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Airfare deals are typically only available on limited dates. We recommend you use Google Flights to find dates to fly, then book through an online travel agency such as Expedia, which allows you to cancel flights without penalty by 11:00pm Eastern Time within one day of booking. However, if you’re using The Platinum Card® from American Express, you’ll need to book directly with the airline or through Amex Travel portal to get 5x MR points. Remember: Fares may disappear quickly, so book right away and take advantage of Expedia’s courtesy cancellation if you’re unable to get the time away from work or family.
It seems like there's no end in sight for the Hawaii deals. Today we're seeing more cheap flights from cities throughout the West Coast to several major Hawaiian destinations from $334 round-trip. You can find the discounted fares for travel as early as July through May 2019, depending on the route. As with the other Hawaii deals we've came across, if you're looking to pay as little out of pocket as possible, you may be best off booking these flights by redeeming Chase Ultimate Rewards points (opposed to converting them into airline miles). As a reminder, Chase Sapphire Reserve cardholders can redeem UR points at 1.5 cents each, meaning that some of these options can be booked from around 22,000 points round-trip. Plus, if you’re flying with American Airlines, you can earn extra award miles and AAdvantge Elite Qualifying Dollars (EQD) by booking Special Fares through the Chase Ultimate Rewards portal.
There are no tricks needed to find these fares — just head to Google Flights and plug in your desired departure city. After finding the dates that work best for you, book with the airline directly or with an OTA such as Expedia or the Chase Ultimate Rewards travel portal.
Airline: Alaska, American, Delta, Hawaiian, United
Routes: IAH/LAX/OAK/PDX/SAN/SEA/SFO/SJC to HNL/KOA/LIH/OGG
Cost: $334+ round-trip in economy
Dates: July 2018 – May 2019
Booking Link: Orbitz, Expedia, Chase travel portal or directly with the airline.
Pay With: The Platinum Card from American Express (5x on airfare), Chase Sapphire Reserve, Citi Prestige (5x on airfare plus excellent trip delay insurance) or Chase Sapphire Preferred Card (2x on travel)
Here are a few examples of what you can book:
Houston (IAH) to Kona (KOA) for $334 round-trip in September on American:
San Jose (SJC) to Lihue (LIH) for $335 round-trip or 22,320 UR points in November via Chase Ultimate Rewards portal:
San Jose (SJC) to Kona (KOA) for $335 round-trip or 22,320 UR points in August via Chase Ultimate Rewards portal:
San Francisco (SFO) to Maui (OGG) for $370 round-trip or 24,665 UR points in November via Chase Ultimate Rewards portal:
San Diego (SAN) to Maui (OGG) for $372 round-trip or 24,786 UR points in January 2019 via Chase Ultimate Rewards portal:
Maximize Your Purchase
Don’t forget to use a credit card that earns additional points on airfare purchases, such as the American Express Platinum Card (5x on flights booked directly with airlines or American Express Travel), Chase Sapphire Reserve, or Citi Prestige (5x on airfare) or the Chase Sapphire Preferred Card (2x on all travel purchases). Check out this post for more on maximizing airfare purchases.
