A win for travelers on the Alaska-Hawaiian merger and online passport renewal rollout

September 21, 2024

Preserving the value of miles

by Brian Kelly

This week, there was big news about the Alaska Airlines and Hawaiian Airlines merger. The U.S. Department of Transportation all but approved the deal, but it added some really interesting stipulations and passenger benefits that the new airline must agree to for the deal to go through.

The DOT actually put provisions in place about frequent flyer miles. It wants to preserve the integrity of both programs so that there aren’t losers when the airlines finally combine the programs into Alaska Airlines’ program.

This goes hand in hand with the DOT investigation into airline loyalty programs — the government is mandating a minimum value for miles in this merger, which could be a hint at what recommendations or new regulations the DOT would put into place for loyalty programs so consumers could reasonably count on the value of their miles.

I welcome that news since I have about 200,000 Hawaiian miles from a promotion years ago that I haven’t used yet. I’m excited for them to become Alaska miles on a 1:1 basis because I find Alaska miles to be one of the most valuable currencies out there due to the free stopover program and sweet spots — like one-way business-class seats from the West Coast to Fiji, Australia and New Zealand on Fiji Airways starting at 75,000 Alaska miles.

Renew your passport online

After a series of limited beta tests, the U.S. Department of State has widely rolled out online passport renewal. This is great news for travelers who prefer a digital renewal option versus mailing it in.

I love to see the government embracing technology and upgrades that help travelers; however, it’s important to note that specific qualifications must be met to be eligible to renew online, including being at least 25 years old. Currently, children are not eligible.

While the online renewal processing times are the same as for renewal by mail, if you have an immediate need for a passport, such as travel within the next eight weeks, you should not renew online. Be sure to check out all the steps and eligibility requirements.

Lucrative transfer bonuses

I always say one of the best uses of credit card points is transferring them to an airline loyalty program — you’ll usually get more value when redeeming for a flight than just redeeming through a credit card travel portal. Those transfer partner redemptions become even more lucrative if you also have a transfer bonus that boosts the number of miles you receive.

For instance, right now, American Express is offering a 30% bonus until Sept. 30 when you convert your American Express Membership Rewards points to Avios. Avios is the currency used by British Airways Executive Club, Iberia Plus and Aer Lingus AerClub. Qatar Airways Privilege Club and Finnair Plus also use Avios as their currency.

With the transfer bonus, you’ll get 1,300 Avios for every 1,000 Amex points you transfer. This means an off-peak economy one-way award flight from New York to London that costs 20,750 Avios and $207 in taxes and fees will only require 15,962 Amex points to be transferred. (Transfers are in increments of 1,000, so round up to 16,000.)

Another great use of Avios is booking American Airlines flights. This can be a great option if you don’t have enough AAdvantage miles — short-haul one-way domestic flights on American start at 12,000 Avios when booking through British Airways Executive Club.

Be sure to check out our story for the full list of current transfer bonuses and make your points go even further.

Have a great weekend,

BK

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Photo Credit: JONNO RATTMAN.

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