If you were one of the many people who transferred American Express Membership Rewards points to Hawaiian Airlines before the deadline, you’re probably sitting on a nice stack of HawaiianMiles. And while I didn’t max out the offer (here’s why we didn’t), I still have miles in my Hawaiian account from signing up for the HawaiianMiles Mastercard.
The reason most people transferred points wasn’t to book Hawaiian Airlines flights, although that can still be useful for trips to Hawaii. The goal for many was to eventually use those points with Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan. Whether you’re booking a short-haul trip to the Caribbean on American Airlines or a business class ticket to Asia on Starlux, the first step is transferring miles from HawaiianMiles to Alaska.
How the Transfer Works
One of the first things the airlines did after the merger was enable mileage transfers between programs. Alaska chose to use Points.com to handle the process instead of doing it internally. This allowed for fast implementation, but also means that transfers might not happen instantly.
Here’s how to transfer your HawaiianMiles to your Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan account—and what to expect along the way.
What is Points.com?
If you’ve ever purchased or transferred points before, chances are it was processed by Points.com. In short, Points.com is a platform that works with many travel loyalty programs to manage point sales and transfers. Here’s a deeper dive into how they operate.
Step-by-Step Transfer Instructions
To start your transfer, visit the dedicated transfer page: https://storefront.points.com/mileage-plan/en-US/exchange/lps?lpId=2053
Select the direction in which you want to transfer miles. Most people will be transferring into their Alaska Mileage Plan account, so select that option and log in. You’ll first sign in to your Alaska account, then you’ll be redirected to log in to HawaiianMiles.
Enter Transfer Amount
Once both accounts are connected, you’ll be prompted to enter how many miles to transfer. The minimum is 50 miles, and while no maximum is listed, the slider only moves in 50-mile increments.
After confirming the amount, you’ll see a preview showing your balances before and after the transaction. Then, click submit.
How Long Do Transfers Take?
Transfers aren’t always instantaneous. The first time I tried, it took several hours for the miles to show up in my Alaska account. So if you’re planning to use the miles soon, it’s smart to initiate the transfer ahead of time so they’re available when you need them.
Why Transfer Now?
You don’t want to find a unicorn award seat only to lose it while waiting for a transfer to process. Since transfers work in both directions, you can always move the miles back to HawaiianMiles if needed. Of course, all this will become irrelevant when the two programs merge into a single unified loyalty system by the end of 2025.
Final Thought
Transferring miles from HawaiianMiles to Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan is straightforward, but it’s not something you want to do at the last minute. Since transfers are processed by a third party (Points.com), it may take up to 72 hours for the miles to appear in your account, although it’s often faster.
After logging into both your HawaiianMiles and Alaska accounts, you’ll select how many miles to transfer (minimum 50, in increments of 50), confirm the transaction, and hit submit. That’s it—the miles will move automatically, and you’ll get a confirmation screen showing your updated balances.
If you’re planning a redemption with Alaska or one of their partners, don’t wait until you’re staring at award availability to make your move. Go ahead and do the transfer now. Once the loyalty programs fully merge, this step will be unnecessary—but until then, it’s required to use those AMEX points you transferred to Hawaiian on Alaska Mileage Plan award tickets.
Have you transferred miles between Hawaiian and Alaska yet? Let us know how long your transfer took and if you scored a great redemption!
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This post first appeared on Your Mileage May Vary
