Alaska Airways Mileage Plan is a well-liked program in Canada for its co-branded MBNA bank cards, nice offers on redemptions, and frequent mileage gross sales.
With their present sale, you possibly can earn as much as 60% bonus miles in your buy. This sale is just for a really temporary interval, ending on 11:59pm PST on September 15, 2022, so you’ll want to capitalize earlier than then for those who’re .
Purchase Alaska Miles with a 60% Bonus
Usually, Alaska Airways sells miles for two.75 US cents per mile, plus a 7.5% tax restoration payment, for a complete of two.96 US cents per mile. Fortunately, Alaska continuously gives reductions on buying miles.
Alaska is thought for operating focused “thriller bonuses.” It appears the most effective out there supply is for as much as 60% bonus on bought miles, structured like so:
- 60% bonus once you purchase 40,000–100,000 miles
- 50% bonus once you purchase 20,000–39,000 miles
- 40% bonus once you purchase 3,000–19,000 miles
Log in together with your Mileage Plan account to see the precise breakdown of your bonus, as not all members are given the most effective out there supply.
With a 60% bonus, you might purchase 160,000 Alaska miles for $2,956.25 (USD) together with tax, at a value of 1.85 US cents per mile.
At our present valuation of 1.8 US cents per mile, that worth is basically on par with our valuation, and will symbolize an excellent deal when you have a particular use in thoughts.
Traditionally, Alaska tends to supply bonuses within the 35% to 60% vary, though we’ve seen uncommon gives as excessive as 70%. In the event you’ve dabbled with the considered shopping for Alaska miles and have the very best supply out there to you, 60% is a good charge at which to purchase.
After September 15, you’ll nonetheless stand up to a 50% bonus on bought miles till September 22.
What number of miles can you purchase?
Except you’ve elite standing with Alaska, every Mileage Plan member is restricted 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 might purchase as much as 240,000 miles together with the 60% 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 via Factors.com. As you aren’t shopping for immediately 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 might contemplate any card with a excessive base earn charge, or one the place you’re working in the direction of assembly the minimal spend requirement.
The acquisition will probably be charged in USD. To keep away from further prices, you must use a US bank card.
In the event you use a card with a Canadian billing deal with, you’ll be charged GST/HST on high of the Tax Restoration Charge, so even when you have a Canadian card with no overseas transaction charges, I’d advocate utilizing it solely as a final resort.
Who Ought to Purchase Alaska Miles?
Shopping for miles generally is a good technique to high up your account for those who’re eager to make a redemption quickly.
Reserving an Costly Aspirational Flight
I ought to notice that there’s some uncertainty across the future worth of Alaska Mileage Plan.
Since Alaska has joined Oneworld in March 2021, they’ve been slowly rolling out new associate charts for Qatar Airways, Iberia, Royal Air Maroc, and Air Tahiti Nui, they usually’ve additionally made a dedication that any modifications to present award charts will probably be introduced with at the least 90 days’ discover.
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 embody 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 might be booked for completely wild worth. 70,000 Alaska miles at 1.8 US cents per mile is value $1,260 (USD). Examine this to a money worth $14,121 (USD) for Japan Airways First Class, and also you’re wanting on the dictionary definition of outsized rewards!
Seen one other manner, this redemption can be value 20.2 US cents per mile, over 11 occasions the baseline worth of a mile – and that’s earlier than contemplating the choice of including a stopover for no further price.
At these charges, it will make sense to purchase miles when you have a particular high-value redemption deliberate. Shopping for at round 2 cents per mile sounds steep, however not once you’re assured that the worth will outstrip the associated fee many occasions over.
Even for those who’re ranging from scratch and want to purchase all the miles required for this ticket, with a 60% promotion the price of the miles can be $1,300 (USD) together with charges – a really modest premium on high of their baseline worth, and a no brainer in comparison with a income fare.
In fact, this solely is smart if you could find award house. Despite the fact that they are often booked on-line on the Alaska search engine, JAL First Class awards might be powerful to snag as they’re notoriously well-liked.
I’d advocate guaranteeing that you just’ve lined up your seats earlier than pulling the set off on a factors buy.
Fast High-Up for an Upcoming Redemption
In the event you’ve recognized an excellent alternative to redeem your Alaska miles at a price you want, however your account is simply shy of the quantity you want, chances are you’ll discover it palatable to pay above baseline worth to make up the distinction.
So long as you’re redeeming above the 1.85 US cents per mile price of shopping for with this promotion, you’ll come out forward.
Even for those who redeem for much less, it could nonetheless be value it. In spite of everything, your miles are ineffective for those who don’t have sufficient to make the bookings you want. If the majority of your miles had been acquired at a really low price, you possibly can nonetheless get good worth on the common price of your miles, even with a slight premium for the immediate gratification of a modest mileage buy.
Nevertheless, typically talking, if I’m slightly brief in a single factors program for a low-end redemption, I’d first look to make the reserving with different packages that will supply a greater deal, and even money. In much less pressing instances, I’m pleased to maintain accumulating till I’ve sufficient to redeem at a price I like higher.
Different Methods to Earn Alaska Miles
Earlier than dashing to purchase miles at a promotional charge, I’d first look to different sources at decrease prices, for those who don’t want the miles instantly to make a reserving.
Canadian Credit score Playing cards by MBNA
Primarily, Alaska Miles might be earned from the MBNA Alaska Airways World Elite Mastercard, with a welcome bonus of 30,000 miles for spending $1,000 within the first three months.
The cardboard’s lower-income variant, the MBNA Alaska Airways Platinum Plus Mastercard, gives 20,000 miles with the identical spending requirement, and you’ll’t maintain each playing cards without delay.
For an annual payment of $99, the World Elite card represents shopping for 31,000 Alaska miles at 0.32 (CAD) cents per mile, or about 0.25 US cents per mile. Actually that is cheaper than shopping for miles outright, though a a lot slower path to accumulating an enormous stability.
Additionally, you possibly can typically discover gives from MBNA with assertion credit of $100–200, greater than sufficient to offset the annual payment.
MBNA Alaska Airways Credit cards
US Credit score Playing cards by Financial institution of America
If in case you have a social safety quantity, you might additionally apply for Financial institution of America’s co-branded playing cards.
The Alaska Airways Visa Signature presently has a welcome bonus of 50,000 miles after spending $2,000 (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 payment rebate and occasional elevated factors gives. In any other case, at an annual payment of $75 or $50, respectively, the price of buying factors is 0.15 US cents per mile for the Alaska Airways Visa Signature or 0.07 US cents per mile for the Alaska Airways Visa Enterprise.
Marriott Bonvoy
Marriott Bonvoy factors might 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 value $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 price to purchase miles outright. Relying in your Bonvoy stability and resort redemption targets, you’ll should weigh whether or not this can be a better option than paying money for Alaska miles.
Mileage Plan Purchasing
You might also flip to the Mileage Plan Purchasing portal for bonuses on on-line purchases at many well-liked worldwide retailers starting from know-how to sportswear corporations. Excessive bonuses can typically be discovered round huge purchasing days like Black Friday or Boxing Day.
In my expertise, miles normally 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 efficient alternative so that you can meet your journey targets, right here’s a snapshot of Alaska Mileage Plan’s earlier gives on mileage gross sales, masking all promotions in the course of the previous yr:
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As much as 60% extra bought miles |
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As much as 60% extra bought miles |
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As much as 60% extra bought miles |
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As much as 60% extra bought miles |
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As much as 50% extra bought miles |
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As much as 60% extra bought miles |
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As much as 50% extra bought miles |
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As much as 60% extra bought miles |
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As much as 60% extra bought miles |
Conclusion
Alaska Mileage Plan’s 60% bonus promotion on miles purchases is a good alternative to push your stability over the hump for a dream journey. Be sure that to take benefit within the coming days earlier than September 15, 2022 to maximise this supply.
Fortunately, even after becoming a member of the Oneworld alliance, Alaska has confirmed that their award chart will proceed to supply their present distinctive candy spots for now, and that they’ll present at the least 90 days’ discover of any modifications to their redemption charts.
If there’s any announcement within the coming months about any impending modifications to Alaska’s flight rewards, you’d nonetheless have time to redeem the factors you acquire beneath this promotion and squeeze in a single final candy spot.
That mentioned, for those who don’t have a particular redemption in thoughts, chances are you’ll want to go the sluggish route by specializing in bank card bonuses and transfers, and searching ahead to the following factors sale in case a purchase order is smart sooner or later.
