The Alaska Airways Mileage Plan loyalty program is an absolute powerhouse of worth due to particular person airline partnerships. Alaska Airways joined Oneworld again in 2021, nevertheless it maintains partnerships that different Oneworld airways do not have — and its award pricing is altogether distinctive.
Alaska Airways miles may be extremely worthwhile — however they’re additionally a number of the hardest to earn. How will you ensure you are getting essentially the most worth out of your awards?
Let us take a look at a few of this program’s finest candy spot redemptions to make sure you benefit from your hard-earned Alaska miles.
Add stopovers with Alaska miles
Alaska Airways provides a free stopover on worldwide award tickets — even on one-way itineraries.
Your stopover is usually restricted to the hub metropolis of whichever associate airline you are flying. That is as a result of Alaska doesn’t allow you to combine companions on an award ticket. Should you’re flying internationally, it have to be with one associate (plus Alaska Airways-operated flights, if obligatory). For instance, you’ll be able to tack on a connecting Alaska Airways flight to a world gateway.
Should you’re flying from San Francisco Worldwide Airport (SFO) to Tokyo’s Narita Airport (NRT) on Japan Airways, you’ll be able to cease in Tokyo earlier than persevering with to a different metropolis.
Why it is worthwhile: Regardless of these setbacks, reserving a free stopover with every worldwide one-way flight is a profitable profit that may flip one trip into two. It is a rarity amongst airline loyalty applications.
How you can e book: Alaska Airways has some of the intuitive strategies of reserving a stopover. This is learn how to e book a free stopover:
Step 1. Search Multi-city on the Alaska Airways web site
Use the Multi-city search choice to manually enter your stopover. Be sure you’ve additionally checked the “Use miles” field.
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Step 2. Select your itinerary
You may then see your one-way flight — together with your stopover — as one value.
Enterprise class to Fiji and Australia on Fiji Airways
Alaska Mileage Plan miles could be a useful gizmo for getting you to the distant tropical paradise of Fiji. One-way enterprise class seats on Fiji Airways price 55,000 Alaska Airways miles in enterprise class.
Fiji Airways operates from Nadi Worldwide Airport (NAN), the biggest airport in Fiji, connecting to locations in Asia, North America and the South Pacific. The airline provides a dependable business-class expertise on flights from the U.S. to Fiji, guaranteeing a snug journey.
You may redeem simply 55,000 miles for a one-way business-class flight from the U.S. to Fiji, which is a superb deal. What’s extra, you’ll be able to add a stopover to discover different nations within the South Pacific, akin to New Zealand and Australia, at no extra mileage price. Although Fiji Airways solely flies from San Francisco Worldwide Airport (SFO) and Los Angeles Worldwide Airport (LAX), you’ll be able to join to those gateways from different U.S. cities served by Alaska Airways.
Why it is worthwhile: Many airways cost 40,000+ miles to get to Australia in economic system class. The truth that it is attainable to e book a enterprise class flight to the South Pacific and Australia for 55,000 miles makes this route a steal for Alaska Airways miles collectors.
How you can e book: Fiji Airways flies from Nadi to Los Angeles and San Francisco. Since Alaska Airways has a big presence at each airports, it is best to be capable of tack on connecting flights from dozens of different U.S. cities.
Premium-cabin award area on Fiji Airways may be robust to return by — and that is as a result of it is such a very good deal.
You may e book Fiji Airways flights straight by way of the Alaska Airways web site.
Enterprise class to South America on LATAM
Regardless of leaving the Oneworld alliance, LATAM maintains a partnership with Alaska Airways.
LATAM’s main hubs embody cities like Lima, Peru; Sao Paulo; and Santiago, Chile, making it a handy choice for journey inside South America. Alaska Airways defines South America as something south of Panama, so quite a few alternatives exist for nice offers.
LATAM award tickets begin at 25,000 miles for economic system and 45,000 miles for enterprise class every means. By profiting from the free stopover, you’ll be able to e book flights like Miami Worldwide Airport (MIA) to Lima’s Jorge Chávez Worldwide Airport (LIM) to Santiago Worldwide Airport (SCL), permitting you to expertise two vibrant South American cities in a single journey.
Why it is worthwhile: Flights to South America are all priced the identical, whether or not you are going to Santiago, Chile or Bogota, Colombia. That is uncommon for an airline program, as northern and southern South America are sometimes priced otherwise.
You may want simply 45,000 Alaska Mileage Plan miles to fly these similar routes in business-class seats. Plus, you may get a free stopover when connecting by way of Both Lima or Santiago in your approach to one other vacation spot. That sharply raises the worth you will get out of your miles.
How you can e book: You may e book LATAM-operated award flights by way of the Alaska Airways web site.
How you can earn Alaska Airways miles
Now for the unhealthy information. Alaska Mileage Plan miles are a number of the hardest rewards to gather. Alaska Airways is not a switch associate of versatile currencies like Chase Final Rewards factors or Amex Membership Rewards factors.
If you wish to earn Alaska miles rapidly, your finest wager is to think about opening an Alaska bank card.
Alaska Airways has two cobranded bank cards with Financial institution of America: a private card and a enterprise card.
These allow you to earn Alaska miles in your on a regular basis spending and provide stable welcome bonuses. The playing cards embody different inflight advantages, together with an annual Companion Fare that helps offset their annual charges.
Alaska Airways Visa® bank card
Proper now, candidates for the Alaska Airways Visa bank card can earn 60,000 bonus miles plus Alaska’s Well-known Companion Fare from $122 ($99 fare plus taxes and costs from $23) after spending $3,000 or extra on purchases inside the first 90 days from account opening.
The cardboard earns 3 miles per greenback spent on eligible Alaska purchases and a couple of miles for each $1 spent on eligible fuel, EV charging station, cable, streaming companies and native transit together with journey share purchases. You may earn 1 mile per greenback spent in all places else. Plus, you will get pleasure from an annual Companion Fare (after you spend $6,000 or extra on purchases inside the prior anniversary yr) to deliver a buddy or member of the family with you on a visit beginning at $122 ($99 fare plus taxes and costs from $23). You additionally get a free checked bag on all Alaska flights and 20% again on inflight purchases.
For extra particulars, take a look at our full overview of the Alaska Visa.
Apply now: Alaska Airways Visa
Alaska Airways Visa® Enterprise card
Financial institution of America’s Alaska Airways Visa Enterprise card presently provides a bonus of fifty,000 bonus miles and Alaska’s Well-known Companion Fare from $122 ($99 fare plus taxes and costs from $23). To qualify, you will must make $3,000 or extra in purchases inside the first 90 days from account opening.
The cardboard earns the identical 3 miles per greenback spent on eligible Alaska Airways purchases and a couple of miles for each $1 spent on eligible fuel, EV charging station, transport and native transit (together with rideshare) purchases. All different purchases earn 1 mile per greenback spent. The cardboard features a Companion Fare from $122 ($99 fare plus taxes and costs from $23) every account anniversary should you spend $6,000 or extra on purchases inside the prior anniversary yr and a free checked bag on all Alaska flights.
For extra particulars, take a look at our full overview of the Alaska Enterprise Visa.
Apply now: Alaska Airways Visa Enterprise
Alternatively, you’ll be able to switch Marriott Bonvoy factors at a fee of three:1 (3 Marriott factors = 1 Alaska Airways mile). Plus, whenever you switch in increments of 60,000 factors, you will obtain a bonus 5,000 Alaska Airways miles. In different phrases, 60,000 Marriott factors will web you 25,000 miles.
In fact, you may as well credit score paid Oneworld flights to your Mileage Plan account. Not like most different U.S. airline applications, Alaska nonetheless makes use of a distance-based method for calculating what number of miles you will earn on these flights, so it may be extra profitable than others (particularly on longer, cheap journeys that may earn a relatively small variety of miles in a revenue-based program).
Lastly, you may as well purchase Alaska miles to high up your account and snag any of the above redemptions. We normally do not suggest doing so except there is a promotion (like the present provide to purchase Alaska miles with as much as a 60% bonus, which drops your value to as little as 1.85 cents apiece). Whereas that is nonetheless above our data-backed valuation of Alaska miles, it could actually make sense should you’re eyeing a selected award.
Associated: The perfect bank cards for getting factors and miles
Backside line
Irrespective of the place you select to journey, the free stopover on award tickets is an extremely beneficiant perk and might successfully offer you two holidays for the worth of 1. As well as, the combo of companions inside and outdoors the Oneworld alliance opens up many alternatives.
