The final regulatory hurdle for the two airlines to merge, the DOT, has been cleared – clearing the path for the merger to get finalized.
And just one day later – the deal is officially closed! The loyalty programs will stay separate until a new combined program launches mid-2025.
Learn more about the loyalty programs including how they will match / merge status levels and more here. Mileage transfers between programs will be available later this month!!
The airlines had to pledge to maintain important Hawaiian (inter island) routes and, importantly, “agreed to protect the value of frequent flyer rewards,” according to Reuters.
Reuters also says that the “carriers must ensure customers can transfer miles without penalty and the combined carrier cannot devalue HawaiianMiles miles and must maintain, or increase status for HawaiianMiles members in Alaska’s Mileage Plan program.”
So there doesn’t appear to be any world in which HawaiianMiles don’t transfer at least 1:1 to Alaska MileagePlan miles.
Interestingly, the status line struck me – because it’s plausible that Hawaiian could be willing to match Alaska status short term and, when that happens, there’s always a chance that causes an extension of the original status.
Now, just 18 days ago we all had the opportunity to transfer American Express Membership Rewards to HawaiianMiles with a 20% bonus.
I didn’t give “advice” per se. I stated that it was likely the deal would close and likely it would be a great way to transfer Amex points to Alaska MileagePlan (which has no bank transfer partners apart from Bilt) via Hawaiian – and with a 20% bonus to boot. But I also cautioned that the deal wasn’t done, the DOT could step in, and you *could* be stuck with Hawaiian Miles.
Many transferred 100,000 or more to take advantage of the bonus, while others, like me, declined to do so, preferring less miles once it was a sure thing.
This announcement would seem to be the green light to go ahead and transfer all the American Express Membership Rewards you want over to Hawaiian Miles now – so they will convert to Alaska Miles later (unfortunately without a transfer bonus!).
You can also still get both Hawaiian credit cards – this link gets you the personal card with 70,000 miles after just one purchase ($99 fee applies – use any 6 digit code as the promo code) and the business card (which offers 50,000 miles for $4,000 in spend in 90 days) and if you are in two player mode, the cards allow you to transfer Hawaiian Miles between members, so you have the option to consolidate the miles to just one account.
(Neither link above is an affiliate link)
Regarding the transfers from Amex, please note: The partnership could end at any time and without warning. There has been a transfer bonus roughly every 6-12 months and with one just ending half a month ago, I don’t feel super confident we’ll get another shot. However, the programs won’t join overnight and anything is possible. While the programs won’t join overnight (it could take quite a while), that doesn’t mean that they won’t start making changes to align – and recall that Hawaiian did get pulled as a Bilt transfer partner (anyone get in on that 100% transfer bonus from Bilt to Hawaiian last year??
Also keep in mind that you’ll pay an excise fee when you transfer Amex to Hawaiian. It’s $0.0006 per point and maxes out at $99. Once you transfer 165,000 miles in one transaction you will pay the full $99. So whether you transfer 165,000 or 999,000 (the maximum in one transaction), it will be $99. Don’t pay the excise fee with points as will be offered – as you’ll get just half a cent per point in value to do so (19,800 points for the $99).
Need Amex points quick? Here’s a list of credit cards that earn Membership Rewards – but be aware that you can often find better offers for the personal Gold and Platinum cards via CardMatch or in an incognito browser and for the business versions via incognito browser.
Questions?
Let me know below in the comments, on Twitter, or in the private MilesTalk Facebook group. And don't forget to follow me on Instagram for all sorts of tips on miles, points, credit cards, and travel.
If this post helped you, please consider sharing it!
You can find credit cards that best match your spending habits and bonus categories at Your Best Credit Cards.
New to all of this? My “introduction to miles and points” book, MilesTalk: Live Your Wildest Travel Dreams Using Miles and Points is available on Amazon and at major booksellers.
