Even if Alaska Airlines isn’t your local airline, the Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan program opens up a world of travel possibilities thanks to its extensive network of Alaska Airlines Travel Partners. While you can always use your Mileage Plan miles for flights directly with Alaska Airlines, the true value lies in strategically leveraging their partnerships to reach destinations across the globe.
Alaska miles, while not as easily accumulated as some other programs due to Marriott Bonvoy being the primary transferable currency, remain a valuable asset for savvy travelers. There are still numerous avenues to earn Alaska Mileage Plan miles and unlock exceptional redemption opportunities through their diverse partners.
This guide will delve into the world of Alaska Airlines travel partners, showing you how to maximize your miles for unforgettable journeys.
Exploring Alaska Airlines’ Oneworld Travel Partners
Alaska Airlines’ membership in the Oneworld alliance significantly expands the reach of your Mileage Plan miles. Oneworld, a global alliance of leading airlines, provides access to a vast network of destinations and seamless travel experiences. By partnering with Oneworld, Alaska Airlines offers its Mileage Plan members enhanced redemption options and earning opportunities across a premium selection of carriers.
Here are Alaska’s esteemed Oneworld partners, your gateway to global adventures:
- American Airlines: A major US carrier providing extensive domestic and international routes. Redeem Alaska miles for flights across the Americas, Europe, and Asia.
- British Airways: The flag carrier of the United Kingdom, offering a wide network across Europe, Africa, Asia, and North America. Unlock premium cabin experiences to London and beyond with your Alaska miles.
- Cathay Pacific: A renowned Asian carrier based in Hong Kong, known for its exceptional service and routes across Asia, Australia, and Europe. A prime sweet spot for Alaska miles redemptions, especially in business and first class.
- Fiji Airways (Oneworld Connect Partner): Your gateway to the idyllic islands of Fiji and the South Pacific. Experience island paradise using your Alaska miles.
- Finnair: The flag carrier of Finland, specializing in routes between Europe and Asia with efficient connections through Helsinki. Explore Northern Europe and Asia with Finnair and Alaska miles.
- Iberia: Spain’s flag carrier, offering extensive routes within Europe and to Latin America. Discover Spain and Latin America using your Mileage Plan miles.
- Japan Airlines (JAL): A premier Asian airline known for its exceptional service and extensive network within Asia and to North America. Experience Japanese hospitality and explore Asia with JAL and Alaska miles.
- Malaysia Airlines: The flag carrier of Malaysia, offering routes across Southeast Asia, Australia, and Europe. Explore Southeast Asia and beyond with Malaysia Airlines.
- Qantas: The flag carrier of Australia, providing access to Australia, New Zealand, and the South Pacific, as well as routes to Asia, Europe, and North America. Discover Down Under with Qantas and Alaska miles.
- Qatar Airways: A world-renowned airline based in Doha, offering luxurious travel experiences and a vast global network, particularly to the Middle East, Africa, Asia, and Australia. Experience world-class service with Qatar Airways using your Alaska miles.
- Royal Air Maroc: Morocco’s flag carrier, providing access to North Africa and routes to Europe, North America, and the Middle East. Explore Morocco and North Africa with Royal Air Maroc.
- Royal Jordanian: The flag carrier of Jordan, offering routes across the Middle East, Europe, Asia, and North America. Discover the wonders of the Middle East and beyond.
- SriLankan Airlines: The flag carrier of Sri Lanka, providing access to South Asia and routes to the Middle East, Europe, and Asia. Explore Sri Lanka and South Asia with SriLankan Airlines.
Venturing Beyond Oneworld: Alaska’s Non-Oneworld Travel Partners
Beyond the Oneworld alliance, Alaska Airlines has strategically partnered with a diverse range of non-alliance airlines, further expanding your travel horizons. These alaska airlines travel partners provide unique routes and redemption opportunities that you won’t find within Oneworld, offering even more flexibility and choice for Mileage Plan members.
Here are Alaska’s non-Oneworld airline partners, opening doors to even more destinations:
- Aer Lingus: The flag carrier of Ireland, offering transatlantic routes between North America and Ireland, with convenient connections throughout Europe. Reach Ireland and Europe with Aer Lingus and Alaska miles.
- Air Tahiti Nui: Dreaming of French Polynesia? Air Tahiti Nui is your key to Tahiti and the islands of the South Pacific. Experience paradise with Air Tahiti Nui.
- Condor: A German leisure airline offering routes from Germany to popular vacation destinations in North America, the Caribbean, Africa, and the Mediterranean. Reach vacation hotspots with Condor.
- El Al Israel Airlines: Israel’s flag carrier, providing direct routes between North America and Israel. Visit Israel with El Al and Alaska miles.
- Hainan Airlines: A Chinese airline offering routes within China and to North America, Europe, and Australia. Explore China and beyond with Hainan Airlines.
- Icelandair: The flag carrier of Iceland, specializing in routes between North America and Europe via Iceland, with stopover options in Iceland. Discover Iceland and transatlantic routes with Icelandair.
- Korean Air: A major Asian airline based in South Korea, known for its excellent service and routes across Asia, North America, and Europe. Explore Asia and experience Korean hospitality with Korean Air.
- LATAM Airlines: A leading Latin American airline with an extensive network throughout South America. Discover South America using your Alaska miles.
- Mokulele Airlines + Southern Airways Express: Regional airlines in the US, expanding domestic travel options within the Mileage Plan program. Explore regional USA destinations.
- Ravn Alaska: Connecting communities within Alaska, Ravn Alaska provides essential travel within the state. Explore Alaska’s vast landscapes.
- Singapore Airlines: Consistently ranked among the world’s best airlines, Singapore Airlines offers exceptional service and a global network, particularly throughout Asia, Australia, and Europe. Experience luxury travel with Singapore Airlines.
Related: Your complete guide to earning and redeeming with Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan
Navigating Alaska Mileage Plan Award Charts for Partner Flights
Historically, Alaska Mileage Plan provided specific award charts for each partner airline. However, as of late 2022, these individual charts were removed. Currently, Alaska Airlines publishes three main award charts on their website: a North American award chart, a Money and Miles award chart for Alaska flights, and an international award chart.
Related: Alaska Mileage Plan publishes a new partner award chart
Here’s a look at the North American award chart:
And the Money and Miles award chart:
Finally, the international award chart:
It’s crucial to understand that these charts display starting rates for award flights on alaska airlines travel partners. The international award chart explicitly states that you’ll need to search for specific origin, destination, and dates to see actual pricing for awards to and from locations outside the U.S. and Canada.
Since redemption availability and routing rules vary among partners, the most reliable way to determine if an award is available and its exact cost is to search directly on the Alaska Airlines website for your desired itinerary.
Related: Maximizing redemptions with Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan
Redeeming Your Miles: Booking Partner Award Flights
To begin your search for partner award flights and see the precise mileage costs, navigate to the Alaska Airlines website and log in to your Mileage Plan account. Before initiating your search, ensure you check the “Use miles” box.
For greater flexibility, especially if your travel dates are adaptable, consider checking the “Award calendar” box. This feature displays a calendar view of award availability, often highlighting days with lower mileage requirements or availability on preferred alaska airlines travel partners. You can then refine your search by selecting the desired award type (e.g., economy, business, first class).
The calendar view is particularly useful for uncovering cost-effective partner redemptions. For example, consider searching for one-way business-class awards from New York to Hong Kong. As illustrated below, you might find various options with different mileage costs and partner airlines:
You could redeem 120,000 Alaska miles for a mixed-cabin award on Korean Air, or 100,000 miles for business class on Singapore Airlines. However, Cathay Pacific might offer a business-class award for just 50,000 Alaska miles, showcasing the potential savings when utilizing specific alaska airlines travel partners.
Important Considerations for Partner Award Redemptions (Caveats)
Before booking partner award flights, keep these important points in mind:
- Partner Award Fee: A $12.50 nonrefundable fee applies per person, per direction, for itineraries including one or more partner award segments.
- No International Stopovers: Stopovers are not permitted on awards within international regions (e.g., intra-Asia or intra-Europe).
- 72-Hour Booking Window (International): If your origin and destination are outside the U.S. and Canada, booking must be made at least 72 hours before departure.
- Carrier-Imposed Charges: Be aware of potentially high carrier-imposed charges on select partners, including British Airways, Hainan Airlines, and Icelandair.
- Ravn Alaska Restrictions: Alaska miles cannot be used to book Ravn Alaska awards between Fairbanks and Anchorage.
- Korean Air One-Way Awards: One-way Korean Air awards often cost the same mileage as round-trip awards.
- Lap Infant Restrictions: International partner award bookings may not accommodate lap infants. Alaska’s website recommends booking a separate seat at the standard mileage rate for infants on these flights.
- No Mixing Partners: Award tickets must be operated by a single partner airline. However, Alaska Airlines flights can be combined with a single partner itinerary.
Related: How to book free stopovers with Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan
Unlocking Sweet Spots with Alaska Airlines Partners
While the removal of partner-specific award charts introduced some uncertainty, many valuable sweet spots with alaska airlines travel partners remain.
Cathay Pacific continues to be a prime example. Previously, awards from the U.S. to Asia were known to be 50,000 miles in business class and 70,000 miles in first class. While first-class availability can fluctuate, business-class awards on Cathay Pacific for 50,000 Alaska miles each way are still frequently found, offering incredible value for transpacific travel.
Consider leveraging the free stopover policy to extend your trip. For instance, you could include a stopover in Hong Kong before continuing to another destination in Asia, like Bali, for the same mileage as simply ending your journey in Hong Kong.
Fiji Airways also remains a sweet spot for reaching the South Pacific. Awards between the U.S. (Los Angeles or San Francisco) and Fiji (Nadi) are often available for 40,000 miles in economy or 55,000 miles in business class, consistent with previous award chart pricing.
Similar to Cathay Pacific, you can add a stopover in Fiji and then continue onwards to Australia for the same mileage, maximizing your redemption value.
Related: How to plan a trip to Fiji without breaking the bank
Beyond Flights: Other Alaska Mileage Plan Partner Redemptions
Beyond flights, Alaska Mileage Plan offers other redemption options through non-airline alaska airlines travel partners. These include hotels, car rentals, and experiences.
However, it’s crucial to carefully evaluate the value proposition of these non-flight redemptions before using your miles. Generally, redeeming miles for flights offers the highest value. Options like transferring miles to others or redeeming for merchandise often provide a lower return compared to partner award flights. However, in specific cases, redeeming miles for sporting event tickets or other unique experiences through Alaska Airlines Extras might present reasonable value.
Related: 5 ways the TPG staff would redeem 70,000 Alaska miles
Earning Alaska Miles with Travel Partners
To take full advantage of these valuable partner redemptions, you need to accumulate Alaska Mileage Plan miles. While flying with Alaska Airlines is one way to earn miles, leveraging their alaska airlines travel partners provides numerous additional earning opportunities.
Fly with Partner Airlines
Earning miles by flying with alaska airlines travel partners is a straightforward way to boost your Mileage Plan balance. Most flights operated or marketed by Alaska’s partners are eligible for mileage accrual.
Earning rates vary depending on the partner airline, fare class, and distance flown. Not all fare classes are eligible for mileage earning, so it’s essential to check the specific earning table for the partner airline you are flying with.
To find the earning details for your flight, visit Alaska’s partner airline page, click on the airline that marketed your flight (the airline whose flight number is on your ticket), and consult their earning table.
For example, here’s the earning table for flights marketed by American Airlines and operated by either American or another Oneworld airline:
If your booking fare class is not listed in the earning table, you will not earn Alaska miles for that flight, even if credited to Alaska Mileage Plan.
Get an Alaska Airlines Credit Card
An Alaska Airlines co-branded credit card offers a fast track to accumulating Mileage Plan miles.
Consider applying for the Alaska Airlines Visa Signature® credit card. New cardholders can currently earn 70,000 bonus miles plus Alaska’s Famous Companion Fare™ ($99 fare plus taxes and fees from $23) after spending $3,000 or more in purchases within the first 90 days of account opening.
For business owners, the Alaska Airlines Visa® Business card also offers a lucrative sign-up bonus of 70,000 bonus miles and Alaska’s Famous Companion Fare; ($99 fare plus taxes and fees from $23) after spending $4,000 or more in purchases within the first 90 days.
Both cards reward you with 3 miles per dollar spent on eligible Alaska Airlines purchases and 1 mile per dollar on all other purchases, accelerating your miles accumulation.
Transfer Marriott Points to Alaska
Alaska Mileage Plan is a transfer partner with Marriott Bonvoy. You can convert Marriott Bonvoy points to Alaska miles at a 3:1 ratio (3 Marriott points = 1 Alaska mile). Furthermore, for every 60,000 Marriott points transferred, you receive a 5,000-mile bonus, effectively improving the transfer ratio. Keep in mind that Marriott transfers can take up to four days to process and appear in your Alaska account.
Alaska Mileage Plan Hotel Partners
Earning Alaska miles on hotel stays is possible through various partnerships. Booking through Alaska Airlines Hotels allows you to earn up to 10,000 miles per night. Alternatively, you can book directly with participating hotel brands and set your earning preference to Alaska Mileage Plan miles:
- Best Western Hotels and Resorts: Earn 250 miles per qualifying stay.
- Marriott Bonvoy: Earn 2 miles per dollar on most qualifying charges or 1 mile per dollar on the room rate (varies by hotel).
- Choice Hotels: Earn 250 miles per eligible stay at participating hotels.
- Rocketmiles: Earn 500 to 10,000 miles per night booked through Rocketmiles.
- Coast Hotels: Earn 250 miles per qualifying stay.
- Westmark Hotels: Earn 2 miles per dollar on room accommodations at qualified rates.
- InterContinental Hotels Group (IHG): Earn up to 2 miles per dollar on eligible charges or 500 miles per qualifying stay (varies by hotel).
Before choosing to earn Alaska miles on hotel stays, consider whether earning points in the hotel’s own loyalty program might be more valuable, especially if you frequently stay with that brand.
Alaska Mileage Plan Car Rental and Rides Partners
Earning Alaska miles on car rentals is another option. Booking your rental through Alaska Airlines Car Rental typically earns you 50 miles per rental day for most rentals. You can also earn miles with these Mileage Plan car rental and rides partners:
- Hertz
- Dollar Rent A Car
- Thrifty Car Rental
- Budget Car Rental
- Avis Car Rental
- Lyft
Always review the specific partner page before booking to understand any required booking codes, location exclusions, or country-specific earning rules.
Other Alaska Mileage Plan Partners
Beyond flights, hotels, and car rentals, numerous other alaska airlines travel partners allow you to earn miles on everyday purchases. These include:
- Dining partners: Earn miles for dining at participating restaurants.
- Shopping partners: Earn miles through online shopping portals and in-store purchases at select retailers.
- Alaska Airlines Cruises: Earn miles on cruise bookings.
- Mileage Plan Shopping portal
Explore Alaska’s Everyday partners page for a comprehensive list and details on earning miles for various purchases.
Related: How to earn miles with Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan
Bottom Line
Alaska Mileage Plan’s strength lies in its valuable network of alaska airlines travel partners. These partnerships unlock exceptional redemption opportunities for flights across the globe, often at very competitive mileage rates.
Earning Alaska miles is achievable through various partner activities, including flights, car rentals, dining, and shopping. However, the most efficient methods for rapid miles accumulation are through co-branded credit cards like the Alaska Airlines Visa credit card and by transferring points from Marriott Bonvoy.
By strategically utilizing Alaska Airlines travel partners, you can maximize the value of your Mileage Plan miles and embark on incredible travel experiences worldwide.
Additional reporting by Benji Stawski and Victoria M. Walker.
Updated as of 1/8/2025.
