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Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan members now have more opportunities to earn valuable perks. For 2025, Alaska made some changes to its Mileage Plan program. In addition to adding more ways to earn elite status, Alaska also rolled out brand-new milestone rewards that grant members exclusive benefits between elite tiers.
From free Wi-Fi to upgrade certificates, we’ve got the scoop on everything you need to know about Alaska Airlines' milestone rewards and how to earn them.
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What Are Alaska Airlines Milestone Rewards?
Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan milestone rewards are the unique benefits you'll receive en route to qualifying for elite status — and then as extra incentives for frequent flyers to keep flying Alaska after earning MVP Gold 100K. You'll hit various milestones when you earn a certain number of Elite Qualifying Miles (EQMs).
These milestones start at 10,000 EQMs and fall between elite levels, meaning you don’t have to wait until the next elite level before earning a perk or two. Best of all, for each milestone achieved, members will get to choose one or two (depending on the level) benefits from a menu of rewards.
How To Earn Alaska Airlines Milestone Rewards
All Alaska Mileage Plan elite levels and milestone rewards are awarded based on Elite Qualifying Miles (EQMs) accumulated over a calendar year. Unlike Mileage Plan miles — which you earn and use to book award flights — EQMs are specifically used to measure your progress toward elite status.
These qualifying miles are tracked separately from the miles you can redeem for flights, and they play a crucial role in helping you reach different status tiers and unlock milestone rewards.
How to earn Alaska Elite Qualifying Miles (EQMs)
Naturally, you might be wondering how to earn Alaska Elite Qualifying Miles. EQMs are accruable in several different ways:
- Credit flights to the Mileage Plan program: Mileage Plan members earn EQMs for flying Alaska Airlines and mileage-accruing partner airlines. In addition, you can now earn 1 EQM per mile flown on award flights booked with Mileage Plan miles, which extends to partners! This is an amazing benefit of using Mileage Plan Miles to book your trip.
- Leverage Alaska Airlines' travel partners and shopping and dining portals: Earn 1,000 EQMs for every 3,000 Mileage Plan miles earned through Alaska's car rental and hotel partners, shopping through the Mileage Plan shopping portal, dining through Mileage Plan Dining, or even Lyft rides.
- Spend on Alaska Airlines credit cards: Those with the Alaska Airlines Visa Signature® credit card and/or the Alaska Airlines Visa® Business card will earn 1 EQM for every $3 spent on purchases with their card — capped at 30,000 EQMs per year. To max this out, you would have to spend $90,000 on the card in a year.
- LIMITED TIME ONLINE OFFER-Buy One, Get One + 50,000 Bonus Miles!
- Buy one ticket, get one for just the taxes and fees ($0 fare plus taxes and fees from $23) and get 50,000 bonus miles 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™ ($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
Alaska Airlines Milestone Rewards
Alaska Airlines Milestone Rewards will reward you between the Mileage Plan elite status thresholds with benefits you can choose from. Here's a breakdown of your choices at every level:
| Elite Qualifying Miles (EQMs) Threshold | Milestone Reward Options |
|---|---|
| 10,000 | Choose One: • 750 bonus miles • Pre-order a complimentary meal for your flight • One complimentary Wi-Fi pass • Try MVP status for a trip • Earn double miles with non-air partners • Upgrade Avis car rental |
| 20,000 | Mileage Plan MVP Elite Status |
| 30,000 | Choose One: • 2,500 bonus miles • $25 off a future Alaska flight • Four Wi-Fi passes • Try MVP Gold status for a trip • $100 off an Alaska Lounge membership |
| 40,000 | Mileage Plan MVP Gold Elite Status |
| 55,000 | Choose Two: • 5,000 bonus miles • 10,000 miles off an MP Unlocked redemption • Gift MVP for a trip • One complimentary Lounge day pass • Two upgrade certificates |
| 75,000 | Mileage Plan MVP Gold 75K Elite Status |
| 85,000 | Choose Two: • 15,000 bonus miles • 25,000 miles off an MP Unlocked redemption • Two complimentary Lounge day passes • Two upgrade certificates • Gift MVP Gold status for a trip • Nominate someone for MVP status • 10,000 elite-qualifying miles rolled over |
| 100,000 | Mileage Plan MVP Gold 100K Elite Status |
| 150,000 | Choose Two: • 15,000 bonus miles • 25,000 off an MP Unlocked redemption • Two complimentary Lounge passes • Two upgrade certificates • 10,000 elite-qualifying miles rolled over |
| 200,000 | Choose Two: • 15,000 bonus miles • 25,000 off an MP Unlocked redemption • Two complimentary Lounge passes • Two upgrade certificates • 10,000 elite-qualifying miles rolled over |
| 250,000 | Choose Two: • 15,000 bonus miles • 25,000 off an MP Unlocked redemption • Two complimentary Lounge passes • Two upgrade certificates • 10,000 elite-qualifying miles rolled over |
You may notice in the chart that this year, Alaska has introduced the opportunity to redeem miles for “exclusive experiences and events” through its Mileage Plan Unlocked program. Through this program, you can purchase experiences such as concerts, sporting events, or vacation packages by redeeming your Alaska miles.
Related: Alaska MVP Gold: First Class Upgrades, Cost-Saving Benefits, and Oneworld Sapphire Perks
Which Alaska Airlines Milestone Rewards Are Best?
One of the best features of Alaska's new milestone rewards is that you get to choose the rewards that you want. This allows you to customize the benefits to your own needs. That said, some perks are objectively worth more than others in straightforward value.
Best lower-level Alaska Milestone Rewards
The get-status-for-a-day option — which is a choice in each of the first two milestones — is intriguing. Being able to use elite status that you haven't yet earned for an upcoming trip is a great perk. This could mean substantial savings on checked bag costs or even a complimentary upgrade (if you get lucky).
At 55,000 EQMs, you can gift MVP status for a trip to someone else, which could also be a valuable option. It's also a nice gift for a friend or family member.
On the flipside, Wi-Fi generally costs just $8 per flight, making the single pass a subpar benefit. Likewise, 750 Mileage Plan miles are worth about $15, considering AwardWallet users typically redeem Alaska miles for 2.1¢ each.
As far as using the discount on Unlocked experiences, many of these options will not be a great use of your miles. However, others seem like they could provide good value, such as tickets for sold-out events, especially if you were able to redeem one of the milestone rewards for a substantial discount. Make sure to check the going rate for event tickets before choosing this option.
Best upper-level Alaska Milestone Rewards
Once you reach that 55,000 EQM level, you can choose two rewards — further upping the value. This is also the level at which the upgrade certificates are available.
Some excellent options in the upper milestone levels are the 15,000 bonus miles (worth over $300 based on recent AwardWallet user redemptions) and the upgrade certificates. At these levels, you can also opt to roll over 10,000 EQMs to the next year, giving you a head start for earning status and milestone rewards in the future.
Final Thoughts
Several programs have started moving toward adding milestone rewards en route to elite status. Some examples include American Airlines, Hyatt, and IHG. Such offerings are a great way for programs to keep customers engaged in the brand and incentivize loyalty.
Alaska's milestone rewards allow members to choose the benefits they want to earn. And with the many new ways to earn EQMs (including flying on partner award flights), it could attract new customers that don't even typically fly on Alaska Airlines.
While some travelers may view the program changes negatively, especially the reduction of some status benefits, the milestone rewards seem to be a net positive for most people. These rewards offer more flexibility and personalization, allowing travelers to choose perks that align with their travel habits.
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