While Alaska Airlines is a favorite for West Coast flyers, the true hidden gem of its Mileage Plan program is the extensive network of Alaska Airlines Miles Partners. Although earning Alaska miles might differ from programs with major transferrable currencies, the exceptional redemption values offered by Alaska Airlines miles partners are a major draw for savvy travelers. This guide will navigate you through the world of Alaska Airlines miles partners, detailing how to earn and redeem miles to unlock incredible travel experiences across the globe. We’ll explore both airline and non-airline partnerships, highlighting the best strategies to maximize your Alaska miles.
Alaska Mileage Plan Airline Partners
Even if you don’t frequently fly with Alaska Airlines, the Alaska Airlines miles partners network opens up a world of travel possibilities. The program boasts a diverse portfolio of airline partners, spanning both the Oneworld alliance and independent carriers. This means you can use your Alaska miles to fly to destinations across the globe, experiencing different airlines and routes.
Alaska Airlines strategically partners with airlines to provide Mileage Plan members with extensive redemption options. These partnerships are categorized into Oneworld alliance members and non-Oneworld airlines, each offering unique benefits and destinations.
Oneworld Alliance Partners
Alaska Airlines is a member of the Oneworld alliance, which grants Mileage Plan members access to a significant network of prestigious airlines. Redeeming Alaska Airlines miles partners within the Oneworld alliance provides access to premium airlines and global destinations. Here are Alaska’s Oneworld partners:
- American Airlines
- British Airways
- Cathay Pacific
- Fiji Airways (Oneworld connect partner)
- Finnair
- Iberia
- Japan Airlines
- Malaysia Airlines
- Qantas
- Qatar Airways
- Royal Air Maroc
- Royal Jordanian
- SriLankan Airlines
Non-Oneworld Airline Partners
Beyond the Oneworld alliance, Alaska Airlines miles partners extend to include several non-alliance airlines. These partnerships further broaden your redemption horizons, offering unique routes and airline experiences not available through the Oneworld network. It’s important to note that redemption availability may vary among these non-Oneworld partners. Alaska’s non-Oneworld airline partners include:
- Aer Lingus
- Air Tahiti Nui
- Condor
- El Al Israel Airlines
- Hainan Airlines
- Icelandair
- Korean Air
- LATAM Airlines
- Mokulele Airlines + Southern Airways Express
- Ravn Alaska
- Singapore Airlines
This extensive list of Alaska Airlines miles partners, both within and outside of Oneworld, positions Alaska Mileage Plan as a program with exceptional reach, despite not being directly linked to major transferable points currencies like some other programs.
Related: Your complete guide to earning and redeeming with Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan
Understanding Alaska Mileage Plan Award Charts
Historically, Alaska Mileage Plan provided specific award charts for each partner airline. However, the program has transitioned to a more dynamic award pricing model. While specific partner award charts are no longer published, Alaska Airlines still provides general award charts that offer a starting point for understanding redemption costs.
Currently, Alaska Airlines publishes three main award charts on their website:
- North America Award Chart
- Money & Miles Award Chart (for Alaska Airlines flights)
- International Award Chart
Related: Alaska Mileage Plan publishes a new partner award chart
Here’s an example of the North American award chart:
Here’s the Money and Miles award chart for Alaska flights:
And here’s the international award chart:
These award charts should be viewed as starting points. The final mileage cost for Alaska Airlines miles partners award flights will depend on factors such as origin, destination, date, and availability. The note at the bottom of the international award chart emphasizes the need to search for specific routes and dates to determine actual pricing for travel outside of the U.S. and Canada.
Since not all partners are available for redemptions on all routes, and award availability fluctuates, the most reliable way to determine if an award is available and its cost is to search directly on the Alaska Airlines website.
Related: Maximizing redemptions with Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan
How to Redeem Alaska Miles for Partner Award Flights
Redeeming Alaska Airlines miles partners awards is a straightforward process through the Alaska Airlines website. To begin your search for award availability and pricing, follow these steps:
- Visit the Alaska Airlines website.
- Log in to your Mileage Plan account.
- Before initiating your flight search, ensure you check the “Use miles” box.
For travelers with flexible dates, checking the “Award calendar” box can be particularly beneficial. This feature displays a calendar view of award availability, often highlighting dates with lower mileage requirements for Alaska Airlines miles partners.
The calendar view is especially useful when seeking cost-effective options among Alaska Airlines miles partners. For instance, consider these one-way business class awards from New York to Hong Kong:
As the example shows, you might find various options for redeeming Alaska Airlines miles partners, including mixed-cabin awards on Korean Air or business class on Singapore Airlines. However, Cathay Pacific often presents a particularly attractive redemption value in business class.
Important Considerations for Partner Award Bookings
Before finalizing your redemption with Alaska Airlines miles partners, it’s crucial to be aware of certain caveats and rules:
- Partner Award Fee: A nonrefundable fee of $12.50 per person, per direction, applies to itineraries including partner award segments.
- No Stopovers within International Regions: Stopovers are not permitted on awards within international regions, such as within Asia or Europe.
- Booking Window for International Travel: For origins and destinations outside the U.S. and Canada, bookings must be made at least 72 hours prior to departure.
- Carrier-Imposed Charges: Be aware of potentially high carrier-imposed charges on select partners like British Airways, Hainan Airlines, and Icelandair.
- Ravn Alaska Route Restriction: Alaska miles cannot be used for Ravn Alaska awards between Fairbanks and Anchorage.
- Korean Air One-Way Award Pricing: One-way awards on Korean Air are often priced the same as round-trip awards, reducing their value proposition.
- Lap Infant Policy: International partner award bookings may have restrictions on lap infants. Booking a separate seat at the standard mileage rate is often recommended for infants on these flights.
Additionally, remember that award tickets cannot mix partner airlines; each ticket must be operated by a single partner airline. However, you can incorporate Alaska Airlines flights into a partner itinerary to enhance connectivity.
Related: How to book free stopovers with Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan
Uncovering Sweet Spots with Alaska Miles Partners
Despite the removal of specific partner award charts, many valuable sweet spots for redeeming Alaska Airlines miles partners still exist. These sweet spots often represent exceptional value for your miles, particularly in premium cabins.
Cathay Pacific remains a prime example of a valuable Alaska Airlines miles partners. Historically, before the removal of the Cathay Pacific award chart, business class awards from the U.S. to Asia were 50,000 miles each way, and first class was 70,000 miles. While first-class availability may be less frequent, business class awards at 50,000 miles are still attainable.
A significant advantage of these awards is the ability to include a free stopover in Hong Kong, allowing you to explore the city before continuing to other destinations in Asia, such as Bali, for the same mileage cost.
Fiji Airways is another excellent Alaska Airlines miles partners for sweet spot redemptions. Previously, awards between the U.S. (Los Angeles and San Francisco) and Fiji were priced at 40,000 miles in economy and 55,000 miles in business class. Fortunately, these favorable rates are still generally available.
Similar to Cathay Pacific, you can leverage stopovers with Fiji Airways, potentially adding a stop in Fiji before continuing to Australia, all for the same mileage price.
Related: How to plan a trip to Fiji without breaking the bank
Beyond Flights: Other Partner Redemptions
While flights represent the most valuable use of Alaska Airlines miles partners, there are alternative redemption options beyond air travel. Alaska Mileage Plan also partners with non-airline entities, offering various ways to use your miles.
However, it’s crucial to carefully evaluate the value proposition before redeeming Alaska Airlines miles partners with non-airline partners. Options like transferring miles to others often yield poor value. Conversely, redeeming miles for event tickets through Alaska Airlines Extras might present reasonable value in specific situations.
Related: 5 ways the TPG staff would redeem 70,000 Alaska miles
Earning Alaska Miles with Partners
To take advantage of these valuable partner redemptions, accumulating Alaska miles is essential. While flying with Alaska Airlines directly earns miles, leveraging Alaska Airlines miles partners for earning can significantly boost your Mileage Plan balance.
Flying with Partner Airlines
Earning miles by flying with Alaska Airlines miles partners is a primary method of accumulation. Most flights marketed or operated by Alaska’s partners are eligible for mileage accrual.
Earning rates vary based on the partner airline and the fare class purchased. Not all fare classes are eligible for mileage earning, so it’s important to verify eligibility. To check earning rates for a specific flight, visit Alaska’s partner airline page, select the airline operating your flight, and consult the earning table provided.
For example, here is the earning table for flights marketed by American Airlines and operated by American or other Oneworld airlines:
If your purchased fare class is not listed in the earning table, you will not earn miles by crediting the flight to Alaska Mileage Plan.
Alaska Airlines Credit Cards
Obtaining an Alaska Airlines credit card offers a fast track to accumulating miles. Co-branded credit cards are a convenient way to consistently earn Alaska Airlines miles partners.
Consider the Alaska Airlines Visa Signature® credit card, which often features attractive sign-up bonuses for new cardholders, such as bonus miles and Alaska’s Famous Companion Fare™.
Similarly, the Alaska Airlines Visa® Business card provides business owners with another avenue to earn miles, often with comparable sign-up bonuses and benefits.
Both Alaska credit cards reward spending on Alaska Airlines purchases and everyday spending, accelerating your miles accumulation.
Marriott Bonvoy Transfers
Alaska Mileage Plan is a transfer partner of Marriott Bonvoy, offering another valuable method to convert hotel points into airline miles. Transferring Marriott points to Alaska Airlines miles partners is a useful strategy for diversifying points earning.
The transfer ratio is typically 3 Marriott points to 1 Alaska mile. Furthermore, for every 60,000 Marriott points transferred, you receive a bonus of 5,000 Alaska miles. However, allow up to four days for Marriott transfers to complete and miles to appear in your Alaska account.
Hotel Partners
Earning Alaska miles on hotel stays is possible through various hotel partnerships. Booking through Alaska Airlines Hotels can earn you up to 10,000 miles per night. Alternatively, booking directly with participating hotel brands and selecting Alaska Mileage Plan as your earning preference is another option.
Alaska Mileage Plan hotel partners include:
- Best Western Hotels and Resorts
- Marriott Bonvoy
- Choice Hotels
- Rocketmiles
- Coast Hotels
- Westmark Hotels
- InterContinental Hotels Group (IHG)
Before choosing to earn Alaska miles on hotel stays, consider whether earning points within the hotel’s loyalty program might offer more valuable rewards based on your travel patterns and preferences.
Car Rental and Rides Partners
Earning miles on car rentals and rideshare services further expands your opportunities to accumulate Alaska Airlines miles partners. Booking car rentals through Alaska Airlines Car Rental can earn 50 miles per rental day.
Additionally, Alaska Mileage Plan partners with specific car rental and rideshare companies, including:
- Budget
- Hertz
- Lyft
Always review the terms and conditions for each car rental partner, as specific booking codes or location restrictions may apply to earn Alaska miles.
Everyday Partners
Numerous other Alaska Airlines miles partners allow you to earn miles on everyday purchases. These partnerships encompass a wide range of categories, from shopping to dining and more.
Alaska Mileage Plan’s Everyday partners page provides a comprehensive list of these diverse earning opportunities.
Related: How to earn miles with Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan
Bottom Line
Alaska Airlines miles partners provide exceptional value and access to global travel rewards. The program’s diverse airline partnerships offer numerous redemption sweet spots, particularly for premium cabin travel.
Earning Alaska miles is achievable through various partner activities, including flights, credit card spending, hotel stays, car rentals, and everyday purchases. The Alaska Airlines Visa credit cards and Marriott Bonvoy transfers stand out as particularly efficient methods for accumulating miles.
By strategically leveraging Alaska Airlines miles partners, you can unlock remarkable travel experiences and maximize the value of the Mileage Plan program.
Additional reporting by Benji Stawski and Victoria M. Walker.
Updated as of 1/8/2025.
