Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan is very popular amongst frequent flyers worldwide. Not only are the Alaska Miles valued higher than any airline currency, the carrier also partners with an incredible set of airlines, including Cathay Pacific, Emirates, Korean Airlines and more. So with Mileage Plan, you have the flexibility to fly to just about anywhere in the world.
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If you frequently fly with Alaska Airlines then you may want to consider signing up for the Mileage Plan. Continue reading as we go over the best ways to redeem your Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan miles, along with a couple redemption tricks to stretch your rewards.
The The Alaska Airlines Visa Signature card and Bank of America Alaska Airlines Business are both great ways to earn bonus Mileage Plan miles with big welcome bonuses.
Alaska Airlines Mileage Redemption Quick Facts
| Best RedemptionOptions | Alaska Airlines flights Partner flights |
| Ok Redemption Options | Money & Miles discounts First Class upgrades |
| Bad Redemption Options | Hotel stays Car rentals Magazines Share or gift miles |
| Average Mile Value | $0.018 |
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Alaska Airlines Flights
The best way to redeem your Mileage Plan miles is for flights with Alaska Airlines. The carrier has hubs in:
- Anchorage (ANC)
- Los Angeles (LAX)
- San Francisco (SFO)
- Portland (PDX)
- Seattle (SEA)
If your home airport is listed above, you can fly with Alaska Airlines to just about anywhere in the United States, along with several destinations in Canada and Central America.
The Mileage Plan award chart has four distanced-based levels, cleverly named Hop, Skip, Jump and Leap. Each level has a set range of miles required for an award flight:
| Award Level | Miles Range |
| Hop Flights less than 700 miles |
Main Cabin: 5,000 – 30,000 First Class: 15,000 – 40,000 |
| Skip Flights between 701 – 1,400 miles |
Main Cabin: 7,500 – 30,000 First Class: 25,000 – 60,000 |
| Jump Flights between 1,401 – 2,100 miles |
Main Cabin: 10,000 – 40,000 First Class: 25,000 – 60,000 |
| Leap Flights longer than 2,101 miles |
Main Cabin: 12,500 – 50,000 First Class: 30,000 – 70,000 |
So for as little as 5,000 Mileage Plan miles, you can go on a one-way award flight that’s less than 700 miles in distance. The most you’d spend is 70,000 miles for a one-way Leap flight in First Class.
Best Ways To Redeem With Alaska Airlines
Here are the best ways to use your Mileage Plan miles on Alaska Airlines award flights:
Short- & Medium-Haul Flights: Alaska Airlines charges award travel by distance. This structure makes Skip (short-haul) and Jump (medium-haul) flights better deals than those offered by frequent flyer programs which charge flat rates for domestic flights.
The East Coast To Hawaii In Economy.:Other carriers charge you more to fly to Hawaii from the East Coast. Alaska Airlines, however, requires 15,000 miles one way, no matter where you’re departing from in the United States. Stretch your miles even further by booking a stopover along the way.
Partner Flights
Although Alaska Airlines is not a member of any major airline alliance, the carrier has an extensive set of international airline partners with some of the world’s most prestigious carriers:
- Aer Lingus
- American Airlines
- British Airways
- Cathay Pacific
- Condor
- EL AL Israel
- Emirates
- Fiji Airways
- Finnair
- Hainan Airlines
- Icelandair
- Japan Airlines
- Korean Air
- LATAM
- PenAir
- Qantas
- Ravn Alaska
- Singapore Airlines
Before we discuss the best options to redeem on partner flights, keep in mind:
- Each Alaska partner has their own award chart, and not all flights operated by Alaska partners are available for redemption. Utilize Alaska’s online award charts to see what flights are available and to price out your award.
- You can’t combine more than one partner on a single award itinerary. However, you can connect an Alaska-operated flight to an international partner.
- If you book a multi-segment award ticket, and at least one of the segments is in First or Business Class, the entire itinerary will price at the higher cabin mileage rate.
- Alaska Airlines charges $12.50 to book with a partner and a call center fee of $15. Note: You have to call in to book Cathay Pacific and LATAM award flights.
- And last but not least, you’re allowed one stopover on a one-way award ticket, with no limit to how long you stay. So if you book a roundtrip award as two one ways, you could get two stopovers on a roundtrip ticket. Note: The stopover has to be in one of the partner airline’s hubs.
Best Ways To Redeem With Alaska Airlines Partners
Without further ado, here are our favorite Alaska Airlines partner redemptions:
| DESTINATION (ONE WAY) | AIRLINE | MILES |
| Fiji (stopover) & Australia | Fiji Airways | Economy 40,000 Business 55,000 |
| Dubai (stopover) & India or The Middle East | Emirates | Business 82,500 First 150,000 |
| Hong Kong (stopover) & Asia | Cathay Pacific | Economy 30,000 Business 50,00 First 70,000 |
| Hong Kong (stopover) & South Africa | Cathay Pacific | Economy 50,000 Business 62,500 First 70,000 |
| Hong Kong (stopover) & Australia or New Zealand | Cathay Pacific | Economy 40,000 Business 60,000 First 80,000 |
| Vancouver (from New York) | Cathay Pacific | Business 25,000 |
| Australia (stopover) & New Zealand | Qantas | Economy 42,500 Business 55,000 First 70,000 |
| Tokyo (stopover) & Asia | Japan Airlines | Economy 35,000 Business 60,000 First 70,000 |
| China (stopover) & Southeast Asia | Hainan Airlines | Economy 30,000 Business 50,000 |
| Peru (from Miami) | American Airlines | Economy 20,000 Business 30,000 |
| Peru (stopover) & South America | LATAM | Economy 25,000 Business 45,000 |
| Iceland (stopover) & Europe | Icelandair | Business 55,000 |
| Europe (off peak) | American Airlines | Economy 22,500 |
*We independently collected information from public sources to form our best partner redemptions. This information is subject to change without notice.
Alaska Airlines Redemption Tricks
If you really want to stretch your miles, try our two redemption tricks below:
Pack in four cities on two one way awards with a different stopover each, plus an open jaw. For example, book a one-way flight to Melbourne with a stopover in Fiji. Then make your way to Sydney from Melbourne. And finally, fly home from Sydney with a stopover in Hong Kong.
Home – Fiji – Melbourne —– Sydney – Hong Kong – Home
Book a long stopover at your home airport to get a free one-way flight. For example, you book a flight from New York to Sydney with a stopover in Fiji. But on your return flight, you want to go directly home to New York. With a Los Angeles trip coming up in the near future, you strategically book your return flight from Sydney to Los Angeles with a long stopover in your home city of New York. So, that one-way trip from New York to Los Angeles is free!
New York – Fiji – Sydney
Sydney – New York (long stopover) – Los Angeles
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Bottom Line
If you’re a frequent flyer, consider joining Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan. You can take advantage of endless options for your Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan miles, thanks to its long list of airline partners and its stopover policy. This program has great earning potential with the Alaska Airlines Visa Card, decent flexibility, and incredible value with a little bit of research.
For more posts like this, check out our list of credit card bonuses and the latest Alaska Airlines Promotions.
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