How to Fly to Hawaii on Points (from the mainland USA)

Airfare to Hawaii from the mainland United States can be pricey, especially for a family. Use points instead when traveling to Hawaii to get there for free or cheaply. There are many different approaches to using points for airfare to Hawaii. We’ve used a mix of strategies and the best option might depend on where you are departing from.

Be sure to check airfare to the several airports on the Hawaiian islands, as they are only a short flight away from each other. Always check for cheap cash rates, as I’ve seen deals like $400 round trip from the East coast.

Transferring credit card points to partner airlines

If you have transferrable credit card points, like Chase points, American Express Membership Rewards, Citi ThankYou Points, or Capital One Miles, then you can transfer them to an airline partner for better rates on flights.

Transferring to a certain airline does not mean you are restricted to flying with that carrier, rather you get access to the entire alliance of carrier that the airline is a part of.

Turkish Airlines Sweet Spot for United

Transfer Capital One Miles to Turkish Airlines to fly United economy for 10,000 miles + $5.60 in taxes. If the layover is too long then it will price higher. Business class availability is rare to find, but a steal at 15,000 miles.

Use seats.aero or seatspy to find all available dates or search for specific dates using the Turkish Airlines website. If you see availability through Aeroplan to book United, then it might be available to book through Turkish for less.

AirCanada Aeroplan for United

Alternatively, flights on United can be booked through AirCanada Aeroplan and are priced based on the distance. Availability is subject to United releasing award partner space, same as to Turkish.

United prices dynamically for their own flights so this is a good option if United’s rates are high and you don’t have Capital One Miles to transfer to Turkish. Aeroplan is a partner of most credit card transferrable rewards programs.

Alaska Airlines/ Hawaiian Airlines for American Airlines

Fly Hawaiian Airlines or Alaska Airlines in economy from 25,000 miles or in business class from 45,000 miles, when available. Should see more availability as they enable mixed partner awards in the future. Sign up for a Hawaiian Airlines personal card for the 70k after one purchase offer to quickly and easily get a stash of Alaska/Hawaiian Miles.

Remember that right now you can transfer Amex points transfer to Hawaiian Airlines, which you can then transfer those Hawaiian miles to Alaska Airlines to book flights. It is expected that this indirect Amex to Alaska transfer will be discontinued in the future.

Award Search Tools for Dynamically Priced Awards

Check PointsYeah if you are looking at traveling on specific dates to see what multiple award programs have available in one search. Sometimes dynamic pricing can work in your favor. As you can see here are some sample searches with Delta flights from 17,000 points, and American Airlines from 22,500 points in economy or 50,000 in business.

Earn American Airlines points through the AAdvantage Shopping portal, or sign up for the Barclays Aviator Red card for 70k after one purchase, plus the $99 annual fee.

Use my master list of transfer partners to determine what your options are for booking based on what points program you’ve been accumulating in.

If you want more information on the award prices of different programs then grab my FREE ebook.

Redeeming in the Amex Business Platinum Portal

If you have an American Express Business Platinum, then you can essentially get a rebate on points. Pay with points in the travel portal for a business/first class flight or any class of service on your chosen airline and you’ll get 35% of those points back.

This works well when cash prices are low for your chosen airline or for a business/first class seat. We used this strategy when a Delta flight was $800 in business, so it came out to around 50,000 points for the one way flight from the East coast to Hawaii.

Using Airline Credits & Passes

Use canceled/delayed flight credits toward your flight. We had $150 per person in credit from a delayed United flight. This covered a significant portion of a one way ticket to Hawaii.

Some credit cards offer an annual airline fee credit, which in some cases might work for airfare. Check data points for the Chase Ritz card and for the Amex Platinum here.

Earn a Southwest companion pass through flying or credit cards to have a companion come with you for only the cost of the taxes and fees.