Strategies For Earning Alaska Mileage Plan Elite Status (2024)

Alaska Airlines has four elite tiers in its loyalty program, Mileage Plan: MVP, MVP Gold, MVP Gold 75K and MVP Gold 100K. The more you fly, the higher the status level you can earn, which awards you complimentary upgrades, free checked bags, Alaska Lounge membership discounts and other airport and on-board perks.

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Alaska Airlines Visa Signature® credit card

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Earn unlimited 3 miles for every $1 spent on eligible Alaska Airlines purchases, 2 miles for every $1 spent onRead More

Welcome Bonus

60,000 bonus miles

Annual Fee

$95

Regular APR

20.24% - 28.24% Variable APR on purchases and balance transfers

Credit Score

Good, Excellent(700 - 749)

Editorial Review

For West Coast frequent fliers, the Alaska Airlines card is worth a serious look. You’ll snag the prized annual Companion Fare when you spend $6,000 in the prior anniversary year, plus a free checked bag, Visa Signature benefits and other perks, which easily offset the annual fee.

Pros & Cons

• Redeem miles for flights with over 30 airline global partners
• Free checked bag on Alaska Airlines
• Annual Companion fare (earned with $6,000 or more in spending the prior anniversary year)
• No foreign transaction fees

• Limited flight options on the East Coast and in the Midwest
• Companion ticket is limited to Alaska Airlines flights

Card Details

• LIMITED TIME ONLINE OFFER—60,000 Bonus Miles!
• Get 60,000 bonus miles plus Alaska’s Famous Companion Fare™ ($99 fare plus taxes and fees from $23) with this offer. To qualify, make $3,000 or more in purchases within the first 90 days of opening your account.
• Get Alaska’s Famous Companion Fare™ ($99 fare plus taxes and fees from $23) each account anniversary after you spend $6,000 or more on purchases within the prior anniversary year. Valid on all Alaska Airlines flights booked on alaskaair.com.
• Earn unlimited 3 miles for every $1 spent on eligible Alaska Airlines purchases. Earn unlimited 2 miles for every $1 spent on eligible gas, EV charging station, cable, streaming services and local transit (including ride share) purchases. And earn unlimited 1 mile per $1 spent on all other purchases. And, your miles don’t expire on active accounts.
• Earn a 10% rewards bonus on all miles earned from card purchases if you have an eligible Bank of America® account.
• Free checked bag and enjoy priority boarding for you and up to 6 guests on the same reservation, when you pay for your flight with your card — Also available for authorized users when they book a reservation too!
• With oneworld® Alliance member airlines and Alaska’s Global Partners, Alaska has expanded their global reach to over 1,000 destinations worldwide bringing more airline partners and more ways to earn and redeem miles.
• Plus, no foreign transaction fees and a low $95 annual fee.
• This online only offer may not be available elsewhere if you leave this page. You can take advantage of this offer when you apply now.

Get 60,000 bonus miles plus Alaska's Famous Companion Fare™ ($99 fare plus taxes and fees from $23) with this offer. To qualify, make $3,000 or more in purchases within the first 90 days of opening your account.

Credit Score ranges are based on FICO® credit scoring. This is just one scoring method and a credit card issuer may use another method when considering your application. These are provided as guidelines only and approval is not guaranteed.

When it comes to earning MVP status with Alaska Mileage Plan, you’ve got multiple options. You can earn it by flying, by supplementing your flights with credit card spending or by status matching. Let’s take a closer look at each elite status earning method.

Earn by Flying

Alaska MVP status is based on the number of elite-qualifying miles (EQMs) flown with Alaska Airlines, Oneworld carriers and other non-alliance partners. The number of EQMs required to earn elite status is the following:

• MVP – 20,000
• MVP Gold – 40,000
• MVP Gold 75K – 75,000
• MVP Gold 100K – 100,000

Those who reach MVP Gold 100K status also get their EQMs beyond the 100,000 miles needed for status qualification rolled over to next calendar year.

It’s possible to earn Alaska Airlines elite status without flying with Alaska at all. You can still qualify by crediting enough eligible flights operated by Oneworld and partner carriers to the Alaska Mileage Plan program.

Earn by Spending on an Alaska Visa Credit Card

If you hold the Alaska Airlines Visa Signature® credit card or the Alaska Airlines Visa® Business Credit Card* (or both), you can earn 4,000 elite-qualifying miles for every $10,000 you spend combined on these cards through Dec. 31, 2024.

You can earn a maximum of 20,000 EQMs this way. However, this is enough to reach low-tier MVP status in the Alaska loyalty program.

Earn by Status Matching

If you already have status with another eligible airline, you can request a status match for 90 days. And if you fly enough miles with Alaska Airlines during the status match period, you’ll be able to keep your new status.

Here’s how many miles you need to fly to extend your Alaska elite status beyond the 90-day period:

• MVP – 5,000
• MVP Gold – 10,000
• MVP Gold 75K – 20,000

It’s worth noting you can request a status match with Alaska only once per lifetime. Saver fares booked in X class don’t count toward status retention. Additionally, the 50,000 bonus miles that are awarded to MVP Gold 75K members aren’t available to flyers who earn this tier by status matching. Only flights marketed and operated by Alaska qualify for status-matching purposes.

As you climb the status ladder, you’ll find yourself receiving more benefits. Here are the perks you can expect at each level of Alaska MVP membership.

The 100K choice benefits include the following options:

• 50,000 redeemable bonus miles.
• Alaska Lounge+ membership (includes access for family or up to two guests).
• The option to gift MVP Gold status to another flyer.
• Complimentary Wi-Fi on every Alaska flight.
• Complimentary CLEAR® Plus membership.

More choice rewards options will be available in late 2024, according to the Alaska Airlines website.

Passengers who reach status in the Alaska loyalty program also automatically receive oneworld status, which comes with its own set of benefits for flights across all carriers in the alliance, including extra baggage allowance, priority check-in and airport lounge access to name a few.

Yes, Mileage Plan members can qualify for lifetime MVP Gold status by flying at least 1 million miles. After flying 2 million miles with Alaska and its partners, you’ll reach lifetime MVP Gold 75K status.

Of course, you still can continue the qualification process for the higher tiers if you wish. You’ll receive 20,000 EQMs as a head start in your account each year you have lifetime MVP status and can continue working toward status from there.

If you fly Alaska Airlines or its partners often, qualifying for MVP status might be worth pursuing. The qualification requirements are fairly straightforward and the benefits are plentiful for both Alaska flights and those operated by Oneworld partners.