Alaska Airlines Visa Signature Credit Card Benefits and Downside

Alaska Airlines Visa Signature: The Alaska Airlines Credit Card has a lot of benefits it has to offer. Even beyond is travelling perks and benefits. It’s the perks rather than the rewards that make this card so valuable. The Companion Fare benefit and bag-fee waivers can save you hundreds.

The Alaska Airlines Visa Signature credit card, issued by Bank of America, pays higher rewards on Alaska Airlines purchases, including; airfare, in-flight food and beverages, and vacation packages booked through the airline.

The Alaska Airlines Visa Signature Card Overview

Product Name	Alaska Airlines Visa Signature® Card
Card type	Visa
Annual fee	$75
Purchase APR	17.74% to 25.74% variable
Balance transfer APR	17.74% to 25.74% variable
Balance transfer fee	$10 or 3% of the transaction, whichever is greater
Cash advance rate	20.74% to 27.74% variable
Cash advance fee	$10 or 5% of the cash advance amount, whichever is greater
Penalty APR	29.99% variable
Foreign transaction fee	None
Interest free period	Up to 25 days
Late payment fee	Up to $39
Returned payment fee	Up to $28
Additional cardholder fee	$0

Are you a constant flier with Alaska Airlines? If yes, the Alaska Airlines Visa Signature credit card is the next card you’ll want to add to your wallet.

While the name might make you think you can only take flights to Alaska with this, that’s not true. This card is offered through a partnership between Bank of America, Alaska Airlines, and Visa, and you can use your points to travel to a broad range of destinations with their 17 partners.

Pros

• The sign-up bonus should be easy to qualify for.
• The annual companion pass more than covers the annual fee.
• Miles can be transferred to 17 Mileage Planairline partners, including American Airlines.
• You get free checked bags for you and up to six guests on Alaska flights.
• Miles don’t expire.
• There are no foreign transaction fees.
• No blackout dates
• No change/cancellation fee 60 days or more before travel
• One-way rewards tickets permitted
• Open jaws rewards tickets permitted

Cons

• It does have a $75 annual fee, although that’s lower than comparable cards.
• There isn’t an intro APR rate for balance transfers.
• You’ll need a fairly high credit score to get this card.
• Rewards seats may be limited on some flights
• $15 call center booking fee and $25 partner fee
• Only one partner airline per rewards ticket

Alaska Airlines Credit Card Benefits

The major benefits, however, are;

Signup Bonus

Earn 40,000 bonus miles after spending $2,000 on purchases within the first 90 days of account opening. You can also get a flight ticket for only the cost of taxes and fees when you clear the signup bonus and buy an Alaska Airlines flight ticket.

Alaska’s Companion Fare

Each year on your account anniversary, get one of Alaska’s Famous Companion Fares, valid on all Alaska flights booked through their website. You pay a base fare of $99 plus taxes and fees from $22.

Unlimited Miles

Earn 3x miles on purchases made directly with Alaska Airlines and 1x miles on all other purchases, with no cap on the miles you can collect.

Redeem Miles with a Range of Airlines

Redeem your miles for tickets not only for Alaska flights but also for Air France, American Airline, KLM, Korean Air, Qantas, Japan Airline and more.

Free Checked Bag

Check one free bag for you and up to six other passengers on the same reservation.

No Foreign Transaction Fees

Purchase what you need and want abroad and at foreign websites without paying a fee.

Security and Protection

The chip-enabled card offers enhanced security and comes with a $0 liability guarantee for fraudulent transactions.

Downsides of the Alaska Airlines Credit Card

While you can fly pretty far with Alaska Airlines, it is somewhat limited domestically, especially if you don’t live around an Alaska or American Airlines hub.

Another drawback is the $75 annual fee. Although that’s not a high annual fee for a travel card, it may be enough to turn off those who don’t think they’ll fly with Alaska Airlines or one of its partners each year.

Comparing with Similar Card

If you regularly travel with Alaska Airlines, this card is a no-brainer. The sign-up bonus and annual companion fare can save you hundreds of dollars each year, and it does have a lower annual fee than some other cards. However, there are other good travel credit cards you may want to consider.

Alaska Airlines Visa Signature Card vs Chase Sapphire Preferred

If you like to have the option to travel with any airline or another means of transportation altogether, you’ll be better suited for the Chase Sapphire Preferred card. It does have an annual of $95, but that’s waived for the first year.

All your travel and restaurant purchases will earn you two times the points, and you’ll get a sign-up bonus of 60,000 airline miles if you spend $4,000 in purchases within three months of account opening. That amounts to $725 in travel when you redeem it through Chase Ultimate Rewards.

It’s a broader travel card to have, while the Alaska Airlines card is more focused, so which one is best for you will depend on how you like to travel.

Conclusion

You can redeem Alaska Mileage Plan miles for flights to over 900 destinations around the world on Alaska Airlines and with its global airline partners. It allows one stopover per one-way travel on most tickets, which could allow you to get more out of your ticket if you’re creative in planning your itinerary.

If you fly with Alaska Airlines frequently, you’re bound to love this card. With a low annual fee, it carries some major perks. But if you fly Alaska Airlines less than once per year, you might be better suited with another airline credit card, such as the Chase Sapphire Preferred.