| Observe: California-based Mileage Plan members who provoke an MVP Gold 75K standing problem between March 9-20, 2023, can obtain an Alaska Lounge membership for his or her 90-day standing problem interval. I’ve added a piece beneath to replicate this distinctive alternative. |
It’s widespread for airways to supply some type of standing problem or standing match program, to be able to lure frequent flyers who’re loyal to competing airways, however are contemplating a swap. In the US, most main airways provide some type of a standing match problem alternative, together with American, Delta, Southwest, and United. On this submit I wished to try this system provided by Alaska Airways.
Alaska Milage Plan standing match as of March 2023
Alaska Mileage Plan has a broadcast standing match problem program. With this program, you may have your standing matched from a competing airline for a interval of 90 days, after which you may have your standing prolonged by flying a specific amount on Alaska Airways inside that interval.
Alaska provides standing match challenges for MVP, MVP Gold, and MVP Gold 75K standing (although there’s no standing match problem for the MVP Gold 100K tier).
What standing will Alaska match?
Alaska Mileage Plan will match standing with any of the next main frequent flyer applications:
- Aeromexico Membership Premier
- Air Canada Aeroplan
- American AAdvantage
- Delta SkyMiles
- Frontier Miles
- Hawaiian Airways HawaiianMiles
- JetBlue TrueBlue
- Southwest Speedy Rewards
- United MileagePlus
As you may see, the foremost airways within the markets that Alaska Airways serves are lined by this standing match problem. Elite tiers map over as you’d anticipate, all the way in which as much as MVP Gold 75K.
When you’ve efficiently enrolled in an Alaska Mileage Plan standing match problem, your standing might be legitimate for 90 days, after which you may preserve your standing with additional qualifying exercise.
How do you preserve Alaska standing?
You may preserve your standing with Alaska Airways past the 90 day interval based mostly on how a lot you fly with the airline. Particularly, you may preserve the standing by flying the next variety of miles on Alaska Airways:
- Preserve MVP standing by flying 5,000 miles
- Preserve MVP Gold standing by flying 10,000 miles
- Preserve MVP Gold 75K standing by flying 20,000 miles
Solely flights on Alaska Airways qualify towards this requirement, and that is really based mostly on income “butt-in-seat” miles, and never based mostly on elite miles (in different phrases, you’d nonetheless must fly this variety of miles in paid top notch).
For context, these standing necessities are roughly one-quarter of the usual annual elite necessities, in order that is smart when you think about that you’ve about one-quarter of a 12 months to finish the flying necessities.
How lengthy is matched Alaska standing legitimate for?
For those who efficiently full an Alaska standing problem, how lengthy is the standing legitimate for?
- If a standing problem is initiated between January 1 and June 30 of a 12 months, you solely preserve your standing by way of the top of that calendar 12 months
- If a standing problem is initiated between July 1 and December 31 of a 12 months, you preserve your standing by way of the top of the next calendar 12 months
In different phrases, you’ll maximize the worth of an Alaska Airways standing problem in the event you provoke it in July or later, since your standing will doubtlessly be legitimate for as much as 18 months.
How do you request an Alaska standing match?
You may request an Alaska standing problem straight on this webpage. You’ll must share which standing you’re attempting to match, together with a screenshot of your on-line account with that program displaying your identify, standing, and what number of miles you flew with that airline the prior 12 months.
A couple of extra essential issues to notice about Alaska standing challenges:
- Standing match challenges are solely provided “as soon as in a lifetime,” so you may’t repeat this in the event you’ve already taken benefit of it
- Standing match challenges are solely legitimate for individuals who have achieved elite standing by way of precise flight miles or segments in one other program, and never those that have achieved standing by way of bank card exercise, transferred factors, or different promotional provides
- Standing match challenges are solely obtainable to residents of the US and Canada
- Permit as much as 4 weeks for verification of your standing match problem request and approval
- The 50,000 bonus miles often provided as a part of qualifying for MVP Gold 75K standing aren’t included as a part of the standing problem; you earn that solely if you qualify “the laborious means”
- Gold Visitor Upgrades, lounge day passes, and MVP standing nominations, will solely be obtainable after the standing problem has efficiently been accomplished
What are the advantages of Alaska elite standing?
What are Alaska Mileage Plan standing perks like?
A number of the hottest advantages of Alaska MVP standing embrace:
- Complimentary upgrades to top notch as much as 48 hours earlier than departure
- Complimentary upgrades to Premium Class (further legroom economic system) as much as 48 hours earlier than departure
- Precedence check-in, safety, and boarding
- Two complimentary checked baggage
- A 50% mileage bonus
A number of the hottest advantages of Alaska MVP Gold standing embrace:
- Complimentary upgrades to top notch as much as 72 hours earlier than departure, together with for companions
- Complimentary upgrades to Premium Class as much as 72 hours earlier than departure, together with for companions
- Precedence check-in, boarding, and safety
- Two complimentary checked baggage
- A 100% mileage bonus
- oneworld Sapphire standing
A number of the hottest advantages of Alaska MVP Gold 75K standing embrace:
Upgrades are arguably essentially the most invaluable profit, and people are prioritized by standing. The upper your standing, the higher the percentages of these clearing. Whereas it’s route dependent, it’s essential to be reasonable, as you’re more likely to clear as an MVP Gold 75K member than an MVP member, for instance.
Restricted-time promo for California-based members
From March 9-20, 2023, California-based Mileage Plan members who’re matching to MVP Gold 75K standing will obtain an Alaska Lounge membership that’s legitimate for the 90-day problem interval. This perk ought to apply routinely in the event you provoke a 75K standing match with an account that has an tackle in California.
It’s a bit ironic that Alaska Airways has simply tightened lounge entry guidelines, and is now making a gift of lounge entry as a part of a standing problem.
Is an Alaska standing problem price it?
Alaska Mileage Plan is a good frequent flyer program, because it’s the one main program in the US to nonetheless award miles based mostly on distance flown slightly than {dollars} spent. On high of that, with Alaska Airways now being a member of oneworld, there are extra perks from this standing when touring on different airways. On high of that, Alaska elite members may even obtain reciprocal upgrades on American.
Being loyal to Alaska Airways might make loads of sense, although earlier than you request a standing problem, simply do not forget that it’s “as soon as in a lifetime.” So that you’ll wish to be strategic about if you apply for this, since you may’t simply participate in a standing match problem each few years. I’d additionally advocate usually making use of within the second half of the 12 months, as a way to make the most of standing perks for the longest time attainable.
Backside line
Alaska Airways provides a profitable standing match problem program, whereby you may obtain standing for a interval of 90 days, and might then lengthen that standing based mostly on flying a sure variety of miles on Alaska inside that interval. The largest catch is {that a} standing match problem is simply obtainable to every member as soon as, so that you’ll wish to put it aside for when you may actually use it.
Have any OMAAT readers taken half in an Alaska standing problem? If that’s the case, what was your expertise like?
