The Alaska Airlines Credit Card is a good credit card for frequent flyers with good credit or better who can commit to flying with Alaska Air and its 17 partner airlines. It offers
3 miles / $1 spent on Alaska Airlines purchases, 2 miles / $1 spent on gas, EV charging station, cable, streaming services and local transit, and 1 mile / $1 on other purchases, as well as a good initial bonus and other perks. For example, cardholders get a discounted companion fare after each account anniversary, which helps to offset the cost of the card’s
$95 annual fee.
Alaska Airlines Credit Card Review
Decent initial bonus
If you charge at least
$3,000 to your Alaska Airlines Credit Card within
90 days of account opening, you’ll get
70,000 miles, redeemable for an average of
$1,155, according to WalletHub data. That’s a pretty good deal for relatively light spenders, considering the
best travel credit cards typically offer 40,000 to 50,000 bonus miles for spending $3,000 to $4,000 within the first three months.
Annual companion ticket pays for the annual fee
Spending at least
$3,000 in the first
90 days you have the Alaska Air Visa also qualifies you for a companion ticket the first year your account is open. Each year thereafter, after spending at least $6,000 on purchases within the prior anniversary year you will receive another companion ticket, provided your account is in good standing. Given that each companion ticket covers a $99 base fare and at least $23 in taxes, this annual perk will easily offset the Alaska Airlines Card’s
$95 annual fee.
Lucrative, but limited rewards on purchases
The
1 mile / $1 spent that you will earn on most purchases made with the Alaska Air Credit Card is roughly the market average for a rewards card, according to WalletHub’s latest
Credit Card Landscape Report. You’ll get
3 miles / $1 spent through Alaska Airlines, and 2 miles / $1 spent on gas, cable, streaming services and local transit. Considering that Alaska Airlines Credit Card points are worth about $0.0165 each, your earning rates translate to 1.65% to 4.95% cash back.
Free checked bags
Each time you purchase Alaska Airlines airfare with your Alaska Airlines Visa Card, you and up to six traveling companions will each get your first checked bag free. Alaska Air typically charges $25 for a standard checked bag, so this benefit could be worth as much as $175 each time you fly.
Not built for carrying a balance
It’s important to pay your Alaska Air Visa bill in full every month, as the card does not offer 0% intro rates or a low regular APR. Instead, you will be assigned a regular rate depending on your creditworthiness. The low end of that range is above the
18.04% average among credit cards for excellent credit, and the high end easily exceeds the
24.12% average among credit cards for good credit, according to
WalletHub research. So if your credit score barely qualifies as “good,” you’re likely to overpay on interest.
Good credit required
The Alaska Airlines Visa Signature Card requires good or excellent credit for approval. As a result, it’s a good idea to
check your credit score for free before applying.
Note: This review is not provided, commissioned or endorsed by any issuer. Opinions and ratings are our own.