Buy Alaska Miles with a 50% Bonus

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’ll be able to 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 be sure you capitalize on the supply earlier than then in case 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 continuously provides reductions on buying miles.

Alaska is thought for operating focused “thriller bonuses.” It appears the perfect out there supply is for as much as 50% bonus on bought miles, structured like so:

• 50% bonus whenever you purchase 30,000–100,000 miles
• 40% bonus whenever you purchase 10,000–29,000 miles
• 30% bonus whenever 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 the perfect out there supply.

With a 50% bonus, you could possibly 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 may nonetheless characterize an whole lot if 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 if in case you have your sights set on an aspirational redemption, be sure you benefit from it in case you stand to profit.

What number of miles can you purchase?

Except you may have 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. Should you break up your buy up into a number of transactions, you could possibly 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 must you use to purchase Alaska miles?

Mileage Plan sells miles by 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 a substitute, you could possibly take into account 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 can be charged in US {dollars}. To keep away from additional prices, you need to use a US bank card.

Should you use a card with a Canadian billing handle, you’ll be charged GST/HST on prime of the Tax Restoration Price, so even if in case you have a Canadian card with no overseas transaction charges, I’d suggest utilizing it solely as a final resort.

Who Ought to Purchase Alaska Miles?

Shopping for miles could be a good strategy to prime up your account in case 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 turn out to be much less clear, because the charts all record “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 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 1.97 US cents per mile is price $1,379 (USD). Examine this to a money value $14,121 (USD) for Japan Airways First Class, and also you’re wanting on the dictionary definition of outsized rewards!

Considered one other method, this redemption can 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 price.

At these charges, it will make sense to purchase miles if 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 whenever you’re assured that the worth will outstrip the price many instances over.

Even in case you’re ranging from scratch and wish to purchase the entire miles required for this ticket, with a 50% promotion the price of the miles can 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.

In fact, this solely is sensible if yow will discover award house. Although they are often booked on-line on the Alaska search engine, Japan Airways First Class awards might be robust to snag as they’re notoriously in style.

I’d suggest making certain that you just’ve lined up your seats earlier than pulling the set off on a factors buy. You also needs to verify that the seats are certainly out there to be booked, and never simply “phantom” award house.

Fast Prime-Up for an Upcoming Redemption

Should 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, 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 1.97 US cents per mile price of shopping for with this promotion, you’ll come out forward.

Even in case you redeem for much less, it could nonetheless be price it. In spite of everything, your miles are ineffective in case you don’t have sufficient to make the bookings you want. If the majority of your miles have been acquired at a really low price, you’ll be able to nonetheless get good worth on the typical price of your miles, even with a slight premium for the immediate gratification of a modest mileage buy.

E book 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 in some unspecified time in the future sooner or later with all costs listed as “ranging from” versus being mounted.

Subsequently, it could be prudent to make use of up your miles now. In spite of everything, if any modifications to this system are destructive, then your miles can be price much less sooner or later than they’re immediately below the present award pricing.

Should 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 steadiness could also be a sensible determination. Simply be sure you search for award house earlier than doing so, after which act rapidly to guide it when you’ve accomplished the acquisition.

Different Methods to Earn Alaska Miles

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

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

US Credit score Playing cards by Financial institution of America

You probably have a social safety quantity or ITIN, you’ll be able to apply for Financial institution of America’s co-branded playing cards.

The Alaska Airways Visa Signature at present 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 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 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 price to purchase miles outright. Relying in your Bonvoy steadiness and lodge redemption targets, you’ll should weigh whether or not it is a better option than paying money for Alaska miles.

Mileage Plan Procuring

You may also flip to the Mileage Plan Procuring portal for bonuses on on-line purchases at many in style worldwide retailers starting from know-how to sportswear firms. Excessive bonuses can usually be discovered round massive buying 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 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, masking all promotions through the previous yr:

Conclusion

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

Alaska miles can unlock among the most coveted flying experiences within the recreation, so be sure you benefit from this supply and expend 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 pretty much as good of a time as any to guide your journey.