Buy Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan miles at a discount to save on Business Class flights.
❤ Suitesmile only shares Miles/Points offers that are available through official channels, in line with each loyalty program’s terms and conditions.
Current promotion to buy Alaska miles
Click here to check if you are targeted for a bonus/discount to purchase Alaska miles.
Things to note about Alaska miles
- Alaska Mileage Plan members can usually buy miles for 2.75 cents each, before any bonuses or discounts
- Alaska miles do not expire, as long as there is account activity at least once every 24 months
- Non-elite members can purchase up to 150,000 miles per year, pre-bonus
- Each member can purchase up to 100,000 miles pre-bonus, per transaction. If you want to purchase more than that, you will need to make 2 purchases. Note the minimum miles required to unlock bonus miles.
- Mileage Plan members have the freedom to redeem miles for anyone. If you’ve reached your annual cap, get a family member or friend to redeem their miles for you.
- MVP members and above can purchase unlimited amount of miles
- Alaska Airlines does not impose fuel surcharges on award tickets
- Alaska Airlines allows free change and cancellations on award tickets
- Alaska Airlines charges a US$12.50 non-refundable fee per award booking
Previous Alaska miles offers
Here’s a quick look at the recent history of Alaska miles sales:
| Period | Price per Mile (in USD) | Offer Type | Minimum Miles (incl. bonus) | Annual Limit (incl. bonus) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jun 2023 | 1.97 cents | Up to 50% bonus (targeted) | 30,000 | 225,000 |
| Jul to Aug 2023 | 1.85 cents | Up to 60% bonus (targeted) | 40,000 | 240,000 |
| Sep 2023 | 1.85 cents | Up to 60% bonus (targeted) | 24,000 | 240,000 |
| Oct 2023 | 1.85 cents | Up to 60% bonus (targeted) | 40,000 | 240,000 |
| Jan to Feb 2024 | 1.85 cents | Up to 60% bonus (targeted) | 40,000 | 240,000 |
| Mar 2024 | 1.74 cents | Up to 70% bonus (targeted) | 51,000 | 255,000 |
What if you are not targeted for a higher bonus?
In this case, it is probably best to get some close friends or family members to sign up for a mileage plan account and see if they are targeted for a higher bonus/discount.
With their account, they can book award flights for you or gift miles to you.
Is this a good deal to buy Alaska miles?
Historically, the best Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan miles sales are those labelled “70% bonus”.
I only recommend buying Alaska miles if you plan to redeem them immediately on alaskaair.com, after the purchased miles are credited into your account.
Best ways to redeem Alaska miles
Unfortunately, Alaska Mileage Plan underwent a brutal award devaluation in March 2024, that killed most of Suitesmile’s sweet spots. Because of the high cost of Alaska miles (even during promotions), only the following short flights on STARLUX are good ways to redeem Alaska miles.
All bookings must be made on alaskaair.com or via the reservations hotline.
| Region 1 | Region 2 | Airline | Economy Class | Business Class |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Taipei | Hanoi, Manila, Ho Chi Minh, Seoul, Tokyo, Okinawa, Osaka, Fukuoka |  | 7.5k | 15k |
| Manila | Okinawa | | 7.5k | 15k |
Things to consider before buying Alaska miles
Although Alaska miles do not expire as long as there is account activity every 24 months, we do not recommend purchasing these miles if you do not plan to use them in the next few months.
Although Alaska miles purchases are usually credited into a member’s account within hours, it can sometimes take up to a week.
Best credit cards for buying Alaska miles
Singapore-based readers may use one of the following cards to receive maximum rewards/savings when buying Alaska miles in a foreign currency.
Note: Miles/Points purchases are processed by points.com, which falls under MCC 7399 (Business Services Not Elsewhere Classified). This is NOT a travel-related spending, and should get you bonus miles/cashback with Citi cards.
| Amaze + Citi Rewards | 4 mpd • Up to $1,000 per statement month • 2.5% FX loss (estimated) |
| Citi SMRT | 5% cashback • Min. spend $500 per statement month • Up to $12,000 per card membership year • 3.25% FX fee |
| Trust Cashback | 1% cashback + no foreign currency fee • No annual fee, ever |
| UOB Visa Signature | 4 mpd • Min. spend $1,000 per statement month • Up to $2,000 per statement month • 3.25% FX fee |
| HSBC TravelOne | 2.4 mpd • 3.25% FX fee |
| Citi PremierMiles | 2.2 mpd • 3.25% FX fee |
| Maybank Horizon | 2.8 mpd • Min. spend $800 per calendar month • 3.25% FX fee |
Earn 4 mpd on online spending, selected in-person shopping and even in-person overseas spending with Amaze linkage
More information
Key details of the Citi Rewards Card
Ease of use :
Minimum annual income:• S’porean/PR: S$30,000
• Foreigner: S$42,000Annual fee: S$196.20 (first year waived; request waiver every year)
Earn 4 mpd on online spending, selected in-person shopping and in-person overseas spending (via Amaze ), up to S$1,000 per statement month
No minimum spending
5-year miles expiry cycle
9 useful miles transfer partners
⚠️ 0.4 mpd earn rate on non-bonus spending
⚠️ Travel-related spending (e.g. flights, hotels) excluded from bonus earn rate
⚠️ In-person shopping bonus earn rate (without Amaze linkage) is MCC-sensitive
⚠️ 3.25% foreign transaction fee (save ~1% via Amaze)
⚠️ Amaze linkage for SGD spending comes with a 1% fee
Get 5% cashback on online spending, groceries, ride-hailing and public transport with generous annual limit
More information
Key details of the Citi SMRT Card
Ease of use :
Minimum annual income:• S’porean/PR: S$30,000
• Foreigner: S$42,000Annual fee: S$196.20 (first 2 years waived; request waiver every year)
Get 5% cashback on online spending, groceries, ride-hailing and public transport, up to S$12,000 per card membership year
Great for big online purchases (e.g. tech gadgets, appliances, buying miles/points)
⚠️ Minimum card spend of S$500 per statement month required for bonus cashback
⚠️ 0.3% cashback on non-bonus spending
⚠️ Travel-related spending (e.g. flights, hotels) excluded from bonus cashback
⚠️ 3.25% foreign transaction fee
(Apply with code: V1WB7T8A)
More information
Key details of the Trust Cashback Card
Ease of use :
Minimum annual income:• S’porean/PR: S$15,000 – S$30,000
• Foreigner: S$60,000Annual fee: No annual fee, ever
Get 0.5% cashback on foreign transactions
No minimum spending
Uncapped earn rates
No foreign transaction fees
⚠️ “15% cashback” claim for chosen category is impossible to achieve
⚠️ Low earn rate for local spending (spend with better cashback cards)
Earn 4 mpd on two bonus categories:1) Overseas (incl. online in foreign currencies)
2) Local Contactless, Public Transport, Fuel
More information
Key details of the UOB Visa Signature Card
Ease of use :
Minimum annual income:• S’porean/PR: S$15,000 – S$30,000
• Foreigner: S$40,000Annual fee: S$218 (first year waived; request waiver every year)
Earn 4 mpd on two bonus categories, up to S$1,200 per statement month each (total S$2,400):1) Overseas (incl. online in foreign currencies)
2) Local Contactless (e.g. PayWave, Google Pay, Apple Pay), SimplyGo (Public Transport), Fuel
⚠️ Minimum category spend (not card spend) of S$1,000 per statement month required for bonus earn rate
⚠️ 0.4 mpd earn rate on non-bonus spending
⚠️ 2-year miles expiry term
⚠️ Only 2 useful miles transfer partners
⚠️ 3.25% foreign transaction fee
Get 4 free airport lounge visits per year, earn 1.2 mpd on local spending and 2.4 mpd on foreign currencies
More information
Key details of the HSBC TravelOne Card
Ease of use :
Minimum annual income:• S’porean/PR: S$30,000 – S$65,000
• Foreigner: S$65,000Annual fee: S$196.20 (first year waivable; always comes with 12,000 miles)
Get 4 free airport lounge visits per calendar year
No minimum spending
Uncapped earn rates
3-year miles expiry term
7 useful miles transfer partners
Free miles transfers to frequent flyer programs
Instant miles transfers
⚠️ Low earn rates (spend with 4 mpd cards instead):
• 1.2 mpd on local spending
• 2.4 mpd on foreign currency spending⚠️ Poor transfer ratio to KrisFlyer
⚠️ 3.25% foreign transaction fee
Get 2 free airport lounge visits per year, earn 1.2 mpd on local spending and 2.2 mpd on foreign currencies
More information
Key details of the Citi PremierMiles Card
Ease of use :
Minimum annual income:• S’porean/PR: S$30,000
• Foreigner: S$42,000Annual fee: S$196.20 (first year waived; always comes with 10,000 miles, but request waiver every year )
Get 2 free airport lounge visits per calendar year
No minimum spending
Uncapped earn rates
Miles don’t expire
9 useful miles transfer partners
⚠️ Low earn rates (spend with 4 mpd cards instead):
• 1.2 mpd on local spending
• 2.2 mpd on foreign currency spending⚠️ 3.25% foreign transaction fee
More information
Key details of the Maybank Horizon Visa Signature Card
Ease of use :
Minimum annual income:• S’porean/PR: S$30,000
• Malaysian: S$45,000
• Foreigner: S$60,000Annual fee: S$196.20 (first 3 years waived; request waiver every year)
Earn 2.8 mpd on foreign currency spending (uncapped)
Earn 2.8 mpd on flight bookings, up to S$10,000 per calendar month
1-year miles expiry term
⚠️ Minimum card spend of S$800 per calendar month required for bonus earn rate
⚠️ 0.24 mpd earn rate on non-bonus spending
⚠️ Only 3 useful miles transfer partners
⚠️ 3.25% foreign transaction fee
Buy miles and points from other loyalty programs
Click here to buy miles and points from other loyalty programs like Marriott Bonvoy and Hilton Honors.
Any tips on getting premium cabin availability. From what I see, there is *no* availability on SIN-ICN or SIN-US or many other routes (except on JL, which is devalued beyond recognition).
Cathay Pacific Business Class awards on Alaska to Japan/Korea/US had limited availability a few weeks ago, but unfortunately, it seems to have dried up again. You can set award alerts through websites like seats.aero: https://suitesmile.com/go/seatsaero
Have they stop accepting international registration of the mileage program? I tried to sign up and it failed repeatedly.
hi Fai, typically how long does it take for miles to be credited into the account after purchase?
Hi, based on readers’ feedbacks, it can be instant or up to 3 days. And on rare occasions, up to a week.
Thanks Fai for your answer! I have another question,I was reading through about how to become a MVP elite. The first tier needs 20,000 miles.
1) May I know if I were to book hotel through Alaska Airline website do that count as the miles need?
2) If I buy air ticket from Singapore airlines but credit the miles as Alaska airline miles, it will also qualify for the mvp elite is that right?
1) You can’t earn “elite” miles through hotel bookings. Just redeemable miles.
2) Yes, you can earn Alaska elite miles from paid partner bookings.
Hi, for non member can only purchase 150k pre bonus, but if my friend were to gift me the miles, does it count into the 150k quota?
Hi Kelly, yes it will count into the limit. You can only buy or receive as a gift a maximum of 150k miles per calendar year.
Hi, may i know how to get the targeted higher bonus? isit a randomisation? because when i tried to buy, i only managed to get 40%.
It looks pretty random. As shared above, it’s a good idea to get your friends or family members to sign up for an Alaska account too, so that they can “gift” you those miles, if they are targeted with a higher bonus.