Which CC to get to fly to Hawaii?
 

I am looking ahead at our vacation for January 2014 flying from SFO to Maui then back to SFO from ITO or HNL
So I am researching and looking at HA credit card to get the 35k bonus points/miles and the companion 50% off ticket plus extras with a $79 annual fee.
https://www.applyonlinenow.com/USCCa...4919396-844329
Is this the best airline card giving me the best deal? in the quickest time?
thanks for your replies.

UPDATE: So far I have in my account: 43k UR Chase pts, Husband has 59 k United CC points. Will have another 55k added to my account since I was just approved for the United card too.
Looking at award flight with one leg of it business class shows up at 60k per person. Economy is 40K .
Looking at Roc to SFO to OGG from ITO or KONA to ROC mid-end of Jan 2014 ( can only see up to Nov but I am using 2013 as an example)

Is there a better way to use the pts or better routes.. seems the first class legs bump it up 20k ?

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How many passengers? First Class or Coach? Are you willing to use other Bay Area airports, or only SFO?

2 passengers - coach we will be in SFO for 3 days but can fly from nearby airport if it is a substantial savings. ( we won't have a car while in San Fran)

i personally would go with a united or american card..although im not 100% sure about the routes for your travels.....or even alaska

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Keeping in mind that there is no assurance of being able to secure award seats on your desired dates, AS currently offers nonstop service to HNL, KOA, and OGG (but not ITO) from both OAK and SJC. Although you can redeem AA, AS, or BA miles for travel on AS, for nonstops between the West Coast and Hawaii, BA offers the best redemption value: only 12,500 Avios for one way in Coach. If you needed to route via LAX on AA, BA would charge an extra 4,500 Avios for the flight between SFO/SJC and LAX. You can earn BA Avios directly with the Chase/BA Visa card, and indirectly with the Chase Sapphire Preferred Visa or MasterCard. (The Chase SP card earns "Ultimate Rewards" points, which can be converted to BA Avios on a 1:1 basis.) Check MilesBuzz! for current sign-up bonuses for these cards.

In the past, there was a Chase/BA Visa sign-up bonus of 100,000 BA miles with a $95 annual fee. I believe that the current offer is only 50,000 BA miles (now called "Avios"), but who knows if a more lucrative offer is in the offing?

Another vote for Chase Sapphire Preferred and 40K bonus.

Gives you both the United option and the Alaska via British Airways mentioned.

Though before you think about airfare via points, might be wise to consider where you're staying for hotels. Points tend to go further for hotels in Hawaii than flights (since except the Alaska via BA rate, air mile levels are inflated to Hawaii such that it's tough to get more than 2 cents per mile in value) as noted here:

http://milecards.com/2714/vacations-...your-best-bet/

OK.. I just got that card .. Chase Sapphire prefered( the metal one right?)and have to spend $3k in 3 mos to get the 40k
I was just going to turn the points into to pay bills.. but you're saying to use them for points?

We are staying in a condo in Maui and a B&B in Hawaii. I have points for our hotel stay in SFO and Airtran miles to get to SFO from the east coast.

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Do you plan to spend more time in California upon your return to SFO? Or are you just going to SFO to catch an AirTran flight east?

Although BA's award system is distance-based, and charges for each flight flown, AA's and UA's award systems are zone-based, so that an award from Hawaii to California costs the same as a flight from Hawaii to the East Coast.

If you provide us with more information about your complete travel itinerary, we can provide better recommendations. For example, if you are heading back to the NYC area from Hawaii, for 20,000 AA miles, you might be able to fly from Hawaii to NYC, stop over in NYC for months, and then fly on to Europe, all on the same award.

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It's not Chase card rewards that matter; rather, it's your ability to transfer Chase Ultimate Rewards points to frequent-flyer programs that matters. If you go to http://www.united.com, you should be able to find an award chart for UA's Mileage Plus program. I think UA charges 20,000 miles for a one-wayfrom Hawaii to anywhere on the Mainland, but I'm not 100% sure. For travel in January, AA would charge an off-peak rate 17,500 miles from Hawaii to the Mainland (but AA does not serve ITO).

By the way, both AA and UA miles can be used for inter-island awards on HA.

So it's a United airline card offer I should be getting then? not HAir?

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If you decide to fly ITO-ROC, then I would apply for the Chase/UA card, and use those miles for that trip (and perhaps for your inter-island flight, as well). You can still convert your Chase Sapphire Preferred UR points to Avios for the OAK/SJC-OGG nonstop on AS if that's how you decide to get to Hawaii.

But you might want to wait a few months before applying for the Chase/UA card, since you just got approved for a different Chase card (and have to meet those spend requirements, anyway).

Yes.. that's my plan.. will look to apply around December/Jan.
I just checked UA awards page and it's 20k to Maui from San Fran and from ITO to Roc so that's a great savings..
I have been researching all summer long and the cheapest flight I found was $176 from SFO to OGG and interisland is only around $90 so I don't mind having to choose paying for those flights and using the points for the return home. ( using Jan 17th-20th as a departure date from SFO)

I will keepchecking to see if UA will bump up their card offer to 60k as I have read is no longer valid yet some have been able to get it via private message.

So where online can I check the Chase Prefered awards chart?

thanks again for your help. ^

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Glad to help. What do you mean by the Chase Preferred "awards chart"? You can transfer UR points to various airline/hotel/Amtrak programs, and you can also use the points as cash when purchasing travel through Chase's affiliated travel agency. But I don't think you can redeem X number of points for a flat-screen TV or something like that.

Chase should have sent you literature with your CSP card explaining the ways in which CSP UR points can be used.

I believe UA is the only carrier with mainland service to ITO, from LAX.

The best mileage redemption from the West Coast to Hawaii is using BA Avios (UR can be converted to Avios) on AS or HA, AS has service to KOA from SJC, possibly elsewhere.