The Smartest Ways to Fly Your Family to Hawaii Using Points
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The Smartest Ways to Fly Your Family to Hawaii Using Points
Hawaii is a bucket list trip for so many families—and for good reason. The beaches, volcanoes, and island adventures feel a world away, but you don’t need a passport to get there. The catch? Flights to Hawaii can be pricey, especially when you’re booking for a whole family. That’s why using points strategically can make this trip go from "maybe someday" to "booked!"
Whether you're starting from the West Coast or traveling from farther east, there are a handful of points sweet spots that can help you save thousands of dollars on flights. Some are easier to book than others, but all are worth checking if you're planning a trip to the islands.
If you’re just beginning your points journey, take a look at my Beginner's Guide to Points & Miles before diving in.
Southwest Airlines: Great for Families and Flexible Travelers
Southwest Airlines is one of the most family-friendly ways to fly to Hawaii with points. Not only do you get two free checked bags per person, but if you have a Companion Pass, one member of your family can fly for just the cost of taxes and fees—as low as $5.60 each way.
Award pricing is tied to the cash price of the ticket, which means it can vary, but the upside is that Southwest makes it easy to change flights without penalties. If you're coming from the Midwest or East Coast, you might need to fly into California the night before to break up the trip.
Check their Low Fare Calendar to spot the cheapest dates and book early, especially during school breaks.
Looking to earn points and the Companion Pass for your family? I’ve outlined our full strategy in a step-by-step PDF guide you can download.
British Airways Avios: Book American or Alaska Airlines Flights
You don’t need to collect American Airlines or Alaska Airlines miles to fly them. Thanks to airline alliances, you can book their nonstop West Coast to Hawaii routes using British Airways Avios for fewer points.
This strategy works best for nonstop flights from cities like:
A one-way flight can cost as little as 16,000 Avios + $5.60 in taxes. The key is to search for nonstop economy flights with saver-level availability on American's website, then book those flights through British Airways.
To earn Avios, you can transfer points from a variety of credit card programs. Here’s a list of cards I recommend for flexible travel rewards:
See my favorite cards for earning Avios and other flexible points
Turkish Airlines: The Best Hidden Deal (If You Can Find It)
If you like a challenge, Turkish Airlines offers one of the best redemptions out there: just 20,000 points round trip to Hawaii on United Airlines flights. Yes, round trip.
The catch? Finding availability. You’ll need to locate United’s Saver level award space (typically 22.5k one way) and then book that same flight through Turkish Airlines’ Miles&Smiles program.
This is ideal if your dates are flexible or you're booking way in advance. Transfers to Turkish are available from several major card programs, including Citi and Capital One.
Virgin Atlantic: Book Delta Flights for Fewer Points
Another great workaround: book Delta Airlines flights to Hawaii using Virgin Atlantic points. From cities like Los Angeles, Seattle, or Salt Lake City, you may find award tickets for just 15,000 points one-way—lower than what Delta usually charges.
You’ll need to search for award space manually and may not see every Delta route available, but when it works, it works well. Points can be transferred to Virgin Atlantic from multiple programs, including Capital One and American Express.
Use Points Like Cash Through a Travel Portal
If you don’t want to mess with award charts or transfer partners, another option is to redeem your credit card points like cash through a travel portal. This works best when there’s a flight deal or if you’re booking last minute.
The portal value will depend on the card you hold. With a Capital One Venture Rewards or Venture X card, you can use miles to erase travel purchases at a rate of 1 cent per point. That means 75,000 miles could cover $750 in flights—even retroactively.
Sometimes we book the flights, hit the minimum spend, earn the bonus, and then go back to erase the charges. It’s a simple way to use points without needing to learn partner programs.
If that sounds like your style, here are two cards worth checking out: This one for beginners and this one if you want to get your whole family in to the airport lounges.
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Final Thoughts
Flying to Hawaii with points doesn’t have to be complicated—but it does help to know where to look. Whether you want the flexibility of Southwest, the Avios sweet spot from the West Coast, or the deep discounts through Turkish or Virgin Atlantic, there’s a way to make it work for your family.
The best part? You can mix and match these strategies based on where you live, how many points you have, and when you’re traveling.
If you're ready to start saving for your next family trip, check out my favorite travel credit cards for beginners and start earning points today.
Editorial Disclosure: Opinions, reviews, analyses & recommendations are the author’s alone, and have not been reviewed, endorsed or approved by any of these entities. Advertiser Disclosure: The Rewards Mom has partnered with CardRatings for our coverage of credit card products. The Rewards Mom and CardRatings may receive a commission from card issuers.
