Let’s be honest — everyone wants to go to Hawaii. With its crystal-clear beaches, epic volcanoes, and laid-back vibes, it’s no surprise that the Aloha State is consistently one of the hottest travel spots.
The only downside? Getting there can be expensive.
Luckily, the right combination of points, miles, and savvy booking strategies can make that dream vacation a whole lot more affordable. Whether you're island-hopping between O‘ahu and Maui or planning a big anniversary trip to Kauai, here’s how to book your Hawaii flights using points and miles in true Daily Drop fashion.
Best Points Programs for Flights to Hawaii
When it comes to redeeming points for Hawaii, some loyalty programs are better than others. Here are a few favorites for flying to islands like O’ahu, Maui, Kauai, and the Big Island:
American Airlines AAdvantage: Great award availability, especially from the West Coast
Hawaiian Airlines: Especially good from West Coast cities or for inter-island hops
British Airways Executive Club: Book short-haul American or Alaska flights for fewer points
Alaska Mileage Plan: Great for nonstop flights from the West Coast
Southwest Rapid Rewards: Dynamic pricing (often competitive in off-peak windows) and Companion Pass magic
Turkish Miles&Smiles: Insanely cheap United awards if you can snag them
Finnair Avios: Surprisingly useful for American Airlines and Alaska Airlines flights
Best Credit Cards for Booking Award Flights to Hawaii
The best cards for a Hawaii trip aren’t necessarily branded — they’re the ones that give you flexibility and transfer power:
Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card or Chase Sapphire Reserve®: Ultimate Rewards can transfer to Southwest, United, British Airways, and more.
American Express® Gold Card or The Platinum Card® from American Express: Membership Rewards can transfer to Hawaiian, British Airways, and others.
Citi Strata Premier℠ Card: Citi ThankYou points can be transferred to Turkish and other unique partners.
Alaska Airlines Visa Signature® Card: This card is good for Alaska’s own flights and redemptions on American Airlines.
Southwest Rapid Rewards® Priority Credit Card, Southwest Rapid Rewards® Plus Credit Card, or the Southwest® Rapid Rewards® Premier Business Credit Card: This is for my Companion Pass fans. And honestly, Southwest sales can offer decent Hawaii fares.
Again, transferable points are the move here. While airline-specific cards can still offer decent value, the core bank-issued cards will give you more flexibility in the long run. With one or more of these cards, you could score multiple paths to Hawaii (and back!).
Top Airline Programs for Booking Award Flights to Hawaii
American Airlines AAdvantage
If you’re sitting on AAdvantage miles, you’re in a good spot. AA offers flights from hubs like Dallas (DFW), Phoenix (PHX), and Los Angeles (LAX) to all major Hawaiian islands. One-way economy awards typically start at 20,000 to 22,500 miles, though they can sometimes dip lower if you’re flexible.
Just a little proof… as I’m writing this and sorting through one-way flights from Dallas to Honolulu, there is award availability every day in summer 2025 for 22,500 miles (plus $5.60 in taxes and fees).
How to earn miles: The best way to earn more American Airlines miles is through co-branded cards, like the American Airlines AAdvantage® MileUp®, as the program doesn’t partner with any of the major transferable points programs.
💡 Pro Tip: American Airlines offers a calendar search so you can easily find the dates with the lowest rates.
HawaiianMiles
It should be no surprise that the Aloha State’s flagship airline, Hawaiian, offers nonstop service from a number of major cities on the West Coast, as well as some on the East Coast. One-way flights from cities like San Diego (SAN), San Francisco (SFO), or Portland (PDX) to Honolulu typically start around 20,000 miles in economy or around 40,000 miles in business class.
How to earn miles: Through June 30, 2025, you can transfer American Express Membership Rewards points to HawaiianMiles at a 1:1 ratio. Cards such as The Platinum Card® from American Express or the American Express® Gold Card are great options for racking up some Membership Rewards.
🧠 Take Note: Hawaiian is the only airline with true inter-island service, so you can tack on a short hop if needed. Mokulele and Southwest have some options, but Hawaiian is typically your best bet.
British Airways Executive Club (for AA or Alaska flights)
Okay, this is a fun one! British Airways uses a distance-based chart, so you can book a short American Airlines or Alaska Airlines flight to Hawaii from 20,000 Avios one-way (if the flight is under 3,000 miles). This works especially well for flights from the West Coast.
How to earn miles: Every major transferable points program transfers to British Airways Avios. That means, points from most of our favorite cards, like the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card, can be transferred to Avios.
Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan
Alaska Airlines runs nonstop service to Hawaii from Seattle (SEA), Portland (PDX), San Diego (SAN), and other West Coast cities. It offers solid award availability to Hawaii, even during peak travel times.
For example, you can usually find space from San Diego to Honolulu on Alaska Airlines for just 10,000 miles and minimal taxes. Proof 👇
Screenshot from www.alaskaair.com
How to earn miles: It can be a bit trickier to earn Alaska miles since the only transferable points program it partners with is Bilt Rewards, so the Bilt Mastercard® is your best friend.
Southwest Rapid Rewards
Southwest flies to Hawaii from several California cities. Because of how Southwest’s program works, you’ll see better deals when cash prices are low. But if you book in advance (or catch a sale), you can sometimes snag round-trip flights to Hawaii for under 20,000 points. Alohaaaa, baby!
And if you’ve got a Companion Pass? You’re golden.
How to earn miles: Chase Ultimate Rewards points can be transferred 1:1 to Southwest. You can also earn with a Southwest credit card, like the Southwest Rapid Rewards® Plus Credit Card or the Southwest Rapid Rewards® Priority Credit Card, for example.
Turkish Miles&Smiles (for United Flights)
I remember the day a colleague told me about this one, and it rocked my world. It is still one of the most mind-blowing redemptions out there — 10,000 Turkish miles each way in economy on United. Yep, even from the mainland U.S. to Hawaii.
While availability can sometimes be hard to find, these awards can be booked online through the Turkish website.
How to earn miles: You can boost your Turkish Miles&Smiles balance by transferring from Capital One, Citi ThankYou points or Bilt Rewards. The Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card and the Bilt Mastercard® will help you earn miles here.
Finnair Avios (for AA or Alaska flights)
Here’s a quirky one: Finnair Avios are separate from British Airways Avios (though you can transfer Avios between them), and sometimes the redemption rates are lower. For example, the conversion rate from those points to Avios can fluctuate between two and three Finnair Avios.
And before booking anything, you can view the full award pricing chart here.
If you’re looking to get creative, you can link your accounts through Avios.com and shop around.
It’s a little clunky, but if you’re short on BA Avios and spot a better Finnair rate, go for it.
How to earn miles: One of the best ways to rack up Finnair Avios is with the Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card, which earns 5x miles back on flights booked through Capital One Travel and 2x miles on most other purchases.
How to Calculate if an Award is Worth It
One airline might charge 25,000 miles for a flight, while another might let you snag it for half that using a partner.
Use a tool like Daily Drop’s point value calculator or this formula:
(cash price) - (taxes and fees) / (points cost) = value per point
In general, you’ll want to get at least 1.2 – 1.5 cents in value for airline miles and around 2 cents per point for credit card points.
Reality Check: Hawaii Isn’t Cheap
Getting to Hawaii with points is awesome, but don’t let the free flight blind you. You’re still looking at pricey food, hotels, resort fees, and rental cars once you land. And availability around holidays and peak seasons can be tricky, especially if you're booking last-minute.
Booking with points gives you a head start, but make sure you plan the rest of the trip carefully so you don’t blow your budget once you get there!
Bottom Line
There’s no “one-size-fits-all” way to book a flight to Hawaii with points — but that’s a good thing, in my humble opinion. Whether you’re flying United with Turkish miles, hopping on an Alaska flight with Avios, or cashing in some Southwest points, there’s a route (and a reward seat) out there with your name on it.
Just remember the golden rule — check availability before transferring any points. Oh, and if you don’t listen to the Lilo and Stitch soundtrack while you’re award seat hunting, there’s not much I can do to help you.
