What’s Working And What’s Not As HawaiianMiles Converts To Alaska

We’ve reported on the HawaiianMiles and Alaska Airlines loyalty tie-up before, including what to do about your miles and how to prepare. But now, with Hawaiian Airlines quietly publishing a far more detailed update after we advised that companion fare benefits are already working for cardholders. So itt’s time for a complete refresh. This new update covers everything gleaned from the fine print in the expanded FAQ, as well as changes already affecting cardholders and elite members alike, along with our take on these updates.

What this means for Hawaii travelers.

Later this year, HawaiianMiles will no longer exist as a standalone program. All HawaiianMiles balances will be converted to Alaska Mileage Plan miles at a 1:1 ratio. This change will not affect the number of miles in your account, and expiration policies remain unchanged.

The new loyalty system will be based on a version of Alaska’s Mileage Plan platform. Your HawaiianMiles number and account will continue to function during the transition, but your consolidated profile will be managed under Alaska Airlines moving forward.

Hawaiian says, “You can log in to either your Mileage Plan account or HawaiianMiles account using your existing individual account credentials. The linked status and benefits will be reflected in both accounts.”

Note: We do not see our Alaska Airlines mileage information when logging into Hawaiian Airlines, and vice versa. They are still discreet on our check as of today.

Link your accounts now.

Travelers are encouraged to sign up for an Alaska Mileage Plan account and link it to their HawaiianMiles account as soon as possible. This ensures that all miles, elite-qualifying miles (EQMs), and tier status will be transferred correctly when the merger is finalized.

Accounts can be linked at alaskaair.com/linkaccount. Once connected, EQMs from both airlines will be combined to count toward your status in both programs. If you do not link your accounts, HawaiianMiles will still transfer later this year, but the process may not be as seamless, and you may miss out on status-matching opportunities.

You may also choose to convert your HawaiianMiles to Mileage Plan miles at any point in 2025 before the programs are combined. If you do not initiate a manual transfer, all remaining miles will be automatically moved over when the new system goes live in the months ahead.

Note: For now, we have retained miles in both accounts, Hawaiian and Alaska, knowing that we can transfer them as needed and that they will also transfer automatically to Alaska when the programs combine on a date not yet specified.

If you only have one account, here’s what to do.

If you are a HawaiianMiles member but do not yet have an Alaska Mileage Plan account, you can sign up at alaskaair.com. There are also reasons to do so. After creating your Mileage Plan account, return to the link account page to connect both programs.

You will not need to create a new login or password. Your existing credentials should continue working for both Hawaiian and Alaska sites.

Note: After linking, your profile should display current status, available miles, and eligibility for matched benefits across both airlines—but in our testing, this information still appears separately in each airline’s account system.

Elite status rules under the new program.

According to Hawaiian Airlines, status matches based on 2024 flight activity will remain valid through December 2025 in Mileage Plan and through February 2026 in HawaiianMiles. For 2025 activity, the match extends through December 2026 (Mileage Plan) and February 2027 (HawaiianMiles).

In short, the program you matched into determines how long your status lasts, and the timelines vary by year.

Mileage Plan members who receive 75K or 100K status through this match will not receive the 50,000 bonus miles or 100K Choice Benefits unless they qualify through Mileage Plan directly.

Combined EQMs do not count toward Mileage Plan-specific milestone rewards or additional HawaiianMiles Upgrade Certificates beyond Pualani Platinum. Linked account activity will be evaluated monthly. If you are currently enrolled in a fast-track challenge or a separate status match, you will not be eligible for this program until your existing promotion is completed.

Note: Honestly, we still find this all somewhat confusing and not easy to assimilate.

Matching your status and how it works.

Pualani Elite members can link their accounts to receive equivalent elite status in Alaska’s Mileage Plan. When flying on Alaska-operated flights, you must use your Alaska Mileage Plan number to receive all Alaska elite benefits, including early boarding, premium seat access, and upgrades. You can also earn and redeem miles across Mileage Plan’s robust global network of over 30 airline partners.

Pualani Elite status is not recognized when flying on Alaska unless you link accounts and use your Mileage Plan number. If you continue to use your HawaiianMiles number on Alaska flights, elite perks will not be applied.

Note: these are important distinctions and a good reason to link accounts now, which many of us have done since it was first available. In that way, and when also using your Mileage Plan account number flying on Alaska, being a Pualani Elite is recognized on Alaska Air flights.

Credit card benefits and what’s changing.

The Hawaiian Airlines World Elite Mastercard will continue to function as usual during and after the loyalty program merger. No changes to your account or cardholder benefits have been announced at this time.

The Hawaiian card now offers 3 miles per dollar on Alaska Airlines flights booked through HawaiianAirlines.com. Primary cardholders also receive two free checked bags on Alaska-operated flights when using the card for booking.

The companion fare benefit, as per the Hawaiian Airlines website, is officially scheduled to apply to both Hawaiian and Alaska flights later this fall. However, as we reported earlier this week, it is already working for many cardholders.

Companion fares are now being accepted on Hawaiian-operated flights within North America, though some travelers have reported to us anomalies in pricing and display. Availability varies by route and may not always show cleanly on the first attempt we were also advised.

Note: As of July 2025, travelers can no longer use wallet funds or gift cards toward companion fare bookings. Per Alaska agents, the entire purchase must now be charged to the Alaska Airlines Visa card.

The language on the Hawaiian Airlines site regarding the future of the Barclay Hawaiian Airlines card remains unclear; therefore, travelers should continue to monitor future benefits and credit card expiration dates closely. We explored that lack of clarity, and what Barclay had to say about it in more detail.

Hawaiian benefits and partners are being phased out.

Many of HawaiianMiles’ current airline and non-airline partners ended their participation in the program after June 30, 2025. The affected airline partners include JetBlue, Japan Airlines, China Airlines, Korean Air, Virgin Atlantic, and Virgin Australia. You will no longer be able to earn or redeem HawaiianMiles with these carriers.

Several lifestyle partners are also ending their relationship with HawaiianMiles. These include Foodland, Hele Gas, Boyd Rewards, Maui Jim Sunglasses, and a range of local restaurant gift cards. All redemptions through these channels had to be completed by June 30.

Additionally, the HawaiianMiles baggage discount for Neighbor Island flights is expected to end once the programs are combined. Only members of Huaka‘i by Hawaiian will retain bag fee waivers after the merger.

Huaka‘i program: exclusive benefits for Hawaii residents only.

Huaka‘i by Hawaiian is a benefit program created specifically for Hawaii residents. It provides one free checked bag on Neighbor Island flights, access to quarterly interisland fare deals, and regular discounts on flights across Hawaiian’s broader network both domestically and internationally. Most recently it included flights to Korea.

This program is reportedly unaffected by the loyalty merger and will continue to operate independently. If you live in Hawaii and frequently travel between islands, enrolling in Huaka‘i is the best way to retain no-cost checked luggage and the other benefits after the HawaiianMiles bag waiver ends.

Membership is free and open to residents of Hawaii. You can register online and begin using benefits immediately.

Redeeming miles before and after the change.

You can continue to redeem HawaiianMiles for flights on Hawaiian Airlines until the programs are fully merged. After that point, your HawaiianMiles will convert to Mileage Plan miles at a 1:1 ratio, and redemptions will be made through Alaska’s system.

If you want to redeem HawaiianMiles for travel on Alaska or its partner airlines before the merger is complete, you can transfer your miles to Mileage Plan. Transfers are free and require linked accounts under the same name. Once transferred, Mileage Plan miles can be used to book flights across a broader network of domestic and international partners.

After the merger, all mileage earning and redemptions will occur through Alaska’s system any any confusion should clear up quickly. It will not matter whether you book on Alaska’s or Hawaiian’s website—and both already display each other’s flights.

Note: We’ve booked Hawaiian Airlines flights using our Mileage Plan accounts through AlaskaAir.com, and the reverse is also true. This suggests that, in practice, the website you use may or may not matter once accounts are fully linked.

While the conversion rate is equal, redemption values may not be. We previously reported that some HawaiianMiles award flights reached 250,000 miles one way as the program quietly adopted more dynamic pricing.

How to manage your account after linking.

You do not need to create a new account or login when linking your HawaiianMiles and Mileage Plan profiles. Both sets of credentials will remain valid, and your updated status, miles, and benefits should be visible in each program.

If you receive error messages during the linking process, confirm that all fields are filled out correctly, verify your account details, and try clearing your browser cache. You can also switch devices or browsers. If problems persist, either airline’s customer service team should be able to assist.

Once accounts are linked, you will receive notifications via your existing preferences in each account. Status changes may take up to 72 hours to appear.

Sharing miles between members: get prepared.

HawaiianMiles has long allowed members to transfer miles to one another using its Share Miles feature. If you’re a primary cardholder of the Hawaiian Airlines Mastercard, you can receive miles from other members without any fee. There is also a way to share miles for a fee, which appears to be suspended on the HA website.

The updated loyalty FAQ does not mention whether Share Miles will continue once all HawaiianMiles accounts are converted to Mileage Plan. Alaska’s program does not currently offer any free transfer option, so travelers who make use of this benefit may want to act before the transition is complete.

Note: If you’re considering shifting miles between accounts, doing so soon under HawaiianMiles rules. We don’t suggest waiting to see what limitations emerge under the combined program or whether the feature is removed entirely.

Lifetime mileage and Million Miler eligibility.

Your lifetime flown miles on Hawaiian and Alaska will be combined when the new program launches. If your combined balance exceeds one million miles at that point, you will qualify for Million Miler status immediately.

Until then, only Hawaiian flights credited to Mileage Plan count toward Million Miler milestones. You can start earning credit now by using your Mileage Plan number when flying Hawaiian.

Looking ahead.

The official Hawaiian Airlines FAQ page unfortunately does not include a visible timestamp, but its latest additions and changes suggest the last update occurred recently. We will continue watching this page and related benefits closely to report any further updates.

For the most up-to-date official guidance, you can visit Hawaiian’s full loyalty FAQ document.

This transition represents a significant change in how miles, perks, and elite benefits will work for travelers flying to, from, and within Hawaii. With the right steps now, and staying alert as more changes are revealed, flyers will gain access to expanded rewards and global partnerships without losing the miles they’ve already earned.

Final note: please share how all of this has worked for you to date, and any issues you may have encountered. Mahalo!