First on TPG: Alaska's new MVP Gold 100K status tier begins to reflect on accounts

Shortly before formally joining Oneworld, Alaska Airlines announced a new elite status tier, MVP Gold 100K. As its name suggests, it's a new top-tier status level for members who fly 100,000 miles or more per year, ahead of the program's previous top-tier elite level MVP Gold 75K.

While Alaska already shared what benefits the new status tier would entail, it stopped short of announcing a formal launch date — it simply said the end of January 2022.

Well, the day has finally arrived.

Today, Alaska confirmed to TPG that it has officially launched MVP Gold 100K and has begun to update eligible accounts to reflect the new status tier. The airline also noted that the process is expected to take several hours, so don't fret if your new status isn't displaying quite yet.

How to earn MVP Gold 100K status

You can earn Alaska's new top-tier MVP Gold 100K status by meeting either of the following requirements in a calendar year:

• Earn 100,000 elite-qualifying miles
• Fly 140 segments

Regardless of which route you take, you must fly a minimum of 24 segments on Alaska-marketed and operated flights. Also keep in mind that Alaska still awards elite-qualifying miles based on miles flown, and there's no spending requirement for status.

Although the new tier just launched, it's possible that you already qualified. Any Mileage Plan members who earned 100,000 miles in 2021 will be automatically upgraded from MVP Gold 75K to MVP Gold 100K.

Related: Alaska Airlines makes it even easier for elites to requalify for 2022 status

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MVP Gold 100K benefits

For the most part, MVP Gold 100K mirrors MVP Gold 75K status, but with a few added benefits, including:

• Complimentary upgrades up to 120 hours before departure and with higher priority than MVP Gold 75K
• 150% bonus on earning award miles (compared to 125% with MVP Gold 75K)
• Two one-way international upgrade certificates on American Airlines (MVP Gold 75Ks get one)
• Complimentary premium beverage plus snack when flying in Main Cabin (MVP Gold 75Ks only get a beverage)

The biggest benefits here are higher upgrade priority and additional international upgrade certificates on American Airlines. Unfortunately, however, it seems that 100K elites will not receive upgrade priority over 75K elites when traveling on American.

Overall, these benefits are a bit underwhelming. For instance, some TPG staffers were hoping for benefits like free Alaska Lounge access, enhanced Gold Guest Upgrades and elite benefits on Saver fares. Regardless, they will be useful for those who frequently travel on Alaska and American Airlines.

Further, Alaska's site says that additional MVP Gold 100K perks will be introduced later in 2022, so stay tuned.

Related: How and why I went for top-tier status with Alaska Airlines

Bottom line

Alaska's new MVP Gold 100K status tier is here. The airline has begun updating eligible accounts to reflect the new status, though the process is expected to take some time, so you might not see it yet.

If you had Alaska elite status last year but fell short of requalifying, remember that your status has been extended through April 2022 and that you can extend your status by meeting reduced thresholds by the end of April. Unfortunately, there's no fast-track opportunity to 100K status.