Introduction to Alaska Airlines miles
Alaska Airlines are some of the most valuable points to collect in the award travel world. The airline's unique and strategic partnerships allow you to travel pretty much anywhere for an extremely competitive price — and even throw in a stopover or two during your commute to help you visit multiple destinations on a single reservation.
Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan is one of the world's most useful frequent flyer programs, and you don't have to fly Alaska to earn and redeem miles. Even if you live outside the airline's route network, Alaska miles are still worth collecting because it partners with several international airlines. With Alaska miles, you can book both domestic and international flights to just about anywhere.
Alaska Airlines and Oneworld
Alaska is now part of the Oneworld alliance, which means you can earn and redeem miles on any other member airline. For example, you can use Alaska miles for award flights on American Airlines, which services many more domestic airports. Plus, Alaska is one of the few airlines with a generous stopover policy, meaning you can parlay one vacation into multiple.
Here's everything to know about earning, redeeming, and maximizing your Alaska Airlines miles.
How to earn Alaska Airlines miles
There are two types of Alaska miles: Elite-qualifying miles and redeemable miles.
You'll earn elite-qualifying miles when you fly Alaska or an elite-qualifying partner. And redeemable miles are what you'll earn as a bonus when you have elite status with Alaska, and for all other qualifying activities. Redeemable miles are what you'll need to book award flights and are the type of miles we'll talk about.
Alaska Airlines credit cards
One of the best and easiest ways to earn Alaska miles is with the airline's co-branded Bank of America cards. There's both a personal and small business version. The personal version of this card was named one of Business Insider's picks for the best Bank of America credit cards.
Bank of America Alaska Airlines Visa Signature Credit Card
With the Alaska Airlines Visa Signature® credit card , you can earn 70,000 bonus miles plus Alaska's Famous Companion Fare™ ($99 fare plus taxes and fees from $23) after you spend $3,000 or more in purchases within the first 90 days of opening your account. You'll also earn 3 Alaska miles per dollar spent on Alaska purchases, 2 miles per dollar on gas, local transit (including rideshare), and cable/eligible streaming services, and 1 mile per dollar on all other eligible purchases. The annual fee is $95.
One of the best benefits of this card is the annual Companion Fare which allows you to purchase an additional ticket for a companion from $121 ($99 base fare plus taxes and fees starting at $22) on Alaska flights after spending $6,000 or more within an anniversary year. Depending on the route you fly, you can easily recover the annual fee. One of the most popular ways to use this benefit is for a trip to Alaska, Hawaii, or another destination that typically has pricey fares. There are no blackout dates for this benefit.
In addition, you'll get the first checked bag free and priority boarding on Alaska flights for you and up to six companions flying on the same itinerary (you'll need to use the card to pay for your ticket to receive these benefits). You'll also get 20% back as a statement credit for inflight purchases like snacks and drinks, and $100 off an Alaska Lounge+ membership. There are also no foreign transaction fees.
One new benefit of the Alaska Airlines Visa Signature® credit card is a 10% relationship bonus when you have an eligible personal Bank of America checking/savings account or Merrill investment account. If you qualify, you'll earn 10% more miles — so, for example, a purchase that would normally earn 1,000 miles would actually get you 1,100 miles with the bonus.
It's easy to get value from the annual fee if you make use of the benefits.
$95
N/A
20.24% - 28.24% Variable
Earn 70,000 bonus miles plus Alaska's Famous Companion Fare™
Good to Excellent
- Annual companion fare benefit
- Free first checked bag and priority boarding on Alaska flights
- 10% bonus on earned miles if you have an eligible Bank of America or Merrill account
- Must use the card to pay for your flight to get free checked bag and priority boarding
The Alaska Airlines Visa® Credit Card is an excellent choice if you fly Alaska Airlines or use its miles to book partner awards.
Alaska Airlines Visa Signature® credit cardBank of America Alaska Airlines Visa Business Credit Card
When you open the Alaska Airlines Business Credit Card , you'll earn 50,000 bonus miles and Alaska's Famous Companion Fare™ ($99 fare plus taxes and fees from $23) after you make $3,000 or more in purchases within the first 90 days of opening your account.
The card's benefits are nearly identical to the personal version of this card. For spending, you'll earn 3 Alaska miles per dollar spent on Alaska purchases and 1 mile per dollar for everything else. The annual fee is $70 per company and $25 per card. If you only have one card, you'll pay $75.
You'll get the same checked bag benefit as the personal version, and Alaska Airlines Lounge benefits are also the same.
$70 per company and $25 per card
N/A
21.24% - 29.24% Variable
50,000 bonus miles and Alaska's Famous Companion Fare™
Excellent
- Annual companion fare
- Free first checked bag and priority boarding on Alaska flights for primary cardholder/authorized users and up to six companions on the same reservation
- 10% bonus on miles earned with the card if you have a qualifying Bank of America business account
- Must use card to pay for ticket to receive free checked bag and priority boarding on Alaska flights
- Additional authorized user cards have an annual fee of $25 per year
- Annual companion fare requires spending $6,000 on purchases in a card anniversary year
Fly on Alaska Airlines
You'll earn Alaska miles when you fly on Alaska Airlines. With Alaska, a mile flown is a mile earned. It's one of the rare airlines that still awards miles in this way, instead of based on fare price like most others have adopted.
Earn bonus Alaska Airlines miles with elite status
The miles you earn when you fly with Alaska also count toward elite status. You'll earn bonus elite-qualifying and redeemable miles when you fly first class or certain economy fares. Redeemable miles are what you can use to purchase award flights, while elite-qualifying miles only count toward earning elite status.
If you have elite status with Alaska, you'll earn bonus redeemable miles:
- 50% bonus with MVP status
- 100% bonus with MVP Gold status
- 125% bonus with MVP Gold 75K status
- 150% bonus with MVP Gold 100K status
If you regularly fly Alaska and have elite status, this is another easy way to rack up additional Alaska miles.
Fly with Alaska Airlines partners
Alaska is a Oneworld alliance member, joining British Airways, American Airlines, Cathay Pacific, and Qantas. It also partners with several other airlines beyond the alliance including Emirates, Aer Lingus, and Singapore Airlines. The number of miles you earn varies for each partner and the type of fare purchased.
We've designated Oneworld or Oneworld Connect partners with an asterisk in the list below:
- Aer Lingus
- Air Tahiti Nui
- American Airlines*
- British Airways*
- Cathay Pacific*
- Condor
- El Al
- Fiji Airways*
- Finnair*
- Hainan Airlines
- Iberia*
- Icelandair
- Japan Airlines*
- Korean Air
- LATAM Airlines
- Malaysia Airlines*
- Mokulele Airlines + Southern Airways Express
- Qantas*
- Qatar*
- Ravn Alaska
- Royal Air Maroc*
- Royal Jordanian*
- S7 Airlines* (temporarily suspended effective March 1, 2022)
- Singapore Airlines
- Sri Lankan Airlines
When you fly with Alaska partners, a mile flown is not necessarily a mile earned. Many economy fares only earn a fraction of the distance flown, while premium fares can earn much more. You can check in advance to see how much you'll earn on airline partners.
Even when the earning rates may not be high, it can be worth crediting your flight to Mileage Plan instead of a partner airline's own loyalty program, especially if you don't fly with that partner often (or at all). That way, you'll be more likely to use them for an award flight in the future — and partner flights also count toward earning elite status with Alaska.
Transfer points from Bilt Rewards to Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan
Bilt Rewards became a transfer partner of Alaska Airlines in early 2024. Bilt is the first of the major credit cards to forge a transferrable rewards relationship with Alaska Airlines, and Bilt Rewards members can transfer points at a 1:1 ratio.
Transfer points from Marriott Bonvoy to Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan
$650
N/A
20.24% - 29.24% Variable
Earn 185,000 Marriott Bonvoy® bonus points
Good to Excellent
- Annual statement credits can save you money on Marriott stays
- You get a free reward night each year after your renewal month
- High annual fee
- Other cards are more rewarding for earning points on your spending
If you're loyal to Marriott, the Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant® American Express® Card can help you save money and improve your stays, thanks to automatic Marriott Platinum Elite status and lots of opportunities to earn additional points.
Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant® American Express® Card- Earn 185,000 Marriott Bonvoy® bonus points after you use your new Card to make $6,000 in purchases within the first 6 months of Card Membership.
- $300 Brilliant Dining Credit: Each calendar year, get up to $300 (up to $25 per month) in statement credits for eligible purchases made on the Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant® American Express® Card at restaurants worldwide.
- With Marriott Bonvoy Platinum Elite status, you can receive room upgrades, including enhanced views or suites, when available at select properties and booked with a Qualifying Rate.
- Earn 6X Marriott Bonvoy® points for each dollar of eligible purchases at hotels participating in Marriott Bonvoy®. Earn 3X Marriott Bonvoy® points at restaurants worldwide and on flights booked directly with airlines and 2X Marriott Bonvoy® points on all other eligible purchases made on the Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant® American Express® Card.
- Free Night Award: Receive 1 Free Night Award every year after your Card renewal month. Award can be used for one night (redemption level at or under 85,000 Marriott Bonvoy® points) at hotels participating in Marriott Bonvoy®. Certain hotels have resort fees.
- Each calendar year after spending $60,000 on eligible purchases on your Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant® American Express® Card, you will be eligible to select a Brilliant Earned Choice Award benefit. You can only earn one Brilliant Earned Choice Award per calendar year. See https://www.choice-benefit.marriott.com/brilliant for Award options.
- $100 Marriott Bonvoy® Property Credit: Enjoy your stay. Receive up to a $100 property credit for qualifying charges at Marriott, The Ritz-Carlton® or St. Regis® when you book direct using a special rate for a two-night minimum stay using your Card.
- Fee Credit for Global Entry or TSA PreCheck®: Receive either a statement credit every 4 years after you apply for Global Entry ($120) or a statement credit every 4.5 years after you apply for a five-year membership for TSA PreCheck® (up to $85 through a TSA PreCheck official enrollment provider) and pay the application fee with your Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant® American Express® Card. If approved for Global Entry, at no additional charge, you will receive access to TSA PreCheck.
- Each calendar year with your Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant® American Express® Card you can receive 25 Elite Night Credits toward the next level of Marriott Bonvoy® Elite status. Limitations apply per Marriott Bonvoy member account. Benefit is not exclusive to Cards offered by American Express.
- Enroll in Priority Pass™ Select, which offers unlimited airport lounge visits to over 1,200 lounges in over 130 countries, regardless of which carrier or class you are flying. This allows you to relax before or between flights. You can enjoy snacks, drinks, and internet access in a quiet, comfortable location.
- No Foreign Transaction Fees on international purchases.
- With Cell Phone Protection, you can be reimbursed, the lesser of, your repair or replacement costs following damage, such as a cracked screen, or theft for a maximum of $800 per claim when your cell phone line is listed on a wireless bill and the prior month's wireless bill was paid by an Eligible Card Account. A $50 deductible will apply to each approved claim with a limit of 2 approved claims per 12-month period. Additional terms and conditions apply. Coverage is provided by New Hampshire Insurance Company, an AIG Company.
- $650 Annual Fee.
- Apply with confidence. Know if you're approved for a Card with no impact to your credit score. If you're approved and you choose to accept this Card, your credit score may be impacted.
- Terms Apply.
You can transfer Marriott Bonvoy® points to Alaska Mileage Plan at a rate of 3:1.
When you transfer 60,000 Marriott points, you'll get a 5,000-mile bonus, for a total of 25,000 Alaska miles. If you have a lot of Marriott points, this could be worthwhile, especially to top off your account if you're close to an award flight.
You can earn Bonvoy points quickly with co-branded Marriott credit cards offered by Chase or American Express:
- Marriott Bonvoy Boundless® Credit Card — Earn 3 Free Night Awards, each valued up to 50,000 points, after spending $3,000 on purchases in your first three months from account opening
- Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant® American Express® Card — Earn 185,000 Marriott Bonvoy® bonus points after you use your new card to make $6,000 in purchases within the first six months of card membership
- Marriott Bonvoy Bold® Credit Card — Earn 30,000 bonus points after you spend $1,000 on purchases in the first three months from account opening
- Marriott Bonvoy Business® American Express® Card — Earn 3 Free Night Awards, each with a redemption level of up to 50,000 points at hotels participating in Marriott Bonvoy®, after you use your new card to make $6,000 in eligible purchases within the first six months of card membership
- Marriott Bonvoy Bevy™ American Express® Card — Earn 155,000 Marriott Bonvoy® bonus points after you use your new card to make $5,000 in purchases within the first six months of card membership
- Marriott Bonvoy Bountiful™ Card — Earn 85,000 bonus points after you spend $4,000 in purchases in your first three months from your account opening
These cards aren't ideal if earning Alaska miles is your ultimate goal, but the welcome offers can provide a nice boost toward your mileage balance.
Buy or gift Alaska Airlines miles
If you need more Alaska miles for an award flight or want to gift someone with miles for a trip, you can buy or gift them. You can purchase miles in 1,000-mile increments up to 60,000, and then in 5,000-mile increments up to a maximum of 100,000 miles per transaction.
Usually, you'll pay $27.50 per 1,000 miles, but occasionally there are bonus promotions. Mileage Plan members can buy or gift up to 150,000 miles per calendar year, but if you have elite status, there is no cap on how many miles you can purchase.
Shop through the Alaska Airlines shopping portal
If you shop online, you can begin your shopping through the Mileage Plan shopping portal to earn bonus Alaska miles. How many miles you'll earn depends on the store, but there are plenty of popular brands represented such as Best Buy, Kohl's, Old Navy, PetSmart, and Sephora.
There are currently 1,100+ merchants participating in the Alaska online shopping portal, so it's worth checking if your online purchases can be rewarded.
Pro tip: Stack rewards by using the right credit card at Best Buy and similar retailers in addition to using a shopping portal.
Join Mileage Plan dining and earn when you eat out
If you eat out often, it's worth joining Mileage Plan dining, which partners with local restaurants to reward you with Alaska miles. You'll earn miles on everything you order, plus tax and tip. The trick is to find a place you enjoy dining, but there are usually plenty of options, especially in urban areas.
Refer friends to the Alaska Airlines credit card
If you already have an Alaska Airlines credit card, you can earn bonus miles when you refer the card to friends and family. Typically, you'll earn 5,000 miles per successful referral — but we've seen up to 15,000 miles for targeted cardholders.
Opt to earn Alaska miles on hotel stays
When you book a hotel stay with certain brands, you can opt to earn Alaska miles instead of points toward the hotel's loyalty program (if they have one). These include Best Western, Choice, Coast, IHG, Marriott, and Westmark. You can also book through Rocketmiles and select Mileage Plan miles as your preferred reward.
Earn Alaska miles for car rentals
You can opt-in to earn Alaska miles when you rent cars through Alamo, Avis, Budget, Dollar, Hertz, National, or Thrifty. Alaska also has its own rental car portal. As always, be sure to compare prices before you book to make sure you're getting the best deal.
Take advantage of Alaska's shopping partnerships
Alaska partners with specific merchants such as 1-800-Flowers, Rover, SoFi, and Vinesse Wine Club. You'll earn miles when you purchase products or services from these companies through Alaska affiliate links.
How much are Alaska miles worth?
Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan is a highly lucrative frequent flyer program even if you never actually fly on Alaska Airlines. You can get an excellent return by redeeming miles for premium seats on partner airlines, and Mileage Plan's routing rules create opportunities to add destinations to your travel plans at minimal cost.
Those features mean Alaska Airlines miles are worth 1.5 cents apiece on average, according to Business Insider's points and miles valuations. Read on to see which redemption options you should target and avoid to get the most out of your miles.
The best ways to use Alaska miles
The exact price you'll pay for your award flight will vary based on distance and region. One great benefit of the program is its ability to add a stopover on one-way flights (or two stopovers for round-trip bookings). To do this, you'll need to fly on Alaska or Alaska plus one partner. For international redemptions, you can only stop in an airline's hub city or a focus city. Still, it's a policy that can add huge value to your award redemptions.
For example, you could fly from the U.S. to Australia with a stopover in Fiji on Fiji Airways. Or you could fly from the US to the Middle East or Africa with a stop in Hong Kong on Cathay Pacific. There are also many possibilities for flying on Emirates or Qatar with a stop in Dubai or Doha, respectively.
Redeem Alaska miles for domestic flights
One of the most popular ways to redeem Alaska miles is for domestic award flights on Alaska and its partner American Airlines. Alaska Airlines uses a distance-based award charges, and the shortest-distance flights in economy-class cost just 4,500 Alaska miles one way, plus taxes and fees (which must be paid in cash).
Avoid the Money and Miles option
When you book Alaska flights, you can use your miles for a discount of up to $100 off when you redeem 10,000 miles or up to $200 when you redeem 20,000 miles. However, your miles are only worth 1 cent each when redeemed this way, and Alaska miles can be worth much more than that when redeemed for business-class travel.
If possible, avoid using the money and miles option when booking travel so you can save your miles for better reward redemptions.
Redeem Alaska miles for flights on partner airlines
Using Alaska Airlines miles for award flights on partner airlines is perhaps the best way to use your Alaska miles. All of Alaska's airline partners fly internationally — and you can find great value for award flights.
If you like Alaska's partner airlines, you could collect Alaska miles just to book award flights on them — without ever having to fly on Alaska.
Get a first-class upgrade for Alaska flights
When traveling on an eligible paid Alaska fare, you can use 15,000 Alaska miles to upgrade to First Class each way. Make sure you select "mileage upgrade" as your upgrade preference when purchasing your flights. To upgrade after you purchase a ticket, you can call Alaska to make the upgrade. You can also request upgrades based on availability 24 hours before departure when you check-in online or at the airport.
Other ways to redeem Alaska miles
Share your Alaska Airlines miles
You can share your Alaska miles with someone else for $10 per 1,000 miles plus a $25 handling fee per transaction. You can transfer (or receive) a maximum of 100,000 miles per calendar year.
Given the fees involved, this isn't a great option if you're looking to pay for someone's award flight; it's better to just use miles from your account to book the award directly. However, this could be useful if a friend or family member is only short a few thousand miles for an award.
Donate Alaska Airlines miles to charity
You can donate your Alaska miles to over a dozen different charities in 1,000-mile increments and with no maximums or fees. Nonprofit charities include the Dream Foundation, Make-A-Wish Foundation, and Nature Conservancy.
Get magazine subscriptions
If you like to read paper magazines, you can redeem Alaska miles for subscriptions starting at 100 miles and $2, or 200 miles. There are many titles available and prices vary for each one. If you're interested, it's an easy way to use your miles — and some of the prices are actually reasonable.
This is also a good way to keep your Alaska miles from expiring. Your Alaska miles expire two years after your last account activity, so spending a few miles on a redemption like this — or donating some to charity — can reset the clock.
Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan consumer insights
In addition to compiling our research on the value of Alaska's Mileage Plan loyalty program, our experts looked at customer feedback on sites like Reddit and FlyerTalk to see what everyday travelers like about Alaska Airlines miles.
Buy Main Cabin seats instead of Saver to earn more miles
Alaska Airlines offers several tiers of economy class, and travelers who value Alaska miles recommend buying Main Cabin tickets instead of Saver seats, Alaska's equivalent of basic economy. As with many other airlines, discounted economy seats on Alaska only earn 30% of the number of total miles flown, so you'll earn miles far more slowly with Saver seats than you would with full-price economy fares.
Use your Bilt credit card to stack potential rewards
If you frequently fly Alaska Airlines, Redditors recommend paying for your flights with the Alaska Airlines Visa Signature® credit card or the Bilt Mastercard®. While the Alaska Airlines Visa Signature® credit card earns 3 points per dollar spent on Alaska flights, you can only redeem those rewards for travel on Alaska for maximum value. Meanwhile, the Bilt Mastercard® only earns 2 points per dollar spent on travel most of the time, but you can purchase travel on Bilt Rent Day to earn double points for a grand total of 4 points per dollar, up to a total of 1,000 bonus points per Bilt Rent Day.
Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan frequently asked questions
Can I use Alaska miles on any airline?
No, Alaska miles can only be used to book flights on Alaska Airlines and its partners, which include American Airlines and British Airways.
Do I need to join a partner airline's frequent flyer program to Alaska earn miles?
No, you don't necessarily need to join a partner airline's frequent flyer program to earn miles with Alaska airlines. When booking on a partner airline, select Alaska Airlines and input your Alaska Mileage Plan member number to earn credit for your flight.
What are the best ways to redeem Alaska miles?
The best ways to redeem Alaska miles include booking domestic flights on Alaska Airlines and American Airlines, or international travel on British Airways, Cathay Pacific, and Starlux Airlines. You can also use your miles to upgrade on economy-class flights on Alaska Airlines, share them with family and friends, or use them to purchase magazine subscriptions.
How much are 50,000 Alaska miles worth?
Alaska miles are worth 1.5 cents apiece on average, according to Business Insider's calculations, so 50,000 Alaska miles are worth around $750 in cash value.
For rates and fees of the Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant® American Express® Card, please click here.
Editorial Note: Any opinions, analyses, reviews, or recommendations expressed in this article are the author’s alone, and have not been reviewed, approved, or otherwise endorsed by any card issuer. Read our editorial standards.
Please note: While the offers mentioned above are accurate at the time of publication, they're subject to change at any time and may have changed, or may no longer be available.
**Enrollment required.
