How to get to Hawaii on points

If you’re hoping to use your points and miles to visit Hawaii, you’ve got options. I’ve outlined several suggestions below.

How to get to Hawaii on points

For the example purposes, all trips are from Los Angeles (LAX) to Honolulu (HNL). This is fore the sake of an apples-to-apples comparison (or pineapple-to-pineapple, if you will). 

All prices below are from March 2025, and exclude taxes and fees. If you book through a US carrier, taxes will be about $12 roundtrip per person, but if you book through an international carrier, taxes and fees may be higher. Check before transferring any points.

That said, if you’re flying from the Midwest or the East Coast, you can book flights to Honolulu on one itinerary. You’ll likely need to change planes, though.

And, if you’re flying from the West Coast, you also may have options to fly into other Hawaiian Island airports, such as Kona airport on Hawaii (KOA) or Kahuli airport on Maui (OGG). 

Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan

Alaska Airlines is one of the best ways to get to Hawaii. The recent Alaska Airlines-Hawaiian Airlines merger also means that you can use Alaska miles to book a Hawaiian Airlines flight.  This is advantageous because Alaska uses an award chart, and taxes and fees are quite low. 

• Roundtrip economy cost: 32K miles
• Roundtrip business class cost: 80K miles
• Points to transfer: 
  • American Express Membership Rewards® points → HawaiianMiles → Alaska Mileage Plan
  • Bilt Rewards points → Alaska Mileage Plan 

As a result of the Alaska-Hawaiian Airlines merger, you can transfer American Express Membership Rewards® points to HawaiianMiles, then transfer HawaiianMiles to Alaska miles. (At least for now!) 

Southwest Airlines Rapid Rewards®

Southwest Airlines award tickets are tied to the cash price of the ticket, so the amount of Rapid Rewards points it’ll cost you will vary depending on when you book, when you fly, and your fare type. The following figure is for a roundtrip, nonstop flight six months away.  

• Roundtrip economy cost: 38K points (Southwest does not have business class)
• Points to transfer: Chase Ultimate Rewards® points → Southwest Rapid Rewards

Although it’s not technically redeeming points, another great option would be to use the airline’s companion pass to get there. When you hold the companion pass, you can buy one cash-fare ticket and then a companion gets to fly with you for only the taxes and fees on the second ticket. That’s basically a buy-one-get-one ticket to Hawaii!

British Airways Avios

British Airways is a member of the oneworld airline alliance, which means you can use British Airways Avios to fly on Alaska Airlines or American Airlines flights since they are the domestic US members of oneworld. 

This is not the lowest cost option, but you might consider this if you don’t have American AAdvantage miles or don’t have access to Alaska Miles through transfer partners. 

• Roundtrip economy cost: 40K roundtrip 
• Points to transfer: 
  • American Express Membership Rewards® points → British Airways Avios
  • Bilt Rewards points → British Airways Avios
  • Capital One Miles → British Airways Avios
  • Citi ThankYou Points → British Airways Avios
  • Chase Ultimate Rewards® points → British Airways Avios
  • Wells Fargo → British Airways Avios

Turkish Airlines

Warning: This is an advanced method. 

There is a way to book a United flight to Hawaii through Turkish Airlines’ loyalty program, called Miles&Smiles. This could work because both airlines are part of the Star Alliance. 

• Roundtrip economy cost: 20K roundtrip 
• Points to transfer:
  • Capital One Miles → Turkish Miles&Smiles
  • Citi ThankYou Points → Turkish Miles&Smiles

Prices are insanely low, but the process of doing this is a bit more involved.

1. First check on United’s site for Saver Awards for a flight to Hawaii. When you find one, write down the date and flight number.
2. As an extra step, check Air Canada Aeroplan. See if you see the same flight available. This confirms that United released the Saver Award to be available for Star Alliance partners.
3. Now, go to Turkish Airlines. After logging in and selecting Award ticket, select Star Award Ticket. (You have to be logged in to be able to search Star Alliance partners.) If the flight is available, you should be able to book it for fewer miles than had you booked with United or Air Canada.  

What about Delta, United, and American? 

All three big US carriers fly to Hawaii, and yes, you can use their miles.

But many of these airlines price flights dynamically, so it may cost more than the options above. That said, if you have a stash of miles with one of these airlines, using them to fly to Hawaii is certainly doable.

Bottom line

One final note: These are suggestions to get you started. By no means are these the only ways to get there. If these options don’t work for you, that doesn’t mean it’s impossible or that you’re doing it wrong. 

The best redemption is the one that makes your travel dreams a reality. Since Hawaii is a bucket list destination for many travelers, that’s especially true in this case.