I realize that I should have titled this thread "Earning on partner flights booked on Alaska" as that is the way it will be referred to next year. Frankly, this is currently so confusing and there is so much ambiguity on the Alaska website. Hopefully, the site will get an update in January to clarify matters and avoid the ambiguity.. Also, hopefully, reasonable fares will become available, as well as completely international flights (that do not involve flights to or from the US).

I have a lot of international trips to take next year and I have often found it more advantageous to book a reward trip rather than a reasonable business class fare on a partner site, as the difference in EQMs is only 25%.