For months, we thought we knew the answer. If you wanted to move points between two Hawaiian Airlines accounts without paying transfer fees, the advice seemed straightforward: get the $395 premium Atmos card.
That’s what we believed. It’s what we told readers last fall based on the information available at the time, and it’s still how major points sites like The Points Guy describe the program today.
Then we stumbled onto something we weren’t expecting. While working in our own Atmos accounts, we noticed language indicating that free transfers might still be available with a different Hawaiian card.
We weren’t convinced, so we tried it ourselves. And it worked. Jeff transferred points to Rob at no cost. Neither of us has the $395 Atmos Rewards Summit Visa Infinite, the premium Bank of America card that nearly every points site treats as the key to fee-free sharing. Jeff has the regular Hawaiian Airlines World Elite Mastercard. The transfer went through, and instantly, without paying a penny.
The actual confirmation: 33,076 Atmos Rewards points shared from Jeff’s account to Rob’s. No fee — and neither of us holds the $395 Summit card.
If you’ve been sitting on points split between family members, business associates, or friends, because you assumed moving them would cost a fortune, this could make a real difference. It did for us and actually gave Rob enough miles to complete a free trip. Otherwise, the standard transfer fee is $10 per 1,000 points, and it adds up fast.
The transfer in the screenshot above of 33,076 points would have cost about $331 the regular way. We paid nothing. Move 50,000 points, and you’ve saved $500. But what surprised us wasn’t that it worked. It was where they’d buried the option.
We realized we needed to revisit what we’d previously written. Back in September, during the airline transition, free transfers were generally associated with the premium Summit card.
There was also a brief blackout from September 26-30, when transfers were temporarily unavailable as HawaiianMiles became Atmos points. What changed afterward wasn’t that sharing suddenly returned. It was the fee structure and who qualifies for free transfers.
Our own test suggested there was more to this story. After digging deeper, we found Alaska had quietly documented the benefit in a February 2 post that we and others had not seen.
A primary cardmember of the regular Hawaiian Airlines World Elite Mastercard can create a sharing network with up to 10 members and transfer Atmos points without paying transfer fees. The transfer isn’t exactly hidden, but it isn’t where most people would think to look.
If you go to the marketing page to buy or share points, you’ll still see the standard transfer pricing. The free option appears after the eligible primary cardmember creates a sharing network from the Account Overview section of their Atmos account.
According to Alaska, both people need Atmos accounts, and the eligible primary cardmember creates and manages the sharing network. We also found one detail we haven’t personally tested.
The Atmos transfer page lists the Bank of Hawaii Hawaiian Airlines Visa debit card as one of the products eligible for free transfers. We haven’t verified that firsthand, so we’re relying on Alaska’s published information for that specific card.
One other terminology change is worth mentioning. If you’re still calling them HawaiianMiles, you’re not alone. Since October 1, they’re officially Atmos points, even though many travelers still use the old name. This is one merger change that may actually save some Hawaii travelers a surprising amount of money.
As always, programs can change. Before relying on this benefit for an important redemption, it’s worth confirming the current terms in your own Atmos account. Best tip – do it soon.
We’re curious whether anyone else found this the same way we did. If you’ve transferred points using the regular Hawaiian card, or especially the Bank of Hawaii debit card, did your transfer go through free, and which eligible card did you use?
Lead Photo: © Beat of Hawaii at Laie Beach Park on Oahu.
By Rob and Jeff, Beat of Hawaii.
Some of the most meaningful parts of Hawaii are the ones visitors walk right past without knowing they are there. We’ve spent nearly 20 years finding them firsthand for BOH as full-time Hawaii residents reporting on travel, culture, and island life, and telling you what they mean for your trip. Join us →
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