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In the last couple of days, a little rumor went around that Alaska was giving away 10,000 miles to some members. Members even posted screenshots of their Alaska accounts showing a nice surprise 10,000 miles. The miles were described in the statements as “SPECIAL SERVICES ELEVATE MEMBER OTO 10K BONUS.”
So, What’s Going On?
Initially, the award seemed completely random, although due to the description most people guessed correctly that it was somehow linked to Alaska’s takeover of Virgin America. The randomness created some resentment in online forums and blogs since—rightly so—quite a few people were frustrated by the fact that it seemed that they had missed out on a 10K freebie from Alaska.
Well, Alaska responded and clarified the situation. The airline will be giving 10,000 miles to all members who had an Alaska Mileage plan and a Virgin America Elevate account on December 5, 2016. In addition, members of Virgin Elevate who do not have an Alaska Mileage account will be given the choice of either $100 flight credit or 10,000 miles. Below is the relevant part of the statement released by Alaska:
We understand that many Mileage Plan members have questions about a surprise 10,000 mile gift that started appearing in some accounts last night, and we wanted to help put some of the mystery to rest. We can’t wait to show members of both programs what more to love looks like with Alaska Mileage Plan, and decided to kick things off with a 10,000 mile bonus award to thank our guests who have been loyal members of both Elevate and Mileage Plan. The gift process is expected to be completed over the course of next couple of days, and eligible members — which includes guests who were active in both Elevate and Mileage Plan as of December 5, 2016 — should look for an email from Mileage Plan later this week. Elevate members who don’t have a Mileage Plan account will be invited to activate one, along with details about their own special welcome offer, how to convert points, and status matching. For now, please sit tight, and we’ll be sharing more information about what members have to look forward to in the next couple of days.
This now appears to be part of the greater Alaska’s merger with Virgin Elevate, since recently it became possible to transfer your Elevate points to Alaska; although you can’t go the other way.
Overall
Well, the old adage goes: don’t look a gift horse in the mouth. Anytime any airline gives you 10K miles as a freebie it is great news. For those of you who feel they missed out over the last couple of days, just sit back and relax, if you meet the criteria the miles should post to your account later this week.
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