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Update: The proposed changes to Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan for 2025 have started rolling out. This post is in the process of being updated to reflect the most current program information.
Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan has been one of my favorite airline loyalty programs for ages. The program has a lot of potential, due to the excellent elite status benefits, high earning rates for miles flown, and the high value obtainable when you redeem miles. Alaska has seen some devaluation in its mileage redemption rates this year, but there is still a lot to love about Mileage Plan.
In this guide, we'll cover every aspect of the program. This includes the best ways to earn miles, how to achieve elite status, and all the best Alaska Mileage Plan redemption opportunities.
Page Contents
- Overview of Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan
- How To Earn Alaska Airlines Miles
- Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan co-branded credit cards
- Other credit cards that earn Alaska miles
- Earning miles by flying Alaska and its partners
- Hotel and car rental partners
- Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan shopping portal
- Earn miles through Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan Dining
- Buying Alaska Airlines miles
- Can you transfer Mileage Plan miles to other people?
- Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan Rules
- Redeeming Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan Miles
- How To Earn Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan Elite Status
- Pros and Cons of Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan
- Conclusion
Overview of Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan
Headquartered in Seattle, Washington, Alaska Airlines joined the Oneworld alliance in 2021. The carrier has additional hubs in Anchorage, Portland, San Francisco, and Los Angeles, making it a predominantly West Coast airline with extensive route coverage in California, Oregon, Washington, Nevada, Alaska, and Hawaii. Its international network coverage includes western Canada, Mexico, and Costa Rica.
Compared to other major U.S. airlines, Alaska falls short of a truly nationwide network. American Airlines, Delta Air Lines, United Airlines, and Southwest Airlines all have significantly more capacity and network coverage than Alaska's 120+ destinations and approximately 1,300 daily flights.
Mileage Plan changes
Recent changes have increased Alaska's network and loyalty program opportunities. Alaska's membership in the Oneworld alliance deepened its relationship with American Airlines and gave the carrier a more prominent national and global reach. Beyond the Oneworld airlines, Alaska has several other exciting partners, providing Alaska with a truly worldwide network and codeshare opportunities. Non-alliance partners include Aer Lingus, Hainan Airlines, Condor, Icelandair, Singapore Airlines, LATAM, Korean Air, Starlux, Ravn Alaska, and more.
Alaska also added a new top-tier elite status level in 2022: MVP Gold 100K. More recently, the airline also changed how you earn elite status in 2024 and made sweeping changes to its award charts in early 2024.
How To Earn Alaska Airlines Miles
The traditional way to earn Mileage Plan miles is by flying an Alaska Airlines or partner revenue (paid) ticket. Flying Alaska Airlines or crediting partner flights to Mileage Plan is an excellent way to earn miles. However, you can increase your Mileage Plan balance in several other ways. These include Alaska Airlines co-brand credit cards (like the Alaska Airlines Visa Signature® credit card), transferring hotel points to Mileage Plan, converting Bilt Rewards points to Alaska miles, earning through shopping portals, and simply purchasing miles outright.
Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan co-branded credit cards
Alaska Airlines has both personal and business co-branded credit cards issued by Bank of America. Both cards sport excellent welcome offers. Plus, both cards give you a chance to get an Alaska Airlines companion fare each year, which is good for a companion on any Alaska Airlines flight. You'll pay just $99 plus taxes and fees (starting at $23) for a companion booked on the same reservation as the cardholder. The cards also offer perks like a free checked bag when flying on Alaska Airlines, no foreign transaction fees, and 3x miles per $1 spent on Alaska Airlines flights.
- LIMITED TIME ONLINE OFFER-60,000 Bonus Miles + a 30% Flight Discount Code!
- Receive a 30% flight discount code for a qualifying future flight after opening your new account. Additionally, earn 60,000 bonus miles plus Alaska's Famous Companion Fare™ ($99 fare plus taxes and fees from $23) after making $3,000 or more in purchases within the first 90 days of opening your account.
- Get Alaska's Famous Companion Fare™ ($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 unlimited 3 miles for every $1 spent on eligible Alaska Airlines purchases. Earn unlimited 2 miles for every $1 spent on eligible gas, EV charging station, cable, streaming services and local transit (including ride share) purchases. And earn unlimited 1 mile per $1 spent on all other purchases. And, your miles don't expire on active accounts.
- 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 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 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.
- Earn unlimited 3 miles for every $1 spent on eligible Alaska Airlines purchases
- Earn unlimited 2 miles for every $1 spent on eligible gas, EV charging stations, cable, streaming services and local transit (including ride share) purchases
- Earn unlimited 1 mile for every $1 spent on all other eligible purchases
- Get 60,000 bonus miles and Alaska's Famous Companion Fare™ ($99 fare plus taxes and fees from $23) after you make $4,000 or more in purchases within the first 90 days of opening your account.
- Earn another Alaska's Famous Companion Fare™ ($99 fare plus taxes and fees from $23) each account anniversary after spending $6,000 or more on purchases within the prior anniversary year.
- Free checked bag for any cardholder and up to 6 guests on the same reservation, when you pay for your flight with your card - that's a savings of $70 per person roundtrip!
- Priority Boarding for any cardholder when paying for the flight with an Alaska Airlines Business card.
- Earn 3 miles for every $1 spent on eligible Alaska Airlines purchases, 2 miles for every $1 spent on eligible gas, EV charging station, shipping and local transit (including rideshare) purchases and 1 mile for every $1 spent on all other purchases.
- Earn a 10% rewards bonus on all miles earned from card purchases if your company has an eligible Bank of America® small business account.
- Enjoy 20% back on Alaska Airlines inflight purchases when you pay with your new card.
- Get $100 off an annual Alaska Lounge+ Membership purchased with your Alaska Airlines Business card.
- Plus, no international transaction fees and a low annual fee of $70 for the company and $25 per card.
- This offer may not be available if you leave this page or visit our website. You can take advantage of this offer when you apply now.
- Earn 3 miles for every $1 spent on eligible Alaska Airlines purchases
- Earn 2 miles for every $1 spent on eligible gas, EV charging station, shipping and local transit (including rideshare) purchases
- Earn 1 mile for every $1 spent on all other eligible purchases
Bank of America has a 2/3/4 rule for card applications, and the issuer also has stricter credit card application rules if you don't have a Bank of America bank account. Keep these in mind if you plan to apply for either card.
Related: Understanding Rewards Credit Card Application Rules and Restrictions
Other credit cards that earn Alaska miles
Until a short time ago, Alaska Airlines didn't partner with any credit card transferable rewards programs. Now, you can earn points on The Bilt Mastercard® and transfer Bilt Rewards points to Mileage Plan at a 1:1: ratio.
- 3x points on dining
- 2x points on travel
- 1x points on rent payments without the transaction fee (up to 100,000 points each calendar year)
- 1x points on other purchases
Additionally, you can transfer Marriott Bonvoy points to Alaska Airlines miles at a ratio of 3:1. It's best to transfer in batches of 60,000 Bonvoy points, as you receive a bonus of 5,000 miles for a total of 25,000 Alaska miles. Several Marriott Bonvoy credit cards earn points you can convert to Alaska miles. These include the four Marriott Bonvoy cards currently issued by Chase and American Express.
- 3X points for every $1 spent at over 7,000 participating Marriott Bonvoy hotels
- 2X points on other travel purchases (from airfare to taxis and trains)
- 1X point on all other purchases
- Earn 6X Bonvoy points per $1 spent participating Marriott Bonvoy hotels, 3X points per $1 on the first $6,000 spent in combined purchases each year on grocery stores, gas stations, and dining, and 2X points per $1 on all other purchases
- Earn 3 Marriott Bonvoy® points for every $1 on the first $6,000 spent in combined purchases each year on gas stations, grocery stores, and dining
- Earn 2X Bonvoy points for every $1 spent on all other purchases
- Earn up to 150,000 Marriott Bonvoy® bonus points. Earn 100,000 points after you spend $6,000 and an extra 50,000 points after you spend an additional $2,000 in purchases on the Card within your first 6 months of Card Membership.
- $300 Brilliant Dining Credit: Each calendar year, get up to $300 (up to $25 per month) in statement credits for eligible purchases made on the Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant® American Express® Card at restaurants worldwide.
- With Marriott Bonvoy® Platinum Elite Status, you can receive room upgrades, including enhanced views or suites, when the stay is booked with a Qualifying Rate at hotels that participate in Marriott Bonvoy, subject to availability upon check-in.
- Earn 6X Marriott Bonvoy® points for each dollar of eligible purchases at hotels participating in Marriott Bonvoy®. Earn 3X Marriott Bonvoy® points at restaurants worldwide and on flights booked directly with airlines and 2X Marriott Bonvoy® points on all other eligible purchases made on the Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant® American Express® Card.
- Free Night Award: Receive 1 Free Night Award every year after your Card renewal month. Award can be used for one night (redemption level at or under 85,000 Marriott Bonvoy® points) at hotels participating in Marriott Bonvoy®. Certain hotels have resort fees.
- Each calendar year after spending $60,000 on eligible purchases on your Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant® American Express® Card, you will be eligible to select a Brilliant Earned Choice Award benefit. You can only earn one Brilliant Earned Choice Award per calendar year. See https://www.choice-benefit.marriott.com/brilliant for Award options.
- $100 Marriott Bonvoy® Property Credit: Enjoy your stay. Receive up to a $100 property credit for qualifying charges at The Ritz-Carlton® or St. Regis® when you book direct using a special rate for a two-night minimum stay using your Card.
- Fee Credit for Global Entry or TSA PreCheck®: Receive either a statement credit every 4 years after you apply for Global Entry ($120) or a statement credit every 4.5 years after you apply for a five-year membership for TSA PreCheck® (up to $85 through a TSA PreCheck official enrollment provider) and pay the application fee with your Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant® American Express® Card. If approved for Global Entry, at no additional charge, you will receive access to TSA PreCheck.
- Each calendar year with your Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant® American Express® Card you can receive 25 Elite Night Credits toward the next level of Marriott Bonvoy® Elite status. Limitations apply per Marriott Bonvoy member account. Benefit is not exclusive to Cards offered by American Express.
- Enroll in Priority Pass Select, which offers unlimited airport lounge visits to over 1,200 lounges in over 130 countries, regardless of which carrier or class you are flying. This allows you to relax before or between flights. You can enjoy snacks, drinks, and internet access in a quiet, comfortable location.
- No Foreign Transaction Fees on international purchases.
- With Cell Phone Protection*, you can be reimbursed, the lesser of, your repair or replacement costs following damage, such as a cracked screen, or theft for a maximum of $800 per claim when your cell phone line is listed on a wireless bill and the prior month's wireless bill was paid by an Eligible Card Account. A $50 deductible will apply to each approved claim with a limit of 2 approved claims per 12-month period. Additional terms and conditions apply. *Coverage is provided by New Hampshire Insurance Company, an AIG Company.
- $650 Annual Fee.
- Apply with confidence. Know if you're approved for a Card with no impact to your credit score. If you're approved and you choose to accept this Card, your credit score may be impacted.
- Terms Apply.
- Rates & Fees
- 6X points on purchases at Marriott Properties
- 3X points at restaurants worldwide, including takeout and delivery
- 3X points on flights booked directly with airlines
- 2X points on all other eligible purchases
- WELCOME OFFER: Earn 3 Free Night Awards after you use your new Card to make $6,000 in eligible purchases within the first 6 months of Card Membership. Each Free Night Award has a redemption level up to 50,000 Marriott Bonvoy® points, for a total potential value of up to 150,000 points, at hotels participating in Marriott Bonvoy®. Certain hotels have resort fees. Terms apply.
- Receive a 7% discount on eligible bookings as a benefit of being both a Marriott Bonvoy® member & a Marriott Bonvoy Business® American Express® Card Member when you book directly with Marriott through an eligible channel for a participating property under the Amex Business Card Rate.
- 6x Marriott Bonvoy points on each dollar of eligible purchases at hotels participating in the Marriott Bonvoy® program.
- 4x points for purchases made at restaurants worldwide, at U.S. gas stations, on wireless telephone services purchased directly from U.S. service providers and on U.S. purchases for shipping.
- 2x points on all other eligible purchases.
- Receive 1 Free Night Award every year after your Card renewal month. Plus, earn an additional Free Night Award after you spend $60K in purchases on your Card in a calendar year. Award can be used for one night (redemption level at or under 35,000 Marriott Bonvoy® points) at hotels participating in Marriott Bonvoy®. Certain hotels have resort fees.
- Enjoy Complimentary Marriott Bonvoy Gold Elite Status with your Marriott Bonvoy Business® American Express® Card.
- Terms apply.
- Rates & Fees
- 6x Marriott Bonvoy points on each dollar of eligible purchases at hotels participating in the Marriott Bonvoy® program.
- 4x Marriott Bonvoy points on each dollar of eligible purchases made at restaurants worldwide, at U.S. gas stations, on wireless telephone services purchased directly from U.S. service providers and on U.S. purchases for shipping
- 2x Marriott Bonvoy Business® American Express® Card points per dollar on all other eligible purchases
The Marriott co-branded cards all earn Marriott Bonvoy points, plus they offer an array of perks and benefits with Marriott hotels. The earning rate on Marriott cards is less than ideal if your goal is to accrue Alaska Airlines miles. However, the welcome offers can provide a significant boost to your Mileage Plan account.
Transfers from Marriott to Alaska typically take one day.
Earning miles by flying Alaska and its partners
Alaska Airlines is one of the few remaining programs that still awards redeemable miles based on distance flown. For example, flying from Los Angeles to Seattle will earn you 954 miles. This is the flight distance between LAX and SEA. Alaska awards a minimum of 500 miles per segment, so even short flights still receive at least 500 miles. The exception is Saver tickets on American Airlines-operated flights. On these, you'll travel in American Airlines basic economy and earn 30% of miles flown.
Flying one of Alaska's partners is another excellent way to earn miles. Typically, partner flights receive anywhere from 25% to 200% or more of flown miles as redeemable award miles. The accrual rate depends on the partner airline, the fare class, and the flight number. Alaska has 13 Oneworld alliance partners, 11 non-alliance partners, and six “earn” partners where you can only earn miles but can't redeem.
Potential pitfalls
In some cases, partner flights will not earn Alaska miles. Potential pitfalls include restrictions on the eligible flight number and crediting codeshare flights (which might be sold by a partner but are operated by another airline). Pay careful attention to these details. I've mistakenly credited a partner's codeshare flight to Alaska Mileage Plan and earned nothing. As an example, here are the details for crediting LATAM flights to Alaska Airlines.
Premium cabin tickets typically enjoy a significant boost to the number of miles earned. Tickets such as full-fare British Airways first class earn 500% of flown miles as redeemable miles. Even discount British Airways business class earns 250% of flown miles as redeemable miles. Premium cabin tickets often earn bonus elite-qualifying miles, as well, helping you achieve Alaska MVP elite status.
Alaska Airlines elites enjoy a bonus of 50% to 150% on the number of redeemable miles earned, depending on the status tier. For some flights, this bonus can really add up. For example, a $200 round-trip between the West Coast and New York or Boston could earn an MVP Gold 100K elite over 12,000 miles.
Hotel and car rental partners
You can earn Alaska miles by renting a car with one of several Alaska Airlines rental car partners. The typical earning rate is 50 miles per day, though you can find promotions for up to 2,000 miles on certain rentals. These aren't the best earning rates, but it's an option if you have no desire to accrue car rental points or free rental credit in the car rental's own program. You can search and book rental cars directly through the Alaska Airlines site.
Crediting hotel stays with Alaska Airlines' hotel partners is another way to earn additional miles. Offers can be per night or per stay. This is a great option when staying with a chain in which you don't plan to accrue points. However, I would not credit stays from chains I frequent, such as IHG and Marriott. This is because the return for earning hotel points is typically much higher. Alaska also partners with CruisesOnly, where you can earn 1 mile per $1 spent — or 2 miles per $1 if you pay with an Alaska Airlines Visa card.
Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan shopping portal
The Alaska Airlines shopping portal allows you to earn bonus miles for online shopping with many retailers. This portal includes major brands like Walmart, Sam's Club, Home Depot, Kohl's, Apple, and Best Buy. In addition, you can find plenty of smaller retailers. The earning rate varies by retailer but is typically around 0.5 to 5 miles per $1 spent.
The portal sometimes offers bonuses. These may include temporarily elevated earning (e.g., 4 miles per dollar instead of 2 miles per dollar) and spending threshold bonuses (e.g., spend $150 to earn 500 bonus miles). Not all products offered at all retailers are eligible to receive miles, so read the terms and conditions for each retailer carefully. And check our guide to airline shopping portal bonuses to see what's currently available.
Earn miles through Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan Dining
You also can earn Alaska miles through the Mileage Plan Dining Program. You'll typically get three Alaska miles per $1 spent on dining. If you link a co-brand Alaska card, you'll earn an additional mile per $1 spent at participating restaurants. If you dine 11 times within a calendar year, you'll earn VIP status. This will increase your earning rate to five Alaska miles per dollar through the end of the year. Occasionally, Mileage Plan Dining offers a limited-time new member bonus.
In my experience, dining programs can be somewhat hit or miss, depending on where you live. Some locations have no participating restaurants nearby. However, most larger cities and urban areas have numerous participating restaurants.
Buying Alaska Airlines miles
For many people interested in flying premium cabins with Alaska Airlines partners, buying Mileage Plan miles is a great strategy. You can purchase up to 100,000 Alaska miles per transaction, with an annual cap of 150,000 purchased miles. Alaska Airlines elites are not subject to the cap and can buy as many miles as they like.
The typical cost to purchase Alaska miles is $27.50 per 1,000 miles. You'll also pay a tax recovery fee of 7.5% on top of the total price. We don't typically recommend buying miles unless you're looking to fly premium cabins — typically with Alaska's partners. It's often possible to get these flights cheaper by purchasing miles versus paying for a revenue ticket. Make sure to factor in the miles you will forego earning when determining whether it's worth it.
Alaska regularly runs promotions for purchasing miles. We've seen bonuses of up to 60% for buying Alaska miles, but 50% is more common. If you're looking to buy miles for an award redemption, we recommend waiting until Alaska offers a promotional bonus before purchasing. This is the case unless you only need a few thousand miles to top off your account for an award. Bonus miles do not count toward the 150,000-mile annual cap.
Can you transfer Mileage Plan miles to other people?
Alaska Airlines allows you to transfer miles between members. The cost of moving miles is $10 per 1,000 miles. However, you're not gaining any value by sharing miles. This is because Alaska allows you to book an award for anyone with your miles. The only time it makes sense to transfer miles to another person is to combine miles for a particular award.
Even then, buying miles is usually a better strategy. For example, imagine you're 7,000 miles short on an award. To transfer those miles from another Alaska account, you would pay $95 ($70 transfer plus a $25 Points.com handling fee). If you can take advantage of a buy-miles bonus, you might be able to purchase the miles you need for a similar cost without debiting them from another Alaska account.
Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan Rules
Anyone can join the Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan loyalty program for free. You need to sign up at AlaskaAir.com. The entire process for adults can be completed quickly online.
If you're trying to register a child, you need to call 800-ALASKAAIR (800-252-7522). I set up Mileage Plan accounts for each of my three kids. Creating the accounts over the phone was reasonably straightforward. The agent will provide the Mileage Plan numbers for minors, and then you can use those to set up online access at AlaskaAir.com.
Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan accounts no longer expire. You don't have to periodically credit activity to keep your account active. The only way to lose your miles is to completely close your account or have it be closed due to a breach of program terms.
For flights credited to Mileage Plan, travelers can only credit miles to their own accounts. Each person needs to create a Mileage Plan account and attach their own Mileage Plan number to their ticket.
To be able to use your miles for an award, you must have enough in your account. Alaska Airlines does not offer the option to lock in an award and earn or transfer the missing miles later. It's also not possible to pull some of the miles from your account and some from another person's account to make an award redemption.
Track your account with AwardWallet
After you create an account, add your Mileage Plan account to AwardWallet to keep track of your mileage balance, upcoming trips, progress toward elite status, and more.
Redeeming Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan Miles
Alaska Airlines miles are arguably the most valuable of any U.S. airline program. With a unique array of alliance and non-alliance partners and some excellent award chart sweet spots, Alaska miles hold a ton of potential. We'll walk through the approximate value of Alaska miles, its global partners, and how to search and book awards. We'll also walk through the best Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan redemption award chart sweet spots.
Value of Alaska miles
While points and miles valuations can be subjective, several criteria go into determining value. These include the cost of different types of awards — from economy to premium cabins — the abundance of award space, and the price at which Alaska itself is willing to sell miles. Alaska's typical price is 2.75 cents per mile. However, you can occasionally purchase miles for around 2 cents apiece.
I try to redeem Alaska miles for at least 2 cents each, which is the baseline value I assign them. I've been able to get far more value booking premium cabin awards. I try to include a stopover for domestic economy awards to ensure I'm getting the best value out of my miles. Data from AwardWallet users shows recent redemption values from 1.3¢ for domestic economy flights up to 4.19¢ for long-haul flights in premium cabins.
In general, Alaska's domestic economy awards and partner economy awards offer some of the worst value. The best Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan redemption choices are typically premium cabin partner awards. At the end of the post, we'll highlight a few sweet spots that offer fantastic value.
Related: See the miles value
Alaska Airlines partners and award charts
Alaska Airlines joined the Oneworld alliance on March 31, 2021. Most of Alaska's current partners were already members of Oneworld, but joining Oneworld opened up more international opportunities for members to earn and redeem miles.
However, as some feared, joining Oneworld has diluted Alaska's unique list of cross-alliance partnerships and redemption opportunities. While the launch of a new elite status tier offers an enhancement for some flyers, Alaska Airlines has made big changes to its award charts. These are unfortunate and some severely devalue some of the best award options previously available.
Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan has said that it will “strive to give at least 90 days' notice if changes are coming to any current partner awards.” This has not proven to be the case. Sadly, some JAL awards were devalued in March 2023 without notice, and it moved American Airlines awards to dynamic pricing in late 2022. At least the rollout of unified award charts had a decent amount of notice. The exact timeline was still unclear, though, for some of the changes.
Alaska Airlines' current partner airlines are:
| Airline | Redeem Miles | Earn Miles |
|---|---|---|
| Aer Lingus | Yes | Yes |
| Air Tahiti Nui | Yes | Yes |
| Aleutian Airways | No | Yes |
| American Airlines | Yes | Yes |
| Bahamasair | No | Yes |
| British Airways | Yes | Yes |
| Cape Air | No | Yes, when booked with Alaska Airlines |
| Cathay Pacific | Yes | Yes |
| Condor | Yes | Yes |
| Contour Airlines | No | Yes |
| Finnair | Yes | Yes |
| Fiji Airways | Yes | Yes |
| Hainan Airlines | Yes | Yes |
| Hawaiian Airlines | Yes | Yes |
| Iberia | Yes | Yes |
| Icelandair | Yes | Yes |
| Japan Airlines | Yes | Yes |
| Kenmore Air | No | Yes, when booked with Alaska Airlines |
| Korean Air | Yes | Yes |
| LATAM Airlines | Yes | Yes |
| Malaysia Airlines | Yes | Yes |
| Mokulele Airlines | No | Yes, when booked with Alaska Airlines |
| Oman Air | Yes | No |
| Philippine Airlines | Yes (Coming soon) | Yes (Coming soon) |
| Porter Airlines | No | Yes |
| Qantas | Yes | Yes |
| Qatar Airways | Yes | Yes |
| Ravn Alaska | Yes | Yes |
| Royal Air Maroc | Yes | Yes |
| Royal Jordanian | Yes | Yes |
| Singapore Airlines | Yes | Yes |
| Sri Lankan Airlines | Yes | Yes |
| Southern Airways Express | No | Yes, when booked with Alaska Airlines |
| Starlux | Yes | Yes |
These partners offer Alaska an extensive global network, including airlines on most continents. The only major hole in its network was Africa, but joining Oneworld includes partnering with Royal Air Maroc. Plus, Qatar and British Airways give Alaska some coverage of the African continent. Oman Air is joining Oneworld in 2024 and will also add to global coverage.
You can continue to earn and redeem miles on Alaska's 11 non-alliance partners as well. Check out the Mileage Plan partners page for more details on crediting partner flights to Alaska.
To determine how many miles you need for an award, consult the Alaska Airlines award charts. For Alaska's own flights, the chart considers both distance and region for award tickets. Award flights on Alaska Airlines start at just 5,000 miles one way, which can be an excellent deal for short-haul tickets. Awards price out at various levels, depending on the route length and a “starting from” minimum. There is an upper limit on ticket prices, based on performing many searches, but it is egregiously high for most routes. Here is the chart for Alaska award tickets within North America:
For partner airlines, Alaska publishes three region and distance-based award charts. This is new, as Alaska scrapped its single combined partner award chart in March 2024. While there are now more charts, the pricing aligns with what you'll actually pay to redeem miles for a partner award flight.
The new charts look like this; beginning with the “starting at” pricing for travel across the Americas:
| Distance (miles) | Economy (starting at) | Premium Economy (starting at) | Business Class (starting at) | First Class (starting at) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Less than 700 | 4,500 | 6,000 | 9,000 | 13,500 |
| 701–1,400 | 7,500 | 10,000 | 15,000 | 25,000 |
| 1,401–2,100 | 12,500 | 17,500 | 25,000 | 40,000 |
| 2,101–4,000 | 17,500 | 22,500 | 35,000 | 52,500 |
| 4,001–6,000 | 25,000 | 32,500 | 50,000 | 75,000 |
| 6,001 and above | 30,000 | 40,000 | 60,000 | 90,000 |
Asia:
| Distance (miles) | Economy (starting at) | Premium Economy (starting at) | Business (starting at) | First (starting at) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Less than 1,500 | 7,500 | 10,000 | 15,000 | 22,500 |
| 1,501–3,000 | 25,000 | 32,500 | 50,000 | 75,000 |
| 3,001–5,000 | 30,000 | 40,000 | 60,000 | 90,000 |
| 5,001–7,000 | 37,500 | 50,000 | 75,000 | 110,000 |
| 7,001–10,000 | 42,500 | 55,000 | 85,000 | 130,000 |
| 10,000 and above | 65,000 | 85,000 | 130,000 | 195,000 |
And, lastly, Europe, the Middle East, and Africa:
| Distance (miles) | Economy (starting at) | Premium Economy (starting at) | Business Class (starting at) | First Class (starting at) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Less than 1,500 | 7,500 | 10,000 | 15,000 | 22,500 |
| 1,501–3,500 | 22,500 | 30,000 | 45,000 | 67,500 |
| 3,501–5,000 | 27,500 | 35,000 | 55,000 | 82,500 |
| 5,001–7,000 | 35,000 | 45,000 | 70,000 | 105,000 |
| 7,001–10,000 | 42,500 | 55,000 | 85,000 | 130,000 |
| 10,000 and above | 55,000 | 72,500 | 110,000 | 165,000 |
How to search for Alaska Mileage Plan awards
The easiest and best way to search for awards with Alaska Airlines and its partners is at AlaskaAir.com. The vast majority of partner awards show up in the online search tool. You can search for one-way, round-trip, or multi-city awards. The best part is that you don't need to be logged in to perform an award search.
The Alaska award search engine is relatively good at constructing reasonable awards — with some caveats. First, Alaska tends to offer unique routing options on its own flights at times, trying to build an award from available Alaska award space. If you search Orange County, California (SNA — John Wayne Airport) to Sydney (SYD), for example, you might be presented with an option to connect via Seattle and Los Angeles. Alaska is sending you nearly 1,000 miles the wrong way, just to send you back again, before you embark on your overseas flight.
The second issue — which is my biggest gripe about Alaska award searches — is the results include mixed-cabin awards. There is no way to filter out the mixed-cabin itineraries. However, Alaska has greatly improved its previous search results where you had to carefully examine each award to see which segment was in coach versus a premium cabin. Now you can at least see this in the main search results, and gone are the many awards where the long-haul segment was in coach with the connecting segment in business. This isn't a business class award in my book!
If an award is mixed cabin, it'll be apparent below the price. I would love it if Alaska launched a feature that would let you filter out all mixed-cabin awards or show a percentage of how much of the trip is in the premium cabin (like Aeroplan does).
For awards that aren't displaying online, you must call Alaska at 800-ALASKAAIR (800-252-7522) to have a representative search for space and book over the phone. Historically, Cathay Pacific and LATAM awards didn't show up online. But this has greatly improved, with all awards now available online. I've booked two LATAM awards in the past year, both easily completed online.
Note on award space availability
Note that Cathay Pacific award space that Alaska agents see may be different than the award space you find through another search engine. I once found three Cathay business class seats on ba.com and called to book. The representative informed me that only one was available. I ended up booking Cathay Pacific premium economy for that segment.
Alaska's online search shows award space up to 331 days beyond the current date. All program members have the same award availability. There is no increase in inventory for elite members or co-brand cardholders, as you might experience with a program such as United MileagePlus.
Related: How Far in Advance Can You Book Airline Award Tickets?
Booking fees and other rules
Alaska no longer charges change or cancellation fees on either revenue or award tickets. The exception is for Saver fares, where you only have the guaranteed 24-hour window to cancel for free after booking. There are other award fees to understand, though:
- Change/cancellation fee: $0, except on Saver fares (Alaska's version of basic economy; these fares cannot be changed or canceled)
- Partner award fee: $25 ($12.50 per direction)
- Call center booking fee: $15
The partner award fee applies to all award tickets booked on one of Alaska's global partners. There is no way around this, and the fee is non-refundable. This is the case even if you later cancel the ticket and redeposit the miles. The call center booking fee only applies if you book over the phone. Alaska MVP Gold and higher elites do not pay call center booking fees.
You must cancel your ticket before travel to receive a refund. If you miss your flight, the ticket will be canceled, and your miles will be forfeited.
Some surcharges are passed along
Alaska Airlines does not charge additional fees for awards on its own aircraft, aside from the TSA fee and any other departure fees for Alaska's international destinations. However, some partner awards include fuel surcharges and other fees, which are sometimes significant.
Awards on both Hainan Airlines and British Airways have notoriously high taxes and fees (e.g., awards with British Airways can have $800+ in fees for a business-class award). Some are more reasonable, such as Cathay Pacific (~$70), with others having no fees, aside from airport and government taxes. In some cases, Alaska is an ideal option for booking awards, as its fees are lower than those charged by other programs.
Related: Airline Programs That Don't Add Fees and Surcharges to Award Flights
Routing rules for award tickets
Alaska's routing rules are one of my favorite features of its award program. Why? In one word: stopovers. Alaska has one of the best, if not the very best, stopover policies for award tickets. All my best Alaska Mileage Plan redemptions over the years have included a stopover.
Information on stopovers
Alaska allows one stopover on a one-way award. This means you can have two stopovers on a round-trip award. Stopovers must be in airline hubs or “focus cities,” depending on the partner airline and ticket routing. There are some exceptions to this rule that can prove interesting. In general, though, Alaska holds to this requirement. This means that you can add a stopover in Seattle on your way from Los Angeles to Anchorage. The search engine disallows things like Los Angeles to New York–JFK for a stopover before continuing to Anchorage.
For all practical purposes, stopovers for tickets on partner airlines must be in the partner's hub city. Most of Alaska's partners have a single hub, although there are exceptions to this rule. To book an award with a stopover, use the multi-city search. You need to key in each section of the itinerary, making sure your connection point is in the same city.
In some cases, searching for two one-way awards with a stopover individually will return better results (or simply work), rather than searching for a round-trip award with two stopovers.
Related: How To Add a Free Stopover Using Alaska Airlines Miles
Another rule to keep in mind is that Alaska only allows one partner airline per award ticket. You can fly Alaska Airlines and British Airways on the same ticket, but you can't return home with a flight on American Airlines unless that's a separate ticket. Why? It would involve adding a second partner to your ticket, which isn't allowed. In this example, booking separate one-way tickets could be a solution.
Best Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan redemption sweet spots
I'm not going to list every Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan redemption that provides top value, but I would like to highlight what I think are the best. In general, Alaska has specific partners with great premium cabin award rates. You also can find massive value on business class flights to Europe and on some Japan Airlines flights.
Here are some of the best Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan redemption options for international travel (one-way prices):
- American Airlines business class from Boston (BOS) to London (LHR) for 45,000 Alaska miles.
- You can also fly British Airways and Aer Lingus for the same price — but mind the fees!
- Finnair business class from New York (JFK) to Tallinn (TLL) with a stopover in Helsinki (HEL) for 55,000 Alaska miles.
- Condor business class from Minneapolis (MSP) to Split (SPU) with a stopover in Frankfurt (FRA) for 55,000 Alaska miles.
- Japan Airlines business class from Seattle (SEA) or Vancouver (YVR) to Tokyo (HND/NRT) for 60,000 Alaska miles.
- Qatar Airways Qsuite from New York (JFK) to Malé (MLE) via Doha (DOH) for 85,000 Alaska miles.
These are just a few of the best uses of Alaska miles. Most of these are very competitive with the pricing you can find with other programs.
Related: The Best Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan Award Chart Sweet Spots
Money & Miles
Alaska Airlines offers a Money & Miles option for redeeming miles as well. This is different than standard awards and only applies to Alaska flights. Using Money & Miles will get you a 50% discount off the fare. If you use 10,000 miles, the discount maxes out at $100. If you use 20,000 miles, it maxes out at $200. This gets you 1 cent per mile at most.
Compared to redeeming miles for standard awards, this is almost always a poor way to use your miles.
Other ways to redeem Alaska miles
While I will always say that using miles for award flights is 100% the best Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan redemption choice, Alaska does provide other options for redeeming miles. You can use your miles to book hotels and purchase magazines.
You also can redeem miles for first-class upgrades on paid fares. These cost 15,000 miles per one-way ticket, and they must be applied to a paid fare. This is typically not a good deal, but it may be a decent option on longer routes. Alaska offers paid upgrades on the day of departure starting at $23 for first class and $5 for premium class, subject to availability.
The prices are sometimes reasonable, considering the flight lengths. Alaska used to publish set paid upgrade rates based on flight length, but this appears to have gone away. Previously, you could upgrade to first class on a transcontinental flight, such as San Francisco to Newark, for just $199 one-way.
How To Earn Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan Elite Status
Alaska Airlines offers a rich elite program with top perks and benefits. Earning Alaska elite status is also easier than earning status in other programs. This is because there is no spend requirement like you have with Delta Air Lines, American Airlines, and United Airlines. Plus, qualification typically requires fewer miles. The status perks and ease of qualification make Alaska an ideal program for those based on the U.S. West Coast.
Alaska Airlines elite status qualification
Alaska has four elite status tiers with the following qualification requirements:
- MVP: 20,000 miles earned on Alaska Airlines and Oneworld alliance or global partners
- MVP Gold: 40,000 miles earned on Alaska Airlines and Oneworld alliance or global partners
- MVP Gold 75K: 75,000 miles earned on Alaska Airlines and Oneworld alliance or global partners
- MVP Gold 100K: 100,000 miles miles earned on Alaska Airlines and Oneworld alliance or global partners
You can no longer qualify for Alaska Airlines elite status by segments flown.
Alaska credits 100% flown miles (or more) as elite qualifying miles for all fare classes on its own flights, except for Saver and award tickets. Saver fares earn 30% of flown miles, while award tickets don't earn any.
For partner airline flights marketed by Alaska, there is a separate chart, providing as much as 200% elite qualifying miles in first class or as little as 30% in basic economy.
For partner flights not marketed by Alaska, you'll need to check the individual partner page for the earning rates.
Benefits of Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan elite status
Alaska Airlines' elite status provides its frequent fliers with a vast array of perks. From free checked bags to complimentary upgrades and bonus redeemable miles, earning Alaska Airlines elite status can be well worth it. One of the newest and most lucrative benefits is earning American Airlines international upgrade certificates!
| Benefit | MVP | MVP Gold | MVP Gold 75K | MVP Gold 100K |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Elite bonus miles | 50% bonus | 100% bonus | 125% bonus | 150% bonus |
| 50,000 bonus miles upon qualification | Yes | |||
| 100K Choice Benefit | Yes | |||
| First class upgrades at time of booking | Y, B fares | Y, B, H, or K fares | Y, B, H, K, or M fares | Y, B, H, K, or M fares |
| Premium class upgrades at time of booking | Y, B, or H fares | Y, B, H, K, M, L, V, S, or N fares | All fares except Saver | All fares except Saver |
| Fist and premium class upgrade on Saver fares | Within 2 hours of departure | Within 2 hours of departure | Within 2 hours of departure | Within 2 hours of departure |
| Companion upgrades to first class | Yes | Yes | Yes | |
| Companion upgrades to premium class | Yes | Yes | Yes | |
| First class guest upgrades (4 per year) | Yes | Yes | Yes | |
| International upgrade certificates on American Airlines | 1 one-way | 2 one-way | ||
| Complimentary premium beverage or chocolate in Main Cabin | Yes | Yes | Yes | |
| Complimentary snack or meal in Main Cabin | Yes | |||
| Priority check-in and boarding | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Free checked bags | 2 | 2 | 3 | 3 |
| Preferred seating | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Express security line at select airports | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Standby and wait list for full flights | Yes | Yes | Yes | |
| Alaska lounge membership discount | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| 4 Alaska lounge day passes annually | Yes | Yes | ||
| $10 off CLEAR® Plus membership | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Priority call routing in call centers | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Elite Leave for new parents | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Complimentary same-day flight changes | Yes | Yes | Yes | |
| Corresponding Oneworld status | Ruby | Sapphire | Emerald | Emerald |
The 100K Choice benefits options are:
- 50,000 bonus Alaska miles
- An Alaska Lounge+ membership
- Gifting of MVP Gold status to another member
- Complimentary Wi-Fi every time you fly Alaska Airlines
- Complimentary CLEAR® Plus membership
Of these, the first two are by far the most valuable.
Best perks of Alaska status
The best perks of Alaska Airlines elite status are the ability to receive complimentary upgrades, additional redeemable miles (especially if you often fly coast-to-coast), and free checked bags. These are pretty standard compared with other programs, but Alaska offers richer bonus mileage earning at upper-status tiers. The one-time bonus of 50,000 miles when hitting MVP Gold 75K is nothing to sneeze at, either.
Lounge access
Standard Alaska Lounge membership costs $550. The price for Alaska elites, no matter your tier, is $450, which is a significant discount. Alaska also offers a Lounge+ membership providing access to 90+ partner lounges, in addition to the nine Alaska Lounge locations. Standard pricing for this is set at $750, with elites able to purchase this for $650. You also receive this membership as a perk of attaining MVP Gold 100K.
Related: How To Save on an Alaska Airlines Lounge Membership
One-way international upgrade certificates
Sadly, one of the newer perks — one-way international upgrade certificates for travel on American Airlines — will be discontinued in 2025. These certificates enabled you to upgrade into long-haul business class and can be worth hundreds, if not thousands, of dollars in value.
Alaska Airlines lifetime status
Alaska does offer a lifetime status program. There are two tiers, with straightforward qualification:
- Fly 1,000,000 miles with Alaska Airlines to be awarded Alaska MVP Gold status for life.
- Fly 2,000,000 miles with Alaska Airlines to be awarded Alaska MVP Gold 75K status for life
Importantly, you should note that partner airline flights and award flights do not count toward this total.
Compared to other Million Miler programs, Alaska's is pretty lucrative. Obviously, though, it takes a lot of flying. This is because you're restricted to Alaska's route network, which doesn't include any long-haul flights. A frequent flyer who achieves Alaska Airlines MVP Gold 75K each year will take 12–14 years to attain Million Miler.
Alaska Airlines status match
If you're interested in making the switch to Alaska Airlines, you can ease the pain of qualification by requesting an Alaska Airlines status match. Alaska Airlines has a dedicated elite status match page, where you can provide info on your current status level with another program. You must be a resident of either the U.S. or Canada, and you can status match from the following airline programs:
- Aeromexico
- Air Canada
- American Airlines
- Delta Air Lines
- Frontier
- Hawaiian
- JetBlue
- Southwest
- United Airlines
If your request is approved, you will receive the corresponding status for three months. Within those three months, you can retain status for the rest of the period (either end of the year, or end of the following year). The requirements depend on the status to which you are matched:
- MVP: 5,000 qualifying miles within 90 days
- MVP Gold: 10,000 qualifying miles within 90 days
- MVP Gold 75K: 20,000 qualifying miles within 90 days
Flights toward this challenge portion of the Alaska status match must be solely on Alaska Airlines. In addition, they must either be operated directly by Alaska or by regional partners/subsidiaries Horizon and SkyWest. Partner flights will not count toward the challenge portion of the status match.
If you receive a status match between January and June and meet the challenge requirements, you will keep your status through the end of the year. If you receive a status match between July and December and meet the challenge requirements, you will keep your status through the end of the following year. The latter is far more lucrative, given the length of time you can keep the status. Status matches can take up to four weeks for verification and approval.
Alaska elite status requirements compared to other programs
Earning Alaska Airlines elite status is substantially easier than earning status with other U.S. airlines. The big difference is that every other elite program has a spending requirement. Alaska Airlines does not.
As an example, consider someone based in Los Angeles who flies across the country routinely. If they visit New York City just nine times during the year, they will earn ~44,000 Alaska Airlines elite miles. This is enough to land you at MVP Gold status.
Someone flying Delta or United, on the other hand, won't even land Gold. Assuming each fare is less than $400 per round-trip, the traveler might not even earn Silver in either of these programs. Considering the bonus miles and other elite perks, I would choose Alaska Airlines over other options if this was the bulk of my travel.
Pros and Cons of Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan
The best features of Alaska Airlines are the high value of Mileage Plan miles when redeemed for many partner awards, easier elite status qualification, and the unique network of global partners. The award sweet spots for partner premium cabins and attractive short-haul pricing for domestic U.S. awards are additional upsides to using the program. This is not to mention my favorite feature: the ability to add in a stopover on one-way award tickets.
Positive: Stopovers
Most other programs do not offer stopovers on one-way award tickets. This is a unique feature of Mileage Plan, and it's one worth using to maximize the value of your Alaska miles. The best Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan redemption I've ever made included a multi-day stopover in Hong Kong.
If you live in an Alaska hub, it's possible to turn a single award into two by planning a stopover in your home city at the end of your first trip, with the following segment marking the beginning of your second trip. Stopovers are fantastic, letting you visit two destinations for the same price. Of the other primary U.S. loyalty programs, only United offers the potential for booking a stopover using the Excursionist Perk.
Negative: East Coast gaps
While Alaska's elite program is competitive, it's not an ideal airline choice if you are not based on the West Coast — or if you frequently travel to destinations not served by Alaska. For much of the eastern United States, it is a less-than-ideal choice as a primary airline. The limited route network there is a huge hurdle. The only potential play is if you tend to travel with American Airlines. Alaska's partnership with American Airlines offers some nice reciprocal elite benefits. But, you can be awarded as few as 25% flown miles as elite-qualifying miles. This makes elite qualification much more difficult than qualifying for status with American Airlines.
Negative: Lack of bank transfer partners
Unfortunately, another downside is the limited access to transfer bank points to Alaska Airlines miles. This is both a blessing and a curse. Since Bilt Rewards is the only transfer partner, the “market” can't be flooded with miles, as it would be if Alaska also partnered with other programs. On the other hand, there are limited ways to earn Alaska miles outside of flying, spending on an Alaska Airlines credit card, transferring Bonvoy points, and so on.
Conclusion
Even after joining the Oneworld alliance, Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan is — and will remain — one of my favorite frequent flyer programs. The high value of Alaska miles, the ability to book a unique set of partners, and the potential value from stopovers on one-way award bookings keep me focused on earning as many Alaska miles as possible. I am frustrated, however, by Alaska's recent no-notice devaluation of Japan Airlines awards and massive changes to the partner award charts. This does not bode well for the future of a program that has consistently provided strong value. Moving forward, Alaska needs to do better by members.
A final personal takeaway:
My favorite redemption is when I used 50,000 Alaska miles to fly Cathay Pacific business class home from China with two of my kids. In short, we used the stopover policy to book a three-day stopover in Hong Kong, with the first flight in premium economy and the flight from Hong Kong to San Francisco in business. While this pricing no longer exists, Cathay Pacific is still an airline I highly recommend.
For rates and fees of the cards mentioned in this post, please visit the following links: Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant® American Express® Card (Rates & Fees), and Marriott Bonvoy Business® American Express® Card (Rates & Fees)
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