Alaska Airlines Credit Card Review: Well Worth The Fee

The Alaska Airlines credit card is a card designed for frequent flyers of Alaska Airlines. The main reason for this is that its users earn 3 miles per dollar spent on eligible Alaska Airlines purchases and 1 mile for all other purchases. This is a great way to save some money on your holiday trips!

The Alaska Airlines credit card offers one companion certificate for $121 ($99 fare plus taxes and fees from $22). This is in addition to 50,000 bonus miles when you make $2,000 or more in purchases within the first 90 days of opening an account.

Alaska Airlines miles are exceptionally valuable due to its partnerships. You can use them to book flights on Oneworld partner airlines, including Cathay Pacific, Japan Airlines, Qantas, and American. This card also comes with an annual companion fare that can save you hundreds of dollars in airfare each year.

The Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan is highly regarded by most of its users, even by those not based on the West Coast. Alaska Airlines’ network of over 20 airline partners, including Oneworld alliance member airlines, gives Mileage Plan members global redemption opportunities.

Redeeming miles is usually a straightforward process that can be done online for most partners.

What Interest Rates and Fees Will You Need To Consider With An Alaska Airlines Credit Card?

The Alaska Airline also comes with interest rates and fees that you will need to consider.

For example, the introductory Annual percentage rate is non-existent. This means you will have the same interest rate at all points. Some card providers lure new users by offering ridiculously low APRs at first, just to raise them once they forget about it.

This doesn’t happen with this card as you will have an interest rate that will range between 15.99% and 23.99%. This rate will depend on a variety of factors but will be decided at the time of applying.

With a flat annual fee of $75, the Alaska Airlines credit card tends to be on the expensive side. However, when you consider the benefits it offers, this fee is completely worth it if you travel frequently.

You are more than likely to make up for the fee if you travel once a year! We will discuss all of these benefits and rewards later on in this Alaska Airlines credit card review.

Finally, you will want to consider that there is also a balance transfer fee of 3% for each transaction with a minimum fee of $10. This will be relevant if you are looking to consolidate your credit to a single card.

While this is not something most people will do, it can be extremely useful in some situations.

What Rewards Does The Alaska Airlines Credit Card Offer?

From a free checked bag to no foreign transaction fees, you will enjoy multiple benefits when using the Alaska Airlines credit card.

Miles

We already mentioned the most important reward earlier in this Alaska Airlines credit card review: Miles. When using this card you will earn miles depending on the type of purchase.

This works as follows:

• Unlimited 3 miles for every $1 spent on eligible Alaska Airlines purchases.
• Unlimited 1 mile for every $1 spent on all other purchases.

This makes this credit card stand out from some competitors. As you are not limited to certain partners, you are always earning miles!

Alaska’s Famous Companion Fare

Another great reward is known as “Alaska’s Famous Companion Fare”. This will provide you with a special companion fare once every year on the day that you got your card.

This companion fare allows you to book a companion flight for just $121 in total. Why travel alone if you can have someone go with you?

Mile Expiration

Now, you might not be much of a traveler and as such, be worried about the expiration of the miles.

Well, worry not… the miles you earn when using your Alaska Airlines credit card don’t expire if your account is active. This, in addition to blackout dates being non-existent, means that you don’t need to be a frequent traveler to enjoy the benefits of the card.

However… If you are a frequent traveler or were to become one, there is some more great news.

Mile Redemption

As Oneworld Alliance and Alaska’s Global Partners also allow you to use the miles, you have more than 1,000 destinations to choose from. These destinations are possible due to more than 20 airlines being available for the redeeming of your miles.

The first three months after getting the card will be especially beneficial to you. This is because you can earn 50,000 bonus miles and a $100 statement credit pretty easily. After spending $2,000 within this period, you will gain instant access to this reward!

Does The Alaska Airlines Credit Card Have Other Benefits?

Miles are a great reward for anyone who enjoys flying. However, you might feel this is not a reason strong enough for you to choose this credit card. Well, you might want to double think that as the Alaska Airlines credit card offers quite a few benefits in addition to miles.

Free Checked Bag

With this card you’ll also receive a free checked bag for you and up to six companions booked on the same itinerary. This makes traveling with other people easier than ever!

Discounted Lounge Access

This benefit also includes 50% off when getting day passes for Alaska Airline lounges. The benefits continue when already in the air with an additional 20% rebate in the form of a statement credit toward in-flight food, drinks, and Wi-Fi.

Free Foreign Transactions

Finally, once you are already at your destination, you will enjoy fee-free foreign transactions. This means you can make purchases while traveling internationally without any added charges.

Since this card is a Visa Signature card, it comes with the standard purchase and travel protection too. This translates to rental car insurance and an extended warranty as well!

What Features Does The Alaska Airlines Credit Card Offer?

Fraud Protection

The Alaska Airlines credit card prioritizes security over everything else. If abnormal patterns are detected the card’s operators block the card to prevent potential fraud.

You will also be notified immediately so you can take the necessary precautions. Plus, you always get a $0 Liability Guarantee for fraudulent transactions!

Contactless Payments

With cards becoming easier to clone by the day, contactless chip technology has become increasingly popular.

The idea is simple: tap a device with your card to pay quickly, easily, and securely at millions of locations. This makes your card easier to clone by never having you give it to a third party or inserting it on a device.

The Alaska Airlines card can also be added to your Apple Pay, Google Pay, or Samsung Pay, further increasing its flexibility and security.

Overdraft Protection

An optional feature you can opt for is overdraft protection. This will prevent declined purchases, returned checks, or other overdrafts when you link your eligible Bank of America checking account to your credit card.

Free FICO Score

Finally, you will also gain access to monthly FICO scores for free. This will allow you to be on top of your credit score. If you don’t know what FICO is, we recommend you check this article out.

Is the Alaska Airline Credit Card Right For You?

This question can’t really be answered by us in a straight manner. As we said earlier in this Alaska Airlines credit card review, this will depend entirely on you.

What we can tell you is that if you are a frequent traveler, you really need to consider this card… Actually, strike that.

You should consider it if you travel or would like to travel at least once a year. While you might still benefit from it by traveling less frequently, this will ensure you make the best out of it.

This is because the money you’ll save using the companion fare alone far outweighs the $75 annual fee attached to this card. The rewards you earn also have no expiration date and there are no blackout dates to worry about when you redeem them for flight purchases.

When you also consider that you will always be gaining miles… This is a pretty clear option for those looking to travel.

Now, if traveling is just not something you enjoy or are planning to do over the next year or so… You might want to look at some of the other cards we have reviewed in our credit card section.

Overall, the Alaska Airlines credit card is an amazing option for travellers and even if it is not your main credit card, just getting the use out of the companion flight makes it worth the fee!