How to Earn, Redeem, and Maximize

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• The Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan program is worth looking into even if you don’t fly with Alaska. 
• There are many ways to earn and redeem Alaska miles, including from co-branded credit cards.
• One of the best uses of Alaska miles is for long-haul flights with international airline partners.
• Read Insider’s guide to the best airline credit cards.

Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan is of the most useful frequent flyer programs, and you don’t have to fly Alaska to earn and redeem miles. Even if you live outside of the airline’s route network, Alaska miles are still worth collecting largely because of partnerships with several international airlines. With Alaska miles, you can book flights all over the world, and of course domestically. 

Alaska recently joined the Oneworld alliance, which means you can earn and redeem miles on any other member airline. For example, you can use Alaska miles for award flights on American, which services many more domestic airports. Plus, Alaska is one of the few airlines with a generous stopover policy, which adds to the value.

Here’s everything to know about earning, redeeming, and maximizing your Alaska Airlines miles. 

How to earn Alaska Airlines miles

There are two types of Alaska miles: elite-qualifying miles and redeemable miles. 

You’ll earn elite-qualifying miles when you fly Alaska or an elite-qualifying partner. And redeemable miles are what you’ll earn as a bonus when you have elite status with Alaska, and for all other qualifying activities. Redeemable miles are what you’ll need to book award flights and are the type of miles we’ll talk about. 

Use the Alaska Airlines credit cards

One of the best and easiest ways to earn Alaska miles is with their co-branded Bank of America credit cards. There’s a personal and small business version of the card. 

Bank of America Alaska Airlines Visa Signature Credit Card

With the Alaska Airlines Visa® Credit Card
, you’ll earn 40,000 miles plus a $100 statement credit and Alaska’s Famous Companion Fare™ from $121 ($99 fare plus taxes and fees from just $22) after you spend $2,000 on purchases within the first 90 days of account opening You’ll also earn 3x Alaska miles per dollar spent on Alaska purchases and 1x Alaska mile per dollar on all other purchases. The annual fee is $75, which is less than comparable airline credit cards. 

One of the best benefits of this card is the annual Companion Fare that allows you to purchase an additional ticket for a companion from $121 ($99 base fare plus taxes and fees starting at $22) on Alaska flights. Depending on the route you fly, you can easily recover the annual fee. One of the most popular ways to use this benefit is for a trip to Alaska, Hawaii, or another destination that typically has pricey fares. There are no blackout dates for this benefit. 

In addition, you’ll get the first bag checked free for you and up to six companions flying on the same itinerary, 20% back as a statement credit for inflight purchases like snacks and drinks, and 50% off day passes to Alaska Airlines airport lounges. There are also no foreign transaction fees. 

It’s easy to get value from the annual fee if you make use of the benefits, which is the reason we’ve added it to our list of best airline credit cards. 

Bank of America Alaska Airlines Visa Business Credit Card

When you open the Alaska Airlines Visa® Business Credit Card, you’ll earn 40,000 Alaska miles after spend $2,000 on purchases within the first 90 days of opening your account.

The card’s benefits are nearly identical to the personal version of this card, except for additional cash management tools like the ability to download transactions to QuickBooks and order additional cards for employees. Like the personal version, you’ll get 3x Alaska miles per dollar spent on Alaska purchases, 1x Alaska mile per dollar on all other purchases, the annual Companion Fare, and the same checked bag and other airline-specific benefits. 

The annual fee is $50 per company and $25 per card. If you only have one card, you’ll pay $75, which is the same as the personal version. Of course, you can order more for your business as needed. 

Fly on Alaska Airlines

You’ll earn Alaska miles when you fly on an Alaska flight. With Alaska, a mile flown is a mile earned. They’re one of the rare airlines that still award miles in this way, instead of based on fare price like most others have adopted. 

Earn bonus Alaska Airlines miles with elite status

The miles you earn when you fly with Alaska also count toward elite status. You’ll earn bonus elite-qualifying and redeemable miles when you fly first class or certain economy fares. Redeemable miles are what you can use to purchase award flights, while elite-qualifying miles only count toward earning elite status. 

If you have elite status with Alaska, you’ll earn bonus redeemable miles: 

• 50% bonus with MVP status
• 100% bonus with MVP Gold status
• 125% bonus with MVP Gold 75K status 

If you regularly fly Alaska and have elite status, this is another easy way to rack up additional Alaska miles. 

Fly with Alaska Airlines partners

Alaska is now a Oneworld alliance member, joining airlines like British Airways, American Airlines, Cathay Pacific, and Qantas. It also partners with a number of other airlines, including Emirates, Aer Lingus, and Singapore Airlines. The number of miles you earn varies for each partner and the type of fare purchased. 

When you fly with Alaska partners, a mile flown is not necessarily a mile earned. Many economy fares only earn a fraction of the distance flown, while premium fares can earn much more. You can see the breakdown for each of the partner airlines here.

Even when the earning rates may not be much, it can be worth crediting your flight to Mileage Plan instead of a partner airline’s own loyalty program, especially if you don’t fly the partner often. That way, you’ll be more likely to use them for an award flight in the future — and partner flights also count toward earning elite status with Alaska. 

Transfer points from Marriott Bonvoy to Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan

Alaska doesn’t partner with any of the major bank programs (like Amex Membership Rewards or Chase Ultimate Rewards), but you can transfer Marriott Bonvoy points to Alaska Mileage Plan at a rate of 3:1. 

When you transfer 60,000 Marriott points, you’ll get a 5,000-mile bonus, for a total of 25,000 Alaska miles. If you have a lot of Marriott points, this could be worthwhile, especially to top off your account if you’re close to an award flight. 

You can earn Bonvoy points quickly with co-branded Marriott credit cards offered by Chase or American Express:

• Marriott Bonvoy Boundless® Credit Card: Earn 5 free nights (each worth up to 50,000 points) after spending $5,000 on purchases in your first 3 months from account opening
• Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant™ American Express® Card: 75,000 Marriott Bonvoy bonus points after using your new card to make $3,000 in purchases within the first 3 months of account opening
• Marriott Bonvoy Bold® Credit Card: Earn 60,000 bonus points after you spend $2,000 on purchases in your first 3 months from your account opening
• Marriott Bonvoy Business™ American Express® Card: 75,000 bonus points after using your card to make $3,000 in eligible purchases within the first 3 months of card membership

These cards aren’t ideal if earning Alaska miles is your ultimate goal, but the welcome offers can provide a nice boost toward your mileage balance. 

Buy or gift Alaska Airlines miles

If you need more Alaska miles for an award flight or want to gift someone with miles for a trip, you can buy or gift them. You can purchase miles in 1,000-mile increments up to 60,000, and then in 5,000-mile increments up to a maximum of 100,000 miles per transaction. 

Usually, you’ll pay $27.50 per 1,000 miles, but occasionally there are bonus promotions. Mileage Plan members have the ability to buy or gift up to 150,000 miles per calendar year, but if you have elite status, there is no cap on how many miles you can purchase. 

Shop through the Alaska Airlines shopping portal 

If you shop online, you can begin your shopping through the Mileage Plan shopping portal to earn bonus Alaska miles. How many miles you’ll earn depends on the store, but there are plenty of popular brands represented, including Best Buy, Kohl’s, Old Navy, PetSmart, and Sephora.

There are currently 850+ merchants participating in the shopping portal, so it’s worth checking if your online purchases can be rewarded. 

Join Mileage Plan dining and earn when you eat out

If you eat out often, it’s worth joining Mileage Plan dining, which partners with local restaurants to reward you with Alaska miles. You’ll earn miles on everything you order, plus tax and tip. The trick is to find a place you enjoy dining, but there are usually plenty of options, especially in urban areas. 

Refer friends to the Alaska Airlines credit card

If you already have an Alaska Airlines credit card, you can earn up to 5,000 bonus miles when you refer the card to friends and family. 

Opt to earn Alaska miles on hotel stays

When you book a hotel stay with certain brands, you can opt to earn Alaska miles instead of points toward the hotel’s loyalty program (if they have one). These include Best Western, Choice, Coast, IHG, Marriott, and Westmark. You can also book through Rocketmiles and select Mileage Plan miles as your preferred reward. 

Earn Alaska miles for car rentals

You can opt-in to earn Alaska miles when you rent cars through Alamo, Avis, Budget, Dollar, Hertz, National, or Thrifty. Alaska also has its own rental car portal. As always, be sure to compare prices before you book to make sure you’re getting the best deal. 

Take advantage of Alaska’s shopping partnerships

Alaska has several partnerships and deals with specific merchants. This list can vary, and currently includes 1-800-Flowers, Rover, SoFi, and Vinesse

Wine Club

. Be sure to check the list to see if there’s anything that sparks your interest. 

The best ways to use Alaska miles

When you’re ready to book an award flight with your Alaska miles, it’s easy to check how much your flight will cost. Alaska has an award chart with prices for flights on Alaska as well as charts for individual partner airlines.

The exact price you’ll pay can vary based on distance, region, and if applicable, airline partner. Some are set and others fluctuate within a set range. This can give you an idea of how many miles you’ll need for an award flight, especially if the flight you want has a set price. Alaska is one of the few airlines with this level of transparency as other airlines move toward dynamic pricing. 

Another generous benefit is the ability to add a stopover on one-way flights (or two stopovers each way for round-trip bookings). To do this, you’ll need to fly on Alaska or Alaska plus one partner (you can’t mix-and-match partners), and for international redemptions, you can only stop in an airline’s hub city or a focus city. Still, it’s a policy that can add huge value to your award redemptions. 

For example, you could fly from the US to Australia with a stopover in Fiji on Fiji Airways. Or you could fly from the US to the Middle East or Africa with a stop in Hong Kong on Cathay Pacific. There are also many possibilities flying on Emirates or Qatar with a stop in Dubai or Doha, respectively.  

Redeem Alaska miles for Alaska Airlines flights

One of the most popular ways to redeem Alaska miles is for an award flight on Alaska. Economy flights under 700 miles start at just 5,000 miles one-way. Considering these are often the most expensive flights, there’s some incredible value to be had here. 

Regardless of where you want to go, you can find the longest economy flights on Alaska Airlines for starting at 12,500 miles each way. First-class flights also have reasonable rates, depending on the distance and exact fare. There’s a price range for each distance band, so be sure to price it out either with the award chart or a test booking before you fly.   

Avoid the Money and Miles option

When you book Alaska flights, you have the option to use your miles for a discount of up to $100 off when you redeem 10,000 miles or up to $200 when you redeem 20,000 miles. This makes your miles worth 1 cent each, and Alaska miles can be worth much more than that.

If possible, avoid this option and save your miles for a better reward redemption. 

Redeem Alaska miles for flights on partner airlines

Using Alaska Airlines miles for award flights on partner airlines is perhaps the best way to use your Alaska miles. All of Alaska’s partner airlines fly internationally — and you can find great value for award flights. Here are some examples, with prices for one-way flights:  

• American Airlines business class from the US to Europe with a stopover for 57,500 Alaska miles
• Cathay Pacific business class from the US to Asia via Hong Kong for 50,000 Alaska miles
• Cathay Pacific first class from the US to the Middle East or Africa via Hong Kong for 70,000 Alaska miles
• Fiji Airways business class from the US to Australia via Fiji for 55,000 Alaska miles
• LATAM business class from the US to South America for 45,000 Alaska miles
• Qantas business class from the US to Australia for 55,000 Alaska miles

There’s a big potential for aspirational award flights with Alaska miles. And the best part is many of the prices are set, so you’ll know exactly how many miles you’ll need. Plus, you can add stopovers before continuing onto your final destination, which can add even more value to your award booking. 

If you like Alaska’s partner airlines, you could collect Alaska miles just to book award flights on them — without ever having to fly on Alaska. 

Get a First Class upgrade for Alaska flights

When traveling on an eligible paid Alaska fare, you can use 15,000 Alaska miles to upgrade to First Class each way. Make sure you select “mileage upgrade” as your upgrade preference when purchasing your flights. To upgrade after you purchase a ticket, you can call Alaska to make the upgrade. You can also request upgrades based on availability 24 hours before departure when you check-in online or at the airport. 

Other ways to redeem Alaska miles

Share your Alaska Airlines miles 

You’re able to share your Alaska miles with someone else, at a cost of $10 per 1,000 miles plus a $25 handling fee per transaction. You can transfer (or receive) a maximum of 100,000 miles per calendar year. This isn’t a great option if you’re looking to pay for someone’s award flight  — it’s better to just use miles from your account to book the award directly. However, this could be useful if a friend or family members is only short a few thousand miles for an award.

Donate Alaska Airlines miles to charity

You can donate your Alaska miles to over a dozen different charities, in 1,000-mile increments, and with no maximums or fees. Non-profit charities include the Dream Foundation, Make a Wish Foundation, and Nature Conservancy. 

Get magazine subscriptions

If you like to read paper magazines, you can redeem Alaska miles for subscriptions starting at 100 miles and $2, or 200 miles. There are many titles available and prices vary for each one. If you’re interested, it’s an easy way to use your miles — and some of the prices are actually reasonable. 

This is also a good way to keep your Alaska miles from expiring. Your Alaska miles expire two years after your last account activity, so spending a few miles on a redemption like this — or donating some to charity — can reset the clock.

Harlan Vaughn is a freelance writer who has written about credit card rewards, personal finance, points and miles, and travel loyalty programs for nearly a decade.