Benji Stawski is a former reporter for the site, covering all things points, miles, credit cards, travel and aviation.
December 17, 2020 • 7 min read
The cards we feature here are from partners who compensate us when you are approved through our site, and this may impact how or where these products appear. We don't cover all available credit cards, but our analysis, reviews, and opinions are entirely from our editorial team. Terms apply to the offers listed on this page. Please view our advertising policy and product review methodology for more information.Editorial disclaimer: Opinions expressed here are the author's alone, not those of any bank, credit card issuer, airline or hotel chain, and have not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by any of these entities.
Comments
By commenting, you agree to our Community Guidelines to help create a positive space for conversation. The responses below are not provided or commissioned by the bank advertiser, our partners, or The Points Guy (“TPG”). They have not been reviewed, approved, or otherwise endorsed by any of these parties. All responses are submitted by individual contributors, and neither the bank advertiser, our partners, nor TPG are responsible for ensuring that all posts and/or questions are answered.
Related stories
Quick summary
Alaska Airlines is offering two major limited-time discounts: a 30% friends-and-family discount for all travelers and a targeted 40% discount for select email subscribers.
The 30% discount applies to flights booked by Dec. 19, 2020, for travel between Jan. 5 and Aug. 31, 2021, including all fare classes and no blackout dates.
The targeted 40% discount is more restrictive, valid for bookings made by Dec. 17, 2020, for travel through May 19, 2021, with specific blackout dates and limited to certain fare classes and days of week.
Discounts do not apply to taxes and fees, and only one discount code can be used per booking.
What to consider
The 30% discount is open to all and can be used for up to seven travelers on a single reservation, while the 40% targeted offer is unique to each recipient and allows up to six travelers.
Both promotions are for new ticket purchases only and cannot be combined with other offers or applied to existing reservations.
Free changes or cancellations are available for tickets booked under these promotions, and Alaska Airlines' policy on middle seat blocking may change after Jan. 6, 2021.
What you'll miss from the article
A detailed guide to maximizing these Alaska Airlines discounts, including sample routes, booking tips and how to navigate restrictions.
Generated by AI with support from our editorial team.
Update: Some offers mentioned below are no longer available. View the current offers here.
Want to see the latest flight deals as soon as they’re published? Follow The Points Guy on Facebook and Twitter, and subscribe to text message alerts from our deals feed, @tpg_alerts.
Alaska Airlines is back at it again with another flight deal — or in this case, two deals.
For a limited time, Alaska Airlines is offering a friends-and-family discount of 30% off flights. This discount is available for travel for most of 2021 and even includes first class.
However, it gets even better than that. Some Alaska Airlines email subscribers are being targeted for 40% discounts.
These discounts are available for flights nationwide, including to Hawaii. To give you an idea of how big these discounts are, you can book cross-country flights for as low as $37 in Saver (basic economy), $55 in standard economy and $170 in first class each way. On shorter flights, we're seeing first-class seats for as low as $65.
Here's everything you need to know to unlock these savings.
For more TPG news and deals delivered each morning to your inbox, sign up for our daily newsletter.
Book Alaska Air first class for 30% off. (Photo by Katherine Fan/The Points Guy)
Alaska Airlines 30% off friends-and-family discount
Through Dec. 19, 2020, Alaska Airlines is offering 30% off all flights between Jan. 5 and Aug. 31, 2021. This includes Saver (basic economy) fares, Main (standard economy) fares and first class and there are no blackout dates.
The discount applies to one-way or round-trip travel and is valid for up to seven travelers at a time when booked and ticketed on the same reservation. It does not apply to government-imposed taxes or airport fees.
Anyone can take advantage of this "friends-and-family" discount. Simply head to alaskaair.com, click "use discount or companion fare code" in the flight search box, fill out your itinerary details and enter any of the following discount codes:
BEANSNBYTES
BOOKNOW
CARELINE
FLYWITHME
MEATBALL
PANCAKES
QUEENJEAN
TAKEMEAWAY
WHEELSUP
There's no difference between these codes. The reason there are so many is because Alaska gave every staff department a different code to distribute.
Seattle (SEA) to Portland (PDX) in July from $37 in Saver, $51 in Main, $65 in first class:
Los Angeles (LAX) to San Francisco (SFO) in August from $37 in Saver, $48 in Main, $65 in first class:
Fort Lauderdale (FLL) to Los Angeles, CA (LAX) in February from $42 in Saver, $63 in Main, $170 in first class:
Los Angeles, CA (LAX) to Newark (EWR) in February from $65 in Saver, $79 in Main, $184 in first class:
Seattle (SEA) to Anchorage (ANC) in July from $97 in Saver, $118 in Main, $198 in first class:
San Francisco (SFO) to Maui (OGG) in August from $107 in Saver, $132 in Main, $240 in first class:
New York-JFK to Maui (OGG) in May from $135 in Saver, $184 in Main, $439 in first class:
Alaska Airlines targeted 40% off discount
If you're an Alaska email subscriber, you may have received a unique discount code for 40% off your next flight. While you can save more with this promotion, it's a lot more restrictive.
For starters, you must book by 11:59 p.m. PST on Dec. 17, 2020. The discount is valid for travel from Jan. 5 through May 19, 2021 and the following blackout dates apply: Feb. 11-22; March 20, 27; Apr. 3, 10, 17, 2021.
Travel is valid Mondays through Thursdays and Saturdays, meanwhile travel to/from Hawaii is only valid Mondays through Thursdays. Furthermore, the discount is only valid for basic economy and main cabin tickets and only for travel in the U.S. and Canada.
Despite these restrictions, there are still savings to be had. For instance, taking the February Fort Lauderdale to Los Angeles example from above, we'd be able to book this flight for just $37 in Saver or $55 in Main. That's an extra $5 off in basic economy or $8 off in standard economy compared to the other promotion.
Just remember, your discount code is unique to you and can only be used once for a single purchase, although you can book up to six travelers on one reservation (and the purchaser does not have to be among the travelers).
Important things to know
There are some important things to keep in mind if you plan on taking advantage of either of these promotions. To start, Alaska is offering flexibility to those who take advantage of these promotions. Regardless of what type of fare you book, you'll be able to change or cancel your ticket free of charge.
Unfortunately, Alaska only allows you to use one discount code at a time, so you can't stack these promotions with the Companion Fare benefit from $121 ($99 fare, plus taxes and fees from $22) offered by the Alaska Airlines Visa Signature® credit card. Additionally, the terms indicate that the discounts are valid for new ticket purchases only and can't be applied toward existing reservations. However, you may be able to get around this by canceling your ticket, deposit the funds into your account wallet and then using those funds to repurchase the flights.
On the flip side, you will still earn miles for your flights as per usual. Alaska is one of the few airlines that still issue miles based on flight distance, so these super-low fares can greatly boost your Mileage Plan account balance. Also, keep in mind Alaska is making it easier to earn elite status next year.
Although Alaska is currently blocking middle seats, it's only planning to do so through Jan. 6, 2021. The promotions discussed above are for travel beginning Jan. 5, so you may not have an open seat next to you on your flight. That said, a number of studies, including one from the International Air Transport Association and another conducted by the U.S. Department of Defense, suggest empty middle seats are less important as long as everyone is wearing a mask — which Alaska Airlines requires.
(Photo by Katherine Fan/The Points Guy)
Maximize your purchase
Don’t forget to use a credit card that earns bonus points on airfare purchases, such as The Platinum Card® from American Express (5x on flights booked directly with airlines or American Express Travel; starting Jan. 1, 2021, earn 5x points on up to $500,000 on these purchases per calendar year), Citi Prestige® Card (5x on airfare), Chase Sapphire Reserve, American Express® Gold Card (3x on airfare booked directly with the airline or through Amextravel), Citi Premier® Card (3x on air travel) or the Chase Sapphire Preferred Card (2x on all travel purchases).
The information for the Citi Prestige card has been collected independently by The Points Guy. The card details on this page have not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer.
Check out this post for more on maximizing airfare purchases.
By commenting, you agree to our Community Guidelines to help create a positive space for conversation. The responses below are not provided or commissioned by the bank advertiser, our partners, or The Points Guy (“TPG”). They have not been reviewed, approved, or otherwise endorsed by any of these parties. All responses are submitted by individual contributors, and neither the bank advertiser, our partners, nor TPG are responsible for ensuring that all posts and/or questions are answered.
