For a one-way upgrade, youll need 40,000 miles. I was able to select these seats for both of us on the same reservation at booking, as an AA EXP. Here's the full list of airlines Alaska partners with: The key to stretching your miles is to get familiar with the award charts to see the airlines with flights to the destinations you want to visit. If youre a part of Alaskas rewards program or have one of their credit cards, you can upgrade your ticket to first class for 15,000 miles. WebMileage Plan members of all tier levels will earn an additional 1,000 bonus miles for enrolling in CLEAR Plus for the first time at the $179 rate during the limited time offer period of 6/21-7/16/2023. You'll also be eligible to receive an additional 1,250 miles per year when you renew your Clear membership while it's linked to your Mileage Plan. Malaysia Airlines. You just can't use them along with Saver fares; maximum discount limits apply. That means your bonus of 10,000 miles is worth about $180. So we can't confirm these awards are still bookable for 70,000 Alaska miles each way. As an Alaska Airlines elite member, youll earn 50% to 150% in bonus miles. (ahh - remove "since" from this clause "I (along with other FTers) have had pretty good success ^^since^^ on numerous occasions dating back to early 2022 . Mileage upgrades are booked in "U" Class and are For an explanation of our Advertising Policy, visit. But we did find one-way business class awards on Cathay Pacific bookable for 50,000 miles plus minimal taxes and fees. I was able to select exit row which is what I wanted. Hope that hasnt changed! Upgrade with miles WebTop off your Mileage Plan balance for faster awards and adventures near and far. We recently made a notable change: The upgrade list now shows all guests who are eligible for upgrades not just those who have checked in. Flights with available upgrade seats are designated with a "U" next to the fare. While Alaska is changing three elements of the waitlist process, the airline isn't (currently) making any other adjustments. If you've banked a significant number of Alaska miles, then it pays to know how to make the most of them. I finally got Alaska to remove my AA number and put it back in. If upgrade space is available on your flight and you book one of these fare classes, youll be upgraded immediately. Alaska We may receive compensation when you click on links to those products. Alaska Airlines is making 3 big changes to the upgrade process Talk about being petty @ Chase -- Thanks for the heads up, updated the post to remove the reference to no companion upgrades. You can redeem Alaska Mileage Plan miles on Oneworld partner airlines, including Oneworld connect airline Fiji Airways. Outside of banner ads published through the Boarding Area network, this compensation does not impact how and where products appear on this site. Check out Alaska's Everyday partners page for more details. MVP Gold 75K and 100K members are eligible for space-available complimentary business or first-class upgrades on American Airlines in the U.S. and between the U.S. and Canada, Mexico, the Bahamas, the Caribbean, Bermuda and Central America, with confirmation as early as 72 hours before departure if seats are available. As youd expect, there are some restrictions associated with this: Note that American AAdvantage elite members arent eligible for first class upgrades when booking Saver fares (in the X fare class). What's the reasoning behind not being able to choose MCE also for a companion? Alaska's removal of partner-specific award charts may be a precursor to removing some of the best partner sweet spots. Our EQMs are accrued based on the distance you fly and any class of service bonuses. The best way to maximize your miles is to use the Alaska Airlines Visa credit card to pay for your stay. To become a member of Alaska Airlines' Mileage Plan, you can simply sign up online at Alaska Airlines' website for free. The airline confirmed that the following changes apply to both first-class and Premium-class (extra-legroom seats) upgrades. Weve seen bonuses up to 60% recently, dropping the cost of miles to 1.85 cents apiece. I do hope the recent FT reports of advance upgrades indicate a new system upgrade that can process AA elite companion upgrades at the appropriate window. After signing up, you'll get $10 off the yearly Clear Plus membership. All Mileage Plan members who enroll in CLEAR Plus for the first time can get an additional 1,000 miles. Finally, you can find Alaskas upgrade inventory using tools like ExpertFlyer. Mileage upgrades to For instance, if an MVP Gold 75K member purchased a full-fare Y-class ticket 12 hours before a flight, they previously would have been below any 75K members who were on the waitlist even though they purchased the most expensive coach fare. This may influence which products we review and write about (and where those products appear on the site), but it in no way affects our recommendations or advice, which are grounded in thousands of hours of research. The Alaska Airlines deal will offer a discounted rate for membership, which is typically $189 per year for an individual. Explore Mileage Plan Alaska Airlines This is different from AA where the limitation does not apply. Qantas. Earn miles; Use miles; Award charts; Deals; Mileage Plan? Trick To Upgrading Emirates Flights With Miles Alaska Airlines Credit Card review: Well worth $75 a year, Other ways to use your Alaska Airlines miles, You want a travel credit card that prioritizes whats important to you. AAdvantage status benefits on Alaska Airlines - American Airlines If youre an elite status member, youll get unlimited complimentary first class upgrades when space is available. Upgrade with miles Youll be prioritized after American Airlines Platinum Pro members. Clear Plus offers quicker access through security at 52 airports throughout the United States. Use your AAdvantage miles to upgrade on flights marketed and operated by American Airlines or American Eagle for yourself or anyone you designate. Earn and use miles. Alaska Can I still get premium seats? When you can select these seats depends on your status: These premium seats can be selected directly on aa.com, either during the booking process, or after booking. As an Alaska Mileage Plan member, earn miles when you fly with Cathay Pacific, as well as all other one world Alliance member airlines. Rating In this post I wanted to take a look at the current state of reciprocal upgrades between the airlines, given that this partnership has evolved over time. @ Tony -- Interesting, thanks for the heads up, as this seems to contradict what American writes in the terms. When you call Alaska Airlines reservations at 1-800-252-7522, you can upgrade from economy to first class using your miles. When shopping at alaskaair.com, select "Mileage" from the Upgrade fare type selections, under Filter Results, and you'll only be shown fares that qualify for an upgrade. Everyone will get 1,000 bonus miles when signing up before July 16, 2023. Elite members who already have CLEAR can get 1,250 miles annually upon renewal. One of the absolute stupidest things about AS is not applying the One of the absolute stupidest things about AS is not applying the elite baggage allowance to companions booked in the same reservation, whether AA or OneWorld. All elites enjoy free bags and priority boarding. Get a first-class upgrade for Alaska flights. And as an additional bonus, anyone who signs up for Clear Plus through Alaska Airlines' Mileage Plan before July 16, will get an additional 1,000 bonus miles. I was not, it seems to be targeted. The airline is also changing the waitlist prioritization on the day of departure. When I booked us on Alaska Air flights last year we were both automatically upgraded to premium economy at booking (even when we used an Alaska Airline credit card companion certificate). Booking JAL Mileage Plan awards is now easy because of Alaska Airlines online award search function. Any elite Mileage Plan members (MVP, MVP Gold, MVP Gold 75K and MVP Gold 100K) will also get 1,500 bonus miles when signing up. As a Mileage Plan elite, youll enjoy added benefits when flying on American Airlines on top of your oneworld Priority privileges: Our guests love our Lounges. Alaska limits the first class cabin to one pet and requires confirmation of "pet space" prior to upgrading (or selling) a ticket there. How many miles to upgrade to Alaska Airlines first class? In other words, 60,000 points will get you 25,000 Alaska Airlines miles. One other note on Alaska upgrades that was new to me as an AA elite - travelling with a pet in cabin precludes one from the automatic upgrade list. If you want to make your next trip with Alaska Airlines more comfortable, you can use your miles to upgrade to a first-class fare. Another way to extend the value of your Alaska miles is by booking a free stopover. Web2 Mileage upgrades are valid on flights operated by Alaska Airlines and by SkyWest operating on behalf of Alaska Airlines. This information may be different than what you see when you visit a financial institution, service provider or specific products site. Alaska Airlines Elite bonus miles range from 50% of base miles to 150% of base miles depending on your tier. Request a free stopover. Elite bonus miles dont count as elite qualifying miles or toward tier requalification. Both allow 3 bags each for EXP & PPro. MVP status is earned after just 20,000 elite-qualifying miles (EQMs) with Alaska or its partners or 30 eligible segments and no spending requirement. Complimentary Elite Upgrades WebDOMINATED The competition 1 Get a head start on your bucket list. Web2 Mileage upgrades are valid on flights operated by Alaska Airlines and by SkyWest operating on behalf of Alaska Airlines. This is a welcome change for everyone, as you'll no longer have a situation where you see yourself as No. As the name suggests, upgrading with miles involves redeeming your frequent flyer miles to upgrade your ticket to the next service class. Passengers traveling on a paid first-class ticket or a first-class award ticket can access Alaska lounges (but not partner lounges) on the day of their flight. Another way to extend the value of your Alaska miles is by booking a free stopover. See flight tracker maps, pre-order food, upgrade your seat, view waitlists, What airline fare classes tell you about your ticket, continue to enjoy space-available first-class upgrades, getting upgraded on Alaska Airlines flights, Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information. This will make it much easier to ascertain where you and your companion are ranked on the upgrade list. But you could also redeem just 50,000 Alaska miles plus $19 for a business-class award on Cathay Pacific. Then you can select the award type. If you want to earn Alaska miles on your hotel stays, you can book through Alaska Airlines Hotels to earn up to 10,000 miles per night. Mary Flory leads NerdWallet's growing team of assigning editors at large. Would be nice if Alaska just follows suit with 70lbs per bag for the sake of consistency. As youd expect, there are some restrictions associated with this: Note that Alaska MVP Gold 100K and MVP Gold 75K members now also receive confirmed upgrade instruments on American, which are valid for long haul flights. Alaska Airlines' Mileage Plan is one of the, around, with plenty of ways to earn miles. I have no status with my AA number. You should aim to get this value or higher when you redeem your miles. For international partner award bookings. Get more smart money moves straight to your inbox. But you can also earn Alaska miles on most flights operated or marketed by Alaska's partners. Members are now eligible for upgrades whether the flight was booked with us or on American Airlines. All financial products, shopping products and services are presented without warranty. If you find discrepancies with your credit score or information from your credit report, please contact TransUnion directly. She's a contributor at several financial publications, including U.S. News & World Report. Its an amazing way to rack up EQMs and get you to elite status faster. Or you could sign-up for the Alaska Airlines Visa Business card, which currently offers a sign-up bonus of 50,000 bonus miles plus a $100 statement credit plus Alaska's Famous Companion Fare; from $122 ($99 fare plus taxes and fees from $23) with this offer. You also can use your Alaska miles to upgrade paid tickets to first class, but I dont recommend it. Booking with American requires 22,500 miles. When you can select these seats depends on your status and the type of fare you book: These premium seats can be selected directly on alaskaair.com, shortly after ticketing a reservation. Alaskas upgrade waitlist will now also display all eligible companions next to the elite they are traveling with. (Photo by Tayfun CoSkun/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images). 2022 Mileage Runs - 20K Away From 75K - FlyerTalk Forums As long as your eligible Alaska Mileage Plan is attached to the reservation, you should automatically see the option to select these seats. Alaska miles Hopefully you can get premium seats after that. This compensation may impact how and where products appear on this site (including, for example, the order in which they appear). Redeem 15,000 miles to upgrade eligible Alaska flights to First Class. I didnt think that class eligible for instant upgrade to Premium seats but that flight and all others on the itinerariy automatically assigned me seats in Premium cabin at no extra charge. And some partners only provide miles for rentals in select countries. Elites will continue to enjoy complimentary space-available upgrades, beginning as early as 120 hours before departure for top-tier MVP Gold 100K and 75K members. In early 2021, Alaska Airlines joined the oneworld alliance, which was a major development for the Seattle-based airline. Find the right card for you. From there, you can compare which one will offer the most value. One partnership hole that has caught me out a few times - AA EXP flying an AA operated / Alaska Airlines marketed codeshare. Flight awards as low as 7,500 miles one-way for travel within Hawaii, or 20,000 miles between Hawaii and the West Coast. oneworld Sapphire and Emerald members can also access partner lounges when traveling internationally. Hopefully this whole companion upgrade thing will be seamless and automated soon enough. Upgrade your Alaska Airlines flight to first class for 15,000 miles and get a *Qualifying Alaska Airlines flights include AS001-1999, AS2000-2999 (operated by Horizon Air), and AS3300-3499 (operated by SkyWest). Many or all of the products featured here are from our partners who compensate us. If you find discrepancies with your credit score or information from your credit report, please contact TransUnion directly. If a flight has upgrade inventory available, any Mileage Plan member can use miles to upgrade their ticket. Were here to change that, especially as many of us are travelling more. And that's before factoring in the 50% bonus EQMs you'll earn on Alaska flights through June 30, 2021. Alaska You can also redeem your Alaska Airlines miles for: While these options are nice if you want more flexibility, overall, your best bet for making miles count is using them for flights, hotels, first-class upgrades or stopovers. Since EQMs vary by the type of fare you book, certain fare classes such as First Class earn even more. I'm not eligible for an upgrade on the flight due to not being marketed by AA, whereas an Alaska 100K booked on the same ticket is. Use your AAdvantage miles to upgrade on American Airlines, British Airways and Iberia flights for yourself or anyone you designate.*. And while our site doesnt feature every company or financial product available on the market, were proud that the guidance we offer, the information we provide and the tools we create are objective, independent, straightforward and free. Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window), Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window), Click to share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window), added benefits when flying on American Airlines, If you reached Million Miler or Two Million Miler with us (this is a new addition), The final tiebreaker, when all of the above is equal, is the date and time youre added to the waitlist. You can even share them with family and friends if you like. It lets you book one Alaska If you have elite status with us, you automatically have Priority tier privileges with the oneworld Alliance, a group of the worlds leading airlines with connections to more than 900 destinations in 170 territories. Alaska Airlines Mileage American AAdvantage Concierge Key, Executive Platinum, Platinum Pro, Platinum, and Gold members, are eligible for upgrades to Alaskas first class. Flights taken on or after March 31, 2021. Before Alaska removed its Cathay Pacific award chart, we knew one-way awards on Cathay Pacific from the U.S. to Asia were 50,000 miles in business class and 70,000 miles in first class. However, this does not influence our evaluations. Alaska Alaska Airlines miles aren't as easy to earn as other programs since Marriott Bonvoy is the only major transferrable currency you can transfer into the program. All our elites get a $100 discount. To apply the value of an unused ticket towards a new reservation, use your e-ticket number. Normally flying to/from SAN, where AS might be my only nonstop anyways, I have always (except once) gotten upgraded to F (usually shortly after check in), and I way prefer AS F to AA F, as I believe the legroom is a bit bigger, the seats are comfier, the food is actually decent most of the team (no disgusting turkey sandwiches), and the As an AA EXP, I personally always prefer flying AS when possible. Best Ways to Upgrade to Business Note that Alaska Mileage Plan elite members arent eligible for Main Cabin Extra seating when booking basic economy fares. Nashville tried to make me pay but finally decided I did not have to. Improve earnings, maximize rewards and track progress toward dream trips. Be flexible. While the majority of the changes are good news across the board, one is a little bit more complicated. Can confirm Tony's comment. Mileage Plan airline miles award charts - Alaska Airlines Its pretty meager but every 1,000 counts. Alaska Airlines has a program called Miles for Upgrade. This program allows Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan members to use their miles to upgrade to first class. However, at least for now, we're still seeing many of our favorite Alaska Mileage Plan sweet spots. Can somebody enlighten me? As an AA platinum pro member, my wife and I were recently upgraded to first class on a flight on Alaska Air from LAX to TPA. Thanks for the help. When I booked us on Alaska Air flights last year we were both automatically upgraded to premium economy at booking (even when we used an Alaska Airline credit card companion certificate). is a location independent digital nomad who has traveled full time since June 2017. Besides award flights, there are other ways to redeem Alaska miles. To shop for fares that qualify for a mileage upgrade, and to view available space and eligibility, please select Mileage upgrade as your Upgrade preference option when shopping for flights. Sign in to your Mileage Plan account to manage your flights, redeem miles, and access your profile information. Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information. Interested in purchasing a Lounge membership? Upgrades For details about upgrade priority, read our full guide to American and Alaska reciprocal benefits. Your feedback is important in helping us keep our community safe. The credit card offers that appear on the website are from credit card companies from which ThePointsGuy.com receives compensation. Upgrades are subject to capacity controls. Upgrades with miles are not allowed with a Saver fare. entry-level elite status You cannot currently redeem your Alaska miles for rental cars, but you can earn miles when you rent a car through one of their partners. Hello Everyone! MVP Gold members and higher may upgrade one companion traveling with them on the same flight, in the same reservation and in the same class of service. To see which ones you can apply a guest upgrade to, select MVP Gold guest in search results and look for flights with a blue F. We currently value Mileage Plan miles at, Your complete guide to Alaska Airlines mileage plan, Book an award trip with Alaska or its travel partners, The best way to maximize your miles is to use the. I entered a one-way Athens to Newark itinerary, and here was the result under the business class column: Award flights start at just 5,000 miles for a one-way ticket. Here are the details of this new partnership. You can, of course, earn miles when you fly with Alaska Airlines. See what a point or mile is worth with our appraisals of a loyalty programs currency, based on redemption values. Cabin. American allows 70lbs for each bag. According to NerdWallets valuations, Alaska Airlines miles are worth 1.2 cents each when redeemed for award flights. Alaska