Alaska Airlines Visa Card: 9 Reasons To Apply
The offers for the Alaska Airlines Visa® credit card, and Alaska Airlines Visa® Business card have expired. Learn more about the current offers here
Link: Apply now for the Alaska Airlines Visa® credit card
The $95 annual fee Alaska Airlines Credit Card (review) has recently been refreshed, and is offering a huge welcome bonus at the moment. This is a card that many people may not have considered in the past, so in this post I wanted to share nine reasons you should consider picking up this card if you’re eligible. In no particular order…
Huge welcome bonus of 70K Alaska miles
At the moment, the Alaska Airlines Visa Card is offering a best-ever publicly available welcome bonus of 70,000 Mileage Plan miles after spending $3,000 within the first 90 days. This is a massive bonus, and there’s even more to it, as I’ll cover below.
Personally I value Alaska miles at 1.7 cents each, making this aspect of the bonus worth $1,190. I value Alaska miles more than any other individual airline mileage currency, due to all the great uses of Alaska Mileage Plan miles.
Best of all, this is a card that many people haven’t had in the past. This bonus is available to those who don’t currently have this exact card, and those who haven’t had this exact card in the past 24 months. Eligibility for this card is independent of whether you have the Alaska Airlines Visa® Business card (review).
Redeem Alaska miles for Japan Airlines first class
Alaska companion fare as part of welcome bonus
The welcome bonus on the Alaska Airlines Visa Card doesn’t just include 70,000 Mileage Plan miles, but also includes an Alaska companion fare upon completing minimum spending. With the Alaska companion fare, you can have a companion travel with you on an itinerary starting at just $122 ($99 plus taxes and fees, which start from $23).
You could use this to book a ticket anywhere in Alaska’s network, ranging from Hawaii to Costa Rica. While this is only valid for a ticket booked in economy, you can upgrade tickets booked with the companion fare, and both passengers are also eligible to earn miles.
This is a card many people are eligible for
In the miles & points world, there are some cards that seemingly everyone has had at this point, and therefore they’re not eligible to apply for them and receive the bonus. Obviously some people have had the Alaska Airlines Visa Card before, but I assume there are lots more people eligible than with some of the mainstream travel rewards cards out there.
While Alaska is somewhat of a niche airline (depending on where you live), the reality is that the possibilities with Mileage Plan miles are endless, whether you want to redeem for premium cabin travel on Cathay Pacific, Fiji Airways, Japan Airlines, etc.
70,000 miles is also a great number of Mileage Plan miles to have, as that’s more than enough for a one-way premium cabin long haul ticket in many markets.
Ability to earn an Alaska companion fare annually
One incentive to actually put spending on the Alaska Airlines Visa Card is that you can earn an annual Alaska companion fare when you spend at least $6,000 per anniversary year on the card. Admittedly this isn’t as generous as it was before the card refresh, since you used to get this just by holding onto the card, with no spending required.
Still, an Alaska frequent flyer may very well find it worthwhile to spend $6,000 on an Alaska credit card annually in order to earn this. That’s especially true when you consider the next point…
Earn Alaska companion fares with the card
A lucrative rewards structure
Alaska Mileage Plan miles can be hard to come by, as the program doesn’t partner with any major transferable points currencies. That’s why it’s worth noting the rewards structure of the Alaska Airlines Visa Card.
The card now offers 3x Mileage Plan miles on Alaska Airlines purchases, and 2x Mileage Plan miles on gas, local transit (including ride share), cable, and select streaming services. This is a great way to generate Mileage Plan miles with your credit card spending.
Priority boarding on Alaska Airlines flights
Those with the Alaska Airlines Visa Card can receive priority boarding for themselves and up to six companions on the same reservation. In order to use this perk, you need to charge the cost of the ticket to your card.
Priority boarding can be valuable for ensuring that there’s overhead bin space for your carry-on bags, since that can otherwise be a challenge nowadays if you end up in one of the last boarding groups.
Receive priority boarding on Alaska flights with the card
First checked bag free on Alaska Airlines flights
Those with the Alaska Airlines Visa Card can receive priority boarding for themselves and up to six companions on the same reservation. In order to use this perk, you need to charge the cost of the ticket to your card.
20% back on Alaska inflight purchases
The Alaska Airlines Visa Card offers 20% savings on inflight purchases, including for food, premium beverages, and Wi-Fi. If you fly Alaska Airlines with any frequency, those savings can add up quickly.
Save on Alaska inflight purchases with the card
Valuable authorized user perks
The Alaska Airlines Visa Card allows you to add authorized users at no extra cost. Not only can the spending of authorized users help you accumulate more Mileage Plan miles (admittedly you have to foot the bill, though), but there are further perks that authorized users get.
Specifically, they receive the same priority boarding, first checked bag free, and 20% savings on inflight purchases, as the primary cardmember. For example, it’s awesome to be able to add family, and have them get the same valuable perks that you get, even when they’re not flying with you.
Since a checked bag ordinarily costs $30 one-way, this benefit offers savings of up to $60 roundtrip per person, or potentially up to $420 per group roundtrip (if you were traveling with six companions).
Bottom line
The Alaska Airlines Visa Card has just undergone a major refresh. While the changes might be good or bad depending on how you look at it and your situation, one thing is for sure — the card has a massive bonus. If you’re eligible for this card and haven’t yet applied, I can’t recommend enough to pick up this card.
If you have the Alaska Airlines Visa Card, what has your experience been with the card?
