Category Archives: Hawaiian Airlines

News You Can Use – Hawaiian Air Increase Virgin Atlantic Redemptions, Transfer BMI Points to British Airways, 35% Membership Rewards Transfer Bonus to Virgin Atlantic

Posted on November 28, 2012 by | 2 Comments

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 1.   Hawaiian Air Increases Virgin Atlantic Awards.  I wrote earlier that using Hawaiian Air miles for award flights on Virgin Atlantic was a great use of Hawaiian Air miles and shared my experience booking an award.  That was because the award chart was reasonable – only 100,000 Hawaiian Air miles to London and 140,000 miles to the rest of the world – and because you didn’t pay the expensive fuel  surcharges when using Hawaiian Air miles.

One Mile at a Time reports that Hawaiian Air has changed the award chart and Virgin Atlantic awards have got much more expensive. Continue reading →

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Posted in British Airways, Hawaiian Airlines, Hilton HHonors, Virgin Atlantic

Daraius’ November 2012 App-O-Rama – 6 Cards. 205,000 Miles & Points + 4 Free Hilton Nights (~200,000 Points)

Posted on November 27, 2012 by | 75 Comments

 [Emily and I get a referral for links to the Citi Hilton Reserve, Chase Southwest cards, the Barclays Frontier Airlines card, & Credit Sesame but not for the Bank of America Hawaiian Airlines card in this post.  We're very grateful to all readers who apply using our links!]

Emily and I set travel goals and we then collect miles and points to get to those   goals.  Our goals are quite simple.  We want to have enough miles and points to travel within the US in coach to visit friends and family and to have weekend getaways.

We also want to travel internationally 2 to 3 times a year – ideally in business or first class, but we’ll choose a flight in coach if it means less connections and more time on the ground (like we did when we visited Brazil during Carnival).

We also need hotel points since we have to stay somewhere.  We don’t really care which airline we fly or hotel we stay in as long as we can save money while traveling.  I’m partial to Hyatt because I’m a Hyatt diamond, but I won’t say no to free or cheap hotel stays.

Credit Card
Sign-On Bonus
Minimum Spending Required
Annual Fee
Total205,000 Points + 4 Free Nights$10,750 in 4 Months$496 Not Waived For 1st Year
Chase Southwest Premier Business50,000 Bonus Points$2,000 in 3 Months$99 Not Waived For 1st Year
Chase Southwest Plus Personal 50,000 Bonus Points$2,000 in 3 Months$69 Not Waived For 1st Year
Citi Hilton Reserve2 Free Weekend Hilton Nights (~100,000 Hilton points)$2,500 in 4 Months$95 Not Waived For 1st Year
Citi Hilton Reserve2 Free Weekend Hilton Nights (~100,000 Hilton points)$2,500 in 4 Months$95 Not Waived For 1st Year
Barclays Frontier Airlines35,000 Miles $750 in 3 Months$59 Not Waived For 1st Year
Bank of America Hawaiian Airlines35,000 Miles (Transferable to 70,000 Hilton Points)$1,000 in 4 Months$79 Not Waived For 1st Year

I applied for 6 credit cards the day before Thanksgiving and was approved for all of them after ~1 hour on the phone, so I had extra reason to be grateful on Thanksgiving.   In case you’re wondering, I have a ~12 year credit history and a credit score above 700.  This churn focused on domestic US travel and hotel stays. Continue reading →

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Posted in American Express, Bank Of America, Chase, Churning, Citibank, Frontier, Hawaiian Airlines, Southwest

How to Book Virgin Atlantic Award Flights With NO Fuel Surcharges Using Hawaiian Airline Miles!

Posted on October 22, 2012 by | 19 Comments

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MileValue suggested that you may be able to book Virgin Atlantic award tickets with NO fuel surcharges if you use Hawaiian Airline miles.

I just booked a Virgin Atlantic Upper Class (business class) ticket, from Chicago to London, for a friend and did NOT pay fuel surcharges!  100,000 Hawaiian Airline miles and $298 for a ticket which costs ~$4,000+ isn’t too shabby!

I priced out the same trip in economy which cost 50,000 Virgin Atlantic miles and $196 in taxes and fees.

WHAT’S THE BIG DEAL?

This opens up another great use of Hawaiian Airline miles besides using them for flights to Hawaii on Hawaiian Airlines or transferring them to Hilton at a 1:2 ratio.

In fact, using Hawaiian Air miles is the cheapest way to experience a flight on Virgin Atlantic – either in economy, premium economy or in Upper Class.  Virgin Atlantic doesn’t have First Class, but their Upper Class gets good reviews.

For example, it costs 90,000 Virgin Atlantic miles (as opposed to using Hawaiian Air miles) and $1,127 in taxes, fees, & fuel surcharges for a round trip Upper Class flight using Virgin Atlantic miles from Chicago to London.

$1,127 in Fuel Surcharges When Using Virgin Atlantic Miles for Virgin Atlantic Flight

In contrast, my friend paid 100,000 Hawaiian Airline miles and $298 in taxes and fees of which $215 were UK air passenger duty for flying in business class – for booking the same flight on Virgin Atlantic by using Hawaiian Air miles!

Continue reading →

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Posted in American Express, Bank Of America, Hawaiian Airlines, Virgin Atlantic

Emily’s September 2012 App-O-Rama – 5 Cards. 170,000 Miles & Points + 4 Free Hilton Nights

Posted on October 4, 2012 by | 50 Comments

 [Emily and I get a referral for links to the Citi Hilton Reserve, Chase Ink Bold, American Express Business Gold Rewards and Credit Sesame in this post.  We're very grateful to all readers who apply using our links!]

Credit Card
Sign-On Bonus
Minimum Spending Required
Annual Fee
Total170,000 Points + 4 Free Nights$21,000 (or $11,000 for 25,000 Fewer Points)$269 Not Waived; $270 Waived
Citi Hilton Reserve2 Free Weekend Hilton Nights (~100,000 Hilton points)$2,500 in 4 months$95 Not Waived For 1st Year
Citi Hilton Reserve2 Free Weekend Hilton Nights (~100,000 Hilton points)$2,500 in 4 months$95 Not Waived For 1st Year
Chase Ink BoldCurrently 50,000 points after spending $5,000 within 3 months. (Used to be 25,000 Ultimate Rewards Points after 1st purchase; 25,000 after Spending $10,000 Within 3 Months)0Currently $5,000 within 3 months. (Used to be none for 1st 25,000 points; $10,000 within 3 Months for extra 25,000 points)$95 Waived for 1st year
Bank of America Hawaiian Airlines35,000 Miles (Transferable to 70,000 Hilton Points)$1,000 in 4 months$79 Not waived for 1st year
American Express Business Gold Rewards 50,000 Membership Rewards Points$5,000 within 3 months$175 Waived For 1st Year

Emily applied for 5 credit cards in September.  So far, she’s been approved for 4 cards for 120,000 miles and points + 4 free Hilton nights.  In case you’re wondering, Emily has a 6.5 year credit history. Continue reading →

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Posted in American Express, Bank Of America, Business Credit Cards, Chase, Churning, Credit Cards, Hawaiian Airlines, Hilton HHonors, Hyatt, Student, United Airlines, Virgin Atlantic

Book American Airlines Award Flights Like a Pro: Part 6 – International Award Routes

Posted on March 5, 2012 by | 85 Comments

Book American Airlines Awards Like a Pro:

American Airlines through its oneworld and non-oneworld partner airlines offer a lot of choices when booking international awards.

However, none of these partner airlines (except Alaska Air) can currently be booked via AA.com.  I get lots of emails from folks who can’t find award availability when they search online.  That’s because only American Airlines and Alaska Airlines results show up online and you don’t see availability on the many other partner airlines.

However, American Airlines has pledged to include more partner airlines online and British Airways awards could soon be available online at AA.com

You’ve got to call AA reservations (800-433-7300) and pay a $25 fee to book via the telephone.  But paying this fee is worth it, because it opens up so many possibilities when booking award tickets! Continue reading →

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Posted in Airline Award Booking, Alaska Airlines, American Airlines, British Airways, Hawaiian Airlines, Jet Airways, oneworld

Book American Airlines Award Flights Like a Pro: Part 5 – American Airlines, Alaska Airlines & Hawaiian Airlines for North American awards

Posted on February 21, 2012 by | 84 Comments

 Book American Airlines Awards Like a Pro:

American Airlines Awards

Booking travel within North America (as defined by American Airlines) using American Airlines miles is very easy to do (if there are award seats available) and can be completed on AA.com (unless you’re booking seats on Hawaiian Airlines).

According to American Airlines, North America refers to the US (including Hawaii and Alaska), Canada, Mexico, Bermuda, the Bahamas and the Caribbean.

For flights within North America, you can use your American Airlines miles for award flights on:

  • American Airlines (including American Eagle etc.)
  • Alaska Airlines
  • Hawaiian Airlines
  • Cathay Pacific from New York (JFK) to Vancouver, Qantas from Los Angeles to New York (JFK), and LAN from New York (JFK) to Toronto

You can search for award seats on American Airlines and Alaska Airlines online at AA.com and you can complete or put the booking on hold at AA.com

You can hold your award for 5 days if booked between 330 and 15 days prior to departure, 1 day if booked within 14 days of departure, and for 2 hours if booked within 24 hours of departure.  There is NO charge for holding an award. Continue reading →

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Posted in Alaska Airlines, American Airlines, Hawaiian Airlines, oneworld

Book American Airlines Award Flights Like a Pro: Part 4 – One-way, Openjaws, Stopovers, & North American Gateway Cities

Posted on February 16, 2012 by | 122 Comments

 Book American Airlines Awards Like a Pro:

One-way Awards

American Airlines lets you book one-way award tickets.

This is great because it gives you a lot of options.  For example, you can book a one-way ticket to Rome using American Airlines miles, but book a return one-way ticket using United or Continental miles.

Openjaws

This is a silly geeky way of saying that you fly from your origin (City A) to your destination (City B) , but then fly back from another city (City C) to your origin (City A). Continue reading →

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Posted in Airline Award Booking, American Airlines, British Airways, Hawaiian Airlines, Jet Airways, oneworld

1 Million in 1 Year: How I Earned 1 Million Miles & Points From Credit Card Bonuses in 2011

Posted on January 30, 2012 by | 76 Comments

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 [I currently earn a referral for only 2 out of the 16 cards mentioned in this post - The American Express SPG card and the Citi Thank You Premier card which  Emily and I both applied for.  As always, we are very grateful to the readers who apply for those cards using the links on the blog!]

When CNN Travel interviewed me in November 2011, I had earned only~900,000 miles and points for the year.

But I ended 2011 with over 1 million miles and points from credit card sign-up bonuses, and my credit score is still above 730.

That’s worth $10,241 if you assume a very conservative value of 1.5 cents per SPG point,  1 cent per airline mile, & 0.6 cents per Hilton and Priority Club hotel point.

Credit Card Churn

Daraius & Emily at the Holiday Inn Phi Phi, Thailand

Much more importantly, Emily and I have had terrific memories thanks to miles and points such as traveling to India in First Class, having a weekend proposal in London, visiting Brazil during Carnival, surprise birthday getaways, flying to see our families more often, and taking our parents on trips they otherwise wouldn’t have gone on. Continue reading →

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Posted in Alaska Airlines, American Airlines, American Express, Bank Of America, Barclays, Business Credit Cards, Chase, Churning, Citibank, Continental Airlines, Credit Cards, Denial & Reconsideration, Hawaiian Airlines, Hilton HHonors, Southwest, Starwood (SPG), US Air, Virgin Atlantic

500 Free Hawaiian Airline Miles

Posted on December 7, 2011 by | 22 Comments

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Link:  500 Free Hawaiian Airline Miles

500 Free Hawaiian Airline Miles

500 Free Hawaiian Airline Miles

Elina (thanks!) writes in to tell us about an easy 500 Hawaiian Airlines miles by linking your Twitter account to your Hawaiian Airlines account. Continue reading →

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Posted in Hawaiian Airlines

Shhhh…Earn 60,000 Free Hawaiian Airlines Miles a Year (or 120,000 Hilton Points)

Posted on November 22, 2011 by | 54 Comments

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Hawaiian Airlines Toolbar

Link:  Hawaiian Airlines Toolbar

Hawaiian Airlines Toolbar

Hawaiian Airlines Toolbar

I’m really, really lucky to have terrific readers who not only help each other on the blog, but share ideas in the comments and email so that we can all earn more miles and points to have Big Travel with Small Money! Continue reading →

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Posted in Hawaiian Airlines, Hilton HHonors