To the point
You can buy Alaska Mileage Plan miles with a bonus for a limited time: a great way to save money on some flights.
Through September 15, 2022, you can earn up to 60% bonus miles when buying Alaska Mileage Plan miles.
The maximum number of miles you can buy per transaction is 100,000 pre-bonus, and you can purchase a total of up to 150,000 miles per calendar year.
For example, if you wish to buy 100,000 Alaska Mileage Plan miles, it will cost you US$2,956.25. You will get 60,000 bonus miles or 160,000 miles in total.
The transaction to buy points is in US dollars.
We recommend that you use a credit card that does not charge a FX fee like:
- HSBC World Elite® Mastercard®
- Scotiabank Passport™ Visa Infinite* Card
- Scotiabank Gold American Express® Card
- Scotiabank Platinum American Express® Card
You will save 2.5% in fees with this points purchase!
Is it worth buying Alaska Mileage Plan miles?
The answer to this question is yes and no.
In Canada, we are fortunate to have Alaska Mileage Plan credit cards to earn miles.
Quebec residents cannot – theoretically – earn the welcome bonus. 😉
Beyond the Alaska Mileage Plan miles earned with these credit cards, buying Alaska Mileage Plan miles can be an interesting solution Only when you have a particular goal in mind.
I value Alaska Mileage Plan miles at 1.8 US cents (or 2.4 Canadian cents), although they can be used at a much higher value.
As part of this promotion, you can buy Alaska Mileage Plan miles for 1.85 US cents per mile.
Alaska Mileage Plan program perks
Alaska Airlines has joined the Oneworld alliance on March 31, 2021, which gives access to many new partners.
The airline has not yet changed its fare structure as a result.
Free Stopover On One-Way Awards
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.
Many partners
Over the years, Alaska Airlines has diversified its partners within and outside airline alliances: Cathay Pacific, Emirates, Fiji Airways, Hainan and Icelandair, to name a few.
With the addition of Oneworld, there are over 20 airline partners with whom you will be able to use Alaska Mileage Plan miles. However, some partners will gradually withdraw from the partnership with Alaska such as Emirates on July 31, 2021.
Alaska Mileage Plan Sweetspots
Here are the best known sweetspots for the Alaska Mileage Plan. Don’t forget that you can get a free stopover on a one-way award:
- Cathay Pacific first class from North America to Asia for 70,000 miles
- Japan Airlines First Class from North America to Asia for 70,000 miles
- Cathay Pacific Business Class from North America to Australia for 60,000 miles
- Fiji Airways Business Class from North America to Australia / New Zealand for 55,000 miles
- Icelandair Business Class from North America to Europe for 55,000 miles
For example, if you buy 70,000 Alaska Mileage Plan miles for US$1,260, you could get a one-way first-class flight with Cathay Pacific or Japan Airlines to Asia. And you could add a free stopover along the way!
Compare this to the cash fare for the same type of flight:
Conclusion
Therefore, buying Alaska Miles can be interesting for some, whether with a specific travel goal and/or to top up an Alaska Mileage Plan balance to get a free flight.
Audrey did this to complete a balance of miles to book her First Class flight with Emirates (this option disappeared on March 31, 2021, and Emirates is no longer a partner since July 31, 2021).
Come to discuss that topic in our Facebook Group!
