Alaska Airlines Visa Card: 9 Reasons To Apply

Link: Apply now for the Alaska Airlines Visa Signature® credit card

The $95 annual fee Alaska Airlines Credit Card (review) is Alaska Airlines’ personal credit card issued by Bank of America, and it’s offering an excellent limited time welcome bonus at the moment. This is a card that many people may not have considered, so in this post I wanted to share nine reasons you should pick up this card if you’re eligible. In no particular order…

Excellent two-part welcome bonus

For a limited time, the Alaska Airlines Visa Card is offering a two-part welcome bonus. After spending $3,000 within the first 90 days, you can earn 70,000 bonus Alaska Mileage Plan miles, plus an Alaska companion fare from $122 ($99 fare, plus taxes and fees starting at just $23).

Personally I value Alaska miles at 1.5 cents each, thanks to all the great ways to redeem them (plus starting in 2025, you’ll earn elite qualifying miles for award travel). Therefore I consider the mileage component of this bonus to be worth $1,050. Add in that companion fare, which could save you hundreds of dollars, and you’ve got a very nice bonus.

Best of all, this is a card many people haven’t had in the past. Eligibility for this card is independent of whether you have the Alaska Airlines Visa® Business card (review).

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 Condor, Fiji Airways, Japan Airlines, Starlux Airlines, etc.

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. For many people, this could be well worth it, given that you could save hundreds of dollars on the cost of a ticket, and this is also one of the most flexible companion fares out there.

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, with the exception of Bilt Rewards. That’s why it’s worth noting the rewards structure of the Alaska Airlines Visa Card.

The card offers 3x Mileage Plan miles on Alaska Airlines purchases, and 2x Mileage Plan miles on gas, EV charging station, 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.

First checked bag free on Alaska Airlines flights

Those with the Alaska Airlines Visa Card can receive a free first checked bag on Alaska Airlines flights. You must purchase the airfare with your card, and this also applies for up to six travelers on the same reservation. Alaska ordinarily charges $35 for a checked bag, so the savings there are substantial.

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.

Spend your way to Mileage Plan elite status

The Alaska Airlines Visa Card can help you with earning elite status. However, the way in which it helps differs by year.

For the Mileage Plan 2024 program year, members can earn 4,000 bonus elite qualifying miles for every $10,000 spent on an Alaska credit card, up to 20,000 elite qualifying miles (which you’d unlock after $50,000 in eligible spending).

Then for the Mileage Plan 2025 program year, members can earn one elite qualifying mile for every $3 spent, up to 30,000 elite qualifying miles (which you’d unlock after $90,000 in eligible spending).

This can help you toward earning any of Alaska Mileage Plan’s elite tiers, including MVP Gold 100K, MVP Gold 75K, MVP Gold, and MVP status. For some Mileage Plan members, this might be an incentive to spend money on 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 $35 one-way, this benefit offers savings of up to $70 roundtrip per person, or potentially up to $490 per group roundtrip (if you were traveling with six companions).

Bottom line

The Alaska Airlines Visa Card is currently offering a very nice limited time welcome bonus, which could earn you 70,000 bonus miles plus an Alaska companion fare. Beyond that, the card offers significant value in the long run for those who fly Alaska with any frequency. If you’re eligible for this card and haven’t yet applied, I’d consider doing so.

If you have the Alaska Airlines Visa Card, what has your experience been with the card?