Key Points

• Transferring 100,000 Chase Ultimate Rewards points to United MileagePlus can cover four round-trip economy flights to Hawaii, with total out-of-pocket costs as low as $44.80 in taxes and fees.
• The best redemption rates come from West Coast departure cities like Los Angeles and San Francisco, where one-way awards start at just 13,000 miles per person.
• Beyond United, Chase transfer partners like Air Canada Aeroplan and Korean Air SKYPASS offer compelling alternatives, especially for travelers departing from the Midwest or East Coast.

Hawaii is the dream trip most families put off for years. Flights aren't cheap, coordinating four seats at once is a logistical headache, and paying cash can easily run $3,000 to $5,000 just for airfare. But here's what changes the math entirely: the right welcome bonus on the right credit card.

The Chase Sapphire Preferred is currently offering 100,000 bonus points after spending $5,000 in the first three months. That's one of the strongest offers this card has ever carried, and it's enough to send your entire family to Hawaii in economy class. Not someday. This year.

This guide walks you through exactly how to do it, which transfer partners to use, how many points you actually need, and the step-by-step process for searching and booking the award. No vague suggestions. Specific airports, specific point costs, and real availability tips.

Why Chase Points Are Perfect for Hawaii

Chase Ultimate Rewards are the most versatile travel currency in the points game. You can redeem them through the Chase Travel portal at a flat rate, or transfer them 1:1 to more than a dozen airline and hotel partners. For Hawaii, transferring to airline partners almost always wins.

When you book through the Chase portal, your points are worth 1.25 cents each with the Sapphire Preferred (1.5 cents with the Chase Sapphire Reserve). A round-trip flight to Hawaii from the mainland running $600 in cash would cost 48,000 points that way. Four seats would run you 192,000 points. That's nearly double what you have.

Transfer to United MileagePlus, and those same four seats can cost as few as 104,000 points. The difference is real money.

That's the power of transfer partners. And for Hawaii specifically, United's award chart makes it one of the best-value redemptions available anywhere in the points world.

The United MileagePlus Sweet Spot for Hawaii

United prices its Hawaii awards based on the distance between your departure city and the island you're flying to. The shorter the distance, the fewer miles required. That's great news for anyone on the West Coast, and still workable for Midwest and East Coast travelers.

Here's what you can expect to pay per person, one-way, in economy class:

West Coast departures (lowest cost)

• Los Angeles (LAX) to Honolulu (HNL): 13,000 miles + $5.60 in fees
• Los Angeles (LAX) to Kona (KOA): 15,000 miles + $5.60
• Los Angeles (LAX) to Lihue/Kauai (LIH): 15,000 miles + $5.60
• San Francisco (SFO) to Kona (KOA): 17,600 miles + $5.60

Mountain and Central US departures

• Denver (DEN) to Honolulu (HNL): 22,000 miles + $5.60
• Denver (DEN) to Lihue (LIH): 22,000 miles + $5.60

Midwest departures

• Chicago O'Hare (ORD) to Honolulu (HNL): 25,000 miles + $5.60
• Houston (IAH) to Honolulu (HNL): 25,000 miles + $5.60

For a family of four flying round-trip from LAX to HNL, that's 104,000 miles total (4 people x 26,000 miles round-trip) plus $44.80 in taxes and fees. You'll earn at least 5,000 points from your $5,000 minimum spend to unlock the bonus, so your 100,000-point welcome offer effectively covers the entire redemption.

If you're departing from Chicago or Houston, four round-trip seats run 200,000 miles. That's more than the bonus covers on its own, but combining points from two cards or pooling with a partner's points easily bridges the gap.

How to Transfer Chase Points to United MileagePlus

Transferring is straightforward, and in most cases the points land in your United account almost instantly. Here's the step-by-step process.

Step 1: Make sure you have a MileagePlus account. If you don't already have one, sign up at united.com. It's free and takes two minutes.

Step 2: Log into your Chase account. Navigate to the Ultimate Rewards portal and find the "Transfer Points" option.

Step 3: Select United as your transfer partner. Enter your MileagePlus member number and the number of points you want to transfer. Transfers happen at a 1:1 ratio with no fees.

Step 4: Wait for confirmation. Transfers typically process instantly, though Chase says to allow up to a few days in rare cases.

One critical tip: don't transfer points until you've confirmed the exact award space you want to book. Award seats can disappear while you're in the middle of a transfer, and points transferred to airline programs cannot come back.

Searching for Hawaii Award Availability on United

United's award search tool has improved significantly and is genuinely useful now. You can search by specific dates or use the flexible calendar view to find the cheapest award dates across an entire month.

Go to united.com and search one-way from your departure city to your Hawaiian destination. Under "Booking type," select "Award." United shows saver awards (the cheapest tier) separately from everyday awards. You want saver awards, which is where those 13,000 to 25,000-mile prices apply.

A few things to know about availability:

Book early or look for off-peak windows. United releases saver award space most generously outside of peak summer weeks and holidays. If you have flexibility on dates, January through mid-March and September through October tend to show the best availability.

Search each leg separately. Rather than searching a round-trip all at once, try searching outbound and return as two separate one-way awards. This gives you more flexibility and often surfaces better availability.

Be flexible on the island. Oahu (Honolulu) is the most popular and sometimes harder to find at saver rates during peak season. Maui, Kauai, and the Big Island often have better availability and equally beautiful scenery.

Try searching connecting itineraries. Nonstop flights from your city may be sold out on certain dates. United connections through San Francisco, Los Angeles, or Houston can unlock dates when direct flights are blocked.

You can also use tools like ExpertFlyer or Seats.aero to search United award space more efficiently if you're struggling to find four seats on the same flight.

Other Chase Transfer Partners Worth Considering for Hawaii

United is the most popular option, but it's not the only one. Depending on where you're flying from and which airline you prefer, two other Chase transfer partners deserve serious consideration.

Air Canada Aeroplan

Aeroplan is one of the most underrated programs for U.S. travelers heading to Hawaii. Aeroplan prices awards based on distance zones, and Hawaii falls within the "short-haul" North America zone for West Coast cities.

Here's what makes Aeroplan interesting: it partners with United and lets you book United-operated flights using Aeroplan miles. In some cases, the pricing can be slightly different from what United charges its own members, so it's worth searching both programs when you're planning.

You can transfer Chase points to Aeroplan at a 1:1 ratio, and the transfer typically processes quickly.

Korean Air SKYPASS

Korean Air's SKYPASS program is another Chase partner that flies to Hawaii. Korean Air operates routes from Los Angeles and other cities to Honolulu as connecting flights on its own metal. SKYPASS awards to Hawaii from the continental U.S. can run around 25,000 to 35,000 miles round-trip per person in economy class.

SKYPASS is worth checking if you're interested in exploring premium cabin upgrades down the line, since Korean Air's business class is excellent.

What About Southwest?

Southwest flies to Hawaii from California and some other cities, and their Rapid Rewards program is also a Chase transfer partner. Southwest awards are priced based on the cash fare, which means there's no fixed sweet spot. Whether Southwest makes sense depends entirely on what cash fares look like at the time you're booking. Check both options when you're planning.

The Chase Sapphire Preferred transfers to Southwest at a 1:1 ratio, so if Southwest pricing looks better on your travel dates, that's a perfectly valid route to Hawaii. You can find more information about optimizing Southwest transfers in our guide to how Chase points are calculated.

Stacking Points from Multiple Chase Cards

One 100,000-point welcome bonus gets a family of four to Hawaii from Los Angeles. But what if you're departing from Chicago, or you want to fly business class, or you want to bring a larger group?

The real power of Chase Ultimate Rewards is that points from multiple cards pool together in a single account. Here's how families and couples typically stack up a larger balance.

The Chase Sapphire Preferred earns the transferable Ultimate Rewards currency. So do the Chase Sapphire Reserve, the Ink Business Preferred, the Ink Business Cash, and others. Points from all of these cards can be combined into a single Sapphire account before transferring to an airline partner.

If you and a partner each open a Chase Sapphire Preferred and each earn the 100,000-point welcome bonus, you're looking at 200,000 points combined. That's enough to cover round-trip economy flights from Chicago or Houston for a family of four, with points to spare for upgrades or hotel transfers.

You can learn more about building a Chase points ecosystem in our guide to how to rack up Chase Ultimate Rewards points faster.

Beyond Economy: Using Chase Points for Hawaii in Business Class

Economy to Hawaii is a perfectly comfortable way to fly, especially on newer United aircraft on the Mainland-Hawaii routes. But if you've been accumulating points for a while and want to stretch into premium cabins, the math changes.

United charges significantly more for business class to Hawaii, generally in the range of 35,000 to 60,000 miles per person one-way depending on your departure city. For a family of four, that adds up quickly. Business class to Hawaii makes the most sense for couples or individuals rather than a family of four trying to maximize a single welcome bonus.

If premium is your goal, check Hawaiian Airlines as well. The Hawaiian Airlines World Elite Mastercard earns HawaiianMiles directly, and while it doesn't transfer from Chase, it's worth having on your radar as a complementary strategy.

Step-by-Step Booking Walkthrough

Here's the full process from start to finish, assuming you're going for the LAX-to-Honolulu family trip as the target.

1. Apply for the Chase Sapphire Preferred. The 100,000-point bonus after $5,000 in spending is the engine of this whole redemption. Apply through our link here: Chase Sapphire Preferred.

2. Meet the minimum spend requirement. Put regular household expenses on the card for the first three months. Groceries, utilities, insurance, gas. Don't manufacture spend or try to game it. Just use the card normally.

3. Open a United MileagePlus account if you don't have one. Free, takes two minutes at united.com.

4. Search for award availability on United before transferring any points. Go to united.com, search your route as an award, and confirm four saver-level seats are available on your preferred dates. Write down the flight numbers.

5. Transfer your points from Chase to United MileagePlus. Log into your Ultimate Rewards account, go to "Transfer Points," select United, and initiate the transfer for the exact number of miles you need.

6. Book immediately after transfer. Once the points appear in your United account (usually within minutes), go back to united.com and complete the booking. Four round-trip economy seats from LAX to HNL will cost 104,000 miles and $44.80 in taxes and fees.

7. Add your Known Traveler Number (TSA PreCheck) to each booking if you have it. You can do this during booking or in your United profile. Learn how to get PreCheck for free through select travel cards in our travel benefits guide.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

Transferring before confirming availability. This is the most expensive mistake in the award travel world. Points transferred to United cannot be returned to Chase. Always verify the seats exist first.

Forgetting about the taxes and fees. Award flights aren't completely free. United charges $5.60 per person per one-way segment. For four people flying round-trip, that's $44.80 total. Budget for it, but don't let it surprise you.

Booking peak travel dates without checking availability first. Spring break, summer, and the holidays are the hardest times to find saver award space. If you want to travel during busy periods, start your search 5 to 6 months out.

Assuming the portal is always better. The Chase Travel portal is easy, but for Hawaii specifically, transferring to United or another partner almost always delivers more value per point.

Waiting too long on a limited-time offer. The 100,000-point welcome bonus on the Sapphire Preferred is not the permanent offer. When elevated bonuses expire, they tend to drop back to 60,000 points. If Hawaii is on your travel wishlist, this is the time to act.

Is the Chase Sapphire Preferred the Right Card for This?

The Sapphire Preferred carries a $95 annual fee. For a welcome bonus that can fund four round-trip flights to Hawaii, that fee is essentially irrelevant from a value standpoint. The 100,000-point bonus alone is worth $1,000 at minimum when redeemed through the Chase portal, and considerably more when transferred to airline partners as shown here.

Beyond the welcome bonus, the card earns 5x points on travel booked through Chase, 3x on dining, and 2x on all other travel purchases. It also comes with a $50 annual credit for hotels booked through Chase Travel, travel insurance protections, and no foreign transaction fees.

If you want to understand the full picture of what this card offers day-to-day, read our deep dive on whether the Chase Sapphire Preferred is worth it.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I use Chase points to fly to Hawaii without transferring to an airline?

Yes. You can book directly through the Chase Travel portal at 1.25 cents per point (or 1.5 cents with the Sapphire Reserve). It's simpler, but you'll need more points to cover the same flight. For a family of four, the transfer route typically delivers 40% to 60% more value.

Can my family pool Chase points together?

Chase allows household members to transfer points between accounts as long as they share an address. Points can be consolidated into a single Sapphire account before initiating a transfer to United.

How long does it take for Chase points to transfer to United?

Transfers to United MileagePlus are typically instant. Chase says to allow up to a few business days in rare cases, but the vast majority of transfers complete within minutes.

Do Chase points expire?

Ultimate Rewards points don't expire as long as your account remains open and in good standing. There's no pressure to redeem quickly, but don't let a limited-time welcome bonus window pass without acting.

What's the best island in Hawaii to fly into for award availability?

Honolulu on Oahu tends to have the most flights and therefore more award availability in aggregate, but it's also the most popular. If you have flexibility, searching Maui (OGG), Kauai (LIH), or the Big Island (KOA or ITO) can surface better saver award space on specific dates.

Can two adults each earn the 100,000-point bonus?

Yes, as long as each person meets the eligibility requirements (Chase's 5/24 rule and not having previously received a Sapphire bonus within the last 48 months). Two bonuses of 100,000 points each gives you 200,000 points to work with.

The Bottom Line

Four round-trip flights to Hawaii for $44.80 out of pocket sounds like a story someone made up. It isn't. It's the result of transferring 104,000 Chase Ultimate Rewards points to United MileagePlus and booking saver awards from Los Angeles to Honolulu.

The 100,000-point welcome bonus on the Chase Sapphire Preferred essentially covers the whole thing. You'll even have a few thousand points left over from the spending requirement. If you've been waiting for a reason to finally book that Hawaii trip your family has been talking about for years, this is it.

Start by confirming award space on United, then apply for the card. The elevated bonus won't last forever, and Hawaii will still be there whenever you're ready to go.

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