how to use alaska airlines flight credit

Further, you cant combine more than one partner on a single award itinerary. This influences which products we write about and where and how the product appears on a page. That said, its important to ask yourself whether you would ever conceivably spend that much cash on a premium cabin ticket. We believe everyone should be able to make financial decisions with confidence. Booking Seattle (SEA) to London (LHR) on British Airways means that you can stop over in London before heading off to Paris, for example. Note: Miles earned through your card don't count toward earning Alaskas MVP elite status. Partner award charts, on the other hand, are unique to each airline and region pair. Youll have to call an Alaska representative to book these awards.). Youll notice a section for Money & Miles award tickets. For example, a flight from the U.S. to Asia on American costs as little as 60,000 miles in business class. Here's a look at the award chart for international travel. 2023 Bank of America Corporation. Japan Airlines flies from many major U.S. airports to its hubs in Tokyo. It also gives you the opportunity to get other perks like lounge access or free checked bags that make traveling cheaper and easier. The earning rate varies by airline partner. You will have to contact Alaska to verify your identity and reactivate your account. When traveling on an eligible paid Alaska fare, you can use 15,000 Alaska miles to upgrade to First Class each way. Membership without the card costs $650 or 85,000 miles. enjoy priority boarding for you and up to 6 guests on the same reservation, when you pay for your flight with your card Also available for co-applicants and authorized users when they book a reservation too! For example, a recent promotion offered 1,500 bonus Alaska miles for spending at least $550 through the Mileage Plan Shopping portal. We're focused here on the rewards and perks that come with each card. We do not offer financial advice, advisory or brokerage services, nor do we recommend or advise individuals or to buy or sell particular stocks or securities. Your complete guide to earning and redeeming with Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan, booking this flight to Hawaii using British Airways Avios, which would set you back just 14,000 Avios, You can get a ton of value by booking these domestic awards with Alaska miles, How to earn miles with the Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan program, Maximizing redemptions with Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan. NerdWallet strives to keep its information accurate and up to date. Alaska sells Mileage Plan miles at a base price of 2.75 cents per mile before taxes and feesor around 2.96 cents per mile after the mandatory tax recovery fee. You can also book through Rocketmiles and select Mileage Plan miles as your preferred reward. You can narrow down the results by airline, cabin, or sub-region. If you're interested, it's an easy way to use your miles and some of the prices are actually reasonable. Alaska Mileage Plan is a favorite award program of many points and miles collectors. Cathay Pacific has one of the best first-class products and a pretty solid business class. Related: When does it make sense to transfer Marriott points to airlines? Mortgage rates June 12: Rates steady, new listings at record low, Is Venmo safe? It offers valuable perks like free bags and the companion fare without a budget-busting annual fee. Alaska Airlines has a huge flight network on the West Coast, with hubs in Anchorage, Alaska; Los Angeles; San Francisco; Portland, Oregon; and Seattle. 50,000 bonus miles, a $100 statement credit, and Alaska's Famous Companion Fare from $122 ($99 fare plus taxes and fees from $23) after you make $2,000 or more in purchases within the first 90 . Receive up to a $100 property credit for qualifying charges at The Ritz-Carlton or St. Regis when you book direct using a special rate for a two-night minimum stay using your Card. Airline rewards earning rate, flexibility of rewards redemption, and rewards redemption value are weighted most heavily when reviewing airline credit cards. However, if your Mileage Plan account is inactive for more than two years, Alaska will close your account and youll forfeit all of your miles. To qualify, make $3,000 or more in purchases within the first 90 days of opening your account. I always recommend using your miles for their maximum value, and in the case of Mileage Plan miles, this is almost always found on flights. Offer ends 8/9/2023. Find the right card for you. Find out more about how Insider determined the value of airline miles, hotel points, and credit card rewards here. He is also a Certified Educator in Personal Finance (CEPF). If you find discrepancies with your credit score or information from your credit report, please contact TransUnion directly. Instead, it used a different award chart for each partner. Another important factor to consider is the cards annual fee: The fee can be worth it if you travel a lot and can take advantage of the perks that come with the card; however, those who travel less may want an airline card that has a lower annual fee. Heres a look at the award chart: One of the best sweet spots in Alaska's award chart for Japan Airlines is flying from Tokyo to Delhi for 25,000 miles one-way. If you frequently travel with a specific airline, using a rewards card cobranded with that carrier can be the most efficient way to earn rewards and get the best value for them. While earning miles through this card may be relatively straightforward, putting them to good use is the tricky part. Each calendar year with your Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant American Express Card you can receive 25 Elite Night Credits toward the next level of Marriott Bonvoy Elite status. , including earning and redeeming miles and optimizing the useful-but-complex companion fare. Credit certificates can be applied on the payment page or deposited into your wallet. That said, with a little research and dedication, you can get far more than average value from this card. Alaska has several partnerships and deals with specific merchants. This compensation may impact how and where products appear on this site (including, for example, the order in which they appear). Alaska Mileage Plan: The Ultimate Guide - Forbes Advisor If you qualify, you'll earn 10% more miles so, for example, a purchase that would normally earn 1,000 miles would actually get you 1,100 miles with the bonus. Her previous experience includes being an executive editor at the American Marketing Association and an editor at news and feature syndicate Content That Works. All cardholders get an annual round trip companion fare for $99, and cardholders with an eligible Bank of America account get a 10% bonus on all miles earned from card purchases. However, this does not influence our evaluations. holders, who already get two free checked bags. American Airlines business class from the US to Europe with a stopover for 57,500 Alaska miles, Cathay Pacific business class from the US to Asia via Hong Kong for 50,000 Alaska miles, Cathay Pacific first class from the US to Africa via Hong Kong for 85,000 Alaska miles, Fiji Airways business class from the US to Australia via Fiji for 55,000 Alaska miles. Lets start with the Alaska Airlines award chart. This is one of the simplest benefits of the Alaska Airlines Visa credit card and one of the easiest ways to make the annual fee worth it. But, the simplicity of Alaskas card portfolio doesnt mean that its lacking perks. Finally, the Alaska Airlines Visa credit card offers 20% back on in-flight purchases made with the card. As of March 2023, Alaska Airlines serves 107 domestic destinations and 16 international airports in four countries. Weve found that most Alaska-operated flights require more than the 5,000-mile minimum, so youll have to be flexible if you want to get the most value from your Mileage Plan miles. There are many titles available and prices vary for each one. That way, you'll be more likely to use them for an award flight in the future and partner flights also count toward earning elite status with Alaska. If you plan to take advantage of a buy miles promotion, make sure to put it on your best everyday spending card. Here are our picks for the. Alaska will often offer buy miles promotions of up to 60% bonus miles. For each partner and fare class, Alaska lists two different earning metrics: miles earned and elite-qualifying miles. This list can vary, and currently includes 1-800-Flowers, Rover, SoFi, and Vinesse Wine Club. Earn 3 points at Worldwide Restaurants and on flights booked directly with airlines. That's $900 toward travel when you redeem through Chase Ultimate Rewards, Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card. baseline. Cons. The information, including rates and fees, presented in this article is accurate as of the date of the publish. can be easily offset by its solid combination of benefits. However, you can transfer points to Alaska Mileage Plan from at least three hotel points programs. This is the card for frequent travelers who want a straightforward rewards program. That means youll get a total of 25,000 Alaska miles for transferring 60,000 Bonvoy points. That's $750 when you redeem through Chase Ultimate Rewards. From there, we give each card a score between one and five stars (with five stars being the best score). Youll have to run a search on Alaskas website to find the exact price for your specific award ticket. Beth received her undergraduate degree in newspaper journalism from the S.I. Alaska Airlines does have a quasi-award chart with various destinations and where mileage prices start, but they dont show an upper level. Home insurance covers the Home equity is the dollar amount of your home that you own outright, calculated by subtracting Its baseball season, and if youre in the mood for a game (and a ballpark hot dog or two), a Buying a home can be intimidating and expensive. This is hardly a huge perk (unless youre a cheese plate addict), but it offers a good reason to keep the card in your wallet while traveling. So if youre looking to fly through Tokyo, you can only book a stopover award with JAL. The annual fee is $70 per company and $25 per card. You can increase your Alaska Mileage Plan earnings by earning Alaskas MVP elite status. Earn 2x points on other travel. When evaluating offers, please review the financial institutions Terms and Conditions. For example, you cant combine an award on American Airlines to Los Angeles (LAX) with a Fiji Airways award from Los Angeles to Nadi, Fiji (NAN). If possible, avoid this option and save your miles for better reward redemptions. She also holds a master's degree in business reporting from the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism. You'll also get 20% back as a statement credit for inflight purchases like snacks and drinks, and $100 off an Alaska Lounge+ membership. You'll get the same checked bag benefit as the personal version, and Alaska Airlines Lounge benefits are also the same. When using a credit card, it's important to pay your balance in full each month, make payments on time, and only spend what you can afford to pay. To find partner award prices and airline options, simply search for your origin and destination cities and dates. Small business owners can apply for the Alaska Airlines Visa Business Credit Card*. One great benefit of the program is its ability to add a stopover on one-way flights (or two stopovers for round-trip bookings). As discussed, Alaska Airlines doesnt have a fixed mileage award chart. You might be using an unsupported or outdated browser. If you use the companion fare to add another traveler to this itinerary you would pay: $150 for the taxes and fees on the companion fare. Thankfully, Alaska is pretty generous with what it allows to qualify as a "round-trip" ticket, so you can include stopovers, "open jaws" (which dont return from or to the same city) and other more complicated itineraries. Like its sister card, the Capital One Venture Rewards card, the Venture X Rewards card offers flexibility for cardholders to earn rewards on all their spending and to redeem them for travel, cash back, or other rewards, as well as lounge access and other travel-related benefits. You can read our full credit card methodology here. The Alaska Airlines credit cards are in the process of being refreshed with new benefits and bonus categories. Get a $100 statement credit, 50,000 Bonus Miles and Alaska's Famous Companion Fare from $122 ($99 fare plus taxes and fees from $23) after you make $2,000 or more in purchases within the first 90 days of your account opening. All Rights Reserved. Check the lenders website for the most current information. Earn 2 miles for every $1 spent on eligible gas, cable, streaming services and local transit purchases. If you have elite status with Alaska, you'll earn bonus redeemable miles: If you regularly fly Alaska and have elite status, this is another easy way to rack up additional Alaska miles. When you transfer 60,000 Marriott points, you'll get a 5,000-mile bonus, for a total of 25,000 Alaska miles. Opinions expressed therein are solely those of the editorial team and have not been reviewed or approved by any advertiser. Your financial situation is unique and the products and services we review may not be right for your circumstances. It offers flexibility for cardholders to earn miles on all their spending and to redeem them for travel, cash back, or other rewards. As Alaska is a member of the Oneworld alliance, you can earn Mileage Plan miles on any Oneworld member airlineincluding American Airlines, British Airways, Cathay Pacific, Japan Airlines and Qatar Airways. For spending, you'll earn 3 Alaska miles per dollar spent on Alaska purchases and 1 mile per dollar for everything else. Throughout her 20-year career as a journalist, she's loved helping people see how making smart money decisions can improve their lives. Your Alaska miles expire two years after your last account activity, so spending a few miles on a redemption like this or donating some to charity can reset the clock. For decades, growth was slow and the airline operated just 10 aircraft in 11 cities at the time of airline deregulation in 1979. . Earn 3x points on online grocery purchases (excluding Target, Walmart, and wholesale clubs). By clicking Sign up, you agree to receive marketing emails from Insider Related: 7 takeaways from my 1st Singapore Airlines business-class experience. Alaska Airlines has different award charts for its flights and each partner. Earn 1x points on other purchases. Heres how the companion fare works: You can buy two main cabin round-trip airfares on the same Alaska-flown itinerary for the price of one ticket plus $99 plus taxes and fees. Keep in mind that the stopover must be in a hub city for that airline. Lock in a 5% interest rate on a CD today: Compare offers, Mortgage rates remain volatile: Compare the best ones here, Car insurance rates surge: Heres where to find the best rates. If you want to fly from Chicago to Hong Kong, you cant fly American to Los Angeles and then connect to a Cathay Pacific flight. Even better, youll get bonus miles for booking first class or a more-expensive economy fare. Related: Your complete guide to earning and redeeming with Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan. Flexibility, point transfers and a large bonus: Bank of America Travel Rewards credit card. If you do not reactivate your account within a year of account deactivation (three years since the last activity on your account) you will forfeit all miles earned and your account may not be reactivated. Learn more: Guide to Alaska Airlines Baggage and Other Fees. With Marriott Bonvoy Platinum Elite status, you can receive room upgrades, including enhanced views or suites, when available at select properties and booked with a Qualifying Rate. Alaska Airlines allows stopovers for free on one-way awards. This site does not include all credit card companies or all available credit card offers. In some cases, we receive a commission from our partners; however, our opinions are our own. The prices seem to be the same every day of the year (45,000 for economy and 100,000 for business) but without doing the plug-and-play searching, you wont know until you make your individual search. You can more than offset the annual fee by maximizing your award flight redemptions and the companion fare. Plus, youll earn an elite-qualifying mileage bonus on more expensive fares. Alaska Airlines traces its beginnings all the way back to 1932 when individual bush pilots flew supplies in and around Anchorage, Alaska. A one-night stay in August costs roughly 56,400 Mileage Plan miles for the most basic room. That's nearly a 10-hour flight in a lie-flat seat. The one exception is that you can connect within the U.S. on Alaska Airlines. From their hub in Frankfurt you can connect to vacation destinations throughout Europe, the Middle East, and Africa. Here's the award chart for the Contiguous US including Alaska and Canada, which is based on the distance you fly. However, a one-night paid stay costs just $450.63 for the same night, giving you a value of just 0.79 cents per mile. Here is a list of our partners. Travel credit overview - Alaska Airlines And yes, thats true even on Alaskas Saver basic economy fares. This isn't a great option if you're looking to pay for someone's award flight it's better to just use miles from your account to book the award directly. Benefit is not exclusive to Cards offered by American Express. Miles tend to decline in value over time, so youre typically better off spending them as theyre earned rather than letting them pile up in your account. Earn a 10% rewards bonus on all miles earned from card purchases if you have an eligible Bank of America account. Performance information may have changed since the time of publication. Economy flights between the U.S. and Asia start at 30,000 miles one way, premium economy is 40,000 miles, while business is only 50,000 and first class is 70,000 miles each way. Plus, you can add stopovers before continuing on to your final destination, which can add even more value to your award booking. That is, the free bag benefit of the credit card doesn't allow elite status holders to get an extra checked bag for a total of three. Credit Score ranges are based on FICO credit scoring. You'll earn elite-qualifying miles when you fly Alaska or an elite-qualifying partner. Alaska offers U.S.-based travelers just one personal credit card option: the Alaska Airlines Visa credit card. Using Alaska miles to book flights with these partners is one of the best ways to get the most bang for your award buck. For most travelers, Marriott Bonvoy points are the best source for transferring points to Alaska miles. Harlan is currently based in Dallas, Texas. These airlines include: Related: How to earn miles with the Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan program. Which comes to $749 total for two tickets. As Alaska only just joined Oneworld in 2021, it also maintains an eclectic mix of non-alliance partners, including: On partner flightsas with flights on Alaskayoull earn miles on partners based on the fare class and distance of the flight. Anatoliy Sadovskiy/Getty Images/iStockphoto. This is more expensive than a one-way economy class redemption on some routes. Mileage Plan members have the ability to buy or gift up to 150,000 miles per calendar year, but if you have elite status, there is no cap on how many miles you can purchase. Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan has an incredible set of international airline partners. Alaska will often show business- and first-class availability despite only having first- or business-class availability on short domestic legs. To use the companion fare, log into your Alaska Mileage Plan account on the website (not the app) and look for the "Discount and companion fare codes" section in the left column: Look for the "shop" button to the left of your active code: Then, do your flight search as normal. Sign up and well send you Nerdy articles about the money topics that matter most to you along with other ways to help you get more from your money. 1 mile per dollar spent on all other purchases. We discussed the first in the last section each Alaska partner has a distinct award chart. One day you might find a flight for 15,000 or 30,000 miles, where just a couple hours later the flight could jump up to 45,000 miles each way. Newhouse School of Public Communications at Syracuse University. To maximize airline credit card rewards, its important to choose a card that makes the most sense for your spending (see above). That is, the free bag benefit of the credit card doesn't allow elite status holders to get an extra checked bag for a total of three. The Federal Reserve decided against pushing interest rates higher at its June meeting marking Southwest Rapid Rewards Plus Credit Card, Delta SkyMiles Platinum American Express Card, Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card. NerdWallet Compare, Inc. NMLS ID# 1617539, NMLS Consumer Access|Licenses and Disclosures, California: California Finance Lender loans arranged pursuant to Department of Financial Protection and Innovation Finance Lenders License #60DBO-74812, Property and Casualty insurance services offered through NerdWallet Insurance Services, Inc. (CA resident license no. Here are some examples, with prices for one-way flights: There's a big potential for aspirational award flights with Alaska miles. While these charts arent posted publicly anymore, the charts and restrictions still exist. Something went wrong. If you eat out often, it's worth joining Mileage Plan dining, which partners with local restaurants to reward you with Alaska miles. Alaska tacks on fees to certain awards. and high-value redemptions. We also factored in qualitative analysis of rewards value, how easy it is to redeem rewards, additional cardholder benefits, and customer experience. It's easy to get value from the annual fee if you make use of the benefits, which is the reason we've added it to our list of best airline credit cards.

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