Buy points : Earn up to 60% bonus when you purchase Alaska Mileage Plan miles

Until August 15, 2024, you can earn up to 60% bonus miles when you purchase Alaska Mileage Plan miles. This is a targeted offer: some members will have a lower bonus, for example 50% or 40%.

The normal annual mileage purchase limit is 150,000 miles (before bonus) per account per calendar year. The maximum is 100,000 miles per transaction.

For example, a purchase of 45,000 miles will cost you US$1,237.50. You’ll get 27,000 bonus miles, for a total of 72,000 miles.

Here are the bonuses awarded at different purchase levels:

The answer to that question is… yes.

In Canada, as of November 27, 2022, we no longer have the opportunity to have credit cards that directly earn Alaska Mileage Plan miles.

So buying Alaska Mileage Plan miles can be an interesting solution, but ONLY when you have a very specific goal in mind.

Personally, I value Alaska Mileage Plan miles at 1.8 US cents (2.4 Canadian cents). However, they can be used to much greater value.

The only other indirect way to earn Alaska Mileage Plan miles is to transfer your Marriott Bonvoy points to Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan.

The transfer rate is 3 Marriott Bonvoy points per 1 mile Alaska Mileage Plan. Plus, there’s a 5,000-mile bonus if the transfer is 60,000 Marriott Bonvoy points.

Alaska Airlines has joined the Oneworld alliance on March 31, 2021, which gives access to many new partners.

But since then, Alaska Airlines has changed its fare structure in December 2022. Miles to be redeemed for an airline ticket now depend on distance, departure area or demand.

This fare structure was then revised in March 2024 according to different geographical zones, and the limits on point redemption between certain geographical zones were removed, which is good news.

The Alaska Mileage Plan allows members to make a free stopover on one-way on most one-way awards.

For example, you can travel from Boston to Singapore with a few days stop in Tokyo for free.

Over the years, Alaska Airlines has diversified its partners, who may or may not be part of different airline alliances: Cathay Pacific, Fiji Airways, Qantas or Icelandair.

With the addition of Oneworld, there are over 20 airline partners with whom you will be able to use Alaska Mileage Plan miles.

Buying Alaska Mileage Plan miles can be interesting for some. It can be for a specific travel goal, or to top up a balance of Alaska Mileage Plan miles toward an airline ticket.

Especially since there is no other option to get them in Canada, except transferring Marriott Bonvoy points!