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For travelers who want to earn Alaska Airlines miles, the Alaska Airlines Visa® Card is the fastest way to do it. This airline credit card, which is offered by Bank of America, includes an excellent welcome bonus, a high rewards rate, and the opportunity to earn an annual companion fare. Read our full Alaska Airlines Visa® Card review to see its good points, drawbacks, and whether you should apply.
Alaska Airlines Visa® Card
Good/Excellent (670-850)
Intro APR
Purchases: N/A
Balance Transfers: N/A
Regular APR
20.24% - 28.24% (Variable)
Rewards Earn unlimited 3 miles for every $1 spent on eligible Alaska Airlines purchases and unlimited 1 mile for every $1 spent on all other purchases. Earn 2X miles per $1 on eligible gas, EV charging station, cable, streaming services, and local transit purchases. Plus, earn a 10% rewards bonus on all miles earned on card purchases if you have an eligible Bank of America® account.
1x - 3x miles
Annual Fee
$95
Welcome Offer Limited-time offer: 70,000 Bonus Miles plus Alaska's Famous Companion Fare™ ($99 fare plus taxes and fees from $23) after you make $3,000 or more in purchases within the first 90 days of your account opening.
70,000 Bonus Miles plus Alaska's Famous Companion Fare™
A long list of features for a reasonable fee make this card a favorite of frequent flyers. Just know that Alaska Airlines has a smaller footprint than some airlines.
We recommend comparing options to ensure the card you're selecting is the best fit for you. To make your search easier, here's a short list of standout credit cards.
Offer | Our Rating | Welcome Offer | Rewards Program | APR | Learn More |
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Rating image, 5.00 out of 5 stars.
5.00/5
Our ratings are based on a 5 star scale.
5 stars equals Best.
4 stars equals Excellent.
3 stars equals Good.
2 stars equals Fair.
1 star equals Poor.
We want your money to work harder for you. Which is why our ratings are biased toward offers that deliver versatility while cutting out-of-pocket costs.
= Best = Excellent = Good = Fair = Poor |
Discover will match all the cash back you’ve earned at the end of your first year. N/A | 1% - 5% Cashback Earn 5% cash back on everyday purchases at different places you shop each quarter like grocery stores, restaurants, gas stations, and more, up to the quarterly maximum when you activate. Plus, earn unlimited 1% cash back on all other purchases—automatically. |
Intro: Purchases: 0%, 15 months Balance Transfers: 0%, 15 months Regular: 17.24% - 28.24% Variable APR |
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Rating image, 5.00 out of 5 stars.
5.00/5
Our ratings are based on a 5 star scale.
5 stars equals Best.
4 stars equals Excellent.
3 stars equals Good.
2 stars equals Fair.
1 star equals Poor.
We want your money to work harder for you. Which is why our ratings are biased toward offers that deliver versatility while cutting out-of-pocket costs.
= Best = Excellent = Good = Fair = Poor |
Up to $300 cash back Earn an extra 1.5% on everything you buy (on up to $20,000 spent in the first year) — worth up to $300 cash back. That's 6.5% on travel purchased through Chase Travel, 4.5% on dining and drugstores, and 3% on all other purchases. | 1.5% - 5% cash back Enjoy 5% cash back on travel purchased through Chase Travel, our premier rewards program that lets you redeem rewards for cash back, travel, gift cards and more; 3% cash back on drugstore purchases and dining at restaurants, including takeout and eligible delivery service, and 1.5% on all other purchases |
Intro: 0% Intro APR on Purchases and Balance Transfers for 15 months Purchases: 0% Intro APR on Purchases, 15 months Balance Transfers: 0% Intro APR on Balance Transfers, 15 months Regular: 20.49% - 29.24% Variable |
Apply Now for Chase Freedom Unlimited®
On Chase's Secure Website. |
|
Apply Now for Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card
On Chase's Secure Website. |
Rating image, 4.50 out of 5 stars.
4.50/5
Our ratings are based on a 5 star scale.
5 stars equals Best.
4 stars equals Excellent.
3 stars equals Good.
2 stars equals Fair.
1 star equals Poor.
We want your money to work harder for you. Which is why our ratings are biased toward offers that deliver versatility while cutting out-of-pocket costs.
= Best = Excellent = Good = Fair = Poor |
75,000 bonus points Earn 75,000 bonus points after you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening. That's over $900 when you redeem through Chase Travel℠. | 5x on travel purchased through Chase Travel℠, 3x on dining and 2x on all other travel purchases Enjoy benefits such as 5x on travel purchased through Chase Travel℠, 3x on dining, select streaming services and online groceries, 2x on all other travel purchases, 1x on all other purchases, $50 Annual Chase Travel Hotel Credit, plus more. |
Intro: N/A Purchases: N/A Balance Transfers: N/A Regular: 21.49%-28.49% Variable |
Apply Now for Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card
On Chase's Secure Website. |
This credit card is a good fit for: Frequent flyers with Alaska Airlines. Travelers who live on the West Coast or in Alaska will get the most out of the card.
With all kinds of savings opportunities, this is a fantastic airline credit card. It makes flying with Alaska Airlines more affordable, and the benefits can easily outweigh the reasonable annual fee.
One of the best parts about airline credit cards is being able to earn miles on all your regular spending. This Alaska Airlines card excels at that, because of all the bonuses it offers
As a new cardholder, you can earn a limited-time online welcome offer of 70,000 Bonus Miles plus Alaska's Famous Companion Fare™. It's one of the more valuable sign-up bonuses, and you earn it after spending just $3,000 on purchases in the first 90 days.
This card also has more bonus categories than most airline cards in its price range. It earns:
If you have an eligible Bank of America account, you even earn a 10% rewards bonus on all miles earned from card purchases. For example, if you earn 50,000 miles over the course of a year, you'll earn another 5,000 bonus miles.
Flying is normally twice as expensive for couples, but not if you have this Alaska Airlines credit card. As mentioned above, part of its welcome offer is Alaska's Famous Companion Fare™. You can also earn another companion fare each account anniversary, after you spend at least $6,000 or more on purchases during the prior account year.
You can use Alaska's Famous Companion Fare™ when you book a round-trip coach ticket. It lets you also book a fare for your travel companion starting at $122. The base fare is $99, and there's also taxes and fees starting at $23, depending on the itinerary.
If you have any frequent travel companions, this is a valuable benefit. Try to save it for a longer, more expensive flight when you can. For example, if you have a cross-country holiday trip where flights could cost $500 to $1,000 per person, that's a smart time to use your companion fare and save big.
If you're not the type of person who can fit everything in a carry-on, you can at least save on fees with this card. It includes a free checked bag, which would otherwise cost $35 each way. On a round trip, you're looking at $70 in savings.
This benefit isn't just for you, either. Up to six guests traveling on your reservation can also check a bag each free of charge. So if you have a large family, and everyone wants to check a bag, an Alaska Airlines card is good to have.
After you've saved up some miles, your first thought might be to use them with Alaska Airlines. You can certainly do that, but one of the cool things about miles with Alaska is all the ways to redeem them.
Even though Alaska isn't the largest airline, it has over 20 partner airlines where you can redeem your miles. This opens up all kinds of destinations.
Let's say you want to visit Japan, but Alaska Airlines doesn't have anything available. You could use your miles to book a flight with Japan Airlines, since that's one of Alaska's partners. Here are a few more of Alaska's partners, which include all members of the oneworld airline alliance:
This travel card has a few other perks that could be useful at the airport and on the plane:
There's not much to complain about with the Alaska Airlines Visa® Card. It's a high-quality card with just one potential downside to mention.
Alaska Airlines doesn't offer nearly as many flights or destinations as its largest competitors. American Airlines, Delta Air Lines, and United Airlines all have much larger route networks and more flight options.
Its partner airlines at least give you more booking options with your miles. But before you get an Alaska Airlines card, make sure you'll be able to fly with the airline regularly. That way, you can take full advantage of the card's benefits.
If you live in the Pacific Northwest, the West Coast, or Alaska, then this credit card could be a great fit. Alaska Airlines has hubs in each of those regions. If you don't, you may want to consider airline cards with a carrier that has a hub at your closest airport. Or, you could check out travel credit cards that aren't tied to a specific airline.
READ MORE: The Ascent's Full List of Expert Credit Card Reviews
Compare credit card rewards, fees, APRs, and more using our side-by-side comparison tool.
To get the Alaska Airlines Visa® Card, you should have a FICO® Score of at least 670. Ideally, aim for a credit score of at least 700.
Although your credit score is a key factor in the application process, it's not the only factor that matters. Bank of America will also look at other items. These could include your income, your credit utilization ratio, and your number of recent credit applications.
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Considering what the Alaska Airlines Visa® Card offers, its $95 annual fee is a bargain for frequent flyers with the airline.
If you spend at least $6,000 per year on your Alaska Airlines Visa® Card, then you'll earn Alaska's Famous Companion Fare™. That alone can be worth hundreds of dollars depending on how you use it. If you frequently travel with someone else, then the value of the annual companion fare should easily outweigh this card's annual fee.
You'll save $30 every time you need to check a bag, plus $30 per travel companion for up to six other people. And since you'll be earning Alaska Airlines miles on purchase, you should get plenty of value from this card's travel rewards as well.
You travel with Alaska Airlines often. Those who live near one of the airline's hubs will be able to get the most out of this card, so it's great if you live in the Pacific Northwest, the West Coast, or Alaska. Ideally, you should also plan to spend at least $6,000 per year and travel with a companion at least once per year. That way, you can earn and make use of an annual companion fare.
The Alaska Airlines Visa® Card won't be right for everyone simply because of the airline's flight and route selection. But for travelers who live near one of those hub airports, this card offers substantial value at an affordable cost.
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At The Motley Fool Ascent, we rate credit cards on a five-star scale (1 = poor, 5 = best). Our rating criteria includes rewards rates, welcome bonuses, fees, and perks like travel credits and 0% intro APR offers to evaluate our ratings.
Our highest-rated credit cards have:
We combine these factors with an evaluation of brand reputation and customer satisfaction to ensure you're getting the best card recommendations. Learn more about how The Ascent rates credit cards.
The credit limit for the Alaska Airlines Visa® Card typically ranges from $5,000 to $15,000. Your credit limit is based on your income and credit history, and it can be higher or lower than that range. Some cardholders receive credit limits below $5,000, and others have secured credit limits above $25,000.
Yes, you can use the Alaska Airlines Visa® Card internationally, and it doesn't charge a foreign transaction fee.
Alaska Mileage Plan miles don't expire. If your account has been inactive for two years or more, Alaska Airlines may close the account, in which case you'll forfeit your miles. Earning and redeeming miles keep your account active. If your account is closed, you have one year to get it reinstated by contacting Alaska Airlines Guest Care.
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