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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.
There's no end in sight for the fare war for flights to Hawaii. Today we're currently seeing flights from cities throughout the West Coast to several major Hawaiian destinations from $344 round-trip. It doesn't matter if you're in a rush to book a last-minute summer vacation or if you're already fantasizing about your winter getaway — the discounted fares are available for travel from July 2018 through May 2019. Plus, the discounted fares offered by the three US legacy carriers were for regular economy (opposed to basic economy) in the examples we found, though that may not always be the case.
While these flights are cheap enough to book outright, if you’d rather not pay anything out of pocket, you can book them by redeeming Chase Ultimate Rewards points. As a reminder, Chase Sapphire Reserve cardholders can redeem UR points at 1.5 cents each, meaning that many of these options can be booked for less than 24,000 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.
To book, 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: $344+ 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 $344 round-trip or 22,920 UR points in August via Chase Ultimate Rewards portal:
Seattle (SEA) to Kona (KOA) for $353 round-trip or 23,520 UR points in December via Chase Ultimate Rewards portal:
Seattle (SEA) to Honolulu (HNL) for $372 round-trip in March 2019 on United:
San Francisco (SFO) to Maui (OGG) for $377 round-trip in September on Airlines:
Los Angeles (LAX) to Kona (KOA) for $377 round-trip in October on American:
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.
