Jan 4, 2017, 7:30 pm
Last edit by: Calchas
Welcome to the Alaska Airlines Flame-Free Q&A Thread for 2017!
Anyone is welcome to ask anything, even the most basic questions, in this thread without having to fear a snarky response. In this thread, there's no such thing as a dumb question--we were all new to Alaska Airlines, FlyerTalk, and even the whole idea of mileage programs once and needed some help navigating the ropes. We're here to help you do just that!
That said, if you want to do a little reading to see if your question has been previously discussed, links to some of the most common and extensive topics in this forum are listed in our FAQ thread -- click here to check it out.
Special care will be given in this thread to trying to provide answers in a clear manner with minimal use of acronyms and jargon.
If you need to contact someone for help, here's a current list of our forum's team:
Ambassadors (Our Greeters--members who have specifically volunteered to welcome and mentor newbies and monitor this thread):
ANC RED-EYE
baliktad
beckoa
golfingboy
Moderators (Our Janitors--members who have volunteered to do housekeeping/keep the forum in order)
ryandc99
jackal
You are welcome to send a private message to any of these individuals for assistance, but you'll generally get a faster response and broader palette of answers if you simply post your inquiry here in this thread.
Note to FlyerTalk members who enjoy the ability to take advantage of loopholes--if someone posts something that exposes information you'd rather not be public, please remember this is a Flame-Free thread, and harsh or snarky posts are not permitted. Although FlyerTalk itself does not censor posts that share information, members are free to edit their own posts to remove information. If you wish to request any poster to remove information they have shared publicly, please do so politely and respectfully.
Welcome, and we look forward to providing any assistance we can!
~the Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan forum team~
For the 2016 version of this thread, please click here
Anyone is welcome to ask anything, even the most basic questions, in this thread without having to fear a snarky response. In this thread, there's no such thing as a dumb question--we were all new to Alaska Airlines, FlyerTalk, and even the whole idea of mileage programs once and needed some help navigating the ropes. We're here to help you do just that!
That said, if you want to do a little reading to see if your question has been previously discussed, links to some of the most common and extensive topics in this forum are listed in our FAQ thread -- click here to check it out.
Special care will be given in this thread to trying to provide answers in a clear manner with minimal use of acronyms and jargon.
If you need to contact someone for help, here's a current list of our forum's team:
Ambassadors (Our Greeters--members who have specifically volunteered to welcome and mentor newbies and monitor this thread):
ANC RED-EYE
baliktad
beckoa
golfingboy
Moderators (Our Janitors--members who have volunteered to do housekeeping/keep the forum in order)
ryandc99
jackal
You are welcome to send a private message to any of these individuals for assistance, but you'll generally get a faster response and broader palette of answers if you simply post your inquiry here in this thread.
Note to FlyerTalk members who enjoy the ability to take advantage of loopholes--if someone posts something that exposes information you'd rather not be public, please remember this is a Flame-Free thread, and harsh or snarky posts are not permitted. Although FlyerTalk itself does not censor posts that share information, members are free to edit their own posts to remove information. If you wish to request any poster to remove information they have shared publicly, please do so politely and respectfully.
Welcome, and we look forward to providing any assistance we can!
~the Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan forum team~
For the 2016 version of this thread, please click here
2017 Alaska Airlines *FLAME-FREE* Q&A thread: all welcome, new and old!
Jul 18, 2017, 1:31 pm
#1006
Join Date: Oct 2012
Programs: AS MVP, BA
Posts: 300
Jul 18, 2017, 8:36 pm
#1007
Join Date: Mar 2017
Posts: 1,727
Mileage Plan credit card
What is the maximum bonus that one can earn by getting a MileagePlan credit card? The online application form I saw seemed to indicate 30K miles and a $75 annual fee - is that the most one can earn (seemed somewhat low compared to other airlines).
Also the application seems to be rather vague as to which card one can get - the Visa Signature card or the Platinum Plus; the terms & rewards for the latter are not spelled out online. Does anyone know what the sign-up benefits of this card are?
Also the application seems to be rather vague as to which card one can get - the Visa Signature card or the Platinum Plus; the terms & rewards for the latter are not spelled out online. Does anyone know what the sign-up benefits of this card are?
Jul 18, 2017, 9:56 pm
#1008
Join Date: Oct 2015
Location: Pacific Wonderland
Programs: ʙᴏɴᴠo̱ʏ Au, IHG Au, HH Dia, Nexus, Pilot FlyingJ Preferred
Posts: 5,336
What is the maximum bonus that one can earn by getting a MileagePlan credit card? The online application form I saw seemed to indicate 30K miles and a $75 annual fee - is that the most one can earn (seemed somewhat low compared to other airlines).
Also the application seems to be rather vague as to which card one can get - the Visa Signature card or the Platinum Plus; the terms & rewards for the latter are not spelled out online. Does anyone know what the sign-up benefits of this card are?
Also the application seems to be rather vague as to which card one can get - the Visa Signature card or the Platinum Plus; the terms & rewards for the latter are not spelled out online. Does anyone know what the sign-up benefits of this card are?
Platinum or Signature is based on the approved credit limit, $5000 more or less. There's only a single application for both but the Platinum receives a lesser amount of miles (5000 miles?), lower annual fee and a smaller airfare discount code and no companion code.
30k miles with the Signature card is pretty much it. There have been targeted offers with a few more miles or by filling out a paper app received inflight. You can also apply using the link in the threads above for a $100 statement credit, or get the same by doing a booking, real or dummy, and click on the Alaska Visa offer on the payment page. You don't have to complete the booking.
In addition to the miles, the big attraction is the annual companion code and to a lesser extent, baggage fee waiver.
Jul 19, 2017, 8:04 am
#1009
Join Date: May 2015
Posts: 20
Yes, it's somewhat low, but there's also no 1 per lifetime or 1 per 2 years that other cards have.
Jul 19, 2017, 9:12 am
#1010
Join Date: Apr 2014
Posts: 1,639
I have a November morning flight that had an hour schedule change; I'd like to switch to an evening flight so I figured it can't hurt to ask. Any data points on how lenient they are with changes like this after a schedule change? The purchased morning flight was dirt cheap, so the other options are changing and paying the fare difference or waiting and SDC.
Jul 19, 2017, 11:02 am
#1011
Join Date: Aug 2015
Location: USA
Programs: AS MVPG 75K, AC SE
Posts: 346
I have a November morning flight that had an hour schedule change; I'd like to switch to an evening flight so I figured it can't hurt to ask. Any data points on how lenient they are with changes like this after a schedule change? The purchased morning flight was dirt cheap, so the other options are changing and paying the fare difference or waiting and SDC.
If over 60 minutes, I'd be surprised if they didn't allow it.
Jul 19, 2017, 11:38 am
#1013
formerly Goflyer100
Join Date: Jul 2015
Programs: DL Platinum Medallion - Hilton Diamond
Posts: 161
.
Jul 19, 2017, 12:41 pm
#1014
Join Date: Sep 2016
Programs: Bonvoy Titanium, Alaska MVPG75
Posts: 89
I'm planning out my first mileage run but never see AS in the Mileage Run forum. Is there another place they are listed? If I put together my own, what would be a good website to start at?
Thank you for any advice!
Thank you for any advice!
Jul 19, 2017, 12:45 pm
#1015
Join Date: Jul 2017
Programs: AS MVPG; Hyatt Globalist
Posts: 145
I'm also interested in putting one together, but have no idea where to start. I'm reasonably close to MVP Gold and would like to go for it.
Jul 19, 2017, 12:49 pm
#1016
Join Date: Jul 2015
Location: SEA
Programs: Hilton/Marriott Gold, Accor Silver
Posts: 2,036
Your best bet is to just wait for a half-decent sale and see what you can piece together. And try to tack on extra segments where you can--if you can turn a PDX-BOS round trip into PDX-SEA-BOS, you're getting a thousand extra miles.
Jul 20, 2017, 12:39 am
#1017
Join Date: Mar 2017
Location: British Columbia
Programs: AS MVPG100K, Marriott Marriott Titanium Elite, Hilton Gold
Posts: 7,263
Also keep in mind that as a currency, Mileage Plan miles sre more valuable than the other airline currencies. Fewer valuable miles or more worthless miles, which would you prefer? 😉 Remember, 30K is enough for up to 6 short haul flights up to 700 miles, 4 flights 701-1400 miles, 3 flights 1401-2100 miles or two first class upgrades. Also stopovers are allowed on one-way awards.
Jul 20, 2017, 7:10 am
#1018
Join Date: Jan 2007
Location: SFO
Programs: United 1K, Marriott Platinum, SPG Platinum
Posts: 1,990
Hi All,
Stopover question... I'm planning a trip for June 2018, and we'd like to go to Alaska AND Hawaii from Seattle. Is HNL-ANC-SEA a legal routing, in terms of a stopover on a one-way award? Same with SEA-ANC-HNL? I can get the individual legs to show up online, but when I try to book it as a multi-city, it's not working for me. Thanks!
Stopover question... I'm planning a trip for June 2018, and we'd like to go to Alaska AND Hawaii from Seattle. Is HNL-ANC-SEA a legal routing, in terms of a stopover on a one-way award? Same with SEA-ANC-HNL? I can get the individual legs to show up online, but when I try to book it as a multi-city, it's not working for me. Thanks!
Jul 20, 2017, 9:37 am
#1019
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Original Poster
Join Date: Dec 2007
Location: BOS/ORH
Programs: AS 75K
Posts: 18,323
Hi All,
Stopover question... I'm planning a trip for June 2018, and we'd like to go to Alaska AND Hawaii from Seattle. Is HNL-ANC-SEA a legal routing, in terms of a stopover on a one-way award? Same with SEA-ANC-HNL? I can get the individual legs to show up online, but when I try to book it as a multi-city, it's not working for me. Thanks!
Stopover question... I'm planning a trip for June 2018, and we'd like to go to Alaska AND Hawaii from Seattle. Is HNL-ANC-SEA a legal routing, in terms of a stopover on a one-way award? Same with SEA-ANC-HNL? I can get the individual legs to show up online, but when I try to book it as a multi-city, it's not working for me. Thanks!
Jul 20, 2017, 9:38 am
#1020
Join Date: Jul 1999
Location: Sacramento, CA
Programs: AA Exec Plat, Hyatt,Marriott,BA,AS
Posts: 4,426
Cancellations
If I have a non-refundable ticket and if a few days before I am unable to do the trip, can I cancel it and use the funds in the future? I see there is a $125 fee for cancelling so I gather the funds are usable for future travel. On a roundtrip ticket for 2 people, am I going to be charged $125, $250, or $500?