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The merger between Alaska Airlines and Hawaiian Airlines has been one of the biggest stories in aviation in the last year. It has been particularly relevant for award travelers due to Alaska's robust partnership network and attractive loyalty program. When the merger added transfers between HawaiianMiles and Alaska Airlines, it effectively created a loophole to transfer Amex Membership Rewards to Hawaiian Airlines and then to Alaska Airlines.
That backdoor way of earning Alaska Mileage Plan miles is about to close. Effective June 30, 2025, Hawaiian Airlines will no longer be a transfer partner of American Express. That means you'll want to transfer Amex points to HawaiianMiles by June 29, 2025 to be sure not to miss out.
So, now's the time to make a transfer so you don't miss out.
Amex Transfers to Hawaiian Airlines End June 30
While this news is disappointing, the fact that Amex gave customers six weeks' notice was adequate time to assess whether to transfer points from Amex to Hawaiian and how many points there are at that. But time is almost up, as transfers are officially ending effective June 30, 2025.
If you are on the fence about whether or not to transfer points, you can read all about Alaska's sweet spot redemptions here. Among the highlights, your Amex to Hawaiian to Alaska miles could be used for redemptions such as:
- Flying domestic American Airlines economy flights less than 700 miles for 4,500 Alaska Miles.
- Fly business class to Europe starting at 45,000 miles in business class.
- Book LATAM Airlines to South America starting at 35,000 miles in business class.
Related: How to Use Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan Miles to Fly to Every Continent
How to Transfer Amex Points to Alaska Mileage Plan
Until this unique transfer opportunity, the only way to get Points to Alaska Mileage Plan was through Bilt Rewards. This will continue to be the case, but if you have plans — or anticipate plans — to use Alaska miles and have Amex Membership Rewards, here is how you go about transferring before June 30th.
You can navigate to the “Rewards and Benefits” section of your Amex account and choose the number of miles to transfer to HawaiianMiles. Note there is a $0.0006 per point (with a maximum fee of $99) excise tax when transferring.
You can then go to the Hawaiian/Alaska points portal to complete the transfer. You will have to login to both loyalty accounts during the process.
Related: Ultimate Guide to Amex Transfer Partners
Bottom Line
Amex is ending transfers to Hawaiian Airlines, which also means the end of the Amex-to-Hawaiian-to-Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan loophole. Transfers will officially stop on June 30, 2025.
Now’s the time to consider whether you can benefit from using Alaska miles for future travel and make the transfer before the deadline. We generally don’t recommend speculatively transferring points, since it locks your miles into one program, but this could be a rare exception if you plan to take advantage of Alaska’s low-priced awards and strong partner network.
If you're looking to further boost your Alaska Mileage Plan balance, check out this offer on the Alaska Airlines Visa Signature® credit card:
- LIMITED TIME ONLINE OFFER-Buy One, Get One + 50,000 Bonus Miles!
- Buy one ticket, get one for just the taxes and fees ($0 fare plus taxes and fees from $23) and get 50,000 bonus miles with this offer. To qualify, make $3,000 or more in purchases within the first 90 days of opening your account.
- Get Alaska's Famous Companion Fare™ ($99 fare plus taxes and fees from $23) each account anniversary after you spend $6,000 or more on purchases within the prior anniversary year. Valid on all Alaska Airlines flights booked on alaskaair.com.
- Earn unlimited 3 miles for every $1 spent on eligible Alaska Airlines purchases. Earn unlimited 2 miles for every $1 spent on eligible gas, EV charging station, cable, streaming services and local transit (including ride share) purchases. And earn unlimited 1 mile per $1 spent on all other purchases. And, your miles don't expire on active accounts.
- Earn a 10% rewards bonus on all miles earned from card purchases if you have an eligible Bank of America® account.
- Free checked bag and enjoy priority boarding for you and up to 6 guests on the same reservation, when you pay for your flight with your card - Also available for authorized users when they book a reservation too!
- With oneworld® Alliance member airlines and Alaska's Global Partners, Alaska has expanded their global reach to over 1,000 destinations worldwide bringing more airline partners and more ways to earn and redeem miles.
- Plus, no foreign transaction fees and a low $95 annual fee.
- This online only offer may not be available elsewhere if you leave this page. You can take advantage of this offer when you apply now.
- Earn unlimited 3 miles for every $1 spent on eligible Alaska Airlines purchases
- Earn unlimited 2 miles for every $1 spent on eligible gas, EV charging stations, cable, streaming services and local transit (including ride share) purchases
- Earn unlimited 1 mile for every $1 spent on all other eligible purchases
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