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Summer is here and we all know what that means? Beach season! It’s been a year since the pandemic drastically changed the travel industry and we know that a lot of you are probably itching to book that flight to Hawaii right now. Well, it’s good news for everyone because Hawaii travel restrictions have been eased down starting June 15, 2021.
The Office of the Governor in Hawaii has stated that travel restrictions for inter-country travel will end which means that there will be no more testing and quarantine procedures.
“The easing of travel restrictions is a direct result of our robust vaccination rate and a community that sacrificed and did what it had to do over the past year and a half to stop the spread of COVID-19. We need to push hard now so we can get to the point where Safe Travels is no longer needed to keep the people of Hawai‘i safe,” said Gov. David Ige. More details are explained on Hawaii State’s official website.
Hawaii’s overall vaccination rate is currently at 52% which is close to reaching its goal of 55%, and once it increases, more travel restrictions will be removed in the following months to come.
Sounds like everything is returning to normal, isn’t it? Better start racking up points using your travel credit cards so you can enjoy your summer at Hawaii.
Read More: Foreign Travelers and Out Of State Residents Getting The Covid-19 Vaccine In the USA
Prior to the governor’s announcement, all domestic travelers and returning residents were required to take a Nucleic Acid Amplification Test within 72 hours prior to their departure for Hawaii. All travelers, including vaccinated people, were required to submit their negative test results online to Hawaii’s Safe Travels website and keep a physical copy of the results upon entering the state. Having a negative test result allows passengers to skip the 10-day mandatory quarantine.
Lieutenant Governor Josh Green even posted on his Facebook page about the good news. However, there’s even bigger news to come because Hawaii travel restrictions will be a lot lesser as the rate of vaccination increase.
Hawaii Travel Restrictions guidelines and timeline
- June 15 – All inter-island or inter-country travel restrictions will be removed.
- June 15 – Only vaccinated people who are flying to Hawaii will bypass mandatory quarantine and pre-travel testing.
- TBD – Both vaccinated and non-vaccinated people will bypass mandatory quarantine and pre-travel testing when the state reaches the 60% vaccination rate.
- TBD – All Hawaii travel Covid restrictions, including Safe travels and mask-wearing, will be dropped once the state reaches the 70% vaccination rate.
It won’t be long until the state becomes 70% fully vaccinated because local businesses are encouraging citizens to get inoculated through rewards and prizes. Some of these rewards even include Marriot Points and Hawaiian Airlines miles so that’s great news to us points enthusiasts. You can learn more about these contests at HIGotVaccinated.com.
Travelers should expect an increase in prices pretty soon now that Hawaii is looking like an excellent option this summer. With most international travel is still restricted choices are limited for travelers.
Hawaiian Airlines’s CEO Peter Ingram even mentioned that he is seeing a surge of bookings once Hawaii travel restrictions started to ease down. Ingram said “In the month of June, we’ll fly more than 110% of the capacity that we flew in June of 2019.”
If you have spent the pandemic building up your credit card travel rewards points balance, and you can’t wait to get out of town and take a vacation, we have some excellent options for you. Traveling to Hawaii using points and miles has never been easier using credit card points. Whether you have Amex Membership Rewards, Chase Ultimate Rewards, or Capital One Miles, you can use almost any points or a combination of points if you don’t have enough in one account to take your next Hawaiian vacation.
Amex Membership Rewards
If you have been stacking up your Membership Rewards balance using The Platinum Card from American Express or even the American Express Gold Card, you are on the way. You can transfer your points to various airline partners and book yourself a one-way main cabin award ticket from the contiguous US to Hawaii for as little as 13,000 points, plus taxes and fees.
Chase Ultimate Rewards
On the Other hand, if you are a Chase Ultimate Rewards aficionado, you are not out in the cold. You can book a one-way main cabin award from as little as 17,500 points. Even better is that this bargain price applies to awards from the east or west coast. This means that all the points you have earned from spending during the pandemic on your Chase Sapphire Preferred Card or the more premium Chase Sapphire Reserve Card can now be used towards a well-earned tropical vacation in Hawaii.
Capital One Miles
Capital One Miles fans can also use their hard-earned points to get to Hawaii from North America. Obviously, this applies whether you have earned your points for everyday spending via the Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card or the other personal card, the Capital One Venture One Rewards Credit Card. It doesn’t make a difference if you have earned your points for business expenses and have been using the Capital One Spark Miles for Business to meet your business’s financial commitments. You can still use all those points to book a well-deserved break to Hawaii.
Using your Capital One Miles, there are some great bargains to be had. You can book one-way main cabin awards from the west coast to Hawaii for as little as 15,000 points plus taxes and fees.
Citi ThankYou Points
If you hold a Citi ThankYou points earning card l like the Citi ThankYou® Premier Card, or the Citi Prestige Card, you can use the points you have accrued to get your next award to Hawaii. Using Citi ThankYou points, some stunning bargains are to be had (even though the award space can be limited). Round trip fares in economy can be had from 20,000 miles, while Business class awards can be found for the absolute steal of 30,000 miles plus taxes and fee.
Marriott Bonvoy Points
If you are a road warrior who loves Marriott and has amassed a balance of points either through stays or for spending on your Marriott co-branded credit cards like the Marriot Bonvoy Boundless Visa Signature Credit Card or the Marriott Bonvoy Bold Credit Card. You can use your points balance to get yourself and your family to Hawaii. Transferring Marriott Bonvoy points to a partner airline, you can book a round trip award to Hawaii in economy for as little as 25,000 miles (60,000 Marriott Points) plus taxes and fees.
What If I don’t Have Enough Points In One Account?
If you have used up a load of points or have split your spending so that you don’t have enough points in one credit card account to transfer, there is no need to worry. Read our comprehensive guide on how to book flights to Hawaii using credit card points to see your options and how you can pool points from different cards to book your next vacation to Hawaii!
Now is that time to use up those points that you have been saving up for so long during the pandemic. Or you can sign up for our travel concierge to get travel assistance on how to book FREE flights using your points.
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