What Hawaiian Airlines AMEX Exit Means For Alaska MileagePlan

As Alaska Airlines and Hawaiian merge their loyalty programs, a final date has been provided for American Express Membership Rewards to Hawaiian Airlines (and thus, Alaska Airlines.)

The writing has been on the hangar wall for a while now: Alaska Airlines’ merger with Hawaiian Airlines is moving swiftly toward finalization, and with it comes a seismic shift in the loyalty landscape. The latest tremor? Hawaiian Airlines will no longer be a transfer partner of American Express Membership Rewards as of June 30, 2025.

For most people, that sounds like the loss of an obscure transfer partner. But for those playing three-dimensional chess with frequent flyer points, this marks the end of a particularly valuable—if indirect—loophole. It allowed AMEX cardholders to transfer Membership Rewards to HawaiianMiles, and from there to Alaska Airlines. It effectively made Alaska MileagePlan awards accessible via AMEX despite the two not having a formal partnership.

This window is closing fast. If you have Membership Rewards and an eye on some of Alaska’s sweet spots, the time to act is now.

Why Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan Remains One of the Most Valuable Currencies

Despite the musical chairs happening across the loyalty program universe, Alaska Mileage Plan continues to hold its position as one of the most rewarding programs out there—especially for international premium cabin travelers.

Unlike Delta’s nosebleed high premium redemptions, Alaska maintains a relatively stable award chart (yes, they still have charts—remember those?). While there have been some devaluations since joining oneworld, many partners and redemption rates are still incredibly competitive.

Want Cathay Pacific First Class from the U.S. to Hong Kong? That’s 70,000 Alaska miles one-way. Japan Airlines business class across the Pacific? 60,000 miles, and with a stopover in Tokyo allowed for no additional miles. You can even tag on intra-Asia flights for free. United Mileage Plus charges 110,000 for the same award – almost 2:1.

Mileage Plan also punches above its weight with lesser-known partners like Fiji Airways, Hainan Airlines, and Singapore’s regional flights, giving you access to destinations and cabin classes that often go under the radar.

Best Alaska Mileage Redemptions for Amex Users (While You Still Can)

If you’re sitting on a pile of Membership Rewards and still want to get in on the Alaska action, here are a few redemptions to consider—but act quickly:

• Japan Airlines Business Class to Asia – 60,000 Alaska miles from the U.S. to Japan in a lie-flat seat, excellent onboard catering, and a surprisingly available award calendar.

• Cathay Pacific First Class – Still bookable for 70,000 miles, if you can find availability. This is one of the most luxurious experiences in the sky, and Alaska is one of the few ways to book it with points. For the avoidance of doubt, these are almost impossible to find.

• Qantas Business Class to Australia – 55,000–70,000 miles from the U.S. to Sydney or Melbourne. Considering the distance and cash prices, this is a solid value if you can catch award space.

• Fiji Airways to the South Pacific – 40,000–55,000 miles in business class from the U.S. to Fiji, with onward connections to Australia or New Zealand.

All of these can be booked via Alaska using miles that, for a few more weeks, can originate from AMEX transfers to HawaiianMiles. Linking your Alaska and Hawaiian accounts online you’ll then need to transfer Amex → HawaiianMiles, then to Alaska. If the website fails to move this quickly, call Hawaiian Airlines to request a partner award on Alaska. Calling in is not instant, nor automated—but it works. For now.

The Risks of Transferring Points Prospectively—And Why This Might Be the Exception

Normally, I’d say transferring flexible points to a specific airline without a redemption in mind is akin to buying perishable goods in bulk—you better be ready to use them before they expire (or devalue). Once Membership Rewards points leave the safety of Amex’s flexible vault, there’s no going back.

But this isn’t just any transfer window. It’s the last one.

If you’re interested in one of the high-value awards above and have the patience to navigate the process, this may be one of those rare exceptions where a speculative transfer makes sense. Just be strategic: have a route in mind, know your dates, and confirm availability before you move any points. But depending on your current Membership Rewards balance, it might make sense to load your MileagePlan account even without a redemption because the program generally offers so much value. My family routinely travels to London and while American almost always has something that will work for 57,500 in business each way, that’s still 12,500 per person each way more than what Alaska redemptions can be booked for. At 25,000 per roundtrip per person, and my family of four, that’s 100,000 points I can use for something else, and of course I can’t use American Airlines miles from Membership Rewards anyway.

It’s a gamble. But it’s also a disappearing act—and once the curtain drops, the workaround is gone for good.

Final Call

The Alaska–Hawaiian loyalty program merger is all but finalized, and with it comes the end of one of the more creative award booking maneuvers available to AMEX cardholders. As of June 30, HawaiianMiles will no longer be a Membership Rewards transfer partner, slamming the door on indirect access to Alaska’s incredible Mileage Plan awards.

If you’ve been waiting to book that dream trip to Asia, Australia, or Europe, don’t wait too much longer.

What do you think? Are you going to transfer points to Hawaiian for MileagePlan redemptions prospectively? 

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