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The Points Guy believes that credit cards can transform lives, helping you leverage everyday spending for cash back or travel experiences that might otherwise be out of reach. That's why we publish a variety of editorial content and card comparisons: to help you find a great card to turn your goals into reality.
Our site may earn compensation when a customer clicks on a link, when an application is approved, or when an account is opened with our partners, and this may impact how or where these products appear. While we don't cover all available credit cards, our editorial team creates and maintains all of the analysis of these cards, and our content is not influenced nor subject to review by any credit card company, bank or partner prior to (or after) publication. Please view our advertising policy and product review methodology for more information.
Guides
Sweet Spot Sunday: Fly to Hawaii for 20,000 AAdvantage miles each way
Featured image by M SWIET PRODUCTIONS/GETTY IMAGES
Katie Genter is a digital nomad who has traveled full time since June 2017. She writes and edits stories about points and miles, and loyalty programs, often letting her personal experiences color these stories.
June 19, 2022 • 8 min read
The cards we feature here are from partners who compensate us when you are approved through our site, and this may impact how or where these products appear. We don't cover all available credit cards, but our analysis, reviews, and opinions are entirely from our editorial team. Terms apply to the offers listed on this page. Please view our advertising policy and product review methodology for more information.Editorial disclaimer: Opinions expressed here are the author's alone, not those of any bank, credit card issuer, airline or hotel chain, and have not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by any of these entities.
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Quick summary
Redeeming airline miles for flights to Hawaii can offer significant savings, especially when cash fares are high.
American Airlines offers MileSAAver off-peak awards, which are a sweet spot for travelers with existing miles, with specific travel windows for discounted redemptions.
Award availability is limited to select dates and only on flights operated by American Airlines between the continental U.S. and Hawaii.
Booking is straightforward through the airline's website, with filters to help find the lowest award rates and preferred airports.
What to consider
MileSAAver off-peak awards are only available on certain dates and routes, and availability is not guaranteed even during off-peak periods.
Travelers must pay taxes and carrier-imposed fees, typically $5.60 per person per award if there are no long layovers.
Miles can be earned through various partner programs or transferred from select loyalty programs, but timing and transfer ratios vary.
What you'll miss from the article
A detailed walkthrough of searching for and booking these off-peak awards, plus tips for maximizing availability and value.
Generated by AI with support from our editorial team.
Update: Some offers mentioned below are no longer available. View the current offers here.
You might assume a flight to Hawaii is expensive. However, especially when paid rates are high, you can save a lot of money by redeeming airline miles for your flight.
You may also see other award prices when you search for a main cabin economy award. After all, you may see Web Special awards for select flights and dates when you search on American Airlines’ website or mobile app. In this guide, though, I’ll focus on MileSAAver off-peak awards between the contiguous 48 U.S. states and Hawaii.
You’ll only see MileSAAver off-peak award pricing between the continental U.S. and Hawaii on flights operated by American Airlines. As evidenced by the "off-peak" part of its name, MileSAAver off-peak awards are only available on select dates:
To Hawaii: Dec. 29 to March 12, Aug. 11 to Nov. 18 and Nov. 24 to Dec. 10.
From Hawaii: Jan. 7 to March 19, Aug. 18 to Nov. 27 and Dec. 3 to Dec. 25.
Of course, you might not find any MileSAAver availability on some off-peak dates and routes. You’ll also need to pay taxes and carrier-imposed fees on these awards. However, if your itinerary doesn’t have any long layovers, the taxes and fees will typically be $5.60 per person per award.
American Airlines makes it relatively easy to search for awards on its website. Go to aa.com and enter your origin, destination, travel date and the number of passengers. Be sure to check “Redeem miles” before clicking “Search.”
(Screenshot from aa.com)
You’ll hopefully find some results on the next page. You’ll see the minimum price for your search date and surrounding dates, but the first results you see will likely cost more than this minimum price.
(Screenshot from aa.com)
You can click the arrow next to “Main Cabin” to sort prices from lowest to highest.
(Screenshot from aa.com)
You can also click “Stops” and “Nearby airports” to filter out specific options. For example, when flying from New York City, I often filter out inconvenient airports.
(Screenshot from aa.com)
Although there are multiple MileSAAver off-peak awards bookable on my sample date, I could click on “Calendar” to see my options for other dates. Any of the filters you selected so far should carry over to the calendar search. As you can see, there’s pretty good MileSAAver off-peak award availability from New York City to Honolulu in January 2023.
(Screenshot from aa.com)
Click on a date to move forward with booking. If I wanted to depart on Jan. 20, 2023, I’d have several MileSAAver off-peak one-stop award options.
(Screenshot from aa.com)
Click on the main cabin award cost for the option you want. You'll see your trip summary on the next page. But, you'll need to log in to continue booking.
(Screenshot from aa.com)
After logging in, you’ll need to enter passenger details, select seats if you want to and then review and pay for your trip.
(Screenshot from aa.com)
I have enough miles for this award. However, if I didn’t have enough miles, I assume American Airlines would have told me after I logged in.
Now let’s consider how to earn enough miles for this award.
Waikiki Beach in Hawaii. (Photo by Clint Henderson/The Points Guy)
This sweet spot is best suited for travelers who already have American Airlines miles in their account. After all, you’ll want to consider other sweet spots to Hawaii if you have transferable points.
Or, you could sign up for a new American Airlines credit card. Here are some of the best cards and their current sign-up bonuses:
Citi® / AAdvantage® Platinum Select® World Elite Mastercard®: Earn 50,000 bonus miles after you spend $2,500 on purchases within the first three months of account opening (see rates and fees).
AAdvantage Aviator Red World Elite Mastercard: Earn 60,000 bonus miles after making your first purchase and paying the $99 annual fee in full, both within the first 90 days.
Citi® / AAdvantage® Executive World Elite Mastercard® : Earn 100,000 bonus miles after spending $10,000 within the first three months of account opening (see rates and fees).
American Airlines AAdvantage® MileUp®: Earn 10,000 bonus miles and get a $50 statement credit after $500 in purchases in the first three months of account opening.
The information for the AAdvantage Aviator Red, Citi Platinum Select, and AAdvantage MileUp cards has been collected independently by The Points Guy. The card details on this page have not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer.
However, note that you’ll need to meet the minimum spending requirements on your new card and then wait for your bonus miles to post. So, signing up for a new card is only a good option if you’re planning your trip well in advance.
If you want to fly to Hawaii, there are many award options to consider. Although American Airlines MileSAAver off-peak awards aren’t the least expensive awards you can book, they can be a good option if you have unused American Airlines miles sitting in your account.
By commenting, you agree to our Community Guidelines to help create a positive space for conversation. The responses below are not provided or commissioned by the bank advertiser, our partners, or The Points Guy (“TPG”). They have not been reviewed, approved, or otherwise endorsed by any of these parties. All responses are submitted by individual contributors, and neither the bank advertiser, our partners, nor TPG are responsible for ensuring that all posts and/or questions are answered.
