Alaska Airlines partners: How to earn Mileage Plan miles
Whether you’re a die-hard Alaska Mileage Plan member or occasionally use the program to book award flights, Alaska Airlines’ partners can provide excellent value.
These partners unlock opportunities to earn and redeem Alaska miles without taking a flight or making a purchase with a cobranded Alaska credit card. Plus, since Alaska is a member of the Oneworld alliance, elite members can enjoy benefits when flying with partner airlines. So, here’s what you should know about Alaska Airlines’ partners.
Who are Alaska Airlines’ partners?
Three categories of Alaska Airlines partners exist: airline partners, transfer partners and other partners.
Airline partners include other airlines on which you can earn and redeem miles (and in some cases, get Oneworld elite benefits). Transfer partners include programs to which you can transfer rewards. Finally, other partners include a variety of travel and everyday partnerships through which you can earn or redeem miles or other perks.
Related: What are airline alliances, and who’s in them?
Alaska Airlines’ airline partners
When you think of Alaska Airlines’ partners, you likely picture the airline partners first.
Alaska Airlines has three types of airline partners: Oneworld alliance partners, earn and redeem partners, and redeem partners. Here’s a look at the Alaska Airlines partners in each category and what Mileage Plan members can expect from these partners:
| Type of airline partner | Benefits offered to Mileage Plan members | Airlines |
|---|---|---|
| Oneworld alliance partners | Earn Alaska Mileage Plan miles and redeem miles on these airlines; plus, enjoy Oneworld elite benefits corresponding to your Mileage Plan elite status on flights operated by these airlines. | American Airlines, British Airways, Cathay Pacific, Fiji Airways, Finnair, Iberia, Japan Airlines, Malaysia Airlines, Qantas, Qatar Airways, Royal Air Maroc, Royal Jordanian Airlines and SriLankan Airlines |
| Earn and redeem partners | Earn Alaska Mileage Plan miles and redeem miles for flights operated by these airlines. | Aer Lingus, Air Tahiti Nui, Condor, Hainan Airlines, Icelandair, Korean Air, LATAM, Oman Air, Porter Airlines, Singapore Airlines and Starlux Airlines |
| Earn partners | Earn Alaska Mileage Plan miles on flights operated by these airlines when you book on alaskaair.com. | Aleutian Airways, Bahamasair, Cape Air, Contour Airlines, Kenmore Air, Mokulele Airlines and Southern Airways Express |
Earning miles for flights on Alaska Airlines partners
If you credit a partner flight to Alaska Mileage Planyou’ll earn based on your fare class, the flight distance and how you booked. Here are the earning rates for flights operated by Alaska Airlines partners and credited to Mileage Plan.
| Fare class | Percentage of flight distance if you book directly with Alaska | Percentage of flight distance if you book via a partner site (not available for Starlux flights) |
|---|---|---|
| First | 150% for domestic first
350% for international first |
150% |
| Business | 250% | 125% |
| Premium economy | 150% | 100% |
| Economy | 100% | 50% |
| Discount economy | 100% | 25% |
Related: Maximize your points and miles earning: How to choose where to credit your next flight
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Redeeming miles for flights on Alaska Airlines partners
Alaska Mileage Plan publishes partner award charts with starting rates for nonstop itineraries. For example, here’s the partner award chart with starting rates for nonstop itineraries within the Americas:
Of course, since the Alaska Mileage Plan partner award chart lists starting rates, you may find more expensive awards and award flights with multiple segments when you try to redeem Alaska miles for your trip.
Related: Best Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan sweet spot redemptions you can book
Alaska Airlines’ transfer partners
You may also think of transfer partners when considering Alaska Airlines partners. In other words, which loyalty programs let you convert your rewards into Alaska miles, and with which programs can you convert your Alaska miles?
Let’s start with the potentially disappointing news: You can’t convert Alaska miles into any rewards currency besides Hawaiian Airlines miles. Additionally, the opportunity to convert Alaska miles into Hawaiian miles will be short-lived, as it’s only an option until the two airlines begin operating under a joint loyalty program.
There’s slightly better news regarding the programs from which you can transfer rewards, as you can transfer Bilt Rewards Points to Alaska Mileage Plan at a 1:1 ratio and Marriott Bonvoy points at a 3:1 ratio. You can also transfer Hawaiian miles to Alaska (although this will only be an option for a limited time while the airlines combine), which means you can use the Hawaiian Airlines transfer partners to earn Hawaiian miles and then convert them to Alaska miles.
Related: A gamble on Alaska miles — why I applied for 2 Hawaiian Airlines cards on the same day
Other Alaska Airlines partners
Alaska Airlines also has various partners through which you can earn and redeem miles. These Alaska Airlines partners include car rental companies, hotels and cruise lines. So, here’s a look at the other Alaska Airlines partners.
Alaska Airlines credit card
You can earn Alaska miles on purchases with the Alaska Airlines Visa Signature® credit card and Alaska Airlines Visa® Business card. Here’s a comparison of these two cards.
| Card | Welcome offer | Earning rates | Annual fee |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alaska Airlines Visa Signature credit card | Receive a 30% flight discount code for a qualifying future flight after opening a new account, and earn 60,000 bonus miles plus Alaska’s Companion Fare ($99 fare plus taxes and fees from $23) after spending $3,000 or more on purchases within the first 90 days from opening your account. | 3 miles per dollar spent on eligible Alaska Airlines purchases
2 miles per dollar spent on eligible gas, EV charging station, cable, streaming services and local transit (including ride-hailing services) purchases 1 mile per dollar spent on all other purchases |
$95 |
| Alaska Airlines Visa Business card | Earn 60,000 bonus miles and Alaska’s Companion Fare ($99 fare plus taxes and fees from $23) after spending $4,000 or more on purchases within the first 90 days from opening your account. | 3 miles per dollar spent on eligible Alaska Airlines purchases
2 miles per dollar spent on eligible gas, EV charging station, shipping and local transit (including ride-hailing services) purchases 1 mile per dollar spent on all other purchases |
$70 for the company and $25 per card |
As discussed earlier in this guide, you can transfer Bilt Rewards points to Alaska Mileage Plan. Additionally, the partnership between Bilt and Alaska goes deeper. Specifically, you’ll earn 3 Alaska miles per dollar spent on rent payments, on up to $50,000 per year, when you link your Alaska Airlines Visa Signature card to your Rent Rewards Account and use your card to pay rent through Bilt.
Related: The best travel credit cards to add to your wallet
Travel partners
You can earn 1 mile per dollar spent when booking trips through Alaska Vacations and Alaska Cruises. You can also earn Alaska miles instead of hotel points on eligible stays you book with Best Western, Marriott, Choice, IHG and Coast Hotels. Plus, you can choose Alaska miles as your reward currency for stays you book through Rocketmiles.
Alaska elite members can match their status to Avis Preferred Plus or President’s Club. Plus, you can earn Alaska miles on eligible rentals with Avis, Alamo, Budget, Dollar, Hertz, National and Thrifty. You can also earn Alaska miles on Lyft rides.
Everyday partners
You can use the Alaska Mileage Plan Shopping portal to earn extra miles when shopping with select merchants. You can also use Alaska Mileage Plan Dining to earn up to 5 miles per dollar spent when you dine in, take out or get delivery at participating restaurants.
If you want to order flowers onlineyou can earn 25 miles per dollar spent with 1-800-Flowers using promo code “AKA4.” You can earn Alaska miles with various everyday partners, but some are region-specific. So, check out the everyday partners page on the Alaska website to learn more.
Bottom line
Alaska Airlines’ partners range from credit cards and a dining rewards program to airline partners. You might initially assume the best way to earn and redeem Alaska miles is on flights the airline operates. However, you’ll likely miss out on valuable opportunities if you don’t consider how you could earn, redeem or otherwise benefit from Alaska Airlines’ partners.
