The offers are no longer available. You can view the offers here.
Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan occasionally puts its miles on sale, allowing you to top up or stock up for amazing redemptions, such as Japan Airlines first class. The current offer is the most lucrative so far.
There is a buy miles sale going on in Alaska. The team is getting bonuses of up to 60 percent.
We don't recommend buying miles for every redemption. It's a good idea to purchase miles with this promotion if you're planning a trip later in the year and have already found a place to stay. It is not certain that it will be safe to travel by that time.
Take a closer look at this offer.
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It's important to remember a couple of things before buying Alaska miles. The world is in the middle of a coronaviruses outbreak and there is no guarantee that we will be able to travel again soon.
Alaska Airlines has been affected by the coronaviruses outbreak. The CEO of the airline is not going to get paid for the foreseeable future. If holders of existing travel funds lock away their vouchers for a year, they'll get bonuses. The airline's finances aren't looking great, and while I'm optimistic that the airline will survive, there's no guarantee of a positive outcome.
Alaska may join the Oneworld alliance by the end of this year. There may be changes to the Mileage Plan program in the months to come. It's not possible to know what the future award charts will look like, even though it will be nice to have access to more airlines.
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If you understand the risks, you should only take advantage of this deal. If the coronaviruses outbreak isn't contained by the time you're scheduled to fly, you may have to cancel your flights using miles from a promotion. There is a chance that the miles could be rendered worthless if an airline goes out of business.
Let's take a closer look at the promotion.
Your offer may be different than what other members are offering because the bonus is targeted. The highest bonus appears to be 60 percent.
| Miles purchased | Mileage bonus | Price per mile |
|---|---|---|
| 3,000 — 39,000 miles | 40% | 2.1 cents |
| 40,000 — 100,000 miles | 60% | 1.85 cents |
The staff of TPG were targeted for a smaller bonus.
| Miles purchased | Mileage bonus | Price per mile |
|---|---|---|
| 3,000 — 39,000 miles | 40% | 2.1 cents |
| 40,000 — 100,000 miles | 50% | 1.97 cents |
If you purchase at least 39,000 miles, the cost will go down to 1.7 cents per mile.
It's one of the highest bonuses we've seen for Alaska miles, but not as good as a 70% bonus in 2020. The tax recovery fee was not charged in 2020 because of the coronaviruses. The fee is included in all mileage purchases. This change is reflected in our valuations.
It can be a good deal for high-value tickets.
You can buy Alaska miles with a bonus.
You can get even more value from your miles if you use them correctly. If you redeem Alaska miles for first- and business-class travel on one of Alaska's international airlines, you'll get more than 5 cents per mile in value.
There are ways to maximize redemptions with the Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan.
The Alaska Mileage Plan doesn't have a limit on the number of miles you can buy. There is a cap on the number of miles gifted to Alaska non-elites. There is no annual limit on the number of miles purchased or gifted for travelers who hold the gold level of the program.
The bonus is not applicable to the base miles purchased.
Alaska Airlines has partnerships with many great airlines. You can add a free stop on most one-way and round-trip itineraries with each of these carriers. Here are a few of my favorite ways to redeem Alaska miles for future travel.
The below options are based on travel in the late 2020s. The route networks of most airlines have been changed.
There are sweet spots with the Alaska Airlines mileage plan.
It is a bucket-list destination for many people. One of the best redemption values for Alaska miles is to fly to Fiji in business class. You can use Alaska's free stopover to travel to New Zealand or another South Pacific destination.
The cost is at a maximized rate of 1.85 cents per mile.
LATAM is the largest airline in South America with hubs in Buenos Aires and other major cities. Many of the airline's long-haul routes are operated by new planes that feature sleek new business class products. It's possible to book a one-way trip to South America in LATAM business class for just 45,000 Alaska miles, but you have to call.
The cost is maximized at 1.85-cents per mile.
The hub of the airline is in Hong Kong. You can use your Alaska miles to fly in Cathay Pacific's first class product to HKG and beyond for just 70,000 Alaska miles one-way with no taxes or fees attached. Purchasing miles is an excellent deal for this award because of the high price of these tickets. You have to call to book award tickets.
The cost is maximized at 1.85-cents per mile.
Points.com will process your purchase if you choose to take advantage of the promotion. If you use a card with airline spending as a bonus category, you will not earn bonus rewards.
Paying with a credit card that offers a good return on non-bonus spending will help you earn the most points.
The current state of the travel industry makes it difficult to buy Alaska miles. There is no guarantee that the coronaviruses will be contained by the end of the year because the airline has been hit hard by the travel downturn. There is no guarantee when you'll be able to use these miles and actually take the award flight you booked.
I'm positive that the travel industry will bounce back from this and that Alaska Airlines will do the same. If you're comfortable with the risks, this mileage promotion can be a great way to fuel your travels.
Three people contributed to this post.
The Points Guy has a permanent page about Alaska Airlines' "buy miles" promotions so you can check it out whenever you want.
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