Everything You Need To Know About Alaska Airlines’ Milestones [2025]

In 2025, Alaska Airlines got into the game of rewarding travelers with perks along their elite status journey. Rather than waiting until you reach the next tier to gain benefits, you can receive additional perks in between.

Dubbed “milestones,” these perks are available starting at 10,000 status points. That’s a relatively achievable threshold, and travelers don’t need to qualify for any levels of elite status before they can get extra benefits.

The best part about milestones is their customization, letting you choose the perk you like — or 2 perks you like, depending on which milestone you’ve reached.

Here’s everything you need to know about this new benefit for Alaska Airlines flyers and the options you can choose from this year.

What Are Alaska Atmos Rewards Milestones?

Alaska Airlines announced milestones along with its other loyalty program changes for 2025. Milestones are perks that you can choose, starting at 10,000 status points and available at 7 different thresholds as you earn more status points throughout the year.

Choosing milestones in your Alaska Airlines Atmos Rewards account is free after you’ve qualified for them. However, you need to make your selection within 120 days.

How To Earn Alaska Airlines Status Points

Qualifying for milestones requires earning status points. Luckily, you can earn status points from more than just flying. Ways to collect status points include spending on a credit card, travel, shopping, and more.

These are the same status points that count toward earning Alaska Airlines’ elite status tiers, though you don’t need to reach any level of elite status to qualify for milestones. That’s because you need just 10,000 status points in a year to make your first milestone choice, though you need 20,000 status points to reach the lowest level of elite status: Atmos Silver.

Here are some of the ways to earn status points with Alaska Airlines:

Since Alaska awards status points on flights according to flight distance, fare type, and where you purchased the ticket, you can check your earnings against this chart here.

Alaska Airlines Atmos Rewards Milestone Choices

You have options at each milestone. Some milestones provide just 1 choice, while others provide 2. Once you make a selection, your choice is final, so ensure you’re happy with it before confirming it.

Options include bonus points, complimentary passes for inflight Wi-Fi, gifting elite status to others, and additional perks you may like. Here are the current choices at each milestone threshold:

Which Milestone Perk Should You Choose?

The value you assign to a milestone option is subjective, but it’s worth comparing them to see what you’re getting or giving up by not choosing a different item.

For reference, we value Alaska Airlines points at 1.6 cents each. That makes 750 bonus points worth $12, while 15,000 points are worth $240. The same math applies to a discount on Atmos Rewards Unlocked, for which you can redeem points toward experiences and events. Getting a discount of 10,000 or 25,000 points on these redemptions is worth $160 or $400, respectively.

Inflight Wi-Fi costs $8 on most of Alaska’s flights, while onboard meals cost between $8 and $12.50 if you don’t get a complimentary meal. A single-day visit to an Alaska Lounge costs $65.

Then there are choices that are harder to value. What’s the value you assign to moving into first class on a flight? Is it the cost difference of the ticket against the economy-class pricing, the cost of the food and drinks you consume, or some other number in between? The dollar value attached to upgrade awards may vary from person to person and flight to flight.

That same logic will apply to gifting or sampling elite status for a single trip. For an idea of the value differences, check out our comparison of Alaska Airlines Atmos Platinum and Titanium status.

Then there are the milestones you probably shouldn’t choose. You can get rental car upgrades rather easily by holding the right credit card and matching your status across various programs. And you should consider the lounge membership discount carefully before choosing this option. It’s just a $100 discount on a membership that covers 9 lounges for a cost of $595 — so $495 with the discount.

If you’re flying long-distance with Alaska Airlines in first class (paid or booked with points), with Alaska Airlines’ partners, or on military travel, you can access these lounges before departing without paying. You can also access the lounge if you have elite status with a Oneworld airline and are traveling beyond the U.S., Canada, Mexico, and the Caribbean. However, that restriction doesn’t apply to those whose elite status comes from airlines other than Alaska and American Airlines, so British Airways Club members, for example, can access the lounges for free when flying in a premium cabin with a Oneworld airline regardless of destination.

As you consider the value of your options, consider both the tangible and intangible to see what value you’ll get from a benefit. Make sure to choose a perk that you’ll use and that you’ll be happy with. Remember that all choices are final.

Final Thoughts

Alaska Airlines added milestones to its Atmos Rewards program in 2025. Similar to what we’ve seen with other airline and hotel loyalty programs, guests can earn choice benefits after certain thresholds are met during the year. Some options are clearly better than others, and it’s important that you clearly understand the perk and its value before making a selection, given that all choices are final.