Is alaska airlines visa worth it?

They were voted for having the Best Airline Rewards Program in 2022, and reaching elite status is easier to reach compared to other leading airlines. It offers high-quality value and takes pride in having the Number 1 West Coast market share over any other competitor.

From our experience, Alaska Airlines is a very good airline because they have an excellent mileage program with huge perks and benefits, high-quality customer service with friendly employees, and more direct flight services for the west coast than any other airline in the United States.

While it may not be the most affordable airline to fly with, the advantages and experience that come with it are worth the extra couple of dollars.

For those who travel a lot on the west coast or for business, Alaska Airlines is a prime choice. They offer not only a personal but also a business credit card, to earn even more points and rewards for frequent flyers. And for those in their special Mileage Program, the rewards can’t be beaten. While most airlines offer services all over the country, not all airlines offer direct services as widely as Alaska Airlines, resulting in fewer issues and happier customers.

While the rewards system is unmatched, the service is superb, and in-flight services are plentiful, there may be a few downsides to flying with Alaska Airlines depending on the purpose of the flight or personal preference.

Some would say Alaska is a bad Airline, as flights tend to be costly, east coast destinations are limited, and loss of luggage isn’t unheard of. However, despite the downsides with Alaska Airlines, the positive aspects outweigh the negative aspects by a long shot, at least we think so anyway.

Below is an overview of high-quality and low-quality aspects of Alaska Airlines.

Alaska Airlines is a high-quality airline with lots of perks and benefits that come with its name. Whether you are looking for in-flight comfort, friendly employees, or high-quality services, Alaska Airlines is a great choice.

Some of the most positive aspects of flying with Alaska Airlines are as follows.

Passenger satisfaction and comfort are very important when it comes to Alaska Airlines. Most flights offer spacious seating with a little extra legroom than most other competing airlines.

There are even seats available for purchase for even more legroom and space to stretch out on long-haul flights. For those of you who are tall like me, having extra legroom on flights can make a huge difference in flight quality and comfort.

Alaska Airlines takes hospitality and customer service very seriously, and make big efforts to keep all passengers happy and flights successful. From the ticket booking process to preparing, flying, and departing, the customer service team is available and more than happy to help with any issues you may have along the way.

We always had a wonderful experience with their customer service. Employees both on the ground and while in the air, off an all-around great experience.

For those of you who are frequent flyers with Alaska Airlines and are a part of their Mileage Plan, there are deals and discounts happening all year round. From discounted rates to additional add-ons and extras, those who are loyal to the airline will reap huge benefits.

💡 Even after a flight is booked, there will be discounts on available additions and changes, such as lounge access, priority boarding, or free additional luggage.

Alaska Airlines offers more direct services on the west coast of the United States than any other airline. It has more than 1200 flights a day to over 115 destinations, the majority being on the west coast. The airline’s main headquarters is in Seattle, with its main hubs all being on the west coast as well in Anchorage, Los Angeles, Portland, and San Francisco.

Additionally, Alaska Airlines is a member of One World Alliance, partnering with multiple airlines around the world for more flight options and destinations.

Alaska Airlines offers two different credit card options for frequent flyers to choose from; Alaska Airlines Visa Signature card, and the Alaska Airlines Visa Business card. Whether you choose to fly for business or personal leisure, both cards come with sign-up bonus miles, free checked luggage, and various other perks and benefits to earn over time.

The frequent Flyer Program for Alaska Airlines is called the Mileage Plan. The Mileage plan is an ideal frequent flyer program, with a high-quality elite status much more obtainable compared to other airlines. Miles can be earned through flying, hotel stays, and rental car services, and traded in for free flights, rewards, and other benefits.

The offer to split miles and money is also an option, in case an emergency rises up and you need a quick flight. This was great when I needed a last-minute ticket and was traveling on a budget. While I didn’t have enough points for the whole ticket, I had enough for half, and cash to cover the rest.

Alaska Airlines doesn’t come short of in-flight entertainment. For both domestic and international flights, the airlines offer movies, music, and television shows for flyers. Plus, USB ports are available in all seats, in addition to in-flight wifi (for purchase) and free texting.

Having USB ports was a lifesaver for us when flying with Alaska, as all of my devices were low on battery before the flight. Thankfully, my phone was charged by the end of the flight, allowing me access to my continuing flight boarding pass and information.

While the airline has excellent quality service and a lot of other benefits, depending on your purpose of travel, there may be some disadvantages. Before booking a flight with Alaska Airlines, keep the following aspects in mind.

While Alaska Airlines does service the entire country and various locations internationally, a large portion of those flights goes through Alaska and Canada. Due to the geographical location of these destinations, the weather is a big factor.

Reliability tends to be an issue with airlines, especially in the wintertime, due to various flights and delays. If you are someone on a time schedule or flying for business, this is a crucial thing to keep in mind, depending on your flight destination.

Hubs for Alaska Airlines are limited to the west coast of the United States. While this is a huge benefit to those on the western side of the country, being the airline with the most direct flight options, this is a downside to the rest of the country.

There are flights all over the country but are very limited in the New England region. If you are someone flying from the east coast, it’s likely you will have a stopover connecting to a major Alaska Airlines hub.

The $95-a-year Alaska Airlines Visa® credit card is an excellent choice for travelers looking to get the most out of their flying experience. With this card, you can earn miles on every purchase and redeem them for flights on Alaska Airlines, as well as other partner carriers. New cardholders will also receive a companion fare each year you spend $6,000, allowing you to bring someone along for just $122 ($99 fare plus taxes and fees from $23). Existing cardholders will continue to receive the companion fare perk each year without the spending requirement.

The card offers a variety of other benefits, such as priority boarding, free checked bags and 20% back on in-flight Alaska purchases. As part of a Jan. 2023 revamp, the card now offers $100 off an annual Alaska Lounge+ membership, a 10% reward bonus on miles earned with the card, and 2 miles per dollar spent on gas, local transit, rideshare, cable and select streaming services.

Last but not least, for a limited time, get a $100 statement credit, 50,000 bonus miles and Alaska’s Famous Companion Fare™ from $122 ($99 fare plus taxes and fees from $23) with this offer after spending $2,000 in purchases within the first 90 days of account opening. This makes the card best-in-class when it comes to those seeking a companion fare ticket as a card perk.

Between the elevated welcome bonus and new bonus categories, the Alaska Airlines Visa Credit Card offers more rewards than ever. The card provides a welcome bonus of a $100 statement credit, 50,000 bonus miles and Alaska’s Famous Companion Fare™ from $122 ($99 fare plus taxes and fees from $23) with this offer after spending $2,000 in purchases within the first 90 days of account opening.

The Companion Fare allows you to book a ticket for a traveling companion for just $99 and taxes. With airfare on the rise, the Companion Fare can potentially save you hundreds of dollars on flights alone. You can earn one of these each year you spend $6,000 on the card.

​​The card earns 3 miles per dollar on eligible Alaska Airlines purchases, 2 miles per dollar on eligible gas, cable, streaming services and local transit including ride share purchases and unlimited 1 mile per dollar on all other purchases. On top of this already generous earn rate, cardholders will get a 10% bonus on all miles earned via spending.

Using government data and other publicly available information, we estimate that a household in the U.S. that would be in the market for this card has an annual income of $84,352 and $25,087 in expenses they are likely to be able to charge to a credit card. Here’s how many rewards a cardholder could earn by charging these expenses to the Alaska Airlines Visa Credit Card:

The initial tally comes to 31,026 Mileage Plan miles. Factoring in the 10% rewards bonus brings the grand total to 34,128 miles annually. With that many miles, you can book up to six short-haul domestic flights, a round-trip ticket to Hawaii, or a one-way economy award to Asia, Europe, South America or the South Pacific. In other cards: You’ll easily offset the $95 annual fee.

The Alaska Airlines Visa Credit Card charges 19.99% – 27.99% variable APR in purchases and balance transfers, depending on creditworthiness. A fee of either $10 or 3% (whichever is greater) also applies to balance transfers. Unfortunately, the card doesn’t provide an introductory 0% APR offer.

The Alaska Airlines Visa® Business credit card is tailored to business owners who are looking for an efficient way to manage their business expenses and rewards. For an annual fee of $50 for the company and $25 per card, it offers perks such as employee cards with individual spending limits, no foreign transaction fees, and the potential to earn more miles with higher spending limits. However, it lacks the robust welcome bonus and category bonuses of the Alaska Airlines Visa Card.

The Alaska Airlines Visa® Business credit card offers a $100 statement credit, 50,000 bonus miles and Alaska’s Famous Companion Fare™ from $122 ($99 fare plus taxes and fees from $23) with this offer after spending $3,000 in purchases within the first 90 days of account opening. The card earns 3 miles per dollar on eligible Alaska purchases and 1 mile on everything else.

Like the personal version, the business card offers free checked bags for up to six companions and 20% back on in-flight purchases. Overall, this card comes up short on rewards and perks compared to the Alaska Airlines Visa credit card. That’s to be expected, considering the lower annual fee.

At first sight, it might seem an odd choice to compare the Alaska Airlines Visa credit card against the Citi/AAdvantage Platinum Select World Elite Mastercard. However, Alaska Airlines and American are both members of the Oneworld Alliance. That gets you access to the same vast route network when you’re ready to use your miles.

The Alaska Airlines Visa and Citi/AAdvantage Platinum Select are mid-tier credit cards that offer similar benefits at a similar price point. The Alaska Airlines Visa carries an annual fee of $95 and the Citi/AAdvantage Platinum Select has an annual fee of $99 annual that is waived for the first 12 months. The AAdvantage Platinum Card offers a free checked bag and preferred boarding for up to four companions instead of six for the Alaska card. The Citi AAdvantage Platinum Card’s in-flight discount of 25% is higher than the 20% offered by the Alaska Airline Visa.

However, the AAdvantage Platinum Card isn’t as rewarding as the Alaska Visa. The card’s welcome bonus is 50,000 American Airlines AAdvantage miles after spending $2,500 on purchases in the first three months of account opening. Cardholders also earn fewer miles at 2 miles per dollar spent on eligible American Airlines® purchases, restaurants and gas stations. All other purchases earn 1 mile per dollar spent.

Similar to the Alaska Airlines Visa, the AAdvantage Platinum Card comes with an annual $125 flight discount. While this benefit is more flexible and ideal for solo travelers, the spending required to earn it is much steeper at $20,000. Cardholders must also renew their account to receive this benefit.

The Alaska Airlines Visa credit card is much more rewarding than the Citi® / AAdvantage® Platinum Select® World Elite Mastercard on most metrics except two: There’s a $99 annual fee, waived for the first 12 months on the AAdvantage card and all spending counts towards elite status at a rate of 1 Loyalty Point per dollar spent.

The Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card offers a more flexible alternative to the Alaska Airlines Visa. The card earns a higher welcome bonus of 75,000 miles after $4,000 spent within three months. It offers 5 points per dollar on hotels and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel and 2 points per dollar on everything else. Depending on your spending habits, 2 points per dollar on everything might be preferable to the category bonuses offered by the Alaska Airlines Visa.

The card has a $95 annual fee, the same as the Alaska Airlines Visa. It also offers two complimentary lounge visits per year and an up to $100 Global Entry/TSA PreCheck credit every four years. More importantly, Capital One miles are transferable to 15+ loyalty travel partners. These include Oneworld alliance members British Airways, Cathay Pacific and Qantas. You can redeem miles from these programs towards flights on Alaska Airlines.

The Alaska Airlines Visa credit card is worth getting if you’re looking for a substantial welcome bonus and valuable airline perks. It could be a great fit for someone who often travels with Alaska Airlines, as it offers many rewards and benefits. However, it may not be a good fit for someone who rarely flies with Alaska Airlines.

For example, the card’s free checked bag, in-flight purchase discount and priority boarding benefits can make your travels on the airline more pleasant. But you won’t get your money’s worth from these perks if you’re not an Alaska Airlines flyer. And if you don’t spend at least $6,000 a year on the card to earn the Companion Fare, then that benefit isn’t relevant either.

The Alaska Airlines Visa® credit card is one of the best cards for earning Alaska miles. Even if you don’t live on the West Coast, Alaska Airlines miles are exceptionally valuable since you can use them to book flights on Oneworld partner airlines including Cathay Pacific, Japan Airlines, Qantas and American Airlines. You'll also get a free checked bag and priority boarding if you use the card to pay for your flight. Card Rating*: ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Alaska Airlines miles have long ranked as the most valuable airline miles in TPG’s monthly valuations, thanks to Alaska’s extensive network of partners and membership in the Oneworld alliance.

The Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan program has very generous rules when it comes to booking award flights: You’re allowed to add stopovers for free on most awards and even on one-way awards. I’ve used this to book business-class flights on Cathay Pacific and Japan Airlines and add stopovers in Hong Kong and Tokyo.

While there are many sweet spots in the Alaska Airlines program, these miles are difficult to obtain. Only one of the major transferrable points programs (Marriott Bonvoy) currently partners with Alaska Airlines.

Applying for the Alaska Airlines Visa® Business card and the Alaska Airlines Visa credit card are your main options for easily earning a big chunk of Alaska miles. So let’s dive in to see if the Visa Signature card is a good fit for you.

Right now, the Alaska Airlines Visa credit card is offering a $100 statement credit, 50,000 bonus miles and Alaska's Famous Companion Fare; from $122 ($99 fare plus taxes and fees from $23) with this offer. To qualify, make $2,000 or more in purchases within the first 90 days of opening your account. TPG values 50,000 Alaska miles at $1,000 including the statement credit.

Obviously, this card is a great choice if you frequently fly Alaska Airlines. With a $95 annual fee, this card provides elite-like perks without Alaska Airlines elite status. Cardholders get one piece of free checked luggage for themselves and up to six other passengers on the same reservation when they pay with the card, saving $30 per person each way on checked bags. You’ll also enjoy Alaska-related discounts, including 20% back on Alaska Airlines inflight purchases.

If you fly Alaska with a friend or family member at least once a year on paid fares, this card’s most lucrative ongoing benefit is likely to be the annual companion fare, which you’ll earn every year on your account anniversary if you spent $6,000 or more within the prior anniversary year. (However, if you were a cardholder prior to Jan. 18, 2023, it's our understanding that this new spend requirement doesn't impact your annual Companion Fare.)

The companion fare is only valid for coach travel, but it is eligible for upgrades if you hold Alaska’s elite status. TPG’s Summer Hull has taken advantage of a status match to earn Alaska MVP Gold 75k status, then used some of the four one-way upgrades that come with that status to upgrade flights to Hawaii that were booked using the companion fare.

For more information on the companion ticket and how to get the most value out of it, see our tips on maximizing the Alaska Airlines Visa Companion Fare. Remember that round-trip flights will generally offer a better value for this perk and you’ll have to pay for the ticket with your Alaska Airlines Visa.

As previously mentioned, the card also offers a free checked bag for the cardholder and up to six other travelers on the same reservation when you use the card to pay for your flights. There are no foreign transaction fees, so you can use the card anywhere around the globe without incurring extra charges.

Cardholders will also enjoy priority boarding, similar to Group 4 or 5 boarding on American Airlines for its cobranded credit cardholders. You will board after first class, veterans, folks who need extra time, Oneworld and Alaska elite members and those in the premium cabin. Again, to access this benefit, you need to pay for your flight with your card.

Lastly, you'll enjoy a 10% rebate on miles earned annually if you have an eligible account at Bank of America.

With the Alaska Airlines Visa card, you’ll earn 3 miles per dollar on eligible Alaska Airlines purchases, 2 miles per dollar on gas, local transit, ride-sharing, cable and some streaming services, and 1 mile per dollar on all other eligible purchases.

If you frequently travel on Alaska Airlines for work or pleasure and want to build up your Mileage Plan balance, this card is an obvious choice for airline purchases. Considering that TPG values Alaska Airlines highly at 1.8 cents apiece, that’s a 5.4% return.

You should likely use another travel credit card for non-Alaska purchases since you can do better than the card’s earning rate of 1 mile per dollar. However, if you really want to rack up Alaska miles for partner award flights, then that advice may not apply, since Alaska miles are so valuable and challenging to otherwise get without flying Alaska.

There are many ways to slice and dice the 50,000 bonus miles, even considering the devaluation of Alaska's award charts in December.

Short-haul Alaska awards (such as Seattle to San Francisco) start at just 5,000 Alaska miles each way. Many longer flights (such as Seattle to New York City) are 12,500 miles in economy. If you want first class, it’s often 40,000 miles on longer domestic flights, but can start as low as 15,000 miles each way on shorter flights. If you want to head to Hawaii, those awards start at 15,000 miles each way in economy and 40,000 each way in first class.

Alaska’s partners will also cover your travels across much of the globe. Those partners include British Airways, Cathay Pacific, Qantas and Singapore Airlines. You won’t necessarily get the lowest mileage booking rate for all of these partners (depending on the route) when redeeming through Alaska. But by taking advantage of Alaska’s allowance of one stopover on one-way award tickets, you can build some great itineraries.

Some of our favorite ways to maximize Alaska Airlines redemptions include booking Cathay Pacific first class from the U.S. to Asia for 70,000 miles one-way, Japan Airlines first class one-way from the U.S. to Asia starting at 70,000 miles and Fiji Airways from the U.S. to Fiji one-way in business class for 55,000 miles.

You could even fly to Australia on Fiji Airways and add in a free stopover in Fiji for the same 55,000 miles in business class.

But you don’t have to lap the planet to maximize Alaska miles. Booking awards around the U.S. and Canada from just 5,000 Alaska miles each way is also a pretty great deal.

If you’re interested in booking premium-cabin awards, earning transferable rewards points could be better because you won’t be stuck with rewards attached to a single loyalty program.

Flexible rewards points, such as Chase Ultimate Rewards and Capital One miles, are easier to earn. Plus, many of these cards offer bigger sign-up bonuses or better-earning bonus rates in different spending categories. Here are a few great cards for earning transferrable points if you’re not in specific need of Alaska miles:

Related: Chase Sapphire Preferred vs. Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card

If you can qualify for a business card (and there are many ways to do so without owning a physical store), you should consider opening the Alaska Airlines Visa® Business card instead. It offers a sign-up bonus of 50,000 bonus miles plus a $100 statement credit plus Alaska's Famous Companion Fare; from $122 ($99 fare plus taxes and fees from $23) with this offer. To qualify, make $3,000 or more in purchases within the first 90 days of opening your account

The Alaska Airlines Visa credit card earns Mileage Plan miles. You earn 3 miles per dollar on eligible Alaska Airlines purchases, 2 miles per dollar on eligible gas, cable, streaming services and local transit including ride share purchases and 1 mile per dollar on all other purchases. The number of miles you can earn is unlimited. The bonus categories are also uncapped.

The card currently offers a welcome bonus: $100 statement credit, 50,000 bonus miles and Alaska's Famous Companion Fare™ after spending $2,000 or more in purchases within the first 90 days of account opening.

Cardholders who also hold an eligible Bank of America account—which includes active, consumer checking and saving accounts or Merrill investment accounts—can earn an additional 10% rewards bonus on all miles earned from card purchases.

Mileage Plan miles can be redeemed for flights with Alaska Airlines and its network of partner airlines. Alaska Airlines is known for West Coast destinations, but Alaska’s route system spans over 100 destinations in the U.S., Canada, Belize, Costa Rica and Mexico.

A valuable and rare feature of Mileage Plan flight awards is the ability to book a free stopover on most international tickets, even when traveling one-way. A stopover can be as little as a day up to nearly a year. For instance, you can book San Francisco (SFO) to Hong Kong (HKG), stopover for several days, then continue from Hong Kong (HKG) to Bangkok (BKK) at no additional cost compared to traveling through immediately.

Alaska Airlines joined the oneworld airline alliance in 2021, and Mileage Plan members can redeem miles and enjoy benefits with all oneworld partner airlines, in addition to Alaska Airlines’ non-alliance partners such as Korean Air, LATAM Airlines, Aer Lingus and Singapore Airlines.

One limitation of an Alaska Airlines award is that partners cannot be mixed on the same ticket, with the exception that any partner can be combined with Alaska Airlines flights. You can book a Singapore Airlines plus Alaska Airlines award ticket, but not a Singapore Airlines plus Qantas award ticket. Sometimes you can work around this limitation by booking two one way tickets instead of a round trip ticket.

Using data from various government agencies, Forbes Advisor has developed estimates for how much a family in the 70th percentile of income spends annually in various categories. The 70th percentile of wage-earning households brings in $116,000 annually and has $36,177 in expenses that can be charged to credit cards. These figures are used to estimate the potential rewards from this credit card.

Our example household spends $2,443 on airfare annually. Assuming that you are in a market well-served by Alaska Airlines, this entire amount could be spent on tickets booked with Alaska Airlines, which would earn a total of 7,329 Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan miles.

The card also offers 2 miles per dollar spent on eligible gas, cable, streaming services and local transit purchases. This would earn an additional 8,226 miles.