AwardWallet receives compensation from advertising partners for links on the blog. Terms Apply to the offers listed on this page. The opinions expressed here are our own and have not been reviewed, provided, or approved by any bank advertiser. Here's our complete list of Advertisers.
Offers for the Alaska Airlines Visa® Business card are not available through this site. All information has been independently collected by AwardWallet and has not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer. Some offers may have expired. Please see our card marketplace for available offers.
Offers for Bank of America cards mentioned in this post have been updated as of 04/18/2024
Despite a relatively small route network confined to North America, the Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan program is a favorite among frequent flyers. This is largely due to the sweet spots you can book with your Mileage Plan miles.
Although Alaska Airlines is the fifth largest carrier in the United States, its frequent flyer program punches above its weight class. Alaska Mileage Plan partners with dozens of airlines worldwide — including Oneworld member airlines now that Alaska joined the Oneworld alliance. Alaska's award booking process is simple, and the program offers some excellent premium cabin award sweet spots. It's clear why so many travelers gravitate towards the Mileage Plan program.
In this post, we'll dive into Alaska's new award charts and highlight some of the best sweet spots for redeeming Alaska Mileage Plan miles for maximum value.
Page Contents
- Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan Overview
- Mileage Plan mile value
- Airlines bookable with Mileage Plan miles
- Alaska stopover policy
- Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan Award Charts
- Alaska-operated flights
- Partner-operated flights
- Best Alaska Mileage Plan Sweet Spots
- Northeastern U.S. to Europe in American Airlines, Aer Lingus, or British Airways business class
- U.S. to Europe in business class with stopovers
- Long-haul Qatar Airways flights in business class
- Stopover in Tokyo and fly onwards with Japan Airlines
- Ultra-long haul Singapore Airlines awards and fifth-freedom flights
- Cheap American Airlines economy flights to the Caribbean
- Building a Stash of Mileage Plan Miles
- Final Thoughts
Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan Overview
Before you get to booking Mileage Plan awards, there are three things you'll want to familiarize yourself with outside of the new award charts:
- The Alaska miles value — so you know what your miles are worth.
- All the carriers you can book with Mileage Plan miles — so you know what you can do with your miles.
- Alaska Airlines' stopover policy — so you can make your miles go further.
Mileage Plan mile value
Whether you're hoping to redeem miles for a luxe trip in first class across the globe or a last-minute domestic flight in coach, redeeming Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan miles for award tickets can yield excellent value.
On average, AwardWallet users redeem Mileage Plan miles for 2.05¢ apiece. However, the value varies significantly depending on which type of award you book:
- Short-haul economy: 1.24¢ per mile
- Long-haul economy: 1.65¢ per mile
- Short-haul business/first: 3.18¢ per mile
- Long-haul business/first: 4.21¢ per mile
To get the most out of your miles, look for redemptions that offer a cent per mile value close to or above the averages.
Related: How Much Do AwardWallet Users Actually Save When Redeeming Points?
Airlines bookable with Mileage Plan miles
One of the main reasons Mileage Plan remains such a popular program is the lengthy list of airline partners with whom members can book award flights. As of publishing, you can earn and/or redeem Alaska miles with 30 airline partners.
Of those 30 partners, Mileage Plan members can redeem their miles for award travel on 24 airlines. Best of all, almost all of these partner awards can be booked online at alaskaair.com. The remaining six partners are “earn only” when you book their flights at alaskaair.com.
Here's a list of all the Mileage Plan partner airlines:
| Airline | Redeem Miles | Earn Miles |
|---|---|---|
| Aer Lingus | Yes, some routes available online* | Yes |
| Air Tahiti Nui | Yes | Yes |
| Aleutian Airways | No | Yes |
| American Airlines | Yes | Yes |
| Bahamasair | No | Yes |
| British Airways | Yes | Yes |
| Cape Air | No | Yes, when booked with Alaska Airlines |
| Cathay Pacific | Yes | Yes |
| Condor | Yes | Yes |
| Contour Airlines | No | Yes |
| El Al | Yes, through June 30, 2024 | Yes, through June 30, 2024 |
| Finnair | Yes | Yes |
| Fiji Airways | Yes | Yes |
| Hainan Airlines | Yes | Yes |
| Iberia | Yes | Yes |
| Icelandair | Yes | Yes |
| Japan Airlines | Yes | Yes |
| Kenmore Air | No | Yes, when booked with Alaska Airlines |
| Korean Air | Yes | Yes |
| LATAM Airlines | Yes | Yes |
| Malaysia Airlines | Yes | Yes |
| Mokulele Airlines | No | Yes, when booked with Alaska Airlines |
| Porter Airlines | No | Yes |
| Qantas | Yes | Yes |
| Qatar Airways | Yes | Yes |
| Ravn Alaska | Yes | Yes |
| Royal Air Maroc | Yes | Yes |
| Royal Jordanian | Yes | Yes |
| Singapore Airlines | Yes | Yes |
| Sri Lankan Airlines | Yes | Yes |
| Southern Airways Express | No | Yes, when booked with Alaska Airlines |
| Starlux | Yes | Yes |
Alaska stopover policy
One of the best features of the Mileage Plan program is the ability to book awards with a stopover on one-way awards. Some mileage programs don’t even allow one-way awards and few airlines allow a free stopover, let alone stopovers on one-way awards.
The ability to add two additional destinations to a round-trip award adds massive value to Alaska awards. However, there are some restrictions regarding stopover destinations, but we walk through all of them in our guide on how to book a Mileage Plan stopover.
Related: The difference between a layover vs. stopover
Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan Award Charts
Prospective award travelers have four mostly distance-based charts to navigate: one for wholly Alaska-operated itineraries and three for partner-operated flights.
With distance-based charts, keeping a tool like the Great Circle Mapper in your back pocket is a great idea. You can map out the exact distance of your planned itinerary and refer to the award chart for what it'll cost.
Alaska-operated flights
Alaska's award chart for flights it operates is simple. Awards are priced primarily on distance, but other destinations like Hawaii, Mexico, and Central America feature the same one-way “starting at” pricing no matter where you originate.
| From Contiguous US including Alaska and Canada to: | Economy starting at: | First starting at: |
|---|---|---|
| Contiguous US, Alaska and Canada: less than 700 miles | 5,000 | 15,000 |
| Contiguous US, Alaska and Canada: 701–1,400 miles | 7,500 | 25,000 |
| Contiguous US, Alaska and Canada: 1,401–2,100 miles | 10,000 | 25,000 |
| Contiguous US, Alaska and Canada: 2,101 miles and above | 12,500 | 30,000 |
| Hawaii: all distances | 15,000 | 40,000 |
| Mexico, Central America and Caribbean: all distances | 10,000 | 30,000 |
Partner-operated flights
Mileage Plan publishes a trio of award charts for partner-operated flights. The one-way “starting at” partner pricing is a function of the region you're flying to and the distance your itinerary covers.
Without further ado, here's the Mileage Plan award chart for partner flights to and within the “Americas” region:
| Distance (miles) | Economy (starting at) | Premium Economy (starting at) | Business Class (starting at) | First Class (starting at) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Less than 700 | 4,500 | 6,000 | 9,000 | 13,500 |
| 701–1,400 | 7,500 | 10,000 | 15,000 | 25,000 |
| 1,401–2,100 | 12,500 | 17,500 | 25,000 | 40,000 |
| 2,101–4,000 | 17,500 | 22,500 | 35,000 | 52,500 |
| 4,001–6,000 | 25,000 | 32,500 | 50,000 | 75,000 |
| 6,001 and above | 30,000 | 40,000 | 60,000 | 90,000 |
Europe, the Middle East, and Africa:
| Distance (miles) | Economy (starting at) | Premium Economy (starting at) | Business Class (starting at) | First Class (starting at) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Less than 1,500 | 7,500 | 10,000 | 15,000 | 22,500 |
| 1,501–3,500 | 22,500 | 30,000 | 45,000 | 67,500 |
| 3,501–5,000 | 27,500 | 35,000 | 55,000 | 82,500 |
| 5,001–7,000 | 35,000 | 45,000 | 70,000 | 105,000 |
| 7,001–10,000 | 42,500 | 55,000 | 85,000 | 130,000 |
| 10,000 and above | 55,000 | 72,500 | 110,000 | 165,000 |
And Asia Pacific:
| Distance (miles) | Economy (starting at) | Premium Economy (starting at) | Business (starting at) | First (starting at) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Less than 1,500 | 7,500 | 10,000 | 15,000 | 22,500 |
| 1,501–3,000 | 25,000 | 32,500 | 50,000 | 75,000 |
| 3,001–5,000 | 30,000 | 40,000 | 60,000 | 90,000 |
| 5,001–7,000 | 37,500 | 50,000 | 75,000 | 110,000 |
| 7,001–10,000 | 42,500 | 55,000 | 85,000 | 130,000 |
| 10,000 and above | 65,000 | 85,000 | 130,000 | 195,000 |
Best Alaska Mileage Plan Sweet Spots
Now that we've covered the basics, here's a dive into six sweet spots bookable with Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan miles.
Northeastern U.S. to Europe in American Airlines, Aer Lingus, or British Airways business class
Alaska Airlines has several partners that fly to Europe from a few gateways in the Northeastern United States. Think of airports such as Boston (BOS), Newark (EWR), New York (JFK), and so on. Provided your itinerary is less than 3,500 miles in total distance, you can fly to select European destinations from these gateways in business class for 45,000 Mileage Plan miles.
For example, you could start in Boston and fly to London (LHR), Dublin (DUB), Shannon (SNN), and more for this low price. However, you'll want to be mindful of the partner airline you book a ticket on. Some airlines, like British Airways, levy heavy fuel surcharges — as is obvious in this example:
U.S. to Europe in business class with stopovers
The 1,501-3,500-mile distance band is pretty sweet, but the 3,501-5,000-mile distance band is even sweeter. For just 55,000 Mileage Plan miles, you can travel further than you think. Even better, this distance band allows you to fly to Europe in business class while leaving plenty of room to add a free stopover.
For instance, that could mean taking a Finnair flight from New York (JFK) to Helsinki (HEL), spending a few days in Finland, and then trekking on to Tallinn, Estonia (TLL).
Or, you could go further than Estonia, given that JFK to HEL is only 4,117 miles, and the maximum distance you can fly in this distance band without paying more is 5,000 miles.
It's cliche to say, but the possibilities are endless thanks to Alaska's stopover policy. But for more inspiration, here are few ideas for maximizing the distance band with business class flights to Europe.
First, you could fly Condor business class between Minneapolis (MSP) and Frankfurt (FRA). This leg is only 4,393 miles long, leaving you 607 miles to work with. That's enough to get to Split, Croatia (SPU)!
Another option is to fly Iberia business class from Boston (BOS) to Madrid (MAD). You'll have more to work with on this itinerary, as BOS to MAD is just 3,410 miles. What could you do to maximize the distance band? Why not fly to Venice (VCE)?
Long-haul Qatar Airways flights in business class
For many points and miles enthusiasts, Qatar Airways' business class product is a bucket list redemption. If it's on yours, you can use Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan miles to book it. Even better, pricing is competitive, and more so the longer you fly.
Alaska's distance-based charts offer a few sweet spots for Qatar redemptions. Within the 5,001-7,000-mile band, you could book a one-way flight to Doha (DOH) for 70,000 miles from New York (JFK), Boston (BOS), Washington, D.C. (IAD), and Montreal (YUL). Maxing out a distance band is one of the best ways to get the most out of your miles, and these flights do just that.
You can also jump to the next distance band and add a stopover from DOH. You'll redeem 85,000 Mileage Plan miles for flights between 7,001 and 10,000 miles. Redeeming more miles to fly further also opens doors to depart out of more U.S. gateways, such as Houston (IAH), Dallas-Fort Worth (DFW), Miami (MIA), and a few others.
With a stopover, destinations such as Malé (MLE), Colombo (CMB), Zanzibar (ZNZ), and more are accessible for a great price. Plus, you can enjoy a stopover and take in the sights of Doha. You'll get the most out of your miles on these redemptions, that's for sure.
Availability on Qatar Airways can be finicky. However, if you pull up Alaska's calendar view, you can easily piece together an itinerary.
Stopover in Tokyo and fly onwards with Japan Airlines
Japan Airlines has traditionally been stingy with the award space it makes available to its partners. However, when you can spot an open seat, it's worth redeeming the miles necessary to book it.
JAL has a handful of U.S. gateways. Flights to Tokyo are the cheapest from the Pacific Northwest and become increasingly more expensive the further southeast you go. For example, here's what you'll redeem for a one-way business class award to Tokyo:
- 60,000 Mileage Plan miles
- Seattle (SEA)
- Vancouver (YVR)
- 75,000Mileage Plan miles
- Los Angeles (LAX)
- San Diego (SAN)
- San Francisco (SFO)
- Dallas (DFW)
- Boston (BOS)
- Chicago (ORD)
- New York (JFK)
Flights from Seattle and Vancouver to Tokyo narrowly clock in under 5,000 miles. You'll nearly maximize the 3,001 to 5,000-mile distance band, which means it's unlikely you can sneak in a stopover. Thus, if you're not planning on traveling further than Tokyo, positioning to either Seattle or Vancouver to take advantage of the mileage savings is a great idea.
If you've got extra miles in your account, it might worth jumping to the next-highest distance band. While you could burn those miles departing from a gateway closer to the east coast, a better alternative is still departing from the Pacific Northwest but adding a stopover in Tokyo.
For example, the flight between Seattle and Tokyo covers 4,797 miles. Booking an itinerary in the 5,001 to 7,000-mile distance band requires 75,000 Mileage Plan miles but opens up a world of possibilities by way of a stopover. With this specific example, you could travel up to 2,203 additional miles on JAL on the same ticket.
So, where could you go from Tokyo on JAL keeping your cost basis at 75,000 Mileage Plan miles? Here are a few examples:
- Manila (MNL)
- Taipei (TPE)
- Beijing (PEK)
- Hong Kong (HKG)
- Guam (GUM)
Alternatively, you can redeem 85,000 Mileage Plan miles and fly up to 10,000 miles. Assuming you take the same Seattle to Tokyo flight, here's where you could go after stopping over:
- Hanoi (HAN)
- Bali (DPS)
- Jakarta (CGK)
- Bangkok (BKK)
- Bangalore (BLR)
Ultra-long haul Singapore Airlines awards and fifth-freedom flights
Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan miles are also super valuable for booking Singapore Airlines. However, Singapore awards not currently bookable due to ongoing technical problems with Alaska's website. There's no timetable for when the awards will come back online. Still, it could be worth synthesizing the sweet spots below, earning the miles for them if necessary, and containing your enthusiasm until they're again bookable.
In our opinion, the most interesting Singapore Airlines award bookable with Alaska miles is the world's longest flight from New York (JFK) to Singapore (SIN). For just 85,000 Mileage Plan miles, you can fly the near-19-hour journey in business class. This flight falls just under the 10,000-mile threshold before jumping into the next-highest distance band.
If award space is hard to come by, you can also look for seats out of Newark, to which Singapore Airlines operates another ultra-long-haul across-the-world flight to Singapore.
U.S.-based travelers can also find substantial value in Singapore Airlines' fifth-freedom flights. For the unfamiliar, fifth-freedom flights are itineraries between two countries of which neither are the airline's home country. Singapore Airlines operates a few of these flights, including:
- New York (JFK) to Frankfurt (FRA)
- Houston (IAH) to Manchester (MAN)
- Los Angeles (LAX) to Tokyo (NRT)
In business class, the two flights to/from Europe cover between 3,501 and 5,000 miles of distance, which means you can book these flights for 55,000 Mileage Plan miles per way. Even better, this 55,000-mile rate is less than what you'll pay through Singapore's KrisFlyer program (81,000 miles) or Air Canada Aeroplan (60,000 miles).
Or, if you want to try out Singapore Airlines' business class cabin en route to Tokyo, you can do so for 75,000 Mileage Plan miles. Alaska's mileage rate is competitive compared to other airlines operating this route.
Cheap American Airlines economy flights to the Caribbean
Not every redemption has to be flashy. On top of that, not every redemption needs to be a long-haul flight. Sometimes, the best redemptions are the ones that don't break the mileage bank.
A great example of a budget redemption could resemble an American Airlines flight between its Miami (MIA) hub and a handful of Caribbean destinations. On sub-700-mile flights, you'll redeem just 4,500 Mileage Plan miles per way in economy, or twice that for business class. You can fly from MIA to Cozumel (CZM), Cancun (CUN), Montego Bay (MBJ), and more for this low price.
Sometimes, the Caribbean can be an expensive place to fly to, so redeeming miles is an easy way to save on the out-of-pocket cost.
Building a Stash of Mileage Plan Miles
Alaska Airlines doesn't partner with many credit card rewards programs for transferring points, but that doesn't mean there aren't plenty of ways to earn Mileage Plan miles. Here are some ways to stockpile Alaska miles for your next redemption.
- Fly on Alaska Airlines or one of its many partners, such as American Airlines, Qatar Airways, and more.
- Earn a welcome bonus or spending on the Alaska Airlines Visa Signature® credit card or Alaska Airlines Visa® Business card.
- Use Alaska's shopping portal to earn miles on online purchases.
- Stay at one of Alaska's hotel partners like IHG, Choice, Best Western, and Marriott and electing to earn Mileage Plan miles instead of hotel points.
- Transferr Marriott Bonvoy points to Mileage Plan. You can build a hefty balance of Bonvoy points by applying for a Marriott co-branded credit card.
- Convert Bilt Rewards points to Mileage Plan miles at a 1:1 ratio.
- Buy Alaska miles outright — sometimes with a bonus or discount.
Alaska Airlines Visa Signature® credit card
How to Apply
Alaska Airlines Visa Signature® credit card
Annual Fee$95
Welcome BonusLIMITED TIME ONLINE OFFER - 60,000 Bonus Miles! Get 60,000 bonus miles plus Alaska's Famous Companion Fare™ ($99 fare plus taxes and fees from $23) with this offer. To qualify, make $3,000 or more in purchases within the first 90 days of opening your account.
The Alaska Airlines Visa Signature® credit card offers cardholders 3 miles per dollar on eligible Alaska Airlines purchases and 2 miles per dollar on everyday purchases like gas, local transit including ride share, cable, and select streaming services. Other benefits include Alaska’s Famous Companion Fare™ annually from $122 ($99 fare plus taxes and fees from $23) after spending $6K in the previous anniversary year, priority boarding, a free checked bag, a 10% reward bonus on miles for Bank of America account holders, and a $100 discount on Alaska Lounge+ Membership.
- Earn unlimited 3 miles for every $1 spent on eligible Alaska Airlines purchases
- Earn unlimited 2 miles for every $1 spent on eligible gas, EV charging stations, cable, streaming services and local transit (including ride share) purchases
- Earn unlimited 1 mile for every $1 spent on all other eligible purchases
Alaska Airlines Visa® Business card
Alaska Airlines Visa® Business card
Annual Fee$70 for the company and $25 per card
Welcome BonusGet 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 Alaska Airlines Visa® Business card earns 3X miles on eligible Alaska Airlines purchases and 1X miles on all other purchases. Cardholders benefit from an annual Companion Fare from $122 ($99 fare plus taxes and fees from $23) after spending $6K in the previous anniversary year, allowing a companion to travel with them on an Alaska Airlines flight for a reduced rate. Additionally, this card includes a free checked bag on Alaska flights for the cardholder and up to six other guests on the same reservation, offering considerable savings on travel expenses.
Related: Do Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan Miles Expire?
Final Thoughts
Despite an award chart shakeup, several reasons exist to collect Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan miles. The two main ones are fantastic value for your miles and an extensive number of sweet spots. You can't go wrong by earning Alaska miles, especially if you redeem them to see as much of the world as possible.
Share this:
AwardWallet Tip of The Day
Did you know that we keep all of our logos and banners neatly organized? If you ever need to grab AwardWallet creatives, simply right-click our logo on any page of AwardWallet. Show me how
Hide image
The comments on this page are not provided, reviewed, or otherwise approved by the bank advertiser. It is not the bank advertiser's responsibility to ensure all posts and/or questions are answered.
