What is the Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan? A 2020 guide

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 Mileage Plan breakdown

Here’s a quick look at the need-to-know information about the Alaska Mileage Plan:

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.

Consider a card from another airline

United℠ Explorer Card

• $0 first-year intro annual fee, then $95.
• Signup bonus: 60,000 miles after you make $3,000 in purchases within the first 3 months of account opening. Plus an additional 10,000 points after spending $6,000 in the first 6 months.
• 2x miles on United purchases, hotel stays and restaurant purchases.
• Credit every four years for your Global Entry or TSA PreCheck application fee.
• 25% back as statement credit on United inflight purchases. Plus, priority boarding and your first checked bag free on United-operated flights.
• 2 United Club one-time passes each card anniversary.

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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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Name	Product	Welcome offer	Rewards	Annual fee	Filter values
Hilton Honors American Express Card		80,000 points after spending $1,000 in the first 3 months	7x points on Hilton Honors purchases, 5x at US restaurants, US supermarkets and US gas stations, 3x on all other purchases	$0		With a massive welcome offer for a no-annual-fee card and up to 7x points at Hilton, this is a solid pick for Hilton fans and occasional travelers. Rates & fees	Apply now View details	Compare	loading Fetching your data...
Hilton Honors American Express Surpass® Card		130,000 points after spending $2,000 in the first 3 months	12x points on Hilton Portfolio spending, 6x at US restaurants, US supermarkets and US gas stations, 3x on all other purchases	$95		With a big welcome offer worth up to $650, up to 12x points on spending, and free Gold status, this is an upgrade from the entry Hilton card. Rates & fees	Apply now View details	Compare	loading Fetching your data...
CardMatch™ from creditcards.com		See terms	See terms	See terms		Use the CardMatch tool to find cards you're likely to qualify for with your credit score, without a hard pull on your credit.	See offer View details	Compare	loading Fetching your data...
Alaska Airlines Visa Signature® Card		40,000 miles and companion pass after spending $2,000 in the first 90 days	3x miles on Alaska Airlines purchases and 1x miles on all other purchases	$75		40,000 bonus miles after you make $2,000 or more in purchases within the first 90 days of account opening.	View details	Compare	loading Fetching your data...
Alaska Airlines Visa® Business credit card		40,000 miles plus companion fare from $121 ($99 fare plus taxes and fees from $22) after spending $2,000 in the first 90 days	3x miles on direct Alaska Airlines purchases and 1x miles on all other purchases	$50		Earn 40,000 miles plus companion fare from $121 ($99 fare plus taxes and fees from $22) after spending $2,000 in the first 90 days of your account opening.	View details	Compare	loading Fetching your data...

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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.

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.

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

Data obtained July 2020. Values are subject to change and should be used only as a general guide.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Frequently asked questions

• Is the Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan free?
  Yes. You won’t have to pay anything to create a Mileage Plan account.
• What is Club 49?
  Club 49 is a benefits program offered to Mileage Plan members who live in Alaska. These benefits include two free checked bags when traveling Alaska Airlines, Travel Now discounts and discounts on freight shipping.
• Can I transfer miles from another rewards program to Mileage Plan?
  No. Alaska doesn’t allow mileage transfers between different airline rewards programs.
• Can I restore an expired Mileage Plan account?
  Yes. If Alaska closes your account, you have up to one year to restore the account at a cost of $75.
• Can I use my Alaska miles for someone else?
  Yes. You can use your miles in someone else’s name without the need to transfer the miles to their account.