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Alaska Airlines is trying a lot of new things in 2022, and its Miles Boost promotion is one of the latest. This promotion offers the ability to multiply the miles you've earned recently by up to 4X, but you need to act fast. Here are the details and our analysis of whether this is worth pursuing.
Alaska Miles Boost Promotion
Alaska Mileage Plan is offering targeted members the chance to boost the number of miles they've earned on recent flights. But, this offer ends soon. Before we walk through the details, here's a quick snapshot:
- The promotion is targeted.
- Applies to flight distance on paid flights credited to Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan — even partner flights.
- You can boost miles earned between November 29, 2021 and February 20, 2022.
- Boost your miles by 1X, 2X, or 4X.
- Limited to 35,000 miles.
- Does not include miles earned from credit card spending, received as a goodwill gesture, purchases of miles, or premium cabin bonuses.
- Pay 1.92¢ per mile.
- This promotion ends at 11:59 PM PDT on March 13, 2022.
I received an email from Alaska Airlines offering this promotion to boost my recently earned miles. The link in the email took me to this page. Without using the link, I don't see this offer in my current offers within my Mileage Plan account. The terms also stated that this is a targeted promotion.
If you're trying to find this offer in your email, it came from mileageplan@points-mail.com, and the subject was this:
Boost your miles by 1x…2x…or up to 4x!
The Offer
The offer is to boost the number of miles earned via Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan on recent mileage earnings. I can multiply by 1X, 2X, or 4X.
According to the offer, I get a 30% discount on the cost of boosting my miles, and this is only for the 8,223 miles I've recently earned from flights.
Miles Eligible for Boosting
While the promotion terms state November 29, 2021 as the start date, my activity from November 27, 2021 is included in the figure for miles I can boost. The 8,223 number for miles I can boost with this promotion incorporates only miles earned from paid flights — and only the actual flight distance on those.
Alaska Miles Boost Pricing
So, what does it cost to boost your Alaska Airlines miles? With the 30% discount, it works out to as little as 1.92¢ per mile.
If I choose the 4X option, I can get 32,892 miles for $633.17. That equals 1.92¢ per mile. The pricing for 2X boost is 2.06¢ per mile, and the pricing for 1X boost is 2.2¢ per mile.
Terms & Conditions
For those considering this offer, here are the key terms:
- Canadian residents will pay GST/HST/QST.
- Purchases don't count toward elite status.
- This boost factors into Alaska's purchase limit of 150,000 miles per year.
- Only one miles boost transaction is permitted with Alaska Airlines during the offer period.
- Limited to boosting a maximum of 35,000 miles.
- Ends at 11:59 PM PDT on March 13, 2022.
Does it Make Sense to Pay to Boost Your Alaska Miles?
Let's look at the brass tacks to see if this promotion is worth it for buying miles at 1.92¢.
Recent redemption data for Alaska Miles shows that AwardWallet users get the following average values on their Mileage Plan miles:
- Short-haul economy & premium economy flights: 1.29¢
- Long-haul economy & premium ecnomy: 1.76¢
- Short-haul business and first class: 3.19¢
- Long-haul business and first class: 5.67¢
Thus, this pricing is cheaper than the average redemption values for business and first class tickets using Alaska Airlines miles. However, it costs more than recent offers to buy Alaska Airlines miles. Alaska will sometimes sell miles for as little as 1.85¢ per mile. But, the buy miles offer just launched is for a slightly more expensive 1.97¢ per mile
Considering the “does it make sense?” angle, I would say this can make sense in a few situations. First, if you need just a few more miles to make an award redemption, this can help you top up your miles. Second, if you are buying the miles at 1.92¢ but redeeming them at 3¢ or higher, that can make sense. However, I wouldn't just buy them for the sake of buying them. Have a plan.
For me, I'm going to pass on this.
Other Ways to Boost Your Alaska Miles Stash
If you're looking to boost your Alaska Airlines miles stash, there are other options.
- Transfer Marriott Bonvoy points to Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan at a 3:1 ratio (plus a 5,000-mile bonus for every 20,000 miles received in the transfer). These transfers take an average of 2 days.
- If time is on your side, open an Alaska Airlines credit card. The windfall of miles from a credit card welcome bonus will really help you out.
Bottom Line
The offer to boost my Alaska Airlines miles is definitely an interesting promotion. I'm a big fan of Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan and its miles. However, I'm going to pass. If you're eligible for this and the math works out for you, remember that you need to act fast. The deal ends on March 13, 2022. Under this promotion, you can multiply the miles you've recently earned, effectively buying miles at 1.92¢ each.
If you're eligible for this, are you planning to boost your miles at 1.92¢ each?
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