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If you're a committed loyalist to the Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan program and have earned your way to the top of its elite ranks, it's nearly time to choose your MVP Gold 100K Choice Benefit.
Alaska Airlines recently announced program changes for 2025, including additional MVP Gold 100K Choice Benefits. However, travelers who earn MVP Gold 100K in 2024 won't qualify for this expanded list — at least not this year.
From the full list of options to which you should pick, here's what MVP Gold 100K members need to know.
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How To Earn Alaska Airlines MVP Gold 100K Status
To qualify for MVP Gold 100K, you'll need to earn 100,000 Elite Qualifying Miles (EQMs). EQMs are most easily earned by flying Alaska Airlines or one of its many airline partners, such as American Airlines or Qatar Airways.
Additionally, you can earn EQMs by swiping the Alaska Airlines Visa Signature® credit card or the Alaska Airlines Visa® Business card.
For the rest of 2024, you can earn 4,000 EQMs for each $10,000 spent — with a maximum of 20,000 EQMs. This limitation applies even if you hold more than one Alaska Airlines credit card. However, those holding multiple Alaska credit cards can combine the spending on both cards to reach each $10,000 spending threshold.
Then, come 2025, you'll earn one EQM per $3 spent on your card — up to a cap of 30,000 Elite-Qualifying Miles per year. Additionally, Mileage Plan members will earn EQMs by flying on awards booked with Alaska miles and by earning Mileage Plan miles through other partners.
- 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
- 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
Alaska Airlines MVP Gold 100K Choice Benefits for 2024
Upon reaching Alaska Airlines MVP Gold 100K, members can select one Choice Benefit. For those earning Alaska MVP Gold 100K status in 2024, here are your Choice Benefit options:
- 50,000 bonus miles. You can choose 50,000 bonus miles which are immediately deposited to your Alaska account.
- Alaska Lounge+ Membership. Qualifying members can select Alaska Lounge+ Membership as a benefit. The status is valid through the end of the program year. If you qualify in 2024 for elite status in 2025, your selection of Lounge+ Membership will be valid through December 31, 2025.
- Gift MVP Gold. Members can choose to gift MVP Gold to another member.
- Complimentary Wi-Fi on every flight. 100K Elite can choose complimentary Wi-Fi access on all Alaska-marketed flights — including those operated by SkyWest Airlines and Horizon Air.
The deadline to make your choice is January 31, 2025.
Alaska Airlines MVP Gold 100K Choice Benefits for 2025
Alaska is expanding the list of MVP Gold 100K Choice Benefits for the 2025 status year. The new full list is as follows:
- 50,000 bonus miles.
- Alaska Lounge+ Membership. Valid for the following year and affords access to Alaska-operated Lounges and nearly 90 partner lounges.
- Complimentary Wi-Fi on every flight. Receive complimentary Wi-Fi on every flight.
- Nominate someone for MVP Gold Status: Members can nominate a friend or family member to receive complimentary MVP Gold status for the program year.
- Four upgrade certificates.
- 75,000 miles off an Extras redemption. Benefit from a 75,000-mile discount when redeeming an Alaska Extras redemption.
New Alaska MVP Gold 100K Choice Benefits deadline for 2025
For 2025, Alaska is also implementing a new deadline for choosing your MVP Gold 100K Choice Benefit. Instead of having until January 31, 2026 to make your selection, Alaska Airlines shared with AwardWallet that 100K elites will have “90 days to make their selection from the date of qualification.”
This new policy shortens the time to choose those who qualify for MVP Gold 100K before November 2025. On the flip side, this new policy gives additional time to MVP Gold 100K elites who qualify in November or December 2025.
What Are the MVP Gold 100K Choice Benefits Worth?
Determining the value of each benefit can be tricky. While some benefits are easy to work out, others are more difficult.
- 50,000 bonus miles: On average, AwardWallet members have been able to redeem their Alaska miles for 2.11¢ per mile. Thus, 50,000 Mileage Plan miles are worth approximately $1,040. However, remember that the value heavily depends on the type of awards you book. International long-haul flights generate the best value (4.18¢ per mile), while short-haul domestic flights provide the least value (1.31¢ per mile).
- Alaska Lounge+ Membership: Valuing this benefit is pretty simple since you can purchase it directly from Alaska Airlines for $650.
- Complimentary Wi-Fi access: Your mileage will vary with this, depending on how much you travel. However, assuming you take one round trip per month and Alaska Wi-Fi can be purchased for $8 per flight, then the value is approximately $192
- Gift MVP Gold status: This perk is much harder to value since it depends on how the person you gift MVP Gold status to uses the perks. For instance, taking ten fights a year with one free checked bag would save you $350. In contrast, taking the same ten flights with two checked bags would yield a value of $800. Bear in mind this is only the value of the bags and not any additional benefits you may use, like priority boarding or First or Premium Class upgrades.
- Four upgrade certificates: This benefit isn't easy to value since it depends on how you use them and which flights you use the certificates. However, a safe assumption is several hundred dollars per certificate, making this one of the most valuable perks on offer.
- 75,000 miles off an Extras redemption: The value of this benefit can be tricky to work out since it is a discount on a specific award. However, taking the 2.11¢ per mile, AwardWallet members have been able to leverage their miles, this benefit is worth about $1,560.
How Do Alaska’s Choice Benefits Stack Up Against the Big Three?
Personalization is the new “in” thing for loyalty programs. Rather than having set benefits for all elites, more airlines and hotels are letting elite members choose their own benefits.
The new Alaska 100K Choice Benefits stack up reasonably well against the competition. However, Alaska offers a shorter list of perks to choose from than some of its larger competitors:
- Delta's Choice Benefits have been around for years. Platinum and Diamond Medallion elites can select from upgrade certificates, a SkyClub lounge membership, get bonus miles, Medallion elite status gift, and more.
- American Airlines Loyalty Choice Rewards offer systemwide upgrades, bonus miles, lounge membership or day passes, gifts of elite status, and more.
- United Plus Points are rewarded to high-level United elites. These can be used for a variety of types of upgrades, ranging from domestic first class upgrades to United Polaris upgrades on long-haul international flights.
Our Take
More choices are always welcome news, and this is doubly true if they reward loyalty and status. It is also good to see a wide range of choices that suit the travel patterns of a wide range of travelers. Depending on how you travel, the best value will be either the bonus miles or the four upgrade certificates – since these provide the most value.
Which benefit do you plan to choose? Let us know in the comments.
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