by Daniel | Last Updated Oct 4th, 2021
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If your looking for a credit card that offers a good sign-up bonus and access to a valuable frequent flyer program, then the Alaska Airlines credit card might be for you.
In this article, I am going to take a detailed look at the Alaska Airlines Credit Card.
I’ll have a look at what it costs on an annual basis, its benefits, and user perks, and then I’ll decide if it’s worth it.
So Who Is The Alaska Airlines Card Good For?
The Alaska Airlines Credit Card is best suited for people who travel quite a lot, specifically on Alaska Airlines as that’s where you can earn a majority of bonus miles.
It’s relatively cheap on a yearly basis and has a decent sign-up bonus that easily covers the annual fee.
It is also worth noting that it is part of the Oneworld Alliance frequent flyer program and other Global Partners which have access to over 20 airlines, and this can be a great way to get discounted or even free travel worldwide once you build up enough miles.
Annual Fee
So now let’s continue on and look at how much this card costs on an annual basis.
The Alaska Airlines Credit Card has an annual fee of $75 which is not too bad considering the sign-up bonus is worth about 10 times this.
The APR on this card is between 15.99% and 23.99% on purchases depending on different factors such as your creditworthiness and what the Prime Rate is.
The APR for Cash advances is between 18.99% and 26.99%, which also varies with the market depending on the Prime Rate.
Sign up Bonus
So now let’s take a look at the signup bonus that is offered with the Alaska Airlines Credit Card.
At the moment you will earn 50,000 bonus Miles after you spend $2,000 within the first 90 days of opening the account.
You will also receive a companion fare for use on Alaska Airlines each year, and to use this benefit costs from $121 ($99 fare plus taxes and fees from just $22).
So you will need to send just over $666 each month for the first 3 months to qualify for the sign-up bonus, which averages out to approximately $166 per week.
With Alaska Miles worth approximately 1.5 cents per mile, the 50,000 miles sign-up bonus is worth about $750.
So the sign-up bonus alone easily covers the annual fee for the first year and leaves you with approximately $675 in value.
And just this alone makes it a pretty desirable card to own.
Earning Miles
Now when it comes to earning points with the Alaska Airlines Credit Card there are two options.
First of all, you can receive 3x miles on purchases that are made on Alaska Airlines, and all other purchases will receive 1 mile per dollar spent.
So you don’t get a lot of options to earn many points unless you just happen to fly with Alaska Airlines constantly.
Benefits and User Perks
Now let’s continue on with what perks and benefits come with the Alaska Airlines Credit Card.
So as I mentioned before, each year you will receive a companion fair to use on Alaska Airlines, and this has additional fees attached to it if you do use it.
You will also receive a free checked bag on Alaska flights for you and up to six other guests that are on the same reservation, and this can save you up to $60 per round trip per person.
When traveling on Alaska Airlines you will receive 20% back on all inflight purchases when using the card, and you will also receive 50% of day passes to the Alaska Lounge, and with day passes costing $50, it will end up costing you $25.
Besides these benefits, you will also receive all of the benefits that come with Visa Signature status.
And this includes a whole range of different insurance-related benefits such as Auto rental insurance, Baggage delay, extended warranty, and a credit for either Global Entry or TSA PreCheck.
Final Thoughts
So what are my thoughts about the Alaska Airlines Credit Card?
This card is clearly focused on people who use Alaska Airlines frequently.
So if that is you, then this card has some great benefits such as the sign-up bonus, companion fare, and free checked bag on Alaska flights.
If you don’t travel with Alaska Airlines or have no intention of doing so then this card won’t provide much value to you.
Another card that is worth considering in my opinion is the Chase Sapphire Preferred card.
It is slightly more expensive for the annual fee at $95, but it offers a lot more in terms of variety, especially when it comes to earning points.
And it currently offers a sign-up bonus of 100,000 Ultimate Reward points that are worth approximately $1,250.
If you’d like to learn more about this card why not check out my review here.