June 9, 2025
How to Maximize Alaska Airlines Miles for High-Value Award Travel in 2025
Episode Description
Have Alaska miles—or thinking of transferring your Amex points before the June 30 deadline?
In this episode, I’m breaking down some of the most valuable ways to redeem Alaska Airlines miles right now. From low-cost domestic redemptions to hard-to-find international business class flights, this guide walks you through the sweet spots that make Alaska’s program one of the most valuable in points travel.
You’ll also learn what not to do with your Alaska miles (even if it looks like a good deal), plus a few rare redemptions that are great in theory—but nearly impossible to actually book.
Whether you already have Alaska miles or you’re considering a speculative transfer, this episode will help you use those points with confidence and strategy.
Want more help using your Alaska miles wisely?
Join me for a live workshop on June 21st at 10am CDT where I’ll walk you through the best Alaska Airlines sweet spots and the tools I use to find them fast—so you can stop second-guessing and start booking. Click here to reserve your spot.
Turn your expenses into points and save tens of thousands of dollars a year on your wishlist travel. Don’t miss out! Click here to know more about my comprehensive online program, Points Made Easy.
What You’ll Learn from this Episode
- The best sweet spot Alaska redemptions—domestic and international
- How to find lie-flat business class flights with real award space
- Which Alaska partners offer high-value bookings (and which don’t)
- The truth about “phantom” award space and how to avoid it
- What makes Alaska’s award chart unique (and tricky)
- When a redemption looks good—but isn’t worth your miles
- Whether it’s worth transferring Amex points to Alaska before the deadline
Featured on the Show:
- Follow me on Instagram
- Get on the waitlist for the Points Made Easy Course here!
- Get My Cash-Back Credit Card Cheat Sheet!
- If you have any questions or you want me to dive deeper into a specific topic, email me here: podcast@pointmetofirstclass.com
- Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan
- FlightConnections
- Ep 117: Should You Speculatively Transfer Amex Points to Alaska?
Click here to download full episode transcript
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Point Me to First Class is the show for professionals and business owners with higher-than-average personal or business expenses, who want to learn to leverage these expenses into credit card points they can spend on travel.
Each week, I share valuable tips, tools, and strategies to help you uplevel your skills earning and redeeming credit card points, so you can expand your travel and expand your experiences.
