shocked1

Small rant.

My wife and I travel mostly for pleasure.. but we do travel often. We always seem get to Alaska MVP but never higher (many destinations do not make sense on Alaska or their partners). This year I decided we should get gold or maybe even 75k, so we may actually get a 1st class upgrade for free.. I do not recall the last time I got one as MVP.

Anyway, I wanted to do some calculations on how many times we would need to fly and how far to best optimize us getting gold or even 75k. I looked at my last years trips and I noticed that when we went to NYC in October we earned:
Base 2,433 Bonus 3,042 total 5,475 each way - and those counted towards this years MVP.

That was first class.

So, I searched for decent fares PDX-NYC in coach (premium class) and we took a trip there. In my miles log for alaska it shows:
Base 2,433 Bonus 1,217 total 3,650 each way.

So, at 3650 miles, we need to go 5.5 round trips. So, I booked two more flights to NY (which have not happened yet). In the meantime, I was looking at my account and I noticed that the YTD miles towards even MVP (I am mvp now but have not earned back MVP this year) is WAY less than what it should be. I called Alaska and they said that is because bonus miles only count towards status in first class. Not only does that suck, but I wonder why people keep telling me how much faster they earn status with each tier. If I fly coach as gold, it seems I would still only get base miles unless I am in first.

Next, I saw this past weekend that Quantas had a deal from PDX to Sydney that was decent, and Alaska is running a "double miles" with Quantas. So, I signed up for that, but luckily before I bought the tickets I saw the fine print that the double miles does not count towards status.

So, what the heck? Am I doing something wrong or what? I was talking to a friend that is 75k and she told me that she got upgrades to first sometimes as gold, but almost always as 75k.. Is it even worth it for me to try and get gold or 75k?

Thank you guys for listening

AKLifetimeFlyer

Class of service bonus miles count toward elite status. Other bonus miles do not. This is the way it is, and has always been. This is the industry standard.

williwaw

The Premium Class tickets won't matter for elite qualification unless they are in one of the top four coach classes that carry a 50% or 25% class of service bonus (Y, S, M B in descending order). For me its just a lot of seat time on AS for work. Others here log serious miles on partners where you can economically find long-hauls that generate a lot of elite qualifying miles (EQM.) PDX-NYC or PDX-HNL is my usual route - about 5k round trip in EQM, so I need 8 of those for Gold. Sometimes if the price is right I buy up to I or P fares for the 75% bonus and that speeds thinks along.

wolfpacktrojan

91foxbody

I got MVP Gold last year by the skin of my teeth because I was flying PDX-MCO round trip about once every 6 weeks. MVP is easy if you consolidate your flying to AS and fly out of the PNW, but the rest is not easy unless you're a heavy biz traveler.

TPJ

It is Qantas (Queensland and Northern Territory Aerial Services).

RAD_PDX

It is so easy to earn miles on Alaska compared to other airlines, both award miles and elite qualifying miles! As for attaining status, 3 words: No Minimum Spend

Red L

I'm not getting something here......you want to spend enough money to get to 75K status, to get a "free" upgrade? If you want to fly first class, I would suggest applying the money you would spend (waste?) trying to get to 75K to the flights you already normally take, and just buy first class seats. You'll probably come out ahead money-wise. Getting to 75K status generally isn't cheap (just ask my company, since they pay the bulk of my airfare every year).

shocked1

Red,

This may sound crazy (because it is), but my wife likes it when we get things "free" or on "sale". So, my hope was, rather than argue about why I prefer to just pay for 1st to go to places that are close (BUR, PSP, STS, etc) I could make my life easier by just getting us status.

Instead, I think I will just go back to buying 1st and just know that once we get to the airport she will again agree that 1st was a much better choice.

shocked1

Good catch. I did not proof read what I wrote very carefully.

beckoa

There's quite a few of us on FT whom achieve MVPG+ strictly on leisure travel. Heck, my first 1MM were leisure. I say aim high. It's a fun place to be ^

jjmadison

I, for one, am thankful EQMs still (aside from class of service bonus) require BIS. Last year, I aimed for MVPG and then ended up within reach of 75k by end of Q3, so prioritized Q4 flights to make it happen. I recommend keeping a spreadsheet to plan out your trips for the year. It's easier than you think over 12 months when you have a clear plan.

Manoa Chris

I do think Alaska's website should call out EQM versus RDM earning - the lack of detail is at odds with pretty much everyone else in the industry.

And a little transparency would avoid confusion like the OPs, which is far from uncommon.

rune87

Chuckle..I wish that it was that easy for my butt's sake..but for perspective...my BIS time last year exceeded 170hours sitting in an airplane. Thats an entire week of last year, sitting in a pressurized metal tube. If you want status you've got to make the sacrifices to get to it. Far better off just buying FC if thats what you want.

williwaw