Despite being one of the smaller airlines in the U.S., Alaska Airlines has become a favorite of many American travelers. This is partially due to its loyalty program, Mileage Plan.

The program has a ton of great partnerships for reciprocal mile earning and burning. It recently joined the Oneworld alliance, so it has partnerships with major airlines like American Airlines, British Airways and Cathay Pacific. Plus, it has non-alliance partnerships with airlines like Icelandair, Emirates, Singapore Airlines and others, giving you a huge suite of airlines to earn and burn miles with.

Further, it’s one of the few airlines that still awards miles based on physical miles flown. This means you can still earn a reasonable amount of miles on cheap tickets, which is great for budget flyers. This is the case for both Alaska flights and flights operated by partner carriers.

With its recent Oneworld membership, 2021 is poised to be a big year for Mileage Plan, so we want to give you a full overview of the program. Here, we’ll discuss the ins and outs of redeeming Alaska miles. We’ll also cover its elite status program, EasyBiz business rewards, and airline partners.

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In This Post

Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan overview

Mileage Plan is the loyalty program for Seattle-based Alaska Airlines. You can earn Alaska miles when flying with Alaska or its various airline partners. Likewise, the airline has a handful of other earning partners, like a shopping portal, dining program and set of cobranded credit cards. Once you have a stash of miles, you can redeem them for travel on Alaska or any of its partners.

Mileage Plan also has an elite status program with three tiers: MVP, MVP Gold and MVP Gold 75K. Each status tier brings various benefits on Alaska flights, like upgrades, preferred seating and bonus mileage earning. Additionally, Alaska elites are eligible for limited benefits on American Airlines and other Oneworld partners.

Alaska Airlines partners

Alaska Airlines is known for its huge suite of airline partners, which includes airlines in Oneworld and other alliances. Here’s a quick overview of all of the airlines’ partnerships.

Oneworld alliance partners

As a refresher, Alaska joined Oneworld in late March 2021. This means that the airline is now partners with these airlines:

• American Airlines
• British Airways
• Cathay Pacific
• Fiji Airways (Oneworld Connect)
• Finnair
• Iberia
• Japan Airlines
• Malaysia Airlines
• Qantas
• Qatar Airways
• Royal Air Maroc
• Royal Jordanian Airlines
• S7 Airlines
• SriLankan Airlines

Non-alliance airline partners

Alaska has partnered with airlines outside Oneworld for years now. We’re hopeful these non-alliance partnerships will remain long-term now that Alaska is a Oneworld airline, but only time will tell. Here’s the full list of Alaksa’s other airline partners:

Related: 5 things to know about Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan

Alaska Airlines elite status

Alaska Airlines currently has three elite status tiers. I’ve been an Alaska Airlines elite for a few years now, and I largely earned it by flying on its various partners.

To earn status, you need to either meet a set number of flight segments (one-way flights) on Alaska or its partners or earn a set number of physical miles, commonly referred to as elite qualifying miles.

You must also fly a minimum number of segments on Alaska flights to qualify. Thankfully, this is a relatively easy requirement to earn. Unlike other major U.S. airline elite statuses, there’s no spend requirement for earning elite status. Alaska status is solely earned on how much you fly.

It’s also worth noting that 2020 elite status (earned in 2019) has been extended through 2021 due to the coronavirus pandemic. Likewise, the airline has offered various promotions to make earning status easier. This includes rolling over some elite qualifying miles earned in 2020 and lowering qualifying thresholds for earning status with partner flights.

Here’s a quick overview of each Alaska status tier:

MVP

MVP is Alaska’s entry-level status tier. It offers limited benefits but is relatively easy to obtain for most semi-frequent travelers.

You can earn MVP status by doing the following:

• Earn 20,000 elite qualifying miles on Alaska or its partners or
• Fly 30 qualifying segments with Alaska or its partners
• Must fly a minimum of two segments with Alaska Airlines

Some of the most notable MVP status benefits include:

• 50% bonus mileage earning on Alaska and partner flights
• Complimentary upgrades to First or Premium class starting 48 hours before departure
• Priority check-in and boarding
• Two free checked bags
• Preferred seat selection
• Main Cabin Extra seating on American Airlines (at check-in)
• $50 discount on an Alaska Lounge membership
• Dedicated phone support line
• Oneworld Ruby status

MVP Gold

Things get a little more interesting with MVP Gold status. The requirements are double that of MVP status, but the benefits are well worth the extra effort.

Here’s how much you’ll need to fly to earn MVP Gold status:

• Earn 40,000 elite qualifying miles on Alaska or its partners or
• Fly 60 qualifying segments with Alaska or its partners
• Must fly a minimum of four segments with Alaska Airlines

MVP Gold benefits include:

• 100% bonus mileage earning on Alaska and partner flights
• Complimentary upgrades to First or Premium class starting 72 hours before departure
• Companion upgrades to First or Premium class
• Four one-way guest upgrades
• Complimentary premium beverage in Main Cabin
• Free same-day flight changes
• Waived ticket change fees
• Priority check-in and boarding
• Two free checked bags
• Preferred seat selection
• Main Cabin Extra seating on American Airlines (at booking)
• Express security at select airports
• $100 discount on an Alaska Lounge membership
• Dedicated phone support line
• Oneworld Sapphire status

MVP Gold 75K

MVP Gold 75K is Alaska’s top-tier elite status level (for the time being). The benefits can massively improve the frequent traveler’s onboard experience.

Here’s a look at the requirements:

• Earn 75,000 elite qualifying miles on Alaska or its partners or
• Fly 90 qualifying segments with Alaska or its partners
• Must fly a minimum of six segments with Alaska Airlines

You’ll get the following benefits with MVP Gold 75K status:

• 125% bonus mileage earning on Alaska and partner flights
• Complimentary upgrades to First or Premium class starting 120 hours before departure
• Space-available upgrade to Premium Class on all Main Cabin tickets at the time of booking, excluding Saver fares
• Companion upgrades to First or Premium class
• Complimentary upgrades to first class on American Airlines
• Four one-way guest upgrades
• Complimentary premium beverage in Main Cabin
• Free same-day flight changes
• Waived ticket change fees
• Priority check-in and boarding
• Two free checked bags
• Preferred seat selection
• Main Cabin Extra seating on American Airlines (at booking)
• Express security at select airports
• Four Alaska Lounge passes
• $150 discount on an Alaska Lounge membership
• Dedicated phone support line
• Oneworld Emerald status
• Gift MVP status to another member
• 50,000 Alaska miles upon qualification

Related: How to earn top-tier Oneworld status for $1,400

MVP Gold 100K

I said there were only three Alaska status tiers earlier, so why is there a fourth listed here?

Simple: Alaska is announcing a new top-tier status level later this year.

We don’t know much about the status yet, aside from the fact that it will require 100,000 elite qualifying miles to earn. We can assume that it will give members a broader range of benefits and better upgrade priority. We’re also likely to see upgrade certificates that can be used on other Oneworld airlines like American Airlines and British Airways.

This status tier is set to be officially announced at the end of the year.

Related: All of the elite qualification changes you need to know about for 2021

How to earn Alaska miles

Alaska miles aren’t the easiest to earn. It isn’t a partner of any major transferable credit card programs like American Express Membership Rewards or Chase Ultimate Rewards. Thankfully, its broad list of airline partners means you can earn when flying with many different airlines. Plus, it has a cobranded credit card, an in-house shopping portal and even a dining rewards program.

Here’s a quick overview of how to earn Alaska miles. Make sure to check out our full guide to earning Alaska miles for more insight.

Earn miles when flying with Alaska Airlines

Mileage Plan is an airline loyalty program, so naturally, you can earn when you fly with Alaska Airlines.

Unlike other major U.S. airlines, Alaska continues to award miles based on the actual length of a flight. You’ll earn 1 mile per 1 physical mile flown in Main Cabin — including on Saver tickets. This means that a one-way flight from Chicago-O’Hare (ORD) to Anchorage (ANC) earns 2,846 miles, as that’s how long the flight is.

All first-class flights receive a 75% mileage bonus. This means the same flight from Chicago to Anchorage would earn 4,980 redeemable miles. Do note that you’ll only earn this bonus if you pay to fly in first class. It doesn’t apply to upgraded tickets.

Remember, elite members earn bonus miles on all Alaska flights too. If an MVP Gold 75K member were to fly Chicago to Anchorage in business class, they’d earn 11,205 miles with their 125% bonus. Elite bonuses can add up quickly when traveling frequently.

You can also earn bonus miles when flying in higher-fare economy classes. These generally cost more than standard economy tickets but, in some cases, can be more flexible. Here’s a look at the complete earning chart for Alaska flights:

Related: Airline miles that are hardest to earn — and why you want them anyway

Credit partner flights to Mileage Plan

You can also credit partner flights to Mileage Plan and earn both redeemable and elite qualifying miles.

The number of miles you’ll earn depends on the airline you fly, the length of your flight and your fare class. You can view the earning levels for your specific partner and fare class on Alaska’s partner page.

Select the partner you’re flying with and look for the earning chart at the center of the screen. Then, match your ticket’s fare class to its respective row and multiply your flight’s mileage by the percentage listed in the “Total Miles Earned” column.

For example, British Airways I fare business class earns 250% mileage flown. This means a flight from New York-JFK to London-Heathrow (LHR) would earn a nice 8,627 Alaska miles since the flight is 3,451 miles long.

Elite members earn bonus miles on partner flights too. An Alaska MVP elite would earn 12,940 miles on this flight with their 50% bonus.

The “Elite Qualifying Miles” column shows you how many status qualifying miles you’ll earn with a partner flight too. For this example, you’d earn 5,176 miles since British Airways’ I fare class earns 150% elite qualifying miles.

Because of these high earning rates, I often credit partner flights to Alaska. I also find that Alaska miles are significantly more valuable than most other airline miles — you’ll see why in the redemption section of this article.

Spend on an Alaska Airlines credit card

Alaska Airlines has two cobranded credit cards with Bank of America: one personal card and one business card.

These let you earn Alaska miles on your everyday spending and offer solid sign-up bonuses. The cards include other inflight benefits, including an annual Companion Fare that helps offset their annual fees.

Here’s a look at both cards:

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Alaska Airlines Visa Signature® credit card

The Alaska Airlines Visa Signature® credit card is Alaska’s personal credit card. It earns 3x miles per dollar spent on eligible Alaska purchases and 1x points per dollar everywhere else. Plus, you’ll enjoy an annual Companion Fare you can use to bring a friend or family member with you on a trip starting at $121 ($99 fare plus taxes and fees from $22). You also get a free checked bag on all Alaska flights, 20% back on inflight purchases and 50% back on Alaska Lounge passes.

You can earn 50,000 bonus miles after spending $2,000 or more within the first 90 days of opening your account.

Related: Unlock access to valuable miles: A review of the Alaska Airlines Visa Signature card

Alaska Airlines Visa® Business credit card

The Alaska Airlines Business Visa is simply the business version of the personal Alaska card. The card earns the same 3x miles on eligible Alaska Airlines purchases and 1x on all other purchases and includes a Companion Fare and a free checked bag on all Alaska flights.

You can earn 40,000 bonus miles and a $200 statement credit after you spend $2,000 or more within the first 90 days of opening your account.

Related: Alaska Airlines Visa Signature vs. Alaska Airlines Business Visa

The information for the Alaska Airlines Visa Signature and Alaska Airlines Visa Business card has been collected independently by The Points Guy. The card details on this page have not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer.

Other ways to earn Alaska miles

There are a handful of other great ways to earn Alaska miles on your everyday purchases. Two of the best options are using the Mileage Plan Shopping portal when shopping online and the Mileage Plan Dining program when dining out. Here’s a quick overview of both programs.

On the shopping side, Mileage Plan Shopping awards bonus miles whenever you click through the Alaska portal before making an online purchase. It offers bonus miles with hundreds of different merchants, including Apple and Saks Fifth Avenue. Each merchant awards a different number of miles per dollar spent and rates can fluctuate frequently.

Keep an eye out for shopping portal deals too. Sometimes Mileage Plan Shopping runs limited-time bonuses for spending a certain amount of money. For example, I recently earned 500 bonus miles after spending $150 through the portal. These can be a great way to boost your mileage bonus by making purchases you already planned on making.

On the other hand, Mileage Plan Dining lets you earn bonus miles when you eat at participating restaurants. Create an account on the Mileage Plan Dining website and link your credit cards to your account. You’ll automatically earn Alaska miles when you dine at a participating restaurant in addition to the points you earn with your credit card. So, make sure to use a card that earns bonus points on dining.

You can view restaurants that participate in the Mileage Plan Dining program on Alaska’s website. There’s even a tool you can use to find restaurants near a location of your choice.

The number of miles you earn depends on your Mileage Plan Dining membership tier. These include:

• Basic members: 1x miles per 2 dollars spent
• Select members: 3x miles per dollar spent, earned after you enroll in email communications from Mileage Plan Dining
• VIP Member: 5x miles per dollar spent, earned after you enroll in email communications and dine at participating restaurants 11 times

Even better, you can earn 1,000 bonus Alaska miles after your first purchase. Just spend $30 at a participating restaurant and review it on the Mileage Plan Dining website to qualify.

There are other ways to earn Alaska miles, too. For example, when booking rental cars and hotel stays with Alaska partners. You can learn more about these earning opportunities in our full guide to earning Alaska miles.

Related: Your guide to maximizing shopping portals for your online purchases

How to redeem Alaska miles

Now for the fun part: redeeming Alaska miles!

You can redeem your Alaska miles for flights on Alaska Airlines and its various partner airlines. You’ll get the best deal when redeeming on partners —especially if you opt for international first or business class. Stay tuned; I’ll run you through some of the best deals later in the article.

Here’s a look at how to redeem Alaska miles. Again, you can see more details in our full guide to redeeming Alaska miles.

Things to know about Alaska Airlines awards

Before we dive into award pricing, there are a few things you should know about Mileage Plan award tickets.

The first is that awards operated by Alaska Airlines are dynamically priced. The price you’ll pay for a specific award ticket varies by route and day.

That said, the airline has provided ranges on how much an Alaska Airlines award costs. Here’s a look:

• Main Cabin: 5,000-30,000 miles
• First Class: 15,000-40,000 miles, but can be more

You’ll generally find the lowest-priced awards on short flights — think Seattle (SEA) to Portland (PDX) and Los Angeles (LAX) to San Francisco (SFO).

That said, it’s possible to find reasonably priced award tickets on longer routes too. Check out this flight from Los Angeles (LAX) to New York-JFK:

Ironically enough, using your Alaska miles for an Alaska award ticket isn’t usually the best way to use your miles. You’ll see why in the next section that discusses award tickets. That said, if you have a stash of Alaska miles and you need to fly Alaska, double-check the cash price and see if it’s worth spending your hard-earned miles on the ticket.

Things to know about partner awards

Things get really interesting when booking partner award tickets.

Each partner has its own award chart that you can view on the Alaska website. Simply input the region you’d like to fly to and from. You’ll see award pricing for all of Alaska’s partners that fly between the two regions.

For example, say I want to fly from New York-JFK to Tel Aviv (TLV). I’ll input “Contiguous U.S. and Alaska” and “Middle East.” The website will show all of the airlines that fly between the regions and their respective pricing.

You’ll see that pricing varies by airline. This gives me an idea of what to expect when I enter my award search on the Alaska Airlines website.

You can add stopovers to one-way award tickets

One of the best parts of booking partner tickets with Alaska Airlines is that you can add stopovers to one-way award tickets. Tickets with stopovers cost the same as a nonstop flight to your final destination.

Your stopover can be operated by either Alaska Airlines or a single partner. This means you can book a British Airways award ticket from Los Angeles (LAX) to Chicago-O’Hare (ORD) on Alaska Airlines, enjoy a few days in Chicago and then continue to London on a British Airways flight.

Likewise, you can book New York-JFK to London on British Airways, spend a few days in London and then continue to Prague (PRG) on British Airways.

However, you cannot book New York-JFK to Helsinki (HEL) on Finnair and then fly to London on a British Airways flight.

How to book Alaska Airlines award tickets

You can book most Alaska Airlines and partner award tickets on the Alaska website. Log in to your account and enter your search criteria on the home page. Be sure to select the “Use miles” option to search for award flights. Then, click the “Find Flights” button when you’re ready to search.

You can now view all available award tickets at the center of the screen. If you see a ticket you like, select it and click the “Add to cart” button at the bottom right-hand corner of the screen. Then, follow the on-screen prompts to finish booking your ticket.

How to book award tickets with a stopover

You can book stopovers on the Alaska Airlines website too. To do this, click the “All search options” button on the homepage. Then, select “Multi-city” under the flight type header on the left-hand side of the screen. Here, you can enter your flights and search for connecting tickets.

You can see all available flight options at the center of the screen. Both the flight to your stopover and final destination will show on the same line. If you like what you see, you can book your ticket as you would any other Alaska ticket.

In this example, I looked for a ticket from New York-JFK to London-Heathrow (LHR) with a stopover in Dublin (DUB) on Aer Lingus. This ticket cost 30,000 miles one-way in economy and 60,000 in business class. Again, this is the same price as flying the same route without a stopover on Aer Lingus.

Beware of mixed-class award tickets

You may notice a small chair icon next to the business-class award price. This indicates that your flight has a mixed-cabin itinerary. You’ll see this on connecting tickets when one of your legs doesn’t have the requested class of service.

Click on this icon to see which leg is downgraded to a lower class. In the case of my New York to Dublin to London award, the Dublin to London leg is in economy. This is because Aer Lingus doesn’t offer business class on this flight.

Always check this before you book an award ticket with Alaska Airlines. Sometimes, the short leg of your flight will have business class space, while the longer leg only has economy award space. Unfortunately, Alaska charges the same business class price regardless of which leg is in business and which is in economy.

Related: Here’s why Alaska Airlines miles are the most valuable

EasyBiz business rewards

Alaska Airlines also has a business rewards program called EasyBiz. This program rewards businesses for employee travel based on how much an employee’s ticket costs. Rewards earned with EasyBiz are earned in addition to the employee’s mileage earnings, so it won’t take away from the employee’s frequent flyer balance.

Your business will earn 1 Alaska mile for every dollar spent on employee fares. Likewise, you gain access to other features like 24-hour reservation holds, travel management tools and ticket reports. These can help your business better manage employee travel and earn rewards on the money you’re already spending on employee travel.

You can enroll in EasyBiz on Alaska’s website. The airline will give you a unique EasyBiz number that you, your employees or your travel agent can attach to all Alaska bookings. The bonus miles will be added to your business account after your employee’s travel is complete.

Related: Airline loyalty programs for small businesses

Mileage Plan redemption sweet spots

Now that you’re brought up to speed on everything Mileage Plan, let’s take a look at some of the best ways to use your Alaska miles.

Of course, this isn’t a definitive list of all the best redemptions. Check out our full article on Alaska award chart sweet spots for more inspiration.

Cathay Pacific first and business class to Australia

The Hong Kong-based Cathay Pacific is well regarded as one of Asia’s best airlines. It has some of the best first- and business-class products in the sky, with great onboard catering, excellent service and lie-flat seats. The airline’s huge route network spans most major cities around the world — including many in Australia.

Alaska offers great deals on flights to Australia — for example, one-way flights in business class cost 60,000 miles and first class costs just 80,000 miles. Round-trip Cathay Pacific first-class tickets from the U.S. to Asia can cost well over $30,000, so this award packs some serious value.

Of course, you can add a stopover in Hong Kong too. This won’t increase the mileage cost and lets you see two incredible countries in one trip.

Unfortunately, you cannot book Cathay Pacific award tickets on the Alaska Airlines website. To book, use your favorite Oneworld search tool to find award space and then call Alaska Airlines to book. In my experience, this process is quick and easy.

Fiji Airways to Fiji, Australia and New Zealand

Craving a Polynesian adventure instead? Consider redeeming your Alaska miles for a flight on Fiji Airways.

The airline’s hub is in Nadi (NAN) — the largest airport in Fiji — and connects to Asia, North America and the South Pacific. It also offers a solid business-class product on flights from the U.S. to Fiji, making the long journey comfortable.

You can book flights from the U.S. to Fiji for just 55,000 miles one-way in business class. Again, this is a great deal for the points — especially considering you can add a stopover.

You can connect to New Zealand, Australia and other countries in the South Pacific for no extra miles. Even though the airline only flies from San Francisco (SFO) and Los Angeles (LAX), you can connect to either of these gateways on an Alaska Airlines flight from elsewhere in the U.S.

For example, here’s a Fiji Airways booking from Las Vegas (LAS) to Auckland (AKL) with a stopover in Nadi (NAN):

LATAM to Peru, Brazil and the rest of South America

Even though LATAM left the Oneworld alliance last year, it’s maintained partnerships with some of its partners. One of these is Alaska Airlines.

LATAM has hubs in major South American cities like Lima (LIM), Sao Paulo (GRU) and Santiago (SCL), among others. Alaska defines South America as anything south of Panama, so there are plenty of deals to be found.

LATAM award tickets start at 25,000 miles one-way in economy and 45,000 miles in business class. With the included stopover, you can book something like Miami (MIA) to Lima (LIM) to Santiago (SCL) and see two of South America’s most vibrant cities in one trip.

Unfortunately, LATAM is another Alaska partner that you need to call to book. You can find LATAM award space on the airline’s website.

Aer Lingus flights to Europe (with a stop in Dublin)

Aer Lingus is an Irish carrier based in Dublin (DUB). The airline has an extensive U.S. route network, serving major U.S. cities and smaller gateways like Hartford (BDL), Minneapolis-St. Paul (MSP) and Philadelphia (PHL). This gives you an easy connection to both Ireland and other major European cities.

Aer Lingus is one of the few Alaska partners with semi-dynamic pricing. In the chart below, you’ll see that there’s a range for Aer Lingus flight prices. All flights with Saver award space are priced at the bottom of the spectrum, while other flights will price higher.

There are some great deals to be had at the lower end of the spectrum. You can book flights from the U.S. to Europe for 60,000 miles in business class, which is an incredible deal.

You can leverage the airline’s large route network to fly to most parts of Europe. Just note that Aer Lingus doesn’t offer business class on most European routes, so you’ll book a mixed-class award.

Japan Airlines first class on the cheap

Another one of the best Alaska Airlines redemptions is Japan Airlines first class.

The Japan Airlines award chart is split up into Asia and Southeast Asia, with the latter costing slightly more miles. Both are exceptional deals, especially for first class. You can book one-way tickets from the U.S. to Asia for just 70,000 miles in first class. Like Cathay Pacific, Japan Airlines tickets can be prohibitively expensive when booked with cash, making this an incredible deal.

Again, you can get even more value from these redemptions when you add a stopover. Japan Airlines has an extensive flight map within Asia, so you can fly to places like Singapore (SIN), Hanoi (HAN) and Taipei (TPE), with a stop in Tokyo along the way.

Related: Book this, not that: Oneworld award flights

Bottom line

Between its extensive network of partners and solid award chart, Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan is one of the best airline loyalty programs on the market. Consider earning miles with the program the next time you fly with one of the airline’s partners.

Feature photo by AaronP/Bauer-Griffin/GC Images

SPONSORED: With states reopening, enjoying a meal from a restaurant no longer just means curbside pickup.

And when you do spend on dining, you should use a credit card that will maximize your rewards and potentially even score special discounts. Thanks to temporary card bonuses and changes due to coronavirus, you may even be able to score a meal at your favorite restaurant for free. 

These are the best credit cards for dining out, taking out, and ordering in to maximize every meal purchase.

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Editorial Disclaimer: Opinions expressed here are the author’s alone, not those of any bank, credit card issuer, airlines or hotel chain, and have not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by any of these entities.

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