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At the end of 2021, Alaska Airlines ran a couple of promotions making it easier to earn or new elite status. First, they credited 50% more elite-qualifying miles to all flights for the last half of the year. Then, they offered credit card holders 2,500 Elite Qualifying Miles for each $2,500 in spend on their co-branded credit cards from September 16, 2021 through November 15, 2021.
They’ve now brought back another targeted (and much worse) offer to earn additional elite-qualifying miles through credit card spend. This one award 1,000 elite qualifying miles after $5,000 in spend. It can be targeted to both business and personal cards.
The Deal
- Alaska Airlines credit card holders can earn 1,000 Elite qualifying miles for every $5,000 spend done on an Alaska Airlines co-branded credit card between March 1, 2022 and December 31, 2022
Key Terms
- Purchases from different Alaska Airlines accounts cannot be combined to reach the $5,000 threshold
- There is no limit to the number of elite-qualifying miles that can be earned.
- Alaska Airlines Visa accounts opened after 2/28/2022 are not eligible for this offer.
- Elite qualifying miles will be credited to your Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan account within two billing cycles
Quick Thoughts
I was targeted for this on 2 of our 4 Alaska Airlines cards but I wouldn’t consider using it unless some paid me. A lot. There’s no way to justify putting $5,000 in spend on a card simply to get 1,000 EQM’s. It’s disappointing that it doesn’t offer 1-1 EQM’s per dollar spent like the spending promotion they ran last year, but, I suppose it’s a better-than-nothing bonus for those that already put some spend on their Alaska cards (since it lasts till the end of year).
I look at this offer as the just the first salvo in elite-retention promotions that we’ll see this year. While leasure travel is booming in many places right now, the combination of still-depressed business travel and rising fuel costs will most likely dampen some demand going forward, causing airlines to try to incentivize their elites to more travel. Hopefully the next promotion we see from Alaska will be a few significant notches up from this one.
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I got the offer but won’t likely make any spend toward it. I’ve been MVP Gold for the last few years and have enough flights to get me to MVP this year most likely.
I was enthusiastic when AS expanded its San Diego schedule to many cities but that all got cut during the Rona.
I’m currently still working on my Southwest consumer card spend to claim my additional 50k points so that has priority. If it’s close. I might spend enough to get me to MVP.
Where did you see the offer? email?
-David
are they dipping their toe into the program structure of AA Loyalty Points? Becoming more and more aligned with AA in the future [when it would be better the other way around]?
Alaska miles, formerly amongst the most valuable, are being devalued dramatically since their induction into the global alliance.
I would challenge anyone to find an international partner business class ticket anywhere, anytime available to Alaska miles.
I find them pretty easy on British Air (with huge fuel surcharges), or Iberia which I am taking this summer for 150,000 miles and $25 for round trip business class to Venice. Forget finding one on American. As an Alaska Air 100k flyer, I do wish there were better international options, but I have always found business class tickets with a little search work.