Alaska is offering a one-day buy-one-get-one (BOGO) sale for flights on many of their routes. I initially glossed over the potential here, as we don’t have any additional travel to plan in the next few months. The schedule is basically locked in.

However, there is an angle to this sale that you may want to consider, especially if you’re an Alaska elite or interested in pursuing Alaska status for 2020: qualifying for Alaska MVP for really cheap.

Basics on Alaska MVP Qualification

Alaska’s frequent flyer program is an excellent one for folks based on the West Coast that find them flying a lot of short hops or consistently flying the select number of transcontinental routes offered by the Seattle-headquartered carrier. I’ve flown Alaska a number of times, and while I’ve never managed to attain any elite status with them, I’ve enjoyed the experience.

Unlike other airline frequent flyer programs, Alaska does not have a spending requirement for earning elite status with them. They also award both status miles and redeemable miles based on miles flown.

Alaska requires just 20,000 miles for their first MVP elite tier, and 40,000 flown miles for MVP Gold. This is if you qualify by flying just Alaska Airlines flights. Flying with partners requires slightly more miles.

Alaska MVP status offers the following perks:

  • Potential for upgrades to Premium and First, based on availability
  • 50% bonus on award miles
  • Access to preferred seating
  • Two free checked bags

These are some pretty good perks if you find yourself flying Alaska several times per year.

Alaska flight departing Kona Airport.

Using the BOGO Sale to Earn Alaska MVP Elite Status

The current BOGO sale offers some amazing potential for earning MVP status for super cheap. You’ll also earn a significant number of miles in the process, honestly enough to justify the cost of mileage running.

The key here is that BOGO isn’t actually BOGO. If you use the LETSBOGO code at Alaska.com today for one person, you’ll enjoy a discount off the price. For a flight to be eligible to use the code, it must be on a Tuesday, Wednesday, or Saturday within the mainland U.S., with different day of week restrictions for Hawaii. Check out the full list of route and restriction here.

The BOGO deal is good from January 7 through February 12, 2020. You must book travel today within these dates.

My route of interest was SFO-BOS, as this is 2,697 flown miles. There are dates where you can book a same-day turn for $107 round-trip using the BOGO code for a Saver fare. In the past hour, however, I’ve already noticed prices are climbing on some dates.

Assuming you want to earn Alaska MVP status, you’d need to fly just four of these trips. For $428 all-in, you could attain Alaska MVP and enjoy all the status benefits through the end of 2021. That’s pretty incredible!

You’d also earn 21,576 award miles in the process, which I value at over $430, assuming you’re a savvy frequent flyer who can get at least 2.0 cents per mile on every redemption. If you value miles like cash, this costs you $0. Just your time.

Alaska in-flight economy food for purchase

Next Level: Status Match and Earn a Free Business Class Flight

If you want to increase the potential even further, consider status matching to Alaska MVP Gold or Gold75K to earn far more miles. You’ll earn a 100% bonus as MVP Gold and a 125% bonus at MVP Gold 75K. Using the above example of four round-trip flights from SFO to Boston with Alaska, you’d earn a whopping 48,546 redeemable Alaska miles with MVP Gold 75K status!

This is nearly enough for a one-way business class flight with partner Cathay Pacific between the U.S. and Asia. Truly incredible, and an amazing deal if you can spare a few days flying back and forth across the country to earn it.

Assuming you can match to MVP Gold 75K, matching is really a “triple dip” deal, as you’ll get:

  • Alaska MVP Gold 75K through the end of 2020
  • 48,546 award miles (assuming you qualify on the SFO-BOS route above)
  • Alaska MVP status through the end of 2021

The only thing to consider is that Alaska Airlines only lets you status match once per lifetime. Make sure you consider this before pulling the trigger.

If you’re already an Alaska elite, I’d be looking to earn a ton of miles on a few cheap round-trips. You can get a head start on your qualification for 2021.

Conclusion

The Alaska Airlines BOGO deal that is being offered today is not only great for those looking for a deal on a winter getaway, it is an excellent option for elite status earning. This might truly be worth mileage running for some people!