Alaska Mileage expired soon.... Need help
#1
Original Poster
Join Date: Sep 2009
Posts: 516
Alaska Mileage expired soon.... Need help
My Mileage with Alaska airline will be expired in a next couple days. What is the best way right now for me to keep my account in active before 4/21/2021. I have no plan trip until at least next year.
I am thinking of donating 1000 miles or buy 1000 miles . but not sure if that will work. And how long to see the mile will deduct or deposit to my account.Can someone please advise. Thank you
I am thinking of donating 1000 miles or buy 1000 miles . but not sure if that will work. And how long to see the mile will deduct or deposit to my account.Can someone please advise. Thank you
#2
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Nov 2013
Location: Los Angeles
Posts: 13,025
If any participating restaurants are near you, this might work: https://mileageplan.rewardsnetwork.com
You could also spend as little as 100 miles and a few dollars on a magazine subscription: https://magsformiles.com/20002672/
You could also spend as little as 100 miles and a few dollars on a magazine subscription: https://magsformiles.com/20002672/
#4
Join Date: Mar 2016
Location: LAX
Programs: AS MVPG, IHG Diamond Elite
Posts: 1,449
In my experience, miles for participating in the Opinion Terminal surveys post almost instantaneously, and should count as activity to keep your account active: https://www.theopinionterminal.com/
#7
Join Date: May 2003
Location: 1 hour from Khao Yai, Thailand. No longer Bangkok, China, Taiwan , Palm Coast, FL though still exiled, again, from the Bay Area.
Programs: Only the good ones
Posts: 5,183
My Mileage with Alaska airline will be expired in a next couple days. What is the best way right now for me to keep my account in active before 4/21/2021. I have no plan trip until at least next year.
I am thinking of donating 1000 miles or buy 1000 miles . but not sure if that will work. And how long to see the mile will deduct or deposit to my account.Can someone please advise. Thank you
I am thinking of donating 1000 miles or buy 1000 miles . but not sure if that will work. And how long to see the mile will deduct or deposit to my account.Can someone please advise. Thank you
#9
Join Date: Sep 2017
Location: SFO/LAX/SAN/LAS/DFW/JFK/LGA/EWR/MIA
Posts: 1,073
My Mileage with Alaska airline will be expired in a next couple days. What is the best way right now for me to keep my account in active before 4/21/2021. I have no plan trip until at least next year.
I am thinking of donating 1000 miles or buy 1000 miles . but not sure if that will work. And how long to see the mile will deduct or deposit to my account.Can someone please advise. Thank you
I am thinking of donating 1000 miles or buy 1000 miles . but not sure if that will work. And how long to see the mile will deduct or deposit to my account.Can someone please advise. Thank you
https://www.alaskaair.com/content/mi...s/faq-benefits
Mileage Plan miles do not expire. For account security purposes, we will continue to lock accounts that have been inactive for more than 2 years. If your account has been locked due to inactivity, call Guest Care to verify your identity, and they’ll reactivate the account for you. All miles in the account will still be there for you to use.
#10
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Dec 2006
Location: Pacific Northwest
Programs: UA Gold 1MM, AS 75k, AA ExPlat, Bonvoyed Gold, Honors Dia, Hyatt Explorer, IHG Plat, ...
Posts: 17,399
dude. i just looked up the AS T&C for miles expiration. they never expire now?! what?! since when?! not complaining, but i was expecting more news coverage on this.
https://www.alaskaair.com/content/mi...s/faq-benefits
Mileage Plan miles do not expire. For account security purposes, we will continue to lock accounts that have been inactive for more than 2 years. If your account has been locked due to inactivity, call Guest Care to verify your identity, and they’ll reactivate the account for you. All miles in the account will still be there for you to use.
https://www.alaskaair.com/content/mi...s/faq-benefits
Mileage Plan miles do not expire. For account security purposes, we will continue to lock accounts that have been inactive for more than 2 years. If your account has been locked due to inactivity, call Guest Care to verify your identity, and they’ll reactivate the account for you. All miles in the account will still be there for you to use.
On March 1 that page still showed
“Do my miles expire?
Mileage Plan miles do not expire, and may be left in your account as long as the Mileage Plan program exists. However, if there is no activity (earning miles or using miles) on your account for 2 years, the account will expire and your miles will be deleted.”
https://web.archive.org/web/20220301...s/faq-benefits
In April it had been changed to what it shows now. I didn’t check every update in archive.org to narrow it down further.
#11
Join Date: Sep 2017
Location: SFO/LAX/SAN/LAS/DFW/JFK/LGA/EWR/MIA
Posts: 1,073
On March 1 that page still showed
“Do my miles expire?
Mileage Plan miles do not expire, and may be left in your account as long as the Mileage Plan program exists. However, if there is no activity (earning miles or using miles) on your account for 2 years, the account will expire and your miles will be deleted.”
https://web.archive.org/web/20220301...s/faq-benefits
In April it had been changed to what it shows now. I didn’t check every update in archive.org to narrow it down further.
“Do my miles expire?
Mileage Plan miles do not expire, and may be left in your account as long as the Mileage Plan program exists. However, if there is no activity (earning miles or using miles) on your account for 2 years, the account will expire and your miles will be deleted.”
https://web.archive.org/web/20220301...s/faq-benefits
In April it had been changed to what it shows now. I didn’t check every update in archive.org to narrow it down further.
#12
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Dec 2006
Location: Pacific Northwest
Programs: UA Gold 1MM, AS 75k, AA ExPlat, Bonvoyed Gold, Honors Dia, Hyatt Explorer, IHG Plat, ...
Posts: 17,399
thank you for looking that up. appreciate it. i didnt think to use the way back machine to verify changes in T&Cs. but sounds like this happened very recently and silently. nice to see a positive change. i hope all airlines and hotels adopts this, but 24 mo was already solid. the worst is when there are hard deadlines after earned vs simple activity to extend.
![Smilie](https://www.flyertalk.com/forum/images/smilies/smile.gif)
#13
Join Date: Sep 2017
Location: SFO/LAX/SAN/LAS/DFW/JFK/LGA/EWR/MIA
Posts: 1,073
Just booked a ticket for a relative today who (AFAIK) doesn’t have an AS account. I didn’t bother creating one for her, but might do that now. I don’t know if it will ever accrue enough miles for an award, but since I am usually paying for the occasional travel, I will just take on the responsibility of managing it. Maybe I’ll get a 5k award mile award out of it in five years ![Smilie](https://www.flyertalk.com/forum/images/smilies/smile.gif)
![Smilie](https://www.flyertalk.com/forum/images/smilies/smile.gif)
https://mileageplan.rewardsnetwork.c...w-member-bonus
For a limited time, join Mileage Plan Dining and earn 1,000 bonus miles — in addition to earning miles for every dollar spent at participating restaurants, bars and clubs.
Create your online account by linking your credit and/or debit cards. Then, within the first 30 days:
- Dine at a participating restaurant.
- Spend $30 or more.
- Complete an online review.
- Earn 1,000 bonus miles.
#15
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Dec 2006
Location: Pacific Northwest
Programs: UA Gold 1MM, AS 75k, AA ExPlat, Bonvoyed Gold, Honors Dia, Hyatt Explorer, IHG Plat, ...
Posts: 17,399
Has AS’ account locking and expiration policy changed?
In Oct 2022 the policy per FAQ was
Do my miles expire?
Mileage Plan miles do not expire
If miles don’t expire, does that mean my account will remain active indefinitely?
For account security purposes, we will continue to lock accounts that have been inactive for more than 2 years. If your account has been locked due to inactivity, call Guest Care to verify your identity, and they’ll reactivate the account for you. All miles in the account will still be there for you to use.
(it is the most recent successful capture in archive.org)
Today what remains is
So do they no longer lock accounts? (that part was kind of confusing anyway, and if they deleted accounts after two years of locking, then that really IMHO contradicted the “Mileage Plan miles do not expire” statement.
That said, the T&C today have this:
https://www.alaskaair.com/content/mi...ct-mileage-exp
(Bolding added)
What is an active account? The T&C seem to not define it.
So… do they now have an unspecified requirement to maintain activity in the account every X months (years?) and if there is no such activity, the miles will be removed together with the account? It seems their definition of “mileage expiration” is that of programs like ANA’s where each mile has a use-by date, and they are effectively saying that they don’t have that kind of program?
(I am not worried about my own account, but I do maintain some family accounts that don’t see a ton of activity, so I guess I need to monitor that more closely now)
In Oct 2022 the policy per FAQ was
Do my miles expire?
Mileage Plan miles do not expire
If miles don’t expire, does that mean my account will remain active indefinitely?
For account security purposes, we will continue to lock accounts that have been inactive for more than 2 years. If your account has been locked due to inactivity, call Guest Care to verify your identity, and they’ll reactivate the account for you. All miles in the account will still be there for you to use.
Today what remains is
Do my miles expire?
Mileage Plan miles do not expire
Mileage Plan miles do not expire
That said, the T&C today have this:
https://www.alaskaair.com/content/mi...ct-mileage-exp
Account and mileage expiration
Mileage Plan miles do not have an expiration date and may remain in an active account indefinitely, provided that the Mileage Plan program has not been terminated pursuant to these conditions of membership. Activity in an account includes redeeming a Mileage Plan award or accruing mileage in the Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan program.What is an active account? The T&C seem to not define it.
So… do they now have an unspecified requirement to maintain activity in the account every X months (years?) and if there is no such activity, the miles will be removed together with the account? It seems their definition of “mileage expiration” is that of programs like ANA’s where each mile has a use-by date, and they are effectively saying that they don’t have that kind of program?
(I am not worried about my own account, but I do maintain some family accounts that don’t see a ton of activity, so I guess I need to monitor that more closely now)