Sweet Spots on The Alaska Mileage Plan

The Alaska Mileage Plan is one of my favourite frequent flyer programs. Not only can you buy Alaska miles at great rates on a regular basis, but there are plenty of hidden treasures when it comes to redeeming First and Business Class flights on Alaska‘s partner airlines.

In this blog post, we will uncover the hidden treasures in The Alaska Mileage Plan to show you why you should buy Alaska Miles. I can’t promise that this will be a short post, but I am sure you will know what to do if you want to find out how to fly:

• Qantas First Class between North America to Australia for ~ USD 1,400
• Cathay Pacific Business Class between North America to Asia for ~ USD 1,000 and many more!

Before we begin the learning journey, please be aware that this post will be structured into five sections:

Part 1: How to earn miles through Alaska Mileage Plan?
Part 2: Best use of Alaska Miles.
Part 3: How to book partner airlines award tickets on Alaska Mileage Plan?
Part 4: Use Alaska’s free stopover to add an additional holiday destination.
Part 5: Final ground rules to keep in mind.

Part 1: How to earn miles through The Alaska Mileage Plan?

a) Buying Miles

The Alaska Mileage Plan offers miles promotions on a regular basis. While you can earn Alaska miles from credit cards and by flying with Alaska Airlines or partner airlines, you can also purchase Alaska miles at great prices.

As shown in the table below, 1.97 cents per mile reflects the cheapest price you could have purchased Alaska Miles in the past one year. Since this price has occurred 4 out 8 times in the past year (which implies a high probability of re-occurrence) I will use 1.97 cents per mile for all calculation in this post.

Past promotions	US cents per mile	Evaluation
June 2019 – 30% discount	2.07 cents	Middle
April to May 2019 – 50% bonus	1.97 cents	Cheapest
March 2019 – 40% bonus	2.11 cents	Highest
Jan to Feb 2019 – 40% bonus	2.11 cents	Highest
Nov to Dec 2018 – 50% bonus	1.97 cents	Cheapest
Oct 2018 – 40% bonus sales	2.11 cents	Highest
Aug to Oct 2018 – 50% bonus	1.97 cents	Cheapest
May to July 2018 – 40% bonus	1.97 cents	Cheapest

We typically value Alaska miles at 1.8 cents per mile. To ensure that you redeem your miles at great value, you should check the revenue fare to the number of miles you can use for redemption. If that value is less than 1.8 cents per mile, pay for the revenue ticket. If it is more than 1.8 cents, use your miles to redeem for your ticket.

You can purchase Alaska Miles here directly.

b) Flying On Alaska Airlines

Flying on Alaska is the most typical way to earn miles. Alaska is one of the few airlines that still awards 100% base miles no matter which level of airfare you select, including saver airfare. Base miles are determined by the distance you fly. You can check out their earning chart below. The amazing thing is the bonus that you can earn for flying in premium cabins and with partner airlines. In some instances, it is possible to earn up to 450% redeemable miles.

c) Credit Cards

The Alaska Mileage Plan isn’t the easiest program to earn miles through credit cards. There are only 2 credit cards that offer a decent return from your spending.

The Alaska Airlines Visa Signature® credit card offers a large welcome offer although it comes with a $75 annual fee. The card comes with a yearly $99 companion ticket and you earn 1x per dollar spent on anything. Bonus categories exist for spending on Alaska Airlines website and dining at more than 11,000 restaurant options.

The other great way to earn Alaska Mileage Plan miles is to use one of the Marriott credit cards. Marriott currently offers 4 different types of credit cards. The cards they offer range from no-fee to a $450 annual fee. I recommend taking a look at the chart below to figure out which card is right for you. Its important to remember that all the Chase cards come with 5/24 restrictions and there are some strict eligibility requirements if you have had a previous product. It’s important to remember that when transferring Marriott Bonvoy Points, for every 60,000 you transfer, you earn a 5,000 point bonus which will leave you with 25,000 Alaska Mileage Plan Miles instead of the usual 20,000 points as their transfer ratio is 3:1.

Credit Card Name	Marriott Bonvoy Bold™ Credit Card	Marriott Bonvoy Boundless™ Credit Card	Marriott Bonvoy Business™ American Express® Card	Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant™ American Express® Card
Credit Card Issuer	Chase	Chase	American Express	American Express
Annual Fee	$0	$95	$125	$450
Current Welcome Offer *as of 7/1/2019	50,000 Points after spending $2,000 in first 3 months	75,000 Points after spending $3,000 in first 3 months	75,000 Points after spending $3,000 in first 3 months	75,000 Points after spending $3,000 in first 3 months
Points Per $ At Marriott	3x	6x	6x	6x
Bonus Points Per $ Categories	2x on anything coded Travel	–	4x at Restaurants, Gas Stations, and Mobile Phone Service	3x at Restaurants and on Airfrare Purchased Directly w/ Airline
Points Per $ On Everything Else	1x	2x	2x	2x
Free Night	No	Yes, Up to 35,000 points	Yes, Up to 35,000 points	Yes, Up to 50,000 points
Additional Free Night	No	No	Yes (After spending $60,000 Per Calendar Year)	No
Complimentary Status	Silver (15 Elite Credit Nights)	Silver (15 Elite Credit Nights)	Silver (15 Elite Credit Nights)	Gold (15 Elite Credit Nights)
Earnable Bonus Status	No	Gold Status (After Spending $35,000 Per Calendar Year)	Gold Status (After Spending $35,000 Per Calendar Year)	Platinum Status (After Spending $75,000 Per Calendar Year)
Marriott Hotel Credit	No	No	No	$300 Per Calendar Year
Priority Pass	No	No	No	Yes
Global Entry / TSA Pre Check Waiver	No	No	No	Yes

2) Best use of Alaska Miles

Alaska Miles can be used to redeem flights on the following airlines stated in the table below.

Aer Lingus	American Airlines	British Airways	Cathay Pacific
Condor	Emirates	Fiji Airways	Finnair
Hainan Airlines	Icelandair	Japan Airlines	Korean Air
Latam Airlines	PenAir	Qantas	Ravn Alaska

The Alaska Mileage Plan has different redemption rates for each airline. As this post is mainly focused on the best use of Alaska Miles. I will only highlight certain routes and airlines (in bold) which I think you should use your Alaska Miles on.

a) Redeem Alaska Miles on Japan Airlines

Travelling between (one way):	Business Class	Cost* (USD)	First Class	Cost* (USD)
North America – Asia (exclude SEA)	60k miles	1194.50	70k miles	1391.50
North America – South East Asia	65k miles	1293	75k miles	1490
Within Asia	25k miles	505	30k miles	603.50

Cost* = 1.97 US cents * miles required + 12.50 USD booking fee
Final cost is subjected to tax based on routings.

You can purchase Alaska Miles here directly.

b) Redeem Alaska Miles on Cathay Pacific

Travelling between (one way):	Business Class	Cost* (USD)	First Class	Cost* (USD)
North America- Asia	50k miles	997.50	70k miles	1391.50
North America – Africa/India/Middle East	62.5k miles	1243.75	70k miles	1391.50
North America – Australia/New Zealand	60k miles	1194.50	80k miles	1588.50

Travelling between (one way):	Business Class	Cost* (USD)	First Class	Cost* (USD)
Within Asia	22.5k miles	445.75	27.5k miles	554.25
Hong Kong – Africa/Europe	42.5k miles	849.75	70k miles	1391.50
Hong Kong – Australia/New Zealand	30k miles	603.50	45k miles	889

Cost* = 1.97 US cents * miles required + 12.50 USD booking fee
Final cost is subjected to i) tax based on routings and ii) 15 USD service fee.

You can purchase Alaska Miles here directly.

Key things to note when redeeming Cathay Pacific tickets with Alaska Mileage Plan:

1. Tickets can only be redeemed by calling Alaska Airlines reservations team. A $15 US service fee will be charged (waived for MVP Gold and MVP Gold 75K members)
2. Since Cathay Pacific tickets can’t be redeemed online via the Alaska Mileage Plan, you can use the online search engine on British Airways‘ Executive Club as a proxy to find the availability of the award tickets. It is always good to do your homework to check on the availability before you call the reservations team.

c) Redeem Alaska Miles on Qantas

Travelling between (one way):	Business Class	Cost* (USD)	First Class	Cost* (USD)
Australia/New Zealand to Canada/US/Mexico	55k miles	1096	70k miles	1391.50

Cost* = 1.97 US cents * miles required + 12.50 USD booking fee
Final cost is subjected to tax based on routings.

You can purchase Alaska Miles here directly.

d) Redeem Alaska Miles on Hainan Airlines

Travelling between (one way):	Business Class	Cost* (USD)
North America/Mexico – Asia	50k miles	997.50

Cost* = 1.97 US cents * miles required + 12.50 USD booking fee
Final cost is subjected to tax and fuel surcharge based on routings.

You can purchase Alaska Miles here directly.

e) Redeem Alaska Miles on Finnair

Travelling between (one way):	Business Class	Cost* (USD)
Europe – Asia	60k miles	1194.50
Europe – India/South Asia	45k miles	899

Cost* = 1.97 US cents * miles required + 12.50 USD booking fee
Final cost is subjected to tax based on routings.

You can purchase Alaska Miles here directly.

f) Redeem Alaska Miles on Korean Air

Travelling between (one way):	Business Class	Cost* (USD)
North America – North Asia	52.5k miles	1046.75
North America – South East Asia	60k miles	1194.50
Korea – South East Asia	30k miles	603.50

Cost* = 1.97 US cents * miles required + 12.50 USD booking fee
Final cost is subjected to tax based on routings.

You can purchase Alaska Miles here directly.

Key things to note when redeeming Korean Air tickets with Alaska Mileage Plan:

• At the Alaska Airlines website, the award chart reflects round trip redemption rates. One way redemption will be charged at round trip rates.

g) Redeem Alaska Miles on LATAM

Travelling between (one way):	Business Class	Cost* (USD)
US – South America	45k miles	899

Cost* = 1.97 US cents * miles required + 12.50 USD booking fee
Final cost is subjected to tax based on routings.

You can purchase Alaska Miles here directly.

To Summarise All of The Tables Above

Traveling to/from North and South America:

Traveling to/from Asia (other than North and South America):

Traveling to/from Europe:

Traveling to/from Australia and New Zealand

Part 3: How to Book Partner Airlines Award Tickets on The Alaska Mileage Plan?

Click on this link to use your Alaska miles to redeem your tickets online.

Take note that Cathay Pacific tickets can’t be redeemed online via the Alaska Mileage Plan. Before calling the reservations team, you can use the online search engine on British Airways’ Executive Club as a proxy on the availability of the award tickets. It is always good to do your homework before you call the reservations team.

Part 4: Use Alaska’s Free Stopover to add an Additional Holiday Destination

What is a stopover? 
A stopover allows you to stay for more than 24 hours at your transit destination, or for as long as you want.

An example?
Suppose that you have a one way ticket from Singapore to New York via Hong Kong, you can do a stopover in Hong Kong for as long as you want.

How to add a stopover in your ticket?
The free stopover can be done on a one-way ticket. If you need to book a round trip ticket, simply book two separate one-way tickets. When you make your booking, ensure that u select “Multi-city” instead of “one way”

Open Jaw Ticket: When doing a stopover, you need not fly off from the same airport/city. Instead of Singapore – Tokyo – Incheon, you can do Singapore – Tokyo, Osaka – Incheon.

Part 5: Final Ground Rules to Keep in Mind

1)Award ticket change and cancellation fees
Alaska Mileage Plan charges USD 125 for ticket change and cancellation. Cancellation can be done within 24 hours of booking (but not after departure) This fee can be waived for MVP Gold and MVP Gold 75K members

2)For travel within Asia, booking must be made more than 72 hours before departure.

3)Each Alaska Mileage Plan account can only purchase up to 150k miles per year
This is not applicable for elite Mileage Plan members (MVP, MVP Gold, and MVP Gold 75K) Nevertheless, so long as you are within the limit, you can buy Alaska miles multiple times within a year.

4)You need to open an Alaska Mileage Plan account for at least 10 days before you can buy Alaska Miles.