TPG readers and staff members alike are huge fans of the Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan program — even those on the East Coast who never actually fly with the carrier. Even though we've seen devaluations of Mileage Plan miles in previous years, there are still sweet spots within the program's Oneworld and nonalliance partners. You can redeem miles for some of the most sought-after premium award seats on airlines like Cathay Pacific, Japan Airlines and many more.
Although Alaska Airlines miles aren't as easy to earn as those of other programs, there are still plenty of ways to stock up on Mileage Plan miles without stepping on a plane.
You can redeem them for great rewards, including saving up to 50% on award redemptions to popular destinations in the airline's Global Getaway promotion.
Are you unfamiliar with earning Mileage Plan miles? We'll show you how to earn Alaska miles to put your next award trip within reach.
How to earn Alaska miles by flying
The most straightforward way to earn Alaska miles is to fly Alaska Airlines or one of its partner airlines. Alaska is one of the few airlines that still issues miles based on flight distance, not how much money you spend on the ticket. That being said, several factors determine how many miles you'll earn on a given ticket.
Earn miles by flying on Alaska Airlines
When traveling on an Alaska-operated flight, you'll earn Alaska miles based on the distance you fly. Unfortunately, Alaska's basic economy product earns just 30% of the miles flown.
Meanwhile, tickets booked in higher fare classes earn bonus miles. Here's the earning chart for Alaska-operated and -marketed flights to determine how many miles you'll earn on your next trip:
To figure out your flight distance, we recommend using Great Circle Mapper. For example, a one-way ticket from Chicago's O'Hare International Airport (ORD) to Seattle-Tacoma International Airport (SEA) booked in a C-class first-class cabin would earn 3,003 miles. These fares earn 100% of base miles (1,716 miles flown) and a 75% class-of-service bonus (1,287 miles).
Elite status bonus
Additionally, those with Alaska Airlines elite status will earn additional bonuses on their Alaska-operated tickets. Here's how many bonus Mileage Plan miles each MVP status tier earns on these flights through 2024:
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- Alaska MVP: 50% bonus
- MVP Gold: 100% bonus
- MVP Gold 75K: 125% bonus
- MVP Gold 100K: 150% bonus
From Jan. 1, 2025, the bonus miles will be awarded as follows:
- Alaska MVP: 25% bonus
- MVP Gold: 50% bonus
- MVP Gold 75K: 100% bonus
- MVP Gold 100K: 150% bonus
These bonuses only apply to the 100% base miles flown, not any class-of-service bonuses for higher fare classes.
Related: What is Alaska Airlines elite status worth?
Earn by flying with partners
When flying a partner airline booked on Alaska Airlines ticket stock (a codeshare flight operated by a partner but booked with an Alaska flight number), you'll earn 100% of the base miles flown except for basic economy (fare code X), which awards 30%. However, how you earn Alaska miles varies slightly when you book a partner flight on the partner's ticket stock and add your Mileage Plan number.
When you do this, the exact number will vary based on the airline, status tier and booking class. Generally speaking, you won't earn 100% of the miles flown for every fare class, though flights booked in higher fare classes will still earn more.
To check how many miles you'll earn on your partner ticket, head to Alaska Airlines' partner page, find the partner you're flying and check the chart for your booking class, as each chart will be slightly different.
Here's the British Airways earning chart:
Alaska Airlines is a member of the Oneworld alliance, and you can earn miles on all Oneworld airlines, including:
- American Airlines
- British Airways
- Cathay Pacific
- Fiji Airways (Oneworld Connect partner)
- Finnair
- Iberia
- Japan Airlines
- Malaysia Airlines
- Qantas
- Qatar Airways
- Royal Air Maroc
- Royal Jordanian Airlines
- SriLankan Airlines
Further, the airline has a plethora of nonalliance partners with which to earn miles, including:
- Aer Lingus
- Air Tahiti Nui
- Condor
- El Al Israel Airlines
- Hainan Airlines
- Icelandair
- Korean Air (SkyTeam)
- LATAM Airlines
- Singapore Airlines (Star Alliance)
- Starlux Airlines
- Aleutian Airways
- Bahamasair
- Cape Air
- Contour Airlines
- Kenmore Air
- Mokulele Airlines
- Southern Airways Express
Each partner has its own earning chart and applicable flights. Check the individual partner pages to avoid any unexpected earning discrepancies.
Related: How to redeem miles with Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan
Earn Alaska miles with credit cards
One of the easiest ways to earn a large chunk of Mileage Plan miles without flying is through Alaska Airlines credit cards issued by Bank of America.
One option is the Alaska Airlines Visa Signature® credit card, which carries a $95 annual fee. Currently, new cardholders can buy one Alaska Airlines ticket and get one for just the taxes and fees from $23 ($0 fare), plus receive 50,000 bonus miles after spending $3,000 or more on purchases within the first 90 days of account opening.
If you have a small business, you might prefer the Alaska Airlines Visa® Business card. This card has a $70 annual fee for the company and $25 per card. As a limited-time welcome offer, receive 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.
Note that these cards both offer a free checked bag for you and up to six other guests on the same reservation when you pay for your flight with the card and include discounts on inflight purchases and lounge passes.
When spending with either the personal or business card, you will earn the following miles:
- 3 miles for every $1 spent on eligible Alaska Airlines purchases
- 2 miles for every $1 spent on eligible gas, EV charging station, cable, streaming services and local transit (including rideshare) purchases
- 1 mile per $1 spent on all other purchases
Transfer Marriott Bonvoy points to Alaska
Even if you don't have any Alaska Airlines credit cards in your wallet, it's still possible to generate miles by transferring points from Marriott Bonvoy at a 3:1 ratio. You'll also earn a 5,000-mile bonus for every 60,000 points transferred.
You could open cards like the Marriott Bonvoy Boundless® Credit Card or Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant® American Express® Card and move those points to Alaska to book award flights.
Earn business rewards with EasyBiz
Alaska Airlines has a business rewards program called EasyBiz. This program rewards businesses for employee travel based on the price of a ticket. Rewards earned with EasyBiz are in addition to the employee's mileage earnings, so both parties win.
Businesses earn 1 Alaska mile for every dollar spent on employee airfare. You can also access features like 24-hour reservation holds, travel management tools and ticket reports. Tools like this help your business better manage employee travel and get more value from the money you're already spending.
You can enroll in EasyBiz on Alaska's website. After doing this, you'll receive an EasyBiz number that you, your employees or your travel agent can attach to Alaska bookings.
Earn Alaska miles with travel partners
You can also earn Alaska miles with other travel partners. This lets you earn Alaska miles on other aspects of your trip, like hotels and rental cars.
Book hotels with Alaska partners
You can earn bonus Mileage Plan miles by booking with Alaska Airlines Hotels powered by Rocketmiles and rental cars with eligible Mileage Plan partners. If you go this route, you may not earn hotel or car rental points on your booking. In other words, you'll need to decide which points currency you value most.
Further, you can earn Alaska miles instead of hotel points when you book with a handful of hotel groups at the following rates:
| Hotel | Earning rate |
|---|---|
| Best Western | Earn 250 miles per stay |
| Choice Privileges | Earn 250 miles per stay |
| Coast Hotels | Earn 500 miles per stay |
| IHG One Rewards | Earn up to 2 miles per dollar spent or up to 500 miles per stay |
| Marriott Bonvoy | Earn 2 miles per $1 on all qualifying charges, or 1 mile per $1 spent on the room rate, depending on the hotel |
Related: 10 ways you could be earning airline miles other than credit cards
Rent a car and earn Alaska miles
You can also earn Alaska miles when booking car rentals through Alaska Airlines Car Rental. The miles you'll earn depend on how much you spend on a rental. You won't earn rental car points on these bookings; prices may differ from booking directly.
You can also book directly with rental car companies and earn Alaska miles instead of rental car points at the following rates:
| Rental car company | Earning rate |
|---|---|
| Alamo | 50 miles per day |
| Avis | Up to 1,250 miles per rental |
| Budget | Up to 1,250 miles per rental |
| Dollar | 150 miles on rentals three days or longer through Dec. 31, 2024 |
| Hertz | 50 miles per day on rentals of one to four days, or 500 miles per rental on rentals of five or more days |
| National | 50 miles per day in the U.S. and Canada only |
| Thrifty | 150 miles on rentals three days or longer |
Related: How to never pay full price for a rental car
Earn Alaska miles with other partners
Additionally, you can earn Alaska miles through several Alaska Mileage Plan partners for everyday purchases like dining out, shopping online and even staying at hotels.
Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan Shopping
Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan Shopping is a great way to earn bonus Alaska miles on your online purchases in addition to the miles you already earn with your credit card. Sign up for a Mileage Plan Shopping account and find your merchant on the portal before purchasing.
Please note that each participating merchant offers a different number of miles per dollar spent, and their rates fluctuate frequently. Use a shopping portal aggregator like Cashback Monitor to compare earning potential across various sites.
Mileage Plan Shopping periodically offers promotions for spending a set amount of money or buying products from a specific merchant — keep an eye out for promotions.
Related: Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan Shopping portal: Earn miles on your online purchases
Mileage Plan Dining
Do you dine out a lot? Make sure you're a Mileage Plan Dining member. The program is free to join. Sign up, link a credit card and earn extra Alaska miles when dining at participating restaurants. These miles are in addition to the rewards you already earn with your card, so make sure to use one of the best credit cards for dining out.
The number of points you earn on purchases depends on your Mileage Plan Dining elite status. There are currently three status tiers: basic, select member and VIP. You become a select member by signing up for email alerts. You'll be upgraded to VIP status once you dine 11 times in 12 months.
Select members earn 3 miles per dollar, while VIP members earn 5 miles per dollar. On the other hand, if you don't sign up for email alerts, you will remain a basic member and earn 1 mile per $2 spent.
Related: Maximizing restaurant spending with dining rewards programs
Buy Alaska miles
Another way to earn Alaska miles is to purchase them outright. However, buying miles without a promotion typically offers a poor value proposition.
But Alaska frequently runs promotions for buying miles with bonuses of up to 50%. With a 50% bonus, your effective purchase price is 1.97 cents apiece, and while that is slightly above TPG's July 2024 valuations (which pegged Mileage Plan miles at 1.5 cents each), it can still unlock some great value.
Related: Buy bonus points and miles with these promotions
Bottom line
Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan miles are among the most sought-after in the miles and points game. Even though earning Alaska miles is generally harder than earning other airline miles, the methods above can beef up your account balance and put you closer to your next award ticket.
Editorial disclaimer: Opinions expressed here are the author’s alone, not those of any bank, credit card issuer, airline or hotel chain, and have not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by any of these entities.
