Alaska Airlines is making major changes to its Mileage Plan program as of 2025, and I’d say the changes are positive, on balance. I know that might be hard to believe, given the direction of so many loyalty programs, but Alaska has long used Mileage Plan as a point of differentiation.
In this post, I wanted to cover how Alaska Mileage Plan is making elite status easier to earn in 2025, including a perk we’ve never seen before from any airline with a decent frequent flyer program — all award flights, even on partner airlines, will count toward elite status (I’m honestly sitting here clapping like a walrus, because this is possibly my favorite frequent flyer program perk ever).
Anyway, let’s go over the details. Then in a separate post, I’ll cover how Mileage Plan is introducing new milestone perks, whereby members will be rewarded for passing certain thresholds. With this, the most popular elite benefits won’t entirely be tied to the traditional status levels anymore, and those changes are a mixed bag.
More ways to qualify for Alaska Mileage Plan status
As of 2025, Alaska Mileage Plan will introduce new ways to earn elite status. The airline is doing this without changing the activity required to qualify for elite tiers. As before, status qualification will be based on how many elite qualifying miles (EQMs) members earn, as follows:
- MVP status requires 20,000 EQMs
- MVP Gold status requires 40,000 EQMs
- MVP Gold 75K status requires 75,000 EQMs
- MVP Gold 100K status requires 100,000 EQMs
Nothing else is changing on the status qualification front, as there will still be no revenue requirement for status, elite qualifying miles will still be awarded based on distance flown rather than dollars spent, etc.
Here’s how Brett Catlin, Alaska’s awesome VP of Loyalty, Alliances, and Sales, describes this development:
“We’re on a multi-year journey to make the industry’s most generous loyalty program even more rewarding. In 2025, Mileage Plan members will have access to all-new, more frequent perks along with expanded ways to earn elite status, including on award travel. As we invest in a single loyalty platform with Hawaiian Airlines, there is even more to come later in the year.”
So, let’s go over the changes, roughly in the order of “cool factor.”
All award flights will count toward elite status
As of 2025, Alaska Mileage Plan will start awarding elite qualifying miles for award travel not only on Alaska, but also for travel on Mileage Plan’s global airline partners. So as long as you redeem Mileage Plan miles for an award ticket, you’ll be rewarded for these flights.
Elite qualifying miles will be earned based on the distance flown, and all award flights will credit at 100% of the distance flown, regardless of class of service. All award flights as of January 1, 2025, will count toward this, though the elite qualifying miles will only start posting to accounts starting in the spring of 2025.
For example, if a member redeems Mileage Plan miles for a roundtrip award ticket between Seattle and Tokyo, they’d earn 9,538 elite qualifying miles, equal to the distance flown.
GUYS, THIS IS LITERALLY THE COOLEST THING EVER. We’ve seen some frequent flyer programs credit elite qualifying activity for select award flights on the carrier’s own metal. But to credit elite miles for award travel even on partner airlines?!?! WOWOWOWOW!
Okay, in fairness, Delta SkyMiles also does this, but redeeming SkyMiles on partner airlines is typically a terrible value, so that’s not really very appealing to me.
I’m honestly sort of besides myself. Even though I’m primarily loyal to American AAdvantage, this is such a huge incentive to start going for elite status with Alaska Mileage Plan, as I could earn status exclusively through award flights.
For those of us into redeeming points, this is the most game changing new frequent flyer perk we’ve seen in… well, as long as I can remember.
Credit card spending will count toward elite status
We’ve of course seen airlines increasingly try to incentivize credit card spending, since it’s high margin. Alaska Mileage Plan has sort of been dabbling with offering elite status qualification through credit card spending, and the airline will soon take that to the next level.
As of 2025, those with an eligible co-branded Alaska credit card will earn one elite qualifying mile for every $3 spent on a card, up to 30,000 elite qualifying miles per year. No sign-up is needed, but rather this will automatically be credited. This applies both for the Alaska Airlines Visa Signature® credit card (review) and Alaska Airlines Visa® Business card (review).
In other words, spending $90,000 on a co-branded credit card would earn you 30,000 bonus elite qualifying miles.
Earn elite qualifying miles with everyday partners
As of 2025, Alaska Mileage Plan will start awarding elite qualifying miles for eligible partner activity. Specifically, you’ll receive 1,000 bonus elite qualifying miles for every 3,000 miles earned with eligible non-airline partners.
Now, there are limits here — this doesn’t include buying Mileage Plan miles or transferring points from Bilt Rewards, but it does does include things like Lyft rides, dining and shopping portals, etc.
Up to 10,000 rollover elite qualifying miles
While Alaska Mileage Plan hasn’t historically offered rollover elite qualifying miles, the program kind of will start to offer this as of 2025. With the program’s new milestone perks program, those who hit 85,000 elite qualifying miles in a calendar year will be able to select the ability to roll over 10,000 elite qualifying miles to the following year.
However, this comes at an opportunity cost, so personally this isn’t how I’d choose to qualify. Still, it’s worth being aware of.
Alaska Mileage Plan airline partner earning rates changing
There is one potentially negative change that Mileage Plan is making when it comes to earning elite status, and it involves travel on partner airlines.
As of 2025, Alaska Mileage Plan will adjust how it rewards flights for travel on partner airlines. Specifically, mileage earning rates will differ depending on whether you book directly with the airline partner, or through Alaska.
When a partner flight is booked through Alaska’s website or app, members will always earn at least 100% of the miles they fly. For travel in premium cabins on any partners, the earning rates will also improve as of 2025, with a 150% mileage bonus for premium economy, a 250% mileage bonus for business class, and a 350% mileage bonus for international first class.
Meanwhile when a flight is booked directly through the partner, different mileage earning rates will apply, and they’ll generally be lower.
The logic here makes sense — not only has Alaska’s direct network expanded over time, but the company has invested in its partnerships, and many partners are now bookable through Alaska’s website, when that wasn’t previously possible.
There’s a lot more upside for Alaska if you book partner travel through Alaska’s website, so it’s logical that the airline would also want to incentivize these kinds of arrangements.
I realize this could be a bummer for those who frequently credit partner flights to Mileage Plan, though if you ask me, award flights counting toward elite status more than makes up for this change.
My take on these Alaska Mileage Plan changes
If you ask me, these changes are thoughtful, and also differentiate the Mileage Plan program even more from the competition. In case it’s not clear, I’m absolutely smitten with the concept of earning elite qualifying miles on partner award flights.
While being loyal to Mileage Plan isn’t that easy while living in Miami, this perk really makes me want to do so. I mean, I often redeem Mileage Plan miles for domestic American flights, and this could be a way to make those flights pretty rewarding.
Many will also appreciate being able to spend their way to elite status, and the earning rates are potentially good. The changes to partner earning rates are a mixed bag, but I think they’re logical enough, given how Alaska has evolved as an airline in recent times.
Bottom line
Changes are coming to Alaska Mileage Plan as of 2025. We’ll see several new ways to earn elite status, ranging from credit card spending, to award flights, to activity with everyday partners.
The only negative change with earning status is that some partner flights won’t credit as generously when booked through non-Alaska channels. However, we’re also going to see earning on some partner flights booked through Alaska become richer.
What do you make of these Mileage Plan changes for earning elite status?
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