Key takeaways
- The Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan is a good choice for anyone who regularly flies to or from the West Coast.
- The Mileage Plan boasts a vast partner network of airlines, hotels, rental car companies and everyday shopping sites — all of which can help you earn miles more quickly.
- Reward flights with the Mileage Plan can be redeemed for as little as 4,500 miles with partner airlines.
You may believe you can only fly Alaska Airlines to, from or within the state, but that couldn’t be further from the truth. In reality, Alaska Air Group offers flights to more than 120 destinations within the U.S., Mexico, Canada and Costa Rica on its own.
Alaska also completed its acquisition of Hawaiian Airlines toward the end of 2024, which increased its reach to 141 destinations directly, including 29 international markets. Add in partner flights, and program members can fly to 1,200+ destinations worldwide through oneworld Alliance and global partners.
If you fly from the West Coast often or want to in the future, or if you’re interested in booking flights with any of the popular oneworld Alliance partners, the Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan is worth looking into.
What is Alaska Airlines’ Mileage Plan?
Like other major airlines, Alaska Airlines has its own frequent flyer program. This program lets basic members earn a mile for each mile flown with Alaska Airlines, and you can redeem them for flights starting at just 4,500 miles.
Joining Mileage Plan is free, and you can climb the ranks to elite status to score benefits like priority boarding, free checked baggage and preferred seating. To join the program, all you have to do is head to the Alaska website and enter information like your full name, date of birth and mailing address.
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You’ll also be asked to create a login and password for your Mileage Plan account.
How to earn Alaska Airlines miles
Where some airlines make it difficult to rack up miles in their frequent flyer programs, Mileage Plan gives you a plethora of options. Note, you can use multiple strategies from this list to boost your mileage balance even further.
Earn miles by flying
The number of miles you can earn on Alaska Airlines flights depends on your flight’s range and the fare class you purchase. You may also earn a combination of base miles and class of service bonus miles, though government fares and other discounted fares may not be eligible for the full bonus.
Be aware that you can also earn miles with Alaska Airlines when you fly with its partners on Alaska-marketed flights to more than 1,000 destinations around the world. You can redeem your miles to fly with partners, which we’ll cover in more detail below.
Book hotel stays and rental cars
Alaska’s hotel and rental car partners offer another way to earn miles in the Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan program. You can earn miles while you sleep, although the number of miles you’ll earn per night (or per stay) varies depending on the partner you book with.
When it comes to rental car partners, you may be able to earn miles per day or per rental period, depending on the partner.
Shop with partners
If you shop online with major retailers, earning miles on your spending is a breeze. First, download the Mileage Plan Shopping button to your computer desktop and earn miles when you shop with more than 1,100 online and local retailers, including Best Buy, Macy’s and Walmart.
Other partners you can earn miles with include 1-800-Flowers, Rover.com, Teleflora, GCI, Diners Club International and Carrs-Safeway, to name a few.
Join the Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan dining club
Alaska Mileage Plan Dining, which is free to join, gives you miles each time you dine with a participating restaurant and pay with a linked credit card or debit card. When you sign up, you can even earn 500 bonus miles with your first meal.
Sign up for an airline credit card
Don’t forget about the easiest way to earn airline miles with Alaska Airlines. By signing up for the right travel credit card, you can earn miles for each dollar you spend regardless of how often you fly.
How to redeem Alaska Airlines miles
The Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan offers some flexibility regarding how you can redeem your earned miles. Consider the following ways you can use your rewards to travel to Alaska and other destinations, or for an entirely different redemption option altogether.
Redeem for flights
Alaska lets members book award flights to more than 1,200 destinations globally through its own network, its acquisition of Hawaiian Airlines and its membership within the oneworld Alliance. Short haul partner flights within the Americas start at just 4,500 miles one-way in economy and go up from there.
Alaska is also known for offering affordable premium economy awards and no blackout dates. The latter benefit means that, if there is a seat available on a flight, you can book it with rewards.
Book a free international stopover
Alaska Mileage Plan also lets members book free international stopovers on some itineraries when they choose the “multi-city” option when shopping for a reward. This means travelers can spend a few days (or a few weeks) in a layover city as part of a single itinerary.
Redeem for car rentals and hotel stays
Members can also redeem rewards for car rentals with partner rental companies like Avis and Budget. The program also offers hotel redemptions at millions of hotels, resorts and vacation rentals around the world.
Share, gift or donate miles
Alaska Mileage Plan members can also donate their miles to charity, give them as a gift or transfer to a friend or family member.
Best credit cards for Alaska Airlines
There are a handful of rewards credit cards that let you earn miles that work directly within the Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan rewards program. These options also come with frequent flyer perks, including Alaska’s Famous Companion Fare.
How much are Alaska Airlines miles worth?
According to recent Bankrate valuations, miles in the Alaska Airline Mileage Plan rewards program are worth approximately 1.1 cents each. This makes them more valuable than miles from some competing programs, like the American Airlines AAdvantage program.
Best Alaska redemption options for your wallet
For the most part, you’ll get the most bang for your buck out of Alaska miles if you redeem them for flights. Note that award flights with Alaska start at just 5,000 miles (or 4,500 miles with partners), which is an exceptional value.
Some sweet spots in the award charts include:
- Flying Cathay Pacific from the mainland U.S. and Alaska to Australia in Business class for 60,000 miles one-way
- Flying American Airlines from the mainland U.S. and Alaska to Hawaii for 22,500 miles one way (in economy)
- Flying Alaska Airlines from the mainland U.S. and Alaska to Mexico in economy for as little as 10,000 miles one-way (flights of 1,400 miles or less)
- Flying American Airlines from the mainland U.S. and Alaska to New Zealand for 40,000 miles one way (in economy)
Using Alaska miles to fly to — you guessed it — Alaska can also be a stellar deal. For example, you could fly from Indianapolis, Indiana (IND) to Anchorage, Alaska (ANC) in economy for as little as 15,000 Alaska miles plus just $6 in taxes and fees.
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Redemption options to steer away from
Generally speaking, non-flight options offer the lowest value for your Alaska miles. This includes hotel stays, car rentals and any other ways you can use Alaska miles.
Alaska Airlines travel partners
Alaska Airlines partners make it possible to earn more miles or redeem your miles in another way. However, some airline partners only let members earn or redeem miles with Alaska, but not both. The current list of Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan partners is featured below.
Alaska Airlines elite status and memberships
The following table shows what you need to earn in 2024 to keep each tier of elite status for the rest of the year and the following year, as well as the main benefits you’ll receive when you get there.
| MVP | MVP Gold | MVP Gold 75K | MVP Gold 100K | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| How to earn it | Earn 20,000 eligible miles with Alaska Airlines and partners | Earn 40,000 eligible miles with Alaska Airlines and partners | Earn 75,000 eligible miles with Alaska Airlines and partners | Earn 100,000 eligible miles with Alaska Airlines and partners |
| Mileage bonus | 50% (25% starting in 2025) | 100% (50% starting in 2025) | 125% (100% starting in 2025) | 150% |
| oneworld reciprocal status | Ruby | Sapphire | Emerald | Emerald |
| Airport benefits |
|
|
|
|
| First class upgrades at the time of booking | Y, B fares | Y, B, H or K fares | Y, B, H, K or M fares | Y, B, H, K or M fares |
| Premium class upgrades at the time of booking | Y, B or H fares | Y, B, H, K, M, L, V, S or N fares | All fares except Saver fares | All fares except Saver fares |
| Companion upgrades to first class and premium class | Yes | Yes | Yes | |
| Complimentary premium beverage or chocolate in main cabin | Yes | Yes | Yes | |
| Complimentary snack or meal in Main Cabin | Yes | |||
| Complimentary same-day flight changes | Yes | Yes | Yes | |
| Elite leave for new parents | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
The bottom line
The Alaska Air Mileage Plan is a viable travel rewards option for frequent domestic and international travelers, and especially those who fly from the West Coast. Additionally, the company offers several great airline credit cards that can help you earn miles faster while being rewarded with frequent flyer perks.
If you plan to fly with Alaska Airlines or one of its partners in the future, there’s no reason to ignore this free program.
*The information about the Alaska Airlines Visa® Business credit card has been collected independently by Bankrate. The card details have not been reviewed or approved by the card issuer.
Frequently asked questions about Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan
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