Looking for advice on traveling to Hawaii. I have family in Sacramento area, so we would like to fly there first for a few days and then go to Maui for a week. Hubby has never flown that far and this is my idea to break up the trip plus visit family too. The airport we usually fly out of is Albany, NY. I searched a bit just to get ideas and saw Hawaiian airline pop up and when I checked flights it was about $1100 round trip for two from Sacramento, but there was also a pop up saying I could apply for a Hawaiian airline credit and and get 60,000 miles and 50% off a companion ticket. I was going to try and book with SW because I already have CP with them. We also have some URs 80,000 and both of us have 70,000 each from AA cards. Any suggestions?
Curious as to why, on the bolded? Barclays? Yeah I know, ick. I am in the same dilemma, but I want to go lie flat, and Hawaiian seems to be the same points, every single day for the flight I need, so I can predict, and know what I would need to book it. But if I don't book them, then yes, I know I would be stuck with those miles :-(
AA is allllllllllllll over the place, so I have no idea if I have enough points or not, and that makes me nervous. I would be looking at last day or so of August next year, so I figure that would be booking in the near future, and want to have things lined up by then.
So as for my thoughts on the Barclays Hawaiian Airlines card --
- The Hawaiian Airlines credit card is currently offering 60,000 HawaiianMiles after a $2,000 MSR within the first 90 days of account opening, with a first year ($99) AF waived. This offer expires 9/4/19.
https://www.doctorofcredit.com/barclays-60000-hawaiian-airlines-bonus-annual-fee-waived-first-year/
- The above is just about a best offer, but you may be able to do better by applying in-flight when the flight attendants come around with applications for this card. On our flight back in January, the in-flight offer was 60,000 HawaiianMiles after one purchase within the first 90 days of account opening. However, the AF was not waived. DoC covered this offer here:
https://www.doctorofcredit.com/6000...e-credit-card-bonus-in-flight-paper-app-only/
- But of course, you'll necessarily have had to pay for your flights to/from Hawaii on Hawaiian Airlines in order to access the in-flight offer, which doesn't do you much good unless you have a plan to return to Hawaii on miles.
- Barclays recently offered a 70,000 HawaiianMiles SUB on the business version of the Hawaiian credit card, but you know how YMMV Barclays is about their biz cards approvals after the fact.
https://www.doctorofcredit.com/barclays-70000-mile-hawaiian-business-offer/
- I think the standard offer is now around 50k HawaiianMiles. It's crept up over the years because I remember when the standard offer was 35k HawaiianMiles and you had to do a dummy booking to get the 50k HawaiianMiles offer.
- The 50% off companion ticket discount or $100 off companion ticket discount every anniversary doesn't work with HawaiianMiles redemptions. ("Offer may not be combined with, applied to, or applied towards HawaiianMiles flight awards redeemed using HawaiianMiles.") So if you're just flying as a couple, P1 can't redeem miles for an award flight and then apply the 50% off or $100 off discount toward their companion's cash fare. ("Both passengers (primary cardmember and companion) must be booked for travel on the same flight record, fare and class of service, and must travel on all flight segments together.") I think you may even need to purchase the tickets using the Hawaiian Airlines credit card.
- If you pay for your ticket (or even award fees) with your Hawaiian credit card, you get a free checked bag.
- Just to be clear, the companion discounts are good on R/T coach between Hawaii-Mainland USA.
- Some pros in favor of the Hawaiian credit card are the primary cardholder can receive transfers of HawaiianMiles from anybody for free. This makes it very easy to pool HawaiianMiles into the primary cardholder's account. As a Hawaiian credit cardholder, you get access to Hawaiian's discounted awards (subject to availability).
So, what are HawaiianMiles worth?
http://hawaiianair.custhelp.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/2218/~/hawaiianmiles-award-chart
Hawaiian recently moved towards variable pricing. So although they still have an award chart, the award pricing will fall in a range and I think Hawaiian even increased the upper ranges of their award prices.
https://onemileatatime.com/hawaiian-airlines-award-chart-changes/
Again, having the Hawaiian credit card and booking from the primary cardholder's HawaiianMiles account will give you access to the "Discounted Award Amount." You could fly from the West Coast (e.g., Sacramento SMF) to Hawaii (e.g., Maui OGG) for as little as 35,000 HawaiianMiles R/T. I'm seeing a lot of 35k R/T availability for SMF-OGG departing late-February through about 3/5/20, and returning the following week on weekdays. Other dates are running about 43,750 R/T.
However, if the primary cardholder books with miles, you won't be able to use the companion discount; unless you have more than 2 passengers and can use the miles on passenger 3 and/or 4, and pay cash for you and your companion.
I don't know how HawaiianMiles compares with SW Rapid Rewards+Companion Pass, so it's worth comparing before opening a new (Hawaiian) card that'll count against 5/24.
Another option we've discussed is Hawaiian is a partner of Virgin Atlantic (VS). You can transfer Amex Membership Rewards or Chase Ultimate Rewards points to VS; and Amex occasionally runs transfer bonuses to VS that'll get you more value. (FWIW, Amex MR also transfers to Hawaiian and occasionally runs transfer bonuses, but it's not a particularly good value.) VS's partner award chart with Hawaiian has R/T economy going for 40,000 miles and first/business going for 80,000 miles.
https://www.virginatlantic.com/us/en/flying-club/partners/airlines/hawaiian-airlines.html
Lastly, cash. I did some searches on Hawaiian for R/T fares for SMF-OGG in March, and they're all coming up around $550+. That still seems high to me. I would definitely search Southwest now that they've entered the market. $300-400 R/T is a good price, if you can find it. Like I said earlier, spring break schedules will affect pricing. Local public schools are out March 14-22, 2020, and while not too many local families fly to the mainland for spring break, those that do will go during this time. Spring break will also see some local kids flying home or mainlanders with their kids out of school going for vacation, particularly in late March and early April.
Cash fares do dip though, for example:
https://www.sfgate.com/travel/article/Hawaii-fares-fall-13646288.php
Hope this helps!
Good luck!
Steamboat is my favorite (relatively easy to get to) ski area. Just a quick question - are they beginners? Will they be taking lessons? The advantage that the lessons provide (in addition to instruction) are jumping the lift lines so that they are not waiting in line 45 minutes just to ride the lift FWIW.
And sometimes, the drive has been perfectly fine. Hopefully it is not a horrible drive for them, but it has the potential to be.
