From Free Wi-Fi to Upgrade Certificates: Alaska Airlines Milestone Rewards Explained From Free Wi-Fi to Upgrade Certificates: Alaska Airlines Milestone Rewards Explained

From Free Wi-Fi to Upgrade Certificates: Alaska Airlines Milestone Rewards Explained

Bonus Points

AwardWallet receives compensation from advertising partners for links on the blog. The opinions expressed here are our own and have not been reviewed, provided, or approved by any bank advertiser. Here's our complete list of Advertisers. Offers for Bank of America cards mentioned in this post have been updated as of 04/02/2025

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.

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.

A screen shot from Alaska airlines with a graphic showing the elite levels and milestone rewards
Credit: Alaska Airlines

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:

Alaska Airlines Visa Signature® credit card
Alaska Airlines Visa Signature® credit card
Annual Fee$95
Limited Time Online Offer: Earn 60,000 bonus miles plus Alaska's Famous Companion Fare™ ($99 fare plus taxes and fees from $23) with this offer. To qualify, make $3,000 or more in purchases within the first 90 days of opening your account. Additionally, receive a 30% flight discount code for a qualifying future flight after opening your new account.
The Alaska Airlines Visa Signature® credit card offers cardholders 3 miles per dollar on eligible Alaska Airlines purchases and 2 miles per dollar on everyday purchases like gas, local transit including ride share, cable, and select streaming services. Other benefits include Alaska’s Famous Companion Fare™ annually from $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 miles for Bank of America account holders, and a $100 discount on Alaska Lounge+ Membership.
  • 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
Alaska Airlines business class cabin
Alaska Airlines business class. Credit: Alaska Airlines

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) ThresholdMilestone 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
20,000Mileage Plan MVP Elite Status
30,000Choose 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
40,000Mileage Plan MVP Gold Elite Status
55,000Choose 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
75,000Mileage Plan MVP Gold 75K Elite Status
85,000Choose 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
100,000Mileage Plan MVP Gold 100K Elite Status
150,000Choose 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
200,000Choose 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
250,000Choose 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.

Screen shot from Alaska Mileage Plan Unlocked shows an option to redeem miles for a stand up comedy show in Las Vegas
Mileage Plan Unlocked, credit: Alaska Airlines

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 2.11¢ 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.

a customer enters an Alaska Airlines lounge at sunset
Credit: Alaska Airlines

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.

AwardWallet Tip of The Day
Did you know that AwardWallet provides an award booking service through its partners? If you'd like the team to help book an award ticket using your points and miles, just submit a booking request.
Show me how

The comments on this page are not provided, reviewed, or otherwise approved by the bank advertiser. It is not the bank advertiser's responsibility to ensure all posts and/or questions are answered.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *