There has never been a better time to easily earn Alaska Mileage Plan miles … or more importantly, earn a lot of them quickly.
Last week, the U.S. Department of Transportation cleared the way for Alaska and Hawaiian Airlines to officially merge and in the process, created a unique (and likely limited-time) opportunity to turn Hawaiian miles into more valuable Alaska miles. The merger agreement with the DOT stipulates that HawaiianMiles must convert to Alaska Mileage Plan on a 1:1 basis. Later this month, you'll be able to freely transfer miles between the two programs until their combined loyalty program is up and running.
With each airline offering a co-branded credit card of its own (plus business versions), there are now multiple big welcome offers that can help you pile up Alaska miles in a hurry.
Even if you never plan to fly with Alaska Airlines – or Hawaiian, for that matter – Alaska's Mileage Plan program is incredibly valuable for travelers with their sights set on Europe, Asia, or even those sticking closer to home. With a total of 30 partner airlines, you can use Alaska miles to book flights with the likes of Qatar Airways, Japan Airlines, and even Taiwanese carrier, Starlux.
Here's how you can quickly and easily earn 120,000 Alaska Mileage Plan miles – and why you might want to.
How to Earn 120K Alaska Miles From 2 Credit Cards
With formal assurance that one HawaiianMile will soon be equal to one Alaska Mileage Plan mile, we're no longer speculating whether earning Hawaiian miles is a good move: The floodgates are officially open. And with co-branded credit cards for each airline being issued by competing banks, there's never been a better time to pile miles up quickly.
Why does that matter? It means you can apply for and open credit cards from both banks – and earn the sign-up bonus on each.
With the Alaska Airlines Visa Signature® Card, you can currently earn 50,000 bonus Alaska miles and Alaska's Famous Companion Fare
(paying a $99 fare plus taxes and fees, from $23) after spending $3,000 or more within the first 90 days.
Meanwhile, the Hawaiian Airlines® World Elite Mastercard® comes with a 70,000-mile bonus for spending $2,000 in the first 90 days. You could earn those miles even faster by applying through this link (and entering any six-digit promo code): Make a single purchase – whether it's a pack of gum, cup of coffee, or something else – and pay the card's $99 annual fee, and you'll earn the same 70,000-mile signup bonus.
Add it all up and you've got 120,000 miles and a companion fare after spending as little as $3,000 on one card and making a single purchase on the other. You'll also be on the hook for nearly $200 in annual fees, but that's a small price to pay for all the miles you earned in the process.
Alaska miles are so valuable, and the opportunity to earn this many this easily is so rare, that it had multiple members of the Thrifty Traveler team applying for a Hawaiian credit card for the first time…ever.
But let's be clear: Credit cards are serious business. You should never open one credit card, let alone two or more, and spend money you don't have just for the sake of earning miles. If you can't pay off every charge in full, it's not worth it. But if you're financially responsible, this is a great opportunity.
You'll want to make sure you have both an Alaska MileagePlan and HawaiianMiles account before getting started. That way, you can use your account numbers on both card applications and then transfer miles from Hawaiian to Alaska once the functionality goes live later this month.
Here's a quick look at the benefits and miles you can earn with each card.
Alaska Airlines Visa Signature® Credit Card
- Welcome offer: Earn 50,000 bonus miles and Alaska's Famous Companion Fare
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(paying a $99 fare plus taxes and fees, from $23) after spending $3,000 or more within the first 90 days. - Earn 3x miles for every $1 spent on eligible Alaska Airlines purchases, 2x miles for every $1 spent on eligible gas, EV charging station, cable, streaming services and local transit purchases, and 1x miles for all other purchases.
- Free checked bag: Get a free checked bag (for the main cardholder and up to six guests on the same reservation) when you purchase airfare with your card.
- Alaska's Famous Companion Fare: In addition to the companion fare you'll receive as a part of the welcome bonus offer, cardholders can get another companion fare (paying a $99 fare plus taxes and fees, from $23) each year on their account anniversary after spending $6,000 or more on the card during the prior year.
- Receive priority boarding when you purchase your airfare with your card.
- Get 20% back on Alaska Airlines inflight purchases when you pay with your card.
- Get $100 off an annual Alaska Lounge+ Membership when you pay with your Alaska Card.
- Annual fee: $95
All information about the Alaska Airlines Visa Signature® Credit Card has been collected independently by Thrifty Traveler and has not be verified by the issuer.
Learn more about the Alaska Airlines Visa Signature® Card (for full disclosure, this is not an affiliate link).
The Hawaiian Airlines® World Elite Mastercard®
- Welcome offer: Earn 70,000 bonus HawaiianMiles after spending $2,000 on purchases in the first 90 days.
- There is an alternative offer for the same 70,000 bonus miles that only requires making one purchase (no minimum spending requirement) that can be found at this link (and entering any six-digit promo code).
- 50%-off companion discount: Receive a one-time 50%-off companion discount for roundtrip (economy) travel between Hawaii and North America on Hawaiian Airlines.
- Earn 3x miles on eligible Hawaiian Airlines purchases, 2x miles on gas, dining, and eligible grocery purchases, and 1x miles on all other purchases.
- Free checked bag: Get two free checked bags when you use your card to purchase eligible tickets directly from Hawaiian Airlines.
- $100 companion discount: Celebrate your card anniversary every year with a $100 companion discount for roundtrip travel between Hawaii and the Continental U.S. on Hawaiian Airlines.
- Transfer miles: Cardmembers can receive HawaiianMiles from friends and family through “Share Miles,” without a fee.
- No foreign transaction fees.
- Annual fee: $99
All information about the Hawaiian Airlines® World Elite Mastercard® has been collected independently by Thrifty Traveler and has not be verified by the issuer.
Learn more about the Hawaiian Airlines® World Elite Mastercard® (for full disclosure, this is not an affiliate link).
How Far Can You Go With 120K Alaska Miles?
They may be hard to earn, but Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan miles are some of the most valuable on the planet thanks to low award rates booking partner airlines like Cathay Pacific, Qantas, and more.
Some major changes on the horizon will mean many of these great redemptions will move around in the months ahead. But until that happens, there are some amazing ways to put Alaska Mileage Plan miles to use whether you want to fly within the U.S., abroad to Europe, or even book lie-flat seats to far-flung destinations in Asia and beyond.
This is just the start – check out our full list of the best Alaska Mileage Plan sweet spots!
Business Class to Europe from 45K
Perhaps the best example is using Alaska miles to book lie-flat, business class seats to Europe.
Fly in a lie-flat, business class seat on Aer Lingus to Ireland and beyond to other destinations in Europe for just 45,000 Alaska miles + $19 in taxes and fees one-way.
Plus, you can stop in Dublin for a taste of Guinness straight from the source on your way to another European destination.
Aer Lingus flies from several North American gateways, including Boston (BOS), Los Angeles (LAX), Las Vegas (LAS), Minneapolis (MSP), Miami (MIA), Newark (EWR), New York City (JFK), Orlando (MCO), Philadelphia (PHL), Seattle (SEA), San Francisco (SFO), Toronto (YYZ), and Washington D.C.-Dulles (IAD).
Read next: 5 Things I Loved Flying Aer Lingus Business Class (& 2 I Didn't)
But Aer Lingus isn't the only option for getting to Europe in style. If you ask us, Condor business class is criminally underrated and one of our favorite ways to get to Europe – especially without paying the huge surcharges you'd face flying other carriers like British Airways.
From East Coast cities like Boston (BOS) and New York City (JFK) as well as Toronto (YYZ), it'll cost you just 55,000 miles to get to Frankfurt (FRA) in a lie-flat seat. Even longer flights from Baltimore (BWI) and Miami (MIA) cost the same amount.
That's right: Just 55,000 Alaska miles for a one-way in a brand new Condor business class seat across the pond. And unlike many other airlines on the list of Alaska Mileage Plan sweet spots, finding the award availability to book Condor business class is typically fairly easy.
Fly Qantas First or Business Class to Australia
There are multiple ways to use Alaska miles to fly to Australia, but the best options is flying Qantas business class for 55,000 miles one-way – or, better yet, up in Qantas' vaunted first class for just 70,000 miles.
Admittedly, this award is a bit of a unicorn fare as you won't find award space in premium cabins on Qantas flights very often. But Thrifty Traveler Premium members are always the first to know when we find good availability on these routes, like this rare first class alert we sent out earlier this year for a trip from Los Angeles (LAX) to Sydney (SYD)!
This unbelievable deal is gone now – get the next award alert sent straight to your inbox with Thrifty Traveler Premium!
Qantas flies nonstop to Australia from Dallas (DFW), Los Angeles (LAX), San Francisco (SFO), and Vancouver (YVR) — and it has announced plans to start flying from New York City (JFK) starting in 2025. As with most awards booked with Alaska miles, you can fly from other cities served by Alaska Airlines by connecting to these cities on an Alaska Airlines flight.
Starlux Business Class for 75K
Using Alaska miles to book a business class flight with the new, Taiwan-based Starlux Airlines is one of the best deals to get from the West Coast to Taipei (TPE) and other destinations in Asia. Despite all the changes with Alaska miles, this redemption escaped unscathed.
A one-way, business class flight from San Francisco (SFO) to Taipei on Starlux is still just 75,000 miles each way.
You could also find business class availability departing from Los Angeles (LAX).
This is an unbelievable deal to get to Asia in business class, considering flights could easily run you over $3,000 one-way.
Short-Haul U.S. Flights from 4.5K Miles
Alaska previously had an award chart for flights within North America (typically on either Alaska Airlines itself or American Airlines). Now, it's been rebranded as the “Americas” – including North America as well as both Central America and South America.
The longer the flight, the more miles it may cost you. That's not a major change from how Alaska previously priced these awards. But the amount you'll pay for those flights has changed.
Other than lumping in flights to, from, or within Central and South America into this same pricing rubric, the big change is that the shortest flights now cost fewer miles: as low as 4,500 miles in economy and 13,500 in first class for flights under 700 miles in distance. Under the old system, those same flights used to cost at least 5,000 miles and 17,500 miles, respectively.
Here's a look at a short flight from Seattle (SEA) to San Francisco (SFO) as an example.
When these short flights are looking expensive, being able to turn to your Alaska miles to book for less is always a great workaround.
Read next: How to Find & Book the Best Alaska Airlines Miles Deals
Bottom Line
Alaska and Hawaiian Airlines recently finalized plans to merge and in the process, created a unique opportunity to quickly earn Alaska miles. Because each airline issues its own co-branded credit card, there's never been a better time to earn a lot of Alaska miles … in a hurry.
With so many great ways to use Alaska miles, applying for these cards now can help you meet all your travel goals – no matter your bucket list.
Featured image courtesy of Alaska Airlines.