I’m within the midst of a little bit of a points predicament. I’m attempting to determine what number of of my American Express Membership Rewards points I’m going to transfer to Hawaiian Airlines’ HawaiianMiles program — and, by extension, Alaska Airlines’ Mileage Plan program — earlier than it is too late.
Here’s the scenario: Last fall, when the 2 airways formally merged, one thing of a points and miles loophole opened up that allowed Amex members to successfully convert Membership Rewards points into Alaska miles — one of the crucial helpful loyalty currencies of any U.S. airline.
It’s a little bit of an end-around course of. Hawaiian is a longtime Amex transfer companion. And, as a part of the merger final 12 months, the 2 airways (run by one guardian firm) launched a brief method to transfer your miles between the HawaiianMiles and Mileage Plan applications at a 1:1 ratio.
Currently, you’ll be able to transfer your Amex points to Hawaiian, then transfer your Hawaiian miles to Alaska. It’s a reasonably enticing choice, since Alaska miles go a good distance.
However, Amex members could soon lose this Amex-to-Hawaiian-to-Alaska work-around. Here’s what to know.
Alaska Airlines and Hawaiian Airlines are shifting to 1 loyalty program
Alaska is at the moment engaged on firming up the main points of a single loyalty program that will function the connective tissue between the Alaska and Hawaiian airline manufacturers, very like Flying Blue is the joint loyalty program for sister airways Air France and KLM.
In an interview with TPG, a spokesperson from Alaska Mileage Plan made it clear that they do not love the concept of the continuation of Amex transfers — or, actually, any versatile rewards foreign money transfers. (Note that Bilt Rewards is a direct transfer companion of Alaska.)
“For us, creating a market opportunity that wasn’t intended through, say, a third party, that’s not our objective. And when given the opportunity to kind of close that door, we will,” Alaska’s loyalty chief, Brett Catlin, informed me in October 2024.
So, does that imply the Amex work-around is probably going on the outs?
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“Exactly,” Catlin mentioned, including, “Our intent is not to have a transferable currency where guests can earn across competitor cards, to be totally honest.”
As a reminder, Alaska has hinted {that a} new premium bank card may doubtlessly accompany the rollout of its new loyalty program. And a part of the airline’s purpose is to drive its frequent flyers to its personal suite of playing cards.
Officially, the airline has not but introduced any agency plans to finish the HawaiianMiles partnership with Amex. However, different Hawaiian partnerships are winding down within the coming months.
Several HawaiianMiles partnerships are ending in summer time 2025
After June 30, HawaiianMiles members will now not give you the chance to redeem their miles for award flights with the next companions:
- JetBlue
- Japan Airlines
- Virgin Atlantic
- Virgin Australia
- Korean Air
- China Airlines
Additionally, journey should be booked no later than Feb. 28, 2026.
Since HawaiianMiles members can already hyperlink their accounts to Alaska Mileage Plan — to ebook flights utilizing Alaska miles and to faucet into reciprocal frequent flyer and elite standing (not to point out status-matching) perks — Alaska’s partnership with a number of of the identical carriers inherently permits you to nonetheless give you the chance to use your Hawaiian miles for these redemptions, so long as you transfer your miles to your Mileage Plan account.
While an finish date hasn’t been confirmed or disclosed for the Amex and Hawaiian partnership, we would not be shocked if the cardboard program out of the blue ends level transfers that very same day.
Alaska Airlines and Hawaiian Airlines modifications are coming
This wind-down of these (and different) HawaiianMiles partnerships comes as the corporate makes an extra flurry of postmerger strikes to be part of the airways underneath one operation. Just this week, TPG reported the carriers would shift terminals at some main hubs to place the airways nearer collectively. Hawaiian is planning to be part of Alaska within the Oneworld alliance by 2026.
Next month, Seattle-Tacoma International Airport (SEA) will launch as a brand new worldwide gateway for the airline manufacturers, with an inaugural Hawaiian-operated flight from SEA to Tokyo’s Narita International Airport (NRT) on May 12.
What do I do with my Amex points?
This brings me again to my very own Amex points. I’ve about 170,000 points, thanks to earnings from each The Platinum Card® from American Express and the American Express® Gold Card.
I do not need to utterly deplete my stash with an enormous transfer to anybody companion. After all, you may get vital mileage out of your points from different companions, similar to Virgin Atlantic Flying Club and Air Canada Aeroplan. Heck, JetBlue’s new TrueBlue take care of Japan Airlines opened up some doubtlessly enticing candy spots.
But I do know I’ll use — and possible get respectable worth out of — Alaska miles.
Why Alaska miles are helpful
Alaska maintains a distance-based chart for its companions, which suggests its award pricing is not topic to the identical “dynamic” forces that may lead to eye-popping redemption charges on high-demand flights with different carriers.
For instance, you’ll be able to ebook a transatlantic flight from the U.S. East Coast to Europe for 22,500 miles, or a lie-flat business-class seat for as few as 45,000 miles, one-way.
I’ve additionally gotten vital worth on quick home flights with a hefty money worth. For occasion, I just lately redeemed 4,500 miles on what would have been an costly flight in January from North Carolina to Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport (DCA).
So, transferring a good chunk of my Membership Rewards points to the Seattle-based provider looks as if a prudent transfer earlier than this short-lived work-around (maybe) comes to an finish.
The greatest lingering query I’m wrestling with: Just what number of points do I transfer?
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