Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan: The Ultimate Guide

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It’s rare for a large airline to remain profitable yet be beloved by travelers. Yet, so far, Alaska Airlines has managed to pull off this feat. However, it’s not just the onboard service that travelers love about Alaska. The airline’s Mileage Plan program is cherished by points and miles collectors as one of the best and most-valuable loyalty programs.

From every facet of earning miles to the tips and tricks to redeeming them, here’s your ultimate guide to the Alaska Mileage Plan program.

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History

Alaska Airlines traces its beginnings all the way back to 1932 when individual bush pilots flew supplies in and around Anchorage, Alaska. After expanding through Alaska, the renamed “Alaska Airlines” expanded flights to the U.S. mainland in 1951. For decades, growth was slow and the airline operated just 10 aircraft and 11 cities at the time of airline deregulation in 1979.

Alaska Airlines took off after airline deregulation, quickly expanding throughout the U.S. West Coast and into Mexico during the 1980s and then eastward in the 2000s. Then, in 2016, Alaska beat out JetBlue in a bidding war to acquire Virgin America for a whopping $2.6 billion to become the fifth-largest airline in the U.S.

Now headquartered in Seattle, there’s no doubt that Alaska Airlines is Seattle’s “hometown airline.” In January 2020, one of every four Alaska flights departed Seattle. Beyond Seattle, Alaska Airlines currently operates hubs in Seattle (SEA), Anchorage (ANC), Los Angeles (LAX), San Francisco (SFO) and Portland (PDX). In addition, Alaska dubs San Diego (SAN) and San Jose, California (SJC) as “focus cities.”

As of March 2022, Alaska Airlines serves 107 domestic destinations and 16 international airports in five countries.

How to Earn Alaska Mileage Plan Miles

Alaska offers a wide range of ways of collecting Mileage Plan miles—including flying on Alaska or its partner airlines, spending on Alaska co-branded credit cards, transferring points from other loyalty programs, earning through a shopping portal or just buying Mileage Plan miles outright.

Before you get started earning Alaska miles, you’ll need a Mileage Plan account.

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• LIMITED TIME ONLINE OFFER – 70,000 Bonus Miles!
• Get 70,000 bonus miles plus Alaska’s Famous Companion Fare™ from $122 ($99 fare plus taxes and fees from $23) with this offer. To qualify, make $3,000 or more in purchases within the first 90 days of opening your account.
• Get Alaska’s Famous Companion Fare™ from $122 ($99 fare plus taxes and fees from $23) each account anniversary after you spend $6,000 or more on purchases within the prior anniversary year. Valid on all Alaska Airlines flights booked on alaskaair.com.
• Earn 3 miles for every $1 spent on eligible Alaska Airlines purchases. NEW! Earn 2 miles for every $1 spent on eligible gas, cable, streaming services and local transit including ride share purchases. Earn 1 mile per $1 spent on all other purchases.
• NEW! Earn a 10% rewards bonus on all miles earned from card purchases if you have an eligible Bank of America® account.
• Free checked bag and (NEW!) enjoy priority boarding for you and up to 6 guests on the same reservation, when you pay for your flight with your card — Also available for co-applicants and authorized users when they book a reservation too!
• With oneworld® Alliance member airlines and Alaska’s Global Partners, Alaska has expanded their global reach to over 1,000 destinations worldwide bringing more airline partners and more ways to earn and redeem miles.
• Plus, no foreign transaction fees and a low $95 annual fee.
• This online only offer may not be available elsewhere if you leave this page. You can take advantage of this offer when you apply now.

Get 70,000 bonus miles plus Alaska’s Famous Companion Fare™ from $122 ($99 fare plus taxes and fees from $23) with this offer. To qualify, make $3,000 or more in purchases within the first 90 days of opening your account.

Credit Score ranges are based on FICO® credit scoring. This is just one scoring method and a credit card issuer may use another method when considering your application. These are provided as guidelines only and approval is not guaranteed.

Flying With Alaska Airlines

Long ago, most U.S. airlines granted one award mile per mile flown. Over the years, every U.S. airline has ditched this earning method, except one airline: Alaska Airlines.

On every Alaska flight, you’ll earn 1 Mileage Plan mile per mile flown. And yes, that’s true even on Alaska’s “Saver” basic economy fares. Even better, you’ll get bonus miles for booking first class or a more-expensive economy fare.

Alaska-marketed codeshare flights operated by eligible partners earn miles at these same earning rates. That means you can potentially earn a lot more miles by booking an Alaska codeshare flight rather than a partner flight directly. All eligible Alaska-marketed flights earn 100%. However, some American Airlines flights only earn at a rate of 25% of flight miles.

Status Miles

You can increase your Alaska Mileage Plan earnings by earning Alaska’s “MVP” elite status. Alaska currently offers four tiers of elite status—each with a confusingly similar name:

• MVP
• MVP Gold
• MVP Gold 75K
• MVP Gold 100K

Each tier of Alaska MVP elite status requires flying a minimum number of eligible segments on Alaska. In addition, you’ll either need to earn a certain number of eligible miles or segments.

Elite-qualifying mileage earnings vary based on the airline you’re flying, the fare class you booked and the distance of the flight. All Alaska fares earn at least 100% elite-qualifying miles. Plus, you’ll earn an elite-qualifying mileage bonus on more expensive fares.

All levels of MVP elite status get priority check-in and boarding, preferred seating, express security lines at certain airports, a discount on Alaska Lounge membership and priority phone assistance.

MVP Gold and higher tiers get companion upgrades as available to First Class and Premium Class, four First Class guest upgrades per year, a complimentary beverage in Main Cabin (if your upgrade doesn’t clear), standby and waitlist on full flights and complimentary same-day flight changes.

Other Alaska MVP elite perks vary by the status tier. Here’s a quick summary.

MVP

• 50% elite bonus on base mileage earnings
• 2 free checked bags
• Instant First Class upgrades on Alaska Y and B fares, and Premium Cabin upgrades on Alaska Y, B and H fares
• 48-hour upgrade window on all other fares
• Oneworld Ruby—including benefits such as priority check-in and preferred seating

MVP Gold

• 100% elite bonus on base mileage earnings
• 2 free checked bags
• Instant First Class upgrades on Alaska Y, B, H and K fares, and Premium Cabin upgrades on Alaska Y, B, H, K, M, L, V, S, N fares
• 72-hour upgrade window on all other fares
• Oneworld Sapphire—including benefits such as business-class lounge access, extra baggage and
• priority boarding

MVP Gold 75K

• 125% elite bonus on base mileage earnings
• Earn 50,000 bonus miles upon qualification
• 3 free checked bags
• Instant First Class upgrades on Alaska Y, B, H, K or M fares, and Premium Cabin upgrades on
• Alaska fares except Saver fares
• 120-hour upgrade window on all other fares
• 1 international upgrade certificate on American Airlines
• Oneworld Emerald—including benefits such as first-class check-in and lounge access

MVP Gold 100K

• 150% elite bonus on base mileage earnings
• 3 free checked bags
• Instant First Class upgrades on Alaska Y, B, H, K or M fares, and Premium Cabin upgrades on Alaska fares except Saver fares
• 120-hour upgrade window on all other fares
• 2 international upgrade certificate on American Airlines
• Oneworld Emerald—including benefits such as first-class check-in and lounge access

Flights on Partners

As Alaska is a member of the Oneworld alliance, you can earn Mileage Plan miles on any Oneworld member airline—including American Airlines, British Airways, Cathay Pacific, Japan Airlines and Qatar Airways. As Alaska only just joined Oneworld in 2021, it also maintains an eclectic mix of non-alliance partners, including:

• Aer Lingus
• Condor
• EL AL Israel Airlines
• Hainan Airlines
• Icelandair
• Korean Air
• LATAM Airlines
• Ravn Alaska
• Singapore Airlines

On partner flights—as with flights on Alaska—you’ll earn miles on partners based on the fare class and distance of the flight. The earning rate varies by airline partner. So, check the Alaska partner page and click the airline you’re flying to see the earning rate. For each partner and fare class, Alaska lists two different earning metrics: miles earned and elite-qualifying miles.

For example, if you book EL AL business class in J fare class, you’ll earn 225% of the flight distance as redeemable miles and 125% of the flight distance as elite-qualifying miles. For a 7,574-mile flight from Los Angeles to Tel Aviv, you’ll earn 17,042 redeemable miles and 9,468 elite-qualifying miles. Mileage Plan elites will earn an elite bonus on top of the base miles.

Credit Card Spending

Alaska offers U.S.-based travelers just one personal credit card option: the Alaska Airlines Visa® credit card*. Small business owners can apply for the Alaska Airlines Visa® Business Credit Card*. Both U.S. credit cards are issued by Bank of America.

Only offering one personal and one business card is fairly uncommon among U.S. airlines—many of which offer a dizzying number of credit card offerings. But, the simplicity of Alaska’s card portfolio doesn’t mean that it’s lacking perks.

The $95 annual fee Alaska Airlines Visa® credit card* grants cardholders a free checked bag (along with up to 6 other guests on the same Alaska reservation), an annual companion fare starting at $122 ($99 base fare plus taxes and fees from $23) when you spend $6,000 or more on purchases within the prior anniversary year and 20% back on all in-flight purchases on Alaska. The card earns 3 miles per dollar on eligible Alaska Airlines purchases, 2 miles per dollar on eligible gas, cable, streaming services and local transit including ride share purchases and unlimited 1 mile per dollar on all other purchases. Plus, cardholders can earn a welcome bonus: 70,000 bonus miles, plus Alaska’s Famous Companion Fare™ after spending $3,000 or more in purchases within the first 90 days of account opening.

The Alaska Airlines Visa® Business Credit Card* offers small business owners the same perks: free first checked bag, Alaska Famous Companion Fare and 20% back on in-flight purchases. The annual fee for the business card is $70 for the company and $25 per card. The card offers a welcome bonus: 70,000 bonus miles, plus Alaska’s Famous Companion Fare after making $4,000 or more in purchases within the first 90 days of account opening and earns 3 miles per dollar on Alaska Airlines purchases, 2 miles per dollar on eligible gas, shipping and local transit including rideshare purchases and 1 mile per dollar on all other purchases.

Transfer Partners

Alaska isn’t a transfer partner of any major bank points program. However, you can transfer points to Alaska Mileage Plan from at least three hotel points programs.

For most travelers, Marriott Bonvoy points are the best source for transferring points to Alaska miles. You’ll get 1 Alaska Mileage Plan mile for every 3 Marriott Bonvoy points transferred. Plus, you’ll get 5,000 bonus miles if you transfer at least 60,000 Bonvoy points. That means you’ll get a total of 25,000 Alaska miles for transferring 60,000 Bonvoy points.

Other alternatives include:

• IHG Rewards: transfer 10,000 points into 2,000 Alaska miles
• Choice Privileges: transfer 5,000 points into 1,000 Alaska miles

Shopping Portals

Alaska’s Mileage Plan Shopping portal is another easy way to earn Alaska miles at over 850 online retailers. Portal payout bonuses vary from day to day. To use most effectively, add merchants to your favorites list to get alerts about increased payouts.

The Mileage Plan Shopping portal often offers bonus points for reaching spending thresholds. For example, a recent promotion offered 1,500 bonus Alaska miles for spending at least $550 through the Mileage Plan Shopping portal.

If you want to help with remembering when to shop through the Alaska shopping portal, download the Mileage Plan Shopping extension for Google Chrome or Microsoft Edge. The extension will remind you to activate your mileage earnings when you’re shopping on an eligible retailer. Even better, the extension will apply available coupons and check prices for the same item on other mileage-earning websites.

Buying Miles

Alaska sells Mileage Plan miles at a base price of 2.75 cents per mile before taxes and fees—or around 2.96 cents per mile after the mandatory tax recovery fee. That’s a pretty expensive purchase rate, but it can come in handy if you’re desperate for miles and don’t have hotel points that you can transfer to Alaska.

Alaska will often offer buy miles promotions of up to 60% bonus miles. At this bonus rate, you’ll effectively buy Mileage Plan miles at 1.85 cents per mile.

As Alaska sells miles through Points.com, mileage purchases won’t code as a travel purchase. If you plan to take advantage of a buy miles promotion, make sure to put it on your best everyday spending card.

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How to Redeem Alaska Mileage Plan Miles

On Alaska Airlines

Alaska uses a semi-variable award pricing scheme for awards on its own flights. For each distance band, Alaska lists a range of award prices.

Award rates vary based on the day and the flight during the day. For example, flights from Seattle to Salt Lake City can cost as few as 5,000 miles on one day but start at 12,500 miles the next day. And first-class awards can vary across the entire 15,000- to 40,000-mile range on the same day. This means the difference between main and first class can on some days be a nominal 5,000 miles while on others it can be an astronomical 35,000 miles.

On Flights With Partners

Alaska doesn’t just have one partner award chart. Instead, there’s a different award chart for each airline partner. To make it even more confusing, only certain airlines can be flown between region pairs. For instance, you can book Qatar awards from the U.S. to the Middle East, Indian subcontinent or Africa—but not Asia, Europe, Australia or New Zealand.

To find partner award prices and airline options, open Alaska’s award chart and enter your origin and destination regions. You can narrow down the results by airline, cabin or sub-region.

This airline-by-airline award pricing leads to some wild award price discrepancies. For example, business class awards between the U.S. and Asia can cost as few as 50,000 miles each way on Cathay Pacific or Hainan Airlines—or as much as 125,000 miles each way on Finnair.

Fees

Alaska tacks on fees to certain awards. For example, you’ll have to pay $12.50 each way per award for all partner awards. And you’ll need to pay $15 to book an award over the phone—even if the award can’t be booked online.

Thankfully, Alaska’s elimination of change fees also applies to award bookings. You can change partner awards booked on or after May 1, 2021 for no fee.

Sweet Spots

Stopover for Free on Awards

One of the best perks of Alaska Mileage Plan awards is the ability to stopover for free on one-way awards.

For example, you can redeem an award to fly from the U.S. east coast to Seattle and see the west coast for a few days before continuing onward to Hawaii. Booked separately, you’d need to pay 32,500 Alaska miles for this itinerary. Booked as one award, you’ll pay just 20,000 miles.

Cathay Pacific

Any mention of Alaska Mileage Plan sweet spots wouldn’t be complete without talking about using Alaska miles for Cathay Pacific awards. You can fly one-way between the continental U.S., Alaska or Canada to anywhere in Asia for:

• 30,000 miles each way in economy
• 35,000 miles each way in premium economy
• 50,000 miles each way in business class
• 70,000 miles each way in first class

The 30,000-mile economy award rate is just decent. However, premium cabin awards really shine. The premium economy, business class and first class rates are absolutely incredible compared to what other airlines charge for the same flights.

Even better, you can stack these incredible award rates with Alaska’s free stopover on one-way awards. For example, fly from the U.S. to Hong Kong and stopover for as long as you want. Then, hop an onward flight to anywhere in Asia (e.g. Singapore, Bangkok or Bali) for no additional cost. That’s one of the sweetest sweet spots in all of points and miles.

Or, connect onward to Australia, New Zealand for just a little bit more. One-way awards between the U.S. and Australia or New Zealand on Cathay Pacific cost:

• 40,000 miles in economy
• 47,500 miles in premium economy
• 60,000 miles in business class
• 80,000 miles in first class

Japan Airlines

Japan Airlines is another incredible Oneworld airline that you can book with Alaska Mileage Plan miles. Instead of a fixed price, the award chart now lists a “starting” price for Japan Airlines awards. But, you can still find incredible redemption options.

Flying in business class on Japan Airlines will set you back only 60,000 miles to 80,000 miles whereas a flight on Korean Airlines will cost 105,000 miles.

Or, stopover in Tokyo and connect onward in Asia for just a little bit more. For example, business class awards from the U.S. to Singapore on Japan Airlines cost 40,000 miles each way in economy or 65,000 miles one-way in business class.

Quirks

Alaska Mileage Plan awards can’t combine multiple partners. For example, you can’t combine an award on American Airlines to Los Angeles (LAX) with a Fiji Airways award from Los Angeles to Nadi, Fiji (NAN). The one exception is that you can connect within the U.S. on Alaska Airlines.

While most Mileage Plan awards are bookable on Alaska’s website, Cathay Pacific and LATAM awards can’t be booked online. You’ll need to call Alaska at 1-800-252-7522 to book these awards. To save time and hassle, we recommend using American Airlines’ website to find Cathay Pacific award availability or Delta’s website to find LATAM availability before you call.

Infant Fees

If you’re flying as a young family, Alaska’s Mileage Plan may leave you frustrated. You can’t add an infant award to a Mileage Plan award. Instead, Alaska leaves it up to passengers to “contact the partner carrier to determine the fee for the infant’s transportation, and to arrange ticketing for the infant.” To avoid having to work with the partner airline, you’d need to book an award seat for your infant at the full mileage rate.

Expiration

Technically, Alaska Mileage Plan miles don’t expire. However, if your Mileage Plan account is inactive for more than two years, Alaska will close your account and you’ll forfeit all of your miles. If this happens to you, all is not lost. You have one year to pay to reinstate your account. Reports are that the fee is $75, but Alaska has been known to waive this fee.

Other Ways to Use Alaska Mileage Plan Miles

Upgrades

Redeem 15,000 miles to upgrade eligible Alaska flights to First Class. Just note that you’ll need to book a fare that qualifies for a mileage upgrade. Thankfully, Alaska makes it easy to do so. Just select the “mileage” upgrade option when searching for a flight on Alaska’s website.

Money & Miles

Alaska’s Money & Miles redemption option gives travelers the opportunity to redeem miles for a discount on paid flights. One perk of this option is that you’ll still earn mileage credit even though you’re redeeming miles. However, the redemption rate is on the low side at just 1 cent per mile:

• 10,000 miles for a 50% discount up to $100 off
• 20,000 miles for a 50% discount up to $200 off

Book Hotels

You can redeem Alaska Mileage Plan miles to pay for your hotel at over 400,000 properties worldwide through Alaska’s Rocketmiles-powered hotel search engine.

If you have an Alaska credit card, make sure to log into your account to get a mileage discount on booking hotels. From a quick search, Alaska cardholders get around a 9% discount—but the redemption rate is still abysmal. You’ll get much better value from your Alaska miles by using them for flights.

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Bottom Line

Alaska Mileage Plan is a favorite award program of many points and miles collectors. Alaska flights still earn (at least) one mile per mile flown, and premium cabin flights on partner airlines can really rack up miles. Elite status earning is still based on the miles and segments you fly—and not how much you spend. And Alaska offers some of the best award sweet spots of any mileage program.

The only downsides to the program are the lack of bank point transfer partners, the inability to combine awards operated by multiple partner airlines and some shockingly expensive awards on both Alaska and partner airlines. But, for travelers who know how to earn and burn them, Alaska Mileage Plan miles can be incredibly valuable.