Act Fast: Book 9,000 Membership Rewards-Points Flights to Hawaii
One of our favorite British Airways Avios sweet spots is 12,500 Avios for nonstop flights between California and Hawaii on American Airlines or Alaska Airlines. For just a few more days, this option is especially sweet. If you utilize the 40% transfer bonus from American Express Membership Rewards to Avios ending Sunday, these flights will cost just under 9,000 Membership Rewards points.
There's quite a few routes that qualify for this sweet spot. Here are just some of the sub-3,000 mile nonstop flights from the West Coast to Hawaii on American Airlines and Alaska Airlines:
Since those lines can be hard to follow, here's that in text form:
- Anchorage (ANC): Honolulu (HNL) — not mapped
- Los Angeles (LAX): Honolulu (HNL), Kona (KOA), Lihue, Kauai (LIH), Kahului, Maui (OGG)
- Oakland (OAK): Honolulu (HNL), Kona (KOA), Lihue, Kauai (LIH), Kahului, Maui (OGG)
- Portland (PDX): Honolulu (HNL), Kahului, Maui (OGG)
- Phoenix (PHX): Honolulu (HNL), Kona (KOA), Lihue, Kauai (LIH), Kahului, Maui (OGG)
- San Diego (SAN): Honolulu (HNL), Kona (KOA), Lihue, Kauai (LIH), Kahului, Maui (OGG)
- Seattle (SEA): Honolulu (HNL), Kona (KOA), Lihue, Kauai (LIH), Kahului, Maui (OGG)
- San Jose (SJC): Honolulu (HNL), Kona (KOA), Lihue, Kauai (LIH), Kahului, Maui (OGG)
- Sacramento (SMF): Kahului, Maui (OGG)
For American Airlines flights, you can use AA.com, British Airways website or Qantas' website to search award availability. And, there are some routes with a lot of availability:
Once you're ready to book, here's a step-by-step guide on how to book awards on British Airways' website.
Alaska Airlines award availability is one of a few British Airways partners that doesn't show up on BA's website. So, you're going to have to search for award availability on AA.com or Alaska's website. You'll have to call British Airways to book these awards.
Sadly, this West Coast to Hawaii sweet spot isn't as good in first class. These nonstops will run 37,500 Avios each way in American Airlines first class — or around 27,000 Avios transferred before September 17. But, it could be worse. Before American Airlines changed the coding on its "domestic first class" flights from F (first) to J (business), an award flight in the same seat would have cost 50,000 Avios.
That's the same re-coding that's helped lead to the excellent 10,750 Membership Rewards in a lie-flat business class seat sweet spot that's also getting less sweet on Sunday.
Whether it's heading to Hawaii for under 9,000 Membership Rewards or getting a taste of American Airlines' best business class seats for 10,750 MR points, you've only got a couple of days left to act.
