How To Get Alaska Airlines Elite Status (And Is It Worth It?)

Who doesn’t love airline elite status? Perks like free checked baggage, upgrades, and lounge access are ones that we can all use, but sometimes what you need to do to earn elite status can be confusing. We’ve gone over the ways to earn elite status with lots of popular airlines like Delta, American, and United, and today, it’s Alaska Airlines’ turn.

In this post, we’ll show you everything you need to know about how to get Alaska Airlines elite status, including the minimum requirements, levels of status, the benefits of each level of status, and that all-important question — is it even worth it?

Table of contents

How To Earn Alaska Airlines Elite Status
Alaska Airlines Elite Status Benefits
- 100K Choice Benefit
- Oneworld and Global Partner Benefits
Is Alaska Airlines Elite Status Worth It?
Final Thoughts

Table of Contents

How To Earn Alaska Airlines Elite Status
Alaska Airlines Elite Status Benefits
- 100K Choice Benefit
- Oneworld and Global Partner Benefits
Is Alaska Airlines Elite Status Worth It?
Final Thoughts

How To Earn Alaska Airlines Elite Status

Earning elite status in the Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan program is relatively straightforward and easy to understand (unlike some of the other airline elite status programs out there).

To start, the earning period runs on a calendar year, from January 1 to December 31.

To earn status, you’ll need to meet the minimum number of elite qualifying miles or the minimum number of eligible segments. In addition, you’ll also need to meet the minimum number of flights marketed and operated by Alaska Airlines.

Elite qualifying miles are earned by flying on Alaska Airlines and its qualifying partners with a minimum of 500 miles earned per flight. Award tickets do not earn elite qualifying miles, and miles earned through the Alaska Airlines co-branded credit cards don’t count toward elite status.

	MVP	MVP Gold	MVP Gold 75K	MVP Gold 100K
Eligible miles earned on Alaska Airlines plus Oneworld and global partners	20,000	40,000	75,000	100,000
Eligible segments flown on Alaska Airlines plus Oneworld and global partners	30	60	90	140
Minimum number of flights marketed and operated by Alaska Airlines	2	4	6	24

Once you earn elite status with Alaska Airlines, it will be valid through the following calendar year. For example, if you earn Alaska Airlines MVP status in October of 2023, your status would be valid through December of 2024.

After flying 1,000,000 miles on Alaska Airlines, you’ll be a Million Miler and earn MVP Gold status for life.

Regain Your 2022 Status

Many airlines are offering elite status extensions and bonuses into 2023, and Alaska Airlines is no exception.

Elites who didn’t requalify for the status level they held in 2022 can fast-track to extend their status through December 31, 2023, by earning the following number of base flight miles between January 13, 2023, and April 13, 2023:

MVP Members: 5,000 miles
MVP Gold Members: 10,000 miles
MVP Gold 75K Members: 20,000 miles

Status Match to Alaska Airlines

If you have elite status with another airline, you can apply for a status match to Alaska Airlines.

You can match to MVP status from the following statuses:

Aeromexico Gold
Air Canada Aeroplan 25K and 35K
American Airlines AAdvantage Gold
Delta Silver Medallion
Frontier Elite 20K
Hawaiian Pualani Gold
JetBlue TrueBlue Mosiac
Southwest Rapid Rewards A-List
United Premier Silver and Premier Associate

You can match to MVP Gold status from the following statuses:

Aeromexico Platinum
Air Canada Aeroplan 50K
American Airlines AAdvantage Platinum
Delta Gold Medallion
Frontier Elite 50K
Hawaiian Pualani Platinum
Southwest Rapid Rewards A-List Preferred
United Premier Gold

You can match to MVP Gold 75K status from the following statuses:

Aeromexico Titanio
Air Canada Aeroplan 75K and 100K
American Airlines AAdvantage Platinum Pro, Executive Platinum, and ConciergeKey
Delta Platinum Medallion and Diamond Medallion
Frontier Elite 100K
Southwest A-List Preferred and Companion Pass (must have both)
United Platinum, 1K, and Global Services

Once you apply for a status match, you’ll have 90 days to fly a certain number of miles to keep your status.

To keep MVP status, fly 5,000 miles
To keep MVP Gold status, fly 10,000 miles
To keep MVP Gold 75K status, fly 20,000 miles

Once you fly the required miles on Alaska, your elite benefits will be extended based on when you started your status match challenge. If you started by the end of June, your benefits will be extended to the end of that calendar year. If you started your challenge between July and December, your benefits will be extended through the following calendar year.

Bottom Line: You can status match to Alaska Airlines from a number of other airline statuses. After status matching, you’ll have 90 days to fly a specified number of miles to keep your benefits. To maximize the time you can take advantage of your matched status, start your status match challenge between July and December so your benefits will be extended to the end of the following calendar year.

Alaska Airlines Credit Cards

The Alaska Airlines Visa Signature® credit card doesn’t help out when it comes to earning status. It does, however, offer a great way to earn lots more Alaska Airlines miles as well as great perks like free checked bags, and a yearly Companion Fare, so don’t overlook it.

Small business owners may want to check out the Alaska Airlines Visa® Business Credit Card.

Bottom Line: Unfortunately, there is no way to fast-track to Alaska Airlines elite status with co-branded credit cards.

Alaska Airlines Elite Status Benefits

Alaska Airlines first class seats — Having Alaska Airlines elite status can help you get seats in the front of the plane. Image Credit: Alaska Airlines

Alaska Airlines elite members have access to select benefits, regardless of elite level:

Priority check-in and boarding
Preferred seating
Express security screening at select airports
Dedicated reservation phone line
Elite Leave for new parents, allowing you to keep elite status for an additional year during pregnancy or parental leave

In addition, elite members have the following benefits:

Alaska Airlines Elite Benefit	MVP	MVP Gold	MVP Gold 75K	MVP Gold 100K
Oneworld Alliance Status	Oneworld Ruby	Oneworld Sapphire	Oneworld Emerald	Oneworld Emerald
Elite Miles Bonus	50%	100%	125%	150%
First Class Upgrades at the Time of Booking	Y, B fares	Y, B, H, K fares	Y, B, H, K, M fares	Y, B, H, K, M fares
Premium Class Upgrades at the Time of Booking	Y, B, H fares	Y, B, H, K, M, L, V, S, N fares	Any fare except Saver fares	Any fare except Saver fares
First and Premium Class Upgrades on Non-qualifying Fares on Alaska Airlines	48 hours before departure	72 hours before departure	120 hours before departure	120 hours before departure, with the highest waitlist opportunity
Free Checked Bags	2	2	3	3
Discounted Membership for Alaska Lounges	$50 off	$100 off	$150 off	$150 off
Companion Upgrades to Premium and First Class		Yes	Yes	Yes
First Class Guest Upgrades		Yes	Yes	Yes
Complimentary Premium Beverage or Chocolate in Main Cabin		Yes	Yes	Yes + snack or meal
Standby and Waitlist for Full Flights		Yes	Yes	Yes
Complimentary Same-day Flight Changes		Yes	Yes	Yes
50,000 Bonus Miles Upon Qualification			Yes
4 Alaska Lounge Day Passes			Yes	Yes
International Upgrade Certificate on American Airlines			1	2
100K Choice Benefit				Yes

100K Choice Benefit

Upon earning MVP Gold 100K status, members can choose 1 of 4 100K Choice Benefits:

50,000 bonus miles
Alaska Lounge+ membership
Gift of MVP Gold status
Complimentary Wi-Fi every time you fly

Hot Tip: Having elite status helps you get first class upgrades on Alaska Airlines.

Oneworld and Global Partner Benefits

In addition to benefits on Alaska Airlines, elite members get benefits from Oneworld Alliance partners and global partners.

Oneworld Alliance Partners

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

Alaska Airlines elite members have access to the following Oneworld Alliance benefits.

Oneworld Benefit	MVP	MVP Gold	MVP Gold 75K	MVP Gold 100K
Oneworld Elite Status	Oneworld Ruby	Oneworld Sapphire	Oneworld Emerald	Oneworld Emerald
Earn and Redeem Miles on Oneworld Partner Flights	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
Elite Bonus Miles on Eligible Oneworld Flights	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
Priority Check-in	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
Preferred or Pre-reserved Seating	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
Waitlist and Standby Priority	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
Priority Boarding		Yes	Yes	Yes
Oneworld Business Class Lounge Access		Yes	Yes	Yes
Extra Baggage Allowance and Priority Handling		Yes	Yes	Yes
Oneworld First Class Lounge Access			Yes	Yes
Fast Track at Security			Yes	Yes

American Airlines Benefits

Alaska Airlines elite members have access to the following benefits on American Airlines:

	MVP	MVP Gold	MVP Gold 75K	MVP Gold 100K
Access to Main Cabin Extra Seating	24 hours ahead	At the time of booking	At the time of booking	At the time of booking
Complimentary Checked Bags	1	2	3	3
Complimentary Domestic Upgrades	At the gate	At the gate	Starting at 72 hours	Starting at 72 hours
Complimentary Same-day Flight Changes			Yes	Yes
International Upgrade Certificates			1	2

Other Partner Airlines Benefits

MVP Gold, MVP Gold 75K, and MVP Gold 100K members plus 1 guest will have access to the following partner lounges:

Select Hainan Airlines lounges
Select Icelandair lounges

Is Alaska Airlines Elite Status Worth It?

Whether or not Alaska Airlines elite status is worth it or not depends on how you use the program. Let’s take a look at a few of the benefits of Alaska’s elite status to see what they are actually worth for an average traveler.

Free Checked Baggage

Checked baggage on Alaska Airlines — You’ll save money on checked baggage fees with Alaska Airlines elite status. Image Credit: Alaska Airlines

Alaska Airlines elite members get a minimum of 2 free checked bags per flight. Typically, Alaska Airlines bag fees are $30 for the first bag and $40 for the second. If you fly 6 times a year (roundtrip) and check 2 bags each time, having elite status would save you $840!

If you don’t have Alaska Airlines elite status but would still like to avoid paying baggage fees, consider the Alaska Signature card or the Alaska Airlines Business card. Both of these cards come with a free checked bag for you and up to 6 guests on the same reservation.

Premium Class Upgrades

Alaska Airlines elite members can upgrade to Premium Class at the time of booking, which comes with roomier seats, complimentary beer and wine, plus priority boarding. Premium Class upgrades start at $15 per flight, so if you fly 6 round trips per year, you’ll save $180.

Elite Miles Bonus

As an Alaska Airlines elite member, you’ll earn 50% to 150% in bonus miles. If you’re an MVP who flies 20,000 miles per year, that’s a bonus of 10,000 miles. According to our most recent valuations, Alaska miles are worth ~1.8 cents each. That means your bonus of 10,000 miles is worth about $180. If you’re an MVP Gold 100K who flies 100,000 miles, your 150% bonus will give you an extra 150,000 miles with a value of about $2,700!

Final Thoughts

Airline elite status is a great thing to have to make each flight you take more comfortable and valuable. Thankfully, getting Alaska Airlines elite status is relatively straightforward. Each calendar year, you’ll need to fly at least 20,000 eligible miles or 30 segments in addition to at least 2 flights marketed and operated by Alaska Airlines. Benefits of Alaska Airlines elite status include free checked baggage and seat upgrades.

The information regarding the Alaska Airlines Visa Signature® credit card and Alaska Airlines Visa® Business Credit Card was independently collected by Upgraded Points and not provided nor reviewed by the issuer.

Frequently asked questions

How do you get Alaska Airlines elite status?

Earning elite status on Alaska Airlines is simple. All you need to do is fly at least 20,000 eligible miles or 30 segments in addition to at least 2 flights marketed and operated by Alaska Airlines within a calendar year.

How long does Alaska Airlines elite status last?

Once you’ve earned Alaska Airlines elite status it’s valid through the following calendar year. For example, if you earn elite status in November 2023, it will last through December 2024.

What does Alaska MVP status get you?

Alaska Airlines MVP status is the lowest level of elite status but it still comes with lots of benefits including priority check-in, boarding, and seating, seat upgrades, free checked bags, elite bonus miles, discounted Alaska lounges membership, and Oneworld Ruby status.

Does Alaska Airlines recognize American status?

Yes, Alaska Airlines and American Airlines elite members will enjoy some reciprocal benefits on these 2 airlines. American Airlines elite members can get perks like priority check-in, priority boarding, free checked bags, and complimentary upgrades from Main Cabin seats to the next class of service when flying on Alaska Airlines.

Does Alaska match status?

Yes, if you hold status with another airline, you can request a status match challenge from Alaska. This is a 1-time opportunity that will give you status for 90 days while you complete your status match challenge which allows you to keep your new status longer.

Complete this form to begin your status match challenge.

5 comments

Christ August 12, 2022

Does this mean I can fly 40,000 miles on SQ (a “global partner” of Alaska) and get gold status with Alaska (which means status with Oneworld through flying a Star Alliance carrier)?

Jarrod West August 24, 2022
Hi Christ,
A minimum of 4 flights of the 40,000 miles earned must be marketed and operated by Alaska in order to earn the status.
Reply

Shirley Monson August 27, 2022

Ugh…. I’ve been flying a lot this year, and still have 12,286 miles to go until MVP status. Problem is, from Seattle, my flights are relatively short mileage wise, as I’ve flown a lot to nearby states such as California, etc. So 20,000 miles is quite impossible, unless I could fly transcontinental a lot, or to Hawaii, for example, which I don’t have time to do…. If status didn’t reset EVERY year, it would be better, but, oh, well…. At least I’ve gotten a few “free” flights since joining the mileage plan in the fall of 2020.

Tammy February 25, 2023

Seems like this is set up to benefit individuals who fly the US coast to coast more as they will earn miles at a much more accelerated pace given 1-trip for them is double what a one-side coast frequent flyer will get. I get that the airfare is generally more expensive to travel coast to coast but would like to see a more equitable way of capturing and earning the elite status for frequent flyers of all flights rather than just frequent flyers of long flights. Just a thought.

Christine Krzyszton February 26, 2023
Hi Tammy. Alaska Airlines does recognize those who fly shorter distances by providing the option to achieve Alaska Airlines’ elite status via flight segments flown versus miles flown. Checkout the chart in the article for the number of segments needed for each level of status.
Reply

Earn Points

Use Points

Business Credit Card Reviews

Business Guides

Air Travel Guides

Airline Points

Earn & Use Hotel Points

Hotel Loyalty Program Reviews

How To Get Alaska Airlines Elite Status (And Is It Worth It?)