With less than two months to go in 2023, now’s the perfect time to check your frequent flyer miles balance, calculate your travel earnings for the rest of the year, and determine exactly where you’ll end up in terms of qualifying requirements by December 31.
If you think you might not reach your goal, the good news is that there’s still time to start racking up some serious mileage before the end of 2023. In this guide, we’ll focus on last-minute strategies to qualify for Alaska Airlines elite status.
Here’s what you need to know about Alaska’s MVP program, including qualification requirements, tier benefits and ideas to earn your desired status for another year.
Some background
Alaska Airlines is the only major U.S. airline that has no revenue requirement to earn elite status. All you have to do is earn the required number of elite qualifying miles or elite qualifying segments required for your desired status level. You must also take a minimum number of segments on flights operating through Alaska.
Here’s what each status layer requires:
Status layer | Elite qualifying miles | Elite qualifying segments | Minimum number of Alaska segments |
---|---|---|---|
MVP | 20,000 | 30 | 2 |
MVP Gold | 40,000 | 60 | 6 |
MVP Gold 75K | 75,000 | 90 | 12 |
MVP Gold 100K | 100,000 | 140 | 24 |
This makes earning Alaska elite status easier than with other airlines if you regularly fly cheap economy tickets on Alaska or its partner airlines. However, more expensive tickets may offer bonus elite qualifying miles, which can accelerate your progress towards achieving status.
Related: 5 reasons why I love having entry-level elite status with Alaska
Last minute earning strategies
Here are a few ways to earn more elite qualifying miles to cross the finish line and reach your desired elite status level before time runs out.
Maximize your routing
If you already have MVP Gold, MVP Gold 75K, or MVP Gold 100K status, you’re in luck.
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Alaska’s generous same-day flight change policy allows you to request a confirmed same-day flight change at any time during the check-in window. Your new flight must depart on the same calendar day as the original departure date, but you can change your itinerary to include additional stops.
This is useful because you earn more elite qualifying miles on longer routes. For example, instead of flying nonstop from Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport (DCA) to Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) and earning 2,311 EQMs, you can fly from Washington to Seattle-Tacoma International Airport (SEA) and from there to Los Angeles for 3,282 EQMs.
Or, to earn even more EQMs, add an additional segment from Seattle to San Francisco International Airport (SFO) and get a total of 3,507 EQMs (or three EQSs instead of one if you’re thinking about segments).
Status matching
If you don’t have elite status with Alaska yet, but Doing has elite status with another airline, this may be the best option to quickly achieve elite status. If you qualify, you will receive temporary status with Alaska based on your current level with a competitor.
To maintain your new Alaska status after the three-month promotional period, you must then fly the following number of miles on flights offered and operated by Alaska Airlines:
- MVP: 5,000 miles
- MVP Gold: 10,000 miles
- MVP Gold 75K: 20,000 miles
Alaska makes this process very simple, with a publicly available information page where you can select your specific status with a competitor from a list of eligible programs and upload your credentials directly.
If you start your status match at the end of June and meet the requirements, you will retain your status until the end of the calendar year.
However, if you start your status match between July and December and meet the requirements to maintain your status, you will keep it until the end of the following year. So if you have a lot of trips booked to Alaska in the coming months, now might be a good time to start.
Buy elite miles
In the past, Alaska has offered flyers the option to purchase elite miles or status directly or to buy back to their status level. Offers seem to vary by individual – and there’s no guarantee this will be the case this year – but you can check out topics like these on FlyerTalk to see how you can get in touch with a Mileage Plan agent and what you can expect when you do.
While prices have been expensive in the past, this could be worth it if you’re within striking distance of MVP Gold 75K and the 50,000 mile bonus you get for reaching that level.
Elite leave for new parents
Are you behind on elite status because of a new bundle of joy that’s been hampering your travels lately? Alaska Airlines has an “elite leave” policy for new parents that allows travelers to extend elite status for an additional year during their pregnancy or parental leave.
To take advantage of this benefit, you must send an email to the airline upon return with your full name, date of birth, Mileage Plan number and proof of pregnancy or parental leave, such as a note from your doctor or employer. If approved, the airline will assume you qualify for elite status in the year your parental leave ends and extend it to the following year.
Mileage scenarios
Although time is running out, you may still be able to maximize your mileage earnings in 2023 to achieve elite status with Alaska. That’s because Alaska Airlines, unlike other major airlines, has no minimum spending requirements for elite status.
Related: How and why you might want to book a mile run
Here are a few ideas to get you started.
1,000 EQM short: Alaska is generous in that whether you have elite status or not, you earn a minimum of 500 EQMs on flights. That means you can make two short jumps and reach the goal.
For example, you can spend just $133 and a few hours on a Saturday flying between Seattle and Spokane International Airport (GEG), Washington, for 1,000 EQMs.
Or spend $166 to fly from San Francisco International Airport (SFO) to Harry Reid International Airport (LAS) for a few days for the same 1,000 EQMs.
5,000 miles short: The easiest way to fill this gap is to look for cheap transcontinental flights from the West Coast to the East Coast. These routes will be more expensive than short-haul flights, but prices are usually reasonable enough to warrant a quick trip to maintain elite status.
Here’s a mid-December flight from San Francisco to New York for $217 in Saver Economy. This gives you a total of 5,131 earned EQMs.
Or spend a long weekend in Massachusetts with this $215 round-trip flight from Seattle. On this route you will earn 4,992 EQMs.
10,000+ miles short: If you’re way behind your goal – and this probably applies most to those aiming for MVP Gold 75K or higher – you might still be able to earn 10,000 or even 20,000 EQMs this year.
The easiest way would be to book two consecutive transcontinental flights (as in the examples above), as you can complete them all in a day or two and end up with around 10,000 EQMs. But that’s a lot of time to spend flying in narrowbody jets to destinations you may have already visited.
If you want to qualify in one go, consider taking a cheap long-haul flight with one of Alaska’s many airline partners. Just know that you’ll probably be flying intercontinental, so consider turning it into a vacation.
However, you should pay special attention to savings rates with airline partners, as the number of miles earned varies by partner and fare class. Check your fare class and the operating airline’s partner page to calculate how many EQMs you will receive from a partner flight.
Unfortunately, it’s worth noting that airfares to Asia are currently high, even if you make a connection. So you could end up paying more than $2,000 for, say, a premium economy ticket on a partner airline from the US West Coast to Asia or Australia. You should consider whether the benefits you receive from status are worth this investment.
Segments
If your mileage strategy involves earning segments, you can use Google Flights’ multicity search to build an itinerary.
Given Alaska’s extensive short-haul route network in the Pacific Northwest, if you’re based in a hub like Seattle or Portland or even in a “focus” city like the Bay Area, you might have some luck just finding some quick travel routes composes. on the run.
Here’s an example of a one-day trip I put together with Seattle as the start and end point. You would collect four segments and 2,229 EQMs by making three stops before returning to Seattle. This route costs $434, but there may be better deals.
Related: The Best Credit Cards for Airline Tickets
How to Earn Alaska Miles
Alaska Airlines has two cobranded credit cards with Bank of America: a personal card and a business card. They allow you to earn Alaska miles on your daily spending and they offer solid sign-up bonuses. The cards include other onboard benefits, including an annual Companion Fare that helps offset their annual fees.
- Alaska Airlines Visa® Credit Card: The Alaska Airlines Visa Card is Alaska’s personal credit card. It earns 3 miles per dollar spent on qualifying purchases in Alaska and 1 mile per dollar spent everywhere else. Plus, enjoy an annual Companion Fare (after you spend $6,000 or more on purchases in the previous anniversary year) to take a friend or family member on a trip starting at $122 ($99 fare plus taxes and fees starting at $ 23). You also get free checked bags on all Alaska flights and 20% off onboard purchases.
- Alaska Airlines Visa® Business Card: The Alaska Airlines Visa Business card is simply the business version of the personal Alaska card. With the card, you’ll earn the same 3 miles per dollar spent on eligible Alaska Airlines purchases and 1 mile per dollar spent on all other purchases. It includes a Companion Fare starting at $122 ($99 fare plus taxes and fees starting at $23) after spending $6,000 or more on purchases in the previous anniversary year and a free checked bag on all flights to Alaska.
Unfortunately, these earnings do not count toward qualifying for elite status (although bonuses have been offered in the past). As a result, you’ll need to follow one of the above strategies if you want to close the gap and retain MVP status this year.
In short
Even though the year ends in less than two months, there’s still time to lock in your 2024 Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan MVP elite status so you can enjoy the benefits next year.
You first want to know where you stand in your pursuit of elite status and then decide which strategy will help you get closer to your goal.