Alaska Airlines Visa Credit Card Review 2024

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The Alaska Airlines Visa Signature® credit card is an excellent choice if you fly Alaska Airlines or use its miles to book partner awards. It's currently offering an elevated welcome bonus of 60,000 bonus miles plus Alaska's Famous Companion Fare™ ($99 fare plus taxes and fees from $23) after you spend $3,000 or more on purchases within the first 90 days of your account opening. Plus, benefits like a free checked bag on Alaska flights and an annual companion certificate can save frequent flyers a lot of money.

Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan is widely regarded as one of the most valuable frequent flyer programs — and not just for those who like to fly Alaska Airlines. You can often get the best value from Alaska Airlines miles when you redeem them for award flights on partners, including Cathay Pacific, Japan Airlines, and American Airlines.

That's why many award travelers focus on Alaska miles, even if they're not near a city served by the carrier. However, Alaska Airlines doesn't partner with any of the major transferable bank points programs (like Amex Membership Rewards or Chase Ultimate Rewards ®), so the easiest way to earn Alaska miles is with the Alaska Airlines Visa Signature® credit card.

Alaska Airlines Visa Credit Card Overview

The Alaska Airlines Visa Signature® credit card is issued by Bank of America, and it's currently offering a welcome bonus of 60,000 bonus miles plus Alaska's Famous Companion Fare™ ($99 fare plus taxes and fees from $23) after you spend $3,000 or more on purchases within the first 90 days of your account opening. In fact, Personal Finance Insider has named it one of the best Bank of America credit cards .

The card has a $95 annual fee, but if you fly Alaska Airlines frequently, you could save a lot of money with perks like a free first checked bag (worth $30) on Alaska flights for yourself and up to six companions, plus the companion fare each year you spend $6,000 or more on purchases. That's not even counting the value of the welcome bonus — which can be substantial, especially if you use it toward partner award flights.

If you're not sure you'll use Alaska miles in the near future, but still want access to Alaska miles, it could be worth earning Marriott points from any of the Marriott Bonvoy credit cards instead. You can transfer Marriott points to airline partners like Alaska at a 3:1 ratio (with a 5,000-mile bonus for every 60,000 Marriott points you transfer), so that's an option if you prefer flexibility.

Alaska Airlines Credit Card Rewards

Welcome bonus offer

The Alaska Airlines Visa Signature® credit card is offering a welcome bonus of 60,000 bonus miles plus Alaska's Famous Companion Fare™ ($99 fare plus taxes and fees from $23) after you spend $3,000 or more on purchases within the first 90 days of your account opening. The welcome bonus miles are worth 105000 in flights, based on Personal Finance Insider's valuation of Alaska miles , and you could potentially get even more value if you're strategic about how you redeem your rewards.

How to earn miles

The Alaska Airlines Visa Signature® credit card updated its earning structure with new 2x earning categories that can help you earn more miles on your everyday spending.

Cardholders earn:

• 3 miles per dollar spent on eligible Alaska Airlines purchases, which include Alaska Airlines tickets, Alaska Airlines flight subscriptions, inflight food and beverage purchases, lounge memberships, in-lounge food and beverage purchases, cargo purchases, and vacation packages billed by Alaska Airlines (Alaska Airlines bookings made through third-party sites won't earn bonus miles)
• 2 miles per dollar on gas/EV charging (service stations, automated fuel dispensers, marinas, marine service and supplies, and fuel dealers of fuel oil, wood, coal, and liquefied petroleum)
• 2 miles per dollar on local transit including rideshare (local and suburban commuter transportation, including ferries, passenger railways, taxicabs, limousines, bus lines, tolls, and bridge fees)
• 2 miles per dollar on cable and select streaming services (includes satellite and other pay television/radio/streaming services and digital goods media such as books, movies, digital artwork/images, and music)
• 1 mile per dollar on all other purchases

How to use miles

Alaska Airlines flyers can get significant value when they redeem miles for award flights on the airline. The award chart for Alaska flights is distance-based, which means it costs more miles for longer flights. For example, short flights 700 miles or less in distance cost just 5,000 Alaska miles in economy class each way.

Here's the Alaska Airlines award chart for flights at the lowest award level:

Alaska Airlines also allows travelers to use miles toward a 50% discount when they book a ticket, up to certain limits — a 50% discount up to $100 costs 10,000 miles, and up to $200 costs 20,000 miles. Be sure to compare the cost of a full award ticket to what you'd spend on a paid flight because you'll often get a better deal using miles (or cash) outright.

The Alaska Mileage Plan program offers another lucrative benefit: You can add a stopover to award flights, even on partners, at no extra cost. This even applies to one-way flights, which is rarely an option with other frequent flyer programs.

Alaska Airlines has a broad range of domestic and international partners, in part because it's a member of the Oneworld alliance. You can currently redeem Alaska Airlines miles for award flights on the following airlines:

• Aer Lingus
• Air Tahiti Nui
• American Airlines
• British Airways
• Cathay Pacific
• Condor
• El Al
• Fiji Airways
• Finnair
• Hainan Airlines
• Iberia
• Icelandair
• Japan Airlines
• Korean Air
• LATAM Airlines
• Malaysia Airlines
• Qantas
• Qatar
• Ravn Alaska
• Royal Air Maroc
• Royal Jordanian
• Singapore Airlines
• Sri Lankan Airlines
• STARLUX Airlines

Alaska Airlines used to publish separate award charts for each partner, but now it's a range of prices that vary based on partner and destination. To get accurate pricing, you'll have to search for the award flights and dates you want. Here are a few examples of what you can expect:

• First class from the US to Asia (via Hong Kong) on Cathay Pacific for 70,000 Alaska miles
• First class from the US to Africa (via Hong Kong) on Cathay Pacific for 85,000 Alaska miles
• Business class from the US to Australia (via Fiji) on Fiji Airways for 55,000 Alaska miles
• Business class from the US to South America on LATAM Airlines for 45,000 Alaska miles
• Business class from the US to Australia on Qantas for 55,000 Alaska miles

Some of these flights can cost thousands of dollars, particularly in first class — so if you're looking to squeeze the most value from Alaska miles, premium-cabin partner award flights are your best bet.

Alaska Airlines Credit Card Benefits and Features

The Alaska Airlines Visa Signature® credit card offers a range of benefits (including several new features), but most of them are only useful if you fly Alaska Airlines.

Annual companion fare

On each account anniversary, Alaska Airlines Visa Signature® credit card cardholders will receive a companion fare code after they spend $6,000 or more on purchases within the prior anniversary year. The companion fare code is valid for round-trip economy-class travel on Alaska Airlines. You can use the companion certificate to book a guest, traveling on the same paid itinerary as you, starting at $122 ($99 base fare plus taxes and fees from $23).

This can save you a bundle of cash if you're flying an expensive route. To use the companion fare, you must book online at alaskaair.com and enter your discount code at the time of purchase. Companion fare codes are valid for 12 months from the date of issue, but you can book travel up to 12 months past the expiration date.

Free checked bag

Alaska Airlines Visa Signature® credit card holders plus up to six companions traveling on the same reservation get a free first checked bag on Alaska Airlines flights. However, you'll have to use your card to pay for your ticket to receive this benefit.

Because the first checked bag normally costs $30 each way, this perk can offer big savings, especially if you fly Alaska a lot. But you'll have to decide if paying with the card to get a free first checked bag is worth forgoing the travel protections you might receive by booking with a credit card with travel insurance .

Priority boarding

Boarding the aircraft earlier gives you a better chance of finding space to store your carry-on and more time to get settled in. The Alaska Airlines Visa Signature® credit card offers priority boarding on Alaska flights as a benefit, which means cardholders and up to six companions on the same reservation can enjoy this perk — but again, you'll have to use the card to pay for your ticket.

You'll board before general boarding, but after Alaska Airlines elite members, Oneworld alliance elite members, first or premium class ticket holders, and preboarding groups.

Relationship bonus

The Alaska Airlines Visa Signature® credit card now comes with a relationship bonus for cardholders who have an eligible consumer Bank of America checking/savings account or Merrill investment account . If you qualify, you'll earn a 10% bonus on the miles you earn with your card. For example, if you'd normally earn 500 miles on a purchase, you'll receive an extra 50 miles (10%) for a total of 550 miles.

You can look at the 10% bonus another way — it effectively increases your earning rates on the card to:

• 3.3 miles per dollar on eligible Alaska Airlines purchases
• 2.2 miles per dollar on gas/EV charging, local transit including rideshare, cable, and select streaming services
• 1.1 miles per dollar on all other eligible purchases

Inflight discounts

When you pay for inflight purchases with the Alaska Airlines Visa Signature® credit card, you'll get a 20% discount in the form of a statement credit. The rebate applies to inflight purchases of food, beverages, and even Wi-Fi.

Alaska Airlines Lounge+ membership discount

Cardholders are eligible for a $100 discount on an Alaska Lounge+ membership when they pay with the card. The Alaska Lounge+ membership includes entry to Alaska-operated lounges and over 90 partner lounges, and normally costs at least $550 (the standard membership to Alaska lounges only doesn't qualify for the discount).

Alaska Airlines Credit Card Annual Fee and Other Costs

Apart from the $95 annual fee, the Alaska Airlines Visa Signature® credit card charges fees for balance transfers, cash advances, and late and returned payments.

However, it's a good pick for international purchases, because the card doesn't charge foreign transaction fees .

How the Alaska Airlines Credit Card Compares

* to receive a free first checked bag and priority boarding on Alaska flights, you must use your Alaska Airlines Visa Signature® credit card to pay for your ticket

Alaska Airlines Credit Card Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Is the Alaska Airlines credit card worth it?

The Alaska Airlines Visa Signature® credit card is worth it for two types of people: frequent Alaska flyers who can take advantage of perks like free checked bags, priority boarding, and an annual companion certificate, and award travel enthusiasts who like to earn and redeem Alaska miles (but don't necessarily fly Alaska often).

Because Alaska miles are among the most valuable frequent flyer miles (worth around 1.5 cents each, on average, based on Personal Finance Insider's points and miles valuations ), earning them from credit card spending can be quite lucrative. The Alaska Airlines Visa Signature® credit card (and its small-business sibling, the Alaska Airlines Business Credit Card) are your only credit card options for earning Alaska miles directly, so it can be worth hanging on to the card for the long term as well.

What credit score do you need for the Alaska Airlines credit card?

You'll typically need a credit score in the good to excellent range ( FICO score of at least 670) to be considered for the Alaska Airlines Visa Signature® credit card,

Can you have more than one Alaska Airlines credit card?

It's certainly possible to have both the Alaska Airlines Visa Signature® credit card and Alaska Airlines Business Credit Card at the same time, because they're considered different card products.

How do I use the Alaska Airlines companion fare?

Each year on your Alaska Airlines Visa Signature® credit card anniversary, you'll receive an Alaska Airlines companion fare discount code in your Alaska Mileage Plan account if you spend $6,000 or more within the prior anniversary year. With the code, you can buy one round-trip economy class companion ticket on Alaska Airlines from $122 ($99 base fare plus applicable taxes and fees from $23 depending on your flight itinerary) when traveling with another passenger who's purchased a paid ticket on the same itinerary.

Note that to redeem the companion fare, you must book both tickets (the paid flight and the companion ticket) at the same time on alaskaair.com, and you must use your Alaska Airlines Visa Signature® credit card to pay.

How does the Alaska Airlines credit card free checked bag benefit work?

To get a free checked bag with your Alaska Airlines Visa Signature® credit card, you must be the primary cardholder and include your Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan number on your reservation. This will allow you and up to six companions on the same reservation to receive a free first checked bag on Alaska Airlines, Horizon Air, or SkyWest flights.

You must use your card to pay for your ticket in order to receive this benefit.

Methodology: How We Reviewed the Alaska Airlines Credit Card

The credit card experts at Business Insider examined the Alaska Airlines Visa Signature® credit card's features to determine if it's a good option for travelers. We compared it to similar airline credit cards in several areas, including:

• Ease of use — Does the card offer points or miles that are easy to earn and redeem? Are there various options for using rewards?
• Rewards earning — Is the earning rate on purchases good or better than competing cards? Is the welcome bonus offer valuable and competitive with other airline cards?
• Benefits — Airline credit cards usually offer benefits like free checked bags, priority boarding, travel insurance, and airport perks such as lounge access or faster security clearance. How does the card compare?
• Annual fee — Can you get a value from the card that's worth at least as much as the annual fee?

Here's our guide to how we rate credit cards to learn more about Personal Finance Insider's methodology.