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Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan is currently running a discounted points sale and you can buy Mileage Plan Miles with a bonus of up to 60%. This limited time offer expires on February 14, 2020.

Buy Alaska Airlines MileagePlan Miles with up to a 60% Bonus

Like most promotions, this promotion is broken down into two different tiers.

  • Buy 3,000 – 39,000 miles, get a 40% bonus
  • Buy 40,000 – 100,000 miles, get a 60% bonus
Link to the 60% Bonus Offer
  • With this offer, if you were to buy 39,000 Miles, you’d get a 40% bonus. Overall, you’d purchase 54,600 miles for $1152.94, at 2.11 cpp.
  • With the second tier, if you were to max out and buy 100,000 miles, you’d get a 60% bonus. Overall, you’d purchase 160,000 miles for $2,956.25, at 1.85 cpp.

Should you buy Alaska miles?

Now you may ask whether it makes sense to buy miles or points in advance, even when they’re sold at a discount. Here’s how I view that decision.

You should buy miles/points if you:

  • Have an upcoming trip and you’re falling short by a few miles to book it
  • Want to buy miles for a very specific trip that will give you outsized value. For example, I often purchase miles during promotional periods when I know I can book a business class ticket in the future which will give me a value of over 5 cpp on miles purchased at 1.5-2 cpp
  • Are ineligible for a credit card sign-up bonus for that points currency due to restrictions by the card issuer

You should not buy miles/points if you:

  • Can easily transfer flexible points like Amex Membership Rewards or Chase Ultimate Rewards to top up your balance to book an upcoming trip
  • Are simply purchasing miles to increase your balance without any specific use on the horizon
  • Can easily rack up enough miles or points via credit card sign-up bonuses

The Pundit’s Mantra

If you compare Alaska MileagePlan miles to the other major airlines, they’re a lot harder to come by. Also, Alaska doesn’t have any major transfer partners at a 1:1 ratio like United, Delta and Southwest have.

Therefore, some people may find these promos useful, especially given that Alaska Airlines is going to join OneWorld on March 31st this year. Over the last few years, I’ve derived great value from Alaska Airlines MileagePlan to fly business class on their partners, namely Japan Airlines, Emirates and Cathay Pacific.

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The American Express Gold Card is currently offering a welcome bonus of 60,000 Membership Rewards points. You’ll earn a welcome bonus of 60,000 Membership Rewards points after you spend $4,000 in the first 6 months after you’re approved for the card.

Moreover, the card offers lucrative bonus earning categories, benefits and credits.

  • 4x points on dining (including takeout and delivery) and grocery spend
  • 3x points on flights
  • $120 dining credit annually
  • $120 Uber Eats/Uber credit annually
  • $100 airline credit (ends on December 31, 2021)
  • No foreign transaction fees

Apply Now

Please note that American Express may not approve you for the welcome bonus on this card if you currently have the card or have had the card in the past and received a welcome bonus for the same. This may also include any upgrade or downgrade offers that you may have signed up for.

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