Hawaiian Airlines is one of the few airlines that allows travelers to upgrade their flights using airline miles. The number of miles needed is based on the route/distance. Using HawaiianMiles, the name of Hawaiian Airlines’ loyalty program, to upgrade can also be done minutes after buying a ticket. The process is quite simple and can be a very good use of Hawaiian Airlines miles. Here’s a step by step guide on how to use Hawaiian Airlines miles to upgrade to first class!
Step 1: Sign up for a HawaiianMiles Account
This process isn’t possible if you don’t have a HawaiianMiles account. Signing up for an account is free. One thing to keep in mind is that transferring points from a flexible/transferrable currency (e.g., Chase Ultimate Rewards or American Express Membership Rewards) can be delayed if your account is new. As with nearly any points/miles redemption, time is of the essence, if not critical. Availability isn’t guaranteed, and points cannot be transferred back from the airline. It can be very anxiety inducing if you must wait for points to show up in your hotel or airline account after transferring from your credit card. I always recommend signing up with every transfer partner of your transferrable points. You might never use all of them, but it’s better than signing up for one right before trying to transfer points to it and getting the transfer of points delayed.
Be sure that the name you use matches the name on your credit card. Transfers will be delayed or rejected if names do not match exactly.
Step 2: Look For First Class Redemptions Available
When you are ready to plan your Hawaiian Airlines flights, log in to your HawaiianMiles account and search for the flights you want. Be sure to select the ‘Show Fare as Miles’ option. If a redemption for First Class shows up, then you will be able to upgrade from Economy.
Availability on some routes isn’t prolific, but it does open up. If you can’t find availability, then you might need to have some flexibility with your dates, route, and/or hope that a first class redemption becomes available.
Saver Availability
Most airlines have two values for redeeming miles. There is the “saver” fare which isn’t always available. Every airline has a different number of miles for saver fares. It varies by the route, too. On Hawaiian Airlines, the saver is 40,000 to 65,000 miles, depending on the route. If the first class redemption is a “saver” fare, then I would recommend booking it with miles. Transfer your points, as I describe in Step 4, and have fun in Hawaii! It won’t tell you it’s a saver fare; you’ll just have to trust me or look at the Hawaiian Airlines award charts.
Step 3: Book Your Flight
After finding a flight that has first class availability, buy your ticket in Coach. There is a small chance that a paid first class ticket is affordable. Book that if you want. Either way, do not buy a basic economy ticket, as they cannot be upgraded.
Finding Lie Flat Seats
Hawaiian Airlines offers several different first-class products. The seats on its wide-body airplanes are much better than those on its narrow-body airplanes; however, it doesn’t fly widebodies on all its flights to/from Hawaii. Flights with lie-flat seats will have an indication underneath the first-class price.
All their widebody airplanes have lie-flat seats, whereas their narrowbodies do not! These are either on Airbus A330s or Boeing 787 Dreamliners. The Airbus planes are older and have dated products. On the Airbus A330s, the first class seats are in a 2 x 2 x 2 configuration.
Their 787s are brand new and just entered service this year. These have a 1 x 2 x 1 configuration and have in-flight entertainment.
Step 3.5: Find Out How Many Miles You Need
As is the case with Hawaiian Airlnes’ HawaiianMiles redemptions, redeeming miles for a first class upgrade requires different amounts depending on the route. You only want to transfer the exact number of points you need – remember, they can’t be transferred back.
Call Hawaiian Airlines at 800-367-5320. Your hold time shouldn’t be too long, and the phone agents are very knowledgeable. Ask how many miles you need to upgrade your ticket. They should be able to tell you in a timely manner.
Step 4: Transfer Your Points
Hawaiian Airlines is a 1:1 transfer partner of American Express and Bilt. American Express points are a lot easier to earn than Bilt. Also, American Express charges an excise tax when transferring to a domestic transfer partner, but it is likely well worth it.Just follow these steps, or watch the animation below the steps.
- Log in to your AmEx account
- Select your Membership Rewards-earning card, if it isn’t already
- Go to Rewards & Benefits
- Scroll down until you see the Ready to Redeem section
- Click “Transfer Points” on the right side
- Click “View All”
- Scroll down to Hawaiian Airlines
- Click View Details
- Paste in your HawaiianMiles number if you haven’t already linked it, and click Continue
- Select the option to pay the excise tax fee on your credit card. Do not use points for this – it is a horrible redemption.
- Click on Review Transfer, then Submit Transfer
If everything was set up correctly, there shouldn’t be any delays, and the miles should be in your HawaiianMiles account quickly. If that is the case, you can do this while you’re on the phone with Hawaiian Airlines from Step 3.5, so you only need to call once.
Step 5: Call Hawaiian Airlines to Upgrade Your Flight to First Class
As you may have guessed, the only thing left is to call Hawaiian Airlines and ask to upgrade your ticket to first class using your miles. All the agents I talked to were knowledgeable. I didn’t have to explain multiple times what I wanted to know or do. Upgrading using HawaiianMiles miles seems it’s somewhat common so it only took a few minutes for them to process my request. I was even able to choose my seat over the phone.
Additional Notes
If your plans change or your preferred travel dates open up, you can change your flight with no change fee. You’d have to pay any difference in fare, but that is standard with nearly all airlines. The change, however, also has to be made over the phone.
Another thing is that you will earn HawaiianMiles for your flight, which you won’t if it were booked only using miles (in step 2). Economy tickets earn 100% of the miles flown, and first class earns 150%. Upgraded tickets earn miles based on the original cabin/fare class. I don’t know of it was a glitch or if it is different on Hawaiian Airlines, but I earned 150% on my upgraded ticket!
Merger with Alaska Airlines and How It Impacts This
Hawaiian Airlines recently merged with Alaska Airlines. The full impact isn’t quite known. What is known is that you will soon be able to transfer miles between the two airlines for free at a 1:1 transfer rate. I expect that to begin in early 2025. The fate of upgrading using Hawaiian Airlines miles is unknown, but I don’t think it’ll survive when the dust settles.
