Chasing elite status on Alaska Airlines? A flight to California this fall could help – The Points Guy

Heads up, frequent Alaska Airways flyers: In the event you’ve fallen behind in your try to realize or preserve elite standing within the Mileage Plan program, right here’s an opportunity to get again within the recreation and luxuriate in some heat fall climate when you’re at it.

Beginning this weekend, via the early a part of November, you may earn a 50% increase on elite qualifying miles for sure flights.

Right here’s the important thing rule: It must be a flight to, from or inside the state of California between Oct. 1 and Nov. 10.

Alaska Airways introduced the promotion on Twitter Friday afternoon.

Elite qualifying miles are the best way Alaska Mileage Plan members earn elite standing, with 20,000 elite qualifying miles incomes you the primary standing tier, MVP. That may get you began with complimentary upgrades, precedence check-in and 50% mileage bonuses on all flights.

These 50% bonuses might go a good distance towards incomes you elite Alaska standing for the primary time, serving to you retain standing, or attain the following standing stage.

For perspective on what a lift this promotion might present towards your elite standing objectives, let’s say you reside in New York and have flown Alaska a couple of occasions this yr, incomes 13,000 elite qualifying miles, yr up to now. You’re greater than midway to MVP standing, however have a methods to go to get there earlier than the top of the yr.

A single spherical journey from Newark/Liberty Worldwide Airport (EWR) to Los Angeles Worldwide Airport (LAX) might put you excessive. For the $496 October spherical journey, you’d ordinarily earn 2,447 elite qualifying miles in every path, or 4,894 miles for the spherical journey. With this promotion, although, you’d earn a 50% bonus on these miles – bringing your spherical journey complete earnings to 7,341 miles.

Only one transcontinental flight to California might additionally put a giant dent in your earnings if you have already got elite standing and are hoping to resume or enhance upon that standing.

Bonus earnings are capped at 10,000 miles, in keeping with the official phrases.

Once more, this can be a fall-oriented promotion, so that you’ll have to journey between Saturday and Nov. 10.

Backside line

Whether or not it’s an excuse to fly Alaska Airways to Los Angeles and go to Disneyland, go to San Francisco to discover the Bay Space and even lease a automobile from there and head out to do some wine tasting in Napa, visiting the Golden State may very well be a good way to get pleasure from some heat climate this fall and put your self in prime place for elite standing when you’re at it.