How Much Are Hawaiian Airlines HawaiianMiles Worth?

Updated: March 21, 2024

Updated: March 21, 2024

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How much Hawaiian Airlines HawaiianMiles are worth depends on your chosen redemption method. For example, if you redeem your miles for a Hawaiian Airlines ticket, you can expect a value of around 0.9 cents to 1 cent per mile on average. Using your miles with some of the program’s partner airlines, on the other hand, may enable you to get a value of 2 cents to over 6 cents per mile. But if you redeem your miles for gift cards or car rentals, the value drops to 0.5 cents per mile.

You earn HawaiianMiles whenever you fly with Hawaiian Airlines or the program's airline partners. You can also earn them by spending with the airline's partner merchants. Finally, using co-branded Hawaiian Airlines credit cards can help you rack up the miles since you can earn miles on your everyday purchases.

You may redeem HawaiianMiles to book award flights with Hawaiian Airlines or its partner airlines, as well as for car rentals, hotel stays and gift cards. The program offers a few other redemption methods, too.

The Hawaiian Airlines HawaiianMiles program comes with two Elite tiers and a paid Premier Club Membership. Each gives you the ability to earn bonus miles when you fly with Hawaiian Airlines, and you also get access to other perks.

MoneyGeek’s Takeaways

Redeeming HawaiianMiles for flights with Hawaiian Airlines comes with an average value of 0.9 cents to 1 cent per mile.

You get better value when you redeem your miles for flights on some of the program's airline partners.

Using your HawaiianMiles for hotel stays, car rentals and gift cards tends to offer the lowest value.

Some of the links on this page will take you to one of our partner's sites, where you can compare and apply for a selected credit card.

How Much Are Hawaiian Airlines HawaiianMiles Worth?

If you plan to use Hawaiian Airlines HawaiianMiles to fly with Hawaiian Airlines, you should aim to get a value of around 0.9 cents to 1 cent per mile or better. If you use your miles with an airline partner to book business or first class tickets, you may receive a value of 2 cents to upward of 6 cents per mile. Examples of Hawaiian Airlines HawaiianMiles partners that offer good value for business/first class tickets include All Nippon Airways (ANA), Korean Airlines, Virgin Atlantic and Virgin Australia.

The Hawaiian Airlines HawaiianMiles redemption chart can give you an idea of how many miles you'll need for an award flight across different sectors and cabin types.

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Ticket Cost / Equivalent Miles = Miles Value

You can calculate the value of your Hawaiian Airlines HawaiianMiles by dividing the number of miles you need for an award flight by the actual cost of the ticket. For example, if you use 40,000 miles for a first class award flight that costs $380, the value you receive for each mile is 0.95 cents (380/40,000 = $0.0095).

How Hawaiian Airlines HawaiianMiles Compare to Other Airlines

Most other popular frequent flyer programs offer better monetary value for their miles/points when compared to the Hawaiian Airlines HawaiianMiles program.

Hawaiian Airlines vs. Other Frequent Flyer Programs
Airlines
Value per Mile

Hawaiian Airlines HawaiianMiles

0.9 cents to 1 cent per mile

Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan

1.2 cents to 1.8 cents per mile

Air Canada Aeroplan

1.5 cents to 1.9 cents per point

Air France/KLM Flying Blue

1.2 cents to 1.4 cents per mile

American Airlines AAdvantage

1.5 cents to 1.7 cents per mile

British Airways Avios

0.8 cents to 1.5 cents per point

Delta Air Lines SkyMiles

1.4 cents to 1.5 cents per mile

Emirates Skywards

1 cent to 1.4 cents per mile

Frontier Miles

0.9 cents to 1.1 cents per mile

JetBlue TrueBlue

1.3 cents to 1.6 cents per point

Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer

1.1 cents to 1.3 cents per mile

Southwest Airlines Rapid Rewards

1.3 cents to 1.5 cents per point

United Airlines MileagePlus

1.2 cents to 1.6 cents per mile

Virgin Atlantic Flying Club

1.1 cents to 1.5 cents per point

How to Earn and Maximize Miles From Hawaiian Airlines

Once you enroll in the Hawaiian Airlines membership rewards program, you can earn miles in several ways. These include flying with Hawaiian Airlines and its partner airlines, using co-branded Hawaiian Airlines credit and debit cards and spending with its hotel, car rental, dining and shopping partners.

Earning Miles Using Hawaiian Airlines Co-Branded Credit Cards

Barclays provides two co-branded Hawaiian Airlines credit cards. One is for personal use, and the other is a business credit card. Both give new cardholders the ability to earn spend-based welcome bonuses. Both offer 3X miles per dollar on eligible Hawaiian Airlines purchases.

The Bankoh Hawaiian Airlines Visa Debit Card from Bank of Hawaii lets you earn HawaiianMiles as well.

Hawaiian Airlines Co-Branded Credit Cards at a Glance
Credit Card Name
Miles Earned per Dollar Spent
How to Increase Miles Earned

Hawaiian Airlines World Elite
Mastercard

Up to 3X miles per dollar

  • Get a bonus of 70,000 miles if
    you spend $2,000 on purchases in
    the first 90 days

Hawaiian Airlines World Elite
Business Mastercard

Up to 3X miles per dollar

  • Get a bonus of 60,000 miles if
    you spend $2,000 on purchases
    in the first 90 days
  • Get a 10,000-mile bonus after an
    employee’s card makes a qualifying
    purchase
  • Get up to 40,000 bonus miles on
    each account anniversary

Hawaiian Airlines World Elite Mastercard

The Hawaiian Airlines World Elite Mastercard comes with a $99 annual fee. Using this card to make eligible Hawaiian Airlines purchases earns 3X miles per dollar. You get 2X miles per dollar on dining, gas and eligible grocery purchases. All other purchases earn 1X miles per dollar. If you spend $2,000 on purchases within 90 days from account opening, you receive 70,000 bonus miles.

This travel rewards credit card offers other benefits, too. These include two free checked bags on Hawaiian Airlines flights, a $100 annual companion discount, a one-time companion discount of 50%, discounted Hawaiian Airlines award flights and no foreign transaction fees.

Hawaiian Airlines World Elite Business Mastercard

Using the Hawaiian Airlines World Elite Business Mastercard requires that you pay a $99 annual fee. This card offers 3X miles per dollar on eligible Hawaiian Airlines purchases. You get 2X miles per dollar on office supply store, gas and dining purchases. All other purchases earn 1X miles per dollar.

New cardholders receive 60,000 bonus miles if they spend $2,000 on purchases in the first 90 days and an additional 10,000 bonus miles when an employee’s card makes a qualifying purchase. Plus, if you spend $50,000 to $99,999 on purchases in a year, you receive 20,000 bonus miles. It increases to 40,000 bonus miles if you spend at least $100,000 on purchases in a year.

Additional perks of this rewards credit card include a one-time companion discount of 50%, complimentary employee cards, consolidated statements, no foreign transaction fees and access to travel assistance services.

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MONEYGEEK EXPERT TIP

Linking additional cards to your primary Hawaiian Airlines credit card enables you to earn miles faster. The Hawaiian Airlines World Elite Business Mastercard lets you get additional cards for employees, and you have the option of adding authorized users to your Hawaiian Airlines World Elite Mastercard. While this means you can earn more HawaiianMiles, it's important to remember that you remain liable for all the charges made using employee/additional cards.

Sign Up for Hawaiian Airlines HawaiianMiles

Enrolling in the Hawaiian Airlines HawaiianMiles program is simple, and you can do so online. The information you need to provide includes your name, date of birth, email address, mailing address and phone number.

There are no fees to join this program. And once you enroll, you can start earning and redeeming HawaiianMiles. This program has different membership levels: the base-level membership tier, Pualani Gold and Pualani Platinum. And one of the Hawaiian Airlines HawaiianMiles Elite benefits is that you can earn bonus miles.

Buying Airline Tickets From Hawaiian Airlines and Affiliates

Whether you fly with Hawaiian Airlines or its partner airlines, the number of miles you earn depends on the class and fare type.

You may view the Hawaiian Airlines HawaiianMiles chart to check how many miles you stand to earn depending on whether you're taking a Neighbor Island flight, a North American flight or an International flight. For example, you earn 263 miles of a Lihue to Kona flight when flying coach, and you get 395 miles in first class. If you, on the other hand, fly from Honolulu to Boston in coach, you get 5,095 miles. Flying business class on the same route comes with 7,643 miles.

When you fly with any of the program's partner airlines, the number of miles you earn depends on the cabin type and the booking class, as highlighted in the HawaiianMiles chart for airline partners. For example, a Virgin Atlantic Economy Class Y, B, R, L, M or U fare would come with 100% miles on the distance the flight covers, whereas it would increase to 150% miles for an Economy Class V ticket. Bear in mind that most airline partners have booking classes that come with no miles at all.

Earn Miles Through Hawaiian Airlines Partner Merchants

Earn Hawaiian Airline Miles Through Partner Merchants
    business icon

    Hotel and Lodging

    You can earn HawaiianMiles through these hotel and lodging partners.

    • ‘Alohilani Resort Waikiki Beach: Get up to 1,000 miles per stay
    • Aston Waikiki Beach Hotel: Get 2,000 miles if you stay for three or more nights
    • Ambassador Hotel Waikiki: Get 1,000 per night
    • Marriott Bonvoy: Get 2 miles per dollar on eligible stays and purchases
    • Outrigger Hotels & Resorts: Get 200 miles per night at participating properties across Oahu, Maui, Kauai and Hawaii Island
    • Park Shore Waikiki: Get 500 miles per night
    • Pearl Hotel Waikiki: Get 500 miles per night
    shoppingBag icon

    Shopping and Dining

    Earn bonus miles through Marketplace partners if you have a Hawaiian Airlines co-branded card.

    You may also earn miles through the program's partner shopping and dining merchants.

    • Foodland
    • Foodland Farms
    • Sack N Save
    • Participating shopping malls in Hawaii
    • 1800Flowers.com
    • Teleflora: Get 10 miles per dollar
    • Alii Kula Lavender: Get 250 miles for every $75 you spend
    • Indich Collection: Get 2 miles per dollar on online purchases
    • Island Princess: Get 2 miles per dollar
    • Kona Natural Soap: Get 250 miles for every $50 you spend
    • Pacifica Island Art: Get 5 miles per dollar and 500 miles when you spend $100
    • Sea Salts of Hawaii: Get 2 miles per dollar
    • Sky Dreams: Get 2 miles per dollar
    • Vinesse Wines: Get up to 5,000 miles
    car icon

    Car Rentals

    You can earn a certain number of miles per car rental with Avis, Budget and Payless based on your Hawaiian Airlines membership level.

    • Base-Level Members: 250 miles
    • Pualani Gold: 500 miles
    • Pualani Platinum: 750 miles
    checkList icon

    Others

    Spending with other partner merchants may allow you to earn more miles.

    • Lex Brodie's: Get 1 mile for every two dollars
    • Rocket Mortgage: Get a bonus of 35,000 miles
    • 21st Century Insurance: Get up to 10,000 miles
    • Farmers Hawaii: Get up to 10,000 miles
    • Kapili Roofing and Painting: Get up to 40,000 miles
    • Murakami Roofing: Get up to 35,000 miles
    • Star-Advertiser: Get 1,000 miles by subscribing
    • SunPower: Get 50,000 miles by purchasing or leasing a SunPower solar system

In addition, you may convert Boyd Rewards points, Marriott Bonvoy Rewards points and Shell Vacations Club points to HawaiianMiles.

Buying Miles From Hawaiian Airlines

Buying Hawaiian Airlines HawaiianMiles is possible. You may purchase them in increments of 500 miles, up to a maximum of 30,000. Hawaiian Airlines sells 500 miles for $15, which works out to a price of 3 cents per mile. The cost per mile remains the same, no matter how many miles you purchase. So, if you buy 30,000 miles, you will need to pay $900.

If you use a co-branded Hawaiian Airlines credit card to buy HawaiianMiles, you get 3X miles per dollar on the purchase.

Consider buying HawaiianMiles only if the value you receive when redeeming them for an award exceeds 3 cents per mile or if you need just a handful to get a high-value award ticket.

How to Redeem Hawaiian Airlines HawaiianMiles

If you're wondering how to redeem Hawaiian Airlines HawaiianMiles, start by logging in to your HawaiianMiles account. Then, you can choose from any of the redemption options. These include using them to book flight tickets, redeeming them through partner merchants, donating them and more.

If you redeem your miles for flights with Hawaiian Airlines, you may use them to get any Main Cabin seat. You can also use your miles for First/Business Class seats and upgrades to First/Business Class.

The Hawaiian Airlines HawaiianMiles redemption chart gives you an idea of how many miles you need for an award flight based on different routes and cabin types. For example, while a Main Cabin 1 flight from Hawaii to the West Coast would require 20,000 miles, a Main Cabin 7 ticket on the same route would set you back by 90,000 miles.

Hawaiian Airlines also has a redemption chart for partner airlines. You may use it to view how many miles you need to fly with different airlines based on different classes and other factors. For instance, to fly with Japan Airlines, the miles you need depend on your desired route and class. With JetBlue, the actual cost of the ticket impacts the number of miles you need.

When you redeem your miles with the program's partner airlines, you may get a value of 2 cents per mile to even more than 6 cents per mile in some cases. On the other hand, some redemptions with Hawaiian Airlines might come with a value of less than 1 cent per mile. Consequently, it's always a good idea to determine the value you stand to receive before making a booking with your miles.

    hotel icon

    Hotel accommodations

    You may use your miles to book hotel stays through Hawaiian Airlines Hotel Awards. In this case, you stand to get a value of around 0.6 cents per mile. You may also transfer Hawaiian Airlines HawaiianMiles to the Marriott Bonvoy Rewards program or the Boyd Rewards program. If you select this option, 5,000 HawaiianMiles convert to 2,500 Marriott Bonvoy points or 25,000 Boyd points.

    car2 icon

    Car rentals

    You can redeem your miles to cover car rental costs with Avis, Budget or Payless. Using a combination of miles and cash is possible. This redemption method comes with a value of around 0.5 cents per mile.

    airplane icon

    Flight upgrades

    You may use your miles for upgrades when you fly with Hawaiian Airlines. However, they are subject to availability when you opt for A, P or D fare classes. The Hawaiian Airlines redemption chart gives you an idea of how many miles you might need for an upgrade based on the route you wish to fly and the upgrade type. For example, an upgrade on a Neighbor Island flight may require as little as 7,500 miles.

    rewards icon

    Others

    You can choose to redeem your miles with various non-flight partners. When you use them to get gift cards, expect a value of around 0.5 cents per mile. Sharing your miles with other HawaiianMiles members is possible, and you don't need to pay any fee if the recipient holds a Hawaiian Airlines co-branded credit card. Donating your miles to charity is an option, as is using them to buy Premier Club Membership for someone else.

When Best to Redeem Hawaiian Airlines HawaiianMiles

Since the Hawaiian Airlines HawaiianMiles program does not rely on dynamic pricing, the number of miles to get award flights is consistent all year around. However, this is not the case with all its partner airlines. For example, the number of miles you need to get a JetBlue award flight depends on the actual cost of the ticket, which is subject to change.

Redeeming your miles with some of the program's partner airlines might provide better than average value. For example, redeeming your miles for a business class Korean Airlines flight from the U.S. to Korea may come with a value of around 2 cents per mile. A business class flight from Hawaii to Tokyo with All Nippon Airways could offer a value of more than 7 cents per mile. If you, on the other hand, use your miles to book an award flight with JetBlue, you'll be hard-pressed to get a value of over 1 cent per mile.

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EXPERT TIP:

You don't need to have a Hawaiian vacation planned to get value out of Hawaiian Airlines miles. In fact, the best value is generally found by booking international and premium class flights with partner airlines.
Lee Huffman, contributing expert for MoneyGeek

How to Get the Hawaiian Airlines Elite Status

You can achieve Hawaiian Airlines Pualani Elite Status by flying a minimum number of segments or earning a minimum number of miles each year. You need to fly 30 segments or earn 20,000 miles to get to Pualani Gold status. You can reach Pualani Platinum status by flying 60 segments or earning 40,000 miles. The perks you enjoy depend on your Hawaiian Airlines membership level.

1
Pualani Gold

Benefits include complimentary 50% bonus miles when you book revenue tickets, preferred seats (for up to six travelers on the same booking), discounted awards on Hawaiian Airlines flights, fare-hold reservations, line for Premier Club/First Class check-in, Premier Club access at different locations, availability-based Priority TSA security lines, priority baggage handling, your first two bags checked for free, Zone 2 priority boarding and complimentary upgrades.

2
Pualani Platinum

Benefits other than those that are part of Pualani Gold status include 100% bonus miles when you book revenue tickets, guaranteed seats on Neighbor Island Economy Class flights until 72 hours before departure for e-tickets, The Plumeria Lounge access at Honolulu when you take an international flight, access to select partner lounges, your first three bags checked for free and Zone 1 priority boarding.

How We Determined the Value of Hawaiian Airlines HawaiianMiles

MoneyGeek experts have taken a close look at how the value of Hawaiian Airlines HawaiianMiles changes based on different redemption methods. They have also carried out in-depth market research to determine the worth of your miles.

Other Questions You May Have About Hawaiian Airlines HawaiianMiles

Can I use my Hawaiian Airlines HawaiianMiles for someone else?
Can I use my Hawaiian Airlines HawaiianMiles to buy something else?
Can I convert my Hawaiian Airlines HawaiianMiles to cash?
Are there any additional fees for booking flights with HawaiianMiles?
When do my Hawaiian Airlines HawaiianMiles expire?
Can I transfer my Hawaiian Airlines HawaiianMiles?

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About Doug Milnes, CFA


Doug Milnes, CFA headshot

Doug Milnes is a CFA charter holder with over 10 years of experience in corporate finance and the Head of Credit Cards at MoneyGeek. Formerly, he performed valuations for Duff and Phelps and financial planning and analysis for various companies. His analysis has been cited by U.S. News and World Report, The Hill, the Los Angeles Times, The New York Times and many other outlets.

Milnes holds a master’s degree in data science from Northwestern University. He geeks out on helping people feel on top of their credit card use, from managing debt to optimizing rewards.


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