Alaska Airlines Visa® Credit Card Review [2024]: A Generous Companion Pass and Travel Insurance (2024)

The Alaska Airlines Visa^® Credit Card can be a valuable card to own, depending on where you travel. With perks like free checked bags, companion fare, valuable mileage rewards, and a host of compatible travel partners, becoming a cardmember could be a wise decision. But is this card worth the $95 annual fee?

Who should get the Alaska Airlines Visa credit card?

The Alaska Airlines Visa credit card is a great option for frequent travelers. With its impressive loyalty program and generous welcome bonus, this card offers a ton of value.

Alaska Airlines Visa credit card cardmembers can earn valuable rewards on Alaska Airlines purchases and book with well over a dozen air travel partners, so there’s likely a flight option for everyone. And if dining out is your thing, you can use this card to earn rewards at over 10,000 restaurants across the U.S.

Because this card is part of the Visa Signature series, cardholders can also access Visa travel benefits. These include car rental insurance (secondary coverage), travel and emergency assistance, and more.

Card basics

Alaska Airlines Visa credit card benefits and perks

• Generous welcome offer: Earn 60,000 bonus miles and a Companion Fare ($99 fare plus taxes and fees from $23) after making $3,000 or more in purchases within the first 90 days of opening your account (limited time offer) of account opening.
• Annual companion fare: Alaska's famous companion fare is one of the major perks of this card. The Alaskan companion fare, which you can access once a year following your account anniversary, allows you to book a one-way or round-trip companion economy ticket (not first class) for a $99 base fare plus taxes and fees, with the total price starting at $122. It can come in handy if you have a trip planned and want to save on airfare.
• Rewards on purchases: Cardholders earn 3X miles on eligible Alaska Airlines purchases; 2X miles on eligible gas, EV charging stations, cable, streaming services, and local transit (including ride shares, trains, tolls, and ferries); and 1X miles on all other eligible purchases. There is no mileage cap and the miles don't expire.
  
• Free checked bag: You and up to six guests on the same reservation each get a free checked bag.
• Priority boarding: Receive priority boarding when you pay for your flight with your card. Note that if you've already paid for an upgrade to a higher fare, you might already have priority boarding.
• In-flight purchases: Get 20% back on Alaska Airlines in-flight purchases (in the form of a statement credit) when you pay with your card.
• Discounted Alaska lounge pass: Want to relax in the comfort of an airport lounge? Discover the Alaska Airlines airport lounge! Alaska Airlines Visa credit card cardholders receive $100 off an annual Alaska Lounge+ Membership, as long as you use your Alaska card to purchase it.
  
• Rewards bonus: If you have an eligible Bank of America account, you'll earn a 10% rewards bonus on all Alaska miles earned from purchases with this card.

Cardholders also have access to Visa Signature benefits, which could include:

• Extended warranty coverage
• Travel and emergency assistance
• Lost luggage reimbursem*nt
• Trip cancellation and interruption insurance
• Trip delay reimbursem*nt
• Visa Signature Concierge

Drawbacks to the Alaska Airlines Visa credit card

• Annual fee: This card does come with an annual fee of $95. If you're thinking about applying, make sure you'll be able to offset this cost each year. If not, it might make sense to consider a more flexible travel rewards card or a card without an annual fee.
• Limited/inefficient routes: Since Alaska Airlines is based in Seattle, it generally offers more flight options for West Coast travelers than East Coast travelers. And due to its prevalence on the West Coast, flights that originate on the East Coast may also have a stopover in an out-of-the-way city like Seattle. Per Alaska Air's current route map, a flight from Boston, MA, to Wichita, KS, includes a layover in Seattle, even though Seattle is halfway across the country in the opposite direction. This doesn't necessarily make it the most efficient option for East Coast travelers.
• No intro APR offers: This card doesn't provide intro APR offers on purchases or balance transfers.

Earning & redeeming Alaska Mileage Plan miles

Here's a look at how your miles can add up with the Alaska Airlines Visa credit card. To calculate these values, we used a point valuation of one cent.

Potential earnings in years one and two

Remember, this is an estimation. The actual value will be determined by how much you spend and in which categories you spend.

Year one earnings: $864

Year two earnings: $264

These values are based on the FinanceBuzz Credit Card Rewards Valuation Model which takes a look at points earned via spending, the welcome bonus, and the annual fee.

The values above account for general travel spending only, not spending specific to Alaska Air. If you're a frequent flyer on Alaska Air, your earnings with this card will be higher due to the bonus miles it offers for Alaska Airlines spending. The companion fare isn't accounted for in the numbers above, either. Taking advantage of that fare each year will also increase the value you get from this card.

Best ways to earn

You can earn miles in multiple ways with your Alaska Airlines Visa credit card. The most lucrative option is making eligible Alaska Airlines purchases, which earn 3X miles per dollar spent.

When you sign up for the Alaska Airlines Visa credit card, you are also enrolled in the Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan Dining program. This program allows you to earn 1 mile per $2 spent at over 10,000 participating restaurants, bars, and clubs.

You can also earn miles by shopping online at stores like Macy's, Nike, and Best Buy through the Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan’s portal. The number of miles you can earn depends on the specific retailer.

You’ll also earn 1X miles on every $1 spent on all other eligible purchases with your Alaska Airlines Visa card. While this isn’t the best rewards rate out there, it’s still enough to make the card worth considering.

Maximizing your redemptions

You can get the most out of your Alaska Airlines rewards by using them to book Alaska Airlines flights or airfare with a partner airline. This is one of the best airline credit cards if you use certain carriers. Redemption value depends on factors like the airline, destination, time of travel, and more.

You can also use your Alaska Airlines miles to book hotel stays at over 400,000 participating properties. Rooms can be paid in full with miles or with a combination of cash and miles.

Cardholders also have the option to donate their points to charity or share them with family and friends.

Alaska Airlines Visa credit card transfer partners

if you want the flexibility of using your miles with different airlines, you're in luck with the Alaska Airlines Visa credit card. You can choose to redeem your Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan miles for travel on Alaska Airlines or one of their many travel partners.

Booking award flights or transferring miles is simple, and you can do so by visiting AlaskaAir.com or callingAlaska Airlines reservations at 1-800-252-7522.

Here are some Alaska airline partners, including oneworld alliance partners:

Other cards to consider

The Alaska Airlines Visa card is one of the best credit cards for frequent flyers on Alaska Air. But if you don’t fly Alaska Air or its travel partners often, theCapital One Venture Rewards Credit Card may be a good alternative for you. New cardholders can earn a one-time bonus of 75,000 miles once you spend $4,000 on purchases within 3 months from account opening.

Venture Rewards cardholders earn 2 miles per dollar on every purchase, every day and 5 miles per dollar on hotels and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel.

Learn more in our Capital One Venture card review.

Travelers could also consider the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card. It has an $95 annual fee, and it delivers in travel value. New cardmembers can earn 60,000 bonus points after you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening, which equals $750 in travel value through the Chase Ultimate Rewards program.

The Sapphire Preferred card also includes 5X points on travel purchased through Chase Ultimate Rewards®; 3X points on dining, select streaming services, and eligible online grocery purchases; 2X points on all other travel purchases, and 1X points per $1 on all other eligible purchases.

Learn more in our Chase Sapphire Preferred review.

Alaska Airlines Visa credit card FAQ