Month: October 2024

In addition to being rewarded with valuable miles, when travelers choose to fly Alaska Airlines and its partner airlines and credit flights to the Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan loyalty program, they may qualify for MVP elite status. You can access exclusive and valuable benefits and perks by achieving elite status, enhancing your overall travel experience.

Depending on which MVP elite status is achieved, you can enjoy perks like complimentary first-class upgrades and preferred seating, plus bonus miles that can be redeemed for future travel on Alaska or its airline partners.

If you are considering striving for these perks, weighing the benefits against the drawbacks of remaining loyal to one airline program is important. While pursuing elite status and remaining loyal to one carrier can be a no-brainer for some — particularly those who live near an Alaska Airlines hub — others may be better off remaining airline free agents, choosing the best carrier for each flight.

In this guide, we’ll evaluate MVP status and explain the different status tiers, how to achieve them and if striving for this status is worth the effort for the occasional or frequent Alaska Airlines flyers. Plus, with Alaska’s recent acquisition of Hawaiian Airlines and a plan to overhaul Mileage Plan in 2025, obtaining elite status with this airline may now be on your radar.

What is Alaska Airlines status?

Alaska offers different MVP status tiers based on the number of elite qualifying miles earned through the airline and its global partners and spending on Alaska’s cobranded credit card.

Your Alaska elite status is activated when you pass the required threshold for that tier, is subsequently valid for the rest of that calendar year and typically expires on Dec. 31 of the following calendar year. For example, if you reach your 2024 MVP Gold qualification in October 2024, your status will be valid through Dec. 31, 2025.

Related: Alaska Airlines overhauls Mileage Plan with milestone perks and more

Alaska elite status tiers

Anyone can join the Mileage Plan program for free online as a base member. Doing so will make you eligible to collect Alaska miles, and as you spend more time flying Alaska or its partners, you can also collect status.

Alaska Airlines’ published elite status tiers from lowest to highest are:

• MVP
• MVP Gold
• MVP Gold 75K
• MVP Gold 100K

To qualify for MVP status, you must reach varying thresholds of elite qualifying miles based on Alaska, Oneworld and global partner airlines’ flights and cobranded credit card spending.

Status tier	Number of elite qualifying miles required
MVP	20,000
MVP Gold	40,000
MVP Gold 75K	75,000
MVP Gold 100K	100,000

As you fly more on Alaska or spend on a cobranded credit card, you can climb the status ladder. As you remain loyal to Alaska and reach higher tiers, the perks become more lucrative. For example, you can receive complimentary lounge access or free upgrades.

The same is true for the four published elite status tiers of rival airlines United and Delta.

Related: 6 great benefits I received as an American Airlines elite flying Alaska Airlines

How to qualify for Alaska elite status

Fly on Alaska-operated or partner flights to earn EQMs

Despite many airlines moving away from calculating elite status based on actual mileage flown toward a version of the amount spent with the carrier, Alaska has been a holdout. For Alaska flyers, the elite status is calculated via the number of elite qualifying miles earned, not to be confused with redeemable Alaska base miles.

However, the number of elite qualifying miles earned is based on the carrier flown and fare class. For instance, a first-class ticket on Alaska in the J fare class earns 200% elite qualifying miles. On the other hand, a Savor economy ticket in the X fare class will earn only 30% elite qualifying miles.

Note that Alaska has unveiled its 2025 earnings charts, with notable increases to EQMs earned on international first- and business-class flights booked on partner airlines via alaskaair.com.

You can check out Alaska’s 2024 and 2025 earnings charts here.

Earn Alaska elite status through credit card spending

In 2023, Alaska announced changes to how elite members earn status. Beginning this year, earning status through elite qualifying segments is no longer possible; you’ll only earn status by accruing elite qualifying miles. Therefore, it is possible to earn Alaska elite status without ever stepping foot on an Alaska Airlines plane. 

Plus, following Alaska’s acquisition of Hawaiian Airlines, the carrier expanded how members can earn EQMs from credit card spending, which is currently capped at an earning rate of 20,000 EQMs per year. Beginning on Jan. 1, 2025, Alaska Airlines Visa Signature® credit card and Alaska Airlines Visa® Business card cardholders will earn 1 EQM for every $3 spent (up to 30,000 EQMs each year on qualified purchases).

Therefore, if you spend $60,000 on your personal or business Alaska card each year, you will earn 20,000 EQMs, which means you’ll have achieved MVP status just through credit card spending.

Earn Alaska MVP status through a status match

Following the merger of Alaska and Hawaiian Airlines, if you have status with either carrier, your status will be matched as follows:

If you have:	You’ll be matched to:
Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan MVP status	HawaiianMiles Pualani Gold status
Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan MVP Gold, MVP Gold 75K or MVP Gold 100K status	HawaiianMiles Pualani Platinum status
HawaiianMiles Pualani Gold status	Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan MVP status
HawaiianMiles Pualani Platinum status	Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan MVP Gold status

And, even if you don’t have status with either airline, loyalty members can combine their elite qualifying miles from both programs to achieve status.

Combined EQM balance:	Status you’ll get with Mileage Plan:	Status you’ll get with HawaiianMiles:
20,000 EQMs	MVP	Pualani Gold
40,000 EQMs	MVP Gold	Pualani Platinum
75,000 EQMs	MVP Gold 75K	Pualani Platinum
100,000 EQMs	MVP Gold 100K	Pualani Platinum

Additional ways to earn Alaska EQMs

In 2025, there are a few additional ways Mileage Plan members can earn elite qualifying miles. Alaska executives announced that members will earn 1,000 EQMs for every 3,000 miles earned on nonflight activities, such as through Lyft, Mileage Plan shopping portal and the dining program.

Additionally, members will begin earning EQMs on award flights. Mileage Plan members will earn the same amount of EQMs as they would on a paid ticket; however, members will not earn Alaska base miles on award redemptions.

What are Alaska’s elite status benefits?

While the perks are great for all members with Alaska Airlines elite status, as you move up the tiers, the benefits become even more worthwhile.

MVP

This is the lowest elite tier in Alaska’s program, where you will receive benefits such as:

• 50% bonus miles (changing to 25% bonus miles in 2025)
• Oneworld Ruby status
• Priority check-in, security and boarding
• Preferred seating
• Two free checked bags (through 2025; one free checked bag starting in 2026)
• Priority call routing
• Alaska Lounge membership discount
• First-class upgrades at the time of booking with Y and B fares
• Premium-class upgrades at the time of booking with Y, B and H fares
• First- and premium-class upgrades on Alaska nonqualifying fares (except Savor) 48 hours before departure
• Access to extra legroom seating on American Airlines starting 24 hours before departure
• Complimentary access to domestic upgrades on American starting 24 hours before departure

MVP Gold

As you level up with Alaska, you receive all the same perks as MVP, plus:

• 100% bonus miles (changing to 50% bonus miles in 2025)
• Two free checked bags
• Oneworld Sapphire status
• Complimentary same-day flight changes and standby for full flights
• Complimentary premium beverage or chocolate in Main Cabin
• Four first-class upgrades at the time of booking with Y, B, H and K fares (through Dec. 31, 2024)
• Premium-class upgrades at the time of booking with Y, B, H, K, M, L, V, S and N fares
• First- and premium-class upgrades on Alaska nonqualifying fares (except Savor) 72 hours before departure
• First- and premium-class companion upgrades
• First-class guest upgrades (maximum of four per year)
• Access to extra legroom seating on American Airlines at booking
• Complimentary access to domestic upgrades on American starting 48 hours before departure

MVP Gold 75K

For even more frequent Alaska flyers, you receive all the same perks as MVP Gold, as well as:

• 125% bonus miles (changing to 100% bonus miles in 2025)
• 50,000 bonus miles upon qualification (only through Dec. 31, 2024)
• Oneworld Emerald status
• Three free checked bags
• Four Alaska Lounge day passes
• First-class upgrades at the time of booking with Y, B, H, K and M fares
• Premium-class upgrades at the time of booking on all fares except Savor fares
• First- and premium-class upgrades on Alaska nonqualifying fares (except Savor) 120 hours before departure
• One one-way international upgrade certificate on American Airlines
• Complimentary access to domestic upgrades on American starting 72 hours before departure

MVP Gold 100K

This is the top tier in Alaska’s program for its most frequent travelers, where you will receive all the same perks as MVP Gold 75K, plus:

• 150% bonus miles
• 100K Choice Benefit upon qualification
• Complimentary snack or meal in Main Cabin
• Two one-way international upgrade certificates on American Airlines

For Alaska elite status members reaching the MVP Gold 100K tier, you will be invited to select one of the 100K Choice Benefits for the following year:

• 50,000 bonus miles
• Alaska Lounge+ membership
• Ability to gift MVP Gold status
• Complimentary Wi-Fi every time you fly on Alaska
• Complimentary Clear Plus membership

In 2025, Alaska is rolling out a new list of 100K Choice Benefit options, which include:

• 50,000 bonus miles
• 75,000 miles off an Extras* redemption
• Alaska Lounge+ membership
• Complimentary Wi-Fi on every flight
• Four upgrade certificates
• Nominate someone for MVP Gold status

For elite members who reach 150K, 200K and 250K milestones, you can pick two of the following perks (starting in 2025):

• 15,000 bonus miles
• 25,000 miles off an Extras redemption
• Two complimentary Alaska Lounge day passes
• Two upgrade certificates
• Roll over 10,000 EQMs to the following year

Even if you don’t reach the 100K milestone or greater, Alaska announced new milestone rewards for Mileage Plan members. In 2025, loyalty program members will be able to pick from the following list of perks when a new milestone is reached:

10,000 EQMs

Pick one of the following:

• 750 bonus miles
• Preorder a complimentary meal for your flight
• One complimentary Wi-Fi pass
• Try MVP status for a trip
• Earn double miles with nonair partners
• Upgrade your next Avis car rental

30,000 EQMs

Pick one of the following:

• 2,500 bonus miles
• $25 off a future Alaska flight
• Four Wi-Fi passes
• Try MVP Gold status for a trip
• $100 off an Alaska Lounge membership

55,000 EQMs

Pick two of the following:

• 5,000 bonus miles
• 10,000 miles off a redemption from Extras
• Gift MVP status for a trip
• One complimentary Alaska Lounge day pass
• Two upgrade certificates

85,000 EQMs

Pick two of the following:

• 15,000 bonus miles
• 25,000 miles off an Extras redemption
• Two complimentary Alaska Lounge day passes
• Two upgrade certificates
• Gift MVP Gold status for a trip
• Nominate someone for MVP status
• Roll over 10,000 EQMs to the next year

*Extras is a travel experience platform (featuring sporting events, concerts and other activities) that Alaska will launch.

Can a credit card help you earn Alaska MVP status?

Alaska has personal and business credit cards, both available through Bank of America. They offer the following benefits. (Terms apply.)

Card	Best for	Welcome bonus	Earning rate	Annual fee
Alaska Airlines Visa Signature® credit card	Alaska Airlines flyers	Earn 60,000 bonus miles plus Alaska’s Famous Companion Fare ($99 fare plus taxes and fees from $23) after making $3,000 or more in purchases within the first 90 days of opening your account.	3 miles per dollar spent on Alaska purchases; 2 miles per dollar spent on gas, local transit, electric vehicle charging stations, cable and some streaming services; 1 mile per dollar spent on everything else	$95
Alaska Airlines Visa® Business card	Alaska Airlines flyers with an eligible business	Earn 50,000 bonus miles plus Alaska’s Famous Companion Fare ($99 fare plus taxes and fees from $23) after making $3,000 or more in purchases within the first 90 days of account opening.	3 miles per dollar spent on Alaska purchases; 2 miles per dollar spent on gas, local transit, EV charging stations, shipping and local transit (including ride-hailing services); 1 mile per dollar spent on everything else	$70 for your company and $25 per card

Currently, cobranded cardholders will earn 4,000 elite qualifying miles for every $10,000 spent; however, you can only earn a maximum of 20,000 EQMs from spending on a card. As mentioned above, starting Jan. 1, 2025, cardholders will earn 1 EQM for every $3 spent (up to 30,000 EQMs) annually.

In addition to the valuable redeemable miles earned, Alaska’s cobranded cards come with perks like free checked bags, discounts on inflight purchases and the ability to work toward MVP elite status. As such, it can easily make sense to keep one of the airline’s credit cards in your wallet year after year.

Related: Your complete guide to earning and redeeming with Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan

Is Alaska Airlines elite status worth it?

If you already fly Alaska regularly or plan to in 2025 and are perhaps considering adding an Alaska Airlines credit card to your wallet, you might find it easy to earn elite status in the Mileage Plan program and find the benefits well worth the effort. Plus, with the additional perks and new status-earning opportunities in 2025, you may be even more convinced to qualify for elite status.

However, it is worth noting that Alaska and Hawaiian Airlines will eventually merge into one loyalty program. At this time, it is expected that the specific details and benefits of that joint program will not be revealed until 2025.

If you earned Alaska elite status in 2023, it’s valid through Dec. 31, 2024. To decide whether to pursue extending your status into 2025 or 2026, it is crucial to consider how much you’ll be traveling on Alaska and Oneworld partners in the future. If you push hard to earn MVP Gold 100K status, for example, the valuable perks outlined, including upgrades and free checked bags, are only beneficial if you fly frequently enough the following year to use these perks.

Additionally, there is no point in pursuing elite status with an airline if you can’t feasibly fly it (or its partners) regularly. Be sure to consider Alaska’s service from your home airport(s) and how easy it is to get to your desired destination with the carrier.

With that in mind, it is important to consider the trade-offs in pursuing status. One of the most common is deciding whether to use your preferred airline when it is not the most convenient or cheapest option. Would you book a one-stop Alaska flight if Delta had a cheaper nonstop option? If the answer is no, it may not be worth going out of your way to earn status with Alaska.

Additionally, if you have already obtained elite status with another airline and wonder if Alaska’s elite status is worth it, you could apply for a status match challenge. You can submit your frequent flyer status with one of the airlines listed on Alaska’s website to receive the equivalent Mileage Plan status for 90 days.

Related: Alaska Airlines baggage fees and how to avoid paying them

Bottom line

Alaska Airlines is widely considered a top airline in the frequent flyer community thanks to its MVP elite status and valuable mileage currency. Plus, with the acquisition of Hawaiian Airlines and the rollout of new milestone benefits and program perks coming in 2025, Alaska Airlines’ elite status is tempting even loyal AAdvantage TPG staff members.

However, the carrier has made some unwelcome changes recently, such as introducing a distance-based structure and charging sky-high redemption rates for new partners.

While reciprocal upgrade benefits with American Airlines are valuable for Alaska elite members flying American, it could also mean upgrades will be more challenging to score, particularly for lower-tier elite members. When considering whether it is worth achieving MVP status, it is important to look at where your travels will take you this year and next year to see if the perks outweigh the costs. If you are working hard to earn elite status benefits, you will want to ensure you will travel enough with Alaska and its partner airlines once you reach your desired status tier to make that hard work worthwhile.

Overall, having MVP status can be a nice boost to make an enjoyable Alaska Airlines flying experience even more seamless.

Updated as of 10/22/2024.

Editor’s note: This post has been updated with the latest credit card information and offers.

Capital One Savor Card overview

The Capital One Savor Cash Rewards Credit Card is a solid card with no annual fee that is great for those who regularly spend on dining and entertainment. It offers bonus rewards on dining, entertainment, popular streaming services and at grocery stores, making it a good starter product for foodies and regular concertgoers. Card rating*: ⭐⭐⭐½

*Card rating is based on the opinion of TPG’s editors and is not influenced by the card issuer.

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Capital One has a nuanced system of card names and products which can be confusing for many people. In July 2024, Capital One discontinued the Capital One Savor Rewards Credit Card.

In October 2024, Capital One rebranded the Capital One SavorOne Cash Rewards Credit Card into the Capital One Savor Cash Rewards Credit Card. The “new” Savor card will retain all of its perks and earning structure, with modifications to its welcome offer and a refreshed card design.

If you don’t want to pay an annual fee but want to earn a solid cash-back return on meals, groceries and entertainment, the Savor is a great choice.

Before we dig in, it’s worth mentioning that applicants will want good to excellent credit, and TPG recommends a credit score of 670 to 850 for the best chance at approval. Now, let’s see if this is the card for you.

The information for the Savor Rewards (with a $95 annual fee) has been collected independently by The Points Guy. The card details on this page have not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer.

Capital One Savor pros and cons

Pros	Cons
No annual fee Bonus categories No foreign transaction fees Introductory APR offer	Small welcome offer Requires very good to excellent credit No transfer partners

Capital One Savor Card welcome offer

The Savor card currently offers a sign-up bonus of $250 after you spend $500 on purchases in the first three months. This is the highest offer we have seen on the card, even when it was referred to as the SavorOne.

However, Capital One has some interesting application rules to be aware of that might restrict your eligibility for this card, so keep these restrictions in mind to maximize your chances of approval.

Related: How bad is it to get denied for a credit card?

Capital One Savor Card benefits

The Savor is a card with no annual fee that comes with some nice perks. For starters, it can be used abroad, as there are no foreign transaction fees.

Essentially, this means that you should continue to earn 3% cash back on international dining, so long as the merchant codes as dining. Cardholders also enjoy MasterRental Coverage, Master RoadAssist Service and extended warranty protection.

If you need help making a restaurant reservation, buying concert tickets or planning travel, you can call the card’s concierge service 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. It’s certainly not the norm for a no-annual-fee card to have a concierge service, so this is a nice little perk if you can take advantage of it.

Related: The best cards for entertainment

Earning cash back on the Capital One Savor Card

The Capital One Savor offers generous bonus categories when compared to other no-annual-fee cash-back cards and even some cards that do have annual fees. The real highlight is the higher cash back in the dining and entertainment categories, though you can also get some value with extra cash back at grocery stores.

• 8% cash back on Capital One Entertainment purchases
• 5% cash back on hotels and rental cars booked with Capital One Travel
• 3% cash back on dining, entertainment, popular streaming services and grocery stores (excluding superstores like Walmart® and Target®)
• 1% on all other purchases

Although the definition of dining and entertainment is broad, as previously noted, don’t forget to read the card’s fine print. The Savor excludes Target and Walmart purchases, even if you’re just buying groceries from these stores. Likewise, certain streaming services are excluded.

Related: How credit card issuers classify travel and dining purchases

Redeeming cash back on the Capital One Savor Card

Redeeming cash back with this card is simple. You can request options such as a statement credit or gift card, or you can redeem your cash back directly at Amazon.com.

Furthermore, if you have a credit card that earns Capital One miles, such as the Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card, you also have the option to convert the cash back you earn into Capital One miles and transfer them to the program’s various airline and hotel partners, such as Air Canada Aeroplan and Wyndham Rewards. This represents a huge potential value if travel is the reward you’re after.

Given the Savor’s bonus earning rates, this can be a good rewards route to take, especially if you can leverage any of Capital One’s transfer sweet spots.

Related: How to redeem Capital One miles for maximum value

Which cards compete with the Capital One Savor Card?

If you’re debating whether this card is worth adding to your wallet, consider these other options that might also be a good fit for your needs:

• If you want a simpler earnings rate: The Capital One Quicksilver Cash Rewards Credit Card has no annual fee — like the Savor Cash Rewards card — and earns 1.5% unlimited cash back on all purchases, making it great if you have expenses outside of the Savor’s bonus categories. For more information, read our full review of the Quicksilver.
• If you prefer to earn Chase Ultimate Rewards points: The Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card offers 2 points per dollar spent on travel and 3 points per dollar spent on dining. It does charge a $95 annual fee but also offers a much more valuable sign-up bonus. For more information, read our full review of the Chase Sapphire Preferred.
• If you prefer to earn American Express Membership Rewards points: If you spend the most on grocery and dining purchases, you might be better off opting for the American Express® Gold Card instead. It has an annual fee of $325 (see rates and fees) but earns more valuable rewards in popular bonus categories. For more information, read our full review of the Amex Gold.

For additional options, check out our full list of the best cash-back credit cards and the best credit cards for dining.

Related: Cash back vs. travel rewards: How to choose a credit card

Is the Capital One Savor Card worth it?

This is a great card to have if dining and entertainment are major spending categories for you. You can maximize your earnings if you also have a card that earns Capital One miles. However, if you’d rather have a flat earning rate on all spending without having to keep track of bonus opportunities, then other cash-back cards might be better suited for you.

Related: How to maximize cash back with your credit card

Bottom line

The Capital One Savor Cash Rewards Credit Card is a strong option in the world of cash-back cards. Sure, you could get more value playing with points. But what you gain in value, you lose in simplicity. If you spend a lot each year on dining, entertainment and groceries and you’re interested in a simple cash-back card,  the Savor card deserves a spot on your consideration list.

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Learn more: Capital One Savor Cash Rewards

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For rates and fees of the American Express Gold, click  here.

For Capital One products listed on this page, some of the benefits may be provided by Visa® or Mastercard® and may vary by product. See the respective Guide to Benefits for details, as terms and exclusions apply.

Over the last few years, the federal government has shown an increasing interest in credit cards and points and miles. Much of this originated with the proposed Credit Card Competition Act, but it has since expanded to major airlines and the loyalty programs they offer. Incidentally, the two original cosponsors of the CCCA were the first to call for an investigation into these frequent flyer programs — a call that ultimately led to the announcement of a formal probe by the U.S. Department of Transportation.

While these efforts at the federal level haven’t led to any concrete action (yet), state governments have recently opened a new front in the battle over the credit card transaction process.

Here’s what you need to know about current efforts underway across the U.S. to implement legislation that could upend the way you pay for goods and services.

Some background

First, a quick primer on the mechanics of a credit card transaction.

Every time you use a card to pay for something online or in a store, the merchant is charged a small percentage of the purchase amount — which averages out to roughly 2% — to process that transaction. This is typically referred to as the interchange fee, which is shared among the card’s issuing bank, the credit card payment network (most often Visa, Mastercard or American Express) and the merchant processing institution.

All parties use this interchange to safeguard the purchase, prevent fraud and fund rewards programs by issuing points, miles or cash back.

As a consumer, you’re protected from unauthorized charges, and you’re the one choosing the card (and network) for the purchase. Meanwhile, small businesses enjoy a near-frictionless transaction process, with minimal risk of loss or theft — a major concern when handling cash transactions.

Unfortunately, some states are considering new laws that would drastically change the experience for customers and businesses — and one has even become law.

New legislation in Illinois

Earlier this year, the Illinois state legislature passed a large budget bill, and it was signed into law by Democratic Gov. J. B. Pritzker on June 7. In it was a provision that would bar credit card companies from collecting interchange on taxes and tips (if a merchant opted to separate those items out).

It may seem right to exempt these items from interchange. After all, a business is collecting them on behalf of others — whether it’s a taxing authority or a tip-eligible employee. Nevertheless, the swift passage of the measure with little discussion (it was introduced just days before the end of the legislature’s spring session) created more questions than answers.

Unfortunately, there were no additional details on how the new regulation would be implemented. That leaves it largely to the merchant, which could include costly upgrades to new processing hardware and software. Alternatively, they could simply collect interchange on the entire transaction (as they do today) and then request a refund for specific components. With varying tax rates across different items — many of which are sold at the same store — this would be a time-intensive process and likely not worth it for the state’s roughly 1.3 million small businesses.

In fact, a study (PDF link) conducted by the Electronic Payments Coalition found that the 40 largest retailers would take home nearly 40% of any interchange savings realized with the bill.

But the party feeling the brunt of the new law would likely be the average consumer.

Impact on the consumer

Under the provision, what was previously a simple swipe of a credit card could turn into a multistep process, as small businesses separate one transaction into two (or more) — one for the goods or services being purchased and the other(s) for taxes and gratuities, as applicable. They may even require two different payment methods for each.

For example, a restaurant owner can elect to separate out taxes and tips from the rest of the meal, which would require two card swipes. Or, you may be required to pay for your food and drinks with a card and fork over cash (or write a check) for the rest.

Every purchase you make also would be subject to additional scrutiny to ensure compliance with the new law. If a merchant decides to itemize transactions in their system for the purposes of avoiding interchange on taxes and tips, what was previously an entirely private transaction could suddenly be shared with other parties.

Although Illinois is the only state to have passed such a regulation so far, other states, including Georgia, Nevada, Tennessee and Texas, are considering similar measures.

Bottom line

While efforts continue at the federal level to regulate credit card processing, new initiatives are popping up within state governments as well. One that would exempt taxes and tips from interchange fees is set to take effect in Illinois on July 1, 2025. This would introduce confusion for consumers and additional burdens to small businesses.

While the mechanics of the measures vary, they all have some important similarities. The biggest beneficiaries are the largest retailers, and the implementation would add friction to a process that safeguards your data and allows you to earn rewards on every swipe of your credit card.

It remains to be seen whether other states (or the federal government) follow Illinois’ lead, but you can share your thoughts on these proposed bills with your elected representatives at the following links:

• Illinois: Guard Your Card
• CCCA: Protect Your Points

Editor’s note: This is a recurring post, regularly updated with new information and offers.  

If you’re looking to boost your Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan balance, here is a good opportunity to do so.

New applicants for the Alaska Airlines Visa Signature® credit card get 60,000 bonus miles and Alaska’s famous companion fare ($99 fare plus taxes and fees from $23) after spending $3,000 or more on purchases within the first 90 days from account opening.

Whether you’re looking for business-class flights to Australia and Asia or looking to use Alaska Airlines’ friendly stopover policy, there are many reasons why you want Alaska miles. However, do note that a new award chart came into effect in March. Plus, with the merger between Alaska and Hawaiian Airlines, you have more new and exciting flight options.

Alaska also recently announced changes to its loyalty program, which could make this card an excellent option for those looking to gain airline elite status in 2025.

Let’s take a look at the details of this new offer from the Alaska Airlines Visa card.

Alaska Airlines Visa welcome offer

New applicants for the Alaska Airlines Visa credit card can get 60,000 bonus miles and Alaska’s famous companion fare ($99 fare plus taxes and fees from $23) after spending $3,000 or more on purchases within the first 90 days from account opening.

Based on TPG’s October 2024 valuations, those 60,000 miles are worth $870. Plus, by meeting the same minimum spending requirement, new applicants will also earn a (very) discounted companion ticket by just paying for the taxes and fees associated with it.

It’s hard to peg an exact value on the companion ticket since you can use it for essentially any economy ticket across the carrier’s domestic and international network (though not on partner airlines). This includes one-way, round-trip and multicity routings. However, it can easily put hundreds of dollars back in your pocket on your next Alaska flight.

The card has a $95 annual fee.

It’s also worth pointing out that Alaska Airlines does offer targeted bonuses on this card on the final page when booking a flight online. Be sure to try that avenue to see if you receive an even better offer.

Card benefits

The card itself comes with a nice lineup of perks and benefits.

You’ll earn 3 miles per dollar on eligible Alaska Airlines purchases, 2 miles per dollar on eligible gas, local transit (including ride-hailing apps), electric vehicle charging stations, cable and select streaming services and 1 mile per dollar on other purchases.

You’ll also receive priority boarding on Alaska Airlines flights for you and up to six guests on the same reservation when you pay for your flight with your card.

Your first checked bag is free for you and up to six guests on your same reservation, but again, you need to pay for your flights with your Alaska Airlines Visa card to qualify for this benefit. Priority boarding and checked bag benefits also apply to authorized users in your account, even if the primary cardholder isn’t traveling on that reservation.

While Alaska Airlines lounges have no day pass benefits, you can save $100 on an Alaska Lounge+ membership when paying with your Alaska Airlines credit card. Also, if you make inflight purchases with this card, you’ll receive a 20% rebate on food, beverage and Wi-Fi purchases.

In addition, the companion fare benefit is an annual perk granted to you each account anniversary after spending $6,000 or more within the prior anniversary year (in addition to the companion fare included in the welcome offer).

Furthermore, you’ll receive a 10% bonus on miles earned if you have an eligible qualifying bank account with Bank of America.

Plus, with new changes to the Mileage Plan program, cardholders can earn MVP Elite status starting on Jan 1, 2025, by spending on the car.  It does require a large amount of spend to reach, but it’s a nice option to have if you’re chasing status.

Related: How my unused Alaska Companion Fare saved a co-worker nearly $700 on summer travel

Why Alaska Airlines miles are so valuable

Alaska Airlines has built a valuable frequent flyer program through an array of partnerships with several top-notch carriers.

Between a smattering of different partners that can provide outsize value (to those who know how to finagle the right partner redemptions) and the ability to book free stopovers, the Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan program is one of our favorites here at TPG.

Additionally, Alaska Airlines is part of the Oneworld alliance, adding additional partners for earning and redeeming your miles. Additionally, you can now earn Alaska Airlines EQMs on award flights, making it easier to reach MVP elite status.

One of our favorite uses of Alaska miles is to book Cathay Pacific’s incredibly luxurious premium cabins. One-way awards from the U.S. to Asia start from 85,000 miles in business class or 130,000 miles in first class — though availability can be hard to find.

Related: Here’s why Alaska Airlines miles are the most valuable

Bottom line

This current offer on the Alaska Airlines Visa credit card may not be the highest it’s ever been, but it does offer the chance to earn a good haul of miles without exorbitant spending requirements and comes with a generous companion offer. Make sure to brush up on the rules for applying for Bank of America cards, including the 2/3/4 rule, which limits consumers to only being approved for up to four new cards in a 24-month period.

Alaska miles offer some of the best value for premium cabin redemptions. This is a compelling option if you’re in the market for a new airline card, especially if you are looking at jump-starting your way to elite status in 2025.

Learn more about the card in our full review of the Alaska Airlines Visa credit card.

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Apply here: Alaska Airlines Visa Signature credit card

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Updated 10/22/24

Back in July, Capital One closed applications for its popular Capital One Savor Cash Rewards Credit Card. The card was a favorite among cash-back enthusiasts thanks to its impressive bonus categories and a low annual fee of $95.

Capital One’s credit card lineup can be confusing with its similarly named credit cards, and it’s about to get a little more baffling. Starting Tuesday, the no-annual-fee Capital One SavorOne Cash Rewards Credit Card will be rebranded and called the Capital One Savor Cash Rewards Credit Card.

Slightly confusing, we know. Let’s explore what’s changing and what this means for existing and new cardholders.

New welcome offer

New cardholders can receive a $250 bonus after spending $500 within the first three months from account opening. This offer falls between the now-canceled Savor credit card and the SavorOne credit card offers we’ve seen in the past.

In addition, the card is getting a refreshed design, which will help distinguish it from the previous Savor Cash Rewards credit card, which closed to new cardholders earlier this year.

What will happen to existing cardholders?

Existing SavorOne Cash Rewards Credit Card holders will see the card’s name change on their accounts when signed in on capitalone.com, in the mobile app and on their monthly statement after Tuesday.

If a SavorOne cardholder’s card expires, is lost or is stolen, they will be issued a new card starting in November, reflecting the Savor name change and new card design.

What’s staying the same?

Do not let the SavorOne Cash Rewards card name change trick you into believing new benefits or perks are headed your way. The card will still have no annual fee and continue offering unlimited 3% cash back at grocery stores and on dining, entertainment and popular streaming services; 8% cash back on Capital One Entertainment purchases; and 5% cash back on hotels and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel.

Related: The best Capital One credit cards

All other purchases made with the rebranded Savor Cash Rewards card will earn 1% cash back.

Bottom line

It’s strange that Capital One would rebrand the SavorOne to a card it recently closed to new applicants, but what do you expect from an issuer that has nomenclature issues with its lineup offering various Venture, Quicksilver and Spark products?

Overall, this is a name change with no added benefit for existing or new cardholders. At most, you can rejoice that your “new” Savor card draws upon the legacy of the true Savor Rewards credit card that was applauded in cash-back-reward circles.

Read more: Capital One Savor Cash Rewards Credit Card review

Adding to its already lengthy portfolio of hotel transfer partners, Citi ThankYou Rewards is now a transfer partner of Preferred Hotels & Resorts. Preferred Hotels & Resorts offers a collection of over 650 luxury boutique properties in more than 80 countries.

You can now transfer your Citi points to the hotel’s loyalty program, I Prefer Hotel Rewards, at a 1:4 ratio. This means that for every 1,000 Citi ThankYou Rewards points you transfer, you’ll get 4,000 I Prefer points.

Currently, Citi is also a transfer partner of four hotel loyalty programs (or five, if you count Virgin Red Airlines + Hotels), including:

• Accor Live Limitless (2:1 transfer rate)
• Choice Privileges (1:2 transfer rate)
• The Leading Hotels of the World’s Leaders Club (5:1 transfer rate)
• Wyndham Rewards (1:1 transfer rate)

While I Prefer may not be on your radar, Citi is the first major credit card rewards currency to partner with the hotel loyalty program. But is it worth it to transfer to and redeem your hard-earned ThankYou Rewards points with Preferred Hotels & Resorts?

Transfer Citi ThankYou Rewards points to Preferred Hotels & Resorts

In 2023, Preferred Hotels & Resorts revitalized its I Prefer loyalty program, making it easier for members to track their rewards earnings and book future stays online with points. Though Preferred Hotels & Resorts, which is part of Preferred Travel Group, has a much smaller portfolio compared to World of Hyatt, Hilton and Marriott, award stays at some hotels start at just 15,000 points per night, per the loyalty program’s website.

However, when searching for award availability on the Preferred Hotels & Resorts website, only three hotels displayed award prices, even though there are over 500 hotels participating in the I Prefer loyalty program. Whether it’s a mistake on the website’s end or not, a non-user-friendly experience is definitely something that would deter me from transferring my Citi points.

But is this a good transfer partnership, even when factoring out the tech issues? It depends on the room rate and the cost of points needed to book. For example, award prices for a stay at the Inn by the Sea, an oceanfront luxury property in Maine, start at 100,000 I Prefer points per night.

For a two-night stay in a traditional room in March, you would pay $848.48 (including taxes and fees). If I were to book this with points, I would pay 200,000 I Prefer points plus $68.38 in taxes and fees. Therefore, to book this two-night stay with Citi ThankYou Rewards points, I would need to transfer 50,000 points.

TPG values Citi ThankYou Rewards points at 1.8 cents per point, per our October 2024 valuations, which means we value 50,000 points at $900. Since the cash price for a two-night stay in a traditional room at this hotel is less than $900, this redemption would not be maximizing my Citi points.

However, a garden suite at this property would cost $1,032.87 (including taxes and fees) for the same two-night stay. If I were to book this room with I Prefer points, it would cost the same as a traditional room: 200,000 points plus $68.38 in taxes and fees. Based on our valuations, transferring my Citi points to I Prefer for this redemption would give me a good value for my points.

Additionally, if you see a Preferred Hotels & Resorts property that catches your eye, you may be able to book that hotel using Choice points. Choice Privileges has a partnership with more than 300 Preferred Hotels & Resorts that allows Choice members to book award nights starting at 20,000 points.

Though this partnership underwent a bit of a devaluation this summer, you can still find some good deals. Plus, Citi is a transfer partner of Choice Privileges at a 1:2 rate; therefore, for every 1,000 Citi points you transfer, you’ll receive 2,000 Choice points.

Related: How to choose a hotel credit card

Best credit cards to earn Citi ThankYou Rewards points

If you’re wanting to earn Citi ThankYou Rewards points, here are the cards offering lucrative welcome bonuses:

• Citi Strata Premier℠ Card (see rates and fees): Earn 70,000 bonus ThankYou Rewards points after you spend $4,000 on purchases within the first three months of account opening. A higher offer may be available through Citi.com.
• Citi Rewards+® Card (see rates and fees): Earn 20,000 bonus points after you spend $1,500 on purchases with your card within three months of account opening.

If you hold the Citi Prestige® Card, you can also transfer your ThankYou Rewards points to Citi’s airline and hotel transfer partners. However, this card is no longer accepting new applications.

The information for the Citi Prestige has been collected independently by The Points Guy. The card details on this page have not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer.

Bottom line

While Citi continues to expand its transfer partner portfolio, adding I Prefer to its list, the hotel loyalty program’s website is not super easy to navigate, with award prices only showing a list of three hotels. That has to be a tech mistake, right? Either way, a 1:4 transfer ratio is pretty decent, but it’s best to compare cash rates versus how many points you’ll need for your award redemption.

As always, TPG does not recommend transferring points without a specific redemption in mind and without finding availability on the hotel’s and/or airline’s website first. Points transfers are irreversible, so the last thing you want to do is to be stuck with a bunch of points that you can’t use.

Editor’s note: This is a recurring post, regularly updated with new information.

If you’re familiar with TPG’s valuations, you’ll notice transferable rewards currencies such as American Express Membership Rewards points and Chase Ultimate Rewards points consistently rank as some of the most valuable rewards.

You can earn these rewards with some of the best travel credit cards. But what makes these rewards particularly valuable is the ability to transfer them to various airline and hotel programs — hence why we refer to them as transferable rewards.

If you look at TPG’s valuations, you’ll notice you almost always “lose” value when transferring these rewards. For example, you can transfer Chase Ultimate Rewards points to World of Hyatt at a 1:1 ratio, but because our October 2024 valuations value Chase points at 2.05 cents each and Hyatt points at 1.7 cents each, you’d “lose” 0.35 cents per point with this transfer.

You might wonder why we value transferable rewards more than airline miles and hotel points. In this story, I’ll discuss what makes transferable points valuable and why you should earn transferable points.

Diversify your exposure

With so many devaluations, it’s no secret that points and miles are a poor long-term investment. That’s why we don’t recommend hoarding points and miles. But if you want to build a stash of rewards for an upcoming trip, one of the best ways to protect yourself against devaluations is by earning transferable rewards.

If you have a chunk of your points and miles in a single loyalty program, you will lose significantly if a devaluation occurs. But with transferable rewards, you can transfer to the program with the most appealing award rates once you’re ready to book.

Related: Credit card transfer partners: Guide to transferring points and miles to airlines and hotels

Access to many hotel and airline programs

Transferable rewards also give you more flexibility than any single airline or hotel loyalty program.

For instance, if you’ve been accruing Delta SkyMiles on the Delta SkyMiles® Gold American Express Card, you’re limited to redeeming your miles within the SkyMiles program. If you need to fly from New York City to London on a specific date and the flight is 100,000 Delta miles, that’s your only redemption option.

On the other hand, if you’ve been earning Ultimate Rewards points with the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card, you could transfer your points to various programs — including Air France-KLM Flying Blue, British Airways Executive Club and Virgin Atlantic Flying Club — if you find a better award option. Likewise, if you found a one-way flight for $450, you could redeem 36,000 Chase points to book this flight through the Chase Travel℠ portal.

TPG’s valuations give transferable rewards higher valuations than the currencies of the airline and hotel programs you could transfer to since transferable points allow for more flexibility.

Related: The best ways to travel to Europe using points and miles

Transfer bonuses

The major credit card rewards currencies routinely offer transfer bonuses. You can transfer your rewards at a better ratio with a transfer bonus. Normally, these range between 15% and 40%.

Depending on what’s available when you’re ready to book, a favorable transfer bonus may boost the value you can get from your transferable rewards. You might even get enough points or miles for premium economy seats if you transfer the rewards you’d typically need for economy seats during a transfer bonus.

Related: A complete list of transfer bonuses over the past decade — which issuer is the most generous?

Transferable points and miles

Now you know why transferable rewards are more valuable than airline miles and hotel points. Here’s some information to consider about each of the major transferable rewards programs.

American Express Membership Rewards

• The complete guide to American Express Membership Rewards
  
• How to redeem American Express Membership Rewards for maximum value
• American Express Membership Rewards transfer partners: Maximize your points

Top cards to consider:

• The Platinum Card® from American Express
• American Express® Gold Card
• The Business Platinum Card® from American Express
• American Express® Business Gold Card
• The Blue Business® Plus Credit Card from American Express

Capital One miles

• Capital One miles: How to earn, redeem and transfer rewards
  
• Cashing in Capital One miles? How to get the maximum value when redeeming miles
• Ultimate guide to Capital One airline and hotel transfer partners: How to maximize your miles

Top cards to consider:

• Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card
• Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card
• Capital One Venture X Business
• Capital One Spark Miles for Business

Chase Ultimate Rewards

• The complete guide to Chase Ultimate Rewards
  
• How to redeem Chase Ultimate Rewards points for maximum value
• Who are the Chase transfer partners? Everything to know

Top cards to consider:

• Chase Sapphire Reserve®
• Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card
• Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card

Citi ThankYou Rewards

• Citi ThankYou Rewards: The ultimate guide
  
• Best ways to redeem Citi ThankYou points
• Citi transfer partners: Maximize your ThankYou points with these loyalty programs

Top card to consider:

• Citi Strata Premier℠ Card (see rates and fees)

Related: The best credit card welcome bonuses this month

Bottom line

With transferable credit card rewards, you can convert your hard-earned rewards into points and miles with various hotel and airline loyalty programs. By doing so, you can avoid losing value when one hotel or airline program devalues its rewards. Plus, you can explore a vast network of partners and choose the one that offers the most value and benefits for each redemption instead of being limited to a single airline or hotel program.

Editor’s note: This is a recurring post, regularly updated with new information. Citi is a TPG advertising partner.

Citi closed applications for its premium ThankYou Rewards card, the Citi Prestige® Card, in July 2021. However, some cardmembers, myself included, have kept the card and continued paying its $495 annual fee because of its valuable benefits.

Our Citi Prestige Card review explains all the benefits and why you should consider keeping the card if you already have it. But in this guide, I’ll discuss just one of the card’s unique perks: its complimentary fourth-night hotel benefit. This benefit, more commonly known as the Citi Prestige fourth-night free, gives you a fourth night free on up to two stays per calendar year. Here’s what you need to know.

The information for the Citi Prestige has been collected independently by The Points Guy. The card details on this page have not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer.

What is the Citi Prestige fourth-night free benefit?

The complimentary fourth-night hotel benefit is a perk available to Citi Prestige cardmembers. This perk gives you a fourth night free on up to two hotel stays each calendar year.

To enjoy a complimentary fourth night, you must:

1. Book a minimum of a four-consecutive-night hotel stay through the Citi Travel site or by calling 1-833-737-1288.
2. Pay for your stay with your Citi Prestige Card, Citi ThankYou points or a combination of ThankYou points and your Citi Prestige Card.

Citi bases the fourth night benefit on your stay’s average nightly rate, excluding taxes and fees. The price you pay during booking includes the fourth-night benefit savings. Additionally, the fourth-night benefit has the following restrictions and requirements:

• Bookings can only be made in the primary cardmember’s or authorized user‘s name.
• Only one complimentary night is possible per stay. Citi considers back-to-back stays to be one stay, so you can’t use two fourth-night benefits on back-to-back reservations at the same property.
• For group reservations or other reservations consisting of multiple rooms, only one room will qualify for a complimentary night.
• Reservations made through any party or channel other than the Citi Travel site or 1-833-737-1288 are not eligible for the fourth-night benefit.
• Discount rates such as corporate codes, loyalty program member rates, government rates and AAA rates can’t be used. You can only book rates that are available through the Citi Travel website.

Finally, the fourth-night benefit doesn’t apply to some stay types. For example, it excludes yachts, riverboats, cruises, campgrounds, castles, safaris, villas, apartments and any properties not bookable through the Citi Travel website.

Related: What you need to know about direct versus third-party travel bookings

How to book a complimentary fourth-night stay

You can book a complimentary fourth-night stay in two ways: online through the Citi Travel site or by calling 1-833-737-1288. Since Citi removed the ability to book hotels that didn’t appear on the Citi Travel website over the phone on Oct. 1, 2021, now there’s no benefit to booking over the phone. So, here’s the process for booking a fourth-night stay online through the Citi Travel site.

Enter dates and destination

After you log in to your Citi account and navigate to the Citi Travel portal, select “Hotels” and enter your destination, dates and the number of guests before clicking “Search.”

Select a hotel

The next page should return a list of available properties near your destination. You can filter the results by property type, collection type, star rating, neighborhood, room offers, payment options, property facilities, guest rating and more.

Choose your room and rate

Once you select a hotel, you’ll usually see multiple room types available for booking.

Pay for your stay

On the next page, you can decide whether to use your complimentary fourth-night hotel benefit. For this stay, doing so would drop the four-night cost from $1,847 to $1,531.

Once you confirm your guest details, click “Continue to payment.” On this page, you can choose how many points (if any) you’d like to redeem.

You can apply points to hotel bookings at a rate of one cent per point. But this is far below TPG’s October 2024 valuation of Citi ThankYou points at 1.8 cents each. So I don’t recommend redeeming Citi ThankYou points for hotel bookings through Citi Travel.

Related: Citi’s Hotel Collection and Luxury Collection: Get free breakfast and premium perks

Elite earnings and benefits

Unfortunately, stays booked through Citi Travel usually won’t be eligible for points earning and elite benefits through hotel loyalty programs. The frequently asked questions section of the Citi Prestige card benefits notes, “Frequent traveler accounts cannot be used when booking via ThankYou.com or when calling the ThankYou travel center.”

This being said, you can always ask the hotel to add your loyalty number at check-in. Most hotels won’t offer elite benefits and earnings when you book through an online travel agency such as the Citi Travel portal. But even if you don’t earn points and stay credit, the individual property could decide to offer you some on-site elite benefits.

Related: Citi Prestige vs. Citi Strata Premier: Should you keep the Prestige or downgrade to the Strata Premier?

Are Citi Travel portal rates competitive?

The lowest rates available through the Citi Travel website are often higher than the member rates available when booking directly with the hotel loyalty program. Plus, you usually won’t get elite benefits and earnings when booking through Citi Travel.

However, in some cases, you’ll find that Citi Travel offers rates similar to booking directly. For instance, booking the example stay discussed above directly with Atlantis would actually cost me a few cents more than booking through Citi Travel without the fourth-night benefit (and $317 more than booking through Citi Travel with the fourth-night benefit).

Likewise, booking a flexible member rate at The Coral through Marriott Bonvoy would cost $1,808 — $39 less than through Citi Travel without a fourth night free but $277 more than through Citi Travel with a fourth night free. However, I’d get Marriott Bonvoy earnings on my room rate if I booked my stay through Marriott.

In general, you’ll get better value from the complimentary fourth-night benefit when you use it at luxury hotels and hotels that don’t participate in major loyalty programs. However, I recommend considering the net cost — the out-of-pocket cost minus elite earnings and credit card earnings — of each of your favorite booking methods when deciding how to book a stay.

Related: Incognito mode and third-party apps: Do travel booking hacks actually work?

Bottom line

Longtime cardholders will lament how the Citi Prestige fourth-night-free benefit is not nearly as valuable as it once was. Indeed, this perk was once one of the best Citi Prestige benefits, whereas now I don’t even use it once most years since I value getting hotel elite status benefits and earnings on my stays. However, the perk can still provide value, especially if you carefully consider when and how to use your two free-night benefits each year.

If you’re interested in other ways to get a free night on an upcoming hotel stay, remember Marriott provides a fifth night free on all award stays, Hilton provides a fifth night free to elite members on award stays and IHG offers a complimentary fourth night on award stays to select IHG cardholders. Additionally, some Fine Hotels + Resorts properties offer a third or fourth night free.

Editor’s note: This is a recurring post, regularly updated with the lastest information. 

Despite being smaller than the Big Three legacy carriers, Alaska Airlines has gained popularity among American travelers thanks to its loyalty program, Mileage Plan.

As a member of Oneworld, the program offers numerous high-value partnerships with airlines like American Airlines, British Airways and Cathay Pacific. Additionally, it has nonalliance partnerships with airlines such as Icelandair, Singapore Airlines and LATAM, providing a wide range of options for earning and using miles.

Moreover, Alaska Airlines acquired Hawaiian Airlines in a joint merger, and the carrier is planning a major overhaul of its Mileage Plan program in 2025. While some details have been unveiled, including new milestone perks and status-earning options, more program details will be announced within the next six to nine months.

This guide will discuss the ins and outs of how you can currently redeem Alaska miles, details on its elite status program and more.

Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan overview

Mileage Plan is Alaska Airlines’ frequent flyer program. You earn Alaska miles by flying with Alaska or its partner airlines. The program also offers additional earning partners, such as a shopping portal, dining program and cobranded credit cards. Once you accumulate miles, you can redeem them for travel on Alaska or its partners.

Mileage Plan includes an elite status program with four tiers: MVP, MVP Gold, MVP Gold 75K and MVP Gold 100K. Each tier includes upgrades, preferred seating and bonus mileage earned on Alaska flights. Elite members also enjoy limited benefits on Hawaiian Airlines, American Airlines and other Oneworld partners.

Related: 6 great benefits I received as an American Airlines elite flying Alaska Airlines

Alaska Airlines partners

Alaska Airlines is known for its huge suite of airline partners, which includes airlines in Oneworld and other alliances.

Oneworld alliance partners

Alaska joined Oneworld in late March 2021. This means that the airline is now a partner with these airlines:

• American Airlines
• British Airways
• Cathay Pacific
• Fiji Airways (Oneworld Connect)
• Finnair
• Iberia
• Japan Airlines
• Malaysia Airlines
• Qantas
• Qatar Airways
• Royal Air Maroc
• Royal Jordanian Airlines
• SriLankan Airlines

Nonalliance airline partners

Alaska has partnered with airlines outside Oneworld for years now. We’re hopeful these nonalliance partnerships will remain long-term now that Alaska is a Oneworld airline, but only time will tell. Here’s the full list of Alaska’s other airline partners to earn and redeem miles with:

• Aer Lingus
• Air Tahiti Nui
• Condor
• Hainan Airlines
• Icelandair
• Korean Air
• LATAM
• Oman Air
• Porter Airlines
• Singapore Airlines
• Starlux Airlines

Related: Alaska-Hawaiian merger will protect frequent flyer miles as part of major DOT agreement

Alaska Airlines elite status

Alaska Airlines has four elite status tiers. In 2024, Alaska changed the way customers earn elite status and no longer requires members to fly a minimum number of Alaska flights. To qualify, you need to earn a set number of elite qualifying miles.

Status tier	Required number of EQMs
MVP	20,000
MVP Gold	40,000
MVP Gold 75K	75,000
MVP Gold 100K	100,000

With Alaska and Hawaiian Airlines’ merger, the carriers are also offering an elite status match at this time.

If you have:	You’ll be matched to:
Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan MVP status	HawaiianMiles Pualani Gold status
Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan MVP Gold, MVP Gold 75K or MVP Gold 100K status	HawaiianMiles Pualani Platinum status
HawaiianMiles Pualani Gold status	Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan MVP status
HawaiianMiles Pualani Platinum status	Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan MVP Gold status

Plus, if you’re close to qualifying for elite status, the airlines are offering members the opportunity to combine their elite qualifying miles to achieve status.

Combined EQM balance:	Status you’ll get with Mileage Plan:	Status you’ll get with HawaiianMiles:
20,000 EQMs	MVP	Pualani Gold
40,000 EQMs	MVP Gold	Pualani Platinum
75,000 EQMs	MVP Gold 75K	Pualani Platinum
100,000 EQMs	MVP Gold 100K	Pualani Platinum

Though Alaska and Hawaiian plan to unite under one loyalty program in 2025, no details have been released at this time on the upcoming elite status tiers, qualification requirements and/or benefits.

Read more about all the benefits of Alaska Airlines elite status.

How to earn Alaska miles

Though earning Alaska miles used to be more challenging since the airline is not directly associated with major credit card programs like American Express Membership Rewards and Chase Ultimate Rewards, the carrier announced a partnership with Bilt Rewards in March.

Plus, since merging with Hawaiian Airlines, Amex members can now transfer their Membership Rewards points to HawaiianMiles and then transfer those miles to Mileage Plan at a 1:1 rate. However, in an interview with TPG, Brett Catlin, Alaska’s vice president of loyalty, alliances and sales, hinted that this transfer option may not be around in the foreseeable future.

“Our intent is not to have a transferable currency where guests can earn across competitor cards, to be totally honest,” he noted.

Additionally, you can still earn miles by flying with various airline partners. Alaska Airlines also offers two cobranded credit cards, a shopping portal and a dining rewards program to help you accumulate more miles.

Earn miles when flying with Alaska Airlines

Mileage Plan is an airline loyalty program, so naturally, you can earn when you fly with Alaska Airlines.

Unlike other major U.S. airlines, Alaska continues to award miles based on the actual length of a flight. You’ll earn 1 mile per 1 physical mile flown in standard economy. Saver tickets earn 30% of the miles flown. A one-way flight from San Francisco International Airport (SFO) to John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK) earns 2,586 miles in standard economy, as that’s how long the flight is.

First-class tickets receive a minimum 50% mileage bonus, resulting in higher mileage earnings. For example, a flight from SFO to JFK would earn 3,879 redeemable miles. Note that this bonus applies only to paid first-class tickets, not upgrades. Elite members also earn bonus miles on all Alaska flights. For instance, an MVP Gold 75K member flying from SFO to JFK in first class would earn 5,818 miles with their 125% bonus.

Bonus miles can accumulate quickly for frequent travelers. Additionally, higher-fare economy classes offer bonus miles, although they may be more expensive than standard economy tickets. You can refer to Alaska’s website for more information about earning Alaska miles on Alaska flights.

Related: The airline miles that are hardest to earn — and why you want them anyway

Credit partner flights to Mileage Plan

You can credit partner flights to Mileage Plan, allowing you to earn both redeemable and elite qualifying miles. The miles earned depend on the airline, flight length and fare class. To determine the earning levels, visit Alaska’s partner page and locate the earning chart for the specific partner and fare class. Multiply your flight’s distance by the percentage in the “Miles earned (total)” column.

For flights operated by partner airlines with Alaska “AS” flight numbers, all flights follow the earning structure below:

However, starting in 2025, Alaska is offering members who book international first- and business-class tickets on partners the opportunity to earn more miles when booking through Alaskaair.com. But starting in 2025, if you book tickets through a partner website, you will earn less Alaska miles.

Check out the 2025 earning charts here.

Spend on an Alaska Airlines credit card

Alaska Airlines has two cobranded credit cards with Bank of America: a personal card and a business card.

These let you earn Alaska miles on your everyday spending and offer solid welcome bonuses. The cards include other inflight benefits, including an annual Companion Fare that helps offset their annual fees.

Alaska Airlines Visa Signature® credit card: The Alaska Airlines Visa credit card is Alaska’s personal credit card. New cardholders can buy one Alaska Airlines ticket and get one for just the taxes and fees starting from $23 ($0 fare), plus 50,000 bonus miles after spending $3,000 or more on purchases within the first 90 days of account opening. This card earns 3 miles per dollar spent on eligible Alaska purchases; 2 miles per dollar on eligible gas, EV charging station, cable, streaming services and local transit (including ride share) purchases; and 1 mile per dollar spent everywhere else. You also get a free checked bag on all Alaska flights and 20% back on inflight purchases.

Alaska Airlines Visa® Business card: The Alaska Airlines Visa Business card is simply the business version of the personal Alaska card. Get 50,000 bonus miles and Alaska’s Companion Fare ($99 fare plus taxes and fees from $23) after making $3,000 or more in purchases within the first 90 days of opening your account. The card earns 3 miles per dollar spent on eligible Alaska Airlines purchases; 2 miles per dollar on eligible gas, EV charging station, shipping and local transit (including ride share) purchases; and 1 mile per dollar spent on all other purchases.

Plus, for cardholders of the business or personal Alaska credit card, starting Jan. 1, 2025, you will earn 1 elite qualifying mile for every $3 spent (up to 30,000 EQMs each year).

Related: Alaska Airlines Visa Business card review: Good for frequent Alaska business travelers

Transfer Bilt Points

Bilt Rewards members can now transfer points to Alaska Mileage Plan at a 1:1 ratio. This is huge news for award travelers, as Marriott Bonvoy points are the only other major transferable currency that transfers to Alaska Mileage Plan.

Alaska Airlines cardholders can earn 3 miles per dollar spent (on up to $50,000 annually) when using their Alaska Airlines Visa credit card to pay rent through Bilt.

Transfer HawaiianMiles to Alaska Mileage Plan

Following the merger of the two carriers, HawaiianMiles can be transferred to Alaska Mileage Plan at a 1:1 rate. Since Alaska is part of Oneworld alliance, this opens up a slew of redemption partners, such as American Airlines.

Additionally, Hawaiian Airlines is currently a transfer partner of Amex Membership Rewards; Amex points can be transferred to HawaiianMiles at a 1:1 rate. However, as mentioned earlier, it’s safe to say that the Amex transfer option will eventually become obsolete.

If you already have the Alaska credit cards in your wallet, you may want to consider opening a Hawaiian Airlines cobranded credit card. If you’re looking to secure a large sum of Hawaiian and/or Alaska miles, these Hawaiian Airlines cards are currently offering the following welcome bonuses.

• Hawaiian Airlines® World Elite Mastercard®: Earn 70,000 bonus HawaiianMiles after spending $2,000 on purchases within the first 90 days.
• Hawaiian Airlines® Business Mastercard®: Earn 50,000 bonus HawaiianMiles after spending $4,000 on purchases in the first 90 days.

The information for the Hawaiian Mastercard and Hawaiian Business Mastercard has been collected independently by The Points Guy. The card details on this page have not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer.

Other ways to earn Alaska miles

You can earn miles using the Mileage Plan Shopping portal when shopping online and the Mileage Plan Dining program when dining out.

On the shopping side, Mileage Plan Shopping awards bonus miles whenever you click through the Alaska portal before making an online purchase. It offers bonus miles with hundreds of different merchants, including Apple and Saks Fifth Avenue. Each merchant awards a different number of miles per dollar spent, and rates can fluctuate frequently.

Watch out for shopping portal deals offered by Mileage Plan Shopping. It occasionally runs limited-time bonuses where you can earn extra miles by spending a specific amount of money.

Mileage Plan Dining is another opportunity to earn bonus miles. Create an account on the Mileage Plan Dining website and link your credit cards. You’ll earn Alaska points and miles from your credit card by dining at participating restaurants. Use a card that offers bonus points on dining for maximum benefits.

The miles you earn depend on your Mileage Plan Dining membership tier. These include:

• Basic members: 1 mile per 2 dollars spent
• Select members: 3 miles per dollar spent, earned after you enroll in email communications from Mileage Plan Dining
• VIP members: 5 miles per dollar spent, earned after you enroll in email communications and dine at participating restaurants 11 times in a calendar year

You can earn 500 bonus Alaska miles after your first purchase. To qualify, spend $30 at a participating restaurant and review it on the Mileage Plan Dining website.

There are other ways to earn Alaska miles, such as booking rental cars and hotel stays with Alaska partners. You can learn more about these earning opportunities in our full guide to earning Alaska miles.

How to redeem Alaska miles

You can use your Alaska miles for flights on Alaska Airlines and its partner airlines. The best value is often found when redeeming on partner airlines, especially for international first- or business-class flights.

Awards offered by Alaska Airlines are dynamically priced. Your price for a specific award ticket varies by route and day.

You’ll generally find the lowest-priced awards on short flights — think Seattle-Tacoma International Airport (SEA) to Portland International Airport (PDX) and Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) to SFO.

On the airline’s website, you’ll see award pricing for all of Alaska’s partners, depending on the region you are traveling to.

All partner awards are now dynamically priced. For instance, American Airlines award flights in the U.S. and Canada now only have starting prices and then “vary depending on demand.”

You can add stopovers to one-way award tickets

One of the great advantages of booking partner tickets with Alaska Airlines is the ability to add stopovers to one-way award tickets. Booking a ticket with a stopover costs the same as a nonstop flight to your final destination.

You can have a stopover operated by Alaska Airlines or a single partner in its hub city.

For example, you can book a ticket from JFK to London on British Airways, spend a few days in London, and then continue to Rome Fiumicino Leonardo da Vinci Airport (FCO) on British Airways. This should cost the same number of miles as a flight from JFK to FCO, provided the itinerary does not fall into the next-highest band.

Related: How to book free stopovers with Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan

How to book Alaska Airlines award tickets

You can book most award tickets on alaskaair.com. Log in to your account and enter your search criteria on the home page, ensuring you select the “Use miles” option for award flights. Click “Find flights” to search and view available options in the center of the screen. If you find a suitable ticket, select it and click “Add to cart” to proceed with booking.

For booking stopovers, click the “All search options” link on the homepage and select “multicity” under the “Flight type” header. Enter your flights and search for connecting tickets. All available options will be displayed in the center of the screen. If you find a desirable itinerary, book your ticket as usual.

Plus, Alaska announced this month that Mileage Plan members will begin earning elite qualifying miles on award flights starting Jan. 1, 2025.

Mileage Plan redemption sweet spots

Now that you know about Mileage Plan, let’s explore some top ways to use your Alaska miles.

• Business class to Fiji and Australia/New Zealand: One-way business-class seats on Fiji Airways now start at 75,000 Alaska Airlines miles. You could fly to New Zealand and Australia, with a stopover in Fiji for just 10,000 miles more.
• Domestic flights within Australia: Alaska’s Oneworld partner Qantas operates many wide-body services on the “golden triangle” routes between Sydney Airport (SYD), Melbourne Airport (MEL) and Brisbane Airport (BNE). These flights can be booked in economy class starting at 7,500 Alaska miles each way for journeys of 1,500 miles or less.
• Business class to the United Kingdom: While many flight routes from North America to Europe will fall within the 3,501-5,000-mile range, such as a flight from Miami International Airport (MIA) to Adolfo Suarez Madrid-Barajas Airport (MAD) costing 55,000 miles in business class, there are several routes from the East Coast to the United Kingdom that will only cost 45,000 Mileage Plan miles in business class as they are under 3,500 miles, such as the New York-to-London route.
• Book South America flights on LATAM: Despite having left the Oneworld alliance, LATAM maintains a partnership with Alaska Airlines. By taking advantage of the free stopover, you can book flights like Miami to Lima’s Jorge Chavez International Airport (LIM) to Santiago International Airport (SCL), allowing you to experience two vibrant South American cities in one trip from just 25,000 miles for economy and 50,000 miles for business class each way.

Related: Best Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan sweet spot redemptions you can book

Bottom line

Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan is a top airline loyalty program, thanks to its wide range of partners and reliable award charts. Additionally, with its acquisition of Hawaiian Airlines and updated program announcements, there are many notable benefits to the Mileage Plan loyalty program.

However, it remains to be seen how the impending joint loyalty program between the two carriers will follow Alaska’s current Mileage Plan program. For us, we hope it’s not a total devaluation of a valuable airline program.

Editor’s note: This is a recurring post, regularly updated with the latest information.

United Airlines has launched a new round of Mile Play promotions, which award bonus miles to targeted members after they complete specific tasks. Now’s a good time to check your eligibility and register — even if you’re unsure about your upcoming travel plans.

To see if you’re eligible and to register, visit United’s Mile Play page. Enter your MileagePlus number, check the box stating you aren’t a robot and click “Start Mile Play.”

As is normal with these promotions, offers vary widely from one member to another. United may not have targeted some members for Mile Play, while others will see different rewards and requirements to earn them. We checked around the TPG team and found varying offers.

Examples of United’s Mile Play offers

TPG Senior Director of Content Summer Hull received an offer for 5,000 bonus miles if she takes three trips of $300 or more by Dec. 13.

TPG’s managing cruise editor, Erica Silverstein, has Premier Silver status. She received an offer to book and take a trip three times to get 5,000 bonus miles; each fare must be $175 or more.

Senior Travel Editor Lyndsey Matthews, who does not hold MileagePlus status, received an offer to book and take a trip three times to earn 7,000 bonus miles; each fare must be more than $100.

Associate Credit Cards Writer Chris Nelson, who has Premier Silver status, received an offer to earn 6,800 bonus miles by booking and taking two trips; each fare must be $250 or more.

Other TPG staffers and their loved ones received the following offers:

• Earn 3,100 bonus miles after you book and take two trips, each with a fare of $175 or more.
• Earn 7,500 bonus miles after you book and take five trips, each with a fare of $100 or more.

Keep in mind that to count toward these promotions, trips generally must be booked and flown after you register and before the promotion’s end date (Dec. 13). So if you already have a trip planned during the Mile Play window, it won’t qualify (though you might consider canceling and rebooking it). And unless otherwise noted in your offer’s terms, only paid flights marketed and operated by United and United Express will count toward Mile Play offers.

Best cards to use for United flights

Whether or not you’re targeted for this promotion, you can earn lots of bonus United miles by opening a cobranded credit card. Here’s a look at the current welcome bonuses on select United cards:

• United℠ Explorer Card: Earn 50,000 bonus miles after spending $3,000 on purchases in the first three months from account opening.
• United Quest℠ Card: Earn 60,000 bonus miles and 500 Premier qualifying points after you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first three months from account opening.
• United Club℠ Infinite Card: Earn 80,000 bonus miles after spending $5,000 on purchases in the first three months from account opening.
• United Gateway℠ Card: Earn 20,000 bonus miles after you spend $1,000 on purchases in the first three months from account opening.
• United℠ Business Card: Earn 75,000 bonus miles after you spend $5,000 on purchases in the first three months your account is open.

Although cobranded credit cards can help you earn United miles, you may earn more rewards when you book with one of the best cards for airfare purchases. For example, The Platinum Card® from American Express earns 5 points per dollar spent on airfare booked directly with the airline or through American Express Travel (on up to $500,000 of these purchases per calendar year, then 1 point per dollar).

Bottom line

Even if you don’t have any upcoming travel plans with United, it’s worth registering and considering whether it’s time to plan a trip. If you have any flights booked that are fully refundable — with United or other airlines — you should consider whether your Mile Play offer is compelling enough for you to cancel and rebook with United.

Related reading:

• The ultimate guide to United Club access
• Best credit cards for airport lounge access
• The best credit cards to reach elite status