How to Use Alaska Airlines Miles to Book a Flight

The Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan is one of the best airline loyalty programs in the world and your gateway to a world of travel rewards and benefits. As a member, you’ll earn miles every time you fly with Alaska or its partner airlines, as well as through everyday activities and purchases — and once you have enough in the bank, you can redeem Mileage Plan miles for award tickets, paying just the taxes and fees.

Whether you're a frequent flyer or an occasional traveler, Alaska's Mileage Plan offers numerous ways to earn miles quickly and easily, bringing you that much closer to your next adventure.

About Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan

One of the most rewarding loyalty programs around, Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan is a great option for anyone who flies regularly with the Oneworld alliance, including British Airways, American Airlines, Qatar Airways, Korean Air, Cathay Pacific, and more. This is thanks to its generous award chart, which often charges less than the competition for the same flights. 

How to earn Alaska Airlines miles

Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan miles can be earned in a variety of ways.

Flying 

The best way to earn Alaska Airlines miles is by flying with Alaska or any of its partners. This is because Alaska gives you miles based on your fare class and distance flown, in contrast to other airlines that rely on the cost of your ticket to determine your flight reward.

Credit cards

Alaska Airlines has two co-branded credit cards from Bank of America: the Alaska Airlines Visa Signature and the Alaska Airlines Visa Business cards.

Both charge a $95 annual fee and earn three miles per dollar spent on eligible Alaska Airlines purchases; two miles per dollar spent on eligible gas, EV charging, cable, streaming services, and local transit purchases; and one mile per dollar spent elsewhere. 

That's pretty good, especially since Mileage Plan miles are extremely valuable.

Dining and shopping

You can also earn Alaska miles through dining and shopping. The Alaska Mileage Plan dining network requires you to register your credit card. Then whenever you dine and pay at a participating restaurant, you'll automatically earn miles.

And if you're an online shopper, there's another easy way to rack up Alaska miles. Alaska Mileage Plan Shopping will give you miles for every dollar spent on your purchases and often provides bonuses for spending over a certain threshold.

Transfer partners

Alaska Airlines partners with Bilt Rewards, allowing you to convert Mileage Plan miles at a 1:1 ratio.

The fare types available on Alaska Airlines

Alaska Airlines has four fare classes:

• Saver: Otherwise known as basic economy, Alaska's Saver class lets you earn limited Mileage Plan miles and bring a carry-on — and that's about it.

• Main: In Alaska's standard economy, travelers earn full Mileage Plan miles and can select their own seat. A carry-on bag is included.

• Premium class: In Premium, a carry-on bag, seat selection, extra legroom, and free beer, wine, and cocktails come with the cost of the ticket. Travelers earn Mileage Plan miles and can board and deplane early.

• First class: In addition to the perks that come with Premium, first-class passengers get complimentary food and drinks, a dedicated flight attendant for the cabin, access to Alaska Lounge, and two free checked bags.

How to book Alaska Airlines flights using rewards points

Alaska's Mileage Plan has a distance-based award chart, with one-way economy awards starting at 5,000 miles and first-class awards starting at 15,000 miles, on Alaska Airlines flights within the contiguous U.S., Alaska, and Canada.

For partner flights within the Americas, award seats start at 4,500 miles in economy and 9,000 miles in business class.

It's easy to book with Alaska Airlines or any of its partner airlines using your Alaska Airlines miles — just head to Alaska's website and put in your information, making sure to check the little box saying you'd like to redeem miles. Your search results will then show flight availability, including departure and arrival times, cost, and cabin class.

Just be careful when looking at Alaska's site — you'll also see results for American Airlines flights, and it can be tough to spot the difference. American Airlines flights tend to be more expensive, so keep an eye out for price jumps, and be sure to read the fine print.

For results that clearly separate award flights by carrier, consider using point.me. Our intuitive search will tell you the best way to book using your miles, whether it's through a partner airline or Alaska itself.

Booking Alaska Airlines first class with miles

Generally speaking, you don’t want to use your Alaska miles to book Alaska Airlines first class. That’s because Alaska operates a relatively small fleet of aircraft, none of which are outfitted with premium seating. No matter how many miles you pay, this means you’ll always get a domestic first-class seat — in the form of a recliner — when using Alaska miles to book first class. 

That being said, Alaska will still sell you first-class seats, and you can find them easily on the official site. For example, you'll pay 70,000 miles for a first-class flight from Los Angeles (LAX) to Newark (EWR), plus $6 in taxes and fees.

Those taxes and fees do count as eligible Alaska Airlines purchases if you pay with your co-branded credit card, though, so at least you'll be earning three points for each dollar spent.

How to redeem Alaska Airlines miles to get the best deal

Funnily enough, you won't get the best deals by redeeming your Alaska Airlines miles on Alaska Airlines flights. Rather, Alaska Airlines' partners are where it's at.

Consider this example of a business class flight from Los Angeles (LAX) to Fiji (NAN) on Fiji Airways, one of Alaska's partner airlines:

It'll cost you 75,000 miles, plus $19 in taxes and fees — just slightly more than that first-class flight to New York we mentioned earlier.

Meanwhile, the cash rate for the flight to Fiji is $4,421. 

Considering you'll get a lie-flat seat, and that this flight is nearly double the distance of the domestic option, it’s a much better deal.

Booking an Alaska Airlines partner flight with miles 

Alaska Airlines has 24 partner airlines, both within the Oneworld alliance and without:

• Aer Lingus

• Air Tahiti Nui

• American Airlines

• British Airways

• Cathay Pacific

• Condor

• Fiji Airways

• Finnair

• Hainan Airlines

• Iberia

• Icelandair

• Japan Airlines

• Korean Air

• LATAM Airlines

• Malaysia Airlines

• Philippine Airlines

• Porter Airlines

• Qantas

• Qatar Airways

• Royal Air Maroc

• Royal Jordanian

• Singapore Airlines

• SriLankan Airlines

• STARLUX Airlines

You can find and book a flight with these partner airlines on Alaska's website using the same approach outlined above.

More ways to redeem Alaska Airlines miles

You don't have to redeem Alaska Mileage Plan miles for flights, but that's where they're most valuable. Alaska miles can also be used to pay for hotels, rental cars, and donations — though we definitely don't recommend it.

Tips for finding Alaska Airlines award seats

Your best bet for finding award space on Alaska Airlines is to book either very early — as soon as the schedule opens, so 330 days in advance — or very late. It also helps if you can remain flexible on your travel dates, as airlines tend to be sporadic when releasing award space. By having flexibility, you’ll be able to jump as soon as something opens up. 

Still, finding award seats can be a frustrating task, especially if you're trying to use your Alaska miles on partner airlines, like British Airways.

Rather than sifting through the search results on your own, point.me can show you the available partners for Alaska miles and how much a flight will cost, all in one go. Better yet, we'll tell you whether or not redeeming Alaska Airlines miles is even your best bet — which can end up saving you thousands of miles on a booking.