Airline Loyalty Rewards
Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan Loyalty Program Review
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Branded and Partnered Credit Cards
There are several credit cards that can help you quickly collect Alaska miles to redeem for some amazing flights.
Alaska Airlines Credit Cards
Bank of America’s co-branded cards with Alaska Airlines allow you to earn Mileage Plan miles directly:
Marriott Bonvoy Credit Cards
While earning Alaska miles directly might seem like the best way to go, we’d actually suggest considering Marriott Bonvoy points. Every chunk of 60,000 points you transfer to Alaska Airlines earns you a bonus of 5,000 Alaska miles.
Other Hotel Partner Credit Cards
A few other hotel programs will let you transfer points to Alaska Airlines. However, this is almost always a poor use of hotel points.
Unless you are really in a bind, save your hotel points for award stays at your destination, where they’ll likely be worth more.
Alaska Airlines Overview
Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan is an award-winning program that is valued by travelers for a couple of reasons. Frequent flyer miles are earned based on miles flown rather than dollars spent, and premium cabin awards are redeemable on Alaska’s partner airlines such as Cathay Pacific and Emirates.
In fact, many travelers use Mileage Plan as a collection point for their travel with these partners—without even flying Alaska Airlines much!
Joining Mileage Plan
To join Mileage Plan, sign up for free.
How To Sign in to Your Mileage Plan Account
Sign in on the alaskaair.com homepage. You’ll need to enter your user ID and password.
Viewing Your Account Activity
You can see your mileage balance and elite progress on the overview and tier status page.
Here, you can view your trips, mileage activity, wallet, and discount/companion certificates.
Points Expiration
Mileage Plan miles expire after 24 months of inactivity.
Any miles earning or redeeming activity counts, so you have many options beyond taking flights. This includes using an Alaska Airlines credit card or using the Alaska Airlines shopping portal and dining program.
Alaska Airlines Mileage Program
Mileage Plan Elite Status
The Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan program has 3 status tiers:
- MVP
- MVP Gold
- MVP Gold 75K
- MVP Gold 100K
MVP:
- Complimentary preferred seats
- Instant complimentary first class upgrades on certain fare classes (Y, S, or Z)
- Instant complimentary premium class upgrades on certain fare classes (Y, S, B, or Z)
- Complimentary upgrades 48 hours from departure
- 2 free checked bags
- Priority check-in and boarding
- 50% bonus miles on Alaska and Elite Qualifying Partners
- Alaska Lounge discounted membership (50% off initiation, $25 off annual membership)
- Oneworld Ruby status
MVP Gold:
All MVP benefits, plus:
- Instant complimentary upgrades on more fare classes (Y, S, B, M, or Z)
- Instant complimentary premium class upgrades on more fare classes (Y, S, B, M, H, Q, L, V, N, K, or Z)
- Complimentary upgrades 72 hours from departure
- Complimentary inflight premium beverage if not upgraded
- 4 one-way companion upgrade certificates
- Complimentary same-day flight changes
- Standby and waitlist for full flights
- Priority security
- 100% bonus miles on Alaska and Elite Qualifying Partners
- Alaska Lounge discounted membership (waived initiation, $50 off annual membership)
- Oneworld Sapphire status
MVP Gold 75K:
All MVP Gold benefits, plus:
- Instant complimentary upgrades on even more fare classes (Y, S, B, M, H, or Z)
- Instant complimentary premium class upgrades on all fare classes
- Complimentary upgrades 120 hours from departure
- Complimentary inflight entertainment
- 125% bonus miles on Alaska and Elite Qualifying Partners
- Gift of 50,000 miles
- Gift MVP status to a family member or friend
- 4 annual Alaska Lounge day passes (now limited to member and companions traveling with the member)
- Oneworld Emerald status
MVP Gold 11K:
All MVP Gold 75k benefits, plus:
- Instant complimentary upgrades on even more fare classes (Y, S, B, M, H, or Z)
- Instant complimentary premium class upgrades on all fare classes
- Complimentary upgrades 120 hours from departure and highest waitlist priority
- Complimentary inflight entertainment
- 150% bonus miles on Alaska and Elite Qualifying Partners
- Gift MVP status to a family member or friend
- 4 annual Alaska Lounge day passes (now limited to member and companions traveling with the member)
- Oneworld Emerald status
After flying 1 million miles on Alaska Airlines (excluding bonus miles and partner flights), travelers are granted lifetime MVP Gold status.
Lifetime MVP Gold members receive a complimentary meal or picnic pack whenever they fly in the main cabin.
Check Alaska’s site for the full lineup of benefits.
Partner Elite Status Benefits
Alaska Airlines is part of the Oneworld alliance, and its benefits with the Oneworld member airlines are as follows:
MVP:
- Priority check-in
- Access to preferred or pre-reserved seating
- Priority on waitlists and when on standby
- Access to Main Cabin Extra seats when flying American Airlines 24 hours before check-in
- 1 complimentary checked bag when flying American Airlines
MVP Gold:
All MVP benefits plus:
- Priority boarding
- Access to Oneworld business class lounges
- Extra baggage allowance
- Priority baggage handling
- Access to Main Cabin Extra seats when flying American Airlines at booking
- 2 complimentary checked bags when flying American Airlines
MVP Gold 75K:
All MVP Gold benefits plus:
- Access to Oneworld first class lounges
- Fast track at security lanes
- Access to Main Cabin Extra seats when flying American Airlines at booking
- 3 complimentary checked bags when flying American Airlines
- Complimentary access to domestic upgrades when flying American Airlines
- Complimentary same-day flight changes with American Airlines
- International upgrade certificates with American Airlines
MVP Gold 100K:
All MVP Gold 75k benefits plus:
- Access to Oneworld first class lounges
- Fast track at security lanes
- Access to Main Cabin Extra seats when flying American Airlines at booking
- 3 complimentary checked bags when flying American Airlines
- Complimentary access to domestic upgrades when flying American Airlines
- Complimentary same-day flight changes with American Airlines
- International upgrade certificates with American Airlines
Additionally, Alaska Airlines elite members receive the following benefits with these non-Oneworld partners:
- Complimentary access to Emirates business class lounge in Dubai (DXB)
- Complimentary access to select Hainan lounges in Beijing (PEK), Xi’an (XIY), Haikou (HAK), Guangzhou (CAN), and Ürümqi (URC)
- Complimentary access to Icelandair Saga lounges at Reykjavík (KEF)
Value of MVP Elite Status
Mileage Plan elite status is one of the highest-regarded programs among travelers for its mileage earning rates and benefits.
Compared to competitors, Mileage Plan is lucrative for earning miles by distance rather than spending.
Mileage Plan elite status is especially strong on companion benefits and customer service.
Earning Mileage Plan Elite Status
Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan elite status is more straightforward than some of its competitors, and there is no dollar spend threshold.
You can earn status by any 1 of 3 ways:
- Eligible miles on Alaska
- Eligible miles on a combination of Alaska and qualifying partner airlines (all airline partners except Ravn)
- Segments flown on a combination of Alaska and qualifying partner airlines (all airline partners except Ravn)
Eligible miles include class of service bonuses, but they exclude elite status bonuses.
Class of service bonuses range from 0% to 50% in economy and are 75% for first class. This means cheap first class fares can be a shortcut to earning elite status.
| Annual Qualification Period January 1 to December 31 | MVP | MVP Gold | MVP Gold 75K | MVP Gold 100K |
| Miles on Alaska and Qualifying Partner Airlines | 20,000 | 40,000 | 75,000 | 100,000 |
| Segments on Alaska and Qualifying Partner Airlines | 30 | 60 | 90 | 140 |
| Minimum Number of Segments Flown on Alaska to Earn/Retain Status | 2 | 4 | 6 | 24 |
How To Earn Alaska Miles
Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan boasts many partnerships that attract members who don’t even fly Alaska Airlines itself. For those who do fly Alaska Airlines, Mileage Plan is a rare U.S. airline program that continues to treat a mile flown as a mile earned.
Earning Miles by Flying Alaska Airlines
When flying Alaska Airlines, you’ll earn miles by flight distance and fare class. On short flights, travelers earn a minimum of 500 miles.
| Cabin | Classes of Service | Base Mileage Earned | Bonus Miles |
|---|---|---|---|
| First Class | F or P | 100% | 75% |
| Main (Economy) | Y or S | 100% | 50% |
| Main (Economy) | M or B | 100% | 25% |
| Main (Economy) | H, Q, L, V, K, G, T, or R | 100% | – |
Earning Miles by Flying Oneworld & Other Partners
Alaska Airlines has numerous airline partnerships for earning miles; check its partners page for earning rates by partner and flight:
- Aer Lingus
- American Airlines
- British Airways
- Cathay Pacific
- Condor
- EL AL
- Emirates
- Fiji Airways
- Finnair
- Hainan Airlines
- Iberia
- Icelandair
- Japan Airlines
- Korean Air
- LATAM Airlines
- Malaysia Airlines
- Qantas
- Qatar Airways
- Royal Air Maroc
- Royal Jordanian
- S7 Airlines
- Singapore Airlines
- SriLankan Airlines
Earn Miles With Credit Cards
The Alaska Signature card (and its business version) both earn 3 miles per dollar on Alaska Airlines purchases and 1 mile per dollar everywhere else. The card includes an annual $99 + taxes companion certificate and a free checked bag.
For everyday spending, your best option is earning Marriott Bonvoy points with one of the Marriott Bonvoy credit cards. Every transfer of 60,000 Marriott Bonvoy points to your Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan account earns you a bonus of 5,000 miles.
Earning Bonus Miles in Other Ways
We have step-by-step guides for the Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan shopping portal and dining program, which can both earn you quick bonus points.
Plus, there are other retail and travel partners that earn miles. See our article on the best ways to earn lots of Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan Miles for more.
How To Redeem Alaska Miles
Alaska Airlines has multiple ways to redeem your miles once you have earned them.
Awards on Alaska Airlines Flights
Alaska Airlines recently lowered the price of short-distance domestic flights. These are now as cheap as 5,000 miles one-way!
Award Levels for Travel on Alaska Airlines
| Within Contiguous U.S. & Alaska | Miles Required |
|---|---|
| Trips less than 700 miles | |
| Main Cabin | 5,000 to 30,000 |
| First Class | 15,000 to 40,000 |
| Trips between 701 and 1,400 miles | |
| Main Cabin | 7,500 to 30,000 |
| First Class | 25,000 to 60,000 |
| Trips between 1,401 and 2,100 miles | |
| Main Cabin | 10,000 to 40,000 |
| First Class | 25,000 to 60,000 |
| Trips longer than 2,101 miles | |
| Main Cabin | 12,500 to 50,000 |
| First Class | 30,000 to 70,000 |
*Price ranges are all for one-way flights. The highest price in each range is a refundable award.
| Contiguous U.S./Alaska to Mexico | Miles Required |
|---|---|
| Trips between 701 and 1,400 miles | |
| Main Cabin | 10,000 to 35,000 |
| First Class | 30,000 to 50,000 |
| Trips between 1,401 and 2,100 miles | |
| Main Cabin | 15,000 to 40,000 |
| First Class | 30,000 to 60,000 |
| Trips longer than 2,101 miles | |
| Main Cabin | 17,500 to 50,000 |
| First Class | 30,000 to 70,000 |
*Price ranges are all for one-way flights. The highest price in each range is a refundable award.
| Contiguous U.S./Alaska to Hawaii | Miles Required |
|---|---|
| Main Cabin | 15,000 to 50,000 |
| First Class | 40,000 to 80,000 |
*Price ranges are all for one-way flights. The highest price in each range is a refundable award.
Free Stopovers — Even on One-Ways!
Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan allows free stopovers on awards, which is a benefit eliminated by almost all other airline programs. Even better, you get a free stopover on a one-way, or 2 on a round-trip booking!
First Class Upgrades
Within 24 hours of departure or at check-in, you can request an upgrade with miles or cash. Miles upgrades cost 15,000 miles regardless of trip distance. Cash upgrades can be better value for short flights:
| One-Way Trip Distance | Upgrade Price |
|---|---|
| 0 to 1,250 | $50 |
| 1,251 to 2,500 | $100 |
| 2,501 to 3,750 | $150 |
| 3,751+ | $200 |
Money & Miles
Use miles for up to a 50% discount off Alaska Airlines coach airfare.
| Award Type | One-Way | Round-Trip |
|---|---|---|
| Money & Miles — 50% discount up to $100 | 10,000 | 10,000 |
| Money & Miles — 50% discount up to $200 | 20,000 | 20,000 |
Hot Tip: You earn 100% of miles from Money & Miles awards!
Awards on Partner Airlines
Each Alaska Airlines partner has its own award chart. Only award routes listed on the chart can be booked.
To locate the pricing for each partner, head to the award charts page on the Alaska Airlines website, punch in your destinations, and you’ll see all the pricing for each available partner.
American Airlines:
| One-Way Trip Distance | Coach | Business/First |
|---|---|---|
| Continental U.S. only | 12,500 | 25,000 |
Other Airline Partner Awards:
Alaska Airlines has fantastic partner awards that are among the most sought-after by travelers. Each partner has its own award chart and available routes.
See our article on the best ways to redeem Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan for ideas.
Non-Flight Awards
Finally, miles can be used outside of the airline, including for magazine subscriptions and other household and travel goods.
The information regarding the Alaska Airlines Visa Signature® Credit Card, and Alaska Airlines Visa® Business Credit Card was independently collected by Upgraded Points and not provided nor reviewed by the issuer.
For rates and fees of the Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant™ American Express® Card, click here.
For rates and fees of the Marriott Bonvoy Business™ American Express® Card, click here.
The information regarding the Alaska Airlines Visa Signature® credit card was independently collected by Upgraded Points and not provided nor reviewed by the issuer.
The information regarding Alaska Airlines Visa® Business Credit Card was independently collected by Upgraded Points and not provided nor reviewed by the issuer.
The information regarding the Marriott Bonvoy Bold® Credit Card was independently collected by Upgraded Points and not provided nor reviewed by the issuer.
The information regarding the Marriott Bonvoy Boundless® Credit Card was independently collected by Upgraded Points and not provided nor reviewed by the issuer.
The information regarding the Citi® / AAdvantage® Platinum Select® World Elite™ Mastercard® was independently collected by Upgraded Points and not provided nor reviewed by the issuer.
For rates and fees of the Marriott Bonvoy Bevy™ American Express® Card, click here.
For rates and fees of the Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant® American Express® card, click here.
Frequently Asked Questions
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About Alex Miller
Founder and CEO of Upgraded Points, Alex is a leader in the industry and has earned and redeemed millions of points and miles. He frequently discusses the award travel industry with CNBC, Fox Business, The New York Times, and more.
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9 comments
Gary Wiram
January 27, 2018
Be aware that when you make a reservation considering the Alaska Airlines frequent flyer miles you’ll get, Alaska Airlines may change their rules before you travel and negate those miles. That happened to us with KLM flights we booked last January for round trip travel from Portland to Rome in July. It turned out that the Portland to Amsterdam legs were “operated by” Delta. Alaska Airlines ended their relationship with Delta in May and as a result, they denied the nearly 10,000 miles that should have been credited to both my account and to Ruth Wiram’s account.
Olorin
October 25, 2019
That’s unfortunate but not unique to Alaska.
Robert Herschbach
February 01, 2021
As an Alaska Airlines credit card holder, can I receive mileage credit for flying on American Airline flights?
Jarrod West
February 09, 2021
Hi Robert,
The Alaska Airlines card only earns 3x miles per $1 on Alaska Airlines purchases. That said, it still earns 1x miles per $1 on all other purchases, so if you pay for your American flight with your card you’ll earn 1 Alaska mile per $1 spent.
Wayne
September 24, 2021
If I have MVP status on Alaska airlines and book a trip on British airways, how does BA know my Oneworld status for seat selection?
Jarrod West
September 24, 2021
Hi Wayne,
If you input your Alaska MVP number when you booked the ticket then you should be all set, as that number should be associated with your Oneworld status.
neola napper
December 30, 2021
I have been trying for weeks to contact someone about my Alaska Airlines miles which are about to expire not having any luck. We live in Canada and have not been able to travel because of Covid-19. Please help.
Katie Seemann
December 30, 2021
Ni Neola,
I’m sorry to hear you’ve been having trouble contacting Alaska Airlines about your miles expiring. We aren’t Alaska Airlines so we can’t help you with this. Have you tried contacting them through their online help center? You can access those links here. Good luck!
Thomas Gondolfi
January 19, 2022
I’m here to talk about the frequent flyer program of Alaska Airlines and what a bait and switch it is.
I’ve been an Alaska FF member for 23 years (they actually kept track of that). When I joined it was to the promise of taking my bucket list trip (Australia), first-class (no blackout dates). So, my wife and I have been saving frequent flyer points for TWENTY THREE YEARS (think about that for a moment).
Last year we decided to take the plunge. We got cruise tickets and I went online to get my long-coveted first-class tickets, only to find there weren’t any.
I talked to Alaska and they said I had waited too long (6 months prior to trip). So we postponed our trip for a year. I watched for the very first opening to purchase tickets (331 days in advance). When the window opened, I immediately swooped in. No FC tickets. I called them.
Oh, I’d gotten in too soon for FC tickets. So I complained. They told me that they only had to honor the FF cost for the ticket if the originating partner offered them those tickets. Which means they may (and often will) never have the ticket you want. By the time the complaint went through, there were no coach seats, either (BTW).
As I’m a wannabe lawyer, I did some research into applicable case law. The courts have repeatedly found that all of the airlines can make any change to their programs that they want at any time without grandfathering. So if a trip might cost 20,000 points one day, they could change it to ten times that amount the very next day and you have zero recourse. They can even terminate you and all your points for no reason…
Despite advertising their policies, they can do anything they want. This applies to ALL loyalty programs. I’ve had similar things happen to me in the hotel business. It’s a scam.
I suggest if you are going to be a member of these “loyalty programs” then you do two things: 1) Never pay for the privilege (eg don’t pay to have their “credit card” or pay higher prices because you get mileage points.), 2) Never assume you are going to get what they promise… because in all likelihood you won’t.
Please, this is first-hand advice from someone who has been loyal to one company/program for over twenty years. Heed it!
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