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How to earn HawaiianMiles
A mile flown is a mile earned with this distance-based program — and bonuses abound.
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.
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.
Credit card | Annual fee | Welcome offer | Reward rates | Monthly earnings | Miles earned at the end of the first year |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Hawaiian Airlines® World Elite Mastercard® | $99 | 60,000 miles after spending $2,000 within your first 90 days | 3x miles on Hawaiian Airlines purchases2x miles on gas, dining and grocery store purchases1x on everything else | Travel: 1,800 miles Dining: 400 miles | 26,400 earned + 60,000 from welcome offer = 86,400 miles |
American Express® Green Card | $150 | 30,000 points after spending $2,000 in your first 3 months | 3x points on restaurants3x points on travel1x on everything else | Travel: 1,800 Dining: 1,800 | 43,200 earned + 30,000 from welcome offer = 73,200 miles |
Marriott Bonvoy Boundless® Credit Card | $95 | 5 Free Nights after you spend $5,000 on purchases in your first 3 months from your account opening | 17x points at Marriott Bonvoy hotels2x points on everything else | Travel: 1,200 Dining: 400 | 19,200 points earned, divided by 3 to convert to HawaiianMiles = 6,400 miles |
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.
Transfer ratios
American Express Membership Rewards transfer to HawaiianMiles at a ratio of 1:1. Marriott Bonvoy points transfer at a rate of 3:1, though Marriott provides a 5,000 HawaiianMiles bonus when you transfer 60,000 Marriott Bonvoy points to your HawaiianMiles account.
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
Travel | Miles earned in Coach | Miles earned in First Class |
---|---|---|
Honolulu to Boston | 5,095 | 7,643 |
Honolulu to Las Vegas | 2,762 | 4143 |
Honolulu to Long Beach | 2,567 | 3,851 |
Neighbor Islands
Travel | Miles earned in Coach | Miles earned in First Class |
---|---|---|
Honolulu to Hilo | 216 | 324 |
Honolulu to Kahului | 101 | 152 |
Honolulu to Kapalua | 84 | 126 |
Miles rounded for Pualani members
Pualani Platinum, Gold and Premier Club members earn a flat 500 miles when traveling between islands. This is a nice boost, considering the distance between some islands is as little as 27 miles.
International
Travel | Miles earned in Coach | Miles earned in First Class |
---|---|---|
Honolulu to Auckland | 4,383 | 6,575 |
Honolulu to Brisbane | 4,677 | 7,016 |
Honolulu to Fukuoka | 4,393 | 6,590 |
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
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
Class | Booking Class | Mileage Accrual |
---|---|---|
First Class | F | 150% |
Business Class | J C D | 130% 125% 100% |
Economy Class | Y, B, M K, V, T R, Q, H, N | 100% 80% 50% |
International flights on Japan Airlines
Class | Booking Class | Mileage Accrual |
---|---|---|
First | A, F | 150% |
Business | J, C, D, X I | 125% 70% |
Premium Economy | W, E | 100% |
Economy | Y, B H, K, M L, V, S, O, G, R Q, N | 100% 70% 50% 30% |
No Accrual | Z, U, P, T | 0% |
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.
Partner | How it works |
---|---|
Alohilani Resort | Earn 2,000 miles per stay |
Ambassador Hotel Waikiki | Earn 1,000 miles per stay |
Castle Resorts & Hotels | 1 mile per dollar |
Hyatt Hotels in Hawaii | Earn up to 5,000 miles per stay |
IHG Rewards Club | Earn up to 2 miles per dollar |
Kaanapali Beach Club | Earn 1,000 miles per night |
Marriott Bonvoy | Earn up to two miles per dollar |
Maui Coast Hotel | Earn 150 miles per night |
The Modern Honolulu | Earn 1,000 miles per night |
AThe New Otani Kaimana Beach Hotel | Earn 250 miles per night |
Outrigger Hotels & Resorts | Earn 200 miles per night |
Pearl Hotel Waikiki | Earn 1,000 miles per night |
The Point at Poipu | Earn 1,000 miles per night |
PointsHound | Earn up to 10,000 miles per night |
Rocketmiles | Earn between 1,000 and 10,000 miles per night |
Shell Vacations Club | See HawaiianMiles site |
Tokyu Hotels | Earn up to 500 miles per stay |
Turtle Bay Resort | Earn 500 miles per stay |
Waikiki Resort Hotel | Earn 200 miles per night |
Wyndham Rewards | See HawaiianMiles site |
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.
Membership level | Miles earned |
---|---|
Base members | 250 miles per rental |
Pualani Gold members | 500 miles per rental |
Pualani Platinum members | 750 miles per rental |
Data accurate as of February 2021. Because earning rates are subject to change, use this table as a general guide only.
Car rental special offer
Hawaiian Airlines offers a bonus 1,000 HawaiianMiles when you rent a car for at least two consecutive days through the Hawaiian Airlines website. When prompted, enter the promo code for your rental company:
Avis: AWD: A368908
Budget: BCD: R901009
Payless: PDN: B000404
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.
Retailer | Miles earned |
---|---|
7-11 | 1x per dollar |
76 Gas | 3x per dollar |
Island Vintage Coffee | 3x per dollar |
Petco.com | 1.5x per dollar |
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.
Partner | Miles earned |
---|---|
Alli Kula Lavender | Earn 250 miles per $75 |
Indich Collection | Earn 2 miles per dollar, online only |
Island Princess | Earn 2 miles per dollar |
Kona Natural Soap | Earn up to 500 miles |
Pacifica Island Art | Earn 5 miles per dollar plus 500 miles with $100 spend |
Sea Salts of Hawaii | Earn 2 miles per dollar |
Sky Dreams | Earn 5 miles per dollar |
Vinesse Wines | Earn up to 5,000 miles |
21st Century Insurance | Up to 1,300 miles with a new quote |
Akamai Energy | 888 miles per panel sold |
Farmers Hawaii | Up to 1,300 with a new quote |
HK Construction | Up to 500,000 miles |
Kapili Roofing and Painting | Up to 40,000 miles |
Lex Brodie’s | 1 mile per two dollars |
Murakami Roofing LLC | Up to 35,000 miles |
Safari Helicopter Tours | Earn 1,500 miles |
Sail Hawaii | 5 miles per dollar |
Star Advertiser | Earn 1,000 miles |
SunPower | Earn 50,000 miles |
Best Egg | Up to 50,000 miles when you get a personal loan |
HG Capital | Up to 2,000 miles |
Quicken Loans | Earn 25,000 miles when you close a purchase or refinance loan |
1800Flowers | See site for details |
Teleflora | 10 miles per dollar spent |
Wag! | Earn 5,000 bonus miles |
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
How do I share or transfer miles to another account?
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 select Mileage Statement under the navigation bar to view your accumulated miles.
When do HawaiianMiles expire?
HawaiianMiles expire if you haven’t earned or redeemed points within 18 months.
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