Aloha! 6 Ways to Book Flights to Hawaii with Points & Miles

Hawaii is a dream destination for many travelers, with its crystal blue waters and unbeatable white-sand beaches. Especially as most of us are staring down the barrel of fall and winter, a trip to the Hawaiian Islands sounds like the perfect warm-weather escape.

The only problem? Whether you’re paying cash or using miles, getting to Hawaii can be expensive. But it doesn’t have to be.

We’ll show you a few of our favorite ways to use points and miles to score (nearly) free flights to Hawaii. That includes taking advantage of limited-time flash sales, as well as some strategies that allow you to use partner programs to book for a fraction of what your favorite domestic airline is charging.

With Hawaii more popular than ever, it's time to strategize how to get there for cheap this year or next and finally scratch it off your bucket list.

30K Roundtrip … Nationwide

We saved arguably the best deal for first.

To be perfectly clear: This isn't the absolute cheapest option on this list … and it requires a little additional legwork to book. But it merits the top spot because unlike many other options, this one is available from every corner of the U.S., and you're not left relying on a limited-time promotion to make it work. Add in generally solid availability, points that are easy to earn, and it should be the first (and last) stop for most travelers headed to Hawaii. 

For years, one of the cheapest ways to book flights to the islands involved Avios. And that's still true in 2026 … just not the Avios you might be thinking of. Finnair adopted Avios as its award currency back in 2024, opening the door to one of the cheapest ways to get to the Hawaiian Islands (from anywhere in the U.S.), flying American Airlines – just 15,000 Avios each way, or 30,000 Avios roundtrip!

But here's the catch: You can't book these awards online. Instead, you'll have to scope out partner availability with Alaska Airlines, British Airways, or others first, then call or chat with a Finnair agent to book. Generally speaking, whatever availability you find online to fly American Airlines metal with one of those partners will also be available to Finnair at these lower rates. 

Personally, I prefer to start with Alaska Airlines because they offer a handy calendar feature that lets me view a full month of award availability at a time. Here, you'll want to look for one-way award rates costing 25,000 Atmos Rewards points and $26 in taxes and fees – that includes Alaska's $20 partner award booking fee, so you'll know you're on the right track before going any further.

From there, it's not a bad idea to cross-reference those dates with British Airways. If you're seeing availability in both places, it's a pretty good bet that Finnair will see it (and be able to book it), too.

For example, I found a roundtrip on American Airlines from Miami (MIA) to Honolulu (HNL) using Alaska's award calendar and then turned around and plugged those dates into British Airways' site. Everything matched up as I hoped, meaning these dates should be bookable through Finnair for much less. 

Next, you'll need to call Finnair at +1 929 474 6049 or +1 323 694 7646 in order to book – or better yet, chat online with an agent. This may require some trial and error: Not every Finnair agent knows how to book these American or Alaska flights … but the savings are worth it.

Just to emphasize how good this deal is, take a look at what British Airways is charging above: 88,000 Avios and $11.20 in taxes and fees. With Finnair, you'll need just 30,000 Avios and the same (or similar) taxes and fees – that's like getting three tickets for the price of one! Best of all, it's the same price from any airport with AA service (big or small).

If you're OK shelling out a few more Avios, you can also book Alaska/Hawaiian economy flights from 19,500 Avios each way … or a little more for Hawaiian's long, nonstop flight from New York City (JFK) to Honolulu. 

And since you can freely transfer Avios from British Airways, Iberia, Qatar, or any other program that uses them, earning the necessary points couldn't be easier. You can transfer them to any one of these Avios airlines from nearly every bank and transferable points program on the market. 

Lie-Flat Seats From 38K Each Way

If you're looking for a fancier way to get to Hawaii, Finnair has you covered there, too. You can book Hawaiian's fancy first class suites for as little as 38,000 Avios each way. 

If you time it right, you might even be able to take advantage of a big transfer bonus to one of the Avios airlines and drop that cost even lower … as was the case with this deal we sent our Thrifty Traveler Premium members a few weeks ago.

The lowest rates (38,000 Avios) in this deal were on Hawaiian's routes to and from Las Vegas (LAS), Los Angeles (LAX), and Sacramento (SMF) – but you'll find similar pricing to Phoenix (PHX) and San Diego (SAN). Meanwhile, flights from Seattle (SEA), San Francisco (SFO), and Oakland (OAK) could be had for just 48,000 Avios each way. 

Getting a lie-flat seat for the same price some airlines charge for a one-way in economy is pretty tough to beat … even if it does require a phone call (or chat) to book. 

Roundtrip Flights from 12K Southwest Rapid Rewards

If you're looking for the absolute cheapest way to get to Hawaii using points and miles, look no further than Southwest Rapid Rewards.

Southwest often runs a big award sale on flights all over the country – and when they do, you can often score flights to Hawaii at rock-bottom rates … at least from some cities. Take a look at this: Just 12,000 Rapid Rewards points and $11.20 is enough for roundtrip flights from a handful of cities on the West Coast.

If you're starting further east in a city like Denver (DEN), there are deals to be had there, too – just 18,000 Rapid Rewards points and the same taxes and fees. 

Things (typically) get pricier when departing from the Midwest or East Coast – but even then, Southwest is worth a good, hard look if you've got a stash of Rapid Rewards points and your sights are set on Hawaii. These deals get even better if you've got Southwest's coveted Companion Pass, which lets you bring your favorite travel buddy along with you for just the taxes and fees. 

You can earn Southwest points by flying with the airline (of course), swiping a co-branded Southwest Rewards credit card, or transferring points 1:1 from Chase Ultimate Rewards. 

Delta Flash Sales From 12K SkyMiles Roundtrip, Too!

Southwest isn't the only airline that'll fly you to Hawaii for just 12,000 miles roundtrip, though. Delta will do it, too … at least from one city. 

Just last week, our Thrifty Traveler Premium team unearthed some rock-bottom pricing on Delta flights from Seattle to four different Hawaiian Islands. And it's no coincidence that these flights were from Seattle … and only Seattle. Delta is trying its darndest to win over Seattle-based travelers from Alaska Airlines, and no doubt offered this juicy deal to hit the hometown airline where it hurts.

The best deals were to Maui (OGG) and Kauai (LIH) for just 15,000 SkyMiles roundtrip – or as low as 12,400 roundtrip with Delta's TakeOff 15 benefit for cardholders.

But you could also fly to Honolulu or Kona (KOA) for just a little more: 19,000 SkyMiles and 16,000 SkyMiles roundtrip, respectively, and even less with a 15% discount. 

While this is one of the best SkyMiles deals we've ever seen Delta offer on roundtrip flights to Hawaii, it's not uncommon to see respectable pricing from other cities across the U.S. during one of the airline's routine flash sales. 

Book Nonstop Delta Flights with Flying Blue for Less

But what do you do if you want to fly Delta and they're not running one of the flash sales, highlighted above? This is your best bet.

So long as you're flying nonstop, you can typically save a boatload of miles by booking through Air France/KLM Flying Blue instead. Take this nonstop flight from Minneapolis-St. Paul (MSP) to Honolulu (HNL), for example. Just 51,000 Flying Blue miles and $44 in taxes and fees are all you need for this roundtrip. 

Best of all, booking through Flying Blue means you're getting a main cabin ticket with free seat assignment and the ability to cancel for a modest fee – no stingy basic economy awards here. 

Meanwhile, Delta is charging a whopping 140,300 SkyMiles for the exact same itinerary. 

If you've got American Express Membership Rewards points (both are 1:1 transfer partners), the choice is clear: You can (nearly) book three roundtrip tickets to Hawaii with Flying Blue for the price of one with Delta.

At the very least, it's worth comparing Delta and Flying Blue to see which is the better deal.

United from 45K Roundtrip

Last, but certainly not least, is a deal for United fans. Using both United MileagePlus miles or Air Canada Aeroplan points, you can fly from practically anywhere in the U.S. – even longer nonstop routes like Newark (EWR) to Honolulu or tiny airports like Sioux Falls, SD (FSD) – for 25,000 miles each way or 50,000 roundtrip. 

If you've got a United co-branded credit card or elite status, you can drop the price to just 45,000 miles roundtrip, thanks to United's new discounted award pricing.

Considering you can transfer points from American Express, Capital One, Chase, Bilt, and Rove to Air Canada, getting the points needed for one of these bookings is pretty easy. With United, you can transfer 1:1 from both Chase and Bilt. 

Bottom Line

Whether you go next month or next year, it’s time to check Hawaii off your wish list. With the help of some out-of-the-box points strategies, great partner airline redemptions, and Thrifty Traveler Premium, cheap flights to Hawaii may be more attainable than you originally thought. 

With travel to Hawaii more popular than ever, it's time to strategize how you can get there for less.