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The Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan of 2024 looks a lot different than the Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan of 2023. If the words “make elite status easier to earn” conjure up an image of a credit card, well, you've got a generally good idea about what's happening.
Let's take a look at the impending updates to Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan.
Alaska Airlines Changes Mileage Plan for 2024
In announcing the changes, Alaska Airlines states the updates to Mileage Plan are a function of making elite status easier to earn and more rewarding to keep. And in doing so, Alaska is tweaking a few aspects of its Mileage Plan elite status program.
Alaska EQMs are the sole status-earning metric
It's all about the EQMs (Elite Qualifying Miles) at Mileage Plus. No longer will you have to count segments; EQMs will become the sole status-earning metric.
Alaska is retaining last year's EQM requirements for reaching each tier of status, which are as follows:
- MVP: 20,000 EQMs
- MVP Gold: 40,000 EQMs
- MVP Gold 75K: 75,000 EQMs
- MVP Gold 100K: 100,000 EQMs
With these changes, earning status in the Mileage Plan program will now be possible without stepping foot on an Alaska Airlines flight.
Credit card spending becomes more rewarding
While this might not necessarily come as a surprise, Alaska is taking a page out of playbooks belonging to American Airlines and Delta and heavily emphasizing credit card spending.
As of 2024, Alaska Airlines Visa Signature® credit card or the Alaska Airlines Visa® Business card holders can earn 4,000 EQMs for each $10,000 spent on the card for a maximum of 20,000 EQMs per year. This limitation applies even if you hold multiple Alaska Airlines credit cards. However, if you do hold multiple Alaska credit cards, you can combine the spending on both cards to reach each $10,000 spending threshold.
Choice rewards coming in late 2024
Although we don't know more than the headline says, Alaska Airlines will introduce choice rewards in late 2024. Inclusions will likely feature bonus miles, travel-related perks, and status accelerators — choices that probably resemble those reserved for MVP Gold 100K members.
As a refresher (and maybe a look into the future, we'll see), Alaska MVP Gold 100K choice benefits include:
- 50,000 bonus miles
- An Alaska Lounge+ membership
- A gift of MVP Gold Status
- Complimentary in-flight Wi-Fi
Limited-time rollover perk for MVP Gold 100K members
As a limited-time benefit for Mileage Plan MVP Gold 100K members, Alaska will also roll over any excess EQMs earned beyond 100K in 2023 to count towards the status year in 2024.
Depending on how many EQMs you're working with from 2023, this could be an incredibly lucrative one-time benefit for those who did a lot of flying in 2023. It's possible that you can immediately qualify (or get close to qualifying) for elite status next year.
Elite mileage bonuses to decline in 2025
Rounding out the changes by looking ahead to 2025, Alaska Airlines will also soften the elite mileage bonuses for all but one of its status tiers.
Here's a snapshot of the elite bonus miles elites will earn starting in 2025:
| Elite Status Bonuses | MVP | MVP Gold | MVP Gold 75K | MVP Gold 100K |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Now through 2024 | 50% | 100% | 125% | 150% |
| Starting in 2025 | 25% | 50% | 100% | 150% |
If you hold MVP Gold 100K come 2025, you'll escape the bonus cuts unscathed.
Final Thoughts
2024 bears a lot of change for Alaska Airlines, and this isn't just because of new partner charts or new airline partners. Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan has multiple changes happening in 2024, focusing primarily on making status easier to earn and more rewarding to achieve every year.
On balance, the changes don't give the appearance of making Mileage Plan any less valuable. Outside of Alaska Airlines softening the elite mileage bonuses (which won't take effect until 2025 and can potentially be alleviated by the choice rewards — we'll see), it's hard to find an objectively negative change.
Upon hearing that Alaska Airlines is emphasizing credit card spending more, it could have forced an “oh no” moment. However, the changes don't go as far as what American Airlines underwent a couple of years ago, for example.
It's still possible to earn status by flying; in fact, it may be even easier now that you won't need to earn a certain number of segments. Alaska Airlines is still rewarding travelers for flying Alaska — unlike American Airlines.
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