Alaska Mileage Plan shuts down the intra-Asia stopover ‘trick’

Alaska Airlines runs its own “Mileage Plan” frequent flyer programme, which as most of our readers will know is relatively popular in Singapore because of some competitive redemption rates on the likes of partners Cathay Pacific and Japan Airlines.

The scheme has also recently started allowing awards on Singapore Airlines using Alaska miles, including in long-haul Business Class, First Class and Suites cabins, fuelling interest locally in Alaska’s regular ‘buy miles’ promotions.

What’s changed?

Today Alaska clamped down on the intra-Asia stopover allowance. Despite the JAL ‘trick’ (a pseudo-return flight for 25,000 miles) being available and used for years, some other very inventive routings were being searched and booked on Singapore Airlines including ‘return’ flights to Europe for 25,000 miles in Business Class.

Granted the Alaska Mileage Plan system should be clever enough to prevent such routings, which were obviously pricing incorrectly, but it seems like the easiest way for them to plug those crazy cheap itineraries was to simply prevent intra-Asia stopovers. That’s exactly what they have now done.

The JAL stopover trick is dead

For us the biggest news here is that we have lost the JAL ‘stopover trick’ option, perhaps the most frequently used sweet spot for Alaska miles members in Singapore and across South East Asia.

If you’re not familiar with what the JAL ‘stopover trick’ is, or should we say “was”, here’s a reminder.

Effectively you were paying an incredible 12,500 miles per 7-hour flight to or from Japan in Business Class, with the only catch that your departure and arrival airport at this end could not be the same.

Most of our readers started off flying Singapore to Tokyo, then flew back to Kuala Lumpur with a short flight home at their own expense, but there were plenty of other options.

We managed to use the stopover a few times and our most recent was Bangkok to Osaka (after a cheap Scoot flight), followed by Tokyo-Narita to Singapore several days later. 25,000 miles in Business Class, no complaints (especially having used the fantastic Qatar Airways lounge in Bangkok on the basis of our oneworld Business Class boarding cards).

These itineraries will now cost 50,000 miles, but the only saving grace is that now the saving is gone, no more ‘positioning’ is required and you can fly the route to and from Singapore at that rate, like you always could.

If you’re buying 50,000 Alaska miles at the top 50% bonus rate this itinerary comes at a cost of US$985 + US$95 in taxes, or around S$1,480. While that’s close to twice as much as it was before, it’s still a good rate for a return Business Class flight to Japan, which will otherwise typically cost you S$2,500+.

Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer miles are much easier to come by for the majority of our readers (you don’t usually have to ‘buy’ them), but as a point of comparison the airline is charging 94,000 miles roundtrip for the same itinerary in Business Class. Indeed SIA charges 50,000 KrisFlyer miles for a round-trip in Economy Class on this route.

We’re not saying you should now rush to book JAL roundtrip flights to Japan using 50,000 Alaska miles, but some perspective is required – that’s still a good deal (even if it hurts because the 25,000 miles trick was an amazing deal).

You can still stopover in Tokyo with JAL on USA flights

Note that the new restriction on intra-Asia stopovers using Alaska miles does not apply if you’re making a stopover as part of a longer journey on the same award ticket. It only applies to wholly intra-Asia itineraries.

For example SIN-NRT (stopover) NRT-JFK is still allowed for the regular mileage rate (65,000 in this case), with a stopover of up to 11 months.

The Singapore Airlines Alaska miles stopover is dead

A much more recent addition to the Alaska miles scheme is the ability to redeem on Singapore Airlines flights, and this is what seems to have triggered this latest change with some members making the most of the free stopover rule to create some amazing value itineraries including the likes of Europe and Australia.

When we say ‘recent’ here, it’s been less than a week since these options became available, so again some perspective is required. We probably all knew there would at least be some ‘tweaks’ as the system bedded in.

The intra-Asia stopover was the legitimate value here though, with itineraries such as Shanghai to Bali with a stopover in Singapore, or Beijing to Hong Kong with a stopover in Singapore coming in at very competitive rates.

These options are sadly no longer possible. Additionally Beijing and Shanghai have been shifted into the North Asia redemption zone, arguably where they always should have been, removing a great value option to and from those cities on simple one-way routings.

These Shanghai – Singapore flights shown above were previously 25,000 Alaska miles in Business Class and 35,000 miles in First Class, but are now 60,000 miles and 75,000 miles respectively – not a good rate!

JAL still provides a good option here, as does Cathay Pacific (not shown, you have to call to search and book), even cheaper at 22,500 miles in Business Class.

Following these changes, there are now really no good uses of Alaska miles on Singapore Airlines flights for those buying Alaska miles (like most of our readers). For those accruing significant Alaska miles more naturally (like some of our US-based readers), there are still some options worth exploring.

What about existing bookings?

If you’ve booked the JAL ‘stopover trick’ for 25,000 miles, for example Singapore to Tokyo in Business Class then the following week Tokyo to Kuala Lumpur in Business Class, for 25,000 miles, then provided your itinerary has been ticketed it’s unlikely there will now be any issue with your booking.

After all, the new condition (“10.” as shown above) did not exist when you booked the ticket, and the website permitted it.

For the more recent ‘inventive’ itineraries flying on Singapore Airlines, we expect Alaska will probably still honour these, though since they would have been booked only recently and could potentially be considered “obviously wrong”, they might still cancel them. It’s too early to tell for those.

Is all lost?

If you still have a sizeable balance of Alaska miles with the intention for using them to take advantage of the JAL stopover ‘trick’, or even the more recent Singapore Airlines stopover options, you might well be wondering if all hope is now lost and the miles are worthless.

Don’t worry – they’re not.

Things certainly got a bit worse today with the withdrawal of these excellent value options, but Alaska miles can still be used to redeem Business Class and First Class flights at competitive rates.

Here are some examples, with a compmarison against alternative frequent flyer programmes on the same routes.

Japan Airlines

Singapore to New York First Class*	200,000	85,000	75,000
Singapore to New York Business Class	165,000	70,000	65,000
Singapore to Tokyo Business Class	62,000	40,000	25,000

* Business Class Singapore to Tokyo, First Class Tokyo to New York

If you managed to buy Alaska miles in one of the 50% bonus sales, you’re looking at US$1,478 to New York in First Class, US$1,281 in Business Class or US$493 to Tokyo in Business Class.

Yes, you’ll have to find the award availability (easier on Singapore to Tokyo than Singapore to New York!), but these are competitive ‘fares’.

Cathay Pacific

Singapore to Los Angeles First Class*	160,000	130,000	70,000
Singapore to Los Angeles Business Class	135,000	85,000	50,000
Sydney to New York First Class*	200,000	130,000	80,000
Sydney to New York Business Class	165,000	85,000	60,000
Hong Kong to London Business Class	90,000	65,000	42,500
Vancouver to New York First Class	50,000	40,000	35,000
Singapore to Tokyo Business Class	44,000	45,000	22,500

* Business Class to Hong Kong, then First Class to the USA

There are a number of good value Cathay Pacific options, including Singapore to the USA for 50,000 miles in Business Class (US$985 if you buy Alaska miles with a 50% bonus). Singapore to Tokyo via Hong Kong in Business Class, with some excellent lounges on the way, is 22,500 miles (US$443 assuming a 50% bonus when you bought).

I have personally used my Alaska miles for a last-minute (day before) Cathay Pacific Hong Kong to London flight in Business Class for 42,500 miles, a 13-hour flight typically costing at least S$6,000.

Qantas

If you’re a regular traveller to or from Australia, or can include the country in your travel plans, Alaska miles provide both a domestic and USA option using Qantas.

Sydney to Dallas First Class	206,000	189,900	70,000
Sydney to Dallas Business Class	154,500	126,500	55,000
Perth to Sydney Business Class	38,750	41,500	20,000

Partner availability on international routes is restrictive, however for domestic flights it’s mostly wide open.

All options

For those not familiar, here’s a recap of the airline and route options using Alaska Miles applicable to the majority of our readers in Asia-Pacific.

Airline	Routes
	Asia – Canada/USA, Caribbean & Mexico Australia/NZ – Canada/USA
	India/South Asia – Canada/USA & Mexico
	Asia – Canada/USA Australia/NZ – Canada/USA India/South Asia – Canada/USA Intra-Asia Hong Kong – Africa, Australia/NZ, Europe, India/South Asia & Middle East
	Asia – Canada/USA Australia/NZ – Canada/USA India/South Asia – Canada/USA
	Australia/NZ – USA
	Asia – Canada/USA, Europe & Mexico India/South Asia – Canada/USA, Europe & Mexico
	Asia – Canada/USA & Mexico Intra-China
	Asia – Canada/USA Intra-Asia
	Asia – Canada/USA Australia/NZ – Canada/USA India/South Asia – Canada/USA Korea – SE Asia
	Australia/NZ – Canada/USA Intra-Australia
	Asia – USA Asia – South Pacific Asia – India Asia – Middle East Asia – Europe Asia – Africa Intra-Asia

You can view the full Alaska miles award charts here.

Summary

Alaska’s regular ‘buy miles’ promotions are certainly now likely to have less allure in Singapore than they did before.

While the removal of stopovers for Singapore Airlines itineraries won’t exactly be missed (it had only been available for a few days!), the JAL stopover ‘trick’ was a driving factor for many of our readers, ourselves included, to occasionally buy these miles for those great value Japan trips in Business Class.

That doesn’t mean all is lost if you still have an Alaska miles balance that you were intending to use with an intra-Asia stopover.

In the worst case of course, if you have 25,000 miles for example, you still now have a one-way trip in Business Class on JAL or Cathay Pacific, instead of a ‘return’ routing.

If you have more miles than that though, or are willing to top up, there remain good value options when using Alaska miles for USA trips with Cathay Pacific and JAL, or even Qantas from Australia to the USA.

Europe is also an option, if you can get to Hong Kong then Alaska offers Cathay Business Class for 42,500 miles to London for example. Even Finnair from Singapore to London via Helsinki in Business Class at 60,000 isn’t a terrible deal (though we’d opt for Cathay if we could).

In conclusion, not all is lost.

While this is a disappointing development for many of us, there are still good options available if you’re sitting on Alaska miles. Sure you may now think twice about buying in future sales, but as we’ve always said when buying miles, you must ideally have a concrete plan to use them soon – changes to partner relationships and award rules can happen at any time.

(Cover Photo: Masahiro Takagi)