If you live in Hawaii, then choosing to fly with Hawaiian Airlines makes complete sense. With hubs in Honolulu and Maui, it’s just one of the two airlines that offer inter-island travel. From the islands, the carrier flies to many gateway cities in the United States, as well as Asia and Oceania.
See our best credit card bonuses here.
You’ll want to participate in HawaiianMiles, its loyalty program, if you’re a frequent Hawaiian Airlines flyer. As a member, you’ll have plenty of ways to earn and burn, and each mile can hold decent value if you redeem them optimally. Find out more below.
For further reading, see the best frequent flyer programs for earning & redeeming points/miles here.
| Domestic Hubs | Honolulu, Maui |
| Personal Credit Cards | Hawaiian Airlines World Elite Mastercard |
| Business Credit Cards | Hawaiian Airlines® World Elite Business Mastercard® |
| Redemption Options | Hawaiian Airlines flights, partner flights, seat upgrades, hotel stays, rental cars, groceries, shopping, dining, magazines & newspapers, transfer/share/donate |
| Average Mile Value | $0.012 |
HawaiianMiles Elite Status
When you frequently fly with Hawaiian Airlines, you can qualify for elite status, unlocking more benefits and bonuses. There are two tiers of Pualani status: Pualani Gold and Pualani Platinum.
Pualani means “heavenly flower” and is the name of Hawaiian Airline’s mascot, the woman whose image appears on the tails of the airline’s planes.
Earn Pualani status with enough elite-qualifying miles or flying enough number of segments in a calendar year.
Elite-qualifying miles include miles earned by flying on Hawaiian Airlines. Unfortunately, they do not include:
- Purchased miles
- Miles earned on Hawaiian Airlines credit cards
- Miles earned through promotions
- Miles earned through the bonus mall
- Miles earned through elite status
- Miles earned through fare class bonuses
| Tier | Required Miles OR Segments |
| Pualani Gold | 20,000 miles OR 30 segments |
| Pualani Platinum | 40,000 miles OR 60 segments |
| IMPORTANT UPDATE: Due to the 2020 global travel situation, requirements are reduced by 50% for 2021. For example, To qualify for gold status, you only need 10,000 miles or 15 segments. |
Once you achieve elite status, you’ll have that status for the remainder of the calendar year and to the end of the following calendar year.
Each tier of Pualani status unlocks different levels of benefits:
| Perks | Gold | Platinum |
| Miles bonus | 50% | 100% |
| Free checked bags | 2 | 3 |
| Priority security | Yes | Yes |
| Premier Club access | Yes | Yes |
| Priority boarding | Zone 2 | Zone 1 |
| Free upgrade | – | Yes |
| Free 1-2 day reservation hold | Yes | Yes |
| Neighbor island economy seat guaranteed (up until 72 hours before departure) | – | Yes |
For $299, or 40,000 miles, you can enroll in Premier Club. With this membership, you’ll enjoy a number of travel perks, including:
- 2 free checked bags
- Priority check-in
- Priority security
- Priority boarding
- Premier Club access
- Discounted award ticket offers
After your first year, annual renewal is just $249 or 35,000 miles.
Source: For updated information on the HawaiianMiles elite status, click here.
Earning HawaiianMiles
You can earn HawaiianMiles by flying with the airline, credit card spending, online shopping and more (more on all of that below).
Unlike most frequent flyer programs, you earn HawaiianMiles based on how far you fly and not how much you spend. In other words, you earn one HawaiianMile for every mile you fly.
You’ll earn bonuses if you have Pualani status:
| Status | Bonus |
| Pualani Gold | 50% mileage bonus (500-mile minimum on neighbor islands) |
| Pualani Platinum | 100% mileage bonus (500-mile minimum on neighbor islands) |
Did you fly Hawaiian Airlines before becoming a HawaiianMiles member? Retroactively claim these miles for flights taken up to 120 days before you signed up.
The easiest way to earn HawaiianMiles is by spending with a Hawaiian Airlines co-branded credit card. Issued by Barclaycard, these credit cards offer lucrative welcome bonuses that’s enough to cover select roundtrip flights.
Hawaiian Airlines World Elite Mastercard:
| Welcome Bonus | Get 50k miles when you spend $2k in 90 days. |
| Bonus Value | $600 |
| Ongoing Rewards | 3x miles on Hawaiian Airlines purchases 2x miles on gas, dining & groceries 1x miles on all other purchases |
| Other Perks | One-time 50% off companion discount Annual $100 companion discount One free checked bag Discounted award flights Share miles with no fees No foreign transaction fees |
| Annual Fee | $99 |
Hawaiian Airlines® World Elite Business Mastercard®:
| Welcome Bonus | Get 60k miles when you spend $1k in 90 days. Get 10k miles when you make a purchase on an employee card. |
| Bonus Value | $840 |
| Ongoing Rewards | 3x miles on Hawaiian Airlines purchases 2x miles on gas, dining & office supplies 1x miles on all other purchases |
| Annual Bonus | 20k miles when you spend $50k in one year OR 40k miles when you spend $100k in one year |
| Other Perks | One-time 50% off companion discount Share miles with no fees No foreign transaction fees |
| Annual Fee | $99, complimentary employee cards |
Although Hawaiian Airlines isn’t a part of any of the three major airline alliances – Oneworld, SkyTeam or Star Alliance – it does have a decent number of airline partners.
Earn HawaiianMiles when you use your membership number on select flights with the following carriers:
How much you’ll earn depends on fare class, with some fare classes excluded.
Source: For updated information on HawaiianMiles airline partners, click here.
HawaiianMiles has many hotel partners that give you more ways to earn miles:
| Partner | Details |
| Alohilani Resort Waikiki Beach | 1,000 miles per stay |
| Ambassador Hotel Waikiki | 1,000 miles per night + room upgrade |
| Castle Resorts & Hotels | 1x miles |
| Diamond Resorts International | Rate varies |
| Hilton Honors | 1.5 points = 1 mile Starting at 10,000 miles |
| Hyatt Hotels in Hawaii | Up to 5,000 miles per stay |
| IHG Rewards Club | Up to 2x miles |
| Marriott Bonvoy | Up to 2x miles |
| Maui Coast Hotel | 150 miles per night |
| The New Otani Kaimana Beach Hotel | 250 miles per night |
| Outrigger Hotels & Resorts | 1,000 miles per night |
| Pearl Hotel Waikiki | 1,000 miles per night |
| PointsHound | Up to 10,000 per night |
| Prince Resorts Hawaii | 5,000 miles per stay + 4th night free |
| Rocketmiles Hotel Bookings | Up to 10,000 miles per night |
| Shell Vacations Club | 1 point = 8 miles |
| Tokyu Hotels | Up to 500 miles per stay |
| Turtle Bay Resort | 500 miles per stay |
| Waikiki Resort Hotel | 200 miles per night |
| Wyndham Rewards | Up to 2x miles |
Source: The above information is subject to change. Click here for updated information on HawaiianMiles hotel partners.
Earn HawaiianMiles on your car rentals with Avis, Budget and Payless:
| Status | Rate |
| Base Members | 250 miles per rental |
| Pualani Gold Members | 500 miles per rental |
| Pualani Platinum Members | 750 miles per rental |
If you rent a car from Avis, Budget or Payless for three days or more, you’ll double your HawaiianMiles*. Hawaiian Airlines credit cardholders will earn triple HawaiianMiles* on Avis and Budget car rentals for three days or more.
*To receive credit, you must book through HawaiianAirlines.com/cars and enter your HawaiianMiles number at the driver details page at the time of booking. These offers end December 31, 2019.
Source: For updated information on HawaiianMiles car rental partners, click here.
Earn HawaiianMiles even when you’re not traveling with hundreds of stores, restaurants and activity partners, including:
| HawaiianMiles Shopping | HawaiianMiles Marketplace HawaiianMiles Online Mall |
| Local Hawaii Merchants | Hawaii Shopping Malls Foodland Maika’i |
| Flower Merchants | 1800Flowers Teleflora |
| Shopping & Gift Merchants | Alii Kula Lavender Indich Collection Island Princess Kona Natural Soap Pacifica Island Art Sea Salts of Hawaii Sky Dreams Vinesse Wines |
| Service Partners | 21st Century Insurance Akamai Energy Farmers Hawaii HK Construction Kapili Roofing and Painting Lex Brodie’s Murakami Roofing Safari Helicopter Tours Sail Hawaii Star Advertiser SunPower Wag! |
| Finance Partners | Best Egg HG Capital Quicken Loans |
Source: For HawaiianMiles merchant partners, click here.
Another option is to transfer your American Express Membership Rewards® or Marriott Bonvoy points to HawaiianMiles:
| Partner | Rate |
| American Express Membership Rewards® | 1:1 |
| Marriott Bonvoy | 3:1 5,000-mile bonus for every 60,000 points (up to 180,000 points per day) |
See our Complete Guide To Loyalty Program Points Transfer Partners for more information on transferring points between loyalty programs.
Purchase 500 HawaiianMiles for $14.58. That’s approximately $0.03 apiece. It’s a relatively high price considering we value each HawaiianMile at $0.012 at redemption, on average. For more information on purchasing HawaiianMiles, click here.
Earning HawaiianMiles With American Express Membership Rewards®
You can transfer American Express Membership Rewards® points to your HawaiianMiles account. For every 1,000 Membership Rewards points, get 1,000 HawaiianMiles.
Credit cards that earn Amex Membership Rewards include:
THE PLATINUM CARD® FROM AMERICAN EXPRESS
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 Platinum Card® from American Express has a special offer for 100,000 Membership Rewards points after you spend $6,000 in purchases within your first 6 months.
Membership Rewards® points are some of the most valuable in the market. Redeeming these points by booking travel through American Express or by redeeming for gift cards will give you a standard 1 cent per point value. The 100k bonus points are worth $1,000 going this route.
You can potentially get more value by transferring your points to Membership Rewards travel partners. Using this strategy can get you up to an average value of 2 cents per point. Get around $2,000 in value with 100,000 points this way. Read more on this here.
With this card, earn 5X Membership Rewards® Points for flights booked directly with airlines or with American Express Travel on up to $500,000 on these purchases per calendar year.
The biggest drawback to this card is the $695 annual fee (see Rates & Fees, Terms Apply), which puts it in the premium class of credit cards. The card has a market because it offers premium travel benefits, such as 5X points for flights (up to $500,000 on these purchases) and eligible hotels, access to 40+ Centurion Loung and Studio locations worldwide, up to $200 airline fee credit annually, and an annual Walmart+ membership. These benefits are given as statement credits.
For frequent travelers, the added benefits make sense in terms of value and added luxury.
AMERICAN EXPRESS® GOLD CARD
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 American Express® Gold Card has a welcome bonus for 60,000 Membership Rewards Points when you spend $4,000 within 6 months.
Membership Rewards Points have great flexibility. We value each point to be worth up to an average 2 cents per point. At this value, 60k Membership Rewards Points can be worth up to $1,200.
The Amex Gold Card has plentiful perks. You’ll get:
- Choice between Gold or Rose Gold.
- 4X points at restaurants, including takeouts and deliveries in the U.S.
- 4X points at U.S. supermarkets on up to $25,000 per year in purchases (1X thereafter)
- 3X points on flights booked directly with airlines or on amextravel.com
- Up to $120 in annual dining credits (get up to $10 monthly statement credits)
- No foreign transaction fees
The annual fee is $250. See Rates & Fees, Terms Apply.
THE BUSINESS PLATINUM CARD® FROM AMERICAN EXPRESS
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 Business Platinum Card® from American Express has a welcome offer for 80,000 Membership Rewards points after you spend $15,000 on qualifying purchases within your first 3 months of Card Membership. We value 80k points to be worth around $1,600.
This card earns 5X Membership Rewards® Points for flights booked directly with airlines or with American Express Travel (amextravel.com). Also earn 1.5X Membership Rewards® points on eligible purchases in key business categories, as well as on purchases of $5,000 or more everywhere else. Cap applies.
This is a premium business card with a $695 annual fee. See Rates & Fees, Terms Apply.
AMERICAN EXPRESS® BUSINESS GOLD CARD
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.
For a limited time, the American Express Business Gold Card has an offer for 70,000 Membership Rewards points after you spend $10,000 on eligible purchases within the first 3 months of Card Membership.
This card earns 4 Membership Rewards points per $1 spent on 2 select categories where your business spent the most each month. These 4X points are capped at the first $150,000 in combined purchases from these 2 categories each calendar year.
Other card benefits include an Airline Bonus, where you’ll get 25% points back after you redeem points for all or part of an eligible flight booked with Amex Travel. This is capped at up to 250,000 points back per calendar year.
The annual fee is $295 for this card. See Rates & Fees, Terms Apply.
Redeeming HawaiianMiles
We value each HawaiianMile to be worth about $0.012 on average. But that number can be more or less, depending on how you redeem them.
Use your HawaiianMiles for award flights, starting as low as 7,500 miles one-way for travel within Hawaii and 20,000 miles between Hawaii and the West Coast.
Click here to view the official HawaiianMiles award chart.
Pualani Elite, Premier Club and Hawaiian Airlines Mastercard members enjoy exclusive flight award discounts.
Use your HawaiianMiles to book award travel with the following airline partners:
- Japan Airlines
- JetBlue
- Korean Air
You can only book roundtrip award tickets for the airlines above. There are no one-way, multi-city or stopover flights available. The only exception is JetBlue.
Click here to view partner award charts.
Unfortunately, HawaiianMiles does not let you book partner award flights online. You’ll have to call the reservation line, with your membership number ready, instead.
If you booked your Hawaiian Airlines flight in cash, you can upgrade with miles up to 26 hours before departure. HawaiianMiles no longer publishes an upgrade award chart, but expect to pay around 25,000 to 50,000 miles for an upgrade.
If you wait until check-in, you can upgrade for even less miles.
Use your HawaiianMiles to redeem awards for hotel stays, rental cars, dining, shopping and more:
Hotels:
| Hawaiian Airlines hotel awards | Rates vary |
| Hilton Honors | 1 mile = 1 point Starting at 10,000 miles |
| Outrigger/Ohana Hotels | $25 gift certificate (5,000 miles) $50 gift certificate (7,500 miles) $100 gift certificate (15,000 miles) |
Rental Cars:
| Avis | $50 gift certificate (10,000 miles) $100 gift certificate (20,000 miles) $200 gift certificate (40,000 miles) |
| Budget | $50 gift certificate (10,000 miles) $100 gift certificate (20,000 miles) $200 gift certificate (40,000 miles) |
Grocery, Shopping and Dining:
| 7-Eleven Hawaii | $25 gift certificate (5,000 miles) |
| 76 | $25 gift certificate (5,000 miles) |
| The Alley Restaurant | $25 gift certificate (5,000 miles) |
| Foodland | $25 gift certificate (5,000 miles) |
| Hele | $25 gift certificate (5,000 miles) |
| Maui Jim Sunglasses | 1 pair of sunglasses (25,000 miles) |
| Zippy’s Restaurants | $25 gift certificate (5,000 miles) |
Other:
| Magazines | Rates vary |
| Newspapers | Rates vary |
| Points.com | Rates vary |
Share. Give your miles to anyone with a HawaiianMiles account. Those with a Hawaiian Airlines credit card can share their miles with another cardholder for free. Otherwise, you’ll have to pay a $25 service fee plus $0.01 per mile transfer fee. A minimum of 2,000 HawaiianMiles can be shared at a time.
Donate. Give your miles to a participating charity. At the end of the year, Hawaiian Airlines will match up to a half million miles to each charity. Click here for a full list of participating organizations.
HawaiianMiles expire if your account is inactive for 18 months.
The clock resets every time you earn or burn miles.
Source: For more information on redeeming HawaiianMiles, click here.
HawaiianMiles Tips & Tricks
To get the most value for your HawaiianMiles, use them for first- or business-class tickets on Korean Airlines, Virgin Atlantic or Virgin Australia. You’ll have to put in some legwork to get the best deals. Award reservations are only by phone and available seats are limited. But if you can score an award ticket this way, you’ll most likely get an insanely good value for your HawaiianMiles.
Below are our favorites:
Korean Airlines. For business class, expect spacious seats that lie flat, premium lounge service and access to a bar space in flight (where available). A trip between the United States and Korea will set you back just 200,000 miles for business class fare, which comes out to around $0.02 per mile without accounting for taxes and fees.
Virgin Atlantic. Upper Class on this airline features fully flat beds, lounge access and delicious inflight meals. A trip between London and Johannesburg in this class costs 125,000 miles, giving you an excellent value of $0.067 per mile (without taking taxes and fees into account).
Select Hawaiian Airlines flights. On some flights, you’ll find a hard time getting more than $0.01 per HawaiianMile. Especially on popular West Coast to Hawaii routes. Although one cent per mile isn’t a bad value, it’s not a great one either.
JetBlue. It’s almost impossible to get more than $0.01 per mile for JetBlue award travel. We suggest you avoid using your HawaiianMiles with this partner airline.
Bottom Line
Hawaii residents and those who travel frequently to the islands will find incredible value in the Hawaii Airlines HawaiianMiles loyalty program. Flying with the carrier and using a co-branded Hawaii Airlines credit card is the quickest way to rack up on miles. Plus, select award flights on Hawaiin Airlines or its partner airlines will get you decent value for your HawaiianMiles. You’ll also enjoy useful perks as a program member.
But if you don’t travel within or to Hawaii on a regular basis, HawaiianMiles might not be the best fit.
READ MORE: SEE THE BEST BANK BONUSES HERE AND THE BEST INVESTING BONUSES HERE.
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