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This Hawaiian Miles buy points promotion has ended. However, you can still purchase HawaiianMiles here.
Hawaiian Airlines just released its latest buy miles promotion, coming out at the same time as Alaska's latest 60% bonus promotion. From now through 11:59 pm HST on May 21, 2025, you can grab Hawaiian Airlines miles for as little as 1.87¢ apiece. That's almost as good as the 1.85¢ per mile rate that you can currently buy Alaska miles for.
What does Alaska have to do with Hawaiian, you might ask? Well, HawaiianMiles transfer 1:1 to Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan miles! Since the airlines merged, Mileage Plan opened two-way transfers between the respective loyalty programs. Alaska miles are incredibly valuable, and you can use opportunities like this to purchase Alaska miles for less than then it sells its own miles for — that is, if Alaska isn't running the same or similar promotion simultaneously.
Let's dive into some of the details of this promotion and see if and when it makes sense to buy HawaiianMiles.
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Buy HawaiianMiles Offer Details
With this being the fifth Hawaiian buy miles promotion we've covered, we don't have many historical offers to compare, but this 50% bonus has potential value for anyone with an upcoming trip they could book through HawaiianMiles — or for those looking to make a transfer to Alaska Mileage Plan.
Here are the basic terms for this offer:
- This 50% bonus promotion allows members to grab HawaiianMiles for as cheap as 1.87¢ each.
- The promotion is valid until 11:59 pm HST on May 21, 2025.
- Members can purchase miles in increments of 1,000 miles up to 60,000 miles — then in increments of 5,000 up to 100,000 miles.
- Buy up to a maximum of 100,000 miles per transaction (before the bonus).
- Members can purchase (or be gifted) a maximum of 150,000 miles per year.
- Bonus miles do not count towards the annual maximum of 150,000 miles.
- Purchased miles will be credited to the HawaiianMiles member’s account upon completion of the transaction.
- Additional terms for purchasing and gifting miles can be found here.
- All transactions are non-refundable and subject to the HawaiianMiles terms and conditions.
Wondering how long it takes to receive your miles? Data points from AwardWallet users show that HawaiianMiles purchases are processed in an average of 6 hours. The Hawaiian Airlines terms state that miles will be “credited upon completion of the transaction,” but some AwardWallet users have seen delays. If your miles don't post immediately, track your purchase using AwardWallet's Balance Watch Tool to get alerted as soon as the miles hit your account.
Hawaiian buy miles bonus tiers
This promotion has four tiers — with three of them containing a bonus. Members can buy miles at the following rates:
- 1,000–2,000 miles: No bonus (2.8¢ each)
- 3,000–9,000 miles: 30% bonus (2.16¢ each)
- 10,000–19,000 miles: 40% bonus (2¢ each)
- 20,000–100,000 miles: 50% bonus (1.87¢ each)
The minimum amount of HawaiianMiles you can buy with the 50% bonus is 20,000 miles. You'll end up with 30,000 miles (20,000 base miles + 10,000 bonus miles) for a cost of $560.45. That comes out to 1.87¢ per mile.
If you were to maximize this offer, you'd receive 150,000 HawaiianMiles (100,000 base miles + 50,000 bonus miles) for $2,802.25 — still 1.87¢ apiece.
It's important to be aware that Hawaiian Airlines charges a tax recovery fee of 1.86% — which is much lower than the usual 7.5% fee most airlines charge. But it still changes the total cost of your purchase when all is said and done, so just keep that in mind so it doesn't catch you by surprise at checkout.
How To Use Your HawaiianMiles
Hawaiian Airlines uses an award chart system when redeeming HawaiianMiles for flights. There are two types of award charts:
- Flights operated by Hawaiian Airlines (showing prices for one-way trips)
- Flights operated by Hawaiian Airlines' partners (listing prices for round-trip travel unless otherwise noted)
Now that the merger with Alaska Airlines has officially gone through, we now know that both airlines have agreed to maintain the value of each loyalty program. That's a huge piece of news for those who are big in the points and miles game.
Honolulu–Sydney in Hawaiian Airlines business class
At close to 11 hours, the flight from the capital of Hawaii to Australia's largest city is quite a haul. That makes grabbing a premium cabin seat for this journey worth it, especially for only 25,000 more HawaiianMiles than the rate you'll pay for economy:
- Mileage rate: 65,000 miles each way + $25
- Typical cash price: $5,795-$6,488 round trip
- Redemption rate: 4.42¢-4.95¢ per mile
- Cost to purchase 66,000 miles (after a 50% bonus): $1,233 each way
- Cost to purchase exactly 65,000 miles at 1.87¢ each: $1,216 each way
Honolulu–Auckland in Hawaiian Airlines business class
At an hour and a half less flying time than to Sydney, this flight to Auckland, New Zealand, has a considerably more expensive cash rate — so you'll be able to get a better bang for your buck on this flight. If you're a Lord of the Rings fanatic like I am, you can see the appeal of taking a trip to the country where they filmed the greatest trilogy ever made (sorry, Godfather, the third one ruined it and gave the top spot to these masterpieces):
- Mileage rate: 65,000 miles each way + $40
- Typical cash price: $6,342-$7,142 round trip
- Redemption rate: 4.82¢-5.43¢ per mile
- Cost to purchase 66,000 miles (after a 50% bonus): $1,233 each way
- Cost to purchase exactly 65,000 miles at 1.87¢ each: $1,216 each way
It's important to remember that the “typical cash price” isn't always the right way to think about your savings per mile spent. You aren't really saving that amount if you'd never consider paying the sticker price out of pocket. A better approach for those who don't usually buy business-class tickets is to start with the economy price and add the amount you'd be willing to pay for an upgrade to a lay-flat, business-class experience.
Several other loyalty programs are offering cheap flights to Hawaii using miles, so be sure to shop around first before you pull the trigger on buying Hawaiian miles during this 50% bonus promotion.
Redeem through Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan
If traveling to or through Hawaii isn't in the cards, you might find better value by transferring your purchased miles to Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan. You can use these miles to book awards on Oneworld partner airlines, plus several non-alliance partners. Purchasing miles opens the door to booking trips for less than you'd pay outright.
We've dedicated a post to Mileage Plan sweet spots, but here are two examples to highlight the value of these miles:
New York–Frankfurt in Condor business class
Buying miles allows you to book flights in transatlantic business class for far less than you'd pay outright. For example, you could pay $3,800 to book a round-trip ticket between New York and Frankfurt in Condor business class — or you could purchase miles and book the same round-trip for less than half the sticker price.
- Mileage rate: 55,000 miles + $49 each way
- Typical cash price: $3,800 round trip
- Redemption rate: 3.37¢ per mile (based on round-trip pricing)
- Cost to purchase 55,500 miles (after a 50% bonus): $1,037 each way
- Cost to purchase exactly 55,000 miles at 1.87¢ each: $1,029 each way
Wilmington–Washington D.C in American Airlines economy class
One of my favorite uses of Alaska miles is for short-haul flights under 700 miles. You'll only have to drop 4,500 miles + $19 one way for these awards — which can be a downright bargain depending on the cash fares. For example, flights between Wilmington, NC (ILM) and Washington, D.C. Reagan (DCA) will run you a few hundred dollars each way. But when purchasing the necessary miles during this promotion, you can grab a one-way route for a little over $103 (including taxes).
- Mileage rate: 4,500 miles + $19 each way
- Typical cash price: $296 round trip
- Redemption rate: 2.87¢ per mile (based on round-trip pricing)
- Cost to purchase 5,200 miles (after a 30% bonus): $112 each way
- Cost to purchase exactly 4,500 miles at 1.87¢ each: $84 each way
Should You Buy HawaiianMiles?
There are specific instances when buying miles can make sense. For example, buying miles can be a good idea if you need to top off your account to make a redemption. You should also consider buying miles if the overall cost is cheaper than the cash fare for your desired flight. Both instances are magnified when there's a sale such as this one.
We'll reiterate that if you are considering purchasing Alaska miles when they aren't running a promotion simultaneously with Hawaiian, you're better off purchasing HawaiianMiles and transferring them to Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan at a 1:1 ratio. With this 50% bonus, you'll pay 1.87¢ each — which is a far better rate than the 2.96¢ apiece base rate Alaska sells its miles for.
But if there happens to be a concurrent Alaska Mileage Plan promotion (such is the case now), you'll want to check the value for each deal and compare. For instance, Alaska is currently selling its miles for 1.85¢ apiece through its 60% bonus promotion. Right now, you'd be better off buying Alaska miles. However, there are other cases when you'd get a better purchase rate when purchasing HawaiianMiles and transferring them to Alaska.
Just make sure to always compare the cost-per-mile for each airline and go with the one that provides the better value — and from there you can transfer either way depending on what's best for your situation.
Maximize Your HawaiianMiles Purchase
Like with so many other airlines, Hawaiian sells its miles via Points.com. That means your purchase won't code as a flight purchase or trigger the travel category on most credit cards. Consider using one of these payment methods:
- A credit card where you're currently working on a sign-up bonus. These are the best welcome offers available now.
- A credit card offering benefits you can unlock from spending, such as hotel free night awards, hotel elite status, or airline elite status.
- Your best credit card for everyday spending, such as the Citi Double Cash® Card or Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card.
- Earn 75,000 Miles once you spend $4,000 on purchases within the first 3 months of account opening
- 5X miles on hotels, vacation rentals and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel
- 2X miles on all other purchase
- Fee credit for Global Entry or TSA Pre✔® (up to $120)
- No foreign transaction fees
- $95 annual fee
- 5X miles per dollar on purchases through Capital One Entertainment (through 12/31/2025)
- 5X miles per dollar on hotels, vacation rentals and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel
- 2X miles per dollar on all other purchases
Related: Which Credit Card Should You Use To Buy Points and Miles?
Bottom Line
Buying Hawaiian Airlines miles for as little as 1.87¢ apiece during this 50% bonus promotion is a good option if you're planning a trip to Hawaii or want to stock up on valuable Mileage Plan miles on the cheap. Not every trip will make sense to book with miles versus paying a cash airfare, but there are plenty of good opportunities to be found in Hawaiian's current award chart and Alaska Airlines' distance-based charts.
Just make sure to keep in mind that the merger between the two airlines is seemingly resulting in concurrent promotions between Alaska and Hawaiian — so always check to see if only one of the two airlines is running a promotion in order to grab the other miles in a cheap, roundabout way.
If you want to take advantage of this promotion to buy HawaiianMiles, you have until 11:59 pm HST on May 21, 2025, to do so. Just make sure to always do the math for your specific situation when comparing and contrasting the two airlines, and go with the one that suits you better.
Would you buy Hawaiian Airlines HawaiianMiles for 1.87¢ apiece?
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