How to earn HawaiianMiles

Hawaiian Airlines’ status as a small, relatively niche airline allows it to offer a unique feature with its loyalty program: a mile flown is a mile earned. On top of this simple earning structure, you’ll find ways to earn even more miles. Here’s how to start building your miles with this island-hopping airline.

7 ways to earn HawaiianMiles

Earn miles with rewards cards

Earn miles directly to your HawaiianMiles account with purchases through a Hawaiian Airlines cobranded credit card — one of the fastest ways to collect miles. You earn bonus miles when you spend in bonus categories, and these cards typically come with a welcome offer that can jump start your miles.

For more flexible earning potential, other cards can help you earn HawaiianMiles.

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Name	Product	Welcome offer	Rewards	Annual fee	Filter values
American Express® Gold Card		60,000 points after spending $4,000 in the first 6 months	4x at restaurants including delivery and Uber Eats; 4x at US supermarkets on up to $25,000 annually (then 1x points) and 3x points on directly-booked flights	$250		Earn up to 4x points on select purchases, a bevy of travel perks, and a welcome offer worth up to $600 with this upper-mid tier travel card. Terms apply, see rates & fees	Apply now View details	Compare	loading Fetching your data...
The Platinum Card® from American Express		75,000 points after spending $5,000 in your first 6 months, plus 10x points at US gas stations and US supermarkets on up to $15,000 in combined purchases in the same timeframe	10x points at US gas stations and US supermarkets on up to $15,000 combined in the first 6 months, 5x points on directly-booked flights on up to $500,000 annually, then 1x points after that and on other purchases	$550		One of the most valuable premium travel cards, featuring two welcome offers worth up to $4,500, multiple travel credits and unrivaled lounge access. Terms apply, see rates & fees	Apply now View details	Compare	loading Fetching your data...
Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant™ American Express® Card		75,000 points after spending $3,000 in the first 3 months	6x points at Marriott Bonvoy hotels, 3x at US restaurants and on flights booked directly with airlines and 2x for all other purchases	$450		Earn 75,000 bonus points when you spend $3,000 or more within your first 3 months. Terms apply, see rates & fees	Apply now View details	Compare	loading Fetching your data...

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How many HawaiianMiles can I earn with credit cards?

It depends on the credit card and your spending habits.

Let’s compare two primary options: the Hawaiian Airlines® World Elite Mastercard® and the American Express® Green Card. We’ll assume you’re spending $800 a month with this card — $600 on flights and $200 on dining — totaling the miles you’d earn over 12 months.

Data accurate as of February 2021. Because earning rates are subject to change, use this table as a general guide only.

Our results reveal that the Marriott Bonvoy Boundless™ Credit Card is the weakest option for earning HawaiianMiles. That’s because the Marriott Bonvoy Boundless doesn’t earn an accelerated rate on flights, the card no longer earns points on the signup bonus and any points you do earn are converted at a 3:1 ratio.

The Amex Green Card and Hawaiian Airlines® World Elite Mastercard® are excellent options. The one to choose comes down to your spending preferences. The Hawaiian Airlines® World Elite comes with solid perks tailored to Hawaiian Airlines flights, including a free first checked bag, companion discounts and annual bonus miles.

The Amex Green Card costs a little more but has a wider variety of earning categories, making the card more flexible than the Hawaiian Airlines card. The welcome offer is smaller, but you’ll still enjoy travel perks, including a LoungeBuddy and CLEAR statement credit.

Flying with Hawaiian Airlines

Earn 1 mile for each mile flown with Hawaiian Airlines — a nice, clean method and probably your next most important way to earn miles. There are a few variables to keep in mind: You’ll get a 50% bonus on this base earning rate if you book a Hawaiian Airlines flight in first class, and enrolling in the Pualani Elite program can also earn you bonus miles.

Here’s an idea of how earning miles on Hawaiian Airlines flights works.

North America

Neighbor Islands

International

Pualani elite status

Pualani Gold or Platinum status earns you an additional 50% to 100% on revenue flights. And all Pualani members earn at least 500 miles to their account when booking a Neighbor Island flight.

Flying with Hawaiian Airlines partners

You can earn HawaiianMiles when flying with Hawaiian Airlines’s airline partners, though miles accrued differ by airline and class. We provide a sample of potential mileage accrual, though check the Hawaiian Airlines site for details.

China Airlines

International flights on Japan Airlines

Data accurate as of February 2021. Because earning rates are subject to change, use this table as a general guide only.

Book with partner hotels.

Earn bonus miles when you book eligible stays at these partner hotels and resorts.

Data accurate as of February 2021. Because earning rates are subject to change, use this table as a general guide only.

Renting a car

Earn bonus miles when you rent a vehicle with Avis, Budget or Payless Car Rental. Maximum points earned for each rental depends on your Pualani Elite level.

Data accurate as of February 2021. Because earning rates are subject to change, use this table as a general guide only.

Hawaiian Airlines Marketplace

Use your Hawaiian Airlines cobranded card to shop through the HawaiianMiles Marketplace to earn bonus miles on each purchase. Base miles earned depend on the partner, though offers aer up to 5x miles per dollar depending on the location.

Hawaiian Airlines also holds special shopping events at local Hawaiian malls, where you can earn you even more miles to your account. Participating malls and retailers change frequently, so check the HawaiianMiles site for an up-to-date list before you venture out.

Here’s what you could earn as of February 2021.

Data accurate as of February 2021. Because earning rates are subject to change, use this table as a general guide only.

Foodland bonuses

Hawaiian Airlines partners with grocery store Foodland to help membersr earn you up to 200 miles for every $250 you spend. This program isn’t directly tied to your HawaiianMiles account. Instead, you register for the Foodland Maika’i rewards program and link your HawaiianMiles number to the account.

Earn 1 Maika’i point for every dollar you spend at Foodland. After 250 points, Foodland sends you a certificate that you can redeem for either 5% off your next Foodland purchase, a free “product of the week” or 200 HawaiianMiles. Simply check the box and turn in the certificate to a cashier to redeem, and you should see the miles on your account within 8 weeks. If you redeem your certificate on miles while also making a purchase of at least $100, you get a bonus 100 miles.

Special services

Finally, you have a medley of specialty retailers that can earn you bonus miles on your purchases. These range from small purchases, like flowers, to enormous investments, like signing off on a construction project.

Data accurate as of February 2021. Because earning rates are subject to change, use this table as a general guide only.

Purchase HawaiianMiles

If you’re short on miles for that next flight, you can purchase up to 10,000 miles in a year at 500-mile increments. As of February 2021, a 500-mile increment costs $15. That’s a little over 3 cents a mile, making it a poor value play to purchase miles. However, buying miles can be useful if you need just a few more miles to hit an award flight.

Bottom line

With several great credit card options available for transferring points and a solid cobranded card, the HawaiianMiles program makes it easy to earn enough miles to visit our 50th state. Regular travelers to Hawaii might want to consider the cobranded card for the perks and boosted miles on flights. Once you’ve built your miles, find out how to put them to best use.

Looking for more ways to get to Hawaii? Compare your travel credit card options to find a program that suits your needs.

Frequently asked questions

• Can I share or transfer miles to another account?

  Yes. You can transfer a minimum of 2,000 miles for a fee of $25 plus 1 cent per mile. The transfer comes at no cost if the recipient is a Hawaiian Airlines cardholder.

• How do I check my HawaiianMiles?

  Log in to your HawaiianMiles account and click Mileage Statement under the navigation bar to view your accumulated miles.

• Do HawaiianMiles expire?

  Yes. HawaiianMiles expire if you haven’t earned or redeemed points within 18 months.