Alaska Airlines Visa Signature Credit Card Overview
This Alaska Airlines Visa Signature® Credit Card Alaska is one of the best cards for earning miles. Even if you don’t live on the West Coast, Alaska Airlines miles are valuable because you can use them to book flights on Oneworld partner airlines, including Cathay Pacific, Japan Airlines, Qantas and American Airlines. If you use the card to pay for your flight, you’ll also get a free checked bag and priority boarding. Card Rating*: ⭐⭐⭐⭐
*Card ratings are based on the opinion of TPG’s editors and are not influenced by the card issuer.
Applying for personal Alaska Airlines Visa Credit Card And Alaska Airlines Visa® Business Card Alaska Airlines Mileage Plans are your main options for easily earning a large chunk of miles.
Earning Alaska miles can be difficult because the program doesn’t partner with any major transferable point currencies other than Marriott Bonvoy. So, if you’re an airline loyalist and want priority boarding and checked baggage allowances, or you have a good reason to earn Alaska miles for travel on Alaska Airlines or its partners, this card is worth considering.
Also, with Alaska’s proposed acquisition of Hawaiian Airlines, there will be more earning and redemption opportunities when flying to the Hawaiian Islands and beyond.
The recommended credit score for this product is 670 or higher, and it also has a $95 annual fee, but with a valuable welcome bonus, now might be the best time to apply.
So, let’s see if a personal card is right for you.
Advantages and Disadvantages of Alaska Airlines Visa
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Alaska Airlines Visa Welcome Offer
New applicants for Alaska Airlines Visa Signature® Credit Card Buy one ticket and get one ticket for just the price of taxes and fees ($0 fare, plus $23 in taxes and fees), plus 50,000 bonus miles after spending $3,000 or more on purchases in the first 90 days of account opening.
TPG’s July 2024 valuation puts Alaska miles at 1.5 cents, making 50,000 miles worth a solid $750. You’ll also get discounted Alaska ticket value, which can cost a few hundred dollars more.
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Alaska Airlines Visa Benefits
If you’re a frequent flyer on Alaska Airlines, this card offers several benefits that make it a great choice.
Let’s say you fly to Alaska with a friend or family member at least once a year on an all-expense paid fare. In that case, the card’s most attractive ongoing benefit is likely to be the annual companion fee, which you’ll earn on your account anniversary each year if you’ve spent $6,000 or more within the previous anniversary — though you’ll get that, too. One as part of the current welcome bonus.
For more information on companion tickets and how to get the most value out of them, see our tips for maximizing Alaska Airlines Visa companion fares.
The card also has no foreign transaction fees, so you can use the card anywhere around the world without incurring additional charges. Plus, you can get $100 off an annual Alaska Lounge+ membership when you pay with this card. Alaska Lounge is some of the best homely lounges and is known for their fluffy and golden brown pancakes.
Finally, if you have an eligible account with Bank of America you’ll enjoy a 10% rebate on the miles you earn annually.
Earn miles on Alaska Airlines Visa
With the Alaska Airlines Visa Card, you’ll earn 3 miles per dollar on eligible Alaska Airlines purchases, 2 miles per dollar on gas, local transportation, EV charging stations, ride-hailing, cable and some streaming services, and 1 mile per dollar. On all other eligible purchases.
Additionally, if you have an eligible Bank of America account, you’ll enjoy a 10% bonus on all miles earned – even higher your effective earning rate on these purchases.
If you travel frequently on Alaska Airlines for work or pleasure and want to maximize your Mileage Plan balance, this card is an obvious choice for airline purchases.
related to: Alaska and Hawaiian merger a win-win
Redeeming miles on Alaska Airlines Visa
Short-haul Alaska awards (such as Seattle to San Francisco) start at just 5,000 Alaska miles each way. Many long flights (such as Seattle to New York City) are 12,500 miles in economy. If you want first class, it’s often 40,000 miles on long domestic flights but can start as low as 15,000 miles each way on short flights. If you want to fly to Hawaii, those awards start at 15,000 miles each way in economy and 40,000 each way in first class.
of Alaska partners Most of the world will also cover your travel. Those partners include British Airways, Cathay Pacific and Qantas. When redeeming through Alaska, you may not necessarily get the lowest mileage booking rate for all of these partners (depending on the route). But you can build some great trips by taking advantage of the allowance of one free stopover on one-way award tickets to Alaska.
Some of TPG editor Emily Thompson’s favorite ways to maximize Alaska Airlines redemptions include Cathay Pacific First Class at 70,000 miles one-way from the US to Asia, Japan Airlines First Class from the US to Asia starting at 70,000 miles one-way, and Fiji Airways . 55,000 miles one-way from the US to Fiji in business class.
You can fly to Australia on Fiji Airways and add a free stopover in Fiji for the same 55,000 miles in business class.
But you don’t have to lap the planet to maximize Alaska miles. It’s also a great deal to book awards around the US and Canada for just 5,000 Alaska miles each way.
Which cards compete with the Alaska Airlines Visa Credit Card?
The biggest drawback of the Alaska Visa is that the miles are in certain airline loyalty programs. As a result, it is more limited than other currencies, as you can only use it in Alaska and its partners.
Here are some of the best cards for earning Transferable points if you don’t have a specific need for Alaska miles:
- If you want to earn Chase Points: Go for the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card, one of the top mid-tier travel cards on the market. It offers generous points-earning opportunities, such as 3 points per dollar on dining and select streaming services. These valuable points can be transferred to airline and hotel partners or redeemed directly for travel through Chase Travel℠ at a rate of 1.25 cents per point. For more information, read our full review of the Sapphire Preferred.
- If you are after the capital one mile: The Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card Connects fixed-value redemptions with 15-plus airline and hotel transfer partners. With its reasonable annual fee and attractive rewards on everyday spend, this card is a valuable asset. For more information, read our full review of Venture Rewards.
For additional options, check out our full list of the best travel credit cards.
Related: Chase Sapphire Preferred Vs. Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card
Is the Alaska Airlines visa worth it?
The Alaska Airlines Visa is a great choice if you’re an Alaska loyalist or looking to diversify your points and miles portfolio with valuable Alaska miles. Thanks to a decent earning rate and a valuable annual companion ticket for Alaska Airlines purchases, the card’s low $95 annual fee pales in comparison to the benefits.
Bottom line
If you are a dedicated Alaska Airlines customer or want to expand your points and miles collection with valuable Alaska miles, Alaska Airlines Visa An excellent option. Even those who don’t frequent the airline or its partners can get solid value from an annual companion ticket. Add in some solid earning rates and the benefits of this card can far outweigh its annual fee.
Apply here: Alaska Airlines Visa Signature® Credit Card