With 2025 shortly approaching, now could be the proper time to verify your Alaska Airways Mileage Plan frequent flyer mileage steadiness, calculate your journey earnings for the rest of the 12 months and pinpoint which elite standing tier you’ll qualify for earlier than Dec. 31, 2024.
In the event you assume you may not hit your aim earlier than the cutoff, the excellent news is that there is nonetheless time to earn elite qualifying miles earlier than the top of 2024. Plus, with the latest acquisition of Hawaiian Airways, incomes elite standing with Alaska Airways could also be on the forefront of your thoughts.
Here’s what you’ll want to learn about Alaska’s MVP program, together with qualification necessities, tier advantages and last-minute methods for incomes elite standing with Alaska Airways.
Associated: Alaska Airways Mileage Plan: How you can earn and redeem miles
What are Alaska Airways’ elite standing tier necessities?
Alaska Airways has 4 revealed elite standing tiers, which Mileage Plan members can qualify for every calendar 12 months by incomes elite qualifying miles by means of flying on Alaska, Oneworld and international companion flights and spending on cobranded bank cards.
Moreover, in contrast to with different carriers akin to United Airways, there isn’t any minimal variety of segments that Mileage Plan members must take every calendar 12 months on Alaska-operated flights to safe elite standing.
This is a take a look at the MVP standing tier necessities:
| Standing tier | Elite qualifying miles |
|---|---|
| MVP | 20,000 |
| MVP Gold | 40,000 |
| MVP Gold 75K | 75,000 |
| MVP Gold 100K | 100,000 |
To be taught extra about the advantages of every MVP standing tier, try our full information to Alaska Airways elite standing.
Associated: Of venture on Alaska miles — why I utilized for two Hawaiian Airways playing cards on the identical day
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Final-minute Alaska Airways elite status-earning methods
Listed below are just a few methods to rack up extra elite qualifying miles to cross the end line to your required elite standing tier earlier than time runs out.
Maximize your itinerary to earn elite qualifying miles
Alaska’s beneficiant same-day flight change coverage permits you to request a same-day confirmed flight change at any time in the course of the check-in window. Your new flight should depart on the identical calendar day as the unique departure, however you may change your route to incorporate further layovers.
That is helpful as a result of you’ll earn extra elite qualifying miles on longer routes. For instance, as an alternative of flying nonstop from Ronald Reagan Washington Nationwide Airport (DCA) to Los Angeles Worldwide Airport (LAX) and incomes 2,311 EQMs, you might fly from DCA to Seattle-Tacoma Worldwide Airport (SEA) after which fly to LAX for 3,282 EQMs.
Observe that altering your same-day flight will price between $25 and $50. Nevertheless, when you have MVP Gold standing or increased, you’ll obtain complimentary same-day flight adjustments.
Alaska Airways cobranded bank card spending
Alaska Airways has two cobranded bank cards with Financial institution of America: a private card and a enterprise card. Apart from incomes Alaska miles on on a regular basis spending, cardholders can earn 4,000 EQMs for each $10,000 spent in 2024 (as much as 20,000 EQMs complete).
This implies you might earn base-level MVP standing purely by means of bank card spending. And if you’re trying to attain the next standing degree however wouldn’t have journey plans, you might earn 20% of the EQMs required for top-tier MVP Gold 100K standing with out stepping foot on a aircraft.
The Alaska cobranded playing cards are presently providing the next welcome bonuses:
Observe that beginning Jan. 1, 2025, Alaska cardholders will earn 1 EQM for each $3 spent on certified purchases (as much as 30,000 EQMs annually). So, in the event you spend $60,000 in a calendar 12 months in your private or enterprise Alaska card, you’ll earn 20,000 EQMs, which suggests you will have certified for MVP standing simply by means of bank card spending.
Associated: Alaska Airways unveils 4 main adjustments to MVP elite standing
Alaska Airways standing match problem
In the event you do not have already got elite standing with Alaska however do have elite standing with one other airline, an airline standing match could be your best choice for attaining elite standing shortly. In the event you qualify, you will obtain non permanent standing with Alaska based mostly in your present tier with a competitor.
Alaska has a full checklist of its standing match companions on its web site.
Then, to maintain your Alaska standing after the promotional 90-day interval, you will must fly the next variety of miles on flights marketed and operated by Alaska Airways:
- MVP: 5,000 miles
- MVP Gold: 10,000 miles
- MVP Gold 75K: 20,000 miles
Plus, following the Alaska and Hawaiian Airways merger, loyalty program members can take pleasure in reciprocal elite standing advantages from each carriers.
| You probably have | You may be matched to |
|---|---|
| Alaska Airways Mileage Plan MVP standing | HawaiianMiles Pualani Gold standing |
| Alaska Airways Mileage Plan MVP Gold, MVP Gold 75K or MVP Gold 100K standing | HawaiianMiles Pualani Platinum standing |
| HawaiianMiles Pualani Gold standing | Alaska Airways Mileage Plan MVP standing |
| HawaiianMiles Pualani Platinum standing | Alaska Airways Mileage Plan MVP Gold standing |
In the event you do not maintain elite standing with both airline, the loyalty packages are permitting members to mix their elite qualifying miles from each packages to assist safe standing for 2025.
| Mixed EQM steadiness | Standing you will get with Mileage Plan | Standing you will get with HawaiianMiles |
|---|---|---|
| 20,000 EQMs | MVP | Pualani Gold |
| 40,000 EQMs | MVP Gold | Pualani Platinum |
| 75,000 EQMs | MVP Gold 75K | Pualani Platinum |
| 100,000 EQMs | MVP Gold 100K | Pualani Platinum |
Associated: Full information to airline standing matches and challenges
Alaska’s elite go away for brand spanking new mother and father
Are you working behind on elite standing due to a brand new bundle of pleasure that is curtailed your journey plans these days? Alaska Airways has an “elite go away” coverage for brand spanking new mother and father, permitting vacationers to increase elite standing for an additional 12 months throughout their pregnancies or parental leaves.
To make the most of this profit, you need to e mail the airline as soon as you come back along with your full title, date of start, Mileage Plan quantity, and proof of being pregnant or parental go away, akin to a be aware out of your physician or employer. If accepted, the airline will presume you’ll have certified for elite standing within the 12 months your parental go away ends and can lengthen it by means of the next 12 months.
Alaska Airways mileage run eventualities
Since incomes EQMs will not be tied to a selected greenback quantity, Mileage Plan members can earn elite standing with the airline by reserving low cost financial system tickets on Alaska or its companions.
In the event you’re just some thousand miles wanting qualifying for elite standing earlier than the brand new 12 months, listed below are just a few flight route concepts to contemplate:
1,000 EQMs quick: Alaska is beneficiant in that, whether or not you will have elite standing or not, you may earn a minimal of 500 EQMs on flights shorter than 500 miles — besides with tickets booked within the X Saver fare class, which is able to solely earn 30% EQMs.
For instance, you may spend $216 and some hours flying on a Predominant Cabin fare between SEA and Spokane Worldwide Airport (GEG) for 1,000 EQMs on a Saturday.
For a similar 1,000 EQMs, you may as well spend about $171 to fly from San Francisco Worldwide Airport (SFO) to Las Vegas’ Harry Reid Worldwide Airport (LAS) for a protracted weekend.
Associated: Qualify for elite standing earlier than the top of the 12 months: Final-minute home flights you may guide
5,000 EQMs quick: The simplest method to fill this hole is to hunt low-cost transcontinental flights from the West Coast to the East Coast. These routes will probably be dearer than short-haul flights, however costs are normally affordable sufficient to justify a fast journey to maintain elite standing.
This is a mid-December flight from San Francisco to Newark for about $336 with a Predominant Cabin fare, providing you with a complete of 5,116 EQMs earned. Bear in mind, in the event you booked a Saver flight, you’ll solely obtain 30% of the bottom miles.
10,000-plus EQMs quick: In the event you’re properly wanting your aim — and that is most likely most relevant to these taking pictures for MVP Gold 75K standing or above — you continue to would possibly be capable of earn 10,000 and even 20,000 EQMs this 12 months.
The best method could be to guide two back-to-back transcontinental flights (like within the above instance) since you might full every in a day or two and find yourself with round 10,000 EQMs. However that is numerous time flying in narrow-body jets to locations you will have already visited.
Since you may earn further EQMs when buying the next fare class, contemplate reserving a premium financial system seat.
Take a look at Alaska’s 2024 incomes chart beneath.
If you wish to shortly earn numerous EQMs at one time, contemplate flying with one in all Alaska’s many airline companions on an affordable long-haul flight. Simply know you will most likely be flying intercontinental, so contemplate making a trip of it.
Nevertheless, you’ll want to pay particular consideration to the incomes charges on airline companions for the reason that variety of miles earned varies by companion and fare class. Test your fare class and the companion web page for the working service to calculate what number of EQMs you will obtain from a companion flight.
Sadly, it is price noting that airfares to Asia are excessive proper now, even if you’re connecting. So, you could be greater than $2,000 for a premium financial system ticket on a companion airline from the West Coast of the U.S. to Asia or Australia. It is advisable contemplate whether or not the advantages you’ll obtain from reaching Alaska Airways MVP standing are definitely worth the financial funding.
Associated: The most effective bank cards for reserving flights
Backside line
Although the 12 months ends in lower than two months, there’s nonetheless time to lock in your Alaska Airways Mileage Plan MVP elite standing for 2025 so you may benefit from the perks and advantages.
It is best to first assess your present scenario in pursuit of elite standing after which resolve which technique will provide help to obtain your aim.
