How surf conditions can save you up to 30% on flights to Hawaii

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On the heels of Hawaii reopening its doors to tourists, Alaska Airlines has responded by bringing back its innovative Swell Deals promotion. Based on pure nature alone, this deal can save you up to 30% on flights to Hawaii.

Alaska Airlines Swell Deals

Partnering with global surf forecasting site Surfline, Alaska is running discounts on flights to and from Hawaii based on the height of the surf’s swell measured at five different locations around the islands.

Here’s how much you can save:

• If the swell is 0-3 feet you’ll get 10% off
• If the swell is 4-6 feet you’ll get 15% off
• If the swell is 7-12 feet you’ll get 20% off
• If the swell is 13+ feet you’ll get 30% off

To receive the discount, you’ll need to use the code BARRELED20 when searching for flights on Alaskaair.com. Additionally, the deal is only valid for flights between California and Hawaii.

The discount will change daily at approximately noon and 5 p.m. PDT. But what really makes this deal worthwhile is that the discount level will never actually drop. So once a swell has gotten large enough, you’ll be able to lock in a higher price. Right now it’s already at 9 feet, meaning you can save 20% off your flight to Hawaii.

You can monitor the discount level for the next few days and hope the swell continues to rise, since the promotion ends on Oct. 23. It’s valid for flights through Feb. 10, 2021. Right now, you can score some pretty gnarly deals, like this round-trip flight from Oakland to Kauai for $161.

Since you’ll have to pay cash to get the discount, make sure you use a credit card that earns bonus points on travel purchases, like the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card or the Chase Sapphire Reserve®.

Fortunately, you’ll earn Alaska miles since it’s a paid fare — and Alaska is the last major U.S. airline to actually award miles based on the distance flown. Meaning the ~4,900 miles you’d earn on round-trip flight between Oakland and Maui would be worth around $85 based on our mileage valuations!

Bottom line

Now that Hawaii is open for tourism, this promotion is definitely worth considering, especially since cash fares are already so low. Alaska has also partnered with a number of providers to offer discounted COVID-19 tests, since a negative test is required to enter Hawaii.

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Featured photo by Colin Anderson Productions pty ltd / Getty Images.