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Regardless of being smaller than the Massive Three legacy carriers — American Airways, Delta Air Traces and United Airways — Alaska Airways has gained recognition amongst American vacationers because of its loyalty program, Alaska Airways Mileage Plan.
As a member of the Oneworld alliance, this system gives quite a few high-value partnerships with airways like American Airways, British Airways and Cathay Pacific.
Furthermore, Alaska Airlines acquired Hawaiian Airlines in a joint merger, and the service is planning a major overhaul of its Mileage Plan program later in 2025.
This information will talk about methods to redeem Alaska miles, particulars on its elite standing program and extra.
Alaska Airways Mileage Plan overview
Alaska Airways Mileage Plan is Alaska Airways’ frequent flyer program. You earn Alaska miles by flying with Alaska or its accomplice airways. This system additionally gives extra methods to earn miles, akin to by its shopping portal, dining program and cobranded credit cards. When you accumulate miles, you possibly can redeem them for journey on Alaska or its accomplice airways.
Mileage Plan contains an elite status program with 4 tiers: MVP, MVP Gold, MVP Gold 75K and MVP Gold 100K. Every tier contains upgrades, most well-liked seating and bonus mileage earned on Alaska flights. Elite members additionally get pleasure from restricted advantages on Hawaiian Airways, American Airways and different Oneworld companions.
Associated: 6 great benefits I received as an American Airlines elite flying Alaska Airlines
Alaska Airways companions
Alaska Airways is thought for its suite of airline partners, which incorporates airways in Oneworld and different alliances.
Oneworld alliance companions
Alaska joined Oneworld in late March 2021. Because of this the airline is now a accomplice with these airways:
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- American Airways
- British Airways
- Cathay Pacific
- Fiji Airways
- Finnair
- Iberia
- Japan Airways
- Malaysia Airways
- Qantas
- Qatar Airways
- Royal Air Maroc
- Royal Jordanian Airways
- SriLankan Airways
Different airline companions
Alaska has partnered with airways exterior of Oneworld for years now. We’re hopeful these nonalliance partnerships will stay long-term now that Alaska is a Oneworld airline, however solely time will inform. Here is the total listing of Alaska’s different airline companions to earn and redeem miles with:
- Aer Lingus
- Air Tahiti Nui
- Condor
- Hainan Airways
- Icelandair
- Korean Air
- LATAM
- Oman Air
- Philippine Airways
- Porter Airways
- Singapore Airways
- Starlux Airways
Alaska Airways elite standing
Alaska Airways has 4 elite standing tiers.
To qualify, it’s worthwhile to earn a set variety of elite qualifying miles, which might be earned by flying Alaska or its accomplice airways (together with award flights), bank card spending or different choose nonflight actions.
| Standing tier | Required variety of EQMs |
|---|---|
| MVP | 20,000 |
| MVP Gold | 40,000 |
| MVP Gold 75K | 75,000 |
| MVP Gold 100K | 100,000 |
There are additionally milestone rewards after incomes 10,000, 30,000, 50,000, 85,000, 150,000, 200,000 and 250,000 EQMs.
With Alaska and Hawaiian Airways’ merger, the carriers are additionally at present providing an elite standing match.
| In case you have: | You may be matched to: |
|---|---|
| Alaska Airways Mileage Plan MVP standing | HawaiianMiles Pualani Gold standing |
| Alaska Airways Mileage Plan MVP Gold, MVP Gold 75K or MVP Gold 100K standing | HawaiianMiles Pualani Platinum standing |
| HawaiianMiles Pualani Gold standing | Alaska Airways Mileage Plan MVP standing |
| HawaiianMiles Pualani Platinum standing | Alaska Airways Mileage Plan MVP Gold standing |
Plus, the airways supply members the chance to mix their elite qualifying miles throughout the 2 loyalty applications to earn standing.
| Mixed EQM steadiness: | Standing you will get with Alaska Airways Mileage Plan: | Standing you will get with HawaiianMiles: |
|---|---|---|
| 20,000 EQMs | MVP | Pualani Gold |
| 40,000 EQMs | MVP Gold | Pualani Platinum |
| 75,000 EQMs | MVP Gold 75K | Pualani Platinum |
| 100,000 EQMs | MVP Gold 100K | Pualani Platinum |
The right way to earn Alaska miles
Incomes Alaska miles was once more difficult because the airline will not be instantly related to main bank card applications like American Express Membership Rewards and Chase Ultimate Rewards, however now you can transfer Bilt Rewards Points to Alaska Airways Mileage Plan.
Plus, since merging with Hawaiian Airways, Amex members can transfer their Membership Rewards points to HawaiianMiles after which switch these miles to Mileage Plan at a 1:1 charge. Nevertheless, Alaska has advised TPG that this chance could not final for much longer.
Earn miles when flying with Alaska Airways
In contrast to different main U.S. airways, Alaska continues to award miles primarily based on the precise size of a flight. You may earn 1 mile per bodily mile flown in commonplace economic system. Saver tickets earn 30% of the miles flown.
First-class tickets obtain a minimal 50% mileage bonus, leading to larger mileage earnings. Observe that this bonus solely applies to paid first-class tickets, not upgrades. Elite members additionally earn bonus miles on all Alaska flights.
Bonus miles can accumulate rapidly for frequent vacationers. Moreover, higher-fare economic system lessons supply bonus miles, though they could be dearer than commonplace economic system tickets. You possibly can confer with Alaska’s website for extra details about incomes Alaska miles on Alaska flights.
Credit score accomplice flights to Mileage Plan
You possibly can credit score accomplice flights to Alaska Airways Mileage Plan, permitting you to earn each redeemable and elite qualifying miles. The miles earned rely on the airline, flight size and fare class. To find out the incomes ranges, go to Alaska’s partner page and find the incomes chart for the precise accomplice and fare class. Multiply your flight’s distance by the proportion within the “Miles earned (whole)” column.
Spend on an Alaska Airways bank card
Alaska Airways has two cobranded bank cards with Financial institution of America: a private card and a enterprise card.
- Alaska Airlines Visa Signature® credit card: New cardholders can obtain a 30% flight low cost code for a qualifying future flight after opening a brand new account. Moreover, they’re going to earn 60,000 bonus miles plus Alaska’s Companion Fare™ ($99 fare plus taxes and charges from $23) after making $3,000 or extra in purchases inside the first 90 days of opening an account. This card earns 3 miles per greenback spent on eligible Alaska purchases; 2 miles per greenback spent on eligible gasoline, electrical automobile charging station, cable, streaming service and native transit (together with ride-hailing companies) purchases; and 1 mile per greenback spent in every single place else. Cardholders additionally get a free checked bag on all Alaska flights and 20% again on inflight purchases.
- Alaska Airlines Visa® Business card: Earn 60,000 bonus miles and Alaska’s Companion Fare ($99 fare plus taxes and charges from $23) after making $4,000 or extra in purchases inside the first 90 days of opening an account. The cardboard earns 3 miles per greenback spent on eligible Alaska Airways purchases; 2 miles per greenback spent on eligible gasoline, EV charging station, delivery and native transit (together with ride-hailing companies) purchases; and 1 mile per greenback spent on all different purchases.
Plus, for cardholders of the non-public Alaska bank card, you’ll earn 1 elite qualifying mile for each $3 spent (as much as 30,000 EQMs annually).
Switch Bilt Rewards factors
Bilt Rewards members can now switch factors to Alaska Airways Mileage Plan at a 1:1 ratio. That is big information for award vacationers, as Marriott Bonvoy factors are the one different main transferable forex that transfers to Mileage Plan.
Alaska Airways cardholders can earn 3 miles per greenback (on as much as $50,000 yearly) when utilizing their Alaska Airways Visa bank card to pay lease by Bilt. That mentioned, Alaska cardholders can pay a small processing price to do that.
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Switch HawaiianMiles to Alaska Airways Mileage Plan
HawaiianMiles might be transferred to Alaska Airways Mileage Plan at a 1:1 charge. Since Alaska is a part of the Oneworld alliance, this opens up a slew of redemption companions, akin to American Airways.
Moreover, Hawaiian Airways is at present a switch accomplice of Amex Membership Rewards; Amex Membership Rewards factors might be transferred to HawaiianMiles at a 1:1 charge. Nevertheless, as talked about earlier, it is protected to say that the Amex switch possibility will ultimately develop into out of date.
Different methods to earn Alaska miles
You possibly can earn miles utilizing the Mileage Plan Purchasing portal when buying on-line and the Mileage Plan Eating program when eating out.
On the buying aspect, Mileage Plan Purchasing awards bonus miles everytime you click on by the Alaska portal earlier than making an internet buy. It gives bonus miles with lots of of various retailers, together with Apple and Saks Fifth Avenue. Every service provider awards a special variety of miles per greenback spent, and charges can fluctuate ceaselessly.
Be careful for shopping portal deals supplied by Mileage Plan Purchasing. It sometimes runs limited-time bonuses the place you possibly can earn further miles by spending a particular sum of money.
Mileage Plan Eating is one other alternative to earn bonus miles. Create an account on the Mileage Plan Dining website, and hyperlink your bank cards. For optimum advantages, use a card that gives bonus factors or miles on eating.
The miles you earn rely in your Mileage Plan Eating membership tier. These embrace:
- Fundamental members: 1 mile per $2 spent
- Choose members: 3 miles per greenback spent, earned after you enroll in e-mail communications from Mileage Plan Eating
- VIP members: 5 miles per greenback spent, earned after you enroll in e-mail communications and dine at taking part eating places 11 occasions in a calendar 12 months
There are different methods to earn Alaska miles, akin to reserving rental automobiles and resort stays with Alaska companions. You possibly can be taught extra about these incomes alternatives in our full guide to earning Alaska miles.
The right way to redeem Alaska miles
You need to use your Alaska miles for flights on Alaska Airways and its accomplice airways. Redeeming on accomplice airways usually gives the very best worth, particularly for worldwide first- or business-class flights.
Observe that Alaska Airways flights are dynamically priced. Your value for a particular award ticket varies by route and day. You may usually discover the lowest-priced awards on quick flights, akin to Seattle-Tacoma Worldwide Airport (SEA) to Portland Worldwide Airport (PDX) in Oregon and Los Angeles Worldwide Airport (LAX) to San Francisco Worldwide Airport (SFO).
On the airline’s website, you will see award pricing for all of Alaska’s companions, relying on the area you’re touring to.
All accomplice awards are actually dynamically priced. As an illustration, American Airways award flights within the U.S. and Canada now solely have beginning costs after which pricing will “differ relying on demand.”
Associated: Alaska Airlines tweaks award charts with HawaiianMiles
Add stopovers to one-way award tickets
One important benefit of reserving accomplice tickets with Alaska Airways is the ability to add stopovers to one-way award tickets. Reserving a ticket with a stopover prices the identical as reserving a nonstop flight to your ultimate vacation spot.
You possibly can have a stopover operated by Alaska Airways or a single accomplice in its hub metropolis.
The right way to e-book Alaska Airways award tickets
You possibly can e-book most award tickets on the Alaska Airlines website. Log in to your account and enter your search standards on the homepage, guaranteeing you choose the “Use miles” possibility for award flights. Click on “Discover flights” to go looking and examine accessible choices within the middle of the display screen.
When you discover a appropriate ticket, choose it and click on “Add to cart” to proceed with reserving.
For reserving stopovers, click on the “All search choices” hyperlink on the homepage and choose “multicity” beneath the “Flight sort” header. Enter your flights, and seek for connecting tickets. All accessible choices can be displayed within the middle of the display screen. When you discover a fascinating itinerary, e-book your ticket as normal.
Alaska Airways Mileage Plan redemption candy spots
Now that you recognize about Alaska Airways Mileage Plan, let’s discover some prime methods to make use of your Alaska miles.
- Enterprise class to Fiji and Australia/New Zealand: One-way business-class seats on Fiji Airways now begin at 75,000 Alaska Airways miles. You would fly to New Zealand and Australia, with a stopover in Fiji for simply 10,000 miles extra.
- Home flights inside Australia: Alaska’s Oneworld accomplice Qantas operates many wide-body companies on the “golden triangle” routes between Sydney Airport (SYD), Melbourne Airport (MEL) and Brisbane Airport (BNE). These flights might be booked in economic system class beginning at 7,500 Alaska miles every manner for journeys of 1,500 miles or much less.
- Enterprise class to the U.Okay. and Eire: Whereas many flight routes from North America to Europe will fall inside the 3,501- to five,000-mile vary, akin to a flight from Miami Worldwide Airport (MIA) to Adolfo Suárez Madrid-Barajas Airport (MAD) costing 55,000 miles in enterprise class, there are a number of routes from the East Coast to the U.Okay. or Eire that may solely price 45,000 miles in enterprise class, as they’re beneath 3,500 miles. Two such examples are the New York-to-London and New York-to-Dublin routes.
- Guide South America flights on LATAM: Regardless of leaving the Oneworld alliance, LATAM nonetheless companions with Alaska Airways. By benefiting from the free stopover, you possibly can e-book flights like MIA to Lima, Peru’s Jorge Chávez Worldwide Airport (LIM) to Santiago, Chile’s Arturo Merino Benítez Worldwide Airport (SCL), permitting you to expertise two vibrant South American cities in a single journey from simply 25,000 miles for economic system and 50,000 miles for enterprise class every manner.
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Backside line
Alaska Airways Mileage Plan is a prime airline loyalty program, because of its big selection of companions and dependable award charts. Moreover, with its acquisition of Hawaiian Airways and up to date program bulletins, the Mileage Plan loyalty program gives many notable advantages.
Nevertheless, it stays to be seen how the upcoming joint loyalty program between the 2 carriers will comply with Alaska’s present Mileage Plan program. Our hope is it isn’t a complete devaluation of a helpful airline program.