Alaska Airways Mileage Plan is a well-liked program for its nice offers on redemptions and frequent mileage gross sales.

With their present sale, you possibly can earn as much as 50% bonus miles in your buy. This sale is on for simply a short while, ending on 11:59pm PST on March 15, 2023, so you’ll want to capitalize on the supply earlier than then in the event you’re .

Purchase Alaska Miles with a 50% Bonus

Usually, Alaska Airways sells miles for two.75 US cents per mile, plus a 7.5% tax restoration charge, for a complete of two.96 US cents per mile. Fortunately, Alaska incessantly provides reductions on buying miles.

Alaska is understood for operating focused “thriller bonuses.” It appears one of the best obtainable supply is for as much as 50% bonus on bought miles, structured like so:

• 50% bonus if you purchase 30,000–100,000 miles
• 40% bonus if you purchase 10,000–29,000 miles
• 30% bonus if you purchase 3,000–9,000 miles

Log in along with your Mileage Plan account to see the precise breakdown of your bonus, as not all members are given one of the best obtainable supply.

With a 50% bonus, you may purchase 150,000 Alaska miles for $2,956.25 (USD) together with tax, at a price of 1.97 US cents per mile.

At our present valuation of 1.8 US cents per mile, that value is above our valuation, however might nonetheless characterize an whole lot in case you have a particular use in thoughts.

Traditionally, Alaska tends to supply bonuses within the 35% to 60% vary, though we’ve seen uncommon provides as excessive as 70%. This supply is within the center vary of the bonuses, so in case you have your sights set on an aspirational redemption, you’ll want to make the most of it in the event you stand to learn.

What number of miles can you purchase?

Except you could have elite standing with Alaska, every Mileage Plan member is proscribed to receiving 150,000 miles per calendar yr from mileage purchases, whether or not shopping for for your self or being gifted from another person.

This restrict solely applies to base miles, though there’s a restrict of 100,000 base miles per transaction. In the event you cut up your buy up into a number of transactions, you may purchase as much as 225,000 miles together with the 50% bonus, assuming you haven’t already purchased or been gifted Alaska miles this yr.

Which bank card do you have to use to purchase Alaska miles?

Mileage Plan sells miles by means of Factors.com. As you aren’t shopping for instantly from Alaska Airways, you received’t earn any bonus factors for utilizing an Alaska Airways bank card.

The acquisition received’t code as journey for the class accelerator both. As an alternative, you may think about any card with a excessive base earn price, or one the place you’re working in the direction of assembly the minimal spend requirement.

The acquisition might be charged in US {dollars}. To keep away from further prices, it is best to use a US bank card.

In the event you use a card with a Canadian billing tackle, you’ll be charged GST/HST on prime of the Tax Restoration Charge, so even in case you have a Canadian card with no international transaction charges, I’d suggest utilizing it solely as a final resort.

Who Ought to Purchase Alaska Miles?

Shopping for miles generally is a good solution to prime up your account in the event you’re eager to make a redemption quickly.

Reserving an Costly Aspirational Flight

In late 2022, Alaska Airways modified its award charts, shifting from separate pricing for every airline to having two charts: one for North American redemptions, and one for worldwide redemptions. Whereas the pricing for this system’s candy spots hasn’t modified, it has grow to be much less clear, because the charts all checklist “ranging from” costs as an alternative of mounted costs.

With that in thoughts, Alaska’s award chart continues to supply some spectacular charges on beautiful First Class cabins.

A couple of examples from Canada or the US embrace Cathay Pacific First Class for 70,000 miles one-way with a stopover in Hong Kong, or Japan Airways First Class for 70,000 miles one-way with a stopover in Tokyo.

In comparison with the exorbitant money costs, award tickets may be booked for completely wild worth. 70,000 Alaska miles at 1.97 US cents per mile is price $1,379 (USD). Evaluate this to a money value $14,121 (USD) for Japan Airways First Class, and also you’re trying on the dictionary definition of outsized rewards!

Seen one other approach, this redemption could be price 20.17 US cents per mile, over 11 instances the baseline worth of a mile – and that’s earlier than contemplating the choice of including a stopover for no further value.

At these charges, it might make sense to purchase miles in case you have a particular high-value redemption deliberate. Shopping for at round 1.97 cents per mile would possibly sound steep, however not if you’re assured that the worth will outstrip the price many instances over.

Even in the event you’re ranging from scratch and want to purchase all the miles required for this ticket, with a 50% promotion the price of the miles could be $1,379 (USD) together with charges – a really modest premium on prime of their baseline worth, and a no brainer in comparison with a income fare.

After all, this solely is smart if you could find award area. Though they are often booked on-line on the Alaska search engine, Japan Airways First Class awards may be robust to snag as they’re notoriously common.

I’d suggest making certain that you simply’ve lined up your seats earlier than pulling the set off on a factors buy. You must also affirm that the seats are certainly obtainable to be booked, and never simply “phantom” award area.

Fast High-Up for an Upcoming Redemption

In the event you’ve recognized an excellent alternative to redeem your Alaska miles at a worth you want, however your account is simply shy of the quantity you want, you could discover it palatable to pay above baseline worth to make up the distinction.

So long as you’re redeeming above the 1.97 US cents per mile value of shopping for with this promotion, you’ll come out forward.

Even in the event you redeem for much less, it could nonetheless be price it. In any case, your miles are ineffective in the event you don’t have sufficient to make the bookings you need. If the majority of your miles had been acquired at a really low value, you possibly can nonetheless get good worth on the common value of your miles, even with a slight premium for the immediate gratification of a modest mileage buy.

Ebook Earlier than the Award Chart Adjustments

On the finish of 2022, Alaska Airways launched a brand new “streamlined” award chart. Whereas there weren’t any substantial modifications to this system, the brand new chart leaves the door open for a transfer to dynamic pricing sooner or later sooner or later with all costs listed as “ranging from” versus being mounted.

Due to this fact, it could be prudent to make use of up your miles now. In any case, if any modifications to this system are unfavourable, then your miles might be price much less sooner or later than they’re immediately below the present award pricing.

In the event you’re near having sufficient Alaska miles for an aspirational redemption, maybe on Japan Airways First Class or Cathay Pacific First Class, shopping for miles to prime up your stability could also be a sensible choice. Simply you’ll want to search for award area earlier than doing so, after which act shortly to guide it when you’ve accomplished the acquisition.

Different Methods to Earn Alaska Miles

Earlier than speeding to purchase miles at a promotional price, I’d first look to different sources at decrease prices, in the event you don’t want the miles instantly to make a reserving.

Sadly, the Canadian MBNA Alaska Airways Credit cards had been discontinued as of November 7, 2022, leaving solely Marriott Bonvoy and alternatives within the US to amass Alaska miles cheaply.

US Credit score Playing cards by Financial institution of America

In case you have a social safety quantity or ITIN, you possibly can apply for Financial institution of America’s co-branded playing cards.

The Alaska Airways Visa Signature presently has a welcome bonus of 70,000 miles after spending $3,000 (USD) within the first three months. 

In the meantime, the Alaska Airways Visa Enterprise supply is at an astounding 70,000 miles upon spending $4,000 (USD) within the first three months.

Each playing cards have frequent credit equal to a first-year charge rebate and occasional elevated factors provides. In any other case, at an annual charge of $95 or $70, respectively, the price of buying factors is 0.14 US cents per mile for the Alaska Airways Visa Signature or 0.1 US cents per mile for the Alaska Airways Visa Enterprise.

Marriott Bonvoy

Marriott Bonvoy factors may be transferred to Alaska Mileage Plan at a 3:1 ratio, with a 5,000-mile bonus when transferred in chunks of 60,000 Bonvoy factors.

At our current valuation of 0.7 US cents per level, 60,000 Bonvoy factors are price $420 (USD). When transferred to Alaska Mileage Plan, that is equal to purchasing 25,000 miles at 1.68 US cents per mile.

That is nonetheless decrease than the baseline Alaska redemption worth of 1.8 US cents per mile, and cheaper than the promotional value to purchase miles outright. Relying in your Bonvoy stability and lodge redemption targets, you’ll must weigh whether or not it is a more sensible choice than paying money for Alaska miles.

Mileage Plan Purchasing

You may also flip to the Mileage Plan Purchasing portal for bonuses on on-line purchases at many common worldwide retailers starting from know-how to sportswear firms. Excessive bonuses can typically be discovered round huge buying days like Black Friday or Boxing Day.

In my expertise, miles often arrive inside two weeks, though many shops have restrictions for purchases exterior of the US.

Earlier Promotions

As you weigh whether or not this promotion is an effective alternative so that you can meet your journey targets, right here’s a snapshot of Alaska Mileage Plan’s earlier provides on mileage gross sales, overlaying all promotions through the previous yr:

Conclusion

Alaska Mileage Plan’s 50% bonus promotion on miles purchases is a superb alternative to push your stability over the hump for a dream journey. Ensure to take benefit within the coming days earlier than March 15, 2023 to maximise this supply.

Alaska miles can unlock a few of the most coveted flying experiences within the recreation, so you’ll want to make the most of this supply and burn up your miles earlier than any potential additional modifications happen. With Japan and Hong Kong open to the world as soon as once more, now’s nearly as good of a time as any to guide your journey.