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Virgin America and Alaska Airlines have merged.
Starting January 9, 2017, you can link your Alaska Mileage Plan and Virgin America Elevate accounts. Then you can transfer 1 Virgin America points to 1.3 Alaska miles.
That is almost exactly the fair ratio in my opinion. On the Mile Value Leaderboard, I have Alaska miles worth 1.75 cents each and Virgin America points worth 2.3 cents each.
1.75 * 1.3 = 2.275, which rounds to 2.3
SPG Angle
You can currently transfer SPG Starpoints 1:1 to Virgin America points, and like all 1:1 SPG transfer partners, you get 5,000 bonus points for every 20,000 transferred.
If you transfer 20,000 Starpoints to 25,000 Virgin America points now, you can transfer those to 32,500 Alaska miles on January 9th. That’s a 62.5% transfer bonus from Starpoints to Alaska miles!
Unanswered Question
Will Virgin America points automatically convert to Alaska miles on January 9? The wording makes it sound like “no.”
On January 9, 2017, we will invite you to enroll in Alaska’s award-winning Mileage Plan, enabling access to book award travel on Alaska Airlines and Alaska Global Partners network to over 900 worldwide destinations. Plus, you’ll receive more detail on how you can convert your Elevate points to Alaska Mileage Plan miles at a rate of 1.3 Mileage Plan miles per Elevate point. [Emphasis mine.]
In that case, for how long will we have separate Virgin America and Alaska programs through which we can redeem miles?
And will we be able to transfer Alaska miles to Virgin America points at a rate of 1.3 to 1 during that time? It doesn’t sound like it.
Good Alaska Redemptions
Alaska miles are on sale through the end of the month for 2.11 cents each. In my post detailing the sale, I listed some of the top Alaska award redemptions like Cathay Pacific First Class to Africa for only 70,000 miles.
And don’t forget Alaska’s newest (and very cheap) partner Japan Airlines: you can book its fancy First Class to North Asia or India for only 70,000 miles.
Bottom Line
Airline consolidation is bad for miles enthusiasts. Less competition means less spent on marketing, and frequent flyer programs are a marketing expense.
However, in the short run, the ability to combine two smaller accounts into one bigger one is great news. In this case, your Virgin America points are worth 1.3 Alaska miles, which means your SPG points are worth 1.625 Alaska miles.
Just getting started in the world of points and miles? The Chase Sapphire Preferred is the best card for you to start with.
With a bonus of 60,000 points after $4,000 spend in the first 3 months, 5x points on travel booked through the Chase Travel℠ and 3x points on restaurants, streaming services, and online groceries (excluding Target, Walmart, and wholesale clubs), this card truly cannot be beat for getting started!
Editorial Disclaimer: The editorial content is not provided or commissioned by the credit card issuers. Opinions expressed here are the author’s alone, not those of the credit card issuers, and have not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by the credit card issuers.
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So how can I use my Alaska miles to book a California-to-Chicago flight on Virgin America? Are you saying that it’s not possible because Alaska miles can’t be converted to Virgin points?
OP here. never mind, it says that Alaska flyers will be able to redeem miles on Virgin America flights starting Jan 9.
Citi Thank you points convert to Virgin as well (at least until Feb).
I’m sure Alaska will have something built into the system so conversion mania can’t happen.
Yes, but at a 2 Citi Points to 1 Virgin Point rate, so skip that!
Does this wording make it clearer concerning transfers from VA account to Alaska account?
I have both Elevate and Mileage Plan accounts. Can I connect them?
Yes. You should receive an email from Elevate with instructions on how to confirm linkage of your Mileage Plan account to your Elevate account. And, beginning January 9, 2017, you will have the option to convert your Elevate points into Mileage Plan miles at a rate of 1.3 Mileage Plan miles per Elevate point, which can be used to access award travel on Alaska and Alaska Global Partners. We will share more details on January 9.
[…] Airlines and Delta are competing more with Alaska merging with Virgin America and Delta beefing up its presence at Alaska’s Seattle hub. That means their partnership has […]
So is it safe to transfer SPG to VA now, if planning on converting VA miles to Alaska miles on January 9th?
Scott, I use 3,000 Elevate miles for interisland travel. Any idea if these will still be offered or if I should book flights before Jan 9?