We recommend participating in HawaiianMiles, the Hawaiian Airlines loyalty program for frequent flyers. A membership will give you plenty of opportunities to earn and burn miles to make the most of your money and travels.
If you’re a resident of Hawaii then you may or may not typically travel with Hawaiian Airlines. The airline has hubs in Honolulu and Maui, acting as one of two airlines to offer inter-island travel.
See our best credit card bonuses here.
Table of Contents
Hawaiian Airlines HawaiianMiles Quick Facts
| Domestic Hubs | Honolulu, Maui |
| Personal Credit Cards | Hawaiian Airlines World Elite Mastercard |
| Business Credit Cards | Hawaiian Airlines World Elite Business Mastercard |
| Redemption Options | Hawaiian Airlines flights, partner flights, seat upgrades, hotel stays, rental cars, groceries, shopping, dining, magazines & newspapers, transfer/share/donate |
| Average Mile Value | $0.012 |
HawaiianMiles Elite Status
Signing up for Hawaiian Airline’s HawaiianMiles program allows you to earn points toward award flights and elite status. As you move up in status, you will have the ability to earn more points and unlock additional benefits. The program has two tiers: Pualani Gold and Paulani Premium.
The woman who appears on the tail of Hawaiian Airline’s planes is name Pualani, which means “heavenly flower”. She is the mascot for the airline and represents the company.
Earn Pualani status with enough elite-qualifying miles or flying enough number of segments in a calendar year.
Elite-qualifying miles include miles earned by flying on Hawaiian Airlines. Unfortunately, these miles do not include:
- Purchased miles
- Miles earned on Hawaiian Airlines credit cards
- Miles earned through promotions
- Miles earned through the bonus mall
- Miles earned through elite status
- Miles earned through fare class bonuses
| Tier | Required Miles OR Segments |
| Pualani Gold | 20,000 miles OR 30 segments |
| Pualani Platinum | 40,000 miles OR 60 segments |
| IMPORTANT UPDATE: Due to 2020 circumstances, travel requirements are reduced by 50% through 2021. This means that in order to qualify for gold status, you only need 10,000 miles or 15 segments. For platinum status it will be 20,000 miles or 30 segments. |
Once you achieve elite status, you’ll have that status for the remainder of the calendar year and to the end of the following calendar year.
**Segments are flights with the same flight number between an origin and final destination, regardless of any stops in between.
As mentioned before each Pualani tier unlocks additional benefits
| Benefit | Gold | Platinum |
| Mileage bonus | 50% | 100% |
| Free checked bags | 2 | 3 |
| Priority security | x | x |
| Premier Club access | x | x |
| Priority boarding | Zone 2 | Zone 1 |
| Free upgrade | x | |
| Free 1-2 day reservation hold | x | x |
| Neighbor island economy seat guaranteed (up until 72 hours before departure) |
x |
You can enroll in Premier Flub for $299, or 40,000 miles. This membership helps you enjoy a handful of travel perks, including:
- 2 free checked bags
- Priority check-in
- Priority security
- Priority boarding
- Premier Club access
- Discounted award ticket offers
After your first year, annual renewal is just $249 or 35,000 miles.
Earning Hawaiian Miles
HawaiianMiles can be earned by doing various activities. Ways you can earn miles include: flying with the airline, credit card spending, online shopping and more (more on all of that below).
Differing from most frequent flyer programs, you earn HawaiianMiles based on how far you fly instead of how much you spend. In other words, you earn one HawaiianMile for every mile you fly.
You’ll earn bonuses if you have Pualani status:
| Status | Bonus |
| Pualani Gold | 50% mileage bonus(500-mile minimum on neighbor islands) |
| Pualani Platinum | 100% mileage bonus (500-mile minimum on neighbor islands) |
Hawaiian Airlines co-branded credit cards are the best way to earn Hawaiian miles. The cards are issued by Barclaycard and offer lucrative welcome bonuses that equal enough miles to cover select roundtrip flights.
| Credit Card | Hawaiian Airlines World Elite Mastercard | Hawaiian Airlines World Elite Business Mastercard |
| Welcome bonus | Get 50k miles when you spend $2k in 90 days. | Get 60k miles when you spend $1k in 90 days. Get 10k miles when you make a purchase on an employee card. |
| Bonus value | $600 | $840 |
| Ongoing Rewards/Benefits | 3x miles on Hawaiian Airlines purchases 2x miles on gas, dining & groceries 1x miles on all other purchases |
3x miles on Hawaiian Airlines purchases 2x miles on gas, dining & office supplies 1x miles on all other purchases |
| Annual Bonus | – | 20k miles when you spend $50k in one year OR 40k miles when you spend $100k in one year |
| Other perks | One free checked bag Discounted award flights Share miles with no fees No foreign transaction fees |
One-time 50% off companion discount Share miles with no fees No foreign transaction fees |
| Annual fee | $99 | $99, complimentary employee cards |
Did you fly Hawaiian Airlines before becoming a HawaiianMiles member? Retroactively claim these miles for flights taken up to 120 days before you signed up.
Although Hawaiian Airlines isn’t a part of any of the three major airline alliances – Oneworld, SkyTeam or Star Alliance – it does have a decent number of airline partners.
Earn HawaiianMiles when you use your membership number on select flights with the following carriers:
- China Airlines
- Japan Airlines
- JetBlue
The amount of miles you earn depends on fare class, with some fare classes excluded.
Earn Mileage Plan miles and enjoy savings with the following car rental partners:
| Partner | Details |
| Alohilani Resort Waikiki Beach | 1,000 miles per stay |
| Ambassador Hotel Waikiki | 1,000 miles per night + room upgrade |
| Castle Resorts & Hotels | 1x miles |
| Diamond Resorts International | Rate varies |
| Hilton Honors | 1.5 points = 1 mile Starting at 10,000 miles |
| Hyatt Hotels in Hawaii | Up to 5,000 miles per stay |
| IHG Rewards Club | Up to 2x miles |
| Marriott Bonvoy | Up to 2x miles |
| Maui Coast Hotel | 150 miles per night |
| The New Otani Kaimana Beach Hotel | 150 miles per night |
| Outrigger Hotels & Resorts | 1,000 miles per night |
| Pearl Hotel Waikiki | 1,000 miles per night |
| PointsHound | Up to 10,000 per night |
| Prince Resorts Hawaii | 5,000 miles per stay + 4th night free |
| Rocketmiles Hotel Bookings | Up to 10,000 miles per night |
| Shell Vacations Club | 1 point = 8 miles |
| Tokyu Hotels | Up to 500 miles per stay |
| Turtle Bay Resort | 500 miles per stay |
| Waikiki Resort Hotel | 200 miles per night |
| Wyndham Rewards | Up to 2x miles |
Earn HawaiianMiles on your car rentals with Avis, Budget and Payless:
| Status | Rate |
| Base Member | 250 miles per rental |
| Pualani Gold | 500 miles per rental |
| Pualani Platinum | 750 miles per rental |
Earn HawaiianMiles on your car rentals with Avis, Budget and Payless:
| Status | Rate |
| Base Member | 250 miles per rental |
| Pualani Gold | 500 miles per rental |
| Pualani Platinum | 750 miles per rental |
Earn HawaiianMiles even when you’re not traveling with hundreds of stores, restaurants and activity partners, including:
| HawaiianMiles Shopping | HawaiianMiles Marketplace HawaiianMiles Online Mall |
| Local Hawaii Merchants | Hawaii Shopping Malls Foodland Maika’i |
| Flower Merchants | 1800Flowers Teleflora |
| Shopping & Gift Merchants | Alii Kula Lavender Indich Collection Island Princess Kona Natural Soap Pacifica Island Art Sea Salts of Hawaii Sky Dreams Vinesse Wines |
| Service Partners | 21st Century Insurance Akamai Energy Farmers Hawaii HK Construction Kapili Roofing and Painting Lex Brodie’s Murakami Roofing Safari Helicopter Tours Sail Hawaii Star Advertiser SunPower Wag! |
| Finance Partners | Best Egg HG Capital Quicken Loans |
Another option is to transfer your American Express Membership Rewards® or Marriott Bonvoy points to HawaiianMiles:
| Status | Rate |
| American Express Membership Rewards | 1:1 |
| Marriott Bonvoy | 3:1 5,000-mile bonus for every 60,000 points (up to 180,000 points per day) |
Earning HawaiianMiles With American Express Membership Rewards
You can transfer American Express Membership Rewards® points to your HawaiianMiles account. For every 1,000 Membership Rewards points, get 1,000 HawaiianMiles.
Credit cards that earn Amex Membership Rewards include:
 The Platinum Card® from American Express offers 100,000 Membership Rewards Points after you spend $6,000 on purchases on the Card in your first 6 months of Card Membership. You'll earn: • 10X points on eligible purchases on the Card at restaurants worldwide and when you Shop Small in the U.S., on up to $25,000 in combined purchases, during your first 6 months of Card Membership. • 5X Membership Rewards Points for flights booked directly with airlines or with American Express Travel up to $500,000 on these purchases per calendar year. • 5X Membership Rewards Points on prepaid hotels booked with American Express Travel. This card comes with an annual fee of $695 (See Rates & Fees), but you cardholders can enjoy Uber VIP status and up to $200 in Uber savings on rides or eats orders in the US annually. Uber Cash and Uber VIP status is available to Basic Card Member and Additional Centurion Cards only. Terms Apply. |
 The American Express® Gold Card offers 60,000 Membership Rewards® points after you spend $4,000 on eligible purchases with your new Card within the first 6 months. Terms apply. You'll have the opportunity to earn: • 4X Membership Rewards Points on Restaurants, including takeout and delivery, plus, earn 4X points for Uber Eats purchases too. • 4X Membership Rewards points at U.S. supermarkets (on up to $25,000 per calendar year in purchases, then 1X). This card has an annual fee of $250 with no foreign transaction fees (See Rates & Fees). |
 The The Business Platinum Card® from American Express has a welcome offer of 100,000 Membership Rewards points after you spend $15,000 on eligible purchases within the first 3 months of Card Membership. You'll also earn 5X Membership Rewards® points on flights and prepaid hotels on amextravel.com. In addition, you'll get 50% more Membership Rewards® points. That's 1.5 points per dollar, on each eligible purchase of $5,000 or more. You can get up to 1 million additional points per year. If you use your Membership Rewards® Pay with Points for all or part of a flight with your selected qualifying airline, you can get 35% of the points back, up to 500,000 bonus points per calendar year. PAY OVER TIME OPTION: A flexible payment option to help manage cash flow on purchases of $100 or more. This card does come with a $595 annual fee. (See Rates & Fees) Now, you can earn up to $200 in statement credits annually by getting up to $100 semi-annually for U.S. purchases with Dell. Terms apply. |
The The Business Platinum Card® from American Express has a welcome offer of 100,000 Membership Rewards points after you spend $15,000 on eligible purchases within the first 3 months of Card Membership. You'll also earn 5X Membership Rewards® points on flights and prepaid hotels on amextravel.com. In addition, you'll get 50% more Membership Rewards® points. That's 1.5 points per dollar, on each eligible purchase of $5,000 or more. You can get up to 1 million additional points per year. If you use your Membership Rewards® Pay with Points for all or part of a flight with your selected qualifying airline, you can get 35% of the points back, up to 500,000 bonus points per calendar year. PAY OVER TIME OPTION: A flexible payment option to help manage cash flow on purchases of $100 or more. This card does come with a $595 annual fee. (See Rates & Fees) Now, you can earn up to $200 in statement credits annually by getting up to $100 semi-annually for U.S. purchases with Dell. Terms apply. |
Redeeming Mileage Plan Miles
HawaiianMile are valued to be worth about $0.012 on average. This value can vay depending on how you use your miles.
Use your HawaiianMiles for award flights, starting as low as 7,500 miles one-way for travel within Hawaii and 20,000 miles between Hawaii and the West Coast.
Click here to view the official HawaiianMiles award chart.
Pualani Elite, Premier Club and Hawaiian Airlines Mastercard members enjoy exclusive flight award discounts.
Use your HawaiianMiles to book award travel with the following airline partners:
- Japan Airlines
- JetBlue
- Korean Air
You can only book roundtrip award tickets for the airlines above. There are no one-way, multi-city or stopover flights available. The only exception is JetBlue. Click here to view partner award charts.
Unfortunately, HawaiianMiles does not let you book partner award flights online. You’ll have to call the reservation line, with your membership number ready, instead.
If you booked your Hawaiian Airlines flight in cash, you can upgrade with miles up to 26 hours before departure. HawaiianMiles no longer publishes an upgrade award chart, but expect to pay around 25,000 to 50,000 miles for an upgrade.
If you wait until check-in, you can upgrade for even less miles.
Use your HawaiianMiles to redeem awards for hotel stays, rental cars, dining, shopping and more:
| Hawaiian Airlines hotel awards | Rates vary |
| Hilton Honors | 1 mile = 1 point Starting at 10,000 miles |
| Outrigger/Ohana Hotels | $25 gift certificate (5,000 miles) $50 gift certificate (7,500 miles) $100 gift certificate (15,000 miles) |
Rental Cars:
| Avis | $50 gift certificate (10,000 miles) $100 gift certificate (20,000 miles) $200 gift certificate (40,000 miles) |
| Budget | $50 gift certificate (10,000 miles) $100 gift certificate (20,000 miles) $200 gift certificate (40,000 miles)) |
Grocery, Shopping and Dining:
| 7-Eleven Hawaii | $25 gift certificate (5,000 miles) |
| 76 | $25 gift certificate (5,000 miles) |
| The Alley Restaurant | $25 gift certificate (5,000 miles) |
| Foodland | $25 gift certificate (5,000 miles) |
| Hele | $25 gift certificate (5,000 miles) |
| Maui Jim Sunglasses | 1 pair of sunglasses (25,000 miles) |
| Zippy’s Restaurants | $25 gift certificate (5,000 miles) |
Other options:
| Magazines | Rates vary |
| Newspapers | Rates vary |
| Points.com | Rates vary |
Share: You can gift your miles to anyone with a HawaiianMiles account. Those with a Hawaiian Airlines credit card can share their miles with another cardholder for free. Otherwise, you’ll have to pay a $25 service fee plus $0.01 per mile transfer fee. A minimum of 2,000 HawaiianMiles can be shared at a time.
Donate: Donate your miles to a participating charity. At the end of the year, Hawaiian Airlines will match up to a half million miles to each charity. Click here for a full list of participating organizations.
Your HawaiianMiles account expire after 18 months of inactivity. You can keep your rewards active by either earning or burning miles.
Source: For more information on redeeming HawaiianMiles, click here.
HawaiianMiles Tips & Tricks
To get the most value for your HawaiianMiles, use them for first- or business-class tickets on Korean Airlines, Virgin Atlantic or Virgin Australia. You’ll have to put in some legwork to get the best deals. Award reservations are only by phone and available seats are limited. But if you can score an award ticket this way, you’ll most likely get an insanely good value for your HawaiianMiles.
Below are our favorites:
Korean Airlines. For business class, expect spacious seats that lie flat, premium lounge service and access to a bar space in flight (where available). A trip between the United States and Korea will set you back just 200,000 miles for business class fare, which comes out to around $0.02 per mile without accounting for taxes and fees.
Virgin Atlantic. Upper Class on this airline features fully flat beds, lounge access and delicious inflight meals. A trip between London and Johannesburg in this class costs 125,000 miles, giving you an excellent value of $0.067 per mile (without taking taxes and fees into account).
Select Hawaiian Airlines flights. On some flights, you’ll find a hard time getting more than $0.01 per HawaiianMile. Especially on popular West Coast to Hawaii routes. Although one cent per mile isn’t a bad value, it’s not a great one either.
JetBlue. It’s almost impossible to get more than $0.01 per mile for JetBlue award travel. We suggest you avoid using your HawaiianMiles with this partner airline.
* The information mentioned above was independently collected and is subject to change
Bottom Line
Those who frequently travel in and out of Hawaii will gain a lot from joining the Hawaiian Airlines HawaiianMiles loyalty program. Using a co-branded Hawaiian Airlines credit card and flying with the carrier will quickly rack up a ton of miles for residents and frequent travelers.
In the case that you don’t often travel in and out of Hawaii then be sure to check out our page for more travel tips from other loyalty programs like Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan or Southwest Airlines Rapid Rewards. For more posts like this, check out our list of credit card bonuses.
Leave a Reply