We got warning messages that we need some FF activity or our miles will expire. My account is first, and my husband's and kids are at different times but all are in the next few months apparently.

We have Alaskan and we noticed the FF mileage dining plan. It appears to be similar/the same as one offered by Delta Skymiles. Has anyone used either of these programs and have the miles posted properly? In the past, we have had issues shopping online through Alaskan's site and sometimes the miles don't post.

Thanks!

Never had a problem with Alaska's dining program posting quickly.

Buying one magazine got me activity on Delta's Frequent Flyer program.

Try looking on www.flyertalk.com Not sure about Alaksa but most of the airline forums have a "how to keep my miles from expiring" thread there.

I've used Delta's shopping, but you have to allow time for the miles to post (some stores you purchase from can be slow). I think the ITunes store used to be listed on their website. That might be one of your cheapest options, but make sure it will count and reset your expiration date. You don't want to wait until the last minute since most activities state to allow 8 weeks or so for miles to post.

iTunes is definitely a partner. Go to:

http://www.skymilesshopping.com/

Not sure how long miles take to post, though...

Darn. Posted before I realized this was about Alaska. The talk about Delta had me confused.

At any rate, Alaska also partners with iTunes:

http://mileageplanshopping.com/

With some programs, you can make a small donation of points to keep your account active. Also, a points.com transfer into or out of another program will sometimes work.

Check the expiration date of your miles carefully on airline website - I have been getting emails and now real mail from Delta warning I must take "urgent action" to keep miles from expiring - expiration date for my miles is October!

Thanks, you guys.

One of our accounts is under two months so I may try more than one purchase on that, and definitely the dining because it will automatically give us miles for signing up.

The last Alaska purchase we made to update our mileage it took over three months to post and that was after we did some emailing to find out what happened. So we concluded that 8 weeks was the bare minimum. Does anyone know which stores tend to post miles more quickly?

Carol, I have tried reading Flyertalk in the past, and actually have spent more time there before posting here, but it's a little overwhelming. A lot of abbreviations on that site and I have yet to find a "sticky" translating for us "kettles." The one helpful thing I did learn there was that I could do the dining on a second card and we could go to eat more than once or even split the bill if our bill meet the minimum threshhold.

The dining miles are posted a in a short while, a couple of weeks at most. Also, you can buy gift cards for yourself at their shopping site.