Quick Overview
- You can buy Alaska miles online directly through Points.com to top off your Alaska MileagePlan account.
- Alaska miles can be purchased starting at 1,000 miles, with a maximum of 100,000 miles per transaction.
- The base rate for buying Alaska miles is 2.75 cents per mile, so purchasing 1,000 miles would cost $27.50.
- Non-elite members can purchase up to 150,000 miles per calendar year, while elite members have no annual limit.
- The best time to buy Alaska miles is during sales, which happen multiple times a year and offer significant discounts.
Use our Buy Alaska Miles Calculator to estimate how much it will cost you to buy Alaska miles.
How much does it cost to buy Alaska miles?
Alaska Miles can be purchased at a rate of 2.75 cents per mile, plus a 7.5% Federal Excise Tax. This means that if you buy 1,000 miles, it will cost you $27.50 plus approximately $2.06 in taxes.
Do note that if you're a Canadian resident, you will be charged GST/HST and QST for Quebec residents.
If you're short a few miles and you need to top off your account, it can be a good idea to buy Alaska Miles. Buying a small amount of miles will generally be the more favorable option since the cost to buy Alaska miles can be pricey.
How many Alaska miles can you buy?
Alaska Miles can be purchased in 1,000-mile increments and you purchase up to 100,000 Alaska Miles in a single transaction.
You can buy or receive as a gift up to a total of 150,000 Alaska Miles per calendar year. Those with MVP, MVP Gold, and MVP Gold 75k elite status will have no annual purchase limit.
| Base Cost Per Mile | 2.75 Cents |
|---|---|
| Taxes? | GST/HST for Canadian Residents, QST for Quebec Residents |
| Min Purchase Per Transaction | 1,000 Miles |
| Max Purchase Per Transaction | 100,000 Miles |
| Max Purchase Per Calendar Year | 150,000 Miles (this does not apply to Alaska elite status members) |
| Purchase Increments | 1,000-mile increments Up To 60,000 Miles, 5,000-mile increments Up To 100,000 Miles |
Remember that purchases of miles are non-refundable and do not count towards MVP and MVP/Gold status.
What is the Alaska Mystery Bonus?
Multiple times per year, Alaska will have their Alaska Mystery Bonus promotion. This bonus allows you to obtain bonus miles based on how many you purchase in a single transaction.
The discount you receive and the amount of points you must buy to receive the maximum discount will vary. You'll need to log into your account on the Alaska Buy Points page during a promotional period to see your discount.
Your discount will usually be shown in a banner image (for example "Surprise! Get up to 50% bonus miles"). Under that you'll see how many miles you'll have to purchase to receive the discount.
You'll typically need to buy at least a handful of points to qualify for any discount during the promotion. For example here's the purchase requirements for a past Alaska Mystery Bonus that I received:
- Buy 3,000 - 9,000 miles and get 30% more
- Buy 10,000 - 19,000 miles and get 40% more
- Buy 20,000 - 100,000 miles and get 50% more
As an additional note, don't feel pressured to buy additional miles just because they are on sale. If you only need 1,000 miles, then it is best to only buy 1,000 miles.
These sales come around often, so you'll have plenty of chances to add additional miles to your account for any upcoming travel you may have.
| Bonus % | Cost Per Mile |
|---|---|
| 60% Bonus | 1.71 Cents |
| 50% Bonus | 1.83 Cents |
| 40% Bonus | 1.96 Cents |
| 30% Bonus | 2.11 Cents |
| 20% Bonus | 2.29 Cents |
| 10% Bonus | 2.5 Cents |
| Standard Rate | 2.75 Cents |
You can squeeze some great value out of Alaska Mileage Plan miles, especially when redeeming them towards award flights on partner airlines like Singapore Airlines and Emirates. If you have a great redemption lined up, buying points to top off your account during a promotional period can easily be worth the money.
Buy Alaska miles calculator
Thinking about buying Alaska miles? Use our Buy Alaska Miles calculator to find out how much it will cost you to buy Alaska miles.
How to buy Alaska miles
Alaska Mileage Plan Miles are easy to buy and only require a few steps. Regardless of whether there's a promotion going on, Alaska Miles are purchased through the same portal.
- Head to Alaska's Buy Miles Page.
- Sign into your Alaska Mileage Plan account.
- Select how many miles you want to buy.
- Enter your payment information.
- Review the purchase and agree to the Terms and Conditions.
- Click Pay Now.
Miles will typically post to your account within a few minutes. I find the best method is to log out, wait a minute or two, and then log back into your account to see the updated balance.
FAQs
How much does it cost to buy Alaska Miles?
Alaska Miles can be purchased at a rate of 2.75 cents per mile. This means that if you buy 1,000 miles, it will cost you $27.50.
How do you buy Alaska miles?
You can buy Alaska Miles through the Alaska website by going to their Buy Miles page.
How many Alaska Miles can you buy?
You can buy or receive as a gift up to a total of 150,000 Alaska miles per calendar year. Those with MVP, MVP Gold, and MVP Gold 75 elite status will have no annual purchase limit.
Can you buy Alaska Miles for cheap?
Yes. Alaska has their Mystery Bonus promotion several times a year in which you'll receive a percentage of bonus miles with your purchase. If the promo is active, you'll need to sign into the buy points portal to see your bonus.
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