10 Best Ways To Redeem Alaska Mileage Plan Miles for Max Value

Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan has been among the most valuable award programs over the last few years. The program has largely offered fantastic redemption rates on partner airlines, allows for stopovers on one-way itineraries, and provides excellent benefits for those holding elite status.

However, the loyalty program has begun rolling out its new distance-based award charts. The new award charts are a complete overhaul of the previous redemption rates, which were based on destination and operating carrier.

Unfortunately, some of the best sweet spots in all of points and miles have now been eliminated. This isn’t to say that award prices are increasing on everything. However, a lot of our favorite award redemptions are doing just that.

Below, you’ll see some of the best ways to use your Alaska miles for award travel utilizing Alaska’s new award charts.

Redeeming Alaska Airlines Miles Using Mileage Plan

Alaska Airlines is part of the Oneworld Alliance with other airlines such as American Airlines and British Airways. Furthermore, Alaska also has a few non-alliance airlines it partners with.

List of Alaska Airlines Partners

You can use your Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan miles to book with all of the following carriers:

Oneworld Partners
Alaska Airlines	Malaysia Airlines
American Airlines	Oman Air (joining in 2024)
British Airways	Qantas
Cathay Pacific	Qatar Airways
Fiji Airways (Oneworld Connect Partner)	Royal Air Maroc
Finnair	Royal Jordanian
Iberia	S7 Airlines (temporarily suspended)
Japan Airlines	SriLankan Airlines

In addition, Alaska Airlines partners with these airlines on an individual basis.

Alaska Partners via Non-Alliance Partnerships
Aer Lingus	Kenmore Air (earn only)
Air Tahiti Nui	Korean Air
Bahamasair (earn only)	Mokulele Airlines (earn only)
Cape Air (earn only)	LATAM*
Condor	Ravn Alaska
EL AL	Singapore Airlines
Hainan Airlines	Southern Airways Express (earn only)
Icelandair	STARLUX Airlines

Thanks to Alaska’s numerous partnerships, you can use your Alaska miles to fly on some of the best airlines in the world, including British Airways, Cathay Pacific, Japan Airlines, and Qatar Airways, among others.

With the new distance-based award charts, the further you fly, the more miles it will cost you. Still, Alaska Airlines miles can provide incredible value if redeemed correctly.

Best of all, award redemptions are being opened up globally. Under the previous Mileage Plan award charts, you could only redeem Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan miles for travel within and between select regions. This is a major step in the right direction.

How To Boost Your Balance of Alaska Miles

Earning Alaska miles has been relatively difficult in the past as the program only had 1 major transfer partner: Marriott Bonvoy. However, this has changed as the Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan program is now a transfer of Bilt Rewards as well.

Alaska Airlines also offers a co-branded credit card issued by Bank of America for those in the U.S. market.

Marriott Bonvoy Credit Cards

Alaska Airlines is a transfer partner of Marriott Bonvoy. Marriott Bonvoy points transfer to Alaska Airlines at a 3:1 ratio. Plus, for every 60,000 Marriott Bonvoy points that you transfer, you’ll receive an extra 5,000 Mileage Plan miles.

Recommended Marriott Bonvoy Cards

Alaska Airlines Award Prices

As mentioned, Alaska’s new award charts have begun rolling out and some are now officially in effect. Alaska Airlines now has 3 separate award charts: One for redemptions in the Americas, one for Asia Pacific redemptions, and another for redemptions to Europe, the Middle East, and Africa. 

Here is the award pricing for flights within the Americas:

Distance (miles)	Economy Starting at:	Premium Economy Starting at:	Business Starting at	First Starting at:
Less than 700	4,500	6,000	9,000	13,500
701–1,400	7,500	10,000	15,000	25,000
1,401–2,100	12,500	17,500	25,000	40,000
2,101–4,000	17,500	22,500	35,000	52,500
4,001–6,000	25,000	32,500	50,000	75,000
6,001 and above	30,000	40,000	60,000	90,000

Here is the award pricing for flights to Asia Pacific:

Distance (miles)	Economy Starting at	Premium Economy Starting at	Business Starting at	First Starting at
Less than 1,500	7,500	10,000	15,000	22,500
1,501–3,000	25,000	32,500	50,000	75,000
3,001–5,000	30,000	40,000	60,000	90,000
5,001–7,000	37,500	50,000	75,000	110,000
7,001–10,000	42,500	55,000	85,000	130,000
10,000 and above	65,000	85,000	130,000	195,000

Lastly, here is the new award pricing for flights to Europe, the Middle East, and Africa. 

Distance (miles)	Economy Starting at	Premium Economy Starting at	Business Starting at	First Starting at
Less than 1,500	7,500	10,000	15,000	22,500
1,501–3,500	22,500	30,000	45,000	67,500
3,501–5,000	27,500	35,000	55,000	82,500
5,001–7,000	35,000	45,000	70,000	105,000
7,001–10,000	42,500	55,000	85,000	130,000
10,000 and above	55,000	72,500	110,000	165,000

Alaska is still using a “starting from” pricing method, so these rates aren’t what you will always see.

These rates reflect the lowest-priced “saver” award availability. While the award chart may list a required number of points, you will likely see a higher rate when you begin the award search.

However, this is not all bad news as now all partners have the same award pricing, assuming there’s saver award availability. This is a major improvement to Alaska’s old award charts, where different partners had different pricing.

The 10 Best Ways To Use Your Alaska Mileage Plan Miles

Alaska’s Mileage Plan loyalty program offers excellent value for its miles, particularly when redeeming on its many partner airlines.

Alaska is keeping its incredibly generous stopover policy, which can effectively allow you to visit 2 destinations for the price of 1.

When searching for reward availability for partner flights, simply search your dates with the Use miles option checked. After you click to search, you may filter the results by airline using the sidebar that appears to the left of the search display.

Here are 10 suggestions to maximize the value of your Mileage Plan miles on Alaska Airlines and partner flights, especially for those who fly in business or first-class.

1. Short-Haul Awards Within the Americas

As with any distance-based award program, there is immense value when redeeming miles for short-haul flights on expensive routes.

Flights in the Americas region will start at 4,500 Alaska miles one-way for short-haul flights of 700 miles or less, down from the previous minimum of 7,500 Alaska miles. While this new award pricing won’t amount to crazy savings, it will make shorter flights more affordable.

Best of all, this pricing is for flights within the Americas region, which includes Central and South America.

Here are some great example routes you can take:

• Seattle (SEA) – San Francisco (SFO) one-way for 4,500 Alaska miles + taxes and fees.
• Miami (MIA) – Cancun (CUN) one-way for 4,500 Alaska miles + taxes and fees.

Hot Tip:

If you’re short on Alaska miles, you can transfer points from Marriott Bonvoy or Bilt Rewards.

2. Longer Short-Haul Awards Within the Americas

Similar to the previous redemption, slightly longer flights between 701 and 1,400 miles can be booked for as little as 7,500 Alaska Airlines miles one-way on both Alaska and partner American Airlines.

Here are some great example routes you can take:

• Dallas-Fort Worth (DFW) – Mexico City (MEX) one-way for 7,500 Alaska miles + taxes and fees.
• Miami (MIA) – Cartagena (CTG) one-way for 7,500 Alaska miles + taxes and fees.

3. Starlux Business Class for 75,000 Miles

An excellent way to get to Taipei is on Taiwan-based Starlux Airlines. Despite being a newer airline, Starlux Airlines has quickly become a favorite thanks to its premium service and luxurious offerings. It has established itself as a major airline offering excellent customer service and modern amenities.

From the West Coast, you can fly nonstop to Taipei for 75,000 miles, a redemption that remains unchanged from the previous Alaska Airlines award chart.

Here are some great example routes you can take:

• San Francisco (SFO) – Taipei (TPE) one-way for 75,000 Alaska miles + taxes and fees.
• Los Angeles (LAX) – Taipei (TPE) one-way for 75,000 Alaska miles + taxes and fees.

4. Northeast U.S. To Ireland or England for 45,000 Miles in Business Class

Now, we have a great redemption option for those wanting to visit Ireland or England. If you’re based in the Northeast (or don’t mind flying from the area) you can book a one-way business class award ticket for as little as 45,000 miles.

Looking at the award pricing for flights to Europe, the Middle East, and Africa, flights less than 3,500 miles can be booked for just 45,000 miles in business class.

Here are some great example routes you can take:

• Boston (BOS) – Dublin (DUB) one-way for 45,000 Alaska miles + taxes and fees.
• Newark (EWR) – London (LHR) one-way for 45,000 Alaska miles + taxes and fees.
• New York (JFK) – Dublin (DUB) one-way for 45,000 Alaska miles + taxes and fees.

5. Business Class to Europe for 55,000 Miles

Another excellent redemption is for those in the Eastern half of the U.S. wanting to visit destinations in Europe.

Looking at the award pricing for flights to Europe, the Middle East, and Africa, flights between 3,501 and 5,000 miles can be booked for just 55,000 miles one-way in business class

Here are some great example routes you can take:

• New York (JFK) – Madrid (MAD) one-way in Iberia business class for 55,000 Alaska miles + taxes and fees.
• Toronto (YYZ) – Frankfurt (FRA) one-way in Condor business class for 55,000 Alaska miles + taxes and fees.
• Minneapolis-St. Paul (MSP) – Frankfurt (FRA) one-way in Condor business class for 55,000 Alaska miles + taxes and fees.

6. Fly Qatar Airways Qsuites to the Middle East

If you’ve ever wanted to enjoy a double bed on a flight, look no further than Qatar Airways Qsuites. Not only can you experience a comfortable flight to the Middle East starting at 70,000 Alaska miles, but you can experience one of the absolute best business class products in the world.

Flights from the U.S. to Doha that fall in the 5,001-7,000 mile distance band can be booked for 70,000 miles one-way in business class.

Here are some flights you can consider booking:

• Washington, D.C. (IAD) – Doha (DOH) one-way in Qatar Airways business class from 70,000 Alaska Airlines miles + taxes and fees
• New York (JFK) – Doha (DOH) one-way in Qatar Airways business class from 70,000 Alaska Airlines miles + taxes and fees
• Philadelphia (PHL) – Doha (DOH) one-way in Qatar Airways business class from 70,000 Alaska Airlines miles + taxes and fees

Hot Tip:

Check out our guide on The Best Ways To Book Qatar Airways Qsuites With Points and Miles.

Need help booking? See our step-by-step guide to booking Qatar Airways Qsuites.

7. Fly Japan Airlines Business Class

Although flights between North America and Japan are quite long, there’s 1 particular sweet spot worth mentioning. Flights between Seattle (SEA) or Vancouver (YVR) and Tokyo clock in just under 5,000 miles, so these flights can be booked for just 60,000 miles one-way in business class.

Almost all other flights between the U.S. and Japan are longer than 5,000 miles, so they will fall in the next distance band. Those flights can be booked starting at 75,000 miles one-way in business class.

Here are some great example routes you can take:

• Seattle (SEA) – Tokyo (NRT) one-way in Japan Airlines business class for 60,000 Alaska Airlines miles + taxes and fees
• Vancouver (YVR) – Tokyo (HND) one-way in Japan Airlines business class for 60,000 Alaska Airlines miles + taxes and fees

8. Business Class on Partner Airlines in Asia

A silver lining of the award charts changing is that certain routes will be priced for significantly fewer miles compared to Alaska’s older award charts.

For example, a Japan Airlines business class award ticket between Tokyo and Shanghai is now priced starting at 15,000 miles one-way. The same is true for a Malaysia Airlines business class award ticket between Kuala Lumpur and Bangkok.

Under the previous Alaska award charts, these redemptions would consistently price at 65,000 Alaska miles one-way.

9. Fly on Fiji Airways to Fiji

Another excellent way to redeem your Alaska miles is on Oneworld Connect partner Fiji Airways.

You can fly nonstop between Los Angeles (LAX) or San Francisco (SFO) and Nadi (NAN) for just 37,500 Alaska miles one-way in economy. This is because both West Coast cities are between 5,001 and 7,000 miles away from Fiji’s capital city.

Under Alaska’s previous award chart, these flights would cost 40,000 Alaska miles one-way — the new charts will save you 2,500 miles.

If you wanted to fly in business class instead, the same flights would cost 75,000 miles one-way.

10. Domestic Flights in Australia on Qantas

Alaska Airlines’ Oneworld partner Qantas has an extensive domestic network in Australia.

Flights less than 1,500 miles can be booked for just 7,500 miles one-way in economy or 15,000 miles in business class.

Here are some great example routes you can take:

• Melbourne (MEL) – Sydney (SYD) one-way in Qantas economy for 7,500 miles + taxes and fees
• Sydney (SYD) – Brisbane (BNE) one-way in Qantas economy for 7,500 miles + taxes and fees
• Adelaide (ADL) – Brisbane (BNE) one-way in Qantas business class for 15,000 miles + taxes and fees

Final Thoughts

With Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan’s new distance-based award charts in effect, the best ways to redeem Alaska miles have changed significantly. While not all award prices increased, many sought-after redemption options have been eliminated.

Still, the Alaska Miles Mileage Plan program allows you to fly on some of the best airlines in the world, including Cathay Pacific, Japan Airlines, and Qantas. Best of all, Alaska has kept its stopover policy intact, including one-way award redemptions.