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How I scored Hawaiian first class on the Dreamliner for cheap using points and miles — and you can, too
Credit card writer Danyal Ahmed is an avid traveler, averaging about 100,000 aeronautical miles per year. He regularly applies that knowledge and his expertise in credit cards to his role as a credit card writer at TPG.
December 18, 2024 • 9 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
Recent promotions have offered significant bonuses on purchasing airline miles, enabling travelers to upgrade to premium cabins at a reduced cost compared to cash fares.
A highlighted strategy involves buying a Main Cabin ticket and using miles to upgrade to first class, which can result in substantial savings, especially on long-haul routes.
The article details how to maximize value by leveraging ongoing sales, such as Alaska Airlines' current bonus on purchased miles, which can also be transferred to Hawaiian Airlines for upgrades or award bookings.
Additional tips include using online tools to find upgrade availability and understanding partner airline opportunities for further redemption value.
What to consider
Upgrade availability at saver levels is limited and must be confirmed before purchasing miles or tickets.
Purchasing miles is subject to bonus thresholds, taxes and fees, and sales are time-limited, with the current Alaska Airlines bonus ending Monday.
Transferring miles between programs is possible due to recent airline partnerships, but redemption rules and award charts vary by route and carrier.
What you'll miss from the article
Step-by-step guidance on combining cash tickets and purchased miles for first-class upgrades, plus detailed examples of maximizing value on specific routes.
Generated by AI with support from our editorial team.
Update: Some offers mentioned below are no longer available. View the current offers here.
It's no secret we love traveling in premium cabins here at TPG, and there's no better feeling than redeeming your hard-earned points and miles for top-tier luxury travel experiences. Whether you're booking business class or first class using points and miles, it's so rewarding to know that you paid a fraction of the cash price.
However, there are times when frequent flyer programs offer a discount on purchasing miles or provide bonus miles on top of your purchase. These offers can provide great value, especially if you're short on miles or saving up for more aspirational redemptions.
I recently utilized a Hawaiian Airlines HawaiianMiles sale to buy miles to upgrade to first class on Hawaiian's new 787-9 Dreamliner for half the cost of a cash ticket.
Here's how I did it — and how you can use another sale to do the same.
HawaiianMiles offered a lucrative sale on miles recently, giving members 100% bonus miles when they purchased between 3,000 and 100,000 miles. Although I had never utilized the HawaiianMiles program before, I looked into how to take advantage of this sale for an upcoming trip to Hawaii and East Asia.
I looked into purchasing miles to redeem for a one-way ticket to Honolulu outright. However, at the time, Hawaiian was charging 80,000 miles to fly on the Dreamliner. This would equate to purchasing 40,000 miles for $1,000 and, with the 100% bonus, receiving another 40,000.
Cash fares for first class hovered between $850 and $1,200 across my dates of interest, so that wouldn't have been a great deal. In addition, I wouldn't earn miles on a redemption, whereas I would on a cash ticket.
HAWAIIAN.COM
Upgrading a cash ticket with Hawaiian miles
The best-value option then became clear: purchasing an inexpensive Main Cabin cash ticket on the Dreamliner route and upgrading to first class using Hawaiian miles. Flights between the West Coast and Hawaii cost 25,000 miles to upgrade at the saver level (the A fare class).
My first step was to confirm that my preferred date did, in fact, have saver-level availability. For this, I turned to ExpertFlyer (owned by TPG's parent company, Red Ventures) and searched for that date, looking specifically for a Dreamliner flight.
EXPERTFLYER.COM
I then purchased three tickets for about $210 each for me and my family.
Because I was traveling in a group of three, I needed 75,000 miles for the upgrade. With the 100% bonus, that meant purchasing 38,000 miles (Hawaiian only sells miles in increments of 1,000).
Within minutes of the purchase, 76,000 miles (38,000 plus the 100% bonus) were deposited into my HawaiianMiles account.
HAWAIIAN.COM
Unfortunately, mileage upgrades on cash fares can only be made over the phone or via Hawaiian's chat function.
After a quick call with a friendly customer service agent, all three of our tickets were upgraded to first class on Hawaiian's Dreamliner. Each ticket cost a total of $532 — $210 for a cash ticket plus $322 in miles purchased with the 100% bonus during the recent sale. This saved me hundreds of dollars compared to the cash price of the flight.
Consider transferring Alaska miles to Hawaiian
Although the HawaiianMiles sale has ended, Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan is currently selling miles with a bonus through Monday. During this sale, you can earn up to a 60% bonus on purchased miles.
Remember, Alaska miles transfer to Hawaiian at a 1:1 ratio, and although this sale doesn't offer a 100% bonus, it can still be worth exploring if you're looking to book Hawaiian first class or other Oneworld partner award tickets.
ALASKAAIR.COM
Even if you're not planning to fly Hawaiian anytime soon, Alaska Airlines offers a slew of sweet spot redemptions, so buying miles to book one of those award tickets could make sense, too.
Tips for upgrading Hawaiian Airlines flights with points and miles
ERIC ROSEN/THE POINTS GUY
If you're looking to book Hawaiian Airlines first class, the best way is likely to locate saver-level availability and upgrade an economy ticket. According to Hawaiian's upgrade chart, one-way upgrades to first- or business-class saver fares between North America and Hawaii are 25,000 miles.
The easiest way to find saver-level availability is through expertflyer.com using the "Award and Upgrade Availability" function.
EXPERTFLYER.COM
Looking ahead to dates for spring break in 2025, there's decent availability from New York's John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK) on March 9 and March 10. To upgrade a Hawaiian economy ticket to first class, you must be booked into Main Cabin.
HAWAIIANAIRLINES.COM
A one-way Main Cabin ticket is $469, while a first-class ticket is $1,627.
ALASKAAIR.COM
By purchasing 18,000 miles through Alaska Airlines by Monday, you'll receive a 40% bonus, giving you a grand total of 25,200 miles at a cost of $532.13 ($495 plus a 7.5% tax recovery fee). Combining the cost of the Main Cabin ticket and the cost to purchase miles, you could sit in first class for a flight of more than 11 hours for about $1,000 — or nearly 40% cheaper than paying cash for a first-class ticket on these dates.
If you're set on flying the new Hawaiian Airlines Dreamliner, flights out of Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) in Main Cabin are as cheap as $179 one-way. With up to nine seats available to upgrade at the saver level, purchasing an economy ticket and upgrading to first could be as little as $711, a great price for a premium product.
Maximizing the Alaska Mileage Plan sale for other redemptions
Another way to maximize the current Alaska Airlines miles sale is to purchase miles for redemptions with Oneworld carriers or partner airlines through Mileage Plan. Alaska has a region- and distance-based award chart with several sweet spots that can maximize the value you get from purchasing miles.
For example, if you want to see Machu Picchu in 2025, you can fly from John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK) to Jorge Chávez International Airport (LIM) for 35,000 miles one-way in business class.
ALASKAAIR.COM
By purchasing 24,000 miles with a 50% bonus, you'll get a total of 36,000 miles for $660. That's quite a deal, considering the cash fare for the same route is about $1,700.
Another way to maximize the current sale is to redeem miles for interregional flights, such as flights within East Asia or Australia. A one-way flight within East Asia in business class is 15,000 miles, which would cost about $325 to buy with the current bonus. These are nearly four-hour flights that can cost anywhere from $500-800 for a paid ticket.
ALASKAAIR.COM
Alaska also has a generous stopover policy for award tickets, which can be a great way to maximize purchased miles. Despite the routing rules not being as flexible as those of Aeroplan's stopover scheme, it's still a great opportunity to get two trips out of one redemption.
The best way to earn plenty of Membership Rewards points is by utilizing the generous welcome offers on Amex cards. Here are some of our favorites:
The Platinum Card® from American Express: Find out your offer and see if you are eligible for as high as 175,000 Membership Rewards points after spending $12,000 on purchases in your first six months of card membership. Welcome offers vary and you may not be eligible for an offer.
American Express® Gold Card: Find out your offer and see if you are eligible for as high as 100,000 Membership Rewards points after spending $8,000 on purchases within the first six months of card membership. Welcome offers vary and you may not be eligible for an offer.
The Business Platinum Card® from American Express: Find out your offer and see if you're eligible for as high as 300,000 bonus points after spending $20,000 on purchases in the first three months of card membership. Welcome offers vary, and you may not be eligible for an offer.
American Express® Business Gold Card: Find out your offer and see if you're eligible for as high as 200,000 bonus points after spending $15,000 on purchases in the first three months of card membership. Welcome offers vary, and you may not be eligible for an offer.
An easy way to boost your Alaska Mileage Plan balance, which you could either transfer to HawaiianMiles or redeem through Mileage Plan, is with the Alaska Airlines Visa Signature® credit card: New applicants can earn 50,000 bonus miles plus buy one ticket, get one for just the taxes and fees ($0 fare plus taxes and fees from $23) after spending $3,000 or more on purchases within the first 90 days from account opening.
Bottom line
If you feel like you missed the ball on the HawaiianMiles sale and a chance to score cheap first-class seats to Hawaii, there's still time to take advantage of the ongoing Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan sale. Thanks to the Alaska-Hawaiian merger, you can transfer miles between the two instantaneously and at no cost.
Earning up to 60% bonus miles is a great way to load up on Alaska miles, which are historically some of the hardest airline miles to earn. Don't wait too long, as the sale ends Monday.
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.
