Beebokay56

I received an “Exclusive VIP offer awaits” email from Alaska yesterday selling bonus miles. What caught my attention was in the fine print.
Rule 3. Miles are non-refundable and do not count toward MVP and MVP Gold status. are non
Does this imply that purchased miles DO count towards 75k and 100k status?

pushmyredbutton

No, purchased miles do not count for elite status. One can dream..
75k and 100k are variants of MVP Gold.

AKLifetimeFlyer

This dream would be my nightmare. In my view, EQMs should only be earned by flying. I say this as someone who is earning the maximum AS BOA EQM bonus this year.

TalkingPoint

What harm does giving status to those who don’t fly actually do. The benefits basically scale with the amount of flying you do. The upgrades, priority boarding, free bags etc aren’t very valuable for those never stepping on a plane.

FullFare

But why accumulate miles at all if one is "never stepping on a plane"? I suppose one could argue that he/she is intending to use them for gifted awards or awards for personal use. But, given the way miles get devalued in time, wouldn't it be better to simply purchase tickets for whatever desired class and use $$$ to pay? Whenever I compute the price of a ticket vs the price paid for purchased miles for such ticket, the direct purchase always appears more economical.

Also, should the day come when the flyer with purchased status desires to get an upgrade, will all the paid eqm really balance out more economically vs upgrading on the website with cash? So, I agree that eqm shouldn't be "purchased" as a rule, although I and wife have used the credit card spend for the extra 20K eqm last year. That said, we go well over the 100k mark anyway and have enjoyed the rollover that Mr Minicucci authorized. I mean, those were flown miles I could have flown somewhere else. I give Ben high marks for keeping that incentive.

anteater

You may want to keep an eye on the direction that AS is heading, as EQM/loyalty is shifting from BIS to overall dollars in ecosystem. Days past of BIS being the measure of loyalty are fading.

As for the other comment regarding risk of dilution, it exists. If people are able to accrue status without yet having flown, they are incentivized to choose AS over another carrier. When they do take a flight, the dilution has an impact.

AS wants to maximize revenue and they decided that ecosystem spend is an increasingly valuable component*.


And as for the thread.. it is correct that at present purchasing miles does not earn EQM. Given AS' direction, I wouldn't dismiss AS entertaining promotions that would allow EQM accrual via RDM purchase in the future.

🤙🏻🥃

lalala

I'm happy to live of the fat of my Taller Half's desire to keep up with her MM/100K status if that is the case.

notquiteaff

Or maybe some sort of EQM&RDM boost you can buy when you buy a ticket. UA had killed sacred cow of “no purchasing of EQM” (“Elite Maximizer”) more than a decade ago.

kileysmom

I don't mind buying miles if I'm looking at international in F...that's a pretty good deal sometimes. Or of course, for a minor top up. But, frankly, using miles for domestic is usually a pricey option. It's all a game and, just like being at the table, the little guy isn't usually going to win big. Happy travels!

Yay75K

If you use purchased miles as part of a 'money & miles' ticket, you will earn both EQM and RDM on that ticket. Not the best value proposition but available.