Should You Book Hotels and Vacation Rentals Through Stays by Alaska Vacations?

In August, Alaska Airlines teamed up with Expedia to launch Stays by Alaska Vacations. This portal allows travelers to earn and redeem Atmos points at a reported 900,000+ hotels and vacation rental properties. This followed the earlier rollout of Packages by Alaska Vacations, which offers packaged discount rates on airfare and stays.

Given that Alaska points are somewhat hard to earn given limited transfer partners, it’s no surprise that this new program caught our attention. But are the redemptions and earning opportunities a good value for your points and money?

Let’s dig in and explore this new booking opportunity. Here’s what you need to know about Stays by Alaska Vacations.

What Are Stays by Alaska Vacations?

The Stays by Alaska Vacations portal offers a way to book hotel or vacation rental stays through a third-party booking site powered by Expedia. However, it is also linked to Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan. With over 900,000 properties listed, there are plenty of booking options available worldwide. You can find hotels, homes, and apartments from Las Vegas to Tokyo.

Credit: Alaska Airlines

The benefit of booking through Alaska Airlines is that you can earn valuable Alaska Atmos points with your booking. You can also use Alaska points to book your stays — but we'll get into why that probably isn't a great idea momentarily.

To book a hotel, open Alaska's booking engine and search as you normally would on Expedia, entering your desired location and the dates of your stay. Notice in the example below that the prices displayed include taxes and fees, so this is the final price you would pay.

Credit: Alaska Vacations

Note that some hotel prices can be cheaper directly through the hotel itself. It's worth comparing prices before you enter your card details to book.

How Many Atmos Points Can You Earn Through Stays by Alaska Vacations?

Paid stays booked through the Alaska Vacations portal will earn 1 mile per $1 spent. Atmos™ Rewards Ascent Visa Signature^® credit card holders will earn an extra 3X per dollar, as these bookings are considered Alaska Airlines purchases.

As you can see in the example booking above, the number of points you would earn is displayed on the search results. Non-cardholders would earn 272 Alaska points for a one-night stay at the Omni Austin, whereas Atmos Ascent Visa Card holders would earn an additional 816 points (for a total of 1,088 points).

Atmos™ Rewards Ascent Visa Signature^® credit card

Learn More

Welcome Bonus: Limited-time online offer - 50,000 bonus points. Get 50,000 bonus points and a $99 Companion Fare (plus taxes and fees from $23) with this offer. To qualify, spend $1,500 or more on purchases within the first 90 days of opening your account.

Atmos™ Rewards Ascent Visa Signature^® credit card

Welcome Bonus: Limited-time online offer - 50,000 bonus points. Get 50,000 bonus points and a $99 Companion Fare (plus taxes and fees from $23) with this offer. To qualify, spend $1,500 or more on purchases within the first 90 days of opening your account.

Annual Fee:$95

Show moreWhy We Like ItEarning Rates

The Atmos™ Rewards Ascent Visa Signature^® credit card offers cardholders 3 points per dollar on eligible Alaska Airlines and Hawaiian Airlines purchases and 2 points per dollar on everyday purchases like gas, local transit including ride share, cable, and select streaming services. Other benefits include an annual Companion Fare™ of $122 ($99 fare plus taxes and fees from $23) after spending $6K in the previous anniversary year, priority boarding, a free checked bag, a 10% reward bonus on points for Bank of America account holders, and a $100 discount on Alaska Lounge+ Membership.

• Earn unlimited 3 points for every $1 spent on eligible Alaska Airlines and Hawaiian Airlines purchases
• Earn unlimited 2 points for every $1 spent on eligible gas, EV charging stations, cable, streaming services and local transit (including ride share) purchases
• Earn unlimited 1 point for every $1 spent on all other eligible purchases

How to Book Stays by Alaska Vacations With points

Stays by Alaska Vacations also allows you to use your points to book hotels. To book with points, you must be logged in to your Alaska Mileage Plan account. Then, simply search for your stay and toggle the Pay with Points button below the search. The prices will now be displayed in points instead of money, but be aware that additional property-specific fees may not be included in the points redemption. These fees will be outlined in the property description.

Credit: Alaska Vacations

The rate varies by property but is rarely a good use of points. For example, one night at the Omni Austin costs 39,649 Alaska points or $272, yielding just 0.68 cents per mile — far less value than AwardWallet users typically get when booking award flights (2.34¢ apiece).

Consider that you could fly one way to Europe or even Japan for fewer Alaska points than this one-night stay costs. Alaska Atmos cardholders receive a discounted booking rate, but it's still enough to make a redemption like this worthwhile.

Related: The Best Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan Sweet Spots

Is It Worth Booking Stays With Alaska Vacations?

Alaska Airlines Atmos pointds are highly valuable, and we appreciate any opportunity to collect more of them. However, for booking Stays by Alaska Vacations to be worthwhile, consider these factors:

1. Ensure the price difference by booking with Stays by Alaska Vacations doesn’t outweigh the value of the points earned. Always compare prices.
2. High-status hotel loyalty members will lose significant perks (such as waived fees, free breakfast, etc.) when booking through third parties. Factor in any resort or additional fees that would be avoided with a direct booking.

When it comes to using points for a hotel stay, you're far better off saving your valuable Alaska points for booking flights. The redemption rates through the portal are just far too low to be worth it. But if you can live without elite benefits and the price is right, it's absolutely worth booking through Alaska's portal.

Bottom Line

For Mileage Plan members seeking another way to earn Alaska points, Stays by Alaska Vacations can be a good option in the right situations. However, booking through the Alaska portal offers poor value in many instances, so proceed cautiously.

For those looking to use their points, Stays by Alaska Vacations is not a great option. The value of booking a flight is far superior to that of a hotel booking in this case.

Overall, while Stays by Alaska Vacations can offer a decent way to earn points, it's best to save your Alaska points for flights where they provide far greater value.