Over 5/24? Use These Cards to Get Upcoming Southwest Hawaii Flights for Cheap This Year

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We’re excited about new Southwest Hawaii flights that will hopefully start soon.  More competition means lower prices – and Hawaii is an amazing destination.

That’s why the current Chase Southwest card offers are so worthwhile.  Through February 11, 2019, you can earn the Southwest Companion Pass AND 30,000 Southwest points by spending $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months of account opening with these cards:

  • Southwest Rapid Rewards Plus Credit Card
  • Southwest Rapid Rewards Premier Credit Card
  • Southwest Rapid Rewards Priority Credit Card

The Southwest Companion Pass lets you take another person of your choice with you for free, as long as you pay taxes and fees.  So you can get serious “mileage” out of these sign-up bonuses when Southwest starts flying to Hawaii!

But what if you’re over 5/24 and not eligible to apply for Chase cards?  Consider the:

Hawaii Is One of My Favorite Places on Earth! If You’re Over 5/24, You Can Still Get Cheap Flights With Other Card Offers

Here’s what you need to know!

Get Cheap Southwest Hawaii Flights AND Flexibility With These Card Deals

When Southwest begins flying to Hawaii, we’re expecting the average fares to range from $250 to $350 for round-trip coach flights…from the West Coast at least.  Although we’ve seen so many fare deals recently, it seems you can get a bargain from any US city with enough patience.

And it’s worth it.  Hawaii is one of my favorite destinations – I always think of it fondly.  That’s why, like lots of folks, I’m excited to pay less for a visit!

If you’re over 5/24, here are 4 other cards to consider. 🌅

Remember, you will also earn elite status credit and frequent flyer miles when you book with them!

1.   US Bank Altitude Reserve to Book Any Flight for Free in Real-Time

Apply Here:   U.S. Bank Altitude™ Reserve Visa Infinite® Card

Our Review of the US Bank Altitude Reserve

This is one of my favorite cards.

With the US Bank Altitude Reserve card, you can earn 50,000 points (worth $750 in travel) after spending $4,500 on qualifying purchases within 90 days of account opening.

And you’ll earn:

  • 3X points per $1 on travel purchases
  • 3X points per $1 on mobile wallet purchases (like Apple Pay or Google Pay)
  • 1X points on all other purchases

Each point you earn is worth 1.5 cents each toward nearly any travel purchase.

Akaka Falls on the Big Island Is a Spectacular Sight

Plus, you can redeem your points for flights in real-time via text!

My Favorite Feature Is Real-Time Rewards With the US Bank Altitude Reserve Card

The sign-up bonus is worth $750 toward travel.  That could easily get you 2 or 3 free flights to Hawaii, depending on when you go.  Plus, you can book on any airline.

2.   Choose Southwest as Your Airline and Get a 35% Points Rebate with the Amex Business Platinum

Apply Here:   The Business Platinum® Card from American Express

Our Review of the American Express Business Platinum

When you open the American Express Business Platinum Card, you can earn up to 75,000 Membership Rewards points after meeting tiered minimum spending requirements.

That’s enough for nearly $1,400 worth of airfare!  With this card, you also get 35% of your redeemed points back in your account for coach flights on an airline of your choice (including Southwest).  Just book through the AMEX travel portal using Pay With Points (up to 500,000 points per calendar year).

You can also get $200 in statement credits per calendar year for airline incidentals like early boarding or flight standby.

Sunsets Over the Marina in Honolulu – Nothing Else Like ‘Em

With this card, the welcome offer is worth between 4 and nearly 6 free flights to Hawaii, depending on how fast your points rebate posts.

3.   Get $700 to Plan Your Next Hawaiian Adventure With the Barclaycard Arrival Plus

Apply Here:   Barclaycard Arrival Plus® World Elite Mastercard® 

Our Review of the Barclaycard Arrival Plus

With the Barclaycard Arrival Plus, you can earn 70,000 miles (worth $700 in travel) after spending $5,000 within the first 90 days of opening your account.

The cool thing about this card is you get 5% of your redeemed miles back in your account.  Keep in mind, you can only redeem for travel purchases of $100+.

That shouldn’t be an issue with your Hawaii flights.  And this sign-up offer could get you 2 or 3 free flights to Hawaii on an airline of your choice.

The annual fee is waived the first year (then $89).  And you’ll earn 2X miles on every purchase.  Nearly everyone on the MMS team has had this card at some point, myself included.

This is the highest sign-up offer there’s ever been!

4.   Capital One Venture to Earn 2X Miles Everywhere and Keep the Free Flights Rolling In

Apply Here:   Capital One® Venture® Rewards Credit Card 

Our Review of the Capital One Venture

With the Capital One Venture card, you’ll get 2X Venture miles per $1 spent on every purchase.  And you’ll earn 50,000 Venture miles after you spend $3,000 on purchases within the first 3 months from account opening.

That’s enough for 2 free flights to Hawaii!  Plus, the annual fee is waived the first year.

Island Life Is a Nice Life, Even for Bagels

This card is ideal for folks who want simplicity.  The points are easy to redeem for any travel purchase in any amount.  So you can be ready when the next fare sale pops up, no matter which airline it’s on!

Bottom Line

If you’re eligible, the new Southwest personal card offers are stellar.  Earning a Southwest Companion Pass as a sign-up bonus is a sweet deal!

But if you’re not, there’s no reason to miss out on cheap flights to Hawaii.

You can do well with any of the other cards above.  Be sure to read each card review for full details about each one.  Remember, you’ll earn elite status credit and miles when you fly.  And each card gives you more flexibility with which airline you fly.  You can even fly on Southwest if you want to.

What’s your strategy to get cheap flights with points?

Million Mile Secrets features a team of points and miles experts who have traveled to over 80 countries and have used 60+ credit cards responsibly to accumulate loyalty points and travel the world on the cheap! The Million Mile Secrets team has been featured on The Points Guy, TIME, Yahoo Finance and many other leading points & miles media outlets.

Editorial Note: We're the Million Mile Secrets team. And we're proud of our content, opinions and analysis, and of our reader's comments. These haven’t been reviewed, approved or endorsed by any of the airlines, hotels, or credit card issuers which we often write about. And that’s just how we like it! :)

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