I’m not usually one to brag, but I was into HawaiianMiles before it was cool. Sure, there are a bunch of people talking about how you should take advantage of the signup bonus on the HawaiianMiles credit cards now that it looks more likely that the merger with Alaska Airlines will happen.
But I was talking about this when the merger was announced in December 2023.
Alaska Airlines didn’t provide many details, but the announcement mentioned the merger of loyalty programs:
Increased loyalty program benefits: The transaction will connect Hawaiian Airlines’ loyalty members with enhanced benefits through an industry-leading loyalty program for the combined airline, including the ability to earn and redeem miles on 29 global partners and receive elite benefits on the full complement of oneworld Alliance airlines, expanded global lounge access and benefits of the combined program’s co-brand credit card.
I considered the risks involved, and the biggest downside was if the government blocked the merger. If that happened, I’d have a large HawaiianMiles balance.
Applying for the HawaiianMiles card
It took a while, but I finally took the leap and applied for the HawaiianMiles card from Barclays. When I applied, the sign-up bonus was 70,000 miles after the first purchase and paying the annual fee.
Barclays approved me for the card, but they seemed hesitant to offer a substantial credit limit, possibly due to my recent application for the American Airlines Aviator Red card. As a result, my HawaiianMiles credit card has a credit limit of $1,000. This wasn’t a problem since I didn’t have to meet a spending requirement to receive the 70K miles.
I was willing to wait to use my 70,000 miles until after the merger since HawaiianMiles never expire. But what if the merger didn’t happen?
Using HawaiianMiles
HawaiianMiles is a program that doesn’t receive much attention because it’s focused on Hawaiian Airlines. If you’re in the US, your only reason to fly with Hawaiian Airlines is to travel to/from Hawaii or take inter-island flights..
We flew with Hawaiian Airlines from Honolulu to Orlando for 8 hours in economy class for 30,000 HawaiianMiles. While that flight no longer exists, there are flights from New York and Boston on the East Coast and many cities on the West Coast. I’d gladly redeem some of the 70,000 points from the signup bonus to visit Hawaii again, but we might not visit for a couple of years. Fortunately, there are other uses for HawaiianMiles.
HawaiianMiles Partners
Hawaiian Airlines is not part of any major airline alliance. Instead, HawaiianMiles partners with several airlines worldwide, with at least one in each major market the airline serves.
You can use HawaiianMiles to book flights on these airlines:
- Japan Airlines
- JetBlue
- Korean Air
- Virgin Atlantic (currently unavailable)
- Virgin Australia
Each airline has a different chart for redeeming miles for flights, which can be found on the HawaiianMiles website.
In addition to booking flights with partners, you can transfer HawaiianMiles to Marriott Bonvoy and to Boyd Rewards, a casino loyalty program, or use miles to book car rentals.
Final Thought
I’m not usually one to jump at a speculative offer. When I signed up for the HawaiianMiles credit card, there was no guarantee that the merger with Alaska Airlines would happen. However, I took my chances because even if it doesn’t go through, I still have a stack of HawaiianMiles, which I can use for flights to Hawaii or with one of the airline’s partners.
I’m staying true to my usual approach and choosing not to transfer Membership Rewards from AMEX to Hawaiian in the hope that they’ll convert to points with Alaska MileagePlan. But if you decide you want to do that hoping for a big score, Your Mileage May Vary.
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This post first appeared on Your Mileage May Vary
