Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan Shopping guide

Flying cross-country or using an Alaska Airlines card isn’t the only way you can stockpile frequent flyer miles. You can also top off your Mileage Plan account from the comfort of your home simply by visiting the Mileage Plan Shopping portal before you do your online shopping.

Alaska Airlines offers an easy-to-use shopping portal that helps passengers supplement their miles balances and earn a free trip faster. Each time you use the portal to shop online, you’ll earn between 2 and 6 miles per dollar you spend – or a flat number of miles. That’s in addition to any rewards you may earn through your credit card. The portal is free and easy to use, and it offers a huge selection of participating stores.

Partners include mega retailers, such as Walmart, Macy’s and Sephora; media subscriptions such as The Wall Street Journal; and specialty merchants, lije Under Armour. The full list of partners is so long – totaling more than 1,100 merchants – chances are high that you can find your favorite store.

How to use the Mileage Plan Shopping portal

Thankfully, you don’t need to muddle through a complicated system to take advantage of the portal. All you need to do is visit the Alaska Mileage Plan portal and sign into your member account. From there, you can click on the link to whatever store you want to buy from and start accumulating miles automatically.

To find a particular store, click on “Find a store or product” at the top of the web page and enter your choice in the search bar, or browse the alphabetized listings on the “Explore stores and more” tab.

You can also install a Mileage Plan Shopping Plan button as an extension on your Chrome browser. That way, you don’t have to visit the portal first to start earning miles. Any time you visit a partnering store, the button will remind you of the miles you can earn and any associated promotions. Just remember to click “activate” before you check out.

Do you want to see the item in person before purchasing? If you’ve already determined what and from which retailer you’re buying, you can link the offer to your preferred card. Then, when you’re in store, you can check out with that linked card and get your miles.

If you aren’t sure which store you want to visit or just want to browse what deals are available, you can also visit the Mileage Plan portal and click on “All online offers.” From this list, you can narrow down your choices by clicking on “Expiring soon,” “Highest earn rate” or “Newest.” You can also browse by category.

How many miles can you earn with Mileage Plan Shopping?

Earnings will vary, depending on the retailer and the time of year, and change often. However, most run from 1 to 4 miles per dollar spent. For example, Dell currently offers just 1 mile per dollar spent, while Sunglass Hut offers 4 miles.

There are some major outliers, though, that offer an even larger number of bonus miles, so they’re worth checking out before you shop. One is McAfee, which offers 12 miles per dollar.

Some merchants even dole out big one-time bonuses. For example, DISH Network allows you to earn 3,600 miles and Disney+ gives 350 miles. In general, you’ll find that the bigger, more established brands offer some of the best deals.

The best credit cards to use with the Mileage Plan Shopping

Charging your purchases to the Alaska Airlines Visa Signature® credit card is the easiest way for you to increase your rewards balance since you’ll automatically get 1 additional mile for every dollar you spend.

You can also charge your purchases to a card that allows you to transfer your points to Alaska Airlines at a reasonable rate. Marriott, for example, lets you convert your points into Alaska miles at a 3:1 ratio, which isn’t bad considering that every general purchase earns 2 points per dollar spent.

How to get the most out of Mileage Plan Shopping

Use these tips to get the maximum numbers of miles out of the program:

• Choose your card wisely: If your main goal is to turbocharge your miles balance, you’ll boost your earnings using a travel card like the Alaska Airlines’. However, its 1X mile rate isn’t so great. If you don’t mind splitting your priorities, you could get a bigger return using a 2% cash back card.
• Look for special discounts: The Mileage Plan portal doesn’t just offer miles bonuses – it also offers lots of freebies and promotions. Before you settle on a retailer for its miles bonus, check to see if a competitor is offering a sweeter deal.
• Use the Shopping Plan button so you never miss out: The button will remind you to opt in to the portal each time you shop at a partner store so you won’t forget to use it. It will also notify you about special deals and brand-new bonuses so you can maximize your online savings.
• Browse the portal regularly: If you really want to be aggressive, it’s a good idea to frequently re-familiarize yourself with the portal’s offerings. Not only could the represented retailers change, you may also find yourself drawn to certain deals at different times.

Shopping partners

A huge number of retailers take part in the program, so you shouldn’t have much trouble finding what you need. Many of the country’s best-known retailers offer bonuses including Levi’s, Foot Locker, The Container Store, Home Depot, Apple, JCPenney, Walmart, Samsung and more. Trendy internet-only retailers are also featured, such as ModCloth, Society6 and ASOS.

Categories run the gamut from beauty and skincare to computers, clothes, hardware, office supplies, magazines, toys, pets, sports supplies, furniture and more. Even cable providers, tax preparation services, personal trainers, publishers and meal kit subscription companies show up in the portal’s list of merchants.

Bottom line

If you’re looking for something specific, you can probably find it at a partnering store. Alaska Airlines makes the Mileage Plan Shopping portal easy to use – and it’s one of the easiest ways to earn miles – you’ll be hard pressed to find an excuse not to take advantage of it.