As you might expect, Hawaiian Airlines provides one of the best ways to travel to and throughout the Aloha State. With hubs at both Honolulu and Maui, Hawaiian Airlines is one of few carriers that offer inter-island flights. The airline also offers flights between Hawaii and Australia, Japan, Korea, New Zealand, the Pacific Islands and of course the United States.
If you regularly travel with Hawaiian Airlines, joining the appropriately named HawaiianMiles frequent flyer program is a no-brainer. But the loyalty scheme is also worth considering for those who aim to make full use of Hawaiian’s airline partners, one of which is Virgin Australia.
Whether you dream of savouring the tropical paradise of Hawaii or embarking on new adventures with partner airlines, this guide will walk you through the ins and outs of HawaiianMiles. From signing up to earning elite status and maximizing redemptions, we’ll cover HawaiianMiles as seen by an Australian traveller.
In this post:
How To Join HawaiianMiles
Joining the Hawaiian Airlines HawaiianMiles frequent flyer program is pretty straightforward. Follow the below steps to create a free account;
Step 1: Visit the Hawaiian Airlines website.
Step 2: Locate the HawaiianMiles logo in the top right, and click “Join Now”.
Step 3: Complete the short form including your personal details and contact information, then click “Create Account”.
Upon successful registration, your account will be activated and you should receive a HawaiianMiles membership number via email. If you can’t find it, check your spam folder and ensure you have submitted your application correctly.
Earning Elite Status With HawaiianMiles
Hawaiian Airlines offers two “Pualani” status tiers beyond entry-level members, in addition to a paid membership tier. Pualani status is calculated based on flights in a calendar year (1st January to 31st December), and awards perks for the remainder of that year plus the following year. So, for example, if you unlock Pualani status in May of 2023, your status will remain for the rest of 2023 and all of 2024. In this example, your status would expire on 31st December 2024 if you didn’t fly enough to maintain Pualani status.
Flight segments and elite-qualifying miles are only earned on revenue fares with Hawaiian Airlines. Award travel or flights onboard partner airlines will not count towards status.
HawaiianMiles Member
To unlock/maintain: sign up for free.
Pualani Gold
To unlock/maintain: Fly 30 segments or 20,000 miles with Hawaiian Airlines annually.
Pualani Gold members enjoy status perks including;
- Preferred economy seating (member + 6 guests on the booking)
- Discounted Hawaiian Airlines reward flights
- Standby for an earlier ‘neighbour island’ flight on the same day
- Two checked bags with Hawaiian Airlines
- Priority phone customer service
- Priority check-in with Hawaiian Airlines
- Fast-track TSA security screening (where available)
- Access to Hawaiian Airlines’ Premier Club lounges
- Upgrades to Extra Comfort seats (where available)
- Priority boarding via Zone 2
- Priority-tagged baggage
- 50% bonus miles on Hawaiian Airlines flights
Pualani Platinum
To unlock/maintain: Fly 60 segments or 40,000 miles with Hawaiian Airlines annually.
Pualani Platinum members receive all the perks of Gold, plus;
- Book economy on sold-out ‘neighbour island’ flights 72h before departure
- Three checked bags with Hawaiian Airlines
- Access to The Plumeria Lounge in Honolulu (international flights)
- Access to partner lounges when flying Hawaiian Airlines (where available)
- First class upgrades on ‘neighbour island’ flights (where available)
- Ability to earn complimentary upgrade certificates for international flights
- Priority boarding via Zone 1
- 100% bonus miles on Hawaiian Airlines flights
Hawaiian Airlines Premier Club
To buy: US$299 or 40,000 HawaiianMiles annually
To maintain: US$249 or 35,000 HawaiianMiles annually
Paying for a Premier Club membership unlocks many benefits similar to Pualani Elite status, including;
- Priority check-in with Hawaiian Airlines
- Fast-track security screening at selected airports
- Two complementary checked bags with Hawaiian Airlines
- Priority boarding via Zone 2
- Access to Hawaiian Airlines’ Premier Club lounges
- Two annual passes to The Plumeria Lounge in Honolulu
- 25% discount on inflight purchases with Hawaiian Airlines
- Additional driver when renting a car with Avis or Budget
HawaiianMiles Airline Partners
While Hawaiian Airlines isn’t part of any major airline alliance, it does have a valuable network of global airline partners. You can earn HawaiianMiles by listing your membership number on an eligible flight booking with;
- China Airlines
- Japan Airlines
- JetBlue
- Korean Air (select flights)
- Virgin Atlantic
- Virgin Australia (select flights)
Redeeming flights on partner airlines is slightly complicated, as Hawaiian Airlines only allows its members to book award flights over the phone. You must book return award tickets, as one-way, multicity and stopover flights are not allowed.
You can redeem HawaiianMiles for award travel onboard the following partner airlines;
- Japan Airlines
- JetBlue
- Korean Air
- Virgin Atlantic
- Virgin Australia
How To Earn HawaiianMiles
Like most airline loyalty schemes, HawaiianMiles offers several ways for its members to collect miles. Plus, HawaiianMiles don’t expire, so there is no need to worry about keeping your account active.
Earning HawaiianMiles: Flights With Hawaiian Airlines
Hawaiian awards miles based on how far you fly, not how much you spend on flight bookings. Therefore HawaiianMiles really are miles, with every one mile flown earning you one HawaiianMile. When travelling in business or first class you’ll normally receive an additional 50% bonus miles, working out to 1.5 HawaiianMiles for each mile flown. Plus, if you have Pualani Elite status you might be entitled to another bonus, as listed above.
The downside is that you won’t earn HawaiianMiles when travelling on a “Main Cabin Basic” with fare with Hawaiian Airlines. This is Hawaiian’s cheapest ‘lite’ economy fare.
Earning HawaiianMiles: Flights With Hawaiian Partner Airlines
You can earn HawaiianMiles with six partnered airlines by listing your HawaiianMiles membership number on an eligible flight booking. Those airlines are;
- China Airlines
- Japan Airlines
- JetBlue
- Korean Air (select flights)
- Virgin Atlantic
- Virgin Australia (select flights)
Each airline partner follows a different set of earning rules, which are listed on Hawaiian Airlines’ website here.
Earning HawaiianMiles: Credit Cards
American Express recently announced that they would partner with Hawaiian Airlines. For every 2 Membership Reward Points transferred, you could receive 1 Hawaiian Mile.
Our favourite card is still the AMEX Platinum, which currently comes with a bonus of 150,000 Membership Rewards Points and AU$450 travel credit. You’ll also earn up to 2.25 Membership Rewards Points for every AU$1 spent, which when transferred, works out to a pretty cool 1.125 HawaiianMiles per AU$1.
A business class flight from Sydney to Honolulu clocks in at 65,000 HawaiianMiles + US$78 in taxes. That means that the AMEX Platinum signup bonus alone offers more than enough points to blast off to Hawaii in style.
Earning HawaiianMiles: Marriott Hotel Stays
Thanks to a partnership between Hawaiian Airlines and Marriott Bonvoy, you can choose to earn HawaiianMiles on hotel stays, instead of Marriott Bonvoy points. Once you opt-in, every $1 spent at a Marriott property worldwide will score you 2 HawaiianMiles.
Alternatively, you can continue earning Marriott Bonvoy points and later send them across to HawaiianMiles. Here, 3 Marriott Bonvoy points will transfer to 1 HawaiianMile.
Earning HawaiianMiles: Car Hire
HawaiianMiles can be earnt on car hire bookings with Avis, Budget and Payless Car Rental. Regardless of which car hire company you select, you will earn a set number of HawaiianMiles per booking. The earn rate will depend on your Pualani Elite status;
- HawaiianMiles: 250 miles
- Pualani Gold: 500 miles
- Pualani Platinum: 750 miles
How To Redeem HawaiianMiles
Once you’ve earnt enough HawaiianMiles, it’s time for the fun part – redeeming them!
As with most loyalty schemes, there are a few ways to make a redemption. Here are some of the best ways to spend your HawaiianMiles.
Redeeming HawaiianMiles: Hawaiian Airlines Flights
Redeeming for flights onboard Hawaiian Airlines will typically offer the most bang for your buck. Hawaiian Airlines’ redemptions follow a dynamic-pricing model, meaning the cost of a reward booking can vary with factors including demand and season. Thankfully, HawaiianMiles is one of the few loyalty schemes that actually publishes its dynamic charts.
For example, a one-way economy class flight from Sydney to Honolulu will cost anything from 35,000 to 140,000 HawaiianMiles. In business class, you’d be looking at either 65,000 or 130,000 HawaiianMiles.
To find the miles required for a specific route, check out the HawaiianMiles award chart here.
Redeeming HawaiianMiles: Partner Airlines
You can also redeem HawaiianMiles with selected partner airlines. In most cases, reward flights with partner airlines must be booked as a round-trip journey. Unfortunately, partner redemptions cannot be made via the Hawaiian Airlines website, you will need to call the reservations team.
HawaiianMiles can be redeemed for award travel onboard the following partner airlines;
- Japan Airlines
- JetBlue
- Korean Air
- Virgin Atlantic
- Virgin Australia
To find the miles required for a specific route, check the HawaiianMiles partner award chart here.
Redeeming HawaiianMiles: Gift Cards And Hotels
While HawaiianMiles can be redeemed for a number of rewards, we wouldn’t recommend burning your miles on gift cards or hotel stays. While occasionally useful, you’re not going to get much value out of these redemptions.
Frequently Asked Questions: Hawaiian Airlines HawaiianMiles
Do Hawaiian Airlines Miles expire?
HawaiianMiles do not expire.
How much does it cost to join HawaiianMiles?
HawaiianMiles is completely free to join, as any good frequent flyer program should be.
Is Hawaiian Airlines part of an airline alliance?
Hawaiian Airlines is not part of any major airline alliance such as OneWorld or Star Alliance.
Can I upgrade my flight using HawaiianMiles?
Hawaiian Airlines allows upgrades on certain flights and fare types using HawaiianMiles. Of course, those upgrades are subject to availability on your chosen flight.
What does “Pualani” mean?
Pualani is a Hawaiian word that means “flower of the sky” or “heavenly flower”. Within the HawaiianMiles program, Pualani recognises elite frequent flyer status.
Can I transfer HawaiianMiles to a friend or family?
HawaiianMiles can be transferred between members by calling the reservations team. Note there is a fee to transfer HawiianMiles.
How can I claim missing HawaiianMiles?
If you’re missing any HawaiianMiles, simply contact Hawaiian Airlines’ customer service. They’ll need the details of your flight and account to credit any miles that may be missing.
