TPG readers and workers members are large followers of the Alaska Airways Mileage Plan program — even these on the East Coast who by no means truly fly with the service. Though we have seen devaluations of Mileage Plan miles in earlier years, there are nonetheless candy spots inside the program’s Oneworld and nonalliance companions. You possibly can redeem miles for a number of the most sought-after premium award seats on airways like Cathay Pacific, Japan Airways and plenty of extra.
Though Alaska Airways miles have not historically been as simple to earn as these of different applications, with the current Hawaiian Airways acquisition information, there’s an fascinating new option to convert American Categorical Membership Rewards factors to Alaska’s Mileage Plan.
You possibly can redeem Mileage Plan miles for excellent rewards, together with saving as much as 50% on award redemptions to fashionable locations utilizing the airline’s World Getaway promotion.
Are you unfamiliar with incomes Mileage Plan miles? We’ll present you the way to earn Alaska miles to place your subsequent award journey inside attain.
Easy methods to earn Alaska miles by flying
Probably the most easy option to earn Alaska miles is to fly Alaska Airways or one among its associate airways. Alaska is among the few airways that also points miles primarily based on flight distance, not how a lot cash you spend on the ticket. That being stated, a number of components decide what number of miles you will earn on a given ticket.
Earn miles by flying on Alaska Airways
When touring on an Alaska-operated flight, you will earn Alaska miles primarily based on the space you fly. Sadly, Alaska’s fundamental economic system “Saver fare” product earns simply 30% of the miles flown.
In the meantime, tickets booked in greater fare courses earn bonus miles. Here is the incomes chart for Alaska-operated and -marketed flights to find out what number of miles you will earn in your subsequent journey (whereas there are two tables relying on whether or not your journey is in 2024 or 2025, the incomes charges on Alaska Airways flights are the identical):
To determine your flight distance, we advocate utilizing Nice Circle Mapper. For instance, a one-way ticket from Chicago’s O’Hare Worldwide Airport (ORD) to Seattle-Tacoma Worldwide Airport (SEA) booked in a C-class first-class cabin would earn 3,003 miles. These fares earn 100% of base miles (1,716 miles flown) and a 75% class-of-service bonus (1,287 miles).
Elite standing bonus
Moreover, these with Alaska Airways elite standing will earn further bonuses on their Alaska-operated tickets. Here is what number of bonus Mileage Plan miles every MVP standing tier earns on these flights via 2024:
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- Alaska MVP: 50% bonus
- MVP Gold: 100% bonus
- MVP Gold 75K: 125% bonus
- MVP Gold 100K: 150% bonus
From Jan. 1, 2025, the bonus miles will likely be awarded as follows:
- Alaska MVP: 25% bonus
- MVP Gold: 50% bonus
- MVP Gold 75K: 100% bonus
- MVP Gold 100K: 150% bonus
These bonuses solely apply to the 100% base miles flown, not any class-of-service bonuses for greater fare courses.
Associated: What’s Alaska Airways elite standing value?
Earn by flying with companions
When flying a associate airline booked on Alaska Airways ticket inventory (a codeshare flight operated by a associate however booked with an Alaska flight quantity), you will earn 100% of the bottom miles flown apart from fundamental economic system (fare code X), which awards 30%. Nevertheless, the way you earn Alaska miles varies barely while you guide a associate flight on the associate’s ticket inventory and add your Mileage Plan quantity.
While you do that, the precise quantity will differ primarily based on the airline, standing tier and reserving class. Usually talking, you will not earn 100% of the miles flown for each fare class, although flights booked in greater fare courses will nonetheless earn extra.
For journey in 2024, every associate has a special incomes fee. To examine what number of miles you will earn in your associate ticket, head to Alaska Airways’ associate web page, discover the associate you are flying and examine the chart to your reserving class, as every chart will likely be barely totally different.
Here is the British Airways incomes chart for journey in 2024:
Beginning in January, Mileage Plan is simplifying how frequent flyers earn miles when touring on companions. The variety of miles you earn will rely on whether or not the flight is booked via Alaska’s web site or a associate’s web site and your fare class.
Word that Starlux Airways flights booked by way of a associate website aren’t eligible to earn Mileage Plan elite-qualifying miles.
Alaska Airways is a member of the Oneworld alliance, and you may earn miles on all Oneworld airways, together with:
- American Airways
- British Airways
- Cathay Pacific
- Fiji Airways (Oneworld Join associate)
- Finnair
- Iberia
- Japan Airways
- Malaysia Airways
- Qantas
- Qatar Airways
- Royal Air Maroc
- Royal Jordanian Airways
- SriLankan Airways
Additional, the airline has a plethora of nonalliance companions with which to earn miles, together with:
- Aer Lingus
- Air Tahiti Nui
- Condor
- El Al Israel Airways
- Hainan Airways
- Icelandair
- Korean Air (SkyTeam)
- LATAM Airways
- Singapore Airways (Star Alliance)
- Starlux Airways
- Aleutian Airways
- Bahamasair
- Cape Air
- Contour Airways
- Kenmore Air
- Mokulele Airways
- Southern Airways Categorical
Associated: Easy methods to redeem miles with Alaska Airways Mileage Plan
Earn Alaska miles with bank cards
One of many best methods to earn a big chunk of Mileage Plan miles with out flying is thru Alaska Airways co-branded bank cards issued by Financial institution of America.
One choice is the Alaska Airways Visa Signature® bank card, which carries a $95 annual payment. New cardholders can earn 60,000 bonus miles plus Alaska’s Well-known Companion Fare ($99 fare plus taxes and costs from $23) after making $3,000 or extra in purchases inside the first 90 days of opening your account.
If in case you have a small enterprise, you may desire the Alaska Airways Visa® Enterprise card. This card has a $70 annual payment for the corporate and $25 per card. As a limited-time welcome provide, obtain 50,000 bonus miles and Alaska’s Well-known Companion Fare ($99 fare plus taxes and costs from $23) after making $3,000 or extra purchases inside the first 90 days of opening your account.
Word that these playing cards each provide a free checked bag for you and as much as six different company on the identical reservation while you pay to your flight with the cardboard and embrace reductions on inflight purchases and lounge passes.
When spending with both the private or enterprise card, you’ll earn the next miles:
- 3 miles for each $1 spent on eligible Alaska Airways purchases
- 2 miles for each $1 spent on eligible gasoline, EV charging station, cable, streaming providers and native transit (together with journey share) purchases
- 1 mile per $1 spent on all different purchases
Moreover, beginning on Jan. 1, 2025, in the event you maintain the Alaska private or enterprise bank card, you’ll earn 1 elite qualifying mile for each $3 spent (as much as 30,000 EQMs annually).
Alaska Airways switch companions
Switch Bilt Factors to Alaska Mileage Plan
In March 2024, Bilt Rewards added Alaska Mileage Plan as a switch associate. Due to this fact, you may switch Bilt Factors to Alaska at a 1:1 fee. Plus, Alaska Airways cardholders earn 3 miles per greenback spent (on as much as $50,000 yearly) when paying hire via Bilt utilizing their Alaska Airways Visa bank card.
Switch HawaiianMiles to Alaska Mileage Plan
For the reason that merger of Alaska and Hawaiian Airways, it’s also possible to switch miles between Hawaiian Airways and Alaska Airways at a 1:1 fee.
Due to this fact, in the event you’re available in the market for a brand new bank card and a option to earn further Alaska miles with out opening an Alaska bank card, you may take into account opening a Hawaiian Airways cobranded bank card.
Hawaiian Airways playing cards are at present providing the next welcome bonuses:
- Hawaiian Airways® World Elite Mastercard®: Earn 70,000 bonus HawaiianMiles after spending $2,000 on purchases inside the first 90 days.
- Hawaiian Airways® Enterprise Mastercard®: Earn 50,000 bonus HawaiianMiles after spending $4,000 on purchases within the first 90 days.
The data for the Hawaiian Mastercard and Hawaiian Enterprise Mastercard has been collected independently by The Factors Man. The cardboard particulars on this web page haven’t been reviewed or offered by the cardboard issuer.
If you have no HawaiianMiles, keep in mind that this system is at present a switch associate of American Categorical Membership Rewards, that means that you would earn a beneficiant welcome bonus from an Amex rewards card and switch these factors to HawaiianMiles, after which switch them to Alaska Airways Mileage Plan. Nevertheless, it has been reported that this switch choice might turn out to be out of date in 2025.
Associated: Switch Hawaiian miles (and by extension, Amex factors) to Alaska Airways
Switch Marriott Bonvoy factors to Alaska
Even when you have no Alaska Airways or Hawaiian Airways bank cards in your pockets, it is nonetheless doable to generate miles by transferring factors from Marriott Bonvoy at a 3:1 ratio. You will additionally earn a 5,000-mile bonus for each 60,000 factors transferred.
If you wish to switch your factors to guide an award flight, be sure you examine/discover availability earlier than making any level transfers, as transfers are irreversible.
Earn enterprise rewards with EasyBiz
Alaska Airways has a enterprise rewards program known as EasyBiz. This program rewards companies for worker journey primarily based on the value of a ticket. Rewards earned with EasyBiz are along with the worker’s mileage earnings, so each events win.
Companies earn 1 Alaska mile for each greenback spent on base airfare. You may also entry options like 24-hour reservation holds, journey administration instruments and ticket studies. Instruments like this assist your small business higher handle worker journey and get extra worth from the cash you are already spending.
You possibly can enroll in EasyBiz on Alaska’s web site. After doing this, you will obtain an EasyBiz quantity that you just, your workers or your journey agent can connect to Alaska bookings.
Word that based on Alaska’s web site, “new EasyBiz enrollments are at present unavailable as we make system updates.”
Earn Alaska miles with journey companions
You may also earn Alaska miles with different journey companions. This allows you to earn Alaska miles on different facets of your journey, like resorts and rental vehicles.
E book resorts with Alaska companions
You possibly can earn bonus Mileage Plan miles by reserving with Alaska Airways Motels. In the event you go this route, chances are you’ll not earn resort factors in your reserving. In different phrases, you will must resolve which rewards foreign money you worth most.
Additional, you may earn Alaska miles as a substitute of resort factors while you guide with a handful of resort teams on the following charges:
| Resort | Incomes fee |
|---|---|
| Finest Western | Earn 250 miles per keep |
| Alternative Privileges | Earn 250 miles per keep |
| Coast Motels | Earn 500 miles per keep |
| IHG One Rewards | Earn as much as 2 miles per $1 spent or as much as 500 miles per keep |
| Marriott Bonvoy | Earn 2 miles per $1 on all qualifying costs, or 1 mile per $1 spent on the room fee, relying on the resort |
| Rocketmiles | Earn 500 to 10,000 miles per evening on each reservation. |
Associated: 10 methods you would be incomes airline miles aside from bank cards
Hire a automobile and earn Alaska miles
You may also earn Alaska miles when reserving automobile leases via Alaska Airways Automotive Rental. The miles you will earn rely on how a lot you spend on a rental. You will not earn rental automobile factors on these bookings; costs might differ from reserving straight.
You may also guide straight with rental automobile corporations and earn Alaska miles as a substitute of rental automobile factors on the following charges:
| Rental automobile firm | Incomes fee |
|---|---|
| Alamo | 50 miles per day on qualifying leases. Supply legitimate within the U.S. and Canada. |
| Avis | As much as 1,250 miles per rental |
| Funds | As much as 1,250 miles per rental |
| Greenback | 150 miles on leases three days or longer via Dec. 31, 2024 |
| Hertz | 200 miles per day on leases of 1 to 4 days or 2,000 miles per rental on leases of 5 or extra days till Dec. 31, 2024. |
| Nationwide | 50 miles per day within the U.S. and Canada solely |
| Thrifty | 150 miles on leases three days or longer |
Associated: Easy methods to by no means pay full value for a rental automobile
Earn Alaska miles with different companions
Moreover, you may earn Alaska miles via a number of Alaska Mileage Plan companions for on a regular basis purchases like eating out and even buying on-line.
Alaska Airways Mileage Plan Buying
Alaska Airways Mileage Plan Buying is a good way to earn bonus Alaska miles in your on-line purchases along with the miles you already earn together with your bank card. Join a Mileage Plan Buying account and discover your service provider on the portal earlier than buying.
Please notice that every taking part service provider gives a special variety of miles per greenback spent, and their charges fluctuate steadily. Use a buying portal aggregator like Cashback Monitor to check incomes potential throughout numerous websites.
Mileage Plan Buying periodically gives promotions for spending a set sum of money or shopping for merchandise from a particular service provider — preserve a watch out for promotions.
Associated: Alaska Airways Mileage Plan Buying portal: Earn miles in your on-line purchases
Mileage Plan Eating
Do you dine out quite a bit? Be sure you’re a Mileage Plan Eating member. This system is free to hitch. Enroll, hyperlink a bank card and earn further Alaska miles when eating at taking part eating places. These miles are along with the rewards you already earn together with your card, so be certain that to make use of one of many finest bank cards for eating out.
The variety of factors you earn on purchases relies on your Mileage Plan Eating membership standing. There are at present three standing tiers: fundamental, choose member and VIP. You turn out to be a choose member by signing up for electronic mail alerts. You will be upgraded to VIP standing when you dine 11 instances in 12 months.
Choose members earn 3 miles per greenback, whereas VIP members earn 5 miles per greenback. However, in the event you do not join electronic mail alerts, you’ll stay a fundamental member and earn 1 mile per $2 spent.
In the event you’re not already signed up for Alaska’s eating plan, you may earn 500 bonus Alaska miles after your first buy. To qualify for this provide, you need to spend $30 or extra at a taking part restaurant and evaluation it on the Mileage Plan Eating web site.
Associated: Maximizing restaurant spending with eating rewards applications
Purchase Alaska miles
One other option to earn Alaska miles is to buy them outright. Nevertheless, shopping for miles with no promotion sometimes gives a poor worth proposition.
However Alaska steadily runs promotions for purchasing miles with bonuses of as much as 50%. With as much as a 50% bonus, your efficient buy value is 1.97 cents apiece, and whereas that’s above TPG’s October 2024 valuations (which pegged Mileage Plan miles at 1.45 cents every), it might probably nonetheless unlock some nice worth.
Associated: Purchase bonus factors and miles with these promotions
Backside line
Alaska Airways Mileage Plan miles are among the many most sought-after within the factors and miles sport. Though incomes Alaska miles may be usually more durable to earn in the event you do not usually fly with the service, the switch associate choices and Alaska’s acquisition of Hawaiian Airways have opened up new avenues for frequent flyers to beef up their account balances.