Need some Alaska miles?  Grab your credit card and head on over to their 40% bonus sale!

Now through Feb. 16, when you purchase Alaska Mileage Plan miles, you’re eligible to earn up to 40% extra miles on top of your purchase. You’ll need an Alaska Airlines account first, and then head on over to the Mileage Plan page to buy, or check your email for the subject line “Up to 40% bonus miles: Start the new year with a bonus.”

Image source: Alaska Airlines.

You have to purchase at least 5,000 miles to earn a bonus.  You can buy increments of 1,000, all the way up to 60,000 miles (with a 40% bonus on top):

• 1,000 – 4,000 miles (no bonus)
• 5,000 – 19,000 miles (20% bonus)
• 20,000 – 29,000 miles (30% bonus)
• 30,000 – 60,000 miles (40% bonus)

Should I Buy Alaska Miles with a 40% Bonus?

As always, this is ultimately up to you. I caution folks to not buy speculatively; only buy miles when you know when and how you plan on using them (and it provides good value). If you can save money buying miles, go for it!

Here’s the math if you buy 30,000 miles, the minimum requirement to get the maximum bonus:

30,000 miles purchased + 12,000 bonus miles for $825 cost + $61.88 recovery fee

(I hate fees…)

42,000 total miles for $886.88 (or ~2.1 cents per mile)

Alaska miles are valuable, no doubt about it.  But 2 cents per mile valuable?  Maybe.  If you’re redeeming Alaska miles for high class Cathay Pacific travel, I think you have a point. Generally, though, that’s a high price for buying miles.  Don’t forget, this transaction is completed by Points.com, so you won’t earn bonus travel category miles on the purchase.