Save money: How you can book flights to Hawaii using points and miles in 2024
From the bustling city of Honolulu to the long, winding Hana Highway, Hawaii has something for every traveler. Each Hawaiian island has a unique flair, pristine beaches and stunning natural beauty. Despite its reputation as a pricey tourist destination, there is a way to get to the dreamy islands without breaking the bank — you can use points and miles.
So, if you're planning a trip to the Aloha State, keep reading to find the best ways to get to Hawaii using your points and miles. While we focused this article on finding flights to Honolulu, keep in mind that pricing may differ for some Hawaiian islands while other award redemptions may remain the same.
How to book flights to Hawaii using points and miles
Like most travelers, you're probably interested in visiting several Hawaiian islands outside of Oahu, such as Kauai and Maui (check out this article on visiting Maui after the devastating 2023 wildfires). While some major U.S. cities offer direct flights to the smaller islands — you can search prices on Google Flights — we recommend landing at Hawaii's main and largest airport, Daniel K. Inouye International Airport (HNL). From there, you can take short-haul flights between the other Hawaiian islands.
Since the long-haul portion of your flight to Hawaii will more than likely cost you the most money, utilizing your points and miles can help cover the cost for some (if not all) of your flight. So, how do you earn points and miles?
Maximizing travel rewards credit cards
If you are new to using points and miles, we recommend signing up for a travel rewards credit card, which can offer a lucrative welcome bonus for new cardholders.
For example, the Chase Sapphire Preferred Card offers 60,000 bonus Chase Ultimate Rewards points after you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first three months from account opening. With those points, you can opt to book flights via the Chase Travel portal or transfer your Ultimate Rewards points, mostly at a 1:1 ratio, to partner airlines or hotel brands such as Southwest Airlines Rapid Rewards, Jet Blue TrueBlue, World of Hyatt, Marriott Bonvoy and more.
TPG typically recommends transferring your points to a partner over booking through the Chase Travel portal to help maximize your points. Though award redemption rates are subject to change, here are some popular routes to Hawaii that you can save you money.
Book flights to Hawaii with Southwest Airlines Rapid Rewards
Southwest Rapid Rewards is different from other programs on this list. Its award prices are tied to the cash price of a ticket. According to TPG's valuations, Southwest points are generally worth 1.4 cents each toward flights, but it can slightly vary depending on the flight. To find the best redemption rates that satisfy your budget, check out Southwest's Low Fare Calendar.
For example, I found a round-trip Southwest "Wanna Get Away" fare from Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) to HNL for 11,452 Rapid Rewards points plus $11.20 for taxes and fees.
Southwest Rapid Rewards points are relatively easy to earn. There are currently five Southwest credit cards that offer sign-up bonuses, which you can use to book your flights to Hawaii. If you're not a frequent Southwest flyer, it may be more beneficial to open a travel credit card with Chase and transfer your Ultimate Rewards points to your Southwest account.
Additionally, if you earn the ever-coveted Southwest Companion Pass, your guest will fly for free (aside from the taxes and fees). Basically, you'll get two round-trip tickets to Hawaii for the price of one.
Related: How to earn Southwest Rapid Rewards points
Book flights to Hawaii with Turkish Airlines Miles&Smiles
Are you based at a Star Alliance hub? Consider using Turkish Airlines Miles&Smiles to score an excellent deal on your next trip to Hawaii.
Its partner, United Airlines, operates nonstop flights to Hawaii from all of its continental U.S. hubs, including Dulles International Airport (IAD), George Bush Intercontinental Airport (IAH), O'Hare International Airport (ORD), Denver International Airport (DEN), Los Angeles International Airport (LAX), Newark Liberty International Airport (EWR), John Wayne Airport (SNA) and San Francisco International Airport (SFO). Booking economy United Airlines flights through Turkish Airlines Miles&Smiles will cost 7,500 miles each way. Therefore, a round-trip economy ticket on United will cost you just 15,000 miles.
When I searched for flights on Miles&Smiles from DEN to HNL, I found a nonstop United Airlines flight on Jan. 17, 2024, for 7,500 miles. If I booked this flight through United's website, the same flight would cost me 25,000 miles.
Though you can book Turkish Airlines partner award tickets online, the website doesn't always show all available flights. Therefore, I recommend using another Star Alliance search tool to find award space first. Call the airline to book your desired ticket if you don't see it on the Turkish Airlines website.
For travelers who don't mind spending a few more miles, one-way business-class (United's first-class) tickets from the U.S. to Hawaii, booked through Miles&Smiles, will cost 12,500 miles. However, it's important to note that finding business-class redemptions to Hawaii is very hard.
Earning Turkish Airlines miles
You can earn Turkish Airlines miles by spending on cards that earn Bilt Rewards points, Citi ThankYou Rewards points or Capital One miles. These three currencies transfer to Turkish Airlines at a 1:1 ratio.
According to TPG test transfers, Capital One miles and Bilt Rewards points transfer to Turkish almost instantly, while Citi points may take up to a day.
If you want to earn Capital One miles to transfer to Turkish, consider opening a Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card. The card earns 2 miles per dollar on all purchases, and you can earn 75,000 bonus miles when you spend $4,000 on purchases within the first three months from account opening.
Thankfully, Turkish Airlines lets you hold award seats for two days if you book more than seven days in advance. Call the airline before transferring points to ensure the agent can confirm that award seats are available. Then, ask the agent to put the award on hold and immediately transfer your Bilt, Capital One or Citi rewards. Once the miles are in your account, you can call Turkish Airlines to confirm your flights.
Related: Booking United first class to Hawaii with Turkish Miles&Smiles
Book flights to Hawaii with British Airways Executive Club
British Airways Avios provide excellent value for domestic award tickets on American Airlines and Alaska Airlines, and flights to Hawaii are no exception.
The Oneworld duo flies to Hawaii from a handful of their U.S. hubs, including Dallas Fort Worth International Airport (DFW), LAX, Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport (PHX), SFO and Seattle-Tacoma International Airport (SEA), among others.
You can also fly nonstop to Hawaii for just 13,000 Avios each way in economy from the West Coast, thanks to British Airways' distance-based award chart. However, you'll pay more for Midwest or East Coast flights. British Airways prices by segment, so connecting itineraries cost more, too.
For example, you can book a nonstop flight from Phoenix to Honolulu for 13,000 Avios one-way. At the same time, you'd pay 20,500 Avios round-trip if you connect via Los Angeles. Here's the price breakdown:
- Phoenix to Los Angeles: 7,500 Avios.
- Los Angeles to Honolulu: 13,000 Avios.
Earning British Airways Avios
There are plenty of ways to earn British Airways Avios. If you open the British Airways Visa Signature® Card, you can earn 75,000 Avios after you spend $5,000 on purchases within the first three months of account opening. Points also transfer from American Express Membership Rewards, Bilt Rewards, Capital One, Chase Ultimate Rewards and Marriott Bonvoy. This gives you a variety of ways to boost your Avios balance.
Related: The ultimate guide to Amex Membership Rewards
Book flights to Hawaii with Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan
Alternatively, you can book the same carriers (Alaska and American) through Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan. Currently, Alaska's award chart is priced by region, but in March 2024, Alaska will adopt a distance-based award chart. As you can see in the chart below, here's how much flying one-way from the mainland to Hawaii will cost with Alaska miles.
Earning Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan miles
Though Alaska miles are among the most valuable airline miles and all flights are bookable on Alaska's website, they are among the hardest miles to earn. Alaska doesn't partner with any of the five major transferable points programs (Bilt Rewards, Chase Ultimate Rewards, American Express Membership Rewards, Citi ThankYou Rewards and Capital One miles). So, you may want to book with another loyalty program whose miles are easier to earn.
However, if you have a lot of Marriott Bonvoy points, you can transfer points at a 3:1 ratio, with Marriott offering a 5,000-mile bonus for 60,000-point transfers.
You may also consider opening an Alaska Airlines Visa® credit card. With this card, you can earn a limited-time offer of 60,000 bonus miles plus Alaska's Companion Fare ($99 fare plus taxes and fees from $23) with this offer. To qualify, make $3,000 or more in purchases within the first 90 days of opening your account.
Related: 6 things to know about Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan
Book flights to Hawaii with Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer
Though we touched on booking United Airlines flights with Turkish Airlines Miles&Smiles, you can also book United tickets with KrisFlyer miles from partner Singapore Airlines. While the pricing isn't as good, especially after the KrisFlyer program was devalued, it's still worth noting.
Singapore Airlines also partners with Alaska Airlines; however, the program has a separate award chart for Alaska redemptions. Though these rates are lower than United rates, there is some bad news. You can't book connecting Alaska itineraries with KrisFlyer, just nonstops, so you're limited to departing from the airlines' West Coast hubs. Additionally, first-class Alaska tickets are expensive; therefore, they're better booked with other Alaska partners.
Here's how much one-way tickets to Hawaii cost using KrisFlyer miles:
Booking United Airlines flights with KrisFlyer
Continental U.S. to Hawaii (United Airlines):
- Economy: 19,500 miles.
- First class: 39,000 miles.
Booking Alaska Airlines flights with Krisflyer
West Coast to Hawaii (Alaska Airlines):
- Economy: 13,500 miles
- First class: 50,500 miles
Though you can book United awards on Singapore Airlines' website, you must call to book Alaska award tickets. To speed up the process, find Alaska award space on Alaska Airlines first, and call Singapore Airlines with your dates and flight numbers in hand.
Earning Singapore KrisFlyer miles
Singapore Airlines miles are some of the easiest miles to earn. KrisFlyer is a transfer partner of all five transferable points programs:
- American Express Membership Rewards
- Chase Ultimate Rewards
- Citi ThankYou Rewards
- Capital One miles
- Marriott Bonvoy
Related: A guide to earning transferable points
Book flights to Hawaii with American Airlines AAdvantage
You can redeem American Airlines miles for award flights to Hawaii on both American and Alaska. Economy prices are fair, but it's not the cheapest way to get to paradise — especially in business class.
The program has dynamic pricing for all American-operated awards, but you can expect to pay the following on most dates with award space:
- Economy: 22,500 miles.
- First class: 55,000 miles (62,500 miles if the flight has lie-flat seats).
However, you may be able to find cheaper flights on low-demand and off-peak dates.
Earning American Airlines miles
Like Alaska, American has limited transfer opportunities. Bilt Rewards points transfer to American at a 1:1 ratio. Marriott Bonvoy points also transfer to American at the standard 3:1 ratio.
You can also earn American Airlines AAdvantage miles directly when you open an American Airlines credit card.
One of the best is the Citi® / AAdvantage® Platinum Select® World Elite Mastercard® (see rates and fees). This card offers 50,000 bonus miles after you spend $2,500 in the first three months of account opening.
Book flights to Hawaii with United Airlines MileagePlus
Prices to Hawaii are largely the same on most dates if saver award space is available. United MileagePlus economy award tickets from the U.S. mainland to Hawaii usually cost around 25,000 miles one-way. For example, this nonstop flight from Newark (EWR) to HNL on April 9, 2024, costs 25,000 miles one-way. A first-class ticket will cost about 83,000 miles.
That said, you can sometimes find very low-cost award flights from the U.S. to Hawaii due to United's dynamic pricing structure. For example, this one-way flight from LAX to Honolulu is just 10,300 miles. United Airlines awards are easy to find thanks to its user-friendly website.
If you have a United cobranded credit card or United Airlines elite status, you'll have access to a more extensive inventory of award seats. Just go to United's website and search for a ticket to find the most up-to-date pricing.
Earning United Airlines miles
Several credit cards can help you earn United Airlines MileagePlus miles quickly:
- United Explorer Card: Earn 60,000 bonus miles after you spend $3,000 on purchases in the first three months your account is open.
- United Quest Card: Earn 70,000 bonus miles and 500 Premier qualifying points after you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first three months of account opening.
- United Club Infinite Card: Earn 90,000 bonus miles after you spend $5,000 on purchases in the first three months from account opening.
You can also instantly transfer Chase Ultimate Rewards points to United at a ratio of 1:1. If you're just starting with points and miles, you may want to consider the Chase Sapphire Preferred Card, which offers 60,000 bonus points after you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first three months from account opening.
Book flights to Hawaii with Delta Air Lines SkyMiles
Since Delta doesn't publish an award chart, you have to search specific dates to see the price, which can change daily. That said, you can still find excellent deals on some dates.
For example, a one-way flight from Los Angeles to Honolulu will cost just 14,000 SkyMiles in basic economy. The price drops to just 11,800 SkyMiles one-way if you include the 15% discount included with most Delta cobranded credit cards.
Additionally, I looked up a flight from Dallas Fort Worth International Airport (DFW) to HNL via Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport (ATL) would cost me 29,600 SkyMiles in basic economy and 39,800 in Main Cabin when factoring in the credit card discount. First class, however, is a steep 136,00 SkyMiles one-way, and Delta One, which is offered on international and some domestic transcontinental flights, would cost me 510,000 miles.
Earning Delta SkyMiles
If you want to earn Skymiles quickly, you can open a Delta credit card and utilize its lucrative welcome bonus. The Delta SkyMiles® Gold Business American Express Card earns 50,000 bonus miles after you spend $2,000 in purchases on your new card in your first three months of card membership.
If you're looking for a general travel credit card that is not tied to one particular airline, consider opening The Platinum Card® from American Express, which offers 80,000 Membership Rewards points after you spend $8,000 on purchases on the card in your first six months of card membership. You can transfer American Express Membership Rewards points to Delta at a 1:1 ratio.
Related: Book this, not that: Hawaii resorts edition
Bottom line
It's no secret that flights are usually the biggest expense when it comes to booking travel. However, you don't have to spend a small fortune to visit the beautiful islands of Hawaii; instead, opt to redeem points and miles to fly to Honolulu from the U.S. mainland. In my experience, Turkish Airlines Miles&Smiles is the cheapest option — however, it has limited earning opportunities, which makes it a tough redemption for many travelers.
For West Coast travelers, booking nonstop Alaska or American flights with British Airways Avios offers great value, too, but you'll pay more if you add a connection. Though it's not always the cheapest option, it's also worth checking prices with Delta SkyMiles and United MileagePlus to see if any cheap, dynamically priced tickets have become available.