Travelers hoping to experience the surreal beauty of the Hawaiian islands should consider joining the Hawaiian Airlines frequent flyer program. After all, participants can earn rewards good for flights from the continental United States to Hawaii, as well as to select destinations in Asia and the South Pacific.

But any rewards-fueled journey starts with earning enough miles to begin with. Fortunately, there are many ways to rack up Hawaiian miles, including signing up for a co-branded Hawaiian Airlines credit card, shopping with retailers in the Hawaiian Airlines Marketplace and flying with the airline.

You can also earn miles by dining at select restaurants that belong in Hawaiian’s Marketplace Directory. If that piques your interest (and your appetite), here’s how you can earn Hawaiian Airlines dining rewards.

What is Hawaiian Airlines Dining?

Where some other airline rewards programs feature separate shopping and dining rewards, Hawaiian Airlines combines both to give you an easy rewards-earning opportunity. Through the Hawaiian Airlines Marketplace, you can earn miles for shopping online at select stores, staying at partner hotels on the islands or dining at select restaurants.

The dining component of the Hawaiian Airlines Marketplace doesn’t offer a specific sign-up bonus like other dining programs. Instead, you’ll earn a flat rate of miles for each dollar you spend at a participating establishment — usually 1 to 4 miles. Remember, these miles are awarded on top of miles you can earn by using a co-branded Hawaiian Airlines credit card.

How to join the Hawaiian Airlines Marketplace

Signing up for the Hawaiian Airlines® Bank of Hawaii World Elite Mastercard® is probably the best way to get started in this program, especially if you want to earn miles for each dollar you spend. You can even earn a big sign-up bonus for meeting a minimum spending requirement within a few months.

Hawaiian Airlines® Bank of Hawaii World Elite Mastercard®

  • Earn 70,000 bonus Hawaiian miles when you spend $2,000 on purchases in the first 90 days of account opening
  • Earn 3x miles on eligible Hawaiian Airlines purchases, 2x miles on gas, dining, and eligible grocery purchases, and 1x miles on other purchases
  • Perks include a first checked bag free on eligible bags and flights, a one-time 50 percent companion flight discount for round-trip coach travel between Hawaii and the Mainland on Hawaiian Airlines
  • $99 annual fee
  • No foreign transaction fees

In addition to signing up for the Hawaiian Airlines® Bank of Hawaii World Elite Mastercard®, you can also earn Hawaiian Airlines dining rewards with a Bankoh Hawaiian Airlines® Visa® Debit Card.

If you have a co-branded Hawaiian Airlines credit card or debit card already, you probably belong to their Hawaiian Airlines frequent flyer program. If not, you can create a free account.

How to use the Hawaiian Airlines Marketplace

Once you have an active Hawaiian Airlines frequent flyer account and a co-branded Hawaiian Airlines credit card or debit card, the rest is a piece of cake. All you’ll need to do to earn miles in this program is use your co-branded credit card or debit card at a participating store, hotel or restaurant.

If you want to know which restaurants and shops near you earn Hawaiian miles, you can navigate to the Hawaiian Airlines Marketplace, then click on “partner directory” and filter your results to your ZIP code. You can also search by using keywords if you have a specific establishment in mind. Pro-tip: Use the partner directory instead of shopping by category. Shopping by category omits U.S. merchants.

Hawaiian Airlines also offers a handy mobile app that can make searching for restaurants and retailers in your area a breeze. This app is available for free download on Android phones and iPhone.

Once you have the app, you can view restaurants on a map, search for offers by name, filter results by category, and view offers in a designated radius based on your location.

How to Maximize the Hawaiian Airlines Marketplace

Earning miles for shopping or dining out is always a good thing, but there are a few ways to maximize your efforts within the Hawaiian Airlines Marketplace. The following tips will help you earn more miles with this program over time.

Sign up for a co-branded Hawaiian Airlines credit card

While you can earn miles within the marketplace with a Bankoh Hawaiian Airlines® Visa® Debit Card, you’ll get more bang for your buck if you use the Hawaiian Airlines® Bank of Hawaii World Elite Mastercard®. The miles you earn in the marketplace are in addition to the miles earned on regular purchases with World Elite Mastercard. And remember, you earn 2x miles on dining, gas stations, and grocery store purchases.

Search for participating restaurants when you travel

Don’t forget that you will earn miles whenever you dine at participating restaurants — even if they’re far away from your home. Make sure to download the mobile app so you can easily search for participating establishments nearby.

Earn miles when you shop for gifts

Earn miles when you shop at participating retailers and Hawaiian Airlines partners. For example, you could be earning miles when you order select purchases from stores like Adobe, Blue Apron or Costco.

Stay in partner hotels

The Hawaiian Airlines Marketplace partners with numerous hotels around the islands, including Aston Waikiki Beach Hotel and Marriott Bonvoy properties. You can even earn up to 10,000 Hawaiian miles per night when you book a hotel stay through PointsHound.com. Before you book a hotel stay in Hawaii, check to see which offers are available and how many miles you can earn.

The bottom line

If you’re ready to explore the Napali Coast on Kauai or the beaches of Maui, Hawaiian Miles can get you there faster. The Hawaiian Airlines Marketplace gives you an easy way to earn more miles when you dine, shop, or spend money at participating establishments.

Check out our other points and rewards program guides.