hbcobra

HI. I am currently sitting at 14,110 miles on Alaska for 2018 and I am trying to reach 20,000 by year's end in order to obtain MVP status. I am planning--but have not yet booked--a transcontinental round trip itinerary of 2,468 miles each way in fare class T, which will give me 19,046 for the year. Any tips on how to obtain the remaining 954 miles without breaking the bank? Is there another fare class that will get me there? Do the 40,000 bonus miles from the Visa card application count toward MVP status? Is a fare multiplier for the upcoming trip an option? Assume that a mileage run is not feasible, due to time constraints and availability. Thanks!

Buster CT1K

Bonus miles do not count. I think you must fly.

jinglish

There's a chance that AS will extend an offer to buy up to MVP with that small of a qualification gap, but you can't rely on that possibility. If you can't find the time for a mileage run, you have a couple of options: book into first class or a high economy fare bucket with bonus EQMs--which will probably raise your costs significantly over a T fare--or turn it into a connection if it's a nonstop. If you're booking SEA-east coast, for example, turning it into SEA-PDX-east coast will net you 500 EQMs for each connecting segment to Portland, and the cost over the nonstop will sometimes be pretty minimal.

hbcobra

Thanks, great idea to add 500 mile connecting flights.

rune87

Do a boston run for $220 in November (Which based on mile count I presume your are) and a RT between SEA-PDX. That will close up your difference.

eddiehuang97

Not sure what your budget is -- are you just planning a mileage run or your transcon trip is a business trip? If latter, I would just make it SEA-PDX-east coast or SEA-SFO-east coast. It would have a $50 to $100 markup and that would get you MVP. If it's just a mileage run ,do a SEA-BOS RT($220) plus a SEA-SFO($120) RT. It would cost you around $350.

hbcobra

Thank you. Adding a connection to my December trip seems like a no-brainer: it's only a couple of hours extra on top of preexisting travel and the cost is minimal in comparison to a transcontinental mileage run. Spending $50-100 to hit MVP is good, but it may not be worth spending $200+ to hit it.

Gig103

Do non-MVP members get the 500mi guarantee? If so a quick flight to Portland and back would do it.

If not (on AA we have to be at least Gold to get 500min) then take a look at a flight to PHX. I'm shopping the opposite direction and it's pretty cheap for us.

hbcobra

Dumb question, but do bonus miles earned from elite status count toward qualifying for the next tier? To earn MVP while starting from scratch, you would need to fly 20,000 miles. But once you have MVP, you get a 50% bonus on miles earned. So starting fresh with MVP in 2019, would you only need to fly 26,667 miles to reach the 40,000 required for MVP Gold (or 13,333 to re-qualify for MVP), or would you need to actually fly the full 40,000 miles to get MVP Gold (or the full 20,000 to re-qualify for MVP)? Likewise, assuming you are starting the year off with MVP Gold and its 100% bonus, would you need to fly only 37,500 to reach MVP Gold 75K (and only 20,000 to re-qualify for MVP Gold), or would you need to fly the full 75,000 miles to get MVP Gold 75K (or the full 40,000 to re-qualify for MVP Gold)?

jinglish

Yep.
​​​​​​Nope. Those elite bonus miles are redeemable miles (RDMs) only.

Major G

As quoted from the earn Alaska Miles page "Earned flight miles and premium cabin bonuses will count toward elite status in the partner category.' Simply call and have your fare upgraded to First on one or both legs of your flight to earn the extra EQM. This has to be a paid upgrade not an OP-UP. It is usually a very reasonable cost to go up to an F fare.