Guide to Flying to Hawaii with Points

A Hawaiian vacation is a popular goal for families who are saving up miles and points. And for good reason! The islands are beautiful and you don’t need a passport to visit. Flight and hotel prices can be high, which makes using points a fantastic option for families to save money on the trip.

Due to high demand, points redemptions to Hawaii can take more planning but are still possible — especially if you plan in advance and can be flexible.

In this guide, I’ll show you several ways to get to Hawaii using points and miles, including a few sweet spots!

If you’re new to booking flights with points, be sure to check out this overview for important background information. You can also sign up for our free course.

How to Earn More Points

Each airline option I list in this article has more than one credit card that can earn you a welcome bonus and the points you need to fly to Hawaii. This article is already long enough without listing out every single card you could get for each of these programs to earn points.

So how can you figure out how to earn the right points? First step: get our free airline transfer partner guide — inside we have a chart that shows which kinds of points transfer to which airlines. Then work backwards! Let’s say you figure out that you want to fly on United but you want to book via Air Canada Aeroplan (this article explains exactly how to do that).

You can look at the chart in my Travel Points 201 guide and see that American Express, Chase, Capital One, and Bilt Rewards all transfer to Aeroplan. Then you could browse my Best Offers page, where I list all my favorite current offers–to see which cards currently have good bonuses and earn those kinds of points.

Pro Tip: Transfer Bonuses

Most points transfer 1:1 when you transfer from a program like Chase Ultimate Rewards® to an airline or hotel. But! Banks run promos throughout the year and certain transfers may offer a bonus. I don’t currently maintain an updated list of transfer bonuses but you can find one here.

Hawaii Flights Reality Check

Booking award flights to Hawaii can be pretty straightforward and it can also be more nuanced or complicated. In our “best” options we are pulling out the options that we think balance value and ease of booking and earning the points. 

Delta is the hardest airline to book with points

As of March 2025 — we can find no reliably good deal for booking Delta flights to Hawaii. Sometimes you can find a flight sale on Delta but overall good deals on Delta are slim to none. 

Flying from the West Coast is cheapest and easiest

If you live on the West Coast, you’re going to have a lot of options. You should also be watching for fare sales because there are going to be a lot of times when you can snag a deal on a cash fare that’s really low! You could then pay for that via Capital One Travel or Chase Travel^SM if you wanted to offset the tickets with points. Or pay directly and use Aeroplan points to Pay Yourself Back.  

The cheapest ways to book United and American take more work

It’s possible to book United and American flights through their airline partners for much cheaper rates than what United and American offer. But these take more work. To book United, you’d be booking via Turkish Airways which can involve multiple phone calls. To book American, you’ll have to work harder to find availability but when you do — you can book via chat with FinnAir. We have guides on how to do all of this, but know that you always need to balance if a deal is worth pursuing. 

Top Recommendations: Southwest or FinnAir (to book American or Alaska), 

Southwest Airlines with a Companion Pass

The booking process with Southwest is simple and straightforward which makes this an easy redemption, even for beginners!

Southwest award prices vary so the number of points needed is always changing. But the advantage here is that if you don’t have enough points to cover the tickets for everyone in your family, it’s usually easy to book additional tickets for the same flight in cash.

Flights to Hawaii aren’t always cheapest on Southwest, but if you earn a Companion Pass you’ll be getting one ticket for free. If you want to get into Southwest points, be sure to check out the Southwest module of our free course which is very detailed on how to get the best prices, too. 

Sample Card Strategy

• Open Southwest cards and earn a companion pass. Once you earn the pass, you’ll have at least 125,000 Southwest points to use and you’ll be able to bring one person with you on each flight for just the price of taxes and fees! 
• Open cards that earn Chase Ultimate Rewards® (these transfer to Southwest) A great option is the Chase Ink family of cards.

FinnAir Avios to book American or Alaska Flights

FinnAir offers a roundabout way to book onto select American or Alaska flights. We have a detailed guide here on this strategy. 

These would cost just 13,500 each way when flying on Alaska, 15,000 each way on American. This is a great price — 30,000 points for a round trip on American — and can be booked for connecting flights, flights from small airports, and the East Coast! 

Finn Air Avios are some of the easiest points to earn. If you earn points with any of the major banks (Capital One Venture miles, Chase Ultimate Rewards®, American Express Membership Rewards, Citi Thank You Points), you can transfer to at least one of the Avios partner airlines and from there move points to Finn Air Avios.  

Sample Card Strategy

• Open cards that earn Chase Ultimate Rewards® (these transfer to Avios partners) A great option is the Chase Ink family of cards.
• Open cards that earn Venture miles. 
• If you follow our Three Year Plan, you’ll earn plenty of these!

Honorable Mentions: Cheap cash fare or United Flights via Turkish

Book a Cheap Cash Fare

Booking a cheap flight and using points to cover the purchase is another way to cover flights. This is best for when you find a cheap cash fare or if your trip is coming up soon and you don’t have points yet.

Many banks have portals that allow you to book travel directly through them and use your points — or earn bonus points. These portals operate similarly to travel sites like Expedia and are powered by different search engines.

When you book through Chase Travel℠, or Citi and Capital One portals, you can use your points to cover all or part of your purchase. Or use Aeroplan Pay Yourself Back. 

Rates can vary widely by bank portal and the value for your points will fluctuate based on the credit card you hold with that bank.

Turkish Airlines

Turkish offers the lowest possible price in points to Hawaii from the East Coast (only 20,000 points roundtrip!) The challenge is that it can be hard to find availability and hard to book. If you don’t mind the extra time to search and you’re able to be flexible with dates, this sweet spot is a great way to save some points. See our full guide here. 

Sample Card Strategy

• Open cards that earn Capital One miles (these transfer to Turkish Airlines). One of my favorites for luxe perks is the Capital One Venture X (earn 75,000 miles). You can also earn 75,000 miles with the $95 fee Capital One Venture card.
• Open cards that earn Citi Thank You Points such as the Citi Strata Premier.

Routing Tips For Flights to Hawaii

HNL is the largest airport in Hawaii and has the most flight options. 

From the West,  it’s pretty easy to find flights. Many airlines offer non-stop service to several of the Hawaiian Islands, giving you plenty of options. You can fly from cities like San Francisco, L.A., Seattle, Portland, Phoenix, Las Vegas, Salt Lake City, etc. 

Prices are usually cheaper from the West (but not always).

From the Midwest or East Coast, there are still plenty of flights to Hawaii, but it’s harder to book non-stop flights. There is more competition for award seats on the long haul flights to Hawaii from cities like Chicago, Boston, or New York so those seats tend to book up quickly. To snag one of these flights, it helps to book early, and/or be flexible when looking for options.

Consider a Stopover

In many cases, you’ll need a connection if you’re coming from the Midwest or East. Due to the times of connecting flights, you may want to consider breaking up your travel. One option is to fly to California, spend the night at an airport hotel, and then continue on to Hawaii the next day.

We did this in reverse in 2019 — we flew from Kauai to Oakland and spent the night at an airport hotel (using points of course!) The next morning we continued on east.

Depending on the routing and carrier you pick, booking separate itineraries won’t necessarily cost you any more points. For example, booking a flight from Chicago to L.A. and then a separate flight from L.A. to Maui could cost about the same amount as a flight all the way from Chicago to Maui.

Quick Comparison Chart

This chart is best viewed from a computer, as it is too wide to show well on a mobile device. 

Some pricing is variable and we show the cheapest pricing we found with a + symbol to show it might be more than that. 

How to Fly to Hawaii With Points By Airline

These first few airlines don’t officially belong to any of the major airline alliances, but several of them partner with other airlines. This allows you to use one airline’s points to book onto another carrier. For example, you can use Jet Blue points to book a flight on Hawaiian Airlines.

Southwest Airlines

West Coast from 11,950 points (varies by cash rate)

Midwest and East Coast from 36,000 points (varies by cash rate)

Best for: If you have a companion pass (or two) or when Southwest has a flight sale. Note that Southwest flights from the Midwest or East Coast can cost as much 35,000+ points each way. 

Transfer points from: Chase Ultimate Rewards points transfer to Southwest at a 1:1 ratio. You can also earn points with Southwest Co-branded cards.

Cost: Southwest award prices are variable, so prices change regularly. 

Booking Tips: Use Southwest’s Low Fare Calendar to find the cheapest dates to fly. And remember, if your flights drop in price, you’ll be able to change it for free to the lower priced ticket! Be sure to catch our full Southwest module in our free course. 

Southwest flies nonstop routes to Hawaii from 8 airports. Here is a map that shows these routes:

If you earn a Companion Pass, your flights will be even cheaper since your companion will be able to fly for $5.60 each way! Earning a Companion Pass is our favorite way to keep flight costs down.

Southwest Booking Example: LAX to OGG (on Southwest) 11,950 points + $11

Southwest Booking Example: ORD to OGG (on Southwest) 36,724 points + $11

Hawaiian Airlines

West Coast from 22,856 points

East Coast from 60,000 points

Best for: Non-stop flights from New York or Boston. For Hawaiian flights from the West Coast, it is sometimes cheaper to move Hawaiian miles over to Alaska and book from there. 

Transferring Points: Points from American Express transfer to Hawaiian Airlines at a 1:1 ratio. American Express charges a small fee to transfer to any American-based airline (including Hawaiian). For 50,000 points the fee is $30. You can also move Alaska miles over to Hawaiian until the merger is complete. 

Cost: Hawaiian has an award chart, but prices are sometimes more than what the chart shows. Generally, flights are cheaper from the West Coast. Taxes and fees are $5.60 each way.

Notes: When booking with miles, you can only search for routes Hawaiian Airlines flies. You can see the routes here.

If you want to use Hawaiian miles to book, you may get better value by transferring those points to Alaska Airlines and booking with Alaska. You can move points between Hawaiian Airlines and Alaska Airlines for free. Check both!

Hawaiian Airlines Booking Example: LAX to OGG (on Hawaiian) 22,856 points + $11

Hawaiian Airlines Booking Example: JFK to HNL (on Hawaiian) 60,000 points + $11

Jet Blue

West Coast from 40,000 points

East Coast from 75,800 points

Best for: Hawaiian’s nonstop flight from Boston or JFK

Transfer points from: American Express Membership Rewards®, Chase Ultimate Rewards®, or Citi Thank You points. 

Cost: Jet Blue uses dynamic pricing so prices vary. Rates start at 20,000 points each way from the West Coast and 37,900 points each way from the East Coast. Taxes and fees are $5.60 each way.

Notes: The only routes to Hawaii that are bookable through Jet Blue are the routes Hawaiian Airlines flies. You can see them here.

There are cheaper ways to get to Hawaii, but Jet Blue does have decent availability for non-stop flights from the East, which can be hard to find. The higher price may be worth it if you want a specific flight.

Booking Tips: Use the Best Fare Finder to see dates with the lowest prices.

Jet Blue Booking Example: LAX to OGG (on Hawaiian) 40,000 miles + $11

Jet Blue Booking Example: BOS to HNL (on Hawaiian) 75,800 miles + $11

Book United Flights (Including Star Alliance Partner Options)

When booking flights with alliance partners, you can save points by booking through a partner rather than booking with the actual airline you want to fly.

In this case, United is the only Star Alliance partner with flights from the mainland US to Hawaii, so this section compares different ways to book United flights with points. 

United flights are generally only bookable with partner airlines IF it is a “saver” level award on United.com. Even then, sometimes saver level awards aren’t offered to partners to book. 

Air Canada Aeroplan

West Coast from 30,000 points + CA$126

Midwest/East Coast from 50,000 points + CA$126

Best for: If Air Canada has a transfer bonus and you’re flying from the West Coast and you don’t have the right points to transfer to Turkish. From the Midwest and East Coast it’s better to book via Singapore or Turkish. 

Transferring Points: Points from American Express, Chase, Capital One, and Bilt Rewards can all be transferred to Aeroplan at a 1:1 ratio. These transfers are typically instant. Transfer bonuses are frequent which can make the actual points needed even lower.

Cost: Aeroplan uses a distance-based award chart so the price varies depending on how far you fly. Flights from the West Coast to Hawaii start at 15,000 miles each way. Flights from Chicago priced at 25,00 each way. 

Notes: Most of the time when you book a flight to Hawaii through Air Canada, you’ll be flying on United airlines. It’s easiest to start your search on United.com to see 30 day availability. Look for United awards marked “Saver” — these are the ones that will be released to alliance partners like Air Canada. 

Air Canada Booking Example: LAX to OGG (on United) 30,000 miles + CA $126

Air Canada Booking Example: ORD to OGG (on United) 50,000 miles + CA $126

Singapore KrisFlyer

West Coast, Midwest and East Coast: 39,000 points

Best for: Flights from the Midwest or East Coast on United if you don’t have the right points to book via Turkish instead. 

Transferring Points: American Express Membership Rewards®, Chase Ultimate Rewards®, Capital One miles, Citi ThankYou® points all transfer to Singapore KrisFlyer at a 1:1 ratio.

Cost: Flights from anywhere in North America to Hawaii cost 19,500 miles each way plus $5.60 in taxes. This is a better value for more expensive flights on United — like from the Midwest or East Coast.

Notes: These flights are a good deal from the east, but availability is hard to find.

Booking Tips: Singapore’s website will default to searching their own flights, make sure to toggle “Star Alliance” to see partner flights.

Singapore Booking Example: LAX to OGG (on United) 39,000 points + $11

Singapre Booking Example: ORD to OGG (on United) 39,000 points + $11

Turkish Airways

West Coast, Midwest, and East Coast: 20,000 points

Best for: Booking United flights from anywhere (esp Midwest or East Coast), if you can find availability. This is not a beginner friendly redemption. 

Transferring Points: You can transfer  Citi Thank You® points or Capital One points to Turkish Miles & Smiles.

Cost: Turkish Airways prices all domestic routes on its partner airlines within North America the same — even flights to Hawaii. These flights cost just 20,000 points round trip per person.

Notes: These flights are a steal — if you can find availability. They are best for people with flexible dates and who don’t mind a challenge.

Booking Tips: You’ll need to find Saver level availability on United. We have a full post with more details on how to book this sweet spot to Hawaii. Keep in mind, that this is an advanced redemption.

Turkish Booking Example: LAX to OGG on United 20,000 points + $11

Turkish Booking Example: ORD to OGG (on United) 20,000 points + $11

I couldn’t find any online availability from Chicago when researching this post, even though it appears there should be flights available. If this happens, you can try calling Turkish Airlines to see if they can book the flight over the phone.

United

West Coast from 33,400 points

Midwest and East Coast from 50,000 points

Best for: If you have a lot of United miles or specifically need a United flight — and that flight isn’t bookable with a partner.

Transferring Points: Chase Ultimate Rewards points transfer to United at a 1:1 ratio (instant transfer).

Cost: United uses dynamic pricing so rates can vary. Saver rates to Hawaii typically start at 25,00 miles each way, but you can often find lower prices from the West Coast. 

Notes:  United MileagePlus Cardholders have access to more “saver award space” (flights with lower mileage requirements) than non-cardholders.

Booking Tips: Use the calendar view to find the lowest priced dates.

United Booking Example: LAX to OGG (on United) 33,400 points + $11

United Booking Example: ORD to OGG (on United) 50,000 points + $11

Book American and Alaska Flights (Including OneWorld Partner Options)

Through the Oneworld Alliance, you can book flights on American Airlines or Alaska Airlines.

Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan

West Coast: from 20,000 miles

Midwest and East Coast: 35,000 miles

Best for: Booking non-stop flights on Hawaiian Airlines or flights from the Midwest on American/Alaska

Transferring Points: Alaska Mileage Plan only has one transfer partner: Bilt Rewards. Points transfer at a 1:1 ratio. However, you can earn miles through their co-branded credit cards and their shopping portal (MileagePlus Shopping). 

With the Alaska/Hawaiian Airlines merger, it’s now possible to transfer Hawaiian Airlines miles to Alaska Airlines. American Express Membership Rewards® points transfer to Hawaiian at a 1:1 ratio. That means you can transfer from American Express to Hawaiian Airlines, and then take those points and transfer them to Alaska Airlines. Note that American Express charges a small excise tax to transfer points to domestic airlines, including Hawaiian. (The cost is $30 for 50,000 miles)

Cost: Alaska uses a distance-based award chart. This means that longer routes take more miles. Flights from the West Coast start at 10,000 miles each way. 

Notes: Alaska Airlines offers good partner availability with access to Hawaiian Airlines and American Airlines.

Booking Tips: Use the calendar view to easily see the dates with the lowest prices.

Alaska Booking Example: LAX to OGG (on Hawaiian) 20,000 points + $11

Alaska Booking Example: ORD to OGG (on American and Alaska) 35,000 points + $36

American Airlines AAdvantage

West Coast, Midwest, or East Coast: from 45,000 points

Best for: Booking flights from the Midwest or East, including from smaller airports if you don’t have access to Avios to book it cheaper via FinnAir. Or if you have earned a lot of AA miles and just want to use them!

Transferring Points: American Airlines doesn’t have any transfer partners. You can earn points through their co-branded credit cards and through the AAdvantage shopping portal. 

Cost: American uses dynamic pricing so prices vary. Flights to Hawaii start at 22,500 miles each way. This is the same for flights in the East and in the West. 

Notes: There are cheaper ways to get to Hawaii from the West Coast, but American is not a bad option from the East. You can also usually add a connection from a smaller airport without paying additional miles. This makes American a nice option for anyone coming from a small airport in the Midwest or East.

Booking Tips: Use the calendar view to easily see the dates with the lowest prices.

American Airlines Booking Example: LAX to OGG (on American) 45,000 points + $11

American Airlines Booking Example: ORD to OGG (on American) 45,000 points + $11

Finnair

From West Coast, Midwest, or East Coast on Alaska: 27,000 points 

From West Coast, Midwest, or East Coast on American: 30,000 points 

Best for: Flights on Alaska Airlines or American Airlines from anywhere in North America if you’re willing to put in a little more work to search. Extra good if you can utilize a transfer bonus!

Transferring Points: Capital One transfers directly to Finnair Avios. Chase, American Express, Citi, and Bilt points can all be transferred to other Avios partners (like British Airways or Qatar) and transferred from there to Finnair. 

Cost: 13,500 each way when flying on Alaska, 15,000 each way on American. Taxes and fees are $5.60 each way. There is an extra charge to book over the phone so it’s best to book using the chat feature. 

Notes: This is an advanced redemption that requires some extra work, but the price can be worth it, especially for those flying from the East Coast.

Booking Tips: The hardest part about this redemption is that it can’t be booked online. If you search on the Finnair site it won’t show any availability even if the flight is actually bookable. We have a full guide on this here. 

Finnair Booking Example: LAX to OGG (on Alaska) 27,000 points + $11

Finnair Booking Example: ORD to OGG (on American) 30,000 points + $11

I don’t have screenshots for these redemptions because you can’t search or book them on Finnair’s website. However, if you find availability, you can use the chat feature to have an agent book these flights for you.

British Airways

West Coast from 40,000 points 

Midwest or East Coast from 78,000 points

Best for: Not best for anything! But we’re leaving this on here because it used to be the best and we want to give the updated pricing. Use FinnAir Avios instead. 

Notes: British Airways prices partner award flights (on partners like American and Alaska Airlines) by distance and by segment. If you’re on a connecting flight (Phoenix to LAX then LAX to Honolulu) you will be charged for two segments separately. Each segment is charged based on the distance flown so the farther you fly, the more it will cost.

British Airways Booking Example: LAX to OGG (on American) 40,000 points + $11

British Airways Booking Example: ORD to OGG (on American) 76,000 points + $11

Qatar Airways Avios

From 32,000 points

Best for: Not best pricing for anything — use FinnAir Avios instead.

Cost: Starts at 16,000 Avios each way. 

Notes: Like British Airways, Qatar flights are priced by distance and by segment. Connecting flights are charged for two segments separately, which can make the price really add up.

Qatar Booking Example: LAX to OGG (on American) 32,000 points + $43

Book Delta Flights (Delta and Sky Team Alliance Options)

You can book flights on Delta through the Sky Team Alliance or directly on Delta. 

Delta

From West Coast: From 22,000 miles

From Midwest or East Coast: from 45,000 miles

Best for: When Delta has a sale.

Transfer points from: American Express Membership Rewards® (you will pay an excise fee on transferring these from Amex to Delta, for 25,000 points it costs $15). You can also earn Delta miles with Delta Co-branded cards.

Cost: Delta pricing is the most volatile of all the U.S. airlines. There can be some great deals on Delta but they aren’t predictable. If you want to book on Delta, you may find more consistent pricing by booking via one of their partners.

Notes: Delta typically gives a hefty discount when you book a round trip versus one way on their own flights. The cheapest fares are typically in basic economy and don’t include things like seat selection. You can upgrade to main cabin for seat selection, free changes, earlier boarding, etc.

Delta Booking Example: LAX to OGG (on Delta) 22,000 points + $11

Delta Booking Example: ORD to OGG (on Delta) 45,000 points + $11

Flying Blue

West Coast from 36,000 points + $53

Best for: It’s not really best for anything because it’s so rare that you’d find availability

Transfer points from: American Express Membership Rewards®, Chase Ultimate Rewards®, Capital One Miles or Citi ThankYou® Points

Cost: From 36,000 points + $53.44 in taxes round trip

Notes: When you book with Flying Blue to Hawaii, you’ll be flying on Delta. Not all Delta flights are bookable through Flying Blue (only flights they release to partners), so keep that in mind.

Delta flies the following routes to Hawaii, so you can check these routes:

• LAX-HNL, OGG
• SEA-HNL, OGG
• SLC-HNL, OGG
• ATL-HNL, OGG
• MSP-HNL
• DTW-HNL
• JFK-HNL

Flying Blue Booking Example: LAX to OGG (on Delta) 36,000 points + $53

Virgin Atlantic

West Coast from 44,000 points

Best for: Rarely if ever best. Flying Blue would probably be cheaper for the same flights! Or one of the other options above like FinnAir. 

Transfer points from: American Express Membership Rewards®, Chase Ultimate Rewards®, or Citi Thank You points. Capital One Miles can be transferred to Virgin Red and then moved over to Virgin Atlantic.

Cost: Flights to Hawaii start at 22,000 points each way. Taxes and fees are $5.60 each way.

Notes: Like with Flying Blue, flights to Hawaii booked through Virgin will be on Delta. Keep in mind that Delta only releases some of their flights to partners for booking, so you won’t always be able to find availability.

For instance, while Delta offers a nonstop flight from Atlanta to Honolulu, I could not find a single date of availability with Virgin across a whole year.

Virgin Atlantic Booking Example: LAX to HNL (on Delta) 44,000 points + $11