Deal alert: Hawaii from $187 round trip on major airlines
Update: Some offers mentioned below are no longer available. View the current offers here.
Aloha, vacation! It's always a good time to go to Hawaii. The lowest fares are perfect for planning ahead, beginning at $99 one way or $187 round trip nonstop on Southwest, American and Hawaiian, departing from many West Coast cities including San Francisco, San Jose and Los Angeles.
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These cheap rates are widely available between March and May, primarily on Tuesdays and Wednesdays.
Related: Here's how to get your money back when a Southwest fare goes down in price
The only drawback is that some of these fares begin in basic economy. Basic economy means different things to different airlines, but you may not have free use of the overhead bins for a carry-on bag, and you probably won't be able to select your seat, get an upgrade, or earn PQM/PQS/PQDs. However, it's possible to defeat many of basic economy's negative aspects by having elite status or a cobranded credit card.
To find a deal, head to Google Flights and enter your origin and destination cities. Scroll through the calendar function to find dates and prices that work for you. Finally, click through to book directly with the airline or an OTA like Orbitz or Expedia.
Airline: Hawaiian, American, Southwest, United
Routes: SFO/SAN/LAX/SJC and many more to HNL/OGG/KOA/LIH/ITO
Cost: from $99 one way, $188 round trip
Dates: March to May 2020
Pay With: The Platinum Card® from American Express (5x on airfare booked directly with the airline), Citi Prestige® Card (5x on airfare), Citi Premier® Card, Chase Sapphire Reserve (3x on airfare), American Express® Gold Card (3x on airfare when booked directly with the airline) or Chase Sapphire Preferred Card (2x on travel)
The information for the Citi Prestige Card has been collected independently by The Points Guy. The card details on this page have not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer.
Here are some examples of specific flights that are available:
San Jose (SJC) to Maui (OGG) for $99 one way nonstop on Southwest:
San Jose (SJC) to Kona (KOA) for $187 round trip nonstop on Hawaiian:
San Francisco (SFO) to Maui (OGG) for $188 round trip nonstop on Hawaiian:
Los Angeles (LAX) to Honolulu (HNL) for $198 round trip nonstop on American:
Maximize your purchase
Don't forget to use a credit card that earns additional points on airfare purchases, such as The Platinum Card® from American Express (5x on flights booked directly with airlines or American Express Travel), Chase Sapphire Reserve, American Express® Gold Card, Citi Premier® Card, Citi Prestige Card (5x on airfare) or the Chase Sapphire Preferred Card (2x on all travel purchases). Check out this guide for more on maximizing airfare purchases.