )
• Chase Sapphire Reserve® : Earn 75,000 bonus points after you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening. That's $1,125 toward travel when you redeem through Chase Travel℠.
• American Express® Green Card*: Earn 40,000 bonus points after you spend $3,000 within the first six months of opening your account.
• American Express® Gold Card *: Earn 60,000 bonus points after spending $6,000 within the first six months of account opening. ( See full review here. )
• American Express® Business Gold Card : Earn 70,000 bonus points after spending $10,000 within the first three months of opening your account.
• The Platinum Card® from American Express *: Earn 80,000 bonus points after you spend $8,000 within the first six months of opening your account.
• The Business Platinum Card® from American Express *: Earn 150,000 Membership Rewards® points after you spend $20,000 in eligible purchases on the Card within the first 3 months of Card Membership.
• Citi Premier® Card: Earn 60,000 bonus miles once you spend $4,000 within the first three months of opening your account.
• Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card :  Earn 75,000 bonus miles after you spend $4,000 within the first three months of opening your account.
• Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card : Earn 75,000 bonus miles after you spend $4,000 within the first three months of opening your account.
• Bilt Mastercard®: No welcome bonus, but you can earn points on rent and transfer to a number of airline and hotel partners.

Here’s a look at some of the best ways to fly to Hawaii with points and miles.

American Airlines AAdvantage

Thanks to American Airlines’ nifty award chart, it’s easy to see how many AAdvantage miles you’ll need for a flight to Hawaii in your preferred class with the carrier or one of its Oneworld alliance partner airlines.

• Economy Class: 40,000–45,000 miles round-trip 
• Business Class: 110,000–120,000 miles round-trip
• First Class: 160,000 miles round-trip

To earn AAdvantage miles in a hurry, consider signing up for one of the cobranded credit cards listed below. Otherwise, you can transfer Bilt Rewards points at a 1:1 ratio or Marriott Bonvoy points at a 3:1 ratio.

• Barclaycard AAdvantage Aviator Red World Elite Mastercard: Earn 60,000 bonus miles after making your first purchase and paying the $99 annual fee within the first 90 days of account opening.
• Citi® / AAdvantage® Platinum Select® World Elite Mastercard®: Earn 50,000 bonus miles after spending $2,500 within the first three months of opening your account.
• CitiBusiness® / AAdvantage® Platinum Select® Mastercard®: Earn 65,000 bonus miles after spending $4,000 within the first four months of account opening.
• Citi® / AAdvantage® Executive World Elite Mastercard®: Earn 70,000 bonus miles after spending $7,000 within the first three months of opening your account.

British Airways Avios

The real sweet spot of the Oneworld alliance is booking flights to Hawaii with British Airways Avios. Award rates are based on distance, which means you could score a one-way flight to Honolulu from the West Coast or Phoenix (PHX) for just 13,000 Avios since you’re only flying 2,001 to 3,000 miles.

• Economy Class: 26,000 Avios round-trip
• Business Class: 77,500 Avios round-trip
• First Class: 103,000 Avios round-trip

You can earn British Airways Avios by transferring points from American Express Membership Rewards, Chase Ultimate Rewards, Capital One or Bilt Rewards at a 1:1 ratio or from Marriott Bonvoy at a ratio of 3:1. You could also sign up for its cobranded credit card to use the welcome bonus.

• British Airways Visa Signature® Card : Limited time offer! Earn 85,000 Avios after you spend $5,000 on purchases within the first three months of account opening.

Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan

Another Oneworld partner, Alaska Airlines, offers flights to Hawaii from Seattle (SEA), Portland (PDX), San Francisco (SFO), and San Diego (SAN).

• Economy Class: 30,000 miles round-trip 
• First Class: 80,000 miles round-trip

While you can’t transfer miles between Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan and American Airlines AAdvantage, you can still book flights on one carrier through the other one’s website since they are Oneworld alliance partners. 

Alaska Airlines is partnered with Marriott Bonvoy — you can transfer points to Alaska at a ratio of 3:1 — but the only other way to earn miles quickly is by maximizing the welcome bonus from its two cobranded credit cards.

• Alaska Airlines Visa® credit card: Earn 60,000 bonus miles once you spend $3,000 within the first 90 days of account opening — and earn Alaska’s $99 Companion Fare, plus taxes and fees from $23, each year after you spend $6,000.
• Alaska Airlines Visa® Business card: Earn 50,000 bonus miles, plus Alaska’s $99 Companion Fare, plus taxes and fees from $23, after spending $3,000 within the first 90 days of opening your account.

United Airlines MileagePlus

Since United Airlines uses dynamic pricing, rates can change based on the season and seat availability. A recent sample search revealed the following for a flight in February 2024 from Los Angeles (LAX) to Honolulu (HNL):

• Economy Class: 23,000 miles round-trip
• Business/First Class: 100,000 miles round-trip

United is a transfer partner of Chase Ultimate Rewards and Bilt Rewards, so you can transfer points at a 1:1 ratio. To earn United MileagePlus miles quickly, consider signing up for one of its cobranded credit cards.

• United Gateway℠ Card : Earn 20,000 miles after spending $1,000 within the first three months of account opening.
• United℠ Explorer Card : Earn 50,000 bonus miles after you spend $3,000 on purchases in the first three months your account is open.
• United Quest℠ Card : Earn 60,000 bonus miles and 500 Premier qualifying points after you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first three months your account is open.
• United Club℠ Infinite Card : Earn 80,000 bonus miles after you spend $5,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening.
• United℠ Business Card : Earn 75,000 bonus miles after spending $5,000 in your first three months of account opening.
• United Club℠ Business Card : Earn 50,000 bonus miles plus 1,000 Premier qualifying points after you spend $5,000 on purchases in the first three months your account is open.

Turkish Airlines Miles&Smiles

While it is possible to book flights to Hawaii with other Star Alliance partners such as Air Canada Aeroplan and Singapore Airlines Krisflyer, the best redemptions come from booking through Turkish Airlines Miles&Smiles. 

• Economy Class: 15,000 miles round-trip
• Business Class: 25,000 miles round-trip

Note that you may need to search for award availability on United’s website first, then through the Turkish Airlines site. If all else fails, call Turkish Airlines to locate the flight you found on the United site to reserve your seat.

While you’ll be booking your award flight with Turkish, you’ll be flying United aircraft since they’re partners. Check to see what availability there is to Hawaii from United hubs like Chicago (ORD), Denver (DEN), Newark (EWR), Houston (IAH), Washington, D.C. (IAD), Los Angeles (LAX) and San Francisco (SFO) to find the best rates.

Several flexible rewards programs, such as Capital One, Citi and Bilt Rewards, let you transfer points to Turkish Miles&Smiles at a 1:1 ratio, while Marriott Bonvoy’s transfer ratio is 1:3.

Delta SkyMiles

Delta also uses dynamic pricing, which makes it tricky to find the best rate since they vary. Here’s a sample search for a flight from Seattle (SEA) to Honolulu (HNL) in February 2024.

• Economy Class: 56,000 miles round-trip
• Business/First Class: 203,000 miles round-trip

Delta SkyMiles is a transfer partner of American Express Membership Rewards, so points can be transferred at a ratio of 1:1. To boost your points balance, consider the generous welcome bonuses by the American Express travel cards listed above or one of Delta’s cobranded cards, listed below.

• Delta SkyMiles® Gold American Express Card *: Earn 40,000 Bonus Miles after you spend $2,000 in purchases on your new Card in your first 6 months of Card Membership.
• Delta SkyMiles® Gold Business American Express Card *: Earn 55,000 Bonus Miles after spending $4,000 in purchases on your new Card in your first 6 months of Card Membership.
• Delta SkyMiles® Platinum American Express Card *: Earn 50,000 Bonus Miles after you spend $3,000 in purchases on your new Card in your first 6 months of Card Membership.
• Delta SkyMiles® Platinum Business American Express Card*: Earn 65,000 Bonus Miles after spending $6,000 in purchases on your new Card in your first 6 months of Card Membership
• Delta SkyMiles® Reserve American Express Card *: Earn 60,000 Bonus Miles after you spend $5,000 in purchases on your new Card in your first 6 months of Card Membership.  Limited time offer:  Reserve your piece of history with the new limited edition Boeing 747 Delta SkyMiles® Reserve American Express Card design.
• Delta SkyMiles® Reserve Business American Express Card *: Earn 75,000 Bonus Miles after spending $10,000 in purchases on your new Card in your first 6 months of Card Membership.

Korean Air Skypass

It’s also possible to book flights to Hawaii through Delta’s SkyTeam partners.

To redeem miles with Korean Air Skypass — which lets you book award flights on SkyTeam carriers and partners like Hawaiian Airlines and Alaska Airlines in addition to Korean Air — you must book a round-trip flight, as one-way award redemptions aren’t allowed. 

• Economy Class: 25,000 miles round-trip
• Business Class: 45,000 miles round-trip

If you only need to book a one-way award flight, Air France/KLM’s FlyingBlue loyalty program has economy redemptions for 35,000 miles round-trip or 86,000 miles round-trip in premium cabins.

To earn Korean Air Skypass miles quickly, transfer Marriott Bonvoy points at a ratio of 3:1.

• Marriott Bonvoy Bold® Credit Card : Earn 30,000 bonus points after you spend $1,000 on eligible purchases within the first six months from account opening. Plus, earn up to 14X total points for every $1 spent at thousands of hotels participating in Marriott Bonvoy.
• Marriott Bonvoy Boundless® Credit Card : Earn 3 Free Night Awards (each night valued up to 50,000 points) after spending $3,000 on purchases in your first three months from account opening.
• Marriott Bonvoy Bevy™ American Express® Card *: Earn 85,000 Marriott Bonvoy bonus points after you use your new Card to make $5,000 in purchases within the first 6 months of Card Membership.
• Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant® American Express® Card *:  Earn 95,000 Marriott Bonvoy bonus points after you use your new Card to make $6,000 in purchases within the first 6 months of Card Membership.

Southwest Airlines Rapid Rewards

Southwest bases its redemption rates on the ticket price, so you can use the low-fare calendar on its website to search for the cheapest available option.

Here’s a sample search for a flight from Oakland (OAK) to Kahului, Maui (OGG) in February 2024. Note that Southwest has its own version of business class, which has more to do with ticket refundability and boarding privileges than premium seats.

• Economy Class: 15,432 points round-trip
• Business Class: 40,322 points round-trip

While Southwest lacks airline alliance partners, it is part of Chase Ultimate Rewards, so you can switch your points over to Southwest at a 1:1 ratio. 

• Southwest Rapid Rewards® Plus Credit Card :  Earn 85,000 bonus points after spending $3,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening.
• Southwest Rapid Rewards® Priority Credit Card: Earn 85,000 bonus points after spending $3,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening.
• Southwest Rapid Rewards® Premier Credit Card : Earn 85,000 bonus points after spending $3,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening.
• Southwest Rapid Rewards® Premier Business Credit Card : Earn 60,000 bonus points after you spend $3,000 within the first three months of account opening.
• Southwest Rapid Rewards Performance Business Credit Card : Earn 80,000 bonus points after spending $5,000 within the first three months of account opening.

Hawaii hotels you can book with points

You’ll find every major points hotel chain throughout the Hawaiian Islands, including World of Hyatt, Hilton Honors, Marriott Bonvoy, IHG One Rewards, Wyndham Rewards and Choice Privileges, which are all free to sign up for. 

Be aware that some properties charge resort fees on top of the usual taxes and fees for perks like local calls, pool towels, Wi-Fi and other activities not covered by your room rate. 

Certain credit cards, like the  Chase Sapphire Reserve , offer a $300 annual travel credit so you can “erase” those fees, while others, like the Hilton Honors American Express Aspire Card*, offer $200 in statement credits toward resort fees and other purchases made at Hilton hotels twice a year as an included benefit.

No matter which island you visit, signing up for hotel credit cards or transferring flexible points from Chase Ultimate Rewards or American Express Membership Rewards will certainly help save you money .

Should you book travel with cash or points?

If you’re into hiking dormant volcanoes, watching the waves on the North Shore, learning about WWII history at the Pearl Harbor National Memorial or snacking on shave ice by the beach, start on Oʻahu . It’s Hawaii’s busiest island and likely where your flight came in anyway.

Base yourself near Hawaii’s most popular stretch of sand at one of three Hyatt hotels. Rooms at Hyatt Place Waikiki Beach start at 12,000 points per night, while the Hyatt Centric Waikiki Beach nearby has rates from 15,000 points per night. For a real treat, try the Hyatt Regency Waikiki Beach Resort and Spa, where rooms start at 20,000 points per night.

The welcome bonus from the Chase Sapphire Preferred Card or the World of Hyatt Credit Card would be enough to cover at least three nights. You can also transfer Ultimate Rewards points to Hyatt since it’s a hotel partner.

Best credit cards for traveling with kids

As of this writing, Lahaina is closed to the public, and West Maui is still recovering from devastating wildfires . That said, the rest of the island is open for business, with points hotels in Wailea, Kihei, Kahului and Hana — and even more in Ka’anapali and Kapalua when the West Coast recovers.

We recommend staying in Wailea or Kihei in South Maui, home to beautiful beaches and views of the neighboring islands of Lanai and Kaho’olawe. It’s also a great base for doing the famous road trip to Hana, lined with scenic beaches and waterfalls or driving to the summit of Mt. Haleakala, one of Maui’s most popular attractions at 10,023 feet.

Marriott Bonvoy loyalists can stay at the AC Hotel by Marriott Maui Wailea from 33,500 points per night, the Residence Inn Maui Wailea from 61,000 points per night or the Wailea Beach Resort from 65,500 points per night.

Since Marriot Bonvoy is a transfer partner of Chase Ultimate Rewards and American Express Membership Rewards, you can switch points over from either loyalty program. 

Otherwise, the Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant  welcome bonus of two free nights (up to 85,000 points per night) will knock two nights off your total. The card also offers a free night for your anniversary and up to $300 annually ($25 per month) in credits for dining at restaurants.

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Hawai'i Island (The Big Island)

While you’ll find the highest concentration of points hotels in and around Kona, there is a charming DoubleTree by Hilton property, the Grand Naniloa Hotel, in Hilo if you’re looking to stay on the east side of the island (from 50,000 Hilton Honors points per night). Consider staying here if you’ll be visiting Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park, as it’s just an hour’s drive away.

On the West Coast, rates at Hilton Waikoloa Village — a terrific kid-friendly option for families with multiple swimming pools, a lazy river and several water slides — start at 75,000 points per night.

Hilton Honors is an American Express Membership Rewards hotel partner, so you’ll earn two Hilton Honors points for every Amex MR point you transfer. 

As for welcome bonuses, The Platinum Card from American Express offers enough points to cover one night, while the Hilton Honors American Express Surpass® Card * takes care of two nights. It also comes with Hilton Gold status, giving you access to extra benefits like daily dining credits or continental breakfast, complimentary room upgrades and a nifty fifth-night free perk.

Best travel credit cards for hotels

The Garden Isle is best known for its film locations. Kauaʻi was prominently featured throughout the “Jurassic Park” series, while the ever-popular Fern Grotto appeared in the Elvis classic “Blue Hawaii” and doubled as the Peruvian jungle in “Indiana Jones: Raiders of the Lost Ark.”

Whether you choose to stay on the scenic North Shore or along the eastern or southern beaches, there’s a points property near you. The most notable are part of the World of Hyatt, Marriott Bonvoy and Hilton Honors. 

To the south, the Grand Hyatt Kauai Resort & Spa in Poipu (from 30,000 points per night) and the Koloa Landing Resort at Poipu, part of Marriott’s Autograph Collection (from 85,000 points per night) make excellent choices.

The Sheraton Kauai Coconut Beach Resort in Kapa’a also makes a great base if you’d prefer to stay on the East Coast (from 66,000 points per night), as does the Hilton Garden Inn Kauai Wailua Bay (from 60,000 points per night).

To earn loyalty points in a hurry, consider signing up for any of the Hyatt, Marriott, or Hilton credit cards mentioned above to maximize their respective welcome bonuses. 

You can also transfer Chase Ultimate Rewards points to Hyatt or Marriott at a 1:1 ratio or Amex Membership Rewards points to Hilton (at a 1:2 ratio) or Marriott (at a 1 to 1.5 ratio). It all depends on which hotel brand you prefer.

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Activities and ground transportation

Getting around the islands is best done by rental car or on a guided tour if you’d rather not drive. There are a ton of activities, too — snorkel excursions in Maui, nature tours on the Big Island, guided trips to Kauai’s Na Pali Coast or a night out at Oʻahu's famous Paradise Cove Luau, for instance.

While car rentals and attractions can really add up, there are a few ways to lower your travel budget . If you have the Chase Sapphire Preferred Card or the Chase Sapphire Reserve , you can use the Chase Ultimate Rewards travel portal to book tours and rental cars with points at a rate of 1.25 cents per point or 1.5 cents per point, respectively. 

Some credit cards, like the Capital One Venture Rewards  and the Capital One Venture X Rewards , allow cardholders to “wipe” travel charges by redeeming miles, usually at a value of one cent per mile. It’s always worth checking to see if your preferred card offers something similar, as this is becoming more common.

Best travel credit cards for foodies in 2023

Bottom line

A trip to Hawaii doesn’t have to break the bank, especially if you plan ahead and make the most of airline and hotel loyalty programs. By strategically signing up for credit cards that offer lucrative welcome bonuses and being aware of points and miles opportunities through transfer partners and airline alliances, you’ll be able to cover all your necessities and focus on having fun.

*Terms apply to American Express benefits and offers. Enrollment may be required for select American Express benefits and offers. Visit  americanexpress.com  to learn more.

The information for the Southwest Rapid Rewards Premier Credit Card has been collected independently by Lonely Planet. The card details on this page have not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer.  

Editorial disclaimer: Opinions expressed here are the author’s alone, not those of any bank, credit card issuer, airline or hotel chain, and have not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by any of these entities.

This article was first published Nov 1, 2023 and updated Mar 28, 2024.

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HawaiianMiles award chart

Use your miles to book a Main Cabin or First/International Business Class seat for travel between Hawaii, North America and International destinations on Hawaiian Airlines with no blackout dates. Your miles can also be used to upgrade to First/International Business Class. View the  flight award chart  below for more details.

Pualani Platinum, Pualani Gold, Premier Club Member and Hawaiian Airlines®️ World Elite Mastercard®️ cardmembers have exclusive access to discounted Main Cabin flight awards on Hawaiian Airlines. login

Login to your HawaiianMiles account to search for flights.

Mileage awards levels are for one-way, per person. Upgrades are available for main cabin tickets paid with dollars.

Neighbor Island flights

Hawaii to/from north america: west coast, hawaii to/from north america: central, hawaii to/from north america: east coast, hawaii to/from japan, korea, australia, and new zealand.

• Hawaii to/from Pago Pago and Papeete

Hawaii to/from Pago Pago, Papeete, Rarotonga

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Guide to Booking Award Flights With Hawaiian Airlines

Many or all of the products featured here are from our partners who compensate us. This influences which products we write about and where and how the product appears on a page. However, this does not influence our evaluations. Our opinions are our own. Here is a list of our partners and here's how we make money .

Hawaiian Airlines is the largest airline in Hawaii and one of the largest commercial carriers in the U.S. It also happens to be one of an increasingly small group of airlines that continues to publish an award chart so passengers can easily calculate how many miles they'll need to book flights. Here, we'll walk you through everything you need to know to book award travel with Hawaiian.

How many miles do you need to redeem for award flights?

The number of miles depends on your itinerary and whether you're booking main cabin, first class or business fare. To give you a sense of the range, it's possible to book flights with as little as 7,500 miles for one-way travel within Hawaii. Flights between Hawaii and the West Coast start as low as 20,000 miles. Flights to the East Coast start at 30,000 miles.

You can redeem miles for any main cabin seat, with no blackout dates, or use them to upgrade to first or business class. Below is an at-a-glance look at the award chart details for West Coast, East Coast and neighbor island fare redemption minimums.

You'll see that each chart lists discounted award amounts. Those discounted redemptions are available if you're a Pualani Platinum or Gold member or Premier Club member. You can also cash in discounts if you have the Hawaiian Airlines® World Elite Mastercard® or Hawaiian Airlines® Business Mastercard® .

» Learn More: The complete guide to redeeming Hawaiian Airlines miles

Book only with miles or combine cash and miles

You have the option of booking award flights with Hawaiian using strictly miles, but you can also book with money and miles. To do that, you'll need to:

Log in to your HawaiianMiles member account.

Navigate to the booking dashboard.

Choose your flight details, then select "Miles/Dollars" to view fares.

Select your departure and return flights.

Once you've done that, Hawaiian will show you how many miles you'll need and what you'll pay in cash to book. Remember, if you book using your Hawaiian Airlines® World Elite Mastercard® you can earn miles toward your next flight.

» Learn More: The complete guide to earning Hawaiian Airlines miles

Use miles to upgrade award travel

When booking award flights you can use your miles to upgrade to first or business class. You'll need to get in touch with Hawaiian Airlines reservations and complete your upgrades no less than 26 hours before you're scheduled to take off.

There are two upgrade options:

First/Business Saver: This is the lowest mileage first/business class flight award available.

First/Business Flex: This option is offered when the Saver upgrade isn't available and requires twice the miles to book.

Upgrades are all one-way and based on availability. This chart shows how many miles you need to upgrade.

» Learn More: Hawaiian Airlines Pualani elite status: The complete guide

Book award flights with Hawaiian Airlines travel partners

If you're traveling to a destination that Hawaiian Airlines doesn't offer flights to, you may still be able to use your miles toward award flights aboard partner airlines. Hawaiian currently partners with these carriers:

Japan Airlines.

Korean Air.

Virgin Atlantic.

Virgin Australia.

The minimum number of miles to redeem for travel partner award flights varies by airline, fare class and whether you're booking a one-way or round-trip flight. It's also worth noting that not all travel partners offer first class fares.

Keep in mind that you can also earn HawaiianMiles when booking with these partner airlines, as well as China Airlines. You just need to provide your HawaiianMiles member number when making flight reservations.

» Learn More: The complete guide to Hawaiian Airlines partners

Earn more award flights with a Hawaiian Airlines credit card

If you're short on miles to book award travel, you could earn more by opening a Hawaiian Airlines credit card. There are two cards to choose from, both of which make earning miles toward free flights easy.

The Hawaiian Airlines® World Elite Mastercard® offers 3 miles per dollar on Hawaiian Airlines purchases, 2 miles per dollar on gas, dining and grocery store purchases, plus 1 mile per dollar everywhere else. Card perks include a one-time 50% off companion discount, a $100 annual companion discount and free checked bags. This card has a $0 introductory annual fee the first year, then $99.

Hawaiian Airlines® Business Mastercard® also offers 3 miles per dollar on Hawaiian Airlines purchases. You can earn 2 miles per dollar on gas, dining and office supply store purchases, along with 1 per dollar on all other purchases. You have a chance to earn bonus miles at participating HawaiianMiles Marketplace partners and employee cards are free. The annual fee for this card is $99.

How to maximize your rewards

You want a travel credit card that prioritizes what’s important to you. Here are some of the best travel credit cards of 2024 :

Flexibility, point transfers and a large bonus: Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card

No annual fee: Bank of America® Travel Rewards credit card

Flat-rate travel rewards: Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card

Bonus travel rewards and high-end perks: Chase Sapphire Reserve®

Luxury perks: The Platinum Card® from American Express

Business travelers: Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card

Planning a trip? Check out these articles for more inspiration and advice: Find the best travel credit card for you 4 ways to quickly rack up miles for your next flight Hawaiian Airlines HawaiianMiles: The complete guide

On a similar note...

8 Smart Ways to Use Your Airline Miles to Fly to Hawaii

Hawaii is a dream destination for many of us. Whether you’re looking to relax and enjoy the beaches, snorkel, surf, or explore the lush tropical rainforests, getting to Hawaii using airline miles is a lot easier than you think.

While many airlines offer award redemptions to Hawaii, a few stand out as being an incredible value!

In this guide, let’s look at the ways to use your airline miles to fly to Hawaii and how to search and book these Hawaii award flights.

1. British Airways for only 26k Avios from West Coast Airports

British Airways has a distance-based award chart, which means the number of miles needed to redeem for award flights depends on the distance flown.

And while distance-based pricing to Hawaii may seem counterintuitive, the west coast to Hawaii falls neatly into a British Airways pricing sweet spot.

British Airways Hawaii Award Details:

Getting to Hawaii from the West Coast of the U.S. costs just 26k Avios round trip in economy class and stands out as an awesome way to use your BA Avios.

But, British Airways does not operate or fly the route itself. Their Oneworld Alliance partners, American Airlines and Alaska Airlines do.

So, you’ll search, book, and pay with Avios through British Airways but fly on an American or Alaska airplane.

Depart on  nonstop flights  from west coast airports like Anchorage, Oakland, Portland, Sacramento, San Diego, San Jose, Seattle, Los Angeles, or Phoenix and fly to Hawaiian destinations like Honolulu, Maui, Kauai, and Kona.

British Airways charges per segment. Any connection will add to the price and should be avoided in order to book at the 26k Avios roundtrip rate.

How do I find the award seats?

You should be able to search and book directly on the British Airways website. If you’re finding no availability on BA, search on the American Airlines website to find SAAver space and then try to replicate the search on the British Airways website.

If you still can’t find the space you found on the American Airlines website, write down all of the flight information and call British Airways. Hopefully, the agent will see the award space on their end and book your ticket.

Be sure to remind them the ticket was not bookable online in order to (hopefully) avoid a phone reservation fee.

British Airways allows one-way redemptions, which works out if you can’t find a round-trip award and need to piece together your itinerary with different award tickets. You’ll use fewer miles to book your Hawaii dream vacation by using British Airways one way and another airline for the other way.

How do I earn enough British Airways Avios?

If you need British Airways Avios,  transfer Chase Ultimate Rewards Points  or transfer Amex Membership Rewards  points to British Airways at a 1:1 ratio.

Or for every 60k Marriott Bonvoy points transferred to British Airways at a 3:1 ratio, get an extra 5k Avios for a total of 25k BA Avios. 

Both Chase and American Express have done transfer bonuses to British Airways in the past. These have been as high as 40%!

If you took advantage of a 40% bonus, you’d only need to transfer 19k points to book this round-trip award to Hawaii!

ProTip:  If you’re not exactly near a west coast airport but close, consider positioning yourself to the right airport. This option gets even better if you have a  Southwest Companion Pass  to fly another traveler for free.

2. Use Singapore Airlines Miles for United Flights to Hawaii

Singapore Airlines and United are Star Alliance partners. And,  understanding airline alliances  means realizing you can use miles from Airline A to fly on Airline B, as long as they are partners.

Each partner gets to make their own award pricing and rules. In the case of Hawaii award flights, Singapore has better pricing than United.

Singapore Airlines Hawaii Award Details with United Airlines:

Singapore Airlines prices their Hawaiian awards at 35k miles round trip for economy class and 60k miles round trip for business class. (Singapore’s business class is typically the same as United’s first class.)

There’s just one small problem. Singapore Airlines doesn’t fly to Hawaii. The good news is their Star Alliance partner United does! You can book your Hawaii award flight through Singapore Airlines using their cheaper award chart, but fly on United flights.

There are a lot of great ways to  redeem United miles . But, for award flights to Hawaii, United charges at least 45k miles round trip for economy class and 80k miles for first class. Singapore Airlines is significantly less!

How do I find the award seats? 

Search using United’s website. To ensure you see the correct availability, do not sign in to your United MileagePlus account. Singapore Airlines can only book Saver awards and, when you’re logged in, United might show you award flights that a partner like Singapore cannot book.

Remember, if your roundtrip flights aren’t available on your dates, search in one-way segments instead before changing dates or giving up. Even consider flying one way and using different miles to complete the trip.

Once you find Saver award space, write down the flight information and head over to Singapore’s website to book online.

ProTip:  Because of United’s dynamic pricing, it’s become more difficult to know what’s Saver space and what’s not. Use another Star Alliance search tool, like  Aeroplan , to confirm saver space availability if the award flights you think should be there are not showing on the Singapore Air website.

How do I earn enough Singapore Krisflyer miles? 

Luckily, Singapore miles are some of the easiest miles to earn.

Chase Ultimate Rewards ,  Amex Membership Rewards , transfer to Singapore Air, as do Citi ThankYou points  and Capital One Miles.

Travel rewards credit cards are great ways to earn these flexible, transferable points.

Marriott Bonvoy points  can also be transferred to Singapore. For 60k Marriott Bonvoy points transferred at a 3:1 ratio, you’ll get a 5k mile bonus for a total of 25k Singapore miles.

Points can take a few hours or up to 2 days to transfer.  

This is obviously important to keep in mind because if the award space disappears, the miles cannot be transferred out of Singapore Airlines. You’d need to be flexible with your travel plans or have a Plan B to use them for a different award flight.

Once your reservation is confirmed, you can head back to United’s website to choose seats and store the reservation in your MileagePlus account.

3. Turkish Airlines Miles on United Airlines to Hawaii

As with the above partnership between United and Singapore, Turkish Airlines is also a member of the Star Alliance. This makes it possible to use Turkish miles to book flights on United.

This Hawaii award sweet spot is the lowest-priced option on this list and amounts to an incredible deal on flights from the continental U.S. to Hawaii.

Turkish Airlines Hawaii Award Details with United Airlines:

Turkish Airlines charges just 15k(!) miles round trip for nonstop flights operated by United to Hawaii. If you’re lucky enough to find it, a round-trip business class seat would be just 25k Turkish miles! Either way, it’s a prime example of how using partners for redemptions can save a lot of miles!

United Airlines has direct flights throughout the Hawaiian Islands from airports like Chicago, Newark, Denver, and San Francisco.

First, you’ll need to sign up for a Turkish Miles and Smiles account. It’s free to join and you’ll need an account to search and transfer points into.

ProTip: If you need to create a Turkish Airlines account, use only numbers in your password. Otherwise, anything you type in the password box will delete itself as soon as you stop typing. When logging in to your account, don’t include the “TK” at the start of your membership number.

Once you’re logged in to your Turkish Airlines account, click on your name in the top right and choose “Miles Transactions” and then “Book Now” under the Star Alliance booking option.

From there, you’ll be at the Star Alliance award search tool where you can enter your airports and dates.

If Turkish Airlines isn’t showing any flights or is giving an error message, check that the award space you’re looking for is showing on ANA or Aeroplan. If those partners see the United award space, Turkish should be able to see it, too.

If you’ve confirmed the space is available and the Turkish Airlines website is still acting wonky, you’ll have to call or use Skype to book the award with an agent.

How do I earn enough Turkish miles? 

The great news is you don’t need to fly Turkish Airlines to earn miles for their loyalty program. Turkish Airlines is a transfer partner of Capital One and Citi ThankYou Points.

4. Use Korean Airline Miles for Delta Flights

I’ll be upfront and say this is the most challenging Hawaii award flight of them all, but by no means impossible or one that should be forgotten. 

Korean Airlines has worked to simplify the booking process but still has several steps to follow. The upside is that if you can get everything to work out, you’ll end up with a pretty sweet Hawaiian redemption.

Korean Airlines Hawaii Award Details:

Korean Airlines and Delta Airlines are both members of the Skyteam Alliance. Remember, though, each airline can price awards as they want.

Korean Airlines considers Hawaii to be in the same zone as the rest of the United States making their awards to Hawaii a real steal! For 25k Korean miles in economy class and only 45k Korean miles for first class, you can fly  roundtrip to Hawaii on Delta !

This means you would fly the exact same Delta flights but pay the number of miles set by the Korean Airlines award chart. Not too shabby, right?!

In comparison, Delta prices its lowest award flights to Hawaii for at least 45k/80k/90k roundtrip for economy class, business, and first-class, respectively. And that’s when you can even find reasonable or close to reasonable award pricing on Delta’s website!

This is where it gets tricky because Delta does not make searching for awards easy. Using Delta’s website search for Hawaii award flights serviced ONLY by Delta. Flights on a partner airline will cost more.

Search one way at a time and look for awards priced at 22.5k Delta miles one way or the results marked “lowest.” If nothing shows up, change your dates and times. Flexibility goes a long way in finding you the award for which you’re looking.

If possible, have more than one roundtrip flight combination to increase your chances of finding availability.

Write down the flight information for several options before heading over to the Korean Air website to book. Be sure to select Skyteam awards when searching or else the website won’t understand the route you’re searching for.

Again, you’ll pay just 25k Korean miles for economy and 45k Korean miles for First Class.

Keep in mind Korean Airlines only lets you book roundtrip awards and will only let you book flights for family members listed and approved in your account. You’ll want to make sure any paperwork for family members is sorted out before trying to book an award.

How do I earn enough Korean Airlines miles? 

Unfortunately, Korean Airlines miles have gotten much harder to earn once they parted ways with Chase as an Ultimate Rewards transfer partner. However, having a Marriott co-branded credit card will help.

Marriott Bonvoy points are the only currency that transfers to Korean Airlines. You can transfer points at a 3:1 ratio. Keep in mind, points could take up to 2 days to transfer.

You could also consider a Korean Airlines credit card, using some of their travel partners to rent cars or book hotels, and even credit paid Skyteam flights to your Korean Airlines account. 

5. Use Southwest Rapid Rewards Points to Get to Hawaii

Southwest’s expansion to Hawaii was highly celebrated when flights began. The airline isn’t part of an airline alliance. However, it’s known for affordable airfare whether paying in miles or cash, as well as one of the most popular domestic airlines, hands down.

With routes from Oakland and San Jose, California to Honolulu and Maui, as well as inter-island routes between Honolulu, Maui, and Kona, Southwest makes for a solid Hawaii award redemption.

Southwest Airlines Hawaii Award Details:

Southwest prices its award flights based on the cash price. So award prices fluctuate and are better booked during Southwest sales. Another great thing about Southwest’s loyalty program, if there’s a seat for sale on the flight you can use your Rapid Rewards points to book the seat. 

During award flight searches, I’ve seen one-way flights from Oakland, California to Honolulu for as little as 10k points and as high as 44k points. This variation made sense based on a seemingly slower travel time versus the peak holiday travel dates around Christmas.

Tremendous value is added if you have a  Southwest Companion Pass . You can book your award flight to Hawaii and then add your companion for free to the itinerary, paying only a few bucks in taxes.

How do I find the award seats?

Southwest’s search couldn’t be easier. Using their low fare calendar, search your route and Southwest will display the prices for every day in the month you select. Be sure to select points instead of cash to see how many Rapid Rewards points you’ll need.

How do I earn enough Southwest Rapid Rewards points? 

Southwest has several co-branded personal and business credit cards including the:

These cards have typically come with generous welcome bonuses. And, in addition, the Rapid Rewards shopping portal and travel partners offer additional ways to earn points for Southwest award flights.

Southwest is also a Chase transfer partner, so Ultimate Rewards points can be moved to your Southwest loyalty account.

However, this isn’t the best value for those Ultimate Rewards points. Not to mention, if you use Chase points to book a Southwest flight in the Chase portal, you’ll actually earn Southwest points for taking the flight. This is certainly a better value proposition when you look at the math.

ProTip: To book Southwest flights through the Chase Ultimate Rewards travel portal, you’ll need to call to book it over the phone.

6. Etihad for Hawaii Award Flights on American

UPDATE: In March 2023, Etihad drastically changed its partner award chart pricing for the worse. Many of the sweet spots that once existed are no more. For now, look at the 7 other options for getting to Hawaii at the best price while this section is revamped to reflect a better option for using miles to get to Hawaii.

Etihad and American Airlines are non-alliance partners.

But what makes this partnership exciting is that American has made changes to their award charts and moved towards dynamic pricing, however, Etihad has not. They’re still using pricing based on the AA award charts before the increases in 2016.

Etihad Hawaii Award Details:

Etihad’s award pricing for flights operated by American Airlines lists Hawaii awards from the continental U.S. at 17.5k one-way in economy class during off-peak times. These time periods include January 12-March 8 and August 22-December 15.

At other times of the year (peak times) Etihad prices one-way economy awards to Hawaii at 22.5k Etihad miles one-way. Business class seats are just 37,500 Etihad miles each way.

You’ll need to head over to the AA website and search for SAAver availability during the off-peak times outlined by Etihad. Once you find what you need, write down the flight information and call Etihad to book the award.

How do I earn enough Etihad miles?

Etihad miles have become easier to earn. They are transfer partners with American Express, Citi, and Capital One.

The time it takes for your points to land in your Etihad account has improved, plan on anywhere between instant and 24 hours for all 3 points programs.

7. Use Flying Blue or Virgin Atlantic Miles for Delta Award Flights to Hawaii

Flying Blue is the loyalty program for Air France and KLM. They are both part of the Skyteam Alliance along with Delta. Virgin Atlantic and Delta are non-alliance partners.

As such, Flying Blue miles and Virgin Atlantic miles can be used to book award flights to Hawaii that are operated/flown by Delta. 

Flying Blue & Virgin Atlantic Hawaii Award Details:

I’ve grouped these 2 Delta partners together for the simple reason that bookable awards are dependent on Delta saver space to Hawaii.

When you’re lucky enough to find space, these programs can be solid options. 

Flying Blue moved to a dynamic pricing model so the award pricing fluctuates. However, one-way awards in economy class are typically 17.5k Flying Blue miles or 35k round trip. 

Virgin Atlantic would charge 40k miles round trip in coach. However, these awards must be booked from Delta cities with nonstop flights to the Hawaiian islands like Atlanta, Salt Lake City or Los Angeles. Otherwise, the price rises for connections.

Why are these options on the list when there are cheaper award redemptions no matter where you’re based in the U.S?  Transfer bonuses.

Both Flying Blue and Virgin Atlantic have had transfer bonuses through Citi and American Express. At a 30% transfer bonus, that award booked with Virgin Atlantic but operated by Delta is suddenly very interesting, not to mention competitive with other options on this list.

You can use Delta’s website to search for their lowest-price awards. But, you can also search on Air France or KLM for award flights.

But, what’s frustrating about that is the Flying Blue website is glitchy and hit or miss as to whether or not it will show a calendar view. Without it, you’re stuck to searching day by day, which is tedious at best.

To search Virgin Atlantic for Delta flights, use their website or app. The calendar view will display any/all available award flights to Hawaii. 

How do I earn enough Flying Blue and/or Virgin Atlantic miles?

Flying Blue and Virgin Atlantic miles are super easy to earn because they are transfer partners with popular flexible points programs offered by Chase, Amex, Citi, Marriott Bonvoy, and Capital One. Earning flexibile points with a travel rewards credit card will help you earn points that you can transfer to Virgin Atlantic and Flying Blue.

In particular, the Citi and American Express transfer bonuses are ones to look out for if you’re planning a trip to Hawaii.

8. Use United Miles for Award Flights to Hawaii

You’re probably saying, “Wait, didn’t you say to go through Singapore Airlines to book United flights to Hawaii?” Just hear me out on this one.

United Hawaii Award Flight Details:

United charges 45k miles round trip in economy class to fly to Hawaii. This price is certain to fluctuate once United officially moves to dynamic pricing. And it’s certainly not the cheapest option on the list.

What makes it interesting is  United’s Excursionist Perk , which lets you book a free one-way segment on round-trip award flights. You could essentially book your flight to one Hawaiian Island and depart from another and use the inter-island flight between these two as your Excursion or free one-way.

It’s important to also note Southwest’s cheap inter-island flight options, as well as JetBlue’s partnership with Hawaiian Airlines.

Using your JetBlue miles, for example, you could book an inter-island flight for just 6k miles. Both of these 2 options could work out cheaper than taking advantage of United’s 45k miles + a free excursion.

It could all come down to available space and timing, though. So, this option is good to have in your back pocket if you can’t find a cheaper alternative for your travel dates.

Search directly on United’s website. If you have any of the United co-branded airline cards , log in to see exclusive availability for cardholders. 

If you’re adding an excursion, use the multi-city search tool to build your itinerary. Search in one-ways if needed at first, and then piece together your itinerary.

How do I earn enough United miles?

Transfer Chase Ultimate Rewards or Marriott Bonvoy points to United. Travel rewards cards like the Sapphire Preferred and the Marriot Bonvoy Boundless earn these flexible points.

United also has a  shopping portal , dining rewards, and the MPX to earn even more miles for your everyday spending.

Bottom Line

There are so many options for using your miles and points to get to Hawaii! However, it doesn’t necessarily mean you’re booking through the most familiar airlines, American, Delta, and United.

Flexible points are your keys to success when you’re trying to maximize your miles to get the best possible Hawaii redemption.

How will you use your airline miles to get to Hawaii?

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24 thoughts on “8 smart ways to use your airline miles to fly to hawaii”.

I am trying to go to KONA in december but when I check for BA for dates it says they don’t fly there. Help?

Hi, Sunny! Search British Airway’s partner American Airlines website for availability. Both American and Alaska Airlines fly to Kona, either of which you’ll be able to book with BA Avios. Just make sure you find the light green or light blue SAAver space. Make a note of your flights and call into BA to book. Ask them to waive the booking fee because you weren’t able to book online.

Which airport are you flying from? You can fly on either American or Alaska Airlines to Kona from Oakland, San Jose, San Diego, Seattle, Phoenix, and Los Angeles. You can also fly Anchorage or Portland to Kona certain times of the year.

Hope that helps and good luck! 🙂

You know, I never had as much interest with Hawaii as much as most people do. But recently, friends of mine just moved to Oahu and I’ve been drooling over their adventures. Will definitely keep these tips in mind!

How nice that you’d have some friends to visit in Oahu, Erica! I’m sure they’d know a ton of great local tips to make for an excellent visit! 🙂

I have been using Delta since it is tied with my credit card and it does not expire, am I right? It’s been serving me well.

That’s right, Karla. As long as you have your Delta credit card account open, your Delta miles will not expire. Glad you’ve found a rewards strategy that works for you! 🙂

As a non US resident, can I also use these great tips?

Lotte, are you in the U.K? British Airways redemptions are useful because if you earn Avios you’ll be able to use them on any OneWorld Alliance partner.

I’ve been dying to go to Hawaii. Sure enough, airline miles can really help us travelers to get from one place to another so it’s best to take advantage of them 😀

Absolutely, Aileen! I couldn’t travel as much as I do without them! 🙂

Sounds great. I haven’t collected miles before (haven’t don’t thaaaat much flying either) but I have started with Emirates last year. Soon it will be my second long distance flight within a year and it will take a while until I can redeem them 🙂 (Hawaii sounds not bad actually, haha)

Emirates is a great airline to earn miles with. They partner with airlines like Alaska, JAL, Jet, JetBlue, Korean Air, Qantas, South African Airways, TAP Portugal, and Virgin America. You’ll be able to use these miles on any of these partners. 🙂

This is brilliant advice! I’ve never thought of using my miles on international carriers for trips in the U.S. I have several credit cards that would allow me to do this. I’ll have to look into it for my next trip (when I’m not using my flight attendant benefits!). Sometimes it’s nice to have a confirmed seat. 🙂

Oh, it must be nice to have flight attendant benefits, Mia! Definitely check which miles you have and who their partners are and alliances they belong to. For example, I’ve used my American Airlines miles to fly on Finnair and Air Berlin. Or my United miles to fly on Thai Airways. Good luck! 🙂

The affiliations between airlines are so much more useful than people realise, the rewards are fantastic! Great compilation 🙂

That’s exactly it, Mar! It always surprises people when they learn their miles are useful for a host of airlines. Alliances and partnerships between airlines have such amazing value!

Thanks for these tips Jackie – I’m thinking I’m going to start trying to accrue points from Singapore airlines – I’m based in Canberra, Aus, atm and theyve just announced the first international flights from here. So pretty excited!

That’s great, Meg! Singapore Airlines is so nice and such a great value…Award discounts for online bookings and a better award chart than other Star Alliance partners, like United. 🙂

Airline Miles make the world go ’round! Great article and thanks for the great tips!

Ha! We definitely live in the same world, Joe! Glad the post was useful for you. 🙂

This sounds interesting! Its my dream to visit Hawaii with my wife. Next year I will definitely visit Hawaii since I have got brilliant affordable offer.

Cheers! Mark”

Great, Mark! I hope you have a fantastic trip. 🙂

Will my Delta SkyMiles transfer to Korean Air?

Thanks for reading, Vanessa. Airline miles don’t transfer to other airlines. Flexible points like Chase Ultimate Rewards or American Express Membership Rewards transfer to a variety of airline partners. Delta SkyMiles are always Delta SkyMiles. BUT, when you search on Delta for award space, you may see flights operated by a partner like Korean Air. But you’ll still pay whatever Delta’s pricing is because you’re paying with Delta SkyMiles, even if you end up flying on a flight by one of their partners. To take advantage of the Korean Air pricing, you’d need to have Korean Air miles and book through Korean Air.

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Guide to using transferable points for award flights to Hawaii

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Hawaii is an amazing travel destination, and the best part is that if you’re American, you don’t need a passport to go there. It’s almost like visiting another country, but with a lot less hassle. However, from the mainland U.S., flights can be long and expensive.

Luckily, there are easy and affordable ways to redeem miles and points from the best credit cards for travel for award flights to Hawaii.

Earning transferable points is a great way to start because you’ll have many more options when it comes time to book your flights. This can help you get around blackout dates that some airlines impose, or just general difficulty in finding available award seats.

So we’re putting together a guide on how to use transferable points for flights to Hawaii!

How to use transferable points for flights to Hawaii

To give you options for your trip, we’ll cover flights to Hawaii and also flights within the Hawaiian Islands. We won’t cover every option available, but rather just the best and most useful.

We’ll cover the basics that will help you make an informed decision like:

• Transfer ratio:   How many points do you need to transfer to get the number of miles you need?
• Transfer time:   How long does it usually take to transfer your points to the airline?  This is important because you don’t want to find an award only to see it disappear while you’re waiting for the miles to show up in your account.
• Award prices:  How many miles will it take to book a flight to Hawaii with a particular airline?
• Partner award prices:    You can use most airline miles to book award flights on their partner airlines.  However, typically airlines have different award charts for their partner airlines.  And partner award seats are usually harder to find because in many cases, you’ll only be able to book the lowest priced (i.e. saver level) awards.  Also, sometimes airlines don’t allow partner bookings for Business or First Class seats.
• Fuel surcharges:   When you book an award ticket, you’ll always have to pay for taxes and fees.  But some airlines also add fuel surcharges, in addition to the taxes and fees.  This can add $100s to the ticket cost.  So I’ll let you know whether or not you can expect these types of charges with each particular airline.
• Pros:   What are the reasons you’d want to transfer points to an airline?
• Cons:   What are the downsides of transferring points to an airline?
• Other notes:   If there are any special rules, tips, or tricks you should know for the airline, they’ll be covered here

How to get to Hawaii with Chase Ultimate Rewards points

You can earn transferable  Chase Ultimate Rewards points  with the following cards:

• Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card
• Chase Sapphire Reserve®
• Ink Business Preferred Credit Card

And the Chase Ultimate Rewards points you earn with the following  no-annual-fee cards can be pooled  onto the “premium” cards listed above, and then transferred to  Chase’s travel partners :

• Chase Freedom®
• Chase Freedom Unlimited®
• Ink Business Cash Credit Card
• Ink Business Unlimited Credit Card

The information for the Chase Freedom has been collected independently by Million Mile Secrets. The card details on this page have not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer.

British Airways operates a distance-based award chart, so the usefulness of British Airways Avios points depends on where in the U.S. you are starting from and whether you are taking a direct flight or a connecting flight. With British Airways, you pay based on the distance of each flight segment, not   the total flight distance. So, short, non-stop flights can be a good deal, but longer flights and connecting flights generally aren’t.

Transfer ratio:  1:1

Transfer time:  Instant

Award prices:   British Airways operates a distance-based award chart. You can use the  Great Circle Mapper  to estimate the distance of each segment of your flight.

Note that Zone 1 pricing (flights from 0 to 650 miles), does not apply to flights within the U.S. Rather, those flights are priced at the Zone 2 level (flights from 651 to 1,150 miles).

Partner award prices:  British Airways uses the same chart for their awards and partner awards unless you book a flight with 2+ or more partner airlines. For travel to Hawaii from the U.S., this will never happen.

For flights from the U.S. to Hawaii, you’ll want to focus on flights offered by American Airlines and Alaska Airlines — both British Airways partners.

British Airways Avios points are going to make the most sense for those of you that are taking a direct flight to Hawaii from the West Coast. That’s because there are a number of flights that cost only 12,500 Avios points  + taxes and fees in each direction. A few examples of the flights that you’ll want to focus on if you want to redeem your British Airways Avios are:

• Los Angeles (LAX) – Honolulu (HNL)
• Oakland (OAK) – Honolulu (HNL)
• Phoenix (PHX) – Honolulu (HNL)
• Sacramento (SMF) – Honolulu (HNL)
• Seattle (SEA) – Honolulu (HNL)

Fuel surcharges:  None when you redeem British Airways Avios points for partner flights within the U.S.

Pros:  Great for booking direct flights from the West Coast

Cons:  Not good for folks who can’t fly non-stop or are flying from the East Coast

For more tips check out our  complete guide to British Airways Avios points .

Flying Blue (Air France / KLM)

Flying Blue is the rewards program of both Air France and KLM, and you can use Flying Blue miles to book travel to Hawaii on Delta!

Transfer Ratio:  1:1

Transfer Time:  Instant

Award Prices:   Flying Blue doesn’t publish an award chart anymore.  Rather, they offer a pricing calculator . Unfortunately, the pricing calculator page often redirects to the home page, so for your reference, the following prices are typically the lowest available:

• Coach – 30,000 Flying Blue miles round-trip
• Business Class – 60,000 Flying Blue miles round-trip

Fuel surcharges:  Flying Blue does pass on fuel surcharges on other flights, but this is not something you need to worry about on flights to Hawaii.

Pros:  Even though the Flying Blue price calculator can be hit or miss, their award search engine does a pretty good job. The award calendar is a great bonus.

Cons:  It can be tough to find available award seats on Delta, especially if you need to connect in the contiguous U.S.

Iberia operates a distance-based award chart, just like British Airways. And you can even transfer Avios points between your Iberia & British Airways account , but you’ll have to jump through a few hoops to do it.

Iberia is a member of the oneworld alliance, so you’ll be able to book partner awards flights with American Airlines to get to Hawaii. Keep in mind, Iberia only allows you to book round-trip flights on partners like American Airlines, not one-way tickets.

Award prices:   Here’s the Iberia award chart for American Airlines flights:

One advantage of using Iberia Avios points instead of British Airways Avios points is that Iberia charges you based on the total distance traveled instead of by segment. So if you have a connection you could potentially pay fewer miles.

That said, their pricing to Hawaii from the West Coast isn’t as good as British Airways. For example, a round-trip flight between Los Angeles and Maui has a total flight distance of ~4,970 miles, which puts it just inside the band for 28,000 Iberia Avios points in coach. That’s 3,000 points more than what you’d pay with British Airways Avios points on the same route.

But looking at Los Angeles to Honolulu, the total flight distance is ~5,112 miles round-trip, so would cost 42,000 Iberia Avios points in coach. That’s not nearly as good a deal.

Fuel surcharges:   Minimal. You’ll pay ~$20 round-trip in taxes and fees to Hawaii.

Pros:   You’ll be charged for the total distance flown, not by segment.

Cons:   Can be pricey especially from the East Coast due to distance-based award chart. Only round-trip awards are permitted on American Airlines.

Other Notes :  You can book American Airlines partner awards online.

One of the biggest advantages of Singapore Airlines miles is how easy they are to earn. You can transfer points to Singapore Airlines from Citi ThankYou ,  Chase Ultimate Rewards ,  Amex Membership Rewards and Marriott. So if you don’t have enough flexible points to get to Hawaii in any single program, you can easily combine points together and book award flights with Singapore Airlines miles.

Transfer ratio:   1:1

Transfer time:  Up to two days

Award prices:   Singapore Airlines offers the cheapest award prices for booking award flights on United Airlines to Hawaii.

• Coach – 35,000 Singapore Airlines miles  round-trip
• Business Class – 60,000 Singapore Airlines miles round-trip

One-way partner awards are half the price of the round-trip partner awards.

Fuel surcharges:  Singapore Airlines does not add fuel surcharges to their own flights.  But if you’re booking a partner award flight you’ll pay fuel surcharges when the airline you’re flying with has them.  Luckily, this doesn’t matter for flights to Hawaii, so redeem away!

Pros:   Some of the easiest airline miles to earn as they transfer from  Chase Ultimate Rewards ,  Amex Membership Rewards , Capital One Venture miles, Citi ThankYou and Marriott.

Cons:   Not the cheapest deal for flights from the West Coast.

Southwest began flights to Hawaii in early 2019, which was great news for anyone with a  Southwest Companion Pass  because they’ll get to take a friend or family member to Hawaii as often as they want for just the price of taxes & fees. You can transfer both  Marriott points (3:1 ratio) and Chase Ultimate Rewards  to Southwest, so they’re pretty easy to collect.

There are also plenty of Chase credit cards that come with  Southwest points, so they’re even easier to collect:

• Southwest Rapid Rewards® Plus Credit Card – Earn 40,000 bonus points after spending $1,000 on purchases in the first three months your account is open.
• Southwest Rapid Rewards® Premier Credit Card – Earn 40,000 bonus points after spending $1,000 on purchases in the first three months your account is open.
• Southwest Rapid Rewards® Priority Credit Card – Earn 40,000 bonus points after spending $1,000 on purchases in the first three months your account is open.
• Southwest® Rapid Rewards® Premier Business Credit Card – 60,000 Southwest points after you spend $3,000 on purchases in the first three months from account opening.
• Southwest® Rapid Rewards® Performance Business Credit Card – 80,000 Southwest points after you spend $5,000 on purchases in the first three months of account opening.

Transfer time:   Instant

Award prices:    Southwest is unique to these other airlines in that they don’t have an award chart. The award prices they charge are directly proportional to the cash price of the ticket. And you’ll generally receive a value of ~1.5 cents per point.

For example, I found a flight from Chicago to San Jose, California, for $175.

The same exact seat costs 10,957 Southwest points + $5.60 in taxes. That’s a value of 1.54 cents each ($175 cash price – $5.60 in taxes = $169.40 / 10,957 points).

Fuel surcharges:   No, Southwest does not add fuel surcharges for their award flights.

Pros:   When Southwest flights go on sale, their award prices drop, too! That’s the benefit of award prices being tied directly to cash prices.

Cons:   There are no Business or First Class awards on Southwest. So if you’re averse to flying long distances in coach, this isn’t the airline for you.

Other notes:   Seriously, you should look into earning the Southwest Companion Pass. It’s the best airline perk because it lets a friend or family member travel with you for free whenever you travel on Southwest. It doesn’t matter if your flight is booked with points or paid for with cash – your companion flies for just the cost of taxes and fees as long as Southwest is selling seats on that flight.

Check out this Southwest Companion Pass  post for all you need to know.

United Airlines moved to a dynamic pricing model last year, so while there’s no longer an award chart, you can still find award tickets that are similar in price to what award tickets cost before dynamic pricing went into effect.

Award Prices:  For flights from the contiguous U.S. to the Hawaiian islands, you’ll pay around:

• Coach – 22,500 United Airlines miles for a one-way Saver Award, up to 45,000 United Airlines miles for a one-way Everyday Award
• Business class – 40,000 United Airlines miles for a one-way Saver Award, up to 90,000 United Airlines miles for a one-way Everyday Award
• First class – 50,000 United Airlines miles for a one-way Saver Award, up to 110,000 United Airlines miles for a one-way Everyday Award

But remember, pricing is dynamic now so you could pay more or less depending on when you’re traveling.

If you want to visit a couple of different islands on your trip, redeeming United Airlines miles is a great choice for inter-island flights on partner Hawaiian Airlines. You’ll pay around the following prices:

• Coach – 7,000 United Airlines miles for a one-way Saver Award, up to 14,000 United Airlines miles for a one-way Everyday Award
• Business class – 9,000 United Airlines miles for a one-way Saver Award, up to 18,000 United Airlines miles for a one-way Everyday Award.

Fuel surcharges:   United Airlines does not add fuel surcharges for their award flights.

Pros:   United Airlines awards are  easy to find and book  and typically there are lots of available award seats. United Airlines miles are also a great option if you want to fly between the Hawaiian islands during your trip.

Cons:   Traveling in any class aside from coach with United can expensive for travel to Hawaii.

Other notes:  Don’t forget about the “ United Airlines Excursionist Perk ”   which allows a free stopover or a free one-way on round-trip award flights. In addition, if f you have one of the Chase United Airlines credit cards or  United Airlines elite status , you’ll have  access to more available award seats .

Virgin Atlantic miles are another great way to book Delta flights if they have the available award seats you need. Better yet, you can use your Virgin Atlantic miles for flights on Hawaiian Airlines too.

But, you can’t fly both Delta and Hawaiian airlines on the same award ticket, only one partner is allowed. Virgin Atlantic miles also transfer from other major transferable points currencies like Amex Membership Rewards and Citi ThankYou points, so even if you don’t have enough Chase Ultimate Rewards points, you may be able to combine points for your flights to Hawaii.

Award prices:  For flights from the contiguous U.S. to Hawaii, you’re looking at 40,000 Virgin Atlantic miles for a round-trip flight in coach, or 75,000 Virgin Atlantic miles in First Class if you want to fly Delta.

Depending on where you are flying from, flying Hawaiian Airlines may not be as good of a price. Flights from the West Coast to Hawaii start at the same 40,000 miles in coach and 80,000 miles in Business Class. But, if you want to fly from the East Coast on Hawaiian Airlines, you’re looking at 80,000 miles in coach and 130,000 miles in Business Class. Flights from the East Coast on Hawaiian Airlines probably shouldn’t be booked with Virgin Atlantic miles.

You can book flights between the Hawaiian Islands on Hawaiian Airlines for 15,000 miles round-trip in coach and 30,000 miles round-trip in Business Class.

One-way bookings are permitted.

Fuel surcharges:   Not something you need to worry about on flights to Hawaii.

Pros:   Can book flights on Delta and Hawaiian Airlines, sometimes more Delta award availability. And one-way bookings are permitted.

Cons:   High prices for flights on Hawaiian Airlines from the East Coast.

When to book through the Chase Travel Portal instead

Depending on how much your plane tickets cost, it doesn’t always make sense to transfer Chase Ultimate Rewards points to airline partners for award flights. Instead, you might save points by booking a cheap fare through the Chase Ultimate Rewards travel portal .

Whether or not it makes sense to book through Chase Travel will depend on a few things: How much the ticket costs, what transfer partner you would be using, and which Chase card(s) you have.

Let’s start out with which Chase card you have. Here’s what your points are worth through the portal with each Chase Ultimate Rewards card:

Generally, the cheaper your plane ticket is, the more likely it makes sense to redeem points through Chase travel instead of through a transfer partner.

Let’s look at a quick example first. Suppose you were going to transfer miles to United Airlines to book a coach ticket. United Airlines charges around 45,000 miles to fly to Hawaii and back in coach. You would be better off redeeming through the Chase Ultimate Rewards travel portal if your ticket cost less than the following:

• With the Chase Sapphire Reserve:  $675
• With the Chase Sapphire Preferred Card or Ink Business Preferred:  ~$563
• With other Chase cards:  $450

Depending on what miles you are using, these numbers wouldn’t necessarily be the same. To find out what the breakeven price would be, take the numbers required and multiply by the value of your Chase points. For example, 45,000 United Airlines miles X 0.015 (for the Chase Sapphire Reserve) = $675.

Looked at another way, let’s say that your round-trip flight to Hawaii was going to cost $475. This is how many points you would pay if you booked through the Chase Ultimate Rewards travel portal:

• With the Chase Sapphire Reserve:  ~31,667 Chase Ultimate Rewards points ($475 / 0.015)
• With the Chase Sapphire Preferred or Ink Business Preferred:  38,000 Chase Ultimate Rewards points ($475 / 0.0125)
• With other Chase cards:  47,500 Chase Ultimate Rewards points ($475 / 0.01)

In this case, you would be better off booking through the Chase Ultimate Rewards travel portal if you have the Chase Sapphire Reserve, Chase Sapphire Preferred, or Chase Ink Business Preferred compared to transferring and paying 45,000 United Airlines miles for an award ticket.

Of course, if your alternative is booking with British Airways Avios points, that completely changes the equation. If you could book an award flight from Phoenix to Honolulu for 25,000 British Airways Avios points round-trip, you would be better off doing that no matter what card you have assuming a ticket price of $475.

To find out how many points you need for a given ticket price when booked through the Chase Ultimate Rewards travel portal, take the ticket price and divide by the value of your Chase points depending on what Chase card you have.  To use our example from above, $475 / 0.015 (for the Chase Sapphire Reserve) = ~31,667 Chase Ultimate Rewards points.

Two other benefits to redeeming your points through the Chase Ultimate Rewards travel portal is that you don’t have to worry about finding available award seats or blackout dates. As long as there’s a seat available for sale, you will be able to book it, and you’ll also earn frequent flyer miles and credit toward status for your airline ticket.

How to get to Hawaii with American Express Membership Rewards points

Amex Membership Rewards points are very helpful for getting to Hawaii because they have lots of useful airline transfer partners .  And they are easy to earn!

Even better is that Amex Membership Rewards points offer frequent transfer bonuses to their partner airlines, so you can get even more value out of your points!

If you’re working with only Amex Membership Rewards points, you have a lot of great options for flights to Hawaii.

Air Canada Aeroplan is part of the Star Alliance, so it is useful for redemptions on Star Alliance member United Airlines for flights to Hawaii. Aeroplan doesn’t have the best award prices to Hawaii, but they are still a good option if you want to fly United Airlines, especially if there is a transfer bonus.

Award prices:   A round-trip flight to Hawaii costs 45,000 Aeroplan miles in coach, 80,000 Aeroplan miles in Business Class, and 110,000 Aeroplan miles in First Class. One-way awards cost half of what a round-trip award costs.

Fuel surcharges:   Aeroplan does pass on fuel surcharges for some partners, but this isn’t something you’ll have to worry about on flights on United Airlines to Hawaii.

Pros:   Frequent transfer bonuses

Cons:   Not the best award prices to Hawaii

Other notes: Air Canada charges reasonable lap infant fees – $50 to $125 or 5,000 to 12,500 Aeroplan miles. For more tips check out our guide to using Aeroplan miles .

You can redeem ANA (All Nippon Airways) miles to book flights on United Airlines, just like Air Canada. ANA offers lower prices for the same flights as Air Canada in both coach and Business Class.  If you want to fly First Class, you’ll get a better deal with Air Canada, so it won’t usually make sense to use ANA to book First Class flights to Hawaii.  Unfortunately, ANA does not allow one-way bookings, so if you want to book one-way flights, you’ll need to turn elsewhere.

The biggest drawbacks to using ANA miles are that the award chart and routing rules are relatively complicated.

Transfer time:   Two to three days

Award Prices:   As mentioned, ANA’s First Class price isn’t great, but they’re a good option for coach and Business Class flights to Hawaii. ANA charges 40,000 miles round-trip for coach flights, 68,000 miles round-trip for Business Class flights, and 120,000 miles round-trip for First Class flights. One-way flight bookings are not possible with ANA miles.

Fuel Surcharges:   ANA does pass on fuel surcharges for some partners, but you won’t have to worry about this for flights to Hawaii.

Pros:   Cheaper prices for coach tickets that booking with Air Canada

Cons:   Business and First Class flights to Hawaii are expensive and you must book round-trip award flights

Other notes:   ANA miles expire after 36 months and cannot be extended.

It’s not uncommon for there to be an Amex Membership Rewards transfer bonus to British Airways. And they can be quite generous, which could make British Airways a useful option, especially if you have your eye on a direct flight from the West Coast.

Transfer ratio: 1:1

Transfer time: Instant

For more details on using British Airways Avios points to get to Hawaii, check the Chase Ultimate Rewards points section.

Cathay Pacific operates a distance-based award chart . And they are a member of the oneworld alliance, which includes American Airlines. Cathay Pacific is also a partner of Alaska Airlines, so you can fly Alaska Airlines to get to Hawaii as well.

Cathay Pacific does have good prices for certain flights to Hawaii, but understanding their award chart and booking rules will take some work and booking awards can present some challenges too.

One good thing about Cathay Pacific is that they are transfer partners of most flexible points programs, so it might be easier to accumulate the miles you need.

Transfer time:   1 to 2 days

Award Prices:   As mentioned, Cathay Pacific Asia Miles has a distance-based award chart.  In fact, they have a couple of different distance-based award charts. Generally their prices for shorter flights are better than for longer flights.  Flights that fall into the Ultra-Short and Short categories are the only ones that will really make sense to book.

Here is the Cathay Pacific Asia Miles award chart for flights on Cathay Pacific and Cathay Dragon.  Unfortunately, you won’t exactly see these prices when looking at flights to Hawaii.  That’s because flights on a single partner airline cost 5,000 more miles for a one-way flight, but Cathay Pacific does not publish their partner award chart anymore.

For example, a flight on Cathay Pacific that falls into the “Short” category in coach would cost 10,000 Asia Miles. If a flight of the same length is on a partner airline, like American Airlines, it would cost 15,000 Asia Miles.

That means that Ultra-Short flights on a partner cost more than British Airways would charge for the same flight (but no flights to Hawaii are this short anyway).  And British Airways would charge less for Short flights (on a partner) as well. Because Asia Miles is more complicated than British Airways, if you don’t need to connect, using British Airways Avios points is going to be a better bet.

However, if you need to make a connection, you might be better off redeeming Cathay Pacific Asia Miles. This is because British Airways charges for each flight segment separately, but Cathay Pacific charges for the entire one-way flight distance.

You can use Great Circle Mapper to find out the approximate distance of your flight, and make sure to include any connections!  There aren’t that many flight options from the US to Hawaii that are going to fall into that 1,151 to 2,750 mileage band, however, but here are a few examples:

• Los Angeles (LAX) – Honolulu (HNL):  2,556 miles each way
• San Francisco (SFO) – Honolulu (HNL):  2,398 miles each way
• Sacramento (SMF) – San Francisco (SFO) – Honolulu (HNL):  2,484 miles each way

All of these flight itineraries fall into the “Short” flight category, but only the flight from Sacramento to Honolulu with a connection in San Francisco would be a better use of Asia Miles than British Airways Avios points.

Flights that are longer than 2,750 miles would fall into the medium category and generally wouldn’t be a great use of Asia Miles unless they were the only option.

When booking an Asia Miles Standard Award, one-way bookings are permitted. Additionally, a Standard Award round-trip award flight can have up to three stopovers and one open-jaw, but the rules are complicated and this doesn’t apply to all award flights. You can read more about the stopover and open-jaw rules under #5 in the terms .

This award chart only applies to award bookings which include only 1 partner airline or 1 partner airline and Cathay Pacific or Cathay Dragon. This will have you covered for flights to Hawaii, but for flights to other regions you may have to check out Cathay Pacific’s oneworld multi-carrier award chart.

Fuel Surcharges:   Yes, but not something you need to worry about on flights to Hawaii.

Pros:   Easy to earn – they transfer from Amex Membership Rewards , Citi ThankYou, and Marriott , useful for short-haul or one-way awards, potentially generous stopover and open-jaw policy

Cons:   Overly complicated, expensive for longer flights, and many partners can’t be booked online

Other notes:

• You can book award flights online if you’re flying on Cathay Pacific, Cathay Dragon, Alaska Airlines, British Airways, Finnair, Iberia, Qantas, or Qatar Airways.  But for awards which include any other partner airline, including American Airlines flights to Hawaii, you’ll need to fill out a “ Flight Award Request Form “ or call 866-892-2598 to book your award
• Use this tool to figure out how much a specific award flight will cost
• Sometimes you’ll get a phone agent that doesn’t completely understand Cathay Pacific’s convoluted award booking rules.  Don’t be afraid to hang up and call again.

Delta no longer publishes an official award chart. So it’s a bit of a guessing game estimating how many Delta miles it will cost to get to Hawaii.  Nevertheless, Delta miles are worth considering if you want to fly Delta to Hawaii.

Additionally, Delta does have frequent award flight sales , and they could include flights to Hawaii! This is a good option to keep in your mind in case a good deal pops up.

Award Prices:   Delta doesn’t publish an award chart anymore, but in general, you’ll be able to find award flights for as low as 22,500 Delta miles one-way in coach and 40,000 Delta miles one-way in Business Class.  Delta occasionally has award flash sales where prices can be even lower than this. It’s also not uncommon to see much higher prices.

Fuel Surcharges:   Yes, but not something you need to worry about on flights to Hawaii

Pros:   Potentially useful award sales

Cons:   No award chart

Other notes:   Remember, when you transfer Amex points to U.S. based carriers like Delta, you’ll be charged a small fee of 0.06 cents per point up to a maximum of $99. For example, if you transfer 45,000 Amex points to Delta, you’ll be charged a fee of $27 (45,000 X 0.0006 = $27).

Flying Blue (Air France/KLM)

Amex has offered transfer bonuses to Flying Blue in the past, which can make Flying Blue an even better option for flights to Hawaii.

For more information on using Flying Blue miles to get to Hawaii, check out the Chase Ultimate Rewards section.

Hawaiian Airlines doesn’t offer the best prices to fly to Hawaii, but it’s always nice to have more options in case it’s the only award availability you can find.

Additionally, there have been transfer bonuses to Hawaiian Airlines in the past, so that could make this a more interesting opportunity, but only if you want to top up your Hawaiian Airlines account for an award flight.

Award Prices:   The prices listed in the chart below are for one-way tickets.

Hawaiian Airlines doesn’t offer the cheapest prices for flights to Hawaii from North America. However, flights to neighbor islands can be a great use of your miles. You can book flights for the same price with other airlines, but Hawaiian Airlines offers more available award seats to people booking with their own miles. If you can’t find award availability with another airlines, booking with Hawaiian Airlines miles can be a great way to snag a seat!

Fuel Surcharges:   None

Pros:   More award available on flights between Hawaiian Islands, another set of flight options for travel from the U.S.

Cons:   Not the lowest prices available

Other notes:   This is really only a useful option if you already have a collection of Hawaiian Airlines miles and only need to transfer some Amex Membership Rewards points over to top off your account, or if you can’t find availability or a schedule that works with other airlines.

Iberia operates a distance-based award chart, just like British Airways.  You can even transfer your Avios points between your Iberia and British Airways accounts, but you’ll have to jump through a few hoops to do it .

Iberia is a member of the oneworld alliance, so you’ll be able to book partner award flights with American Airlines for flights to Hawaii.

Award Prices:   Iberia has a separate award chart for each of their partner airlines, although most are exactly the same .  You’ll pay based on the total distance of the flight.  And for most partners, you’re only allowed to book round-trip award flights.

To book a flight on American Airlines, you’ll use the award chart below.  Not relevant for flights from the U.S. to Hawaii, but this is the same award chart for flights on Japan Airlines and for flights with more than one oneworld partner.

Flights from the U.S. to Hawaii can vary significantly in length depending on where in the U.S. you are starting from and how many connections you have.

For example, a non-stop flight from the West Coast might be as few as 5,000 miles round-trip, while a connecting flight from the East Coast could easily be over 10,000 miles round-trip. In general, you’ll be looking at flights in those two distance bands. The lower band is generally an okay (but not great) deal, and the higher band is not a good deal.

A few example flights include:

• Sacramento (SMF) – San Francisco (SFO) – Honolulu (HNL):  4,968 miles round trip
• Los Angeles (LAX) – Honolulu (HNL):  5,112 miles round trip
• Phoenix (PHX) – Honolulu (HNL):  5,834 miles round trip
• Houston (IAH) – Dallas (DFW) – Honolulu (HNL):  8,017 miles round trip

Like with British Airways, the best deals are on the shortest flights, and unfortunately there aren’t any super short flights from the U.S. to Hawaii. It’s also important to know that Iberia award flights are completely non-refundable. So make sure your travel plans are set in stone before you book.

Fuel Surcharges:   Yes, but not something you have to worry about for flights to Hawaii

Pros:   Easy to earn – they transfer from Amex Membership Rewards , Chase Ultimate Rewards , Marriott, and British Airways

Cons:   Partner awards are non-refundable, relatively high prices for flights to Hawaii

Other notes:   All Iberia partner awards are non-refundable. So only book if you’re 100% certain of your travel plans because once you book, you can’t get your points back even for a fee!

Singapore Airlines is a great option for flights to Hawaii and they are easy to earn!  You can transfer points from Citi ThankYou, Chase Ultimate Rewards , Amex Membership Rewards , and Marriott to Singapore Airlines.  If you don’t have enough points with any one program, you can pool your points easily with Singapore Airlines miles!

Transfer time:   Up to 24 hours

See the Singapore Airlines notes under the Chase Ultimate Rewards section for more details.

Virgin Atlantic miles are a good option for flights to Hawaii.  Like Singapore Airlines miles, you can transfer to Virgin Atlantic from Citi ThankYou, Chase Ultimate Rewards , Amex Membership Rewards , and Marriott , so you have an opportunity to combine your miles if you need to.  Additionally, Virgin Atlantic sometimes has access to more Delta award seats than other airline partners do, so they’re worth a look even if you don’t think there are available award seats!

Transfer ratio:   1:1

For more information, see the Virgin Atlantic information under the Chase Ultimate Rewards section.

When to book through the Amex Travel Portal instead

Depending on how much your plane tickets cost, it doesn’t always make sense to transfer Amex Membership Rewards points to airline partners for award flights.  Instead, you might save points by booking a cheap fare through Amex Travel.

Whether or not it makes sense to book through Amex Travel will depend on a couple of things:  How much the ticket costs, what transfer partner you would be using, and possibly on what Amex card you have.

For the most part, the Amex card that you have won’t make a difference as to how much your points are worth. For most cards, your Membership Rewards points are worth just 1 cent each when redeemed for airfare. But, there’s one exception.

If you have The Business Platinum Card® from American Express  ($595 annual fee; $695 if application is received on or after 01/13/2022)(see rates and fees), you’ll get 35% of your redeemed points back  (up to 500,000 points back per calendar year) in two cases:  If you’re booking Business or First Class airfare on any airline through Amextravel.com, and if you’re booking coach on your airline of choice (the same airline that you’ve chosen to get the up to $200 airline fee credit reimbursement from). In these cases, your Amex points are worth ~1.54 cents each when you factor in the rebate. Enrollment required for select benefits.

Generally, the cheaper your plane ticket is, the more likely it makes sense to redeem points through Amex Travel instead of through a transfer partner, but the scale doesn’t tip as easily as it does for some Chase cards.

For example, let’s assume that you are considering transferring Amex points to Delta to book a coach ticket. Delta charges 45,000 miles for a low-level award flight to Hawaii and back in coach.  Your breakeven price between transferring to Delta or using points as cash would be the following:

• With most Amex cards: 45,000 Delta miles X 0.01 = $450
• With the Business Platinum Card from American Express AND Delta chosen as your airline: 45,000 Delta miles X ~0.0154 = ~$693

If your flight price is less than the price listed above (for this example), it would cost less for you to redeem your Amex points as cash through American Express Travel instead of transferring to Delta.

Depending on what miles you are using, these numbers wouldn’t necessarily be the same.  To find out what the breakeven price would be, take the numbers required and multiply by the value of your Amex points.

Looked at another way, let’s say that your round-trip coach flight to Hawaii was going to cost $400 on Delta.  This is how many points you would pay if you booked through Amex Travel:

• With most Amex cards: 40,000 Amex Membership Rewards points ($400 / 0.01)
• With the Business Platinum Card from American Express AND Delta chosen as your airline: ~26,000 Amex Membership Rewards points (Simply: $400 / 0.0154 = ~26,000, or to get the exact amount: $400 / 0.01 = 40,000; 40,000 – (40,000 X 0.35 Rebate) = 26,000 miles)

In this case, you would be better off booking through Amex Travel with your Amex points rather than transferring 45,000 Delta Airlines miles for an award ticket no matter which Amex card you have.  If our example flight had been more expensive, that may not have been the case.

Note:    You’ll need the full number of Amex Membership Rewards points in your account (in this case, 40,000 points) to book the ticket.  You’ll receive the 35% rebate from having the Amex Business Platinum card in 8 to 10 weeks.

To find out how many points you need for a given ticket price when booked through Amex Travel, take the ticket price and divide by the value of your Amex points.

Two other benefits to redeeming your points through Amex Travel is that you don’t have to worry about finding available award seats or blackout dates.  As long as there’s a seat available for sale, you will be able to book it, and you’ll also earn frequent flyer miles and credit toward status for your airline ticket!

How to get to Hawaii with Citi ThankYou points

Citi ThankYou points are another great option if you want to book award flights to Hawaii. Like Chase Ultimate Rewards and Membership Rewards points, they have a number of useful airline transfer partners (and some of the partners even overlap!).  You can earn Citi ThankYou points from cards like the Citi Premier® Card.

Avianca LifeMiles

LifeMiles is the mileage program for Star Alliance member Avianca, and has made headlines in the past for miscategorizing airport codes into different regions.  This has led to some incredible redemptions, but there’s nothing sneaky you can do for Hawaii flights.  That said, Avianca’s rates are still pretty good for travel from the U.S. to Hawaii.

Because United Airlines is also part of Star Alliance, you can redeem Avianca miles for travel on United Airlines.

Award Prices:   Avianca splits the US up into multiple regions:  United States 1, United States 2, and United States 3, plus Hawaii. However, for flights between the US and Hawaii, it doesn’t matter where you are flying from or to.  The prices are the same. If you want to fly in coach (X), it costs 22,500 Avianca miles each way, Business Class (I) costs 40,000 Avianca miles each way, and First Class (O) costs 50,000 Avianca miles each way.

The Business and First Class prices are not great with Avianca, but the coach price isn’t bad.

Pros:   Average coach prices for flights to Hawaii

Cons:   High award prices for Business and First Class

Other notes:   Avianca charges a $25 fee for all award bookings

Cathay Pacific

Cathay Pacific Asia Miles is also a transfer partner of Amex Membership Rewards points. They operate on a distance-based award chart, and are a reasonable option for flights to Hawaii.

For more information on using Asia Miles to get to Hawaii, check out the Amex Membership Rewards section of this post.

Etihad has different award prices for each partner, which can make things pretty complicated. Luckily, if you’re considering using Etihad miles to get to Hawaii, there’s only one partner that you care about – American Airlines.

Award prices:   Etihad’s award prices between the U.S. and Hawaii aren’t bad, but they’re not great either.  Business and First Class awards are quite expensive, but don’t cost as much as some other airlines charge. Coach prices are average to good, especially during the off-peak travel time.

Etihad considers off-peak for Hawaii to be January 12 to March 8, August 22, and December 15. So, you’re not really getting a ton of options for travel during off-peak dates.

Something that is intriguing is the inter-island Hawaii price at only 5,000 Etihad miles.  However, American Airlines doesn’t operate any inter-island Hawaii flights, so it doesn’t seem possible to actually book a flight for that price, but if American Airlines ever offers flights between the islands it could offer a good opportunity to redeem some Etihad miles.

Fuel surcharges:   None on flights to Hawaii

Pros:   Reasonable coach and coach off-peak award prices

Cons:   Not many off-peak travel dates, high Business and First Class award prices

Other notes:   If American Airlines ever starts operating flights between the Hawaiian Islands, the price Etihad charges for inter-island flights is pretty good (but don’t hold your breath)

Flying Blue (KLM/Air France)

Flying Blue is a transfer partner of all of the major transferable point currencies, and is a good option for flights to Hawaii.

To find out more about using Flying Blue miles to get to Hawaii, reference the Chase Ultimate Rewards section of this post.

Turkish Airlines

Transfer ratio:   You can  transfer Citi ThankYou points  to Turkish Airlines at a 1:1 ratio and  Marriott points transfer  to Turkish Airlines at a 3:1 ratio. So it’s not hard to get the Turkish Airlines miles you need.

Transfer time:   Transfers can take up to 72 hours, so plan accordingly.

Award prices:  Turkish Airlines is a member of the Star Alliance so you can book these awards to Hawaii on United Airlines. To book these awards you’ll need to call Turkish Airlines at 1-800-874-8875. Turkish Airlines includes Hawaii in the same zone as the mainland U.S. so you can book one-way coach award flights for 7,500 miles one-way or one-way business-class awards for 12,500 miles.

Fuel surcharges:   None.

Pros:   Paying only 12,500 miles for a one-way business class flight is an outstanding deal.

Cons:  Premium awards are hard to come by and it can be time-consuming to book these awards over the phone.

Qantas isn’t a bad program to work with, and they have a really good award search engine. Their prices for flights to Hawaii, in the right circumstances, aren’t bad either!

Award prices:   Qantas has a distance-based award chart.  If you’re flying from the U.S. to Hawaii, most flights are going to be around 2,500 to 5,500 miles in length each way, depending on where in the US you are flying from and how many connections you need to make.  This means that your one-way flights are likely going to fall into Zone 4, 5, or 6.

Only Zone 4 pricing is really worth considering, and even then, only in coach.  In most cases, using British Airways Avios points is going to cost fewer points than Qantas if you are flying from the West Coast, but if you are making a connecting flight it could make sense to book with Qantas instead.

You can check the approximate distance of your flights on gcmap.com and compare the cost of booking with Qantas and booking with British Airways if you want to fly American Airlines.

For example, here are some one way flight distances to Hawaii:

• Los Angeles (LAX) – Honolulu (HNL):  2,556 miles one way
• Phoenix (PHX) – Honolulu (HNL):  2,917 miles one way
• Dallas (DFW) – Honolulu (HNL):  3,784 miles one way
• Albuquerque (ABQ) – Phoenix (PHX) – Honolulu (HNL):  3,246 miles one way

Fuel surcharges:   None to worry about on flights to Hawaii.

Pros:   Great award search engine, okay award price in coach, in certain circumstances (for example, a connecting flight on American Airlines where the first leg is relatively short like the last example shown above)

Cons:   High prices for Business and First class.

Singapore Krisflyer

Singapore Airlines is a transfer partner of all of the major transferable point currencies and offers great prices for flights to Hawaii.

To find out more about using Singapore Airlines miles to fly to Hawaii, refer to the Chase Ultimate Rewards section of this post.

Virgin Atlantic is a transfer partner of all of the major transferable point currencies.  They sometimes have access to more Delta award seats than other partners, so they may be worth a look if you’re coming up short elsewhere!

For more information on using Virgin Atlantic miles to fly to Hawaii, refer to the Chase Ultimate Rewards section of this post.

When to book through the Citi ThankYou travel portal instead

Depending on how much your plane ticket costs, it doesn’t always make sense to transfer Citi ThankYou Points to airline partners for award flights.  Instead, you might save points by booking a cheap fare through the Citi ThankYou Travel Portal (and earn miles when you fly!).

Whether or not it makes sense to book through the Citi ThankYou Travel Portal will depend on a couple of things:  How much the ticket costs, what transfer partner you would be using (and the points cost of your potential award ticket), and which Citi card(s) you have.

Let’s start out with which Citi card you have. Things are simpler here than for Chase and Amex. If you have the Citi Prestige card, your ThankYou points are worth 1.25 cents each towards airfare. With the Citi Prestige, this drops to 1 cent per point. If you have any other card that earns Citi ThankYou points, your points are worth 1 cent each.

The information for the Citi Prestige has been collected independently by Million Mile Secrets. The card details on this page have not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer.

Generally, the cheaper your plane ticket is, the more likely it makes sense to redeem points through the Citi ThankYou Travel Portal instead of through a transfer partner.

Let’s look at a quick example first. Suppose you were going to transfer miles to Etihad to book an off-peak, round-trip coach ticket. Etihad would charge 35,000 miles for this ticket. You would be better off redeeming through the Citi Travel Center if your ticket cost less than the following:

• With the Citi Prestige: $437.50 (35,000 X 0.0125)
• With other Citi cards: $350 (35,000 X 0.01)

Depending on what miles you are using, these numbers wouldn’t necessarily be the same. To find out what the breakeven price would be, take the number of miles required and multiply by the value of your Citi points. For example, 35,000 Etihad miles X 0.0125 (for the Citi Prestige) = $437.50.

Looked at another way, let’s say that your round-trip flight to Hawaii was going to cost $375. This is how many points you would pay if you booked through the Chase Ultimate Rewards travel portal:

• With the Citi Prestige:  30,000 Citi ThankYou points ($375 / 0.0125)
• With other Citi cards:  37,500 Citi ThankYou points ($375 / 0.01)

In this case, you would be better off booking through the Citi Travel Portal if you have the Citi Prestige, compared to transferring and paying 35,000 Etihad miles for an award ticket. If you have other Citi cards, it would still cost less to transfer.

Two other benefits to redeeming your points through the Citi ThankYou Travel Portal is that you don’t have to worry about finding available award seats or blackout dates. As long as there’s a seat available for sale, you will be able to book it, and you’ll also earn frequent flyer miles and credit toward status for your airline ticket.

How to get to Hawaii with Marriott rewards points

There are a ton of airline partners available if you have Marriott points. All together, Marriott has 45 airline transfer partners!

We won’t go into details about how to fly to Hawaii with every single possible partner. Instead, we’ll just tell you the best Marriott transfer partners to get you to Hawaii. Here’s our guide to transferring Marriott points to airlines .

Marriott points aren’t your only option for transferring to Air Canada Aeroplan. You can also transfer American Express Membership Rewards points!

Transfer ratio:   3:1 with a 5,000 mile bonus for transfers in increments of 60,000 Marriott Rewards points

Transfer time:  ~ 5 days

To find out more about using your Air Canada Aeroplan miles to get to Hawaii, check out the Amex Membership Rewards section.

Alaska Airlines

Alaska Airlines miles are a good option for getting to Hawaii on Alaska Airlines and an okay option for traveling to Hawaii on American Airlines.  Unfortunately, Alaska Airlines isn’t a partner of any other transferable point currency, so they’re a little bit harder to earn than some of the other options.  Nevertheless, it may be the best way for you to get to Hawaii.

Transfer time:  ~ 2 days

Award Prices:   Alaska Airlines charges different award prices for each partner. So, depending on if you want to fly on American Airlines or Alaska Airlines, you’ll have to look at different award charts and pricing.

Alaska Airlines charges the following prices for their own flights:

• Coach: 15,000 to 50,000 Alaska Airlines miles one-way
• Business Class: 40,000 to 80,000 Alaska Airlines miles one-way

At the low end of those ranges, the prices are pretty reasonable.  Especially for coach!  But, if you’re being quoted more than 25,000 miles one-way for coach or 40,000 miles one-way for Business Class, there’s almost surely a better option.

If you want to fly American Airlines, the following prices apply:

• Coach: 22,500 Alaska Airlines miles one-way
• Business Class: 40,000 Alaska Airlines miles one-way

These prices are solid, but not really anything special.  There’s a good chance that you can almost always book with another airline for the same price or less, and usually with miles that are easier to earn than Alaska Airlines miles.  That said, if you have a bunch of Alaska Airlines miles or can’t make anything else work, this isn’t a bad option.

Fuel surcharges:   No

Pros:   Low coach prices on Alaska Airlines’ own flights, ability to stopover on a one-way award flight

Cons:   Relatively tough miles to earn

Other notes:  One of the best things about Alaska Airlines miles is the ability to do a stopover on a one-way award ticket. This means if you are flying Alaska Airlines, you could stopover in their hub, Seattle. If you’re flying American Airlines, you could spend a day or two in Phoenix or Los Angeles (or any other American Airlines hub) on your way to Hawaii. If you book your return flight with Alaska Airlines miles, you can have another stopover on your return itinerary.

All Nippon Airways (ANA)

ANA is a good option for flights to Hawaii, but really only for coach flights. They are also a transfer partner of Amex Membership Rewards, giving you an option to pool your miles.

Transfer time:  ~ 7 days

The award chart and routing rules are relatively complicated, but if you want to find out more, check out the Amex Membership Rewards section of this post.

American Airlines

You can use American Airlines miles to book flights on both American Airlines and Alaska to get to Hawaii. Coach prices can be pretty good, especially if you are traveling during off-peak times, but we generally wouldn’t recommend booking Business Class or First Class with American Airlines miles unless you don’t have other options.

Award prices:   American Airlines offers flights to Hawaii in coach, Business and First class. Coach prices are pretty reasonable. While American Airlines uses dynamic pricing, the regular coach price is around 22,500 American Airlines miles each way. Business and First class flights are usually significantly more expensive making them not that great of a deal.

In general, they are not as good of a deal as the coach prices. Business Class flights start around 40,000 American Airlines miles each way.

If you want to try out flying First Class, you can do so on some flights to Hawaii.  But, prices aren’t cheap!  You’re looking at around 65,000 American Airlines miles (or more!) for a one-way flight.

Pros:  Often ore access to American Airlines award seats than other partners have

Cons:   High Business and First class prices — sometimes difficult to find SAAver award availability

Other notes:   Sometimes difficult to find low priced award availability at peak times

Asiana might not be a program that you’re very familiar with, but they have some great prices for flights to Hawaii. Unfortunately, Asiana miles aren’t that easy to earn, so you’ll have to save up your Marriott Rewards points if you want to use Asiana miles to get to Hawaii.

Asiana is part of Star Alliance, so you can use Asiana miles to book flights to Hawaii on United Airlines.

Transfer ratio:   3:1 with a 5,000-mile bonus for transfers in increments of 60,000 Marriott Rewards points

Transfer time:   10 days

Award prices:   Asiana offers good award prices for flights from the U.S. to Hawaii. Coach awards start at only 25,000 Asiana miles round-trip and Business Class and First Class awards cost 45,000 Asiana miles and 65,000 Asiana miles roundtrip, respectively.  These are all great prices for flights to Hawaii if you can find award availability on United Airlines flights that works for your trip.

One-way award bookings are permitted at half of the price listed below.

Fuel Surcharges:   Not something you need to worry about on flights to Hawaii.

Pros:   Great award prices, especially for Business Class and First Class, no phone booking fee, one-way award bookings allowed, low cancellation fee ($30 or 3,000 miles), no change fees

Cons:   Relatively difficult to earn, poor award search for partner flights online, fuel surcharges on some partners (but not on flights to Hawaii)

Other notes:   If you want to book a partner flight, you’ll have to call Asiana (800-227-4262) in order to do so. The call center is only open from Monday to Friday 8:30 am to 5:30 pm Pacific Time.

Avianca miles are a good option for flights to Hawaii, and are also a transfer partner of Citi ThankYou Points.

Transfer time:   Unknown at this time

For more information on using Avianca miles to fly to Hawaii, visit the Citi ThankYou Point section of this post.

British Airways presents one of the cheapest ways to get to Hawaii with miles if you are flying from the West Coast with a direct flight.

Transfer time:  Under 24 hours

For more information on redeeming British Airways Avios for flights to Hawaii, check out the Chase Ultimate Rewards section.

The Cathay Pacific Asia Miles award chart is one of the more complex charts out there.  But, if you’re willing to put in some extra time, there is great value to be had!

Transfer time:  ~ 10 days

For more information on redeeming Cathay Pacific Asia Miles for your Hawaiian vacation, read more in the Amex Membership Rewards section.

Delta doesn’t publish an award chart anymore, so it can be difficult to know if you’re getting the lowest price possible.  Nevertheless, they do occasionally offer pretty good award sales for flights to Hawaii.

Transfer time:    ~2 days

For more information on using Delta miles to fly to Hawaii, check out the Amex Membership Rewards section.

Emirates isn’t part of an alliance, but they do have a ton of partners.  If your goal is to get from the US to Hawaii, you can use Emirates miles for travel on Alaska Airlines.  Emirates has different award prices for each partner, so for flights on Alaska Airlines, you’ll have to reference their Alaska award chart.

Transfer ratio:   3:1 with a 5,000 mile bonus for transfers in increments of 60,000 Marriott Rewards points

Transfer time:  ~ 6 days

Award Prices:   As mentioned before, Emirates has different award prices for each partner.  For flights on Alaska Airlines to Hawaii, you’re looking at prices of 40,000 Emirates miles in coach and 75,000 Emirates miles in Business Class (First Class) for round-trip flights.  Emirates does not allow one-way award tickets on Alaska Airlines, so you’ll have to book round-trip.

Emirates coach award prices are decent, but their Business Class (First Class) award price is pretty high.

If you’re not quite set on your dates, Emirates charges only a $25 date change fee which is incredibly reasonable.

Pros:   Reasonably low coach award price, low $25 date change fee

Cons:   Round-trip bookings are required, miles are relatively difficult to earn

Other notes:   Infant tickets are not permitted

We’ve already covered Etihad in the Citi ThankYou points section of this post, and they’re a good option if you need to combine points from multiple programs or if you are traveling during their off-peak dates.

Transfer time:   ~ 5 days

To find out more about using Etihad miles to get to Hawaii, visit the Citi ThankYou points section of this post.

KLM/Air France Flying Blue miles are one of the best ways to fly to Hawaii with miles if you can find available award seats. Not only do they have low prices, but they are also transfer partners of Chase Ultimate Rewards, Amex Membership Rewards and Citi ThankYou points, giving you great ability to combine miles from multiple programs.

Transfer time:  ~ 1 day

If you want to read about using Flying Blue miles to fly to Hawaii, visit the Chase Ultimate Rewards section of this post.

Hawaiian Airlines miles are a great way to fly to Hawaii, especially if you are running into trouble finding award seats on other airlines. They are also a transfer partner of Amex Membership Rewards.

To find out more about using your Hawaiian Airlines miles to fly to Hawaii, check out the Amex Membership Rewards section.

Iberia offers a distance-based award chart which can be very valuable if you have relatively short flights (even if they involve a connection!). Iberia is also a transfer partner of Chase Ultimate Rewards and Amex Membership Rewards, giving you the opportunity to combine your points.

Transfer time:  ~ 6 day

If you want to find out more about using Iberia Avios points to get to Hawaii, visit the Amex Membership Rewards section of this post.

Lufthansa miles are a pretty useful option for United Airlines flights to Hawaii.  Like United Airlines, they are a member of Star Alliance. Unfortunately, Lufthansa miles aren’t that easy to earn because they are not a transfer partner of any of the other major transferable point currencies.

Transfer time:   ~ 6 days

Award Prices:   ufthansa has a zone-based award chart, and award prices start at 40,000 Lufthansa miles round-trip in coach.  Business Class awards cost 70,000 Lufthansa miles and First Class awards cost 125,000 Lufthansa miles for round-trip bookings.  One way award bookings are allowed and cost half of what a round-trip booking does.

Pros:   Reasonable coach and Business Class award prices, one-way bookings allowed

Cons:  Relatively difficult to earn

Other notes:   Lufthansa allows two stopovers on round-trip awards, but unfortunately this doesn’t apply to stopovers in the same region as your departure. So, while this isn’t helpful for flights to Hawaii, it’s a great perk of the Lufthansa Miles&More program.

Qantas also offers a distance-based award chart and they have one of the best award search engines for oneworld flights. They’re not going to be the best award option for everyone, but in certain circumstances they can be!

To find out more about using Qantas points to get to Hawaii, read the Citi ThankYou point section.

Singapore Airlines is a great option for flights to Hawaii, made even better by the fact that they are a transfer partner of Chase Ultimate Rewards, Amex Membership Rewards, and Citi ThankYou Points in addition to Marriott Rewards.

To find out more about using Singapore Airlines miles to get to Hawaii, check out the Chase Ultimate Rewards section of this post.

United Airlines miles aren’t going to give you the best prices for flights to Hawaii, but they are easy to earn and they are incredibly easy to use.  United Airlines’ award search engine is straightforward, and you generally won’t have too much trouble finding available award seats, as long as you’re at least a little bit flexible.

Transfer time:   Under 24 hours

If you want to find out more about using United Airlines miles to fly to Hawaii, visit the Chase Ultimate Rewards section of this post.

Virgin Atlantic miles are a great way to access both Delta and Hawaiian Airlines award seats, but not on the same ticket. Virgin Atlantic is a transfer partner of Chase Ultimate Rewards, Amex Membership Rewards, and Citi ThankYou points in addition to Marriott Rewards.

For more information on using Virgin Atlantic Miles to get to Hawaii, visit the Chase Ultimate Rewards section of this post.

Bottom line

Redeeming transferable points for award flights to Hawaii gives you the most flexibility and options to this popular bucket-list spot. That way, your trip to paradise won’t have to cost an arm and a leg.

Have any questions about getting to Hawaii we haven’t answered here? Let us know in the comments!

For rates and fees of the Amex Business Platinum card, click here.

Meghan Hunter

Contributor

Meghan Hunter is an editor for Million Mile Secrets. She covers points, miles, credit cards, airlines, hotels and general travel. Her work has also appeared in The Points Guy.

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• Miles can be redeemed toward travel on Delta Air Lines, Delta Connection carriers and on 30+ partner airlines 
• Book different experiences on the outbound and return flights – Relax in Delta Comfort+® on the way to your destination and fly home in Delta One® to return rested and refreshed
• Earn a Bonus Miles welcome offer with select Delta SkyMiles® American Express Cards. Plus, eligible Card Members save 15% when booking Award Travel on Delta flights. Not applicable to partner-operated flights or to taxes or fees. Terms apply.
• Award Travel flight miles flown (excluding Basic Economy fares) will count toward your total Million Miler balance

See if Award Travel or other fees apply to your ticket. All fees are non-refundable.

*Changes to origin, destination, routing, date and time are permitted except for Basic Economy tickets, and the mileage difference (and any applicable taxes) for the new Award ticket will apply. For travel originating from the United States and Canada to anywhere in the world (including flights operated by joint venture and codeshare partners), Members may change or cancel Award tickets for travel without a redeposit or change fee, excluding Basic Economy fares. For some travel originating outside the United States and Canada, Basic Economy Award ticket restrictions will vary and may be non-cancelable or may be changeable for a fee. For details, visit our Baggage & Travel Fees page .

Mileage difference, taxes and fees apply for any changes. Changes to Pay with Miles tickets are determined by the fare rules of the ticket purchased.

Mileage Upgrade Awards may be surrendered or cancelled any time prior to the scheduled flight departure time. Members may reissue or change a Mileage Upgrade Award prior to departure time. Taxes, fees and any additional collection is based on the rules of the purchased fare.

Not applicable where prohibited by local law.

1 Charges may vary by country. Charges will only apply to tickets issued in select European countries and Members may be eligible for a waiver of the direct ticketing international charge upon request. Charges are waived for all other points of origin.

2 Basic Economy fares are not eligible to make same-day confirmed or same-day standby travel changes, regardless of Medallion or other elite Status. Same-day Standby and Same-Day Confirmed are limited to availability, and only available on domestic flights.

See what other taxes and fees apply to your Award Ticket .

Terms & Conditions:

Your SkyMiles account must have enough miles for the Award Ticket you are purchasing.

All Awards are subject to availability, and additional taxes and fees may apply. See Membership Guide & Program Rules for details.

Awards are subject to capacity controls. Awards may require higher prices depending on routing rules and restrictions. Exceptions to these rules may require additional mileage or taxes and fees. Travel to all destinations within region may not be available at lowest price. Not all countries within region are serviced by Delta and/or partner airlines. Taxes and fees for Award Travel are the responsibility of the passenger and must be paid at the time the ticket is issued. The payment of any taxes, fees, and other government-, airport- or carrier-imposed charges is the responsibility of the passenger. Award redemption requires payment of at least $11.20 in U.S. government taxes and fees for domestic itineraries and may include up to $600 for foreign government taxes and fees and/or carrier-imposed fees for international itineraries.

Award seats may be limited and not available on all Delta Connection flights. Offers and benefits subject to change without notice. Other restrictions may apply.

Award Tickets issued by Delta Reservation Sales over the phone, in person at a ticket office or airport ticket counter, may be subject to a direct ticketing charge . Charges only apply to tickets issued in select European countries and may be waived upon request. Charges are waived for all other points of sale.

In some cases, seat assignments are made automatically based upon your preference for a window or aisle seat, noted in My Profile . We will request seat assignments when traveling on an airline partner at the time of ticketing. Seat assignments may not always be confirmed at the time of the request. Contact the airline partner directly for seat requests. If your seating preference is not available, "NA" will appear in the "Seat Assignment" column of your itinerary. In this case, you will receive your seat during check-in on the date of departure or you can go to Itineraries to select a seat. We accommodate the seating requirements of customers with certain types of disabilities. This could result in the occasional need to change another individual's pre-assigned seat, with bulkhead seats being particularly subject to reassignment.

Travel with Miles on Partner Airlines

Book Award Travel through delta.com with:

• Aerolineas Argentinas
• China Eastern
• China Airlines
• China Southern
• Garuda Indonesia
• Hawaiian Airlines
• KLM Royal Dutch Airlines
• Mandarin Airlines
• Middle East Airlines
• Saudia Airlines
• Shanghai Airlines
• Tarom Airlines
• Vietnam Airlines
• Virgin Atlantic
• Xiamen Airlines

Contact Delta Reservations for Award Travel on:

• Air Tahiti Nui
• Czech Airlines
• Kenya Airways

There are no blackout dates on Delta-operated flights. Blackout dates may apply on partner airline-operated flights and are defined by individual carriers .

Partner Airline Redemption for Members Residing in Japan:

Medallion Members or Delta SkyMiles Credit Card (issued in Japan) Members residing in Japan may redeem miles toward Award Travel on Skymark flights throughout Japan.

Routes/Destinations: Haneda, Kobe, Nagoya, Sapporo, Fukuoka, Kagoshima, Nagasaki, Naha and Ibaraki. Check flight schedule with Skymark Airlines , prior to submitting the request.

SEGMENTS AVAILABLE

• Fukuoka (FUK) - Naha (Okinawa, OKA)
• Haneda (HND) - Kobe (UKB)
• Kagoshima (KOJ) - Amami (ASJ)
• Kobe (UKB) - Ibaraki (IBR)
• Kobe (UKB) - Kagoshima (KOJ)
• Kobe (UKB) - Nagasaki (NGS)
• Kobe (UKB) - Naha (Okinawa, OKA)
• Kobe (UKB) - Sendai (SDJ)
• Naha (Okinawa, OKA) - Shimojishima(SHI)
• Central Japan International (Nagoya, NGO) - Kagoshima (KOJ)
• Central Japan International (Nagoya, NGO) - Naha (Okinawa, OKA)
• Central Japan International (Nagoya, NGO) - New Chitose (Sapporo, CTS)
• Fukuoka (FUK) - New Chitose (Sapporo, CTS)
• Haneda (HND) - Fukuoka (FUK)
• Haneda (HND) - Kagoshima (KOJ)
• Haneda (HND) - Naha (Okinawa, OKA)
• Haneda (HND) - New Chitose (Sapporo, CTS)
• Haneda (HND) - Shimojishima(SHI)
• Ibaraki (IBR) - Fukuoka (FUK)
• Ibaraki (IBR) - Naha (Okinawa, OKA)
• Ibaraki (IBR) - New Chitose (Sapporo, CTS)
• Kobe (UKB) - New Chitose (Sapporo, CTS)
• Kobe (UKB) - Shimojishima(SHI)

Skymark Terms & Conditions

• SkyMiles Medallion Members or Delta SkyMiles Credit Card (issued in Japan) Members, residing in Japan, may redeem miles toward Award Travel on Skymark flights throughout Japan. SkyMiles Medallion Members or Delta SkyMiles Credit Card Members cannot earn miles on their Skymark Award ticket. Supplemental card holder is not eligible for this offer. New Card Members are eligible to redeem miles for this offer after two months of activity on their card.
• Award Travel on Skymark is available on the segments listed above in Economy/Main Cabin Class in a booking class Skymark determines and currently on sale on the Skymark website. Travel must be booked at least 14 days prior to departure. Award Seats on Skymark are limited and may not be available on all flights or markets.
• Booking is available for travels through October 26, 2024
• February 2, 2024 – February 13, 2024 (for flights between New Chitose (Sapporo, CTS) and Haneda (HND), Ibaraki (IBR), Kobe (UKB), Fukuoka (FUK), and Central Japan International (Nagoya, NGO) )
• February 9, 2024 – February 13, 2024 (for all flights other than HND-CTS,IBR-CTS,UKB-CTS,NGO-CTS,FUK-CTS)
• March 19, 2024 – March 30, 2024
• April 26, 2024 – April 30, 2024
• May 1, 2024 – May 7, 2024
• July 12, 2024 – July 16, 2024
• August 8, 2024 – August 19, 2024
• September 13, 2024 – September 17, 2024
• September 20, 2024 – September 24, 2024
• October 11, 2024 – October 15, 2024
• Once your booking is confirmed, Delta will deduct the required miles from your SkyMiles account usually within 24 hours and a Skymark Confirmation Number with the flight details itinerary will be sent to the e-mail address provided when the booking was requested. If your ticket is not confirmed or additional information is needed, you will be emailed within 72 hours after the request is submitted. 
• You cannot check or view your Award Travel itinerary on Skymark website.
• A request response email of your Skymark award flight will be sent to the email address you provide on the online booking form within 72 hours after your submission of the request form. Skymark tickets are “ticketless” meaning no paper or electronic tickets will be issued after booking is complete. Once you receive the confirmation email, show the email to the Skymark check-in counter, and a boarding pass will be issued at the counter. 
• With your Skymark Confirmation Number, make sure to check in between 2 hours – 20 minutes prior to departure for your Skymark Award Travel at an auto check-in machine. If you do not meet the check-in window, you will not be able to travel on the scheduled flight. 
• Award Travel redemption on Skymark is not combinable with itineraries on any other carrier's flights, including with Delta or any other Airline Partner.
• Adults must enter their age as of the date of flight.
• Infant and children must travel with adult. Infant and children cannot travel alone. Infant is defined as a person of 0-2 years old and does not occupy a seat, and child is defined as a person of 3-11 years old.  The same award redemption level is required for children as adult. No miles are needed for infant not occupying a seat but only one infant is allowed to travel with one adult.
• One (1) infant must travel with at least one (1) adult. Please contact Skymark for more details about infant and child passengers.
• Waitlist is not permitted for Award Travel on Skymark.
• Upgrade is not permitted.
• Open-jaw travel is not permitted.
• One-way travel is permitted. One-way travel requires the same award redemption level as roundtrip.
• Return trips cannot be left open when making reservations. All flights must be confirmed before SkyMiles Award tickets can be issued. 
• Cancellation and changes are not permitted once the booking is confirmed. Redeposit of miles is not permitted. Award Travel has no cash value.
• If you miss a Skymark flight due to a flight delay or cancellation, Skymark will put you on the next flight with seats available only if you show a certificate proving the delay or cancellation of the original itinerary. If you do not use your Skymark flight due to a flight delay or cancellation, mileage will not be redeposited to your SkyMiles account, and Delta or Skymark will not provide a cash refund. 
• The number of seats available for this offer may be limited and are subject to availability.
• Passenger facility charges, fuel surcharge, security fees, any applicable taxes are the responsibility of the user.
• Redemption award level is subject to change without prior notice. Please refer to the Redemption Level for details.
• If you need any special assistance or arrangement, please contact Skymark. Please note that the special assistance or arrangement is subject to availability.
• An ID (Drivers license, Passport, Health insurance card, Student ID card, Basic resident register card, Resident card, Full copy of a person's family register, Abstract of a person's family register, Certificate of alien registration, War injury and sickness certificate, Mentally disabled person's certificate or Pension book) of the traveler is required when the customer checks-in the Skymark flight.
• Skymark terms and conditions apply .
• For luggage requirements and restrictions, please visit Skymark or contact Skymark.  
• Other restrictions may apply.
• Delta has the final authority in the interpretation of these rules.

Additional Terms & Conditions

Award Tickets on partner airlines may require higher rates or a Saturday night stay. Some airline partners impose a surcharge on Award redemptions for travel on their airline. These charges when applicable are the responsibility of the passenger and will be collected at the time of booking. Partner airline benefits are subject to change and subject to terms and conditions of each partner. Skymark operates on a Boeing 737-800.

If a flight is delayed or cancelled, Skymark is not responsible for ground transportation to/from the airport. Please visit Skymark , opens in a new window for details.

Food and beverages are not provided on Skymark flights. You can purchase soft drinks with 100 yen per drink or an alcoholic beverage with 200-300 yen per drink.

Book with Delta Vacations

Go Beyond the Flight with Delta Vacations. Your miles are now worth at least 15% more* to every destination at any time when you use them toward a Delta Vacations package booked through Delta Vacations. Use your miles to pay for just a portion or your entire vacation. With Delta Vacations you can choose from flights, expertly curated stays, rides and activities all over the world all in one place. Plus, you will still earn miles as you redeem them! 

• Visit Delta Vacations to customize your vacation package
• Enter your SkyMiles number
• During the “Review & Purchase” step, choose miles as your payment type. Keep in mind, only one SkyMiles account can be used for redemption
• Enter the amount of miles to redeem. Your mileage discount should appear in the payment overview
• Select ‘Complete Purchase’ 

* As compared to the mileage value with Delta Vacations prior to July 10, 2023.

• You can use your miles for yourself and everyone who is traveling with you, as long as they’re on the same reservation.
• There is no minimum or maximum number of miles, no blackout dates, and you don’t need a promo code. 
• You can use miles on any vacation package type. 
• When booking online, you can redeem up to 999,999 miles on flight and hotel packages to any Delta Vacations destination. To redeem more than 999,999 miles, please contact Delta Vacations at 1-800-800-1504.
• All SkyMiles Program rules apply. To review the rules, please visit delta.com/memberguide . To review rules for Delta Vacations mileage redemption, please visit delta.com/vacations-usemiles .

You can now use your miles to book your next hotel stay or vacation rental when you book with Delta Stays.  

How to Book with Delta Stays  

• Log into your SkyMiles account (either on delta.com or the Delta Stays platform)
• Click the "Book Now" button below to launch Delta Stays
• Select "Pay with miles" when searching for your hotel stay or vacation rental 
• Search the available inventory shown  
• Make your selection(s), complete your booking and enjoy your stay

General Terms and Conditions:

• Delta’s online booking engine for stays is powered and serviced by Expedia and is accessible via delta.com, delta.com/hotels, delta.com/stays or directly at travelextras-delta.com.
• Standard Mileage Offer: SkyMiles® Members will earn two (2) miles per US$1 or equivalent foreign currency spent at travelextras-delta.com on the base hotel or vacation rental rate for a completed stay. Base rate is the cost of the hotel room or vacation rental property, before taxes and fees, charged at the time of booking. Taxes and fees, gratuities, room service, other incidental charges, and insurance costs are excluded from mileage credit. Miles will not be awarded on any portion of the stay paid for using miles.
• Mileage can only be credited to the SkyMiles Member if the name on the booking matches the name of the SkyMiles account provided.
• SkyMiles number should be provided at the time of booking.
• Only one SkyMiles number can be provided per booking.
• Please allow up to 8 weeksn after completion of eligible stay for miles to be deposited in SkyMiles account.
• If mileage credit has not been recorded on your SkyMiles account within 8 weeksafter qualifying activity occurs, please  contact us  and select: Request Refund or Miles > Mileage Credit > Partners
• Requests for mileage credit will be accepted up to 6 months from check out date.
• Stays completed prior to enrollment into SkyMiles will not be eligible for mileage credit.
• Hotel currency or status are subject to each respective Hotel guest program and may not be applicable for bookings made on travelextras-delta.com.
• Miles awarded are bonus miles, and do not count toward Million Miler Status.
• Unless otherwise expressly specified as part of a limited time offer (which is subject to the terms and conditions of such offer), spend on completed stays does not count toward Medallion Qualification Dollars.

Redeeming Miles for Stays:

• For certain pay now hotel and vacation rental properties, SkyMiles Members have the option to pay for all or a portion of their booking using miles earned through the SkyMiles Program.
• There is no minimum number of miles needed to redeem for a stay, but if you would like to book your stay using only miles, your mileage balance must equal or exceed the total of your booking.
• If you do not have enough miles to pay for your entire stay, you can split your transaction using both miles and a credit/debit card for payment. When prompted, enter how many miles you would like to use for that booking; the remaining value (after subtracting the miles used) will be reflected as USD and must be paid using a credit or debit card.
• You must be logged-in to your SkyMiles account to complete a purchase when using miles.
• You may not combine miles from two or more accounts on a single transaction. Miles used may only come from one SkyMiles account.
• Miles will be deducted at the time of purchase from the SkyMiles account provided and will appear as “Delta Stays”.
• If permitted under the terms of your booking, refunds will be made to the original form of payment less any fees and charges, where applicable. If your booking was made using both miles and a credit/debit card, then the portion of your booking made with miles will be refunded as miles to your SkyMiles account and the credit/debit portion will be refunded to the original card used in the booking.
• If you change or alter your booking resulting in additional costs and charges, any charges must be paid using a credit card or debit card.
• Miles will not be awarded on any portion of the stay paid for using miles.
• Resort fees, gratuities, room service, and any third-party fees or charges, including those incurred while traveling, are in addition to the fees and charges of your original reservation and are not eligible to be paid for with miles.
• Delta reserves the right to cancel any stays bookings due to insufficient miles in your account, suspicion of fraud, violation(s) of the SkyMiles Program Rules, or termination of your SkyMiles account.
• Delta may change, suspend, or terminate the redemption program (including but not limited to any benefits and conditions of participation), in whole or in part, at any time with or without notice.

Miles + Cash

Don’t have enough miles for the flight you want? Available on select flights, Miles + Cash gives you the flexibility to pay for a flight using a combination of miles and dollars.

HOW TO USE MILES + CASH:

• Choose your flight
• Change the ‘Show Price In’ setting from “miles” to “Miles + Cash”
• Select your flight(s), complete your purchase and you’re on your way

Miles + Cash is offered worldwide only on flights operated by Delta, Delta Connection and Delta Shuttle. Remember, tickets purchased using Miles + Cash are Award Tickets and are subject to all the limitations of Award Tickets. They are not eligible to earn miles, and mileage purchases in Miles + Cash transactions are nonrefundable. All Award ticket change fees apply. In the event of ticket changes or cancellations, miles, including miles purchased as part of a Miles + Cash transaction, will be redeposited in the Member’s SkyMiles account.

Pay with Miles

Take a shortcut to your next adventure by using Pay with Miles*. Exclusively for Delta SkyMiles American Express Card Members, Pay with Miles is a Card benefit that gives you more flexibility by taking dollars off of Delta tickets or allowing you to use miles when you don’t have quite enough to cover the full ticket. Not yet a Card Member and based in the U.S. or its territories? Learn more about The Delta SkyMiles American Express Cards  here . 

HOW TO PAY WITH MILES 

• Log in at delta.com
• Go to Book a Trip
• Select flights marked as “Pay with Miles eligible”
• On the ‘Trip Summary’ page, choose “Pay with Miles” and pay with miles, money or a combination of both
• After you make your selection, continue booking your ticket
• If you choose to pay for a fare with both miles and a credit card, use your Delta SkyMiles American Express Card to pay for the remaining ticket price

Not U.S.-based? You may be eligible to use Pay with Miles internationally if you’re a SkyMiles Credit Card Member in certain countries. Learn more .

HOW DOES IT WORK*?

Pay with Miles is an exclusive benefit for Delta SkyMiles American Express Card Members.  This benefit allows Card Members to use their miles, starting at just 5,000 miles, to discount the price of Delta tickets.  Regardless of ticket price, a Card Member can reduce the cost of their ticket by up to $50 for every 5,000 miles. For example, redeeming 10,000 of your miles takes $100 off your fare, 15,000 miles takes $150 off, 20,000 miles takes $200 off, etc.

For example: a Card Member who currently has 22,000 miles in their SkyMiles account selects a round-trip flight from Atlanta, GA to Washington, D.C. for $250 total fare. By using Pay with Miles, the Card Member can redeem 20,000 miles to reduce the ticket cost by $200. The Card Member would then pay $50 and 20,000 miles for the ticket.

Frequently Asked Questions

There is no fee for using your Pay with Miles benefit.

As long as you have sufficient miles in your account, there is no limit on the number of times you can use your Pay with Miles benefit—use it as often as you like.

There is no cap on the amount of miles you can use. If you have enough miles, you can pay for your entire ticket price using miles.

Yes, you may use Pay with Miles to book someone else's ticket. You can use Pay with Miles for multiple tickets—you just need to have 5,000 miles per passenger available and they must be on the same itinerary.

If you do not have the minimum 5,000 miles per passenger available in your account, you will not see Pay with Miles as an option to purchase your ticket after selecting your flights. Pay with Miles is only available for Delta Air Lines (not partner airline) flights. You also must log into delta.com to see the Pay with Miles option.

Pay with Miles is a benefit of Delta SkyMiles American Express Cards where you can use miles to pay for all or part of the price of eligible flights. It is always available as a payment option on all Delta operated flights as long as you have 5,000 miles in your SkyMiles account. Pay with Miles always has a value of up to $50 per 5,000 miles for Card Members. Miles + Cash is a redemption option on Award Tickets offered to all SkyMiles members where you can pay for your flight using a combination of miles and dollars.

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The Best Points and Miles for Free Flights to Hawaii

Reviewed by Ryan Smith

AwardWallet receives compensation from advertising partners for links on the blog. Terms Apply to the offers listed on this page. The opinions expressed here are our own and have not been reviewed, provided, or approved by any bank advertiser. Here's our complete list of Advertisers .

Offers for the Hawaiian Airlines ® World Elite Mastercard ® are not available through this site. All information has been independently collected by AwardWallet and has not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer. Some offers may have expired. Please see our card marketplace for available offers.

Hawaii is a one-of-a-kind destination offering the warmth and exotic experience of a trip to the South Pacific without the hassle and expense of international travel. At the same time, 2,000 miles separate the Hawaiian Islands from the U.S. mainland, so flights to Hawaii can be expensive.

Thankfully, there are multiple ways to use points, miles, and perks to book flights to Hawaii. And, if you're looking for the best deal using points and miles to fly to Hawaii, we've got it below.

Page Contents

Flights to Hawaii With Points and Miles

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This Hawaii sweet spot lets you redeem Turkish Airlines miles for United flights to Hawaii for a super-low 10,000 miles each way in economy! No, that is not a typo. That is just 20,000 miles for a round-trip flight from anywhere in the U.S. mainland to Hawaii, although this price is a bit higher after an award chart change on February 16, 2024 .

If you are lucky enough to find saver-level award space on United, business-class awards will set you back 15,000 miles one-way or 30,000 miles round-trip. Turkish passes on carrier-imposed charges on award tickets. But, since you're flying United within the U.S., the fees and taxes are just $5.60 each way.

Turkish Miles & Smiles lists Hawaii (Honolulu at least) in the North America region, treating flights between the mainland and Hawaii as domestic itineraries.

Turkish Miles & Smiles allows you to book one-way awards for half the price of a round-trip award. Thus, one-way awards cost just 10,000 miles in economy and 15,000 miles in business class. You aren't required to book round-trip itineraries to lock in this pricing.

Don't have a stash of Turkish miles to throw at flights? You have several options for replenishing your account:

Thus, you can transfer points earned on cards like the Citi Strata Premier℠ Card or Marriott Bonvoy Boundless ® Credit Card . The current 75,000-point welcome offer on the Citi Strata Premier (see our Citi Strata Premier review ) will fly a family of four to Hawaii, round-trip from anywhere in the continental U.S. for nearly free. That's a deal.

• 3X points per $1 on airfare and hotels and at gas stations, restaurants, and supermarkets
• Annual Hotel Benefit: Save $100 off a single hotel stay of $500 or more (excluding taxes and fees) when you book through CitiTravel.com
• No foreign transaction fees
• $95 annual fee
• 10X points per $1 on hotels, car rentals, and attractions booked through CitiTravel.com
• 3X points per $1 spent on airfare, and other hotel purchases
• 3X points per $1 spent at gas and EV charging stations
• 3X points per $1 spent on dining at restaurants, including cafes, bars and lounges
• 3X points per $1 spent at supermarkets
• 1X points per $1 spent on all other purchases

A couple of things to bear in mind when booking this award: First, you may run into problems trying to book online for more than one passenger. However, you can book United partner awards over the phone or via email with Turkish Airlines.

For those who don't have Turkish miles already, the email option can be best. You need to nail down the exact flight details you want to book — including flight numbers. We recommend searching for saver-level award space on United.com to do so. Then, email a Ticket Sales Office with your Miles & Smiles account information and all the flight details, then wait to hear back.

When an agent confirms availability, you need to transfer your points or miles to Turkish to get the booking underway. Check out our transfer times tool to determine how long it will usually take for the points to land in your account. Finally, you'll need to fill out and return all the paperwork before Turkish moves forward with ticketing your award.

Turkish Airlines' website has improved, sometimes showing availability for these flights. However, it is not consistent. If booking online doesn't work, revert to the phone and email methods outlined above.

Related:  Do Turkish Airlines Miles & Smiles Miles Expire?

Fares to the Hawaiian Islands have gotten even more competitive, and thanks to Southwest's policy of no blackout dates, there's much more award availability to Hawaii than before.

Southwest Rapid Rewards is a revenue-based rewards program. That means the cost of award flights is tied directly to the cash price. When the cost of tickets is high, the cost of award tickets also rises. You'll likely get better value from one of the fixed-award-chart rewards programs like Singapore KrisFlyer or Turkish Miles & Smiles during peak season. However, during the off-season, the cost of Southwest tickets falls — both for cash and points fares.

Where that value explodes is if you hold a Southwest Companion Pass , which gives you two-for-one flights on Southwest for up to two years.

In the example below, flying from Los Angeles to Honolulu, the lowest one-way fare costs $109 or 7,051 points. Those with the Southwest Companion Pass could book round-trip flights to Hawaii many days of the week for two people for ~14,102 points round-trip — for both people. That's an exceptional value.

As with most carriers on this list, there are a few options for redeeming rewards on Southwest. If you hold a Chase Sapphire Reserve ® , you can purchase these $118 flights through the Chase Travel℠ portal for 7,867 points, redeeming for a fixed value of 1.5¢ per point. Southwest will treat the flight as a revenue fare, and you'll earn 6x Rapid Rewards points on your base fare.

You also could transfer Ultimate Rewards points to Rapid Rewards and redeem 7,051 points plus $5.60 in taxes for the same flight. As the cash price of the ticket is $109, you are getting about 1.47¢ per point for the transferred points. However, you won't earn additional points or miles on the purchase.

Transferring Chase points makes a lot more sense if you hold a Chase Sapphire Preferred ® Card or Ink Business Preferred ® Credit Card , which only return a fixed value of 1.25¢ per point when you redeem via the travel portal. In this case, the flight would cost 8,720 points through the Chase travel portal.

Southwest will not always be the best use of points and miles for flying to Hawaii, but it's a great benchmark program to ensure you get good value from your rewards. Short on Southwest points? You could buy Southwest points or transfer from Chase, but the Southwest ® Rapid Rewards ® Performance Business Credit Card also has a great introductory welcome bonus that could potentially take the whole family to Hawaii.

• Earn 80,000 points after you spend $5,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening.
• 9,000 bonus points after your Cardmember anniversary.
• Earn 4X pts on Southwest ® purchases.
• Earn 3X points on Rapid Rewards ® hotel and car rental partners.
• Earn 2X points on rideshare.
• Earn 2X points on social media and search engine advertising, internet, cable, and phone services and 1X points on all other purchases.
• 4 Upgraded Boardings per year when available.
• Member FDIC
• 4X points per $1 spent on Southwest ® purchases
• 3X points per $1 spent on Rapid Rewards ® hotel and car partners
• 2X points per $1 spent on social media and search engine advertising, Internet, cable and phone services
• 2X points per $1 spent on rideshare
• 1X point per $1 spent on all other purchases

Fly to Hawaii From 13,500 Singapore KrisFlyer Miles

There's more than one way of getting to Hawaii with Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer miles. The cheaper option is via a direct partnership with Alaska Airlines. KrisFlyer has a separate award chart (warning: PDF) for redeeming miles on Alaska Airlines. This chart features lower award prices to Hawaii than if you redeem Singapore miles for United flights.

The downside is that it only applies to flights from the West Coast, Midwest, and the Rocky Mountain states. All cities in Zone 4 are excluded from this pricing with KrisFlyer. Instead, you would need to make two redemptions: one to the West Coast and then the other to Hawaii.

Note that you need to call Singapore Airlines to book Alaska awards. Unfortunately, you cannot book them online.

Although you pay a little more for your flights, there are no such geographic or booking restrictions if you redeem Singapore miles on United flights. KrisFlyer charges 19,500 miles each way to fly United to Hawaii from the contiguous 48 states, with a round-trip economy award costing 39,000 miles + $11.20 in fees and taxes.

The ease with which you can book United redemptions on the KrisFlyer website makes it much less of a hassle than booking over the phone or by email. And you can redeem miles for nonstop flights from many United hubs, including Newark, Chicago–O'Hare, Washington–Dulles, Houston–International, Los Angeles, San Francisco, and Denver. If you're able to find award availability for United business class, KrisFlyer charges 39,000 miles each way for that.

A big part of the value of Singapore KrisFlyer is that you can transfer points from numerous programs, making it an ideal solution if points are spread across multiple rewards programs:

Any card earning these types of points can be used to earn Singapore KrisFlyer miles.

• Earn 75,000 bonus points after you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening. That's over $900 when you redeem through Chase Travel℠.
• Enjoy benefits such as 5x on travel purchased through Chase Travel℠, 3x on dining, select streaming services and online groceries, 2x on all other travel purchases, 1x on all other purchases, $50 Annual Chase Travel Hotel Credit, plus more.
• Get 25% more value when you redeem for airfare, hotels, car rentals and cruises through Chase Travel℠. For example, 75,000 points are worth $937.50 toward travel.
• Count on Trip Cancellation/Interruption Insurance, Auto Rental Collision Damage Waiver, Lost Luggage Insurance and more.
• Get complimentary access to DashPass which unlocks $0 delivery fees and lower service fees for a minimum of one year when you activate by December 31, 2024.
• 5X points on Lyft rides through March 2025
• 5X points on travel purchased through Chase Travel℠
• 3X points on dining at restaurants worldwide
• 3X points on eligible streaming services
• 3X points on online grocery purchases (excluding Target, Walmart, and wholesale clubs)
• 2X points on all other travel
• 1X point per dollar spent on all other purchases

One of the most well-known and high-value redemptions for flights to Hawaii from the West Coast comes courtesy of British Airways Executive Club . British Airways, which counts both American and Alaska as partners, offers a distance-based award chart. This includes non-stop flights to Hawaii operated by American and Alaska from Oakland, Phoenix, San Diego, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Sacramento, Bellingham, San Jose, Portland, Seattle, and even Anchorage.

A recent Avios hike in award fares on Alaska and American raised the cost of economy flights between 2,000 and 3,000 miles from 13,000-16,000 points. All things considered, 32,000 Avios for a round-trip flight to Hawaii is still a good deal . In addition: while out-of-pocket costs on British Airways awards can be incredibly expensive, the taxes and fees on this award are just $5.60 each way.

Read through our guide on how to redeem British Airways Avios and check out the latest credit card offer for the British Airways Visa Signature ® Card if you're looking to take more people to Hawaii. British Airways even allows you to pool points in its loyalty program , Executive Club, with other travelers. Plus, its numerous transfer partners make for an easy way to add up Avios for a redemption.

• Limited time offer! Earn 85,000 Avios after you spend $5,000 on purchases within the first three months of account opening.
• Earn 3 Avios per $1 spent on purchases with British Airways, Aer Lingus, Iberia, and LEVEL.
• Earn 2 Avios per $1 spent on hotel accommodations when purchased directly with the hotel.
• 10% off British Airways flights starting in the US when you book through the website provided in your welcome materials.
• Every calendar year you make $30,000 in purchases on your British Airways Visa card, you'll earn a Travel Together Ticket good for two years.
• Pay no foreign transaction fees when you travel abroad.
• Simply tap to pay with your contactless British Airways Visa Signature Card. Just look for the contactless symbol at checkout. It's fast, easy and secure!
• 3X Avios per $1 spent on purchases with British Airways, Aer Lingus, Iberia, and LEVEL
• 2X Avios per $1 spent on hotel accommodations
• 1X Avios for every $1 spent on all other purchases

Related:  How To Book American Airlines Flights Using British Airways Avios

The Air Canada Aeroplan program also has a distance-based award chart, with partner flights to Hawaii costing 12,500 or 22,500 Aeroplan points, depending on where you are flying from.

You can get a round-trip award for twice the points price of a one-way ticket. Aeroplan is in the Star Alliance with United, so you can use Aeroplan points to fly on United's non-stop flights to Hawaii.

You also have multiple ways to accumulate Aeroplan points, providing easier access to these awards.

• Earn 70,000 bonus points
• Earn 70,000 points after you spend $3,000 on purchases in the first 3 months your account is open.
• $95 Annual Fee
• Redeem points for both international and domestic flights with the Aeroplan ® Credit Card.
• Fly to another continent and travel the world with the Aeroplan ® Credit Card.
• Earn 3X points for each dollar spent at grocery stores, on dining at restaurants, and Air Canada directly. Earn 1X point for each dollar spent on all other purchases.
• 500 bonus points for every $2,000 you spend in a calendar month - up to 1,500 points per month.
• 3x points on dining, including takeout and eligible delivery services
• 3x points at grocery stores
• 3x points directly with Air Canada
• 1x point on all other purchases

Using Alaska Mileage Plan miles for flights to Hawaii is another good option for those flying from the West Coast. Flights start at only 10,000 miles one-way in economy or 40,000 miles in first class. If you don't fly out of the West Coast, you could take advantage of Alaska's “stopover trick” for more value.

Related:  Best Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan Award Chart Sweet Spots

Of all the airlines that use the Avios currency, Qatar Airways has the best award rates to the Hawaiian islands . On flights covering 2,001 to 3,000 miles in total distance, you'll redeem just 13,000 Qatar Airways Avios for an economy seat or 38,750 Avios for business/domestic first class. This distance band covers most American Airlines- or Alaska-operated flights from the West Coast to Hawaii.

Even better, you can quickly accrue Qatar Airways Avios courtesy of a trio of transfer partners. However, there are even more ways to grow your Qatar Avios balance when you consider that you can freely transfer Avios between accounts, opening up the doors to earn British Airways Avios, for example, and transferring them to Qatar.

More people than ever before are utilizing frequent flier miles. But, when it comes to leveraging different programs, most of us still focus on legacy airlines that are now merged into just three carriers: American, Delta, and United.

All three of these legacy carriers no longer have a traditional award chart, so the miles price will vary drastically depending on where you're coming from and your travel dates. While there will be some routes and dates where you can get a good deal — particularly from the West Coast — generally, it's hard to find outsized value by booking directly with American, Delta, or United.

However, there are occasional opportunities to book at decent rates, such as a United flash sale to Hawaii for 9,600 miles or unannounced Delta flash sales .

Use Flexible Rewards Programs for Flights to Hawaii

Our preferred method of collecting miles to get to Hawaii is with flexible rewards programs that offer transferable points. This strategy allows you to transfer travel rewards into mileage programs with multiple airlines, letting you use your points with whichever program has availability at a price you are willing to pay.

There are top flexible rewards currencies:

• American Express Membership Rewards
• Bilt Rewards
• Citi ThankYou ® Points

Our favorite program for flights to Hawaii is Ultimate Rewards , which offers  nearly two dozen different ways to redeem Chase points . Points can be earned with Chase's Ultimate Rewards-earning cards like the Chase Sapphire Preferred ® Card or the Ink Business Preferred ® Credit Card . You can transfer these points at a ratio of 1 point:1 mile (in 1,000-point increments) to 11 different airlines:

You can earn Chase Ultimate Rewards with multiple credit cards , find a good redemption option, and then transfer points when you're ready to book.

• Earn 100k bonus points after you spend $8,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening. That's $1,000 cash back or $1,250 toward travel when redeemed through Chase Travel℠
• Earn 3 points per $1 on the first $150,000 spent on travel and select business categories each account anniversary year. Earn 1 point per $1 on all other purchases
• Round-the-clock monitoring for unusual credit card purchases
• With Zero Liability you won't be held responsible for unauthorized charges made with your card or account information.
• Redeem points for cash back, gift cards, travel and more - your points don't expire as long as your account is open
• Points are worth 25% more when you redeem for travel through Chase Travel℠
• Purchase Protection covers your new purchases for 120 days against damage or theft up to $10,000 per claim and $50,000 per account.
• 3X points per $1 on the first $150,000 spent in combined purchases on travel, shipping purchases, Internet, cable and phone services, advertising purchases made with social media sites and search engines each account anniversary year
• 1X point per $1 on all other purchases

You can transfer American Express Membership Rewards to 18 different airlines, including Delta, Singapore Airlines, and British Airways.

Additionally, Hawaiian Airlines offers awards starting at 20,000 miles one-way from the West Coast, along with awards from 25,000 or 30,000 miles each way from further into the mainland U.S. First class with Hawaiian starts at 40,000 miles each way. Note that prices for both economy and first class are “starting at” and can increase as seats get full. However, those with elite status or a Hawaiian Airlines credit card like the Hawaiian Airlines ® World Elite Mastercard ® get access to reduced award prices that can provide discounts of 12% or more.

Despite recent changes to the program, another option is Flying Blue , the frequent flyer program for Air France and KLM, which partners with numerous points transfer partners . That makes it one of the easiest programs in which to fund a balance for redemption.

You can earn Membership Rewards points with many cards , providing multiple ways to earn and redeem rewards for flights to Hawaii.

• Earn 60,000 Membership Rewards® points after you spend $6,000 on eligible purchases with your new Card within the first 6 months of Card Membership.
• Earn 4X Membership Rewards® Points at Restaurants, plus takeout and delivery in the U.S., and earn 4X Membership Rewards® points at U.S. supermarkets (on up to $25,000 per calendar year in purchases, then 1X).
• Earn 3X Membership Rewards® points on flights booked directly with airlines or on amextravel.com.
• $120 Uber Cash on Gold: Add your Gold Card to your Uber account and each month automatically get $10 in Uber Cash for Uber Eats orders or Uber rides in the U.S., totaling up to $120 per year.
• $120 Dining Credit: Satisfy your cravings and earn up to $10 in statement credits monthly when you pay with the American Express® Gold Card at Grubhub, The Cheesecake Factory, Goldbelly, Wine.com, Milk Bar and select Shake Shack locations. Enrollment required.
• Get a $100 experience credit with a minimum two-night stay when you book The Hotel Collection through American Express Travel. Experience credit varies by property.
• Choose the color that suits your style. Gold or Rose Gold.
• No Foreign Transaction Fees.
• Annual Fee is $250.
• Terms Apply.
• Rates & Fees
• 4X Membership Rewards ® Points at restaurants, plus takeout and delivery in the U.S.
• 4X Membership Rewards ® points at U.S. supermarkets (on up to $25,000 per year in purchases, then 1X)
• 3X Membership Rewards ® points on flights booked directly with airlines or on amextravel.com
• 1X on other eligible purchases
• Earn up to a total of $10 in statement credits monthly when you pay with the Gold Card at Grubhub, The Cheesecake Factory, Goldbelly, Wine.com, Milk Bar and select Shake Shack locations. This can be an annual savings of up to $120. Enrollment required.

Related:  How To Transfer Amex Points: A Step-by-Step Guide

If you've got points from co-branded Marriott credit cards like the Marriott Bonvoy Boundless ® Credit Card , you can transfer Marriott points to 40 airline partners.

Using Korean SKYPASS miles, you can book awards to Hawaii on Delta for just 25,000 miles round-trip in economy or 45,000 miles in first, which can be a fantastic deal. Check out our post on how to redeem miles within the Korean SKYPASS program for more details.

• Earn 85,000 Marriott Bonvoy bonus points after you use your new Card to make $5,000 in purchases within the first 6 months of Card Membership.
• Earn 6X Marriott Bonvoy® points for each dollar of eligible purchases at hotels participating in Marriott Bonvoy.
• Earn 4X points at restaurants worldwide and U.S. supermarkets (on up to $15,000 in combined purchases at restaurants and U.S. supermarkets per calendar year, then 2X points).
• Earn 2X points on all other eligible purchases.
• Marriott Bonvoy 1K Bonus Points Per Stay: Earn 1,000 Marriott Bonvoy® bonus points per paid eligible stay booked directly with Marriott for properties participating in Marriott Bonvoy.
• With complimentary Marriott Bonvoy Gold Elites status, earn up to 2.5X points from Marriott Bonvoy® on eligible hotel purchases with the 25% Bonus Points on stays benefit, available for Qualifying Rates.
• Marriott Bonvoy Bevy Free Night Award: Earn 1 Free Night Award after spending $15,000 on eligible purchases on your Marriott Bonvoy Bevy™ Card in a calendar year. Award can be used for one night (redemption level at or under 50,000 Marriott Bonvoy® points) at a hotel participating in Marriott Bonvoy®. Certain hotels have resort fees.
• 15 Elite Night Credits: Each calendar year with your Marriott Bonvoy Bevy™ American Express Card® you can receive 15 Elite Night Credits toward the next level of Marriott Bonvoy® Elite status. Limitations apply per Marriott Bonvoy member account. Benefit is not exclusive to Cards offered by American Express. Terms apply.
• Plan It® is a payment option that lets you split up purchases of $100 or more into equal monthly installments with a fixed fee. Plus, you'll still earn rewards the way you usually do.
• $250 Annual Fee.
• 6X points on purchases at hotels participating in Marriott Bonvoy
• 4X points on up to $15,000 in combined purchases per year at restaurants worldwide and at U.S. supermarkets
• 2X points on all other eligible purchases

Related:  Which Credit Cards Earn Marriott Bonvoy Points?

The key is knowing which points make the most sense for your unique situation. If you value flexibility, it's hard to beat Chase Ultimate Rewards with some of the best transfer partners available at the best rates.

We also need to add Citi's ThankYou Rewards into the mix when discussing the best points for flights to Hawaii. While not traditionally one of the best programs in the world, the Turkish Miles & Smiles option and the ability to redeem KrisFlyer miles on Alaska Airlines flights make ThankYou Points another valuable option for using points to get to Hawaii.

For rates and fees of the cards mentioned in this post, please visit the following links: American Express ® Gold Card ( Rates & Fees ), and Marriott Bonvoy Bevy™ American Express ® Card ( Rates & Fees )

The comments on this page are not provided, reviewed, or otherwise approved by the bank advertiser. It is not the bank advertiser's responsibility to ensure all posts and/or questions are answered.

Alaska Speaks Up on Merger + Our Comparative Look at Mileage Rewards

As we ponder the possibilities of a combined Hawaiian and Alaska Airlines, we’ve learned more about what is being envisioned. That is exactly how Alaska plans to value the transfer of HawaiianMiles points post-merger.

This, as far as we can determine, was something not previously confirmed, neither at the press conference we attended that announced the merger nor via anything from the airline we could find online.

And it’s very good news. That led us to dig deeper into mileage rewards and became the basis of this follow-up article to our earlier article about what to do with your HawaiianMiles now .

“Our VP of Loyalty…said we wouldn’t devalue the currency [HawaiianMiles], which is intended to mean 1:1 exchange.” Daniel Chun, Alaska Airlines Regional Vice President

Clearly, from the merger announcement press conference on, how these two loyalty systems would combine has been a major topic of interest. Last December, the airlines confirmed that while the programs would definitely merge, they did not know what the precise combination of them would look like going forward. We now have more insight.

Comparing the price of award tickets on Hawaiian and Alaska Airlines.

To see what might change if the two airlines consolidate, we looked at what award tickets cost now. We did that to help readers evaluate whether to hold HawaiianMiles for the possibility of a merger or redeem them earlier in a complicated scenario.

Given that Alaska has confirmed a 1:1 ratio of Hawaiian points to Alaska points post-merger, that begs the next question: what does it cost to purchase comparable award tickets on the two airlines today? We went looking and found some interesting albeit inconclusive answers that begs visitors’ own personal research.

It is very hard to compare Pacific Northwest apples and Hawaii pineapples.

Award tickets have point requirements based not only on the route but also on availability on specific dates. However, we want to share some costs we found, having provided this caveat.

The point here is that you’ll need to check your own routes to see how points-based prices vary as of today. That could help in determining if you might be better off redeeming your HawaiianMiles now or waiting until later. Then, too, there is the “bird in the hand is worth two in the bush theory.”

The following examples, based on two people traveling together, along with your own research, should yield some helpful indication of whether it would be advantageous to book awards using HawaiianMiles now, before the soon-to-be-announced potential merger.

1. Seattle to Oahu, August 16-23: Hawaiian Airlines, 52,500. Alaska Airlines, 75,000.

2. Portland to Maui, August 16-23: Hawaiian Airlines, 52,500. Alaska Airlines, 40,000.

3. San Diego to Honolulu, August 16-23: Hawaiian Airlines 43,750, Alaska 35,000.

Checking costs on overlapping routes on Hawaiian and Alaska Airlines.

The routes we examined were those on which both airlines fly directly. There are twelve overlapping routes between the carriers. Six of these are to Honolulu, and the other six are to Maui. Both airlines operate these flights from Los Angeles, Portland, San Diego, San Francisco, San Jose, and Seattle.

Alaska has over 30 airline global partners; Hawaiian has five.

This is another important consideration if you want to save your HawaiianMiles in hopes of later using them to travel internationally when they become Alaska miles. We have benefited many times by converting Alaska miles to British Airways.

Good luck with your research. Please let us know what you find and the course of action you’re pursuing .

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14 thoughts on “Alaska Speaks Up on Merger + Our Comparative Look at Mileage Rewards”

The “other” canary in the room and not mentioned…

Where does Barclays Bank end up in all this?

Will they sell the Hawaiian credit card program to Bank of America? I can’t imagine that AS will have two credit card partners, similar to American with it’s long-time relationship with Citibank and US Air and their relationship with Barclays.

To this day, I American still splits it’s credit card portfolio between the two banks.

Alaska will consolidate everything with Bank of America.

Aloha.❤️🤙🤙 This is Marissa R from Oregon, last year on September 24th my family and I was flying in Alaska Airlines in Portland to Seattle and then Honolulu, on September 27th, we fly in Hawaiian airline in Honolulu to Kailua-Kona, and on October 2nd, we ride in Alaska airlines in Kailua-Kona to Seattle to Portland. My family was looking me there to look at where Polynesian cultures and Native Hawaiians are and have fun times.😊😁😁 😉😉Aloha!

I believe some airports have different runway taxes. Seattle’s rate is different from Portland pdx and Lax and San Diego are subject to California taxes. If your flight is a 2 stop flight you are taxed twice vs. a direct flight. Maybe that is why airlines charge different points for different locations. If Hawaiian Airlines goes chapter 11 they are freed from any debt so airline miles would be worthless. No Value. If the merger passes at least you get something. Something is always better than Nothing. A 1:1 deal would be a bonus. A 1 HA pt =..66or70/105 Alaska pt would be equal and anything less = irate HA customer.Something is always better than nothing. Good Luck.

One annoying thing about the Alaska miles program is that they dont let you transfer miles from one person to another (miles accumulated by our young kids will be unusable for a loooong time). Whilst Hawaiian allows you to transfer miles balances so it makes total miles accumulated by the family easier to use.

Over all, it looks like a good move to hang onto the miles, IF the merger takes place. In particular, I like the expanded ‘partners’ list that Alaska has, especially Brit Airways, as I like to fly them when going across the pond. Hope this all works out to everyone’s benefit in the end. Fingers crossed!

I bookedt HNL to SFO on American Airlines. They put us on a codeshare Alaska plane We were surprised to be put in first class because we use our AA credit card useage level So the benefits expand further than just the merger with Hawaiian.

If the concept of operating as two independent carriers really takes place, it would seem that miles earned on Hawaiian could continue to be used as they are now. The same for Alaska Air miles on Alaska. It should not be difficult for a bean counter to figure out a conversion rate (if needed) to concert HAL miles to use on Alaska or vice versa.

The problem with Alaska is all their flights to and from Hawaii are on the 737 MAX. That’s a big nope for most of the general flying public

Mike, I prefer the 737 Max instead of Hawaiian Airbus 321. I wonder what your “general flying public” prefer?

People prefer the safe and reliable A321NEO. Comfortable and safe.

If in fact Alaska raises the amount of miles necessary to fly to Hawaii via Hawaiian airlines, i will likely stop using my Hawaiian Air mastercard to get miles as they would be pointless. I could never attain 105,000 miles for a “free” trip. I already noticed that this year Hawaiian raised the amount of miles from the age old standard of 35000 cost for a trip. I would be so sorry to see Alaska gobble up Hawaiian and turn it into just another airline that cares only about profit and not the wonderful culture and community. I also don’t want to see Hawaiian air go bankrupt. quite a puzzle.

As a long time Alaska Air customer, I assure you they care a lot about culture and community. They took part in so many community events when I lived in Seattle, and they celebrate many things on their flights as well. Additionally, they operated support flights from Oahu to Maui after the fire. I am fairly confident that they won’t squash anything about Hawaiian Airlines that makes them unique.

Don’t forget, Alaskan miles are some of the hardest to earn.

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10 Best Cruises to Hawaii — From Luxury Sailings to Expedition Ships

A cruise around the 50th state is an excellent way to see as much of the islands as possible in a limited amount of time.

Courtesy of Viking Cruises

The islands of Hawaii are popular with families, couples, retirees, groups of friends, and anyone who enjoys warm weather, tropical scenery, and the 50th state's "Aloha" spirit. Each island offers a different climate, landscape, and style, and even on the same island, there are significant variations depending on location. On Oahu, for example, there's bustling Honolulu on the south shore and the more secluded surfing paradise of the North Shore . On the Big Island, the Hilo and Puna regions on the east coast are wet and heavily forested, whereas the Kailua-Kona region on the west coast tends to be much drier.

Visitors to Hawaii, especially first-timers, want to experience as much of the islands as possible, and a cruise is a great way to accomplish that, according to Pam Jacobs , travel advisor at Travel Store in Palos Verdes Estates, California. “People love the inter-island cruises because all meals are included, so it’s an economical as well as convenient way to see the islands. You unpack once and avoid getting in and out of airports and checking in and out of hotels. It’s the best way to island hop.”

Families and travelers with limited time enjoy the seven-day Norwegian Cruise Lines Honolulu to Honolulu round trip cruises, while retirees may opt for a longer cruise from the West Coast with more days at sea. You can embark from several ports on the West Coast, including San Diego, Los Angeles, San Francisco, or Seattle. “Many Hawaiʻi cruises are part of longer voyages to the South Pacific, Australia, or around the world,” says Jacobs, a cruise and train travel specialist.

“The shore excursions on the cruises are the same things a tourist would do on land — go to a luau, play golf, visit an attraction like the Arizona Memorial, or just relax on the beach — and it’s all arranged for you,” according to Jacobs. One more bit of advice from our cruise expert: “Always arrive a day before your cruise to be sure you’re there and ready. You’ll have time to explore and relax before boarding.”

Below are some of the best cruises to see Hawaiʻi . Dates, prices, amenities, and itineraries vary, so choosing a cruise requires some planning and research. That's always part of the fun, so hopefully this list will inspire you to get started.

Holland America: 17-day Circle Hawaii - Round Trip from San Diego

Courtesy of Holland America

This cruise on the 1,432-passenger Zaandam departs from San Diego and spends five days at sea before arriving in Honolulu at 8 a.m. Optional activities include a trip to Pearl Harbor, a hike on Diamond Head, a road trip around Oahu, an evening at the Polynesian Cultural Center, and a day on Waikiki Beach. After an overnight sail to Kauai, the ship docks at Nawiliwili Harbor. Guests can take a Wailua River cruise to the Fern Grotto , a tour of a coffee plantation, or a trip to Waimea Canyon, the Grand Canyon of the Pacific. Maui is the next island on the itinerary, and guests can choose a drive to Haleakala Crater , a snorkel adventure aboard the new Reef Explorer, or a drive to Maui’s Upcountry or rainforest. The final two stops, Hilo and Kona, are on the Big Island. In Kona, there’s an optional Atlantis submarine trip to explore coral gardens or a catamaran cruise. Options include visits to Volcanoes National Park and in Hilo, guests can tour Rainbow Falls or go for a zipline adventure. After four days at sea, you'll stop in Ensenada, Mexico, before returning to San Diego.

Royal Caribbean: 9-night Hawaii Cruise - Vancouver to Oahu

Courtesy of Royal Caribbean Cruises

This trip aboard the 4,180-passenger Ovation of the Seas offers guests much to do during days at sea, with a rock climbing wall, FlowRider surf simulator, and Northstar, a 360-degree observation capsule 300 feet above sea level. “For travelers who have the time for these days at sea, the activities on the ship are a big part of the fun,” according to Jacobs. After departing Vancouver , British Columbia, the ship spends four days at sea before it arrives in Honolulu for a day of exploring Oʻahu with a visit to the Polynesian Cultural Center or Waikiki Beach. The ship crosses the International Date Line with a day at sea and then passes the beautiful Napali Coast of Kauai, famous for its dramatic cliffs rising from the ocean. The final stop is Oahu, and passengers spend as much time as they want exploring Honolulu, Waikiki Beach, or the rest of the island before heading home.

Norwegian Cruise Line: 7-Day Hawaii Inter-Island Cruise from Honolulu

Courtesy of Norwegian Cruises

Spend a week exploring four of Hawaii's islands on this cruise aboard the 2,186-passenger Pride of America , the only ship sailing to four Hawaiian islands in seven days year-round. “These Norwegian Cruise Line trips are a dependable way to see the islands with their convenient weekly departures,” Jacobs says. “You can see the other islands and spend some time in Oahu before or after your cruise.” Onboard activities include basketball, volleyball, video games, theater, hot tubs, spa, and shopping. Departing Honolulu on Saturday evening, the ship heads to Kahului, Maui for two days with options like a drive on the Road to Hana, a catamaran cruise to Molokini for snorkeling with sea turtles, a tour to Haleakala Crater, and more. Next is a day in Hilo on the Big Island, where guests can see a volcano, rain forest, waterfalls, or a lush botanical garden. On the other side of the island in Kona, snorkeling, fishing, cruising in a catamaran, and a reef tour are among optional activities. On Kauai , passengers can enjoy a traditional luau, hike through a rainforest, go kayaking, or take in Waimea Canyon . The cruise ends the following Saturday back in Honolulu, where passengers can explore the city, nearby Pearl Harbor , or Oahu's North Shore.

UnCruise Adventures: Hawaiian Seascapes

Courtesy of UnCruise

“The UnCruise expedition-style cruises focus on the destinations rather than the ship,” according to Pam Jacobs. “The experience is immersive, eco-friendly, and there’s always great camaraderie with the small groups.” This seven-night cruise aboard the 36-guest Safari Explorer begins in Kona, on the Big Island, with a champagne welcome from the captain. The following two days feature a hike up the slopes of Hualalai with a naturalist guide, night snorkeling among Giant Pacific Manta rays, and plenty of opportunities for swimming or kayaking. On day four in Maui, guests can stroll through historic Lahaina, snorkel among coral and sea turtles, or kayak in a marine sanctuary. Lanai is the next island, where guests can paddleboard or kayak past 1,000-foot-high sea cliffs, go snorkeling, take a bike excursion, or visit the quaint Lanai Culture and Heritage Center. On Molokai, guests can learn how taro is cultivated and turned into poi , or they can hike to a spectacular waterfall in Halawa Valley . At the Molokai Museum, a lesson on the island's history is followed by a pa'ina (feast), complete with traditional music. Passengers disembark the following day at Kaunakakai , where they can either transfer to Molokai Airport or extend their stay.

Princess Cruises: 16-day Hawaiian Islands - Round Trip from San Francisco

Courtesy of Princess Cruises

This cruise aboard the 3,080-passenger Ruby Princess departs San Francisco in the late afternoon. Swimming pools, hot tubs, miniature golf, Discovery at Sea programs, movies, dancing, and shows ensure plenty to do during the four days at sea on the way to Hawaii. Shipboard programs for youths, teens, and families provide something for everyone. On the Big Island, guests can zipline through the rainforest or visit Hawaii Volcanoes National Park . Next is Oahu, where activities include a tour of Pearl Harbor, snorkeling in Hanauma Bay, and a tour of the only royal palace in the United States . On Kauai, there are hiking , snorkeling, and kayaking adventures. On Maui, guests can sail on a catamaran, Zodiac, or submarine. After four days at sea, passengers have a day to explore Ensenada, Mexico , on the Baja California peninsula, before the Ruby Princess sails back to San Francisco.

Celebrity Cruises: 13-night Hawaii Cruise - Vancouver to Oahu

Steve Dunlop/Celebrity Cruises

This cruise on the luxurious, 2,918-passenger Celebrity Edge departs Vancouver and stops for the day in historic Astoria, Oregon, before continuing onto Hawaii. During the six days at sea, passengers can play blackjack in the casino, take a yoga class in the fitness center, or enjoy cocktails while hovering over the ocean on the Magic Carpet . In Hilo, on day eight, guests can explore waterfalls, volcanoes, wineries, and gardens on the lush coast of the Big Island. The ship cruises to Kona on the other side of the island for another two days of snorkeling or other onshore activities and then spends a day passing the Napali Coast of Kauai, where steep cliffs rise from the ocean and sea caves and waterfalls can be seen from the ship. After another day of cruising, the final stop is Honolulu, where guests are free to enjoy Oahu at their leisure before heading back to the mainland.

Disney Cruise Line: 10-night Hawaiian Cruise from Vancouver Ending in Honolulu

David Murphey/Disney Cruises

With an itinerary that includes both Maui and Mickey, this cruise aboard the 875-stateroom Disney Wonder is perfect for families and Disney lovers alike. Departing from Vancouver, you’ll spend the next six nights at sea, with entertainment ranging from Broadway-style musicals with Disney characters to a Marvel-themed superhero academy in the Oceaneer Club for kids. The first stop is Nawiliwili on the island of Kauaʻi, where guests can visit Waimea Canyon State Park, called “Grand Canyon of the Pacific,” or explore a restored sugar plantation in Old Koloa Town. The next stop is Kahului, Maui, where you can spend a day at the beach, the Maui Arts & Cultural Center, or Botanical Gardens. In Hilo on the “Big Island” of Hawaiʻi,” guests can tour Mauna Kea Observatory or see active volcanoes at Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park . The ship arrives in Honolulu for disembarkation, and passengers can transfer to the airport or extend their stay.

Viking Cruises: Hawaiian Islands Sojourn - Round Trip from Los Angeles

This 17-day voyage from Los Angeles takes place aboard the Viking Neptune , an all-veranda small ship that carries a maximum of 928 guests. After five days at sea, the first stop is the Big Island, where guests can view Kilauea by helicopter, visit waterfalls, or explore Hilo Bay by kayak. The next port is Oahu, where guests can tour by helicopter, hike Diamond Head, attend a luau, or more. On Kauai, excursions range from an ATV tour of the island to snorkeling along the South Shore. On day 10 in Maui, highlights include Haleakala National Park, snorkeling, and a visit to Maui Ocean Center. The ship then sails to Ensenada, Mexico, where passengers can indulge in wine tastings, e-bike tours, and ATV adventures in the Guadalupe Valley. The Viking Neptune returns to Los Angeles the next day.

Carnival Journeys: 15-day Hawaii Journey from Seattle

This cruise aboard the 2,124-passenger Carnival Spirit spends five days at sea after departing from Seattle. Pickleball, casino games, parties, comedy club, and the WaterWorks, the ship’s onboard waterpark, provide plenty to do. In Honolulu, on day seven, guests can spend the day on Waikiki Beach, visit the Polynesian Cultural Center and the USS Arizona Memorial, or attend a traditional luau. The next day in Maui offers a chance to snorkel or head to the top of Mt. Haleakala. In Kauai, an optional helicopter tour takes guests over Waimea Canyon or the Napali Coast, and the next port is Hilo, on the slopes of volcanic Mauna Loa. After two days at sea, the ship visits Victoria, British Columbia, before returning to Seattle.

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The Best Transfer Partners for Booking Flights to Hawaii

When it comes to redeeming miles for vacation, for many people, Hawaii is a dream destination. Perhaps that's why flights to Hawaii are also some of the hardest award tickets to redeem.

When booking an award to Hawaii, or any other popular vacation destination, it helps to have points in one or more of the main flexible point transfer programs — American Express Membership Rewards, Chase Ultimate Rewards, Citi ThankYou Rewards and Starwood Preferred Guest — because you can use those points for travel on a variety of airlines, or to top up your frequent flyer program of choice.

To maximize your transfer options, it's important to know which partners offer the best deals on award flights to Hawaii as well as for inter-island service.

Special Considerations for Booking Awards to Hawaii

It used to be that most flights to Hawaii from the mainland arrived in Honolulu, and travelers to any other island were expected to change planes there and board a short "island hopper" flight. Today, most of the larger islands (Hawaii, Maui, Kauai and of course Oahu) can be reached by nonstop service from the mainland. Nevertheless, it's sometimes easier to piece together a trip arriving on one island and transferring to another. You can do this by booking an award on an airline that has a codeshare with the only remaining inter-island operator, Hawaiian, or by booking a separate award between islands.

As hard as it often is to find award space to Hawaii, it can actually be very easy to find award seats on flights within the islands once you're there. In fact, it's rare that I find inter-island flights without the award seats I request, and even when that is the case, there's usually another flight with availability within hours.

In most frequent flyer program award charts, Hawaii is in its own zone, with a unique number of miles required to book tickets there. So the mileage needed to book an award on a particular flight can vary greatly depending on which program you use. However, there's one notable exception: the Korean Air SkyPass program .

Another factor to consider is that travelers from the West Coast and Alaska are within 3,000 miles of the islands, or about half as far as travelers from the East Coast. Thus, travelers closer to Hawaii can take advantage of distance-based frequent flyer programs like British Airways Executive Club.

Here's a look at the best transfer partners for flights to Hawaii in all the major transferable programs:

The Best Starwood Transfer Partners for Flights to Hawaii

There are three options among Starwood transfer partners that can get you a round-trip ticket to Hawaii for 30,000 miles or less, or just 25,000 Starwood points with the 5,000-mile bonus for redeeming 20,000 points.

First, there's the Korean Air SkyPass program, which offers SkyTeam partner flights on Delta for a mere 25,000 miles, round-trip! That's because the program doesn't separate Hawaii from the rest of North America. It can also get you to Hawaii for just 30,000 miles on either Alaska or Hawaiian airlines. However, these awards do take quite a bit more time and effort to book than nearly any other frequent flyer program. For more information, read my post on How To Book Award Flights with Korean Air SkyPass .

Next, there's British Airways Executive Club , which requires a mere 25,000 Avios for a round-trip ticket to Hawaii from West Coast cities within 3,000 miles of the islands. BA is partnered with both American and Alaska (which inherited routes from Virgin America). Eligible cities include not just LA and San Francisco, but also Seattle, Portland, Las Vegas and even Anchorage.

Finally, Flying Blue , the frequent flyer program for Air France, KLM and others, still offers awards to Hawaii for 30,000 miles, round-trip. However, that may change in June 2018 when the program moves to a more revenue based award chart that varies based on the cities you're traveling to and from.

Business/First

Here, Korean SkyPass is the best deal at 45,000 miles round-trip for Delta flights, but it jumps to 60,000 if you fly on Alaska or Hawaiian airlines.

In the Star Alliance, Asiana offers business-class awards for 55,000 miles, and Singapore offers business awards for 60,000 miles, which are both exceptional deals when you can find available seats on its Star Alliance partners United or Air Canada.

And in the Oneworld alliance, you can get a British Airways award on American or Alaska from the West Coast for just 50,000 Avios.

Best American Express Membership Rewards Partners

Here, you have many of the same options that you have with Starwood, minus the great Korean SkyPass deals.

First, there's the British Airways Executive Club 's 25,000 Avios deal for round-trip tickets to Hawaii from the West Coast on either American or Alaska. You also have Flying Blue awards to Hawaii for 30,000 miles, round-trip, at least through June.

Finally, you can check awards on Hawaiian and Delta . Hawaiian has three different levels on its award chart for economy flights, starting at 40,000 miles round-trip. Delta has no published award chart , so you never know what you'll find, but it does offer occasional "sales" on awards.

Of the Membership Rewards transfer partners , Singapore Airlines has a great deal on business-class Star Alliance awards for just 60,000 miles, which is great when there are available seats on its Star Alliance partners United or Air Canada.

In Oneworld, once again, you can get a British Airways award on American or Alaska from the West Coast for just 50,000 Avios.

Best Chase Ultimate Rewards Transfer Partners

Korean Air SkyPass is a transfer partner, so you have the 25,000-mile option on Delta and the 30,000-mile option on Alaska or Hawaiian. Flying Blue is another good option for 30,000 mile round-trip flights, at least for now.

Singapore still looks good for United Airlines flights at 40,000 miles in coach, as opposed to 45,000 when booked through United, which is also a transfer partner. However, United does have a partnership with inter-island carriers if you need to book one ticket with a connection. To book American and Alaska flights with Ultimate Rewards points, the British Airways distance-based chart is your only choice.

Finally, I would strongly recommend that Chase Sapphire Reserve cardholders look at the option to book travel directly through the Chase Ultimate Rewards Travel Center, as the combination of sale prices on tickets and receiving 1.5 cents per point can make this option less expensive. For example, a $600 flight would be only 40,000 Ultimate Rewards points, which is less than the 45,000 miles charged by the United MileagePlus program. Furthermore, your points will cover all taxes and fees; you'll earn miles and credit toward elite status from the flight; and you'll be eligible for upgrades. For more information on this feature, see my post on The Sapphire Reserve Math: When to Book Travel Through Chase and When to Transfer Points?

The 60,000-mile award from Singapore will work on United two-class flights, or you can go to 80,000 miles for first class on three-class aircraft. These options are always better than transferring miles to United.

First-class Virgin Atlantic awards are 75,000 miles on Delta, and 80,000 miles on Hawaiian. British Airways ' distance-based chart is your only choice for flights on American, and Alaska flights.

Best Citi ThankYou Transfer Partners

The best options here are Flying Blue (Air France/KLM) and Singapore , with options at 30,000 and 35,000 miles, respectively.

Another option is Etihad Guest , which offers economy off-peak (January 12-March 8 and August 22-December 15) flights for 35,000 miles each way on its partner American. The price jumps to 45,000 miles during peak periods.

Virgin Atlantic offers economy-class award flights on Hawaiian Airlines from the West Coast for 40,000 miles round-trip, and from the East Coast for a whopping 80,000. Virgin Atlantic award flights on Delta are 40,000 miles round-trip.

Singapore is the clear winner here, with 60,000 miles for premium-cabin flights on United.

The Etihad Guest program charges 75,000 miles round-trip for flights on American, while Virgin Atlantic offers award flights on Hawaiian Airlines from the West Coast for 80,000 miles round-trip, and from the East Coast for a whopping 130,000, which isn't much of a value. However, Virgin Atlantic award flights on Delta are just 75,000 miles round-trip.

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USA TODAY 10Best Readers' Choice Awards

Imagine a serene escape where the world's worries melt away, and tranquility reigns supreme. Spa resorts offer just that — a haven for relaxation and rejuvenation. With treatments that blend modern wellness with natural beauty, visitors can indulge in a transformative experience that revitalizes both body and mind. Each of these resorts — nominated by an expert panel as the best in the U.S. — is a unique sanctuary, offering a bespoke escape into luxury and comfort. Which spa resort is calling your name? Vote once per day until voting ends on Monday, July 1 at noon ET. The 10 winners will be announced on Wednesday, July 10.  Read the official Readers' Choice rules .

Imagine a serene escape where the world's worries melt away, and tranquility reigns supreme. Spa resorts offer just that — a haven for relaxation and rejuvenation. With treatments that blend modern wellness with...   Read More

Best Spa Resort Nominees

Photo courtesy of Cal-a-Vie Health Spa

Cal-a-Vie Health Spa

Vista, California

Cal-a-Vie Health Spa, an all-inclusive resort, features upscale suites and villas with balconies or private sundecks. Best known for their luxurious spa with a vast and unique treatment menu, the 200-acre property also offers fitness classes for all levels, healthy cuisine, and a large outdoor pool.

Photo courtesy of Canyon Ranch

Canyon Ranch Tucson

Tucson, Arizona

The stunning Canyon Ranch Tucson resort is a popular retreat for visitors seeking to luxuriate in the warmth and peace of the desert. Rooms are designed to reflect the earth tones of the surrounding landscape while providing guests with a range of in-room amenities for a comfortable and luxurious stay. Programs focus on mindfulness, weight loss, and overall health, with access to spa facilities and wellness activities.

Photo courtesy of Castle Hot Springs

Castle Hot Springs

Morristown, Arizona

Castle Hot Springs offers dozens of unique treatments and activities, but what makes this property really stand out are the natural hot springs for which it’s named. The three mineral-rich thermal pools, with their healing properties, have been attracting weary travelers for more than a century and continue to take on a starring role. Today, the resort also boasts Arizona’s only Via Ferrata adventure course.

Photo courtesy of CIVANA Wellness Resort & Spa

CIVANA Wellness Resort and Spa

Carefree, Arizona

CIVANA, set in the Sonoran Desert outside Scottsdale, occupies over 20 acres of land where guests have access to wellness experts, complimentary daily programing, and a spa with 22 treatment rooms. Spa spaces and offerings are expansive, including therapeutic and rejuvenating treatments, a sundeck, an Aqua Vitality circuit, a Watsu therapy pool, and salon.

Photo courtesy of Kohler Co.

Destination Kohler

Kohler, Wisconsin

Destination Kohler offers visitors a choice of three different lodging options along with spa experiences, world-class dining, and award-winning golf. The destination resort focuses on health and wellness, offering a hydrotherapy circuit, steam room, relaxation pool, and menu of services at Kohler Waters Spa, in addition to yoga and Pilates classes and an array of outdoor activities. 

Photo courtesy of Tanveer Badal

Golden Door

San Marcos, California

A classic name in luxury, the Golden Door in sunny California is an all-inclusive experience. Nestled in the mountains, this private spa retreat that spans over 600 acres features two swimming pools, a tennis court, a bathhouse, and several modern fitness centers. A full service menu offers massage, skin and body care, salon services, and more.

Photo courtesy of Lake Austin Spa Resort

Lake Austin Spa Resort

Austin, Texas

Lake Austin Spa Resort offers a tranquil wellness experience with a variety of spa treatments. Nestled in Texas Hill Country, the resort's LakeHouse Spa provides a serene escape with treatments that draw from both ancient traditions and modern practices. Guests can indulge in massages, facials, body treatments, and aquatic therapies designed to soothe and rejuvenate. The resort also offers unique experiences like boat charters and paddleboard outings, making it a comprehensive retreat for those seeking relaxation and adventure.

Photo courtesy of The Lodge at Woodloch

The Lodge at Woodloch

Hawley, Pennsylvania

The Lodge at Woodloch, an all-inclusive, adults-only spa resort in the heart of the Pennsylvania Poconos, invites guests to step away from the whirlwind of life to refocus. Guests enjoy a full-service spa and a wide range of classes and activities.

Photo courtesy of Douglas Friedman

Sedona, Arizona

Nestled in Boynton Canyon amidst Sedona vortexes, it's no surprise there is a special energy at Mii amo. The resort and destination spa offers themed "journeys" that are comprised of classes, spa treatments, lectures, all-inclusive meals, and other amenities. Spa offerings include services unique to the resort, as well as sound and light therapy and treatments enhanced by CBD.

Photo courtesy of Miraval Arizona Resort & Spa

Miraval Arizona Resort & Spa

Miraval Arizona Resort & Spa's all-inclusive packages include access to its Life in Balance Spa. Situated in one of Tucson's most scenic open desert areas, gorgeous views can be enjoyed alongside an array of spa offerings, such as a diverse set of skin, salon and massage services, Ayurvedic therapies, and Eastern treatments. 

Photo courtesy of Miraval Austin Resort & Spa

Miraval Austin Resort & Spa

Miraval Austin offers “wellness with a Texas twist” at its sanctuary in Texas Hill Country. Its Life in Balance Spa offers an array of services, from Eastern treatments and Ayurvedic therapies to massage and skin care. Accommodations feature rooms and suites in separate lodges, with contemplative spaces to pause and reflect, including an infinity pool and sensory gardens.

Photo courtesy of Kevin Eassa

Murrieta Hot Springs Resort

Murrieta, California

After a recent renovation, the historic Murrieta Hot Springs Resort is ready to pamper guests at its 174-room hotel, which features healing hot springs throughout the property. Set across 46 acres, the resort is home to a full-service spa, which offers a range of treatments that amplify the effects of the springs' mineral water. Guests also enjoy several dining options and a state-of-the-art fitness center. 

Photo courtesy of BraunS / E+ Getty Images

Farmington, Pennsylvania

The beautiful Nemacolin resort stretches across 2,200 expansive acres in scenic Farmington, Pennsylvania. Their impressive Woodlands Spa and Salon features a large indoor pool, whirlpool, steam room, and sauna. After your relaxing treatments, settle in with a good book at the fireside lounge and allow the day to unfold. 

Photo courtesy of encrier // Getty Images

Ojo Caliente Mineral Springs Resort & Spa

Ojo Caliente, New Mexico

The beloved Ojo Caliente Mineral Springs Resort & Spa is home to an historic bathhouse featuring reclaimed stones from the original, which was built in 1868. In addition, the spa is appointed with a Himalayan salt sauna and a eucalyptus steam room that you can enjoy in between body therapies and treatments. 

Photo courtesy of Omni Bedford Springs Resort

Omni Bedford Springs Resort

Bedford, Pennsylvania

Utilizing mineral-rich freshwater springs, the Omni Bedford Springs Resort features a health spa on 2,200 acres in Bedford, Pennsylvania. In addition to soaking in the healing waters of the property's eight natural springs, visitors can enjoy facial and body treatments, massages, and a Bedford Bath Ritual at the Springs Eternal Spa.

Photo courtesy of Red Mountain Resort

Red Mountain Resort

Ivins, Utah

Red Mountain Resort is home to the nature-inspired Sagestone Spa & Salon. Guests can enjoy exclusive and unique treatments, including customized massage therapy and facial experiences. The spa is an especially welcome place to relax after an outdoor adventure to nearby spots like Snow Canyon State Park.

Photo courtesy of The Ritz-Carlton, Naples

The Ritz-Carlton, Naples

Naples, Florida

Located in the idyllic town of Naples, Florida, The Ritz-Carlton, Naples is a luxury resort offering guests an extraordinary spa experience. The 51,000-square-foot spa includes an outdoor mineral pool, a steam room, and a spa restaurant, along with relaxation lounges.

Photo courtesy of The Springs Resort

The Springs Resort

Pagosa Springs, Colorado

With 25 mineral pools fed by the Mother Spring, the world’s deepest geothermal hot spring, this Colorado resort is like a wellness water park. Each pool has its own look and personality, offering a variety of temperatures and experiences. Although you’ll be tempted to soak all day, you’ll also want to try aqua yoga, aqua sound bathing, and a warrior plunge, and eventually get out of the water to enjoy their wonderful spa treatments and services.

Photo courtesy of Stanly Ranch, Auberge Resorts Collection

Stanly Ranch

Napa, California

The elegant Stanly Ranch is set across 712 acres in California's wine country. This working ranch features upscale rooms and suites with a focus on indoor-outdoor living spaces. Their Halehouse Spa features a spa pool, cedar sauna, and steam room. Luxurious spa offerings include facials, therapeutic bodywork, and massages.

Photo courtesy of SundaraSpa.com

Sundara Inn & Spa

Wisconsin Dells, Wisconsin

Sundara is Sanskrit for “beautiful,” an apt description of the 80-acre pine forest in which this premier Wisconsin spa resort is set. But it goes deeper than that. Eco-friendly, adults-only, and electronics-free in all public areas, Sundara knows that beauty and wellness go hand in hand. They’ve created tranquil spaces throughout the property so you can rest and reflect, and their spa treatments incorporate age-old healing practices with modern technology to energize your soul.

About 10Best Readers' Choice Awards

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Amy bushatz.

Amy Bushatz is the host and producer of the  Humans...   Read More

Amy Bushatz is the host and producer of the  Humans Outside podcast. A news reporter and editor based in Palmer, Alaska, Amy spends her time ultra running and recreating in the Alaskan wilderness, volunteering in her small town and experiencing everything Alaska has to offer. Her work on outdoors, travel and fitness has appeared in the Washington Post, Runner's World and Market Watch.  Find her at Humans Outside on Instagram. 

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Christopher Parr is the Founder and...   Read More

Christopher Parr is the Founder and Editor-in-Chief of  Pursuitist , one of the world’s most influential luxury lifestyle and travel guides.  Named a "Top 10 Luxury Travel Blogger” by USA Today 10Best, Parr has also been selected as the official winner in Luxury Lifestyle Awards’ 2023 list of the “Top 50 Best Luxury Influencers and Bloggers in the World.” In addition to Pursuitist, Christopher is a contributor to numerous travel and luxury publications and TV shows, including being the host of Travel Tuesday on CBS. Follow along on  Twitter.

Jacky Runice

Born in Bucktown when bulletproof was a home...   Read More

Born in Bucktown when bulletproof was a home safety choice and not a coffee order, Jacky Runice has been knocking around Chicago as a professional print, online and broadcast journalist and editor specializing in separating the riff from the raff in culture, entertainment, food, travel and pure unadulterated fun. Jacky is a member of the International Food, Wine & Travel Writers Association (IFWTWA). In her best Chicagoese, Jacky asks, "Who has the time or money to blow on hotels, attractions, restaurants, exhibits and activities that blow?"

Jamie Davis Smith

Jamie is an attorney, writer and photographer. She...   Read More

Jamie is an attorney, writer and photographer. She was born with deeply ingrained wanderlust and has visited 45 countries and counting. She often brings her children along for the adventure and is passing her love of travel on to the next generation. Jamie has written for   Insider,   Fodor's Travel ,   Yahoo ,  the Huffington Post , the  Washington Post,   Viator  and  Reviewed  among many other publications. Jamie is from Philadelphia and now lives in Washington, DC, where she takes advantage of everything the region has to offer.    Jamie can be reached at  [email protected]  and can be found on  Twitter ,  Instagram  and  TikTok .

Jean Chen Smith

Jean Chen Smith is a freelance journalist who has...   Read More

Jean Chen Smith is a freelance journalist who has been producing content for over 15 years. With a love of travel and storytelling, her intention is to create content to inspire and connect people to places, things, and experiences. Her articles have appeared in AARP, Travel and Leisure, 1859 magazine, Insider Travel, USA Today, Family Vacationist, The Oregonian, SFGATE, weekand.com, and more. When not writing or teaching Pilates at her studio, she enjoys trail running, spending time with her pups Tonka and Paisley, and reading suspense novels.

Jenny Peters

Jenny Peters – aka Jet Set Jen – is a Los...   Read More

Jenny Peters – aka Jet Set Jen – is a Los Angeles-based freelance journalist, editor and party columnist specializing in travel, entertainment, film, food, wine, fashion and the other good things in life. She is a founding/voting member of the Critics Choice Association, who present the Critics’ Choice Awards every January. Her favorite places to be are on the beach in Southern California playing volleyball, scuba diving with the sharks in warm tropical waters or strolling the streets and soaking in the atmosphere of one of the world's great cities (New Orleans and Florence are her favorites).

Joanne and Tony DiBona

Joanne and Tony DiBona know a thing or two about...   Read More

Joanne and Tony DiBona know a thing or two about creating photo galleries to share their personal travel experiences around the world with their readers.  Their articles have been featured on 10Best  for the past decade, as well as in national and international print and online media. Their awards for photography and journalism fill up an entire wall in their office, the most recent being a top national award for their US and international galleries published on 10Best. Follow their travel adventures on their scenic photography   website and travel blog . Have a question about travel? Contact them on their  Instagram and Facebook pages.

Katie McElveen

Writer Katie McElveen began her travel career when...   Read More

Writer Katie McElveen began her travel career when a wrong turn on the way to a family vacation took her on an eleven hour odyssey that she thoroughly enjoyed. Today, more than 40 countries later, her work has appeared in Real Simple, Southern Living, Global Traveler, Fodor’s, Virtuoso, Bride’s, Islands, Reader’s Digest, AFAR and other publications.

Melissa Curtin

Melisa Curtin is a travel and food writer who has...   Read More

Melisa Curtin is a travel and food writer who has documented her globetrotting adventures for over a decade. A Connecticut girl madly in love with California, her work has appeared in Lonely Planet, LA Weekly, Canadian Traveler, AAA, Roadtrippers, JohnnyJet, Travel Awaits, and many southern California print publications. Melissa is always on the hunt for the best local bites and destinations with few tourists, splitting her non-travel time between Malibu and Palm Springs with her husband and ever-growing collection of plants.    Traveling around the world at age 20 on Semester at Sea sparked Melissa's desire for learning about other cultures. As a 20+ year educator and new travel advisor with Fora, she inspires others to reach their goals and pursue their travel dreams. Some of her recent favorite jaunts include a Viking river cruise from Paris to Normandy with her mom, truffle hunting in Tuscany, and eating her way through Florence. Get to know the Best of L.A. and California by checking out her website  LaLaScoop.com  or following the @lalascoop on Instagram .

Tamara Gane

Tamara Gane is an expert panel member for 10Best...   Read More

Tamara Gane is an expert panel member for 10Best Readers' Choice Awards. She's based in Reno/Lake Tahoe and in addition to USA Today 10Best, her work has been published in Travel & Leisure, Fodor's Travel, The Washington Post, SF Gate, Houston Chronicle, Lonely Planet, and more.

10Best Editors

USA TODAY 10Best provides users with original,...   Read More

USA TODAY 10Best provides users with original, unbiased and experiential travel coverage of top attractions, things to see and do, and restaurants for top destinations in the U.S. and around the world.