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Alaska Airlines has just completed its merger/acquisition of Hawaiian Airlines and has decided to do a major overhaul on the program. I was very surprised. Why? One, that is quite refreshing that in this day and age of devaluation, Alaska has figured out a way to bring value to their loyalists rather than what we are accustomed to seeing other programs implement which are devaluations masked as “innovations.”
I already loved Alaska, but I love it more now. Personally, I think there are a few things that are amazing about the new 2025 program and a couple aspects that are clear devals.
Amazing
- You can earn Elite Qualifying Miles on Award tickets = elite status gained solely on partner flights
- This not only on Alaska bookings but also partners.
- This makes all those Amex points transferred to Hawaiian even more valuable since redemption earns elite miles
- My understanding is 1 EQM for every miles flown meaning mileage running is back baby!!!
- You’ll earn 1 EQM for every $3 you spend on the Alaska credit cards capped at 30k EQM
- The cap is currently 20k
- I kinda like this cap because it means that elites won’t get watered down with big spenders, but also incentivizes cc spend
- Rollover EQMs
- These start at 85k as a choice, but then appear again at 150k, 200k, 250k, etc
- So smart to engage elites with a head start on the next year
- Milestones that incentivize travel in between levels of status
- One of these is the 85k level that gives the rollover EQM for the next year.
Devalued
- The 50k miles awarded when you hit Alaska MVP Gold75k is now a choice milestone at the 100k level
- The massive earning rates now available on some partners will be cut and the program will have a universal earning rate for partners
- For years now Alaska has had a partner by partner chart that had some insane earning opportunities…that is gone and a uniform earning chart is posted which honestly is pretty darn good.
You can earn elite miles flying, spending, flying award flights on both Alaska and partners, and they didn’t tinker with any of the elite qualificiation levels. You still hit MVP Gold at 40k ( One World Sapphire ) and MVPG75k at 75k ( One World Emerald ). When award flights now count, and you can add in a bit of spend, this makes these status levels a lot more attainable for those of us living on the east coast and outside their normal route network.
The end result? The best loyalty program out there…now go acquire JetBlue and become East Coast dominant as well 🙂
More ways to earn status – mileage running is back baby!
It seems every program is continuing to lean toward being a pure revenue based model, but Alaska is clinging to awarding miles by putting your butt in a seat while also getting creative on adding some spend elements to gain status.
Earning through partners
One of the examples that has been hit is British Airways. You used to be able to get a 500% bonus on miles earned if you credited a BA issued and flown
Example of 2024 earning ( still valid on flights booked up til 10/16/24 )
The 2025 earning rates
Award Travel
As I mentioned above, you can earn elite status redeeming miles on partner flights. As someone who does this quite often, I’m more apt to be loyal to Alaska and want to earn their miles, and not only book flights through them, on them, but also potentially make a run at status. I may even buy miles to shore up my balance if that means I could cheaply buy EQMs through a partner flight that I’d otherwise not even want to fly.
Booking multiple partner flights is coming in 2025. Yes, they’ve spoken about it for a while, but it’s actually coming.
Alaska Visa + Mileage Plan Partners
- Every $3k in card spend = 1000 EQM with a max of 30k EQM
- 1000 EQM for every 3000 Miles you earn via partners
- Bilt is not a part of this
This incentivizes earning Alaska miles when you book a cruise, car rental, or the shopping portal
Milestones and Perks
10K milestone – Coming in 2025
- 750 bonus miles
- Pre-order a complimentary meal for your flight
- One (1) complimentary Wi-Fi pass
- Try MVP status for a trip
- Earn double miles with non-air partners
- Upgrade your next Avis rental
MVP / oneworld® Ruby 20,000 elite-qualifying miles
- Earn 25% bonus miles on every flight, including with our partners
- Enjoy exclusive day-of-travel benefits including upgrades to First Class and Premium Class on Alaska Airlines, when available
- Starting later in 2025: Companions traveling on the same flight, in the same reservation will become eligible for First Class and Premium Class upgrades (when available)
- Your status goes further with oneworld Ruby privileges, including upgrades to First Class and Main Cabin Extra on American Airlines, when available
- Extra benefits with our non-air partners, including a status match to Avis Preferred Plus status and discounts on a Clear Plus membership
30,000 elite-qualifying miles Pick one (1) of these perks:
- 2,500 bonus miles
- $25 off a future Alaska flight
- Four (4) Wi-Fi passes
- Try MVP Gold status for a trip
- $100 off an Alaska Lounge membership
MVP Gold / oneworld® Sapphire 40,000 elite-qualifying miles
- Earn 50% bonus miles on every flight, including with our partners
- Your status goes further with oneworld Sapphire privileges, including access to Business Class lounges when traveling on a oneworld member airline to a destination outside of the US, Canada, or Mexico.
- A complimentary premium drink or chocolate when you fly in Main Cabin
- Standby and waitlist for full flights
- Complimentary same-day flight changes
- Extra benefits with our non-air partners, including status-matching to Avis Preferred Plus status and discounts on a Clear Plus membership
55,000 elite-qualifying miles Pick two (2) of these perks:
- 5,000 bonus miles
- 10,000 miles off an Extras redemption
- Gift MVP for a trip
- One (1) complimentary Lounge day pass
- Two (2) upgrade certificates
MVP Gold 75K / oneworld® Emerald 75,000 elite-qualifying miles
- Earn 100% bonus miles on every flight, including with our partners
- Complimentary upgrades into Premium Class upgrades at booking for all Main Cabin fares (excluding Saver)
- Your status goes further with oneworld Emerald privileges, including access to Business and First Class lounges when traveling on a oneworld member airline to a destination outside of the US, Canada, or Mexico.
- A complimentary premium drink or chocolate when you fly in Main Cabin
- Extra benefits with our non-air partners, including status-matching to Avis President’s Club status and discounts on a Clear Plus membership
85,000 elite-qualifying miles Pick two (2) of these perks:
- 15,000 bonus miles
- 25,000 miles off an Extras redemption
- Two (2) complimentary Lounge day passes
- Two (2) upgrade certificates
- Gift MVP Gold status for a trip
- Nominate someone for MVP status
- 10,000 elite-qualifying miles rolled over
MVP Gold 100K / oneworld® Emerald 100,000 elite-qualifying miles
- Earn 150% more bonus miles on every flight, including with our partners
- Your status goes further with oneworld Emerald privileges, including access to Business Class and First Class lounges when traveling on a oneworld member airline to a destination outside of the US, Canada, or Mexico.
- A complimentary premium drink or chocolate when you fly in Main Cabin
- A complimentary meal when you fly in Main Cabin
- Extra benefits with our non-air partners, including status-matching to Avis President’s Club status and discounts on a Clear Plus membership
- 100K Choice Benefit: Pick one (1) of these perks:
- 50,000 bonus miles
- 75,000 miles off an Extras redemption
- Alaska Lounge+ membership
- Complimentary Wi-Fi on every flight
- Four (4) upgrade certificates
- Nominate someone for MVP Gold status
150,000 elite-qualifying miles
- 15,000 bonus miles
- 25,000 off an Extras redemption
- Two (2) complimentary Lounge passes
- Two (2) upgrade certificates
- 10,000 elite-qualifying miles rolled over
200,000 elite-qualifying miles
- 15,000 bonus miles
- 25,000 off an Extras redemption
- Two (2) complimentary Lounge passes
- Two (2) upgrade certificates
- 10,000 elite-qualifying miles rolled over
250,000 elite-qualifying miles
- 15,000 bonus miles
- 25,000 off an Extras redemption
- Two (2) complimentary Lounge passes
- Two (2) upgrade certificates
- 10,000 elite-qualifying miles rolled over
Upgrades
I like how the number of EQMs you have in your account and Tier is what will be used for status alongside the lowest level MVP getting compled, space avail upgrades for companions. This means low level status actually has much more value for those who like to take trips with someone else. They will also be integrated alerts to use your upgrade certs if that’s what you’d want.
Heck… I haven’t considered going for elite status since 2019, and I may just go for Alaska status next year.
Opinions, reviews, analyses & recommendations are the author’s alone, and have not been reviewed, endorsed or approved by any of these entities.
Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card
Welcome Offer
$300 Chase Travel℠ Credit + Earn 60,000 bonus points after you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening.
Annual Fee
$95
Points Earned
Transferrable Chase Ultimate Rewards
- $300 Chase Travel℠ Credit + Earn 60,000 bonus points after you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening.
- That’s worth $750 when redeemed through Chase Travel℠. Plus, get up to $300 in statement credits on Chase Travel℠ purchases within your first year
- 5x on all travel purchased through Chase Travel℠
- 3x on dining, including eligible delivery services for takeout & dining out
- 3x on select streaming services
- 3x on online grocery purchases
- (excluding Target, Walmart and wholesale clubs)
- $50 Annual Chase Travel Hotel Credit via Chase Travel℠
- The begins immediately for new cardmembers and after your account anniversary for existing cardmembers
- 2x on all other travel
- 10% Anniversary Bonus
- Every year you keep the card, your total spend will yield a 10% points bonus. If you spend $10k in a year, you’ll get 1k bonus points
- Chase Sapphire Preferred continues to redeem at 1.25c in the Chase Travel℠ and the slew of other benefits remain in tact including Auto Rental Collision Damage Waiver ( primary ), purchase protections, etc.
- Points are transferrable to 14 Ultimate Rewards partners
- Redeem in Chase Travel℠ for 1.25 cents per point
- No foreign transaction fees
- Suite of Travel and Purchase Coverage
- Auto Rental Collision Damage Waiver is my favorite
- Get complimentary access to DashPass which unlocks $0 delivery fees and lower service fees for a minimum of one year when you activate by December 31, 2027.
- $95 Annual Fee
We keep an up to date spreadsheet that lists the best ever offers: You can find that spreadsheet here.
Historically 80k is a very, very good offer and hit in both 2022 and 2023. In 2021, we saw the offer hit an all time high of 100k. Who knows if that will ever come back.
Main Cast:
Cards that earn flexible points and should be used on the bulk of your purchases.
Supporting Cast:
Cards that earn fixed points in the currency of the airline/hotel and can not be transferred at attractive rates. These cards yield benefits that make it worth keeping, but not necessarily worth putting a lot of your everyday spend on.
The Chase Sapphire Preferred® is exceptional starter card and offers transferrable Ultimate Rewards, and pairs well with other Chase cards.
If you carry this card alongside Chase’s cashback cards like the Chase Freedom Flex® and Chase Freedom Unlimited® or the business versions: Ink Business Cash® , Ink Business Unlimited® you can combine the points into Preferred account and transfer into hotel and airline partners
Annual fee is quite low at $95 a year + you get a 10% anniversary bonus on points + $50 hotel credit in Chase travel.
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