Can You Transfer Hawaiian Airlines Miles to Alaska Airlines? ✈️

If you're sitting on Hawaiian Airlines frequent flyer miles and wondering whether you can move them to Alaska Airlines, the straightforward answer is: it depends on which loyalty program account you're asking about and what you actually own.

This question touches on a real source of confusion in airline loyalty, so let's clarify what's actually possible—and what isn't.

The Core Reality: Hawaiian and Alaska Are Separate Programs

Hawaiian Airlines HawaiianMiles and Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan are two distinct loyalty programs. Miles earned in one program cannot be transferred directly into the other. There is no formal transfer mechanism between them, even though both are major carriers in the Pacific and western North America.

This is true whether you've earned miles through:

• Flying with the airline
• Co-branded credit card spending
• Promotional offers
• Partner activity

If miles live in your HawaiianMiles account, they stay there. If they live in your Mileage Plan account, they stay there.

Where the Confusion Often Starts 🔄

Many people conflate two different things:

1. Transferring miles between accounts This doesn't exist between Hawaiian and Alaska. You cannot move a balance from one to the other.

2. Earning miles with one airline's card and using them with another This can happen—but only if a single co-branded credit card is actually affiliated with one specific program. A Hawaiian Airlines card earns Hawaiian miles. An Alaska Airlines card earns Alaska miles. That's it. No cross-earning, no redirection.

What You Can Actually Do With Miles From Each Airline

Hawaiian Airlines HawaiianMiles can be used for:

• Flights on Hawaiian Airlines
• Partner airline redemptions (Hawaiian has various partners depending on current alliances)
• Upgrades and other award uses within the Hawaiian program

Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan miles can be used for:

• Flights on Alaska Airlines
• Partner airline redemptions (Alaska's partnership network differs from Hawaiian's)
• Upgrades and other award uses within the Alaska program

The redemption value, partner networks, and award availability differ significantly between the two programs. A mile earned with one program is not interchangeable with a mile in the other.

Key Variables That Shape Your Actual Options

Your best path forward depends on:

• Which airline you fly most often – concentrate miles there rather than splitting them
• Which airline serves your home airport or primary routes – loyalty to the carrier with better availability for you yields more value
• Current partnerships available – each program's partner list changes, affecting where you can redeem
• Card sign-up bonuses and earning rates – these differ and may make one program more attractive to you right now
• Your redemption timeline – if you need miles soon, check availability in both programs first

The Bottom Line

You don't transfer Hawaiian miles to Alaska (or vice versa). Instead, you make a deliberate choice about which program to prioritize based on your travel patterns and goals. If you hold miles in both programs, evaluate redemptions independently in each—you may find excellent value in one program for your next trip, even if the balance is smaller.

The most efficient approach: Focus your earning on the program that aligns with where you actually travel. Spreading effort across both dilutes earning power in both.