DEAL: Buy Alaska Air miles with a 50% bonus (1.97 cents/mile) until June 26

Alaska Air (Source)

Buying points strategically can often provide good value, and Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan is one of my favorite programs to purchase miles from. This is due to both the frequency of their mile sales and the excellent deals available for award redemptions.

Alaska Mileage Plan has just launched its latest promotion on purchased miles, which has the potential to be a good deal.

In this post:

• Promotion on purchased Alaska Mileage Plan miles

• Cost of buying Alaska Mileage Plan miles

• Purchasing limits for Mileage Plan miles

• Best credit card for buying Mileage Plan miles

• Is it worth buying Alaska Mileage Plan miles?

• Partner airlines for redeeming Mileage Plan miles

• Optimal uses of Mileage Plan miles

• Tip: Take advantage of Alaska’s stopover policy

• Fuel surcharges on Mileage Plan awards

• Value of Alaska Mileage Plan miles

• Expiration of Mileage Plan miles

• Other ways to earn Mileage Plan miles

• Bottom line

Promotion on purchased Alaska Mileage Plan miles

Through Wednesday, June 26, 2024, the Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan program is offering a bonus on purchased miles. Different members may be targeted for different offers, but accounts I manage show a bonus of up to 50%. Log into your account to see your eligibility. The bonus structure is as follows:

• Buy 3,000-14,000 miles, get a 30% bonus

• Buy 15,000-29,000 miles, get a 40% bonus

• Buy 30,000-100,000 miles, get a 50% bonus

Cost of buying Alaska Mileage Plan miles

Typically, Alaska Mileage Plan miles cost 2.75 cents each before any discounts or bonuses. With a 50% bonus, purchasing 100,000 miles would yield 150,000 miles at a cost of $2,956.25, or 1.97 cents per mile.

Purchasing limits for Mileage Plan miles

• Elite members (MVP, MVP Gold, MVP Gold 75K, and MVP Gold 100K) can purchase unlimited miles.

• Non-elite members can purchase up to 150,000 miles per calendar year, not including bonus miles.

• All members are limited to buying 100,000 miles per transaction (pre-bonus) but can make multiple transactions. Purchases are allowed if you've been a Mileage Plan member for at least 10 days.

Is it worth buying Alaska Mileage Plan miles?

Recent changes to the Alaska Mileage Plan program introduced new zone and distance-based award pricing. Despite these changes, the program still offers:

• Attractive award redemption rates for short distances

• A unique array of airline partners, including oneworld alliance members and several non-oneworld partners

• Stopovers on award tickets, stretching your miles further

• Reasonable mile prices and the ability to purchase in large quantities

Partner airlines for redeeming Mileage Plan miles

You can redeem Alaska Mileage Plan miles on the following partners:

• 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

• Malaysia Airlines

• Qantas

• Qatar Airways

• Royal Air Maroc

• Royal Jordanian

• Singapore Airlines

• SriLankan Airlines

• Starlux Airlines

Optimal uses of Mileage Plan miles

With recent changes, the program now offers great value for short-haul awards in all cabins. Mileage Plan is competitive with programs like British Airways Executive Club, offering lucrative distance-based pricing.

Book JAL’s stunning new First Class with Alaskan miles (Source)

Tip: Take advantage of Alaska’s stopover policy

Alaska Mileage Plan allows a stopover on a partner award ticket without extra miles, even on one-way tickets. This can effectively provide two stopovers on a roundtrip award, a benefit most programs no longer offer. Note that stopovers aren’t allowed for travel solely within Asia.

Fuel surcharges on Mileage Plan awards

While many programs add surcharges, most Mileage Plan partners do not. Exceptions include British Airways, Hainan Airlines, and Icelandair, which do have surcharges.

Value of Alaska Mileage Plan miles

OMAAT values Alaska Mileage Plan miles at ~1.5 cents each, among the highest for any airline mileage currency. There are many ways to get more value from these miles, especially with premium cabin awards on airlines like Cathay Pacific, Japan Airlines, and Qantas.

Expiration of Mileage Plan miles

Mileage Plan miles don’t expire as long as there is some account activity at least once every 24 months, such as earning or redeeming miles.

Other ways to earn Mileage Plan miles

You can earn Alaska Mileage Plan miles through flying and non-flying means. The easiest way is with co-branded credit cards:

• Alaska Airlines Visa® Business card

• Alaska Airlines Visa Signature® credit card

Both offer great welcome bonuses and other perks. Additionally, Alaska Mileage Plan partners with Bilt Rewards, allowing points from the Bilt Mastercard® to be transferred to Alaska Mileage Plan.

Bottom line

Alaska Mileage Plan is one of the most lucrative programs to buy miles from, thanks to excellent redemption rates, stopovers on one-way awards, and a variety of partners. The current bonus offer allows you to purchase miles for under two cents each. Evaluate your specific needs before purchasing, and consider waiting for a higher bonus if you have no immediate use in mind.