Alaska
Buy Alaska miles with up to 60% bonus
Alaska Mileage Plan is selling miles with up to 60% bonus until 21st August – from 1.85 US cents each – and there are still ‘sweet spots’ to be had, if you can buy and redeem immediately.
Earlier this year Alaska Mileage Plan rolled out a stealth no-notice devaluation of award pricing on Japan Airlines flights, doubling award rates in some cases, which somewhat ironically came mid-way through the a bonus promotion for members to buy additional miles directly from the airline.
Despite previously promising to give 90 days’ notice of any changes to current partner award rates, Alaska Airlines proved itself about as trustworthy as advice from a Citibank CSO with this move, back to its old tricks having pulled the same stunt with its Emirates award chart back in 2016.
Nonetheless, there’s always an Alaska Miles sale around the corner and this month is no exception, with up to 60% bonus miles on offer if you dare to take the plunge.
You should only do this for an available award that you can (and will) lock in immediately.
Alaska’s July 2023 miles bonus offer
This month Alaska is offering up to 60% bonus on miles purchases, for those purchasing at least 45,000 miles.
Do log on to check how this month’s deal is structured for your account, since it can differ slightly from person to person. For example, Eddie’s account tops out at 40% bonus for a purchase of 15,000+ miles, while mine gets the full 60% deal.
Pro Tip: Never buy Alaska miles at full price, unless you need a small top-up quickly to achieve a specific redemption. These miles are almost always available on offer (there are typically 8 purchase bonus offers per year!).
Here’s how the bonus looks based on the rate targeted for my account, which is the full 60% bonus.
| Miles purchased | Bonus | Cost per mile |
| 1,000 – 2,000 | None | 2.96 US ¢ |
| 3,000 – 24,000 | 40% | 2.11 US ¢ |
| 25,000 – 44,000 | 50% | 1.97 US ¢ |
| 45,000 – 100,000 | 60% | 1.85 US ¢ |
Here’s how it looks for Eddie’s account, with a smaller 40% bonus.
| Miles purchased | Bonus | Cost per mile |
| 1,000 – 2,000 | None | 2.96 US ¢ |
| 3,000 – 14,000 | 30% | 2.27 US ¢ |
| 15,000 – 100,000 | 40% | 2.11 US ¢ |
If you are not an elite member, your account may only be credited up to a maximum total of 150,000 miles (acquired through buying miles) in a calendar year, whether purchased by you or gifted to you.
Bonus miles don’t count towards the annual crediting limit.
Remember even though the purchase limit is 100,000 miles per transaction (pre-bonus), you can make multiple purchase transactions during the offer if you wish.
MVP, MVP Gold , MVP Gold 75K and MVP Gold 100K Mileage Plan member accounts have no annual limit on the number of miles which may be purchased or gifted.
Click here to buy Alaska Miles
Deadline: 21st August 2023
The offer closes at 11.59pm Pacific Time on Sunday 20th August 2023, which is 2.59pm on Monday 21st August 2023 Singapore time.
Alaska is strict about the offer deadline, so it will completely disappear at the end time – we’ve tested it to the minute in the past.
We would therefore recommend making your purchase before approximately 1pm on 21st August in Singapore if you’re interested, just in case you have any issues or the payment doesn’t go through first time.
Which Alaska miles redemptions are safe (for now)?
Given the recent no-notice gutting of Alaska’s award rates on Japan Airlines award flights, one thing that’s more important than ever to reiterate about buying these miles in bonus promotions is that you must have a plan to use them right away.
If there’s an available award that suits you – it’s still worth considering if the price is right.
Here’s a rundown on the most popular ‘sweet spots’ remaining for those based in Asia-Pacific.
 |
Effective cost buying at bonus levels (US$): | ||
| 40% | 60% | ||
| Singapore to Los Angeles First Class* |
70,000 miles |
$1,478 | $1,295 |
| Singapore to Los Angeles Business Class |
50,000 miles |
$1,056 | $925 |
| Sydney to New York First Class* |
80,000 miles |
$1,689 | $1,480 |
| Sydney to New York Business Class |
60,000 miles |
$1,267 | $1,110 |
| Hong Kong to Auckland Business Class |
30,000 miles |
$633 | $555 |
| Hong Kong to London Business Class |
42,500 miles |
$897 | $786 |
| Singapore to Tokyo Business Class |
22,500 miles |
$475 | $416 |
* Business Class to Hong Kong, then First Class to the USA
There are some great value ways to use Alaska miles on Cathay Pacific, including Singapore to the USA in Business Class for US$925 (if you buy at a 60% bonus rate).
Even Singapore to Tokyo or Seoul for example drops to US$416 in Business Class at a 60% bonus (a good deal now that the JAL option via Alaska is meaningless).
Cathay Pacific awards using Alaska miles are now searchable and bookable online, so there’s no longer any need to call to secure them, like there was before.
|
Effective cost buying at bonus levels (US$): | ||
| 40% | 60% | ||
| Sydney to Dallas First Class |
70,000 miles |
$1,478 | $1,295 |
| Sydney to Dallas Business Class |
55,000 miles |
$1,161 | $1,018 |
| Perth to Sydney Business Class |
20,000 miles |
$422 | $370 |
If you’re based in Australia, or just visiting on holiday, using Alaska miles for coast-to-coast domestic flights in Business Class on Qantas, like Perth to Sydney or Perth to Melbourne at 20,000 miles each way, is great value.
That’s equivalent to just US$370 when buying miles with a 60% bonus.
Pick an Airbus A330 (see our recent review here) or Boeing 787 for the newest flat-bed seats, with these flights taking upwards of five hours.
It’s also worth checking out Australia to or from USA award pricing.
Qantas A380 First Class on the 15-hour non-stop from Los Angeles to Sydney comes in at around US$1,295 when buying miles at a 60% bonus.
|
Effective cost buying at bonus levels (US$): | ||
| 40% | 60% | ||
| Singapore to Chicago (return) Business Class |
120,000 miles (return) |
$2,534 | $2,220 |
Korean Air awards using Alaska Miles must be booked as a round-trip, however for 120,000 miles you can fly from Singapore to the USA and back in Business Class for US$2,220 when purchasing miles at the 60% bonus rate (equivalent to S$1,110 each way).
|
Effective cost buying at bonus levels (US$): | ||
| 40% | 60% | ||
| Singapore to Helsinki Business Class |
60,000 miles |
$1,266 | $1,110 |
A decent but not incredible deal is Business Class with Finnair from Asia to Europe for 60,000 Alaska Miles, or about US$1,110 at the 60% bonus rate.
This also allows you to experience the carrier’s latest AirLounge Business Class product from Singapore, Bangkok, Hong Kong and Tokyo, and even avoid a hefty fuel surcharge on the Tokyo – Helsinki route.
|
Effective cost buying at bonus levels (US$): | ||
| 40% | 60% | ||
| Singapore to Auckland Business Class |
65,000 miles |
$1,373 | $1,203 |
| Tokyo to Los Angeles Business Class |
80,000 miles |
$1,689 | $1,480 |
There aren’t really any great value ways to use Alaska miles on Singapore Airlines, since the intra-Asia stopover ‘tricks’ were shut down in October 2019.
Singapore to Auckland (or Australian cities like Melbourne and Sydney) at 65,000 miles can make sense, even though KrisFlyer charges only 68,500 miles for the same itinerary, since Alaska gets better award space on SIA flights.
Perhaps the only other decent value option is a Business Class ticket on one of the airline’s fifth freedom routes between Tokyo and Los Angeles, usually 103,500 KrisFlyer miles but available for 80,000 Alaska miles or the equivalent of US$1,480 with a 60% purchase bonus.
It’s not an incredible deal but personally we would probably rather buy the Alaska miles for this one and save the 103,500 KrisFlyer miles for a better value redemption, assuming we needed to fly this city pair in isolation.
Change and cancellation is free
Alaska Mileage Plan abolished its US$125 change and cancellation (miles redeposit) fee on award tickets in 2020, but instead partner awards now have a US$12.50 booking fee per one-way trip (US$25 for a round-trip), which is not refundable if you cancel.
That means you won’t be significantly out of pocket if you lock in a redemption that you then can’t use – but remember don’t just leave refunded miles in Alaska MP! Redeem again as soon as possible at a competitive rate – the next overnight partner devaluation could be round the corner.
Alaska Miles don’t expire
Alaska Mileage Plan miles don’t expire, provided you have some earning or redemption activity within the last 24 months.
Buying miles, like in this sale, counts as earning activity.
Which card to use
If you are going to buy in this promotion, and assuming like most of our readers you are based in Singapore, you’ll want to achieve the maximum number of credit card miles for the purchase itself when buying Alaska Miles.
The transaction itself happens in US dollars (i.e. non-SGD) and is processed by points.com.
You can earn the most extra miles for the purchase transaction by using one of the following Singapore issued credit cards if you can:
* Note: Our readers have reported that using the DBS WWMC card via points.com does not automatically award the higher 4 mpd earn rate. You must usually appeal and claim the bonus miles later.
Buying Alaska miles in a bonus sale was never for everybody, and that’s perhaps true now more than ever with the programme returning to its duplicitous ways, including no-notice devaluations apparently becoming the norm again.
Cathay Pacific’s excellent award rates for travel between Asia and the USA remain intact, but they look at serious risk of going the same way as JAL’s good-value awards… sooner or later.
As we’ve always said, you should not buy Alaska miles speculatively. Have a plan to use them, preferably immediately for an available award at “current” rates, before you take the plunge.
Changes in both partner redemption relationships and valuations can and do occur, and the scheme’s 90 days’ advance notice promise has now proven meaningless.
Click here to buy Alaska Miles
Links on Mainly Miles may pay us an affiliate commission.
(Cover Photo: VDB Photos / Shutterstock)
A flight attendant’s viral TikTok video ended up costing her job. Nelle Diala, who was working as a flight attendant with Alaska Airlines for over six months was reportedly fired from her job after recording a twerking video while at work, the New York Post reported. After losing her job for “violating” the airline’s “social media policy”, Diala set up a GoFundMe page for financial support. The twerking and dancing video, posted by Diala on her personal social media account, went viral on TikTok and Instagram. The video was captioned, “ghetto bih till i D-I-E, don’t let the uniform fool you.”
After being fired, Diala reposted the twerking video with the new caption: “Can’t even be yourself anymore, without the world being so sensitive. What’s wrong with a little twerk before work, people act like they never did that before.” She added the hashtag #discriminationisreal.
According to Diala’s GoFundMe page, she posted the “lighthearted video” during a layover. The video was shot in an empty aircraft. She wrote, “It was a harmless clip that was recorded at 6 am while waiting 2 hours for pilots. I was also celebrating the end of probation.”
“The video went viral overnight, but instead of love and support, it brought unexpected scrutiny. Although it was a poor decision on my behalf I didn’t think it would cost me my dream job,” she added.
Also Read: To Wi-Fi Or Not To Wi-Fi On A Plane? Pros And Cons Of Using Internet At 30,000 Feet
Talking about being “wrongfully fired”, she said, “My employer accused me of violating their social media policy. I explained that the video wasn’t intended to harm anyone or the company, but they didn’t want to listen. Without warning, they terminated me. No discussion, no chance to defend myself-and no chance for a thorough and proper investigation.”
The seemingly “harmless clip” has led Diala to lose her “dream job”. She shared, “Losing my job was devastating. I’ve always been careful about what I share online, and I never thought this video, which didn’t even mention the airline by name, would cost me my career. Now, I am trying to figure out how to move forward.”
New federal funds will help Alaska’s Department of Transportation develop a plan to reduce vehicle collisions with wildlife on one of the state’s busiest highways.
The U.S. Transportation Department gave the state a $626,659 grant in December to conduct a wildlife-vehicle collision study along the Glenn Highway corridor stretching between Anchorage’s Airport Heights neighborhood to the Glenn-Parks Highway interchange.
Over 30,000 residents drive the highway each way daily.
Mark Eisenman, the Anchorage area planner for the department, hopes the study will help generate new ideas to reduce wildlife crashes on the Glenn Highway.
“That’s one of the things we’re hoping to get out of this is to also have the study look at what’s been done, not just nationwide, but maybe worldwide,” Eisenman said. “Maybe where the best spot for a wildlife crossing would be, or is a wildlife crossing even the right mitigation strategy for these crashes?”
Eisenman said the most common wildlife collisions are with moose. There were nine fatal moose-vehicle crashes on the highway between 2018 and 2023. DOT estimates Alaska experiences about 765 animal-vehicle collisions annually.
In the late 1980s, DOT lengthened and raised a downtown Anchorage bridge to allow moose and wildlife to pass underneath, instead of on the roadway. But Eisenman said it wasn’t built tall enough for the moose to comfortably pass through, so many avoid it.
DOT also installed fencing along high-risk areas of the highway in an effort to prevent moose from traveling onto the highway.
Moose typically die in collisions, he said, and can also cause significant damage to vehicles. There are several signs along the Glenn Highway that tally fatal moose collisions, and he said they’re the primary signal to drivers to watch for wildlife.
“The big thing is, the Glenn Highway is 65 (miles per hour) for most of that stretch, and reaction time to stop when you’re going that fast for an animal jumping onto the road is almost impossible to avoid,” he said.
The city estimates 1,600 moose live in the Anchorage Bowl.
Alaska
Flight attendant sacked for twerking on the job: ‘What’s wrong with a little twerk before work’
They deemed the stunt not-safe-for-twerk.
An Alaska Airlines flight attendant who was sacked for twerking on camera has created a GoFundMe to support her while she seeks a new berth.
The crewmember, named Nelle Diala, had filmed the viral booty-shaking TikTok video on the plane while waiting two hours for the captain to arrive, A View From the Wing reported.
She captioned the clip, which also blew up on Instagram, “ghetto bih till i D-I-E, don’t let the uniform fool you.”
Diala was reportedly doing a victory dance to celebrate the end of her new hire probationary period.
Unfortunately, her jubilation was short-lived as Alaska Airlines nipped her employment in the bum just six months into her contract.
The fanny-wagging flight attendant feels that she didn’t do anything wrong.
Diala has since reposted the twerking clip with the new caption: “Can’t even be yourself anymore, without the world being so sensitive. What’s wrong with a little twerk before work, people act like they never did that before.”
The new footage was hashtagged #discriminationisreal.
The disgraced stewardess even set up a GoFundMe page to help support the so-called “wrongfully fired” flight attendant until she can land a new flight attendant gig.
“I never thought a single moment would cost me everything,” wrote the ex-crewmember. “Losing my job was devastating.”
She claimed that the gig had allowed her to meet new people and see the world, among other perks.
While air hostessing was ostensibly a “dream job,” Diala admitted that she used the income to help fund her “blossoming lingerie and dessert businesses,” which she runs under the Instagram handles @cakezncake (which doesn’t appear to have any content?) and @figure8.lingerie.
As of Wednesday morning, the crowdfunding campaign has raised just $182 of its $12,000 goal.
Diala was ripped online for twerking on the job as well as her subsequent GoFundMe efforts.
“You don’t respect the uniform, you don’t respect your job then,” declared one critic on the popular aviation-focused Instagram page The Crew Lounge. “Terms and Conditions apply.”
“‘Support for wrongly fired flight attendant??’” mocked another. “Her GoFund title says it all. She still thinks she was wrongly fired. Girl you weren’t wrongly fired. Go apply for a new job and probably stop twerking in your uniform.”
“The fact that you don’t respect your job is one thing but doing it while in uniform and at work speaks volumes,” scoffed a third. “You’re the brand ambassador and it’s not a good look.”
Edison stock turns volatile as growing blame for wildfires lands on the power company
Here are the famed movie and TV locations destroyed in the Southern California fires
Equinox Is Trying to Make Health the Ultimate Status Symbol
Republican bill would ban transgender girls from high school sports in California
Plaschke: The unbearable guilt of losing nothing — and everything — in the Altadena wildfire
Colorado Rockies game no. 116 thread: Zac Gallen vs José Ureña
Why Marjorie Taylor Greene was ‘kicked out’ of the Freedom Caucus according to Rep. Buck
See it: Tesla crashes into Columbus convention center at 70 mph
Fox News Politics: Georgia the whole day through
Death of missing Oregon girl found in stream ruled homicide
Greenland lawmaker touts stronger EU role in island's rare earths
Local LA theaters bring puppets and movies to families for respite from fires
It Could Take Weeks Before Displaced L.A. Residents Can Go Home
'Lying to the nation': Trump orbit slams Biden for taking credit for ceasefire deal
Biden takes aim at oligarchs and extreme wealth in farewell address
-
/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/25822586/STK169_ZUCKERBERG_MAGA_STKS491_CVIRGINIA_A.jpg "Meta is highlighting a splintering global approach to online speech")
Technology7 days agoMeta is highlighting a splintering global approach to online speech
-
Science5 days agoMetro will offer free rides in L.A. through Sunday due to fires
-
/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/25821992/videoframe_720397.png "Las Vegas police release ChatGPT logs from the suspect in the Cybertruck explosion")
Technology1 week agoLas Vegas police release ChatGPT logs from the suspect in the Cybertruck explosion
-
Movie Reviews1 week ago‘How to Make Millions Before Grandma Dies’ Review: Thai Oscar Entry Is a Disarmingly Sentimental Tear-Jerker
-
Health1 week agoMichael J. Fox honored with Presidential Medal of Freedom for Parkinson’s research efforts
-
Movie Reviews1 week agoMovie Review: Millennials try to buy-in or opt-out of the “American Meltdown”
-
News1 week agoPhotos: Pacific Palisades Wildfire Engulfs Homes in an L.A. Neighborhood
-
World1 week agoTrial Starts for Nicolas Sarkozy in Libya Election Case