Hawaiian Airlines is a U.S.-based airline, but don’t let its name fool you. The airline offers flights that span the globe, including destinations in North America, the South Pacific, Asia and, naturally, the major islands of Hawaii.

HawaiianMiles is the airline’s loyalty program. Members earn HawaiianMiles and redeem them for award travel, car rentals, gift cards and more. As with any airline loyalty program, there are pros and cons to be aware of so you can maximize your earnings and redemptions when the time comes.

History

Hawaiian Airlines’ humble beginning dates back to 1929. At first, the airline only offered $5 sightseeing tours in a tiny monoplane. But later, two eight-passenger aircraft were added to the fleet, and the airline began flying between the Hawaiian Islands.

The following years were a time of growth for the airline, and the world watched it set new records in aviation firsts. In 1979, for example, an all-female crew made history when they operated a certified scheduled U.S. air carrier flight—the first time a crew of only women had done such a thing.

Today, Hawaiian Airlines is a flourishing enterprise that flies approximately 260 flights daily and serves millions of customers each year.

How To Earn HawaiianMiles

To earn HawaiianMiles, you’ll need a free loyalty account. Joining only requires basic information (name, address, birthday and phone number) and takes just a minute or two to complete.

Once you have finished registration, you’ll receive your loyalty number and you can begin earning HawaiianMiles immediately.

HawaiianMiles, like most loyalty program miles, can be earned through activities other than flying with the airline. With Hawaiian Airlines, those activities range from flying to spending with a co-branded credit card and more.

Flying Hawaiian Airlines

Each flight you take with Hawaiian Airlines is an opportunity to earn HawaiianMiles. How many you earn will depend on a few factors—namely, the distance flown, cabin class and level of elite status you’ve achieved in the loyalty program.

Earn With Status Miles

Holding elite status with Hawaiian Airlines will allow you to earn even more miles each time you fly. Hawaiian Airlines offers two tiers of elite status: Pualani Gold and Pualani Platinum. There’s also a paid membership with certain elite benefits: Premier Club.

Each elite status tier earns bonus miles for flights at the following rates:

  • Pualani Gold: Earn 50% bonus miles. Members will also earn a flat 500 HawaiianMiles each way in the main cabin for Neighbor Island flights (flights within the islands of Hawaii) and 750 in first class.
  • Pualani Platinum: Earn 100% bonus miles. Pualani Platinum members also earn a flat rate of 500 HawaiianMiles each way for Neighbor Island flights in the main cabin and 750 in first class.
  • Premier Club: Earn a flat 500 miles each way for Neighbor Island flights in the main cabin and 750 in first class.

Earning Status With Hawaiian Airlines

Reaching elite status with Hawaiian Airlines not only lets you earn bonus miles when flying, but also provides exclusive perks and benefits that can make your experience more enjoyable and potentially save you loads of money. But first, you’ll need to qualify.

Here are the elite status tiers, requirements for each and the best perks:

Pualani Gold: Fly 30 segments or earn 20,000 miles

  • Zone 2 priority boarding on flights for the member plus two guests
  • Complimentary upgrades
  • Priority TSA security lines where available
  • Complimentary access to preferred seats for the member and up to six travel companions

Pualani Platinum: Fly 60 segments or earn 40,000 miles

  • Zone 1 priority boarding on flights for the member plus two guests
  • Complimentary upgrades
  • Priority TSA security lines where available
  • Access to select international partner lounges for the member plus one guest
  • Complimentary access to preferred seats for the member and up to six travel companions

Premier Club: As of January 1, 2025, Hawaiian Airlines’ Premier Club memberships are no longer available for purchase, but current members still enjoy the following.

  • Two one-time passes to The Plumeria Lounge each year
  • 25% Pau Hana cart discount in-flight
  • Discount on flight awards when booking on HawaiianAirlines.com
  • Zone 2 priority boarding on Hawaiian Airlines flights

When it comes to qualifying segments and miles for status, only flights scheduled and operated by Hawaiian Airlines are eligible. That means that activities like flying with partner airlines or using a co-branded HawaiianMiles credit card will not count toward elite status requirements.

Flights on Partner Airlines

For such a large entity, it may be a surprise that Hawaiian Airlines is not a part of any major airline alliance. This doesn’t mean Hawaiian Airlines has no partners, however. In fact, Hawaiian Airlines has codeshare agreements with several major airlines.

  • Alaska Airlines (AS)
  • Hawaiian Airlines’ codeshare partners:
  • China Airlines (CI)
  • Japan Airlines (JL)
  • JetBlue Airways (B6)
  • Korean Air (KE)
  • Virgin Australia (VA)

Additionally, Hawaiian Airlines markets with the following airlines:

  • Alaska Airlines (AS)
  • American Airlines (AA)
  • China Airlines (CI)
  • Delta Air Lines (DL)
  • Japan Airlines (JL)
  • JetBlue Airways (B6)
  • Korean Air (KE)
  • Philippine Airlines (PR)
  • Turkish Airlines (TK)
  • United Airlines (UA)

How many HawaiianMiles you earn depends on which partners you fly with. Each partner airline has its own earning rate and stipulations.

Let’s take a look at JetBlue to get an idea of the earning potential.

A JetBlue flight credited to your HawaiianMiles account will earn at the above rates. If you fly in JetBlue’s premium cabin, Mint, in one of the booking classes included, you will earn 125% bonus miles. For a flight that is 500 miles in distance, you would earn 625 bonus miles for a total of 1,125 HawaiianMiles.

Credit Cards

Grabbing a co-branded Hawaiian Airlines credit card is one of the best ways to quickly load up on HawaiianMiles. Two credit cards earn HawaiianMiles—one business option and one personal card. Both are issued by Barclays:

  • Hawaiian Airlines® World Elite Business Mastercard®*: Earn 50,000 bonus HawaiianMiles after spending $4,000 on purchases and paying the annual fee in full, both within the first 90 days. You’ll also earn 3 HawaiianMiles per dollar on eligible Hawaiian Airlines purchases, 2 miles per dollar on gas, dining and office supply store purchases and 1 mile per dollar on all other purchases. The annual fee is $99.
  • Hawaiian Airlines® World Elite Mastercard®*: Earn 70,000 bonus HawaiianMiles after spending $2,000 on purchases within the first 90 days. The card earns 3 HawaiianMiles per dollar on eligible purchases made directly from Hawaiian Airlines, 2 HawaiianMiles per dollar on gas, dining and grocery store purchases and 1 HawaiianMiles per dollar on all other purchases with an annual fee of $99.

Read more. Best Credit Cards of 2025

Transfer Partners

Hawaiian Airlines’ co-branded credit cards are not the only option for earning HawaiianMiles through spending. Using a flexible-currency credit card can allow you to earn points and convert them to HawaiianMiles.

American Express Membership Rewards points transfer to HawaiianMiles at a rate of 1:1.

Amex has loads of cards that earn Membership Rewards points that transfer to Hawaiian Airlines, including:

  • The Platinum Card® from American Express: Eligible new cardmembers can earn 80,000 Membership Rewards Points after spending $8,000 on eligible purchases on the card in the first 6 months of card membership. You’ll also get 5 Membership Rewards Points per dollar for flights booked directly with airlines or with American Express Travel on up to $500,000 per calendar year, 5 points per dollar on prepaid hotels booked with American Express Travel and 1 point per dollar on other eligible purchases. The annual fee is $695. (Terms apply. See rates & fees.)
  • American Express® Gold Card: Eligible new cardmembers can earn 60,000 Membership Rewards points after spending $6,000 on eligible purchases in the first 6 months of card membership. You’ll earn 4 Membership Rewards® points per dollar at restaurants worldwide (on up to $50,000 in purchases per calendar year, then 1 point per dollar), 4 Membership Rewards® points per dollar at US supermarkets (on up to $25,000 in purchases per calendar year, then 1 point per dollar), 3 Membership Rewards® points per dollar on flights booked directly with airlines or on American Express Travel, 2 Membership Rewards® points per dollar on prepaid hotels and other eligible purchases booked on American Express Travel and 1 point per dollar on all other eligible purchases and the annual fee runs $325. (Terms apply. See rates & fees.)
  • The Blue Business® Plus Credit Card from American Express: 15,000 Membership Rewards points after spending $3,000 in eligible purchases in the first 3 months of account opening. The card earns 2 Membership Rewards points per dollar on everyday business purchases up to the first $50,000 spent per year, then 1 point per dollar on all other purchases. No annual fee. (Terms apply. See rates & fees.)

Marriott Bonvoy, while not a credit card program, allows its Bonvoy points to be converted to airline miles for loads of loyalty programs—Hawaiian Airlines being one of them. You’ll get 1 HawaiianMile for every 3 Marriott Bonvoy points transferred.

Here are some the best Marriott Bonvoy credit cards that allow you to convert your points to HawaiianMiles:

  • Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant® American Express® Card: Eligible new cardmembers can earn 185,000 Marriott Bonvoy bonus points after spending $6,000 on purchases within the first six months of account opening. You’ll also earn 6 Marriott Bonvoy® points for each dollar of eligible purchases at hotels participating in the Marriott Bonvoy® program, 3 Marriott Bonvoy® points per dollar at restaurants worldwide and on flights booked directly with airlines and 2 Marriott Bonvoy® points per dollar on all other eligible purchases. The annual fee is $650. (Terms apply. See rates & fees.)
  • Marriott Bonvoy Boundless® Credit Card*: Eligible new cardmembers can earn 3 Free Night Awards (each night valued up to 50,000 points) after spending $3,000 on purchases within the first 3 months from account opening. You can earn 6 points per dollar at participating Marriott Bonvoy hotels, 3 points per dollar each year (up to $6,000 spent) on combined grocery stores, gas stations and dining purchases and 2 points per dollar on all other purchases with an annual fee of $95.
  • Marriott Bonvoy Bold® Credit Card*: This annual fee card comes with 30,000 bonus points after spending $1,000 on purchases in the first three months of account opening. It also earns 3 points per dollar at hotels participating in the Marriott Bonvoy program, 2 points on groceries, rideshare, select food delivery and streaming and on internet, phone and cable services and 1 point per dollar on all other purchases.

Hawaiian Airlines Marketplace

The Hawaiian Airlines Marketplace is a one-stop shop for earning bonus miles on purchases from Hawaii-based companies—and some partners in the U.S. mainland, too—and includes activities like dining and shopping. You can find the entire list of merchants on the Hawaiian Airlines app.

To be eligible to earn bonus HawaiianMiles, you’ll need to use your co-branded Hawaiian Airlines credit card to pay at an eligible partner.

Buying HawaiianMiles

Buying HawaiianMiles is a simple way to stock up, but the odds are that it will not result in a particularly optimal value. Generally speaking, only consider purchasing miles when you need to top off your account for an award flight redemption.

HawaiianMiles can be purchased in increments of 1,000 miles, up to 60,000 miles at a time and in increments of 5,000 up to 100,000 per transaction, and there is no annual limit to how many you can buy.

Other Ways To Earn HawaiianMiles

Rental Cars

If you need to rent a car, check out Hawaiian Airlines’ partner rental companies to see what kind of deals are available. Currently, HawaiianMiles members can earn 250 bonus miles for each car rental at the following agencies:

  • Avis
  • Budget
  • Payless Car Rental

You can earn even more if you hold elite status with the airline. Pualani Gold elites get 500 bonus miles, while Pualani Platinums can earn 750.

How To Redeem HawaiianMiles

On Hawaiian Airlines Flights

Airlines including United, American Airlines and Delta have switched to a dynamic pricing model from traditional award charts. Hawaiian Airlines is one of the few that still publishes an award chart, and it’s simple to use.

Hawaiian’s award chart is organized into a region-based map. Those regions have set price points that vary according to season—busier seasons mean a redemption will cost more miles compared to slower seasons (Discounted Award Amount), which cost fewer. Rates are further divided by flight class—a flight in economy will cost fewer miles than a seat in first class.

The following is an example from the HawaiianMiles award chart with flights from Hawaii to the West Coast of North America. Discounted Award Amounts start at 17,500 HawaiianMiles and jump up from there.

On Flights With Partners

HawaiianMiles can be redeemed for flights on partner airlines. Each partner has its own redemption rates, so you’ll need to check the award chart for the airline you are interested in using your miles for. Note that when redeeming your HawaiianMiles for flights on partner airlines, you can only do so for roundtrip flights, not for one-way or multicity travel.

While each partner has unique redemptions, there is one point of continuity among each—all award charts will have you pay less for economy class, and the rates will go up as you upgrade cabins. For example, the following chart is for airline partner Virgin Atlantic. Economy class is the cheapest option and prices jump significantly from there.

Fees

Infant Fees

Hawaiian Airlines’ child fee policies are relatively generous compared to some airlines. There are no additional fees for children under 2 years old flying as a lap infant when flying throughout Hawaii (neighboring islands) and the rest of North America. For international flights, 10% of the adult fare plus taxes and fees will need to be paid.

For children under the age of 2 flying in their own seat, you can expect to pay the following fees:

Type of Flight Cost
Neighbor Island and North America Flights
Full adult fare
International Flights (excluding Pago Pago/Papeete)
75% of the adult published fare (plus taxes and fees)
Flights Between Pago Pago/Papeete and North America
67% of the adult published fare (plus taxes and fees)

Baggage Fees

One way airlines love to make money is through charging customers exorbitant fees for their baggage. Fortunately, there are a few ways to reduce or avoid these fees:

  • Become a member of HawaiianMiles. Merely opening a HawaiianMiles loyalty account will save you money on checked baggage fees. For flights to Neighbor Islands, you’ll pay $15 instead of $30on the first checked bag and $20 instead of $40 for the second.
  • Hold a Hawaiian Airlines® World Elite Mastercard®*. The primary cardholder can earn two complimentary checked bags on Hawaiian Airlines-operated flights. International flights are excluded. Note that the business version of this card does not give any free or discounted checked baggage allowance.
  • Have elite status. Pualani Gold elite status holders and Premier Club members get their first two checked bags free when flying on Hawaiian Airlines flights. Pualani Platinums get three free checked bags on Hawaiian Airlines-operated flights. Additionally, elite status holders and Premier Club members who hold the Hawaiian Airlines World Elite Mastercard get one complimentary checked bag in addition to their membership baggage allowance. This applies to domestic or Neighbor Island tickets directly from Hawaiian Airlines purchased using the Hawaiian Airlines World Elite Mastercard.
  • Show military travel orders. Get up to five checked bags for no fee when traveling on official military orders.

Family Pooling

You’ll need to hold one of the following: Hawaiian Airlines® World Elite Mastercard®*, Hawaiian Airlines® World Elite Business Mastercard®*, Hawaiian Airlines Visa credit card-Japan or check cardholder (primary cardholders only) to pool HawaiianMiles for free with family members.

Noncardholders can also pool HawaiianMiles but for a service fee. You’ll have to call the airline’s reservation team to complete a transfer.

Other Ways To Redeem HawaiianMiles

Gift Cards

HawaiianMiles can be used to redeem gift certificates for use at other partners. You won’t find increased value when redeeming your miles for these options, but if you have extra miles and don’t have any other use for them, these can be a solid backup plan.

  • Foodland
    • $25 gift card for 5,000 HawaiianMiles
  • Koa Pancake House
    • $25 gift card for 5,000 HawaiianMiles
  • The Alley Restaurant
    • $25 gift card for 5,000 HawaiianMiles
  • Kono’s Restaurant
    • $25 gift card for 5,000 HawaiianMiles

Quirks

Expiration

HawaiianMiles never expire. As long as your account remains open, your miles will live on.

Bottom Line

Hawaiian Airlines is a pretty standard loyalty program that doesn’t offer increased value like you can get from some competitor airlines. If you’re already flying with the airline, sign up to maximize your earnings. But if you’re seeking an airline to give your loyalty to, you may be better off with a different program.

To view rates and fees for The Platinum Card® from American Express please visit this page.
To view rates and fees for the American Express® Gold Card please visit this page.
To view rates and fees for The Blue Business® Plus Credit Card from American Express please visit this page.
To view rates and fees for the Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant® American Express® Card please visit this page.