With just a bit over two months left in 2022, now could be the proper time to examine your frequent flyer mileage balances, calculate your journey earnings for the remainder of the yr and pinpoint the place precisely you’ll find yourself by way of qualification necessities by Dec. 31.
Should you suppose you may not hit your purpose, the excellent news is that there’s nonetheless time to do some main mileage-earning earlier than the tip of 2022. On this information, we are going to deal with last-minute methods to qualify for Alaska Airways elite standing.
Here’s what it’s worthwhile to find out about Alaska’s MVP program, together with qualification necessities, tier advantages and concepts for incomes the standing you need for an additional yr.
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Some background
Alaska Airways is the one main U.S. airline that does not have a income requirement for incomes elite standing. All it’s a must to do is earn the variety of elite qualifying miles or elite qualifying segments required to your desired standing tier to qualify, plus meet a minimal quantity of segments on Alaska-operated flights.
Here is a take a look at what every standing tier requires:
| Standing tier | Elite qualifying miles | Elite qualifying segments | Minumum variety of Alaska segments |
|---|---|---|---|
| MVP | 20,000. | 30. | 2. |
| MVP Gold | 40,000. | 60. | 6. |
| MVP Gold 75K | 75,000. | 90. | 12. |
| MVP Gold 100K | 100,000. | 140. | 24. |
This makes incomes Alaska elite standing simpler than different airline statuses if you happen to often fly low-cost economic system tickets on Alaska or its accomplice airways. Nonetheless, you may nonetheless earn standing sooner on dearer tickets as these sometimes earn extra elite qualifying miles attributable to being booked in the next fare class.
Associated: 5 causes I like having entry-level elite standing with Alaska
Final-minute incomes methods
As mentioned, the elite qualification yr is coming to an in depth. Listed here are just a few methods to rack up extra elite qualifying miles to cross the end line to your required elite standing tier earlier than time runs out.
Maximize your routing
If you have already got MVP Gold, MVP Gold 75K or MVP Gold 100K standing, you’re in luck.
Alaska’s beneficiant same-day flight modifications coverage enables you to request a same-day confirmed flight change at any time throughout the check-in window. Your new flight should depart on the identical calendar day as the unique departure, however you may change your routing to incorporate extra layovers.
That is helpful as a result of you’ll earn extra elite qualifying miles on longer routes. For instance, as a substitute of flying nonstop from Ronald Reagan Washington Nationwide Airport (DCA) to Los Angeles Worldwide Airport (LAX) and incomes 2,311 EQMs, you can fly from Washington to Seattle-Tacoma Worldwide Airport (SEA) and from there to Los Angeles for 3,282 EQMs.
Or to earn much more EQMs, pop in an additional phase from Seattle to San Francisco Worldwide Airport (SFO) and find yourself with 3,507 EQMs complete (or three EQSs as a substitute of 1 if you happen to’re enthusiastic about segments).
Standing matching
Should you don’t have already got elite standing with Alaska however do have elite standing with one other airline, this is perhaps your best choice for attaining elite standing shortly. Alaska up to date its coverage so as to add a problem factor, as a substitute of simply providing a easy match prefer it used to.
Associated: Alaska Airways updates standing match program, provides problem element
To maintain your new Alaska standing after the promotional three-month interval, you’ll have to fly the next variety of miles on flights marketed by Alaska Airways and operated by Alaska Airways:
- MVP: 5,000 miles.
- MVP Gold: 10,000 miles.
- MVP Gold 75K: 20,000 miles.
Alaska makes this course of quite simple, with a web page of publicly out there info the place you may choose your particular standing with a competitor from a listing of eligible applications and add your credentials immediately. Should you’re permitted and full the problem, your new standing will go into impact.
Should you begin your standing match by the tip of June and meet the necessities, you’ll hold your standing by means of the tip of the calendar yr.
Should you begin your standing match between July and December and meet the necessities to maintain your standing, you’ll hold it by means of the tip of the next yr. So with that in thoughts, think about matching your standing in early July to maximise your time with Alaska elite standing.
Purchase elite miles
Up to now, Alaska has supplied flyers the chance both to buy elite miles or standing outright or to purchase again as much as their standing stage. The provides appear to range by particular person — and there’s no assure that this would be the case this yr — however you may try threads like this one on FlyerTalk to see the way you may have the ability to get in contact with a Mileage Plan agent and what you may anticipate while you do.
Whereas costs prior to now have been costly, if you happen to’re inside placing distance of MVP Gold 75K and the 50,000-mile bonus you get upon reaching that stage, this may very well be value it.
Elite depart for brand spanking new dad and mom
Are you operating behind on elite standing due to a brand new bundle of pleasure that’s curtailed your journey recently? Alaska Airways has an “elite depart” coverage for brand spanking new dad and mom that enables flyers to droop their present elite standing quickly.
Right here’s the knowledge web page on the subject, however the gist of it’s as follows: Alaska Airways will allow you to hold your present elite standing for an additional yr throughout being pregnant or parental depart. To make the most of this profit, you’ve received to electronic mail the airline together with your full title, date of beginning, Mileage Plan quantity and proof of being pregnant or parental depart, equivalent to a notice out of your physician or employer.
If profitable, the airline will presume you should have certified for elite standing within the yr through which your parental depart ends and can prolong it by means of the next yr.
Mileage-run situations
Although time is operating brief, you may nonetheless have the ability to maximize your mileage incomes throughout what’s left of 2022 to attain elite standing with Alaska. That’s as a result of, not like different main airways, Alaska Airways has no minimal spending necessities for elite standing.
Associated: How and why you may need to e book a mileage run
Listed here are a few concepts that will help you alongside the best way.
1,000 EQM brief: Alaska is beneficiant in that, whether or not you will have elite standing or not, you earn a minimal of 500 EQMs on flights. Meaning you may take two brief hops and hit the mark.
For instance, you may spend simply $132 and some hours on a Saturday flying between Seattle and Spokane, Washington, for 1,000 EQMs.
Or spend $98 to fly from San Francisco to Las Vegas for just a few days for a similar 1,000 EQMs.
5,000 miles brief: The simplest solution to fill this hole is to hunt out low-cost transcontinental flights from the West Coast to the East Coast. These routes shall be dearer than short-haul flights, however costs are normally affordable sufficient to justify a fast journey to maintain elite standing.
Here is a mid-December flight from San Francisco to Newark for $258 in Saver economic system. This offers you a complete of 5,131 EQMs earned.
Or, spend an extended weekend in Boston with this $228 round-trip flight from Seattle. You’d earn 4,992 EQMs on this itinerary.
10,000 miles or extra brief: Should you’re nicely wanting your purpose — and that is most likely most relevant to these capturing for MVP Gold 75K or above — you continue to may have the ability to earn 10,000 and even 20,000 EQMs this yr.
The only method could be to e book two back-to-back transcontinental flights (like within the above examples) since you can full every in a day or two and find yourself with proper round 10,000 EQMs. However that is a variety of time flying in narrow-body jets to locations you could have already visited.
If you wish to qualify in a single fell swoop, there are two particular methods I’d recommend, which contain flying considered one of Alaska’s many airline companions on low-cost long-hauls. Simply know you may most likely be flying intercontinental, so think about making a trip of it.
Nonetheless, it’s worthwhile to pay particular consideration to the incomes charges on airline companions because the variety of miles earned varies by accomplice and fare class. Ensure to examine your fare class and the accomplice web page for the working service to calculate what number of EQMs you’ll obtain from a accomplice flight.
The primary technique could be to e book an inexpensive long-haul fare on a accomplice that earns full mileage on sure economic system fares.
For instance, this itinerary from Los Angeles to Sydney by way of Hong Kong on Cathay Pacific would earn 11,841 EQMs every method. It’s because all premium economic system tickets credit score 100% EQM and 110% redeemable miles to Alaska, primarily based on miles flown.
After all, if in case you have a barely increased funds, you might think about reserving a premium economic system or business-class fare on a accomplice, which usually earns between 125%-150% EQMs.
As an illustration, this $1,734 fare from Los Angeles to Bangkok by way of Tokyo in Japan Airways premium economic system would earn 10,425 EQMs every method. It’s because enterprise class tickets booked within the J, C, and D fare class earn 125% EQM and 225% redeemable miles.
Segments
In case your mileage-run technique entails incomes segments as a substitute, you should use Google Flights’ multicity search to piece an itinerary collectively.
Given Alaska’s intensive short-haul route community within the Pacific Northwest, if you happen to’re primarily based in a hub like Seattle or Portland or perhaps a “focus” metropolis just like the Bay Space, you might need some luck simply piecing collectively a bunch of fast itineraries on the fly.
Right here’s a pattern one-day journey I put along with Seattle as the beginning and finish factors. You’d rack up 4 segments and a pair of,229 EQMs by flying to Spokane, Portland and San Francisco earlier than returning to Seattle. This itinerary prices simply $263, however there could also be higher offers on the market.
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Backside line
Despite the fact that the yr is coming to an finish, there’s nonetheless time to lock in your Alaska Airways Mileage Plan MVP elite standing for 2022. You first need to discover out the place you are actually in your pursuit for elite standing after which resolve which technique is greatest that will help you get nearer to your purpose.
Extra reporting by Andrew Kunesh, Eric Rosen and Ethan Steinberg.
Originally published at Irvine News HQ
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