This is even better than a 40% bonus.

Alaska Air is now doing a flash sale from now until 1 July 2019 2.59pm (30 June 2019, 11.59pm PST).

Unlike previous sales where they offer 40% bonus miles (sometimes up to 50%), Alaska Air is now offering a 30% straight up discount off the purchase price.

Offer type	Effective discount
40% bonus miles	28.6%
50% bonus miles	33.3%
30% discount	30%

So if you look at the table above, you will see that a 30% discount is slightly higher than a 40% bonus, so this is a good middle ground between a 40 to 50% bonus offer.

There is a minimum number of miles you have to purchase before you enjoy the discount, and apparently this minimum differs from person to person. You will have to log into your account to see what you are targeted with. Personally I’ve been targeted with the offer provided I buy a minimum of 20,000 miles.

What are they good for?

For the uninitiated, Alaska Air has amassed quite a good portfolio of partners to earn and redeem miles on, including Japan Airlines (JAL), Cathay Pacific, Emirates and more.

One of the most widely known sweet spot with this programme is the ability to book a quasi-return trip on JAL in business class for only 25,000 miles. Specific to this promotion, that means you can buy it for US$517.34, which is an absolute steal for a ‘return’ business class trip.

How to book the ‘return’ trip on Japan Airlines:

Japan Airlines (JAL) charges only 25,000 miles for intra-Asia itineraries involving a maximum of 1 stop, to count it as a ‘one-way’ journey. Alaska Air also allows for a stopover, i.e. staying in the intermediate point for more than 24 hours.

Using the rule above, you can technically book something like, Bangkok to Singapore via Tokyo on JAL business class, which will only cost you 25,000 miles because it is technically a one-way itinerary. All you need to do is to buy another (cheaper) ticket to Bangkok to start your journey.

Another sweet spot is that JAL allows for open-jaw booking, so you can booking something like Bangkok-Osaka, then Tokyo-Singapore in a same journey.

Remember, offer ends 1 July 2019 2.59pm!