Rating: 5 Stars
Bottom Line:
Western US Travel Card
Card Details
| Regular APR: | 17.99 – 25.99% (Variable) |
| Intro APR (Purchases): | None |
| Intro APR (Balance transfers): | None |
| Rewards Rate: | 3 miles for every $1 spent on eligible Alaska Airlines purchases 1 mile for every $1 spent on all other purchases |
| Credit Needed: | (670 – 850) Excellent/Good |
| Annual Fee: | $75 |
| Card Brand: | Visa? |
*See online credit card application for details on the terms and conditions.
Offer Highlights
- Click APPLY NOW to apply online
- Now – 40,000 Bonus Mile + Alaska’s Famous Companion Fare Offer.
- Get 40,000 bonus miles and Alaska’s Famous Companion Fare from $121 ($99 fare plus taxes and fees from $22) with this offer. To qualify, make purchases of $2,000 or more within the first 90 days of opening your account.
- Save with a free checked bag on Alaska flights for you and up to six other guests on the same reservation.
- Get Alaska?s Famous Companion Fare every year! Each year on your account anniversary get a companion fare from $121 ($99 plus taxes and fees from $22). Valid on all Alaska flights booked on alaskaair.com with no blackout dates.
- Earn unlimited 3 miles for every $1 spent on eligible Alaska Airlines purchases and 1 mile for every $1 spent on all other purchases. And, your miles don’t expire on active accounts.
- New! Enjoy 50% off day passes at the Alaska Lounge and 20% back on all Alaska Airlines inflight purchases when you pay with your new card.
- Redeem miles with no blackout dates on any of Alaska’s 1,200 daily flights or choose from over 900+ destinations with more than a dozen global airline partners. Plus, get exclusive access to discounted redemption levels when you redeem miles for hotel stays at over 400,000 properties using Alaska Airlines Hotels.
- Plus, no foreign transaction fees and a low $75 annual fee.
Is Alaska Airlines Visa Signature worth it?
Alaska Airlines Visa Signature is a great travel card for travelers in the 30 states that the airline offers flights from. Travelers in the western U.S., where there are the largest number of routes, are the most natural fit for this card. In 2016, Alaska acquired Virgin America, making it the fifth largest airline in the US by passengers carried, so this card is in no way restricted to people interested in the state of Alaska.
For most people who redeem it on most flights, the annual $121 companion fare will more than pay for the $75 annual fee, especially if they redeem it on an expensive flight. The only downside of the companion fare is that it may require multiple bookings if you are booking for more than two people, leaving open the possibility of being seated separately.
The earning rate is high: 3 miles for every $1 spent on eligible Alaska Airlines purchases, but some consumers have reported that it is difficult to redeem miles for a reasonable airfare redemption value, while other consumers have found this not to be the case. It’s important to mention that on Alaska Airlines’ award chart a one-way coast-to-coast trip across the U.S. in the Main Cabin, not First Class, could cost as much as 50,000 miles.
In the flight booking system, we found that most of the options for a roundtrip flight from New York to San Diego would cost 50,000 miles each way; however, there were a number of 20k mile each way options as well, and even 12.5k mile each way options that often included American Airlines as one connecting flight. Unfortunately, American Airlines flights will not be available in the portal in the future, and currently only a few of the partner airlines are available in the portal.
For this particular search, the mile value varied from about less than one half cent per mile to almost two cents depending on the route you book. While the end of the American Airlines partnership will be the end of redeeming Alaska miles on American and will make earning Alaska miles on American harder, in general earning miles is flexible, and you can even earn miles by entering your frequent flyer, called your Mileage Plan, number on Alaska Airlines? website after flying a partner.
There are also promotions that can boost your miles. For example, we opened our Alaska Mileage Plan account and found a promo that allowed earning double miles on certain one-way flights, effectively halving the cost of award flights when you go to redeem your double miles. Even if the Alaska Airlines awards program isn?t the easiest to navigate, the 40,000 point signup bonus makes it worth it.
If you live in the western U.S. and plan to fly the airline, this is a great card for you.
Pros
- Intro bonus of 40,000 miles and one $121 companion fare in coach after spending $2,000 in first 90 days after account opening
- Book travel with American Airlines, British Airways, and and more than 10 others
Cons
- No priority boarding
Why 5 Stars?
Regular APR
4 Stars
Intro APR
4 Stars
Fees
5 Stars
Perks
5 Stars
Overall
5 Stars
Fees
| Foreign Transaction Fee | none |
| Balance Transfer Fee | 3% of transaction amount or $10, whichever is greater |
| Cash Advance Fee | 3% of transaction amount or $10, whichever is greater |
| Penalty APR | Up to 29.99% APR |
Benefits
| $0 Fraud Liability |
| Auto Rental Collision Damage Waiver |
| Concierge Service |
| Lost Luggage Reimbursement |
| Purchase Protection |
Editorial Note: This content is not provided by the issuer. Any opinion, analyses, reviews, or recommendations expressed on this page are those of the author?s alone, and may not have been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by the issuer.
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