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What is the Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan? A 2020 guide
A mile flown is a mile earned in this generous rewards program.
Travel Credit Card Guides
Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan is Alaska’s loyalty program that offers travelers a chance to earn miles that they can redeem on reward flights. The Alaska Mileage Plan is rare among airline loyalty programs, as it’s one of the few to offer a bonus mile for each mile flown. The program also has a range of partner flights and cards that can be used to transfer points to the Mileage Plan, making it quite flexible among airline reward programs.
Alaska has announced it will join the oneworld alliance starting in Summer of 2021. This alliance features other major airlines, including American Airlines, British Airways and Finnair.
According to a oneworld press release, this would effectively allow Alaska Mileage Plan members earn and redeem points with airlines featured in the oneworld alliance. Unfortunately, it’s not yet clear on whether members will still be able to earn and redeem with Alaska’s existing partners when they join the new alliance.
Alaska Mileage Plan breakdown
Here’s a quick look at the need-to-know information about the Alaska Mileage Plan:
| Points are worth | 1.8 cents on average |
|---|---|
| Number of airlines in program | 19 airlines, including Alaska Airlines |
| Earn points by | Traveling on Alaska Airlines or partnered flights Spending with eligible credit cards Joining the Alaska Dining program Booking stays at partnered hotels Spend at partnered retailers Refer-a-friend Purchase miles directly Full earning guide |
| Redeem points on | Rewards flights Point transfers to airlines Full redemption guide |
Do Alaska miles expire?
Alaska miles don’t expire so long as your Mileage Plan account remains active. You can keep your account active simply by redeeming awards or earning miles once every two years.
If your account is inactive for more than two years, Alaska may close your account and delete your miles.
How do I earn Alaska miles?
There are two primary ways members can earn miles with a Mileage Plan: Traveling on Alaska Airlines or on qualifying partner airlines and earning miles through a cobranded credit card.
You can also earn miles by using your card at various Alaska-partnered retailers or by taking advantage of special promotions offered on the Mileage Plan website.
Learn more about earning and redeeming Alaska Airlines miles
For more information on how you can best earn Alaska miles, check out our complete earning guide. Once you’ve built your miles, compare your redemption options to find out which offers the best value for your points.
Consider a card from another airline
Compare cards for earning Alaska miles
Alaska currently offers two cobranded credit cards — the Alaska Airlines Visa Signature® Card and Alaska Airlines Visa® Business credit card. You can earn additional miles directly to your Mileage Plan when you make purchases using either of these cards. For a look at all of your card options, select your credit range from the table below and click on Show cards to start comparing.
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Loyalty program elite levels
Becoming an elite member of the Alaska Mileage Plan earns you a host of benefits, such as flight upgrades and priority seating. Chief among these benefits is a boost to the miles you earn when flying with Alaska and its partners, excluding PenAir and Ravn.
Alaska is moving to oneworld alliance
With Alaska’s impending move to oneworld alliance in summer 2021, Alaska has decided to extend member elite levels through 2021. So whatever your elite level is at the end of 2020, Alaska will grant you that level for free starting in 2021 and through the start of the oneworld alliance merger. We’ll offer more details on this merger as they become available.
Upgrading your status
The Alaska status program offers four ranks: MVP, MVP Gold, MVP Gold 75K and Million Miler. To upgrade your rank, you’ll need to fly a certain number of miles through Alaska Airlines or its elite-qualifying partners.
| Qualifying flights | MVP | MVP Gold | MVP Gold 75K |
|---|---|---|---|
| Eligible miles on Alaska Airlines | 20,000 miles | 40,000 miles | 75,000 miles |
| Eligible miles on Alaska Airlines and elite-qualifying partners | 25,000 miles | 50,000 miles | 90,000 miles |
| Segments flown on Alaska Airlines and elite-qualifying partners | 30 segments | 60 segments | 90 segments |
Data obtained July 2020. Values are subject to change and should be used only as a general guide.
Are you a Million Miler?
For the especially industrious travelers out there, you’ll be granted MVP Gold status for life if you fly 1,000,000 miles on Alaska Airlines. This is a great deal if you can snag it, but there’s no word on if or how this might change when Alaska Airlines joins the oneworld alliance.
Bonus mile rates
| MVP | MVP Gold | MVP Gold 75K | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Elite bonus miles | 50% bonus on miles | 100% bonus on miles | 125% bonus on miles |
| 50,000 bonus miles upon qualification | No | No | Yes |
Data obtained July 2020. Values are subject to change and should be used only as a general guide.
Tool tip
Flight segments are the number of times you stop on any given itinerary. A flight with a layover in one city would be considered two segments.
Flight benefits
Companion upgrades, first-class upgrades, guest upgrades and complimentary beverages and entertainment are available to certain elite members depending on status level and fare.
| MVP | MVP Gold | MVP Gold 75K | |
|---|---|---|---|
| First class upgrades | Y, S, or Z fares | Y, S, B, M or Z fares | Y, S, B, M, H or Z fares |
| Premium class upgrades | Y, S, B or Z fares | Y, S, B, M, H, Q, L, V, N, K, or Z fares | All fares except Saver |
| Upgrades on Alaska nonqualifying fares | 48 hours before departure | 72 hours before departure | 120 hours before departure |
| Companion upgrades to first class | No | Yes | Yes |
| Companion upgrades to premium class | No | Yes | Yes |
| Four one-way first class guest upgrades | No | Yes | Yes |
| Complimentary premium beverage in main cabin | No | Yes | Yes |
| Complimentary in-flight entertainment player | No | No | Yes |
Airport benefits
Elite membership can earn you preferred seating, priority check-in and boarding, two free checked bags and more to help make your airport experience more enjoyable.
| MVP | MVP Gold | MVP Gold 75K | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Priority check-in and boarding | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Two free checked bags | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Preferred seating | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Alaska Lounge membership | $50 off | $100 off | $150 off |
| Standby and waitlist for full flights | No | Yes | Yes |
| Express security line at select airports | No | Yes | Yes |
| Four Alaska Lounge day passes | No | No | Yes |
Service benefits
Depending on your status level, you’ll have new service benefits available to you, including waived ticket change fees, complimentary same-day flight changes and dedicated phone lines for reservations.
| MVP | MVP Gold | MVP Gold 75K | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dedicated phone lines for reservations | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Elite Leave for new parents | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Complimentary same-day flight changes | No | Yes | Yes |
| Waived ticket-change fees | No | Yes | Yes |
| Nominate someone for MVP status | No | No | Yes |
Partnered airlines
Here is a complete list of the airlines currently partnered with Alaska Airlines. You can earn and redeem Alaska miles on any of the partners featured on this table.
| Aer Lingus | American Airlines | British Airways | Cathay Pacific |
|---|---|---|---|
| Condor | EL AL Israel Airlines | Korean Air | LATAM Airlines |
| PenAir | Qantas | Ravn Alaska | Singapore Airlines |
Bottom line
Alaska Airlines’ Mileage Plan has strong earning opportunities and is a worthwhile investment if you want to use award points for flights. Even if you don’t fly with Alaska Airlines directly, this can still be a good option because of how many associated partner airlines there are to choose from.
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