Alaska Airlines is offering economy fares as low as $260 roundtrip between Oakland and Hawaii. As Kendra reported fares between Oakland and Maui (OGG) are as low as $260 roundtrip. These fares are valid between January and March, mostly applying to mid-week flights.
The $260 fares can even be paired with the $99 Alaska Airlines Companion Ticket issued to Alaska Visa Signature cardholders. I tested it and my total for a $260 fare came to $402.24, which is just over $200 per person. Charging this booking to your Barclay Arrival Plus card means you’ll be able to redeem 36,000 miles to cover this fare. That’s just about the number of miles American Airlines requires for a single off-peak AAdvantage award to Hawaii. Essentially, you are getting a two for one deal here. If you are a Alaska Visa Signature cardholder, you can find your Companion Ticket code in the “Discount Codes” section of your Mileage Plan account.
If Maui isn’t really your cup of tea, there are also $300 roundtrip fares between Oakland and Kauai (LIH), Honolulu (HNL), and Kona (KOA) during the same period. First class fares are also somewhat discounted, with some as low as $1,000 roundtrip. This isn’t exactly a bargain, considering Alaska’s first class on Hawaiian routes is basically a recliner seat. But still worth mentioning for those who don’t mind paying for it.
As far as accommodations once you get to Hawaii, there are a few options. You can always book a Starwood, Hyatt, or Hilton stay on points. Hyatt’s Free Night + 10,000 Bonus Points promotion is also worth looking into, and sometimes their vacation club offers discounted stays in exchange for attending a timeshare presentation. If it’s a hassle-free condo or vacation club you’re after, Airbnb has quite a few listings. The great thing about Airbnb is that it gets coded as a travel merchant, so you’ll earn double points wit the Barclay Arrival Plus and category bonus cards. Plus, you’ll be able to redeem Arrival Miles at a rate of 1.1 cent per point.
If you’re up for a winter/spring trip to Hawaii, these fares are pretty tough to beat. No matter what you decide in terms of where to stay, you’re saving quite a bit on airfare and activities, so you’ll be able to splurge in other areas.
I always wonder how do they make profit out of these fares?
I imagine the loss (if there is one) is largely off-set by the profits of high season fares.
One thing I love about traveling around the US is exploring the different manufactured spending opportunities. I’ve heard that there might be VRs at Long’s. If there are, then I’m guessing Hawaiian people are used to it. However, any nostalgic people from the mainland would find it to be very interesting.
Also, you can possibly check if there are money orders at Foodland or Times Supermarket. These two pages suggest that both chains offer money orders.
http://www.alamoanacenter.com/Dining/Foodland-Supermarket
http://www.timessupermarkets.com/services-at-times-supermarkets/
There are VRs at Longs but in my experience the registers are hardcoded against CC for them.
Dang it. Despite this obstacle, is it still pretty easy to manufacture spend in Hawaii?