The next phase of the 
Alaska Airlines
and Hawaiian Airlines
merger is underway. You can now officially transfer points between the programs while they work to integrate the programs entirely over the coming months.
Providing the promised value
Frequent flyer miles can now be transferred for free at a 1:1 ratio between the Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan
and Hawaiian Airlines HawaiianMiles
programs. The expanded partnership opens up new ways for frequent flyers to acquire points in both programs or combine balances to book a trip on either carrier.
Ensuring that points did not lose any value was a key condition of the merger’s approval, and it was widely assumed that they would transfer over in the same quantities. The agreement also opens up new points transfer opportunities, as HawaiianMiles members can transfer points into the program from American Express, while Alaska partners solely with Bilt.
Photo: Alaska Airlines
Members can transfer as few as 50 miles up to their total available account balance. Those who maintain multiple accounts in one loyalty program must contact the corresponding loyalty program to consolidate the accounts before transferring.
How do I move my points?
The process of moving points is relatively straightforward. Points.me is facilitating the exchange on a dedicated webpage. For the transfer to process, you must have frequent flyer accounts with both programs (they are free). The page will ask you to sign in to each account and then display a slider with both your balances that you can adjust to find your perfect mix of miles.
There is a minimum of 50 miles per transaction, with the upper limit reaching 500,000 miles. Once you select how many miles you want to transfer, click continue and then transfer. The process was immediate, but the airline cautioned that it may take up to 72 hours for the transaction to be reflected in the destination account and for the miles to be available for use.
Improvements are still expected to arrive by the end of the year. One of the first is that elite members in either program will be able to link accounts to have their status instantly matched to the other program. For customers who fly with both carriers, the potential rewards are even higher, as anyone who earns elite-qualifying miles (EQMs) in both Mileage Plan and HawaiianMiles in 2024 will have the potential to be awarded an even higher status based on the combined EQM balance.
For those looking for more ways to boost their collective balances, the existing Hawaiian Airlines credit card offers an increased sign-up bonus of 70,000 miles. The card also provides two free checked bags and a one-time 50%-off companion discount for roundtrip economy travel between Hawaii and North America.
