Need to top off your Alaska Airlines mileage account in order to “Whisk yourself away on a dream vacay”? Alaska’s marketing may sound hokey, but hey, the alliteration is good, and this bonus is one of the few that makes buying miles a worthwhile proposition.
Alaska’s Mileage Plan has indeed provided me with the start to many wonderful journeys! There are incredible sweetspots in the Alaska reward chart (Cathay Pacific first class for 70,000 miles… hello!) We all have our favorite airlines and miles programs, and I’m a big fan of Alaska Airlines. I can never have too many Alaska miles.
Alaska is currently offering up to a 40% bonus on purchased miles, but the deal ends tomorrow. The bonus brings the purchase cost down to 2.1 cents per mile, which can be a bargain if you’re using the miles to book first class or business class seats that cost significantly more in cash.
Valuing Alaska Miles for Award Flights
I like that Alaska isn’t a part of an airline alliance. Instead, they have a long list of airline partners, including some of the most luxurious in the world.
My two favorite Alaska Airlines partners are Cathay Pacific and Japan Airlines. I recently had my Juicy Miles award booking team book me on Cathay Pacific Business Class to Asia.
Cathay Pacific Business Class on A350. Photo courtesy of Cathay Pacific.
My first time flying Cathay Pacific was back in 2012, and even after all these years and having flown many different airlines, I’m still a huge Cathay Pacific fan. I have an award ticket for a Japan Airlines flight booked using Alaska miles, so I’m really looking forward to experiencing JAL’s top-notch business class seats.
I’m looking forward to my fully-flat beds and getting a great night’s sleep on my JAL Apex Suite bed that I booked with 50,000 Alaska Airlines miles! Image by Japan Airlines.
Lets consider the value this booking offers. At 60,000 Alaska Miles oneway, or 120,000 Alaska Miles round-trip, purchasing all the miles needed to book this Japan Airlines flight would cost about $2,600 round-trip. To compare, the cheapest round-trip flights this summer in business class are selling for nearly twice as much.
Alaska Miles Stopovers Increase Their Value Even More
Alaska allows you to book a stopover on award tickets. That’s true even on a one-way award ticket! For example, say you were going from the US to Bangkok. You could use your Alaska miles on their partner Cathay Pacific and stopover in Hong Kong for a couple of days and then head on to Bangkok. This is just one example. Why not enjoy more destinations for the same award price, right?
I’d never recommend buying points speculatively, but price it out and see if the math makes sense for you. You need to buy a minimum of 40k miles to receive the 40% bonus.
- Buy 10,000-19,000 miles, earn a 20% bonus.
- Buy 20,000-39,000 miles, earn a 30% bonus.
- Buy 40,000+ miles, earn a 40% bonus.
Unlike other airlines, Alaska does not limit the total amount of miles you can purchase per year, only the total, (40,000 miles) you can buy in one transaction. The 40% bonus offer ends on July 13, 2018. If you’re interested in purchasing Alaska miles, you can go here for your 40% bonus. Where’s your next Alaska Airlines mileage award ticket taking you?
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