Alaska Airways Visa bank card overview: Full particulars - The Factors Man

The Alaska Airlines Visa Signature® credit card is without doubt one of the finest playing cards for incomes Alaska miles. Even if you happen to do not dwell on the West Coast, Alaska Airways miles are useful since you should use them to e-book flights on Oneworld associate airways, together with Cathay Pacific, Japan Airways, Qantas and American Airways. You will additionally get a free checked bag and precedence boarding if you happen to use the cardboard to pay on your flight. Card Score*: ⭐⭐⭐⭐

*Card rating relies on the opinion of TPG’s editors and isn’t influenced by the cardboard issuer.

Making use of for the private Alaska Airlines Visa credit card and the Alaska Airlines Visa® Business card are your major choices for simply earning a big chunk of Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan miles.

Alaska miles may be arduous to earn on condition that this system does not associate with any main transferable factors foreign money aside from Marriott Bonvoy. Due to this fact, if you happen to’re loyal to the airline and need precedence boarding and checked baggage allowances, or you’ve an excellent cause to accrue Alaska miles for journey on Alaska Airways or its companions, this card is price contemplating.

Plus, with Alaska’s proposed acquisition of Hawaiian Airlines, there can be extra incomes and redemption alternatives when flying to the Hawaiian Islands and past.

The really useful credit score for this product is 670 or above, and it additionally has a $95 annual payment, however with a valuable welcome bonus, now could possibly be a good time to use.

So, let’s examine if the private card is an effective match for you.

New candidates for the Alaska Airlines Visa Signature® credit card should buy one ticket and get one ticket for simply the price of taxes and costs ($0 fare, plus taxes and costs from $23), plus get 50,000 bonus miles after spending $3,000 or extra on purchases throughout the first 90 days from account opening.

TPG’s July 2024 valuations place Alaska miles at 1.5 cents apiece, making 50,000 miles price a strong $750. You will additionally get the worth of a reduced Alaska ticket, which may simply be price a number of hundred {dollars} extra.

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With a $95 annual fee, this card supplies elite-like perks with out Alaska Airlines MVP elite status. Cardholders get one piece of free checked baggage for themselves and as much as six different passengers on the identical reservation after they pay with the cardboard, saving $30 per individual every approach on checked baggage. You will additionally take pleasure in Alaska-related reductions, together with 20% again on Alaska Airways inflight purchases.

Suppose you fly Alaska with a good friend or member of the family on paid fares not less than every year. In that case, this card’s most profitable ongoing profit is more likely to be the annual companion fare, which you will earn yearly in your account anniversary if you happen to’ve spent $6,000 or extra throughout the prior anniversary 12 months — although you will additionally get one as half of the present welcome bonus.

For extra info on the companion ticket and learn how to get probably the most worth out of it, see our tips about maximizing the Alaska Airlines Visa Companion Fare.

This card additionally has no foreign transaction fees, so you should use the cardboard anyplace across the globe with out incurring additional costs. As well as, you may get $100 off an annual Alaska Lounge+ membership once you pay with this card. Alaska lounges are a number of the finest home lounges and are identified for his or her fluffy and golden brown pancakes.
Lastly, you will take pleasure in a ten% rebate on miles earned yearly if in case you have an eligible account at Financial institution of America.

Incomes miles on the Alaska Airways Visa

With the Alaska Airways Visa card, you will earn 3 miles per greenback on eligible Alaska Airways purchases, 2 miles per greenback on fuel, native transit, EV charging stations, ride-hailing, cable and a few streaming companies, and 1 mile per greenback on all different eligible purchases.

As well as, if in case you have an eligible Financial institution of America account, you will take pleasure in a ten% bonus on all miles earned — boosting your efficient incomes charges on these purchases even increased.

In the event you steadily journey on Alaska Airways for work or pleasure and need to construct up your Mileage Plan stability, this card is an apparent selection for airline purchases.

You must possible use one other travel credit card for non-Alaska purchases since you are able to do higher than the cardboard’s incomes price of 1 mile per greenback. Nonetheless, if you happen to actually need to rack up Alaska miles for associate award flights, then that recommendation could not apply since Alaska miles are useful and difficult to get in any other case with out flying Alaska.

Associated: Alaska and Hawaiian Merger A Win-Win

With Alaska’s Mileage Plan recent overhaul of its award chart in March 2024, this system has now shifted to a distance-based mannequin. Some redemptions are cheaper, however a few of the program’s sweet spots now require extra miles.

Brief-haul Alaska awards (resembling Seattle to San Francisco) begin at simply 5,000 Alaska miles every approach. Many longer flights (resembling Seattle to New York Metropolis) are 12,500 miles in financial system. In order for you first-class, it is typically 40,000 miles on longer home flights however can begin as little as 15,000 miles every approach on shorter flights. If you wish to head to Hawaii, these awards begin at 15,000 miles every approach in financial system and 40,000 every approach in first-class.

Alaska’s partners can even cowl your travels throughout a lot of the globe. These companions embrace British Airways, Cathay Pacific and Qantas. When redeeming by means of Alaska, you will not essentially get the bottom mileage reserving price for all of those companions (relying on the route). However you possibly can construct some nice itineraries by profiting from Alaska’s allowance of one free stopover on one-way award tickets.

A few of TPG editor Emily Thompson‘s favourite methods to maximize Alaska Airlines redemptions embrace reserving Cathay Pacific first class from the U.S. to Asia from 70,000 miles one-way, Japan Airlines first class one-way from the U.S. to Asia beginning at 70,000 miles and Fiji Airways from the U.S. to Fiji one-way in enterprise class from 55,000 miles.

You may even fly to Australia on Fiji Airways and add in a free stopover in Fiji for a similar 55,000 miles in enterprise class.

However you do not have to lap the planet to maximise Alaska miles. Reserving awards across the U.S. and Canada from simply 5,000 Alaska miles every approach can also be a reasonably nice deal.

Listed below are a number of nice playing cards for incomes transferrable points if you happen to’re not in particular want of Alaska miles:

• If you wish to earn Chase factors: Go for the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card, one of many high mid-tier journey playing cards in the marketplace. It presents beneficiant point-earning alternatives, resembling 3 factors per greenback on eating and choose streaming companies. These useful factors may be transferred to airline and lodge companions or redeemed straight for journey at a price of 1.25 cents per level by means of Chase Journey℠. For extra info, learn our full review of the Sapphire Preferred.
• In the event you’re after Capital One miles: The Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card combines fixed-value redemptions with 15-plus airline and lodge switch companions. With its affordable annual payment and enticing rewards on on a regular basis spending, this card is a useful asset price holding onto. For extra info, learn our full review of the Venture Rewards.

For extra choices, try our full list of the best travel credit cards.

Associated: Chase Sapphire Preferred vs. Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card

In the event you’re a devoted Alaska Airways buyer or need to broaden your factors and miles assortment with useful Alaska miles, the Alaska Airlines Visa is a wonderful possibility. Even those that do not steadily fly the airline or its companions can get strong worth from the annual companion ticket. Add in some strong incomes charges and the advantages of this card can far outweigh its annual payment.

Apply right here: Alaska Airlines Visa Signature® credit card