The Complete Guide to Alaska MVP Benefits and Elite Status

Whether you fly often with Alaska Airlines or are considering switching airline loyalty, holding MVP Elite status through Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan can be hugely rewarding.

In this guide, we break down how to earn MVP status with Alaska, the benefits and value you’ll get from the four elite levels, milestone rewards and details on upgrading to first class.

If you don't want to work towards elite status but still want some elite-like perks, an Alaska co-branded credit card might be for you (jump to learn more).

Alaska Mileage Plan members earn MVP status either by flying on Alaska and its partners or through status matching. There are four elite status levels: MVP, MVP Gold, MVP Gold 75K and MVP Gold 100K (more details below).

You keep your status for the remainder of the year in which you earn it, as well as the following calendar year. For example, if you reach MVP Gold status in mid-2025, you’ll enjoy the benefits of that status through December 2026. Your status is determined by the number of elite-qualifying miles you earn each year. Keep in mind that EQM are solely used to determine your elite status; they are different from award miles, which you can redeem for award flights.

» Learn more: Do Alaska credit cards come with elite status?

You can even keep your status indefinitely by becoming a Million Miler. The requirement (you guessed it) is flying 1 million miles on Alaska-operated flights. That will earn you lifetime MVP Gold status. If your goal is lifetime MVP Gold 75K status, 2 million miles will get you there.

Million Milers get additional perks like four upgrade certificates per year, a complimentary food item in the main cabin when available, a 20,0000 EQM boost each year, and the ability to share your lifetime or earned status with someone in your household.

Alaska MVP benefits increase as you go up in status levels. Alaska offers four levels of elite status:

1. MVP.

2. MVP Gold.

3. MVP Gold 75K.

4. MVP Gold 100K.

Alaska introduced the MVP Gold 100K tier early 2022. As the name suggests, you must earn 100,000 EQMs a year to reach this top-tier status.

Each level provides bonus frequent flyer miles (so you'll earn Alaska Airlines miles faster than everyone else), as well as tons of other benefits like the opportunity for upgrades to premium and first class and free checked bags.

Alaska baggage fees start at $35 for your first bag, so that alone could be a huge, money-saving benefit (and it's available even to the folks with the lowest level of elite status). Plus, it can be way more relevant for folks who don't really care about other perks like dedicated phone lines or early boarding.

As you rise in the ranks of Alaska elites, your benefits get increasingly better. Here’s the full breakdown:

Mileage bonus: Alaska elite members earn extra frequent flyer miles for flying. For example, if you have MVP Gold 75K status and receive a 100% mileage bonus, you’ll earn a total of 2,000 miles for a 1,000-mile-long flight. Note that this bonus only applies to miles flown, not those earned through credit cards or other means. Additionally, the bonus does not apply to elite-qualifying miles (see below).

The benefits listed apply to flights on Alaska Airlines. You can get similar benefits on partner airlines, but the details vary. Check Alaska Airlines' website for more information.

Benefits when flying on Hawaiian Airlines and American Airlines

In September 2024, Alaska Airlines acquired Hawaiian Airlines, so Mileage Plan elites have access to select benefits when flying on Hawaiian, including access to priority check-in, boarding and express airport security lines. Entry-level MVP members get two free checked bags on each flight, while higher status tiers get three.

Seating benefits include complimentary preferred seats at booking, and Extra Comfort seats at check-in, as long as you are not flying on a basic fare. Those with MVP Gold status or above can select an Extra Comfort seat for a companion.

Alaska Airlines also has a close partnership with American Airlines, offering reciprocal benefits for elite status holders. MVP elites can select extra legroom economy seats on American Airlines flights within 24 hours of departure, while MVP Gold and above can do so at time of booking.

Mileage Plan elites are also eligible for complimentary upgrades on flights marketed and operated by Alaska or American when flying within the U.S. and between the U.S. and Canada, Mexico, the Bahamas, the Caribbean, Bermuda and Central America. If you're MVP Gold or above, a companion can also be upgraded.

100K Choice Benefit

Those who reach Alaska 100K elite status are able to select one of six options from the 100K Choice Benefit:

• 50,000 bonus miles: NerdWallet values 50,000 Alaska Airlines miles at $650.

• Complimentary Alaska Lounge+ membership: Retail cost of $795.

• Gifting MVP Gold Status: NerdWallet values MVP Gold Status at $1,740.

• Unlimited Wi-Fi sessions: At $8 per Wi-Fi session, you would have to use it at least 82 times a year to surpass $650 in value.

• Four upgrade certificates: Usable for yourself and others, even if not traveling together.

• 75,000 mile voucher toward a Mileage Plan Unlocked experience: Bid for or purchase unique experiences using miles.

Milestone rewards

In 2024, Alaska introduced perks for reaching certain EQM milestones, similar to American Airlines' Loyalty Point Rewards program. The milestones are built around the elite-status qualifying thresholds, which are:

• MVP: 20K or 20,000 EQM.

• MVP Gold: 40K or 40,000 EQM.

• MVP Gold 75K: 75K or 75,000 EQM.

• MVP Gold 100K: 100K or 100,000 EQM.

Additional milestone perks can help encourage customers to fly more with Mileage Plan, even if they might not reach the next level of status. Plus, for MVP Gold 100K members, it can incentivize further flying after reaching the top-tier status.

All Mileage Plan members are able to select a reward from a list of options when they reach these EQM milestones: 10K, 30K, 55K, 85K, 150K, 200K and 250K. Because the first perk threshold is 10,000 EQM, that means you can earn a milestone reward even if you don't fly enough to qualify for elite status.

If you’re going to spend thousands of dollars on a given airline, you want to make sure you’re getting your money’s worth in the value of elite status benefits.

The “value” (first row) is just what it sounds like: how much the perks, upgrades and other benefits are worth. This assumes that you fly as much with Alaska as is required to earn each status level. That is, if you earn MVP Gold 75K status but then only fly sparingly in the following year, you obviously won’t see the full value in benefits.

The next two rows are equally important, because the real “value” of a given elite level is always relative to how much it costs to earn. We boil this down as the “elite reward rate,” which is simply the value of each MVP level divided by the cost to earn it.

Alaska elite status is obtained by earning enough EQM within a calendar year. It's also possible to match your status from another airline (see “status matching” below).

Previously, you could qualify for elite status by flying a certain number of segments on the airline or its partners, and to earn status, you needed to fly a minimum number of flights marketed and operated by Alaska Airlines. That's no longer the case, making the elite-qualifying journey easier to understand.

Earn elite-qualifying miles by flying

EQM can be earned by flying on Alaska and its qualifying partners. The number of EQM you earn on a paid ticket is determined by the distance flown, whether you bought your ticket through Alaska or a partner airline, and the ticketed fare class.

Flights booked through Alaska will always earn EQM equivalent to at least 100% of the distance flown, regardless of which airline you fly on. This includes Alaska and Hawaiian flights booked through Hawaiian. The one exception is if you purchase a Saver or basic fare, which will only earn 30%. You can get a bonus for more expensive fare classes and premium cabin fares.

However, partner flights booked on a partner website will earn at different rates: 25% of distance flown for discount economy, 50% for regular economy, 100% for premium economy, 125% for business class and 150% for first class. Those rates already factor in any premium bonuses.

While it may sound great to earn 150% for first class partner flights, contrast that to the 350% earnings you would get if you booked an international first class partner flight via Alaska. If your goal is to earn more miles, make sure to check prices via Alaska and partner sites to make sure you're getting the best return.

Other ways to earn elite-qualifying miles

You can also earn EQM by flying on award tickets. All award trips on Alaska or its partners booked using Mileage Plan miles will earn EQM based on the distance flown. There are no additional bonuses for booking an award flight in a premium cabin.

If you have an Alaska credit card, you can earn one EQM for every $3 you spent on qualifying purchases, up to a total of 30,000 EQMs. That means it's theoretically possible to spend your way to entry-level MVP status without ever setting foot on a plane. Remember: EQM are different from award miles, so the amount of EQM you receive from credit card spending will be much lower than the number of award miles.

Another way to earn EQMs is by earning award miles through spending with Alaska's non-airline partners. You can earn 1,000 EQMs for every 3,000 award miles earned with these partners, which include Bilt, Lyft, GetYourGuide and a number of car rental services.

One of the most compelling — and confusing — benefits of MVP elite status is the opportunity to receive Alaska flight upgrades from the main cabin to first class.

There are three ways to leverage your elite status to get yourself in front of the curtain:

1. Instantly upgrade to first class by purchasing an appropriate “First Upgrade” ticket.

2. Join the waiting list for complimentary upgrades.

3. Use an upgrade certificate.

1. Buy an appropriate 'First Upgrade' ticket

Each flight has a certain number of “First Upgrade” fares available. As an Alaska elite, you can buy these fares directly at a (usually) lower price than the asking price for first class. You have to use the Alaska search tool.

To see these fares, select the “all search options” below the flight search tool on the Alaska homepage.

Then select the “Upgrade Type” dropdown and select your personal elite status level.

You’ll be presented with a search result that looks like this:

Note the blue icon with the corresponding "First Class upgrade available" text in the first result. As it states, the fare is available for an immediate upgrade. The yellow icon with clock hands, seen in the second result, means you'll be put on the waitlist. In general, you’ll only want to select the available blue fares.

However, be smart: In this example, the "First Upgrade" fare is actually more expensive than the regular first class fare. That's because Alaska is selling you a an upgrade-eligible economy fare, which are typically the most expensive. If first class is fairly empty, cheaper first class fares can be less expensive than the priciest economy fares.

These upgrades do not apply to companions on the same itinerary who do not have the same MVP status.

Note that elite status holders flying Alaska’s basic economy Saver fares are now eligible for upgrades to premium or first class two hours prior to departure.

» Learn more: How to maximize the Alaska Airlines Visa Business card

2. Join the waitlist for complimentary upgrades

If you don’t want to shell out extra for an instant upgrade, you can always roll the dice and hope for a complimentary one. If you have elite status with Alaska, you’ll automatically qualify for a complimentary upgrade, unless you opt out.

Whether you score a free upgrade depends on a number of factors. Alaska prioritizes upgrades in the following order:

• Elite status level.

• Million Miler status.

• Corporate travelers.

• EQM earned in current and prior years.

• Time of booking.

Complimentary upgrades begin clearing 120 hours prior to departure for MVP Gold 75K and 100K members, though the upgrade waitlist is only viewable 24 hours prior to departure.

Overwhelmed? Don’t worry — Alaska will handle everything after you opt in for the upgrade.

» Learn more: How Alaska upgrades work

3. Use an upgrade certificate

Starting at 55,000 EQM, you can select upgrade certificates for reaching certain EQM thresholds. These upgrade certificates can be used to upgrade your own travel, as well as anyone else flying on Alaska.

The upgrades can be applied to any paid Alaska flight with first-class availability, except tickets in the Q, O, G, or X fare classes. Award tickets are not eligible.

You can use an upgrade certificate during booking by using the "upgrade type" filter and selecting "upgrade certificate" to search for first class upgrade options. Look for the blue icon that indicates upgrade availability, and apply your certificate on that flight. (You won't be able to use the certificate to add yourself to the upgrade waitlist.)

Using the same search as earlier, we can see that the "First Upgrade" fare is cheaper. That makes sense because upgrade certificates give you the ability to upgrade your flight on cheaper economy fare classes.

If upgrade space opens after booking, you can choose to apply the certificate by going to your existing reservation.

» Learn more: The best airline credit cards

What does premium class get you?

Alaska’s premium class at the front of the main cabin offers extra legroom and perks such as a free alcoholic drinks. Cash upgrades start at $15 per leg and vary based on the length of the flight. Alaska elite flyers are eligible for free upgrades. The process for premium-class upgrades is similar to first class, with a few differences.

Some fares are eligible for instant upgrades, depending on your MVP level. When searching on the Alaska tool, enter your elite level in the “upgrade type” field. The price of a premium-class fare will appear in a separate column (see the screenshot from the first example above).

Similar to first-class upgrades, main cabin fares are eligible for complimentary upgrades based on availability and your elite level. Keep in mind that Saver fares are now eligible for premium-class upgrades two hours prior to departure based on availability and elite level.

Alaska’s airline partners offer a good way to earn elite-qualifying miles, especially when flying internationally. Alaska is a member of Oneworld, so customers receive reciprocal benefits when flying on airlines within that alliance.

Earning on partners

Before you book an around-the-world flight hoping to score MVP Gold 75K status, remember that whether you book your flight through Alaska or through its partners will impact the amount of EQM you earn. All economy fares on partner airlines will earn 100% of distance flown when booked through Alaska; however, it will only earn 25% to 50% when booked via a partner's website.

Partner and Oneworld benefits

Due to its membership in Oneworld, Alaska elites receive reciprocal Oneworld status, which offers benefits when flying on those airlines.

• Alaska MVP elites receive Oneworld Ruby status. This offers some seat selection benefits when flying with Oneworld airlines.

• Alaska MVP Gold elites receive Oneworld Sapphire status. This offers seat selection benefits, business class lounge access on international itineraries, priority boarding and baggage allowance when flying with Oneworld airlines.

• Alaska MVP Gold 75K and MVP Gold 100K elites receive Oneworld Emerald status. This offers seat selection benefits, first and business-class lounge access on international itineraries, priority boarding, expedited security and baggage allowance when flying with Oneworld airlines.

In addition to those Oneworld benefits, some of Alaska’s partners separately extend lounge access to MVP Gold, Gold 75K and Gold 100K members when flying through their hubs. Those partners include:

• Icelandair (Keflavik).

• Hainan Airlines (multiple airports in mainland China).

» Learn more: How do Alaska's hotel partners work?

Alaska offers a status match challenge if you already have status with a select set of North American airlines. You will have 90 days to meet the requirements of the challenge; once you do so, your status will be extended further.

To see which MVP level you qualify for based on your current airline elite status, check this Alaska Airlines status match page. On that page, you can submit a a screenshot of your current status membership page. The status that you're matching from cannot be complimentary or earned through a promotion.

You can only status match once for the lifetime of your account, so use this opportunity wisely.

Another way to maximize the status match is by applying in the second half of the year. If you apply after July and complete the challenge, your status will extend to the end of the next calendar year. However, if you apply before the end of June and complete the challenge, your status is only good for the rest of the calendar year.

Here are the status match challenge requirements:

• Extend MVP status by flying 5,000 base miles.

• Extend MVP Gold status by flying 10,000 base miles.

• Extend MVP Gold 75K status by flying 20,000 base miles.

Only flights owned and operated by Alaska will count toward the challenge.

If you don't fly Alaska enough to earn elite status, or you're working your way toward elite status, you can access some elite-type benefits by carrying the Alaska Airlines Visa Signature® credit card. This $95-a-year card earns 3 miles per dollar spent on eligible Alaska Airlines purchases, as well as 2 miles per dollar spent on eligible gas; EV charging; cable; streaming services; and local transit, which includes ridesharing, trains, tolls and ferries. Other spending earns 1 mile per dollar.

Beyond earning Alaska miles on spending, additional Alaska Airlines Visa Signature® credit card perks include:

• First checked bag free on Alaska Airlines flights for you and up to six other passengers on the same reservation when you pay for your flight with your card.

• Priority boarding.

• Get a Companion Fare from $122 ($99 fare plus taxes and fees from $23) each account anniversary after you spend $6,000 or more on purchases within the prior anniversary year. Terms apply.

• $100 discount on an Alaska Lounge+ Membership when you pay for it with the card.

• New cardholder bonus offer: Get 50,000 bonus miles plus buy one ticket, get one for just the taxes and fees ($0 fare plus taxes and fees from $23) with this offer. To qualify, make $3,000 or more in purchases within the first 90 days of opening your account.

Don't forget about business credit cards

Alaska Airlines Visa® Business card has an annual fee of $70 for the company and $25 per card.

Its current welcome offer is: Get 60,000 bonus miles and Alaska's Famous Companion Fare™ ($99 fare plus taxes and fees from $23) after you make $4,000 or more in purchases within the first 90 days of opening your account.

» Learn more: Is an Alaska credit card worth it?

Both consumer and business cardholders can get a free checked bag for themselves and up to six companions on the same reservation when they use their card to pay for flights on Hawaiian Airlines.

Starting summer 2025, cardholders will be able to use their Companion Fare for any flight on Alaska or Hawaiian within North America.

Alaska’s MVP elite status program is a great way to improve your flying experience. The details of the program can feel overwhelming at first, but compared to many other domestic programs, it’s actually fairly straightforward.

The only thing you need to do to earn MVP status is fly a bunch on Alaska and its partners, such as those in the Oneworld alliance. If you need a boost, spending on an Alaska credit card can help you get closer to status — all while giving you a head start on making your Alaska flights even more comfortable and affordable.