The Alaska Airlines Visa® credit card gets you the perks of airline status without being a frequent flyer. Enjoy benefits like waived baggage fees and priority boarding. If you fly Alaska Airlines at least once per year with a Companion, the card is worth considering.

Point Multipliers

Earn Alaska Mileage Plan Miles on a wide variety of categories:

• 3X Miles on eligible  Alaska Airlines purchases
• 2X Miles on eligible gas and EV charging station purchases
• 2X Miles on cable, streaming services
• 2X Miles on local transit purchases, including rideshare
• 1X Mile on all other purchases

You also earn a 10% rewards bonus on all miles earned from card purchases if you have an eligible Bank of America^® account.

Alaska Miles can be one of the most useful if you’re looking to book international first and business-class flights with partners.

Alaska's Famous Companion Fare™

One of the major benefits of the Alaska Airlines card is the Companion Fare perk. You earn Alaska's Famous Companion Fare™ ($99 fare plus taxes and fees from $23) each account anniversary after you spend $6,000 or more on purchases within the prior anniversary year. This is valid on all Alaska Airlines flights booked on alaskaair.com. Note that terms apply.

If you’re able to utilize the Companion Fare, most people will get a positive expected value beyond the annual fee. Round-trip flights usually offer a better value for this benefit - especially longer-haul ones that tend to be more expensive. You’ll have to pay for the ticket with the Alaska Airlines Visa.

To redeem the Companion Fare, simply apply the discount code at the time you purchase the primary ticket. This works for flights that are operated by Alaska Airlines, Virgin America or Horizon Air.

Travel Benefits

In addition to Alaska's Famous Companion Fare, the card offers a handful of useful travel benefits that usually come with airline status. To utilize the travel benefits, you’ll need to pay for the flights with your card.

Free checked bags

You get a free checked bag on Alaska flights for you and up to six other guests on the same reservation. This can be extremely valuable for larger families or people who travel with a big group of friends.

Priority Boarding

You get priority boarding when you book Alaska Airlines flights with your card. You’ll board after first class, veterans/active military, passengers who need extra time, and Alaska and oneworld elite members.

In-flight Savings

Relatively less useful, but you get 20% back on all Alaska Airlines in-flight purchases with your card. This is great if you need to buy Wi-Fi or premium snacks and drinks on the plane.

No Foreign Transaction Fees

The Alaska Airlines Visa credit card doesn’t have any foreign transaction fees, which makes it a great travel card, especially given the value of the points.

Value of Alaska Mileage Plan Miles

The Alaska Airlines Visa card earns Alaska MileagePlan Miles, which has a high upside if you’re looking to fly international premium cabins.

The airline is part of the oneworld^® Alliance and has separate Global Partners as well. This means you have the option to fly to over 1,000+ destinations.

Oneworld® Alliance partners include Cathay Pacific, Japan Airlines, American Airlines, British Airways, and more. 

The value of Alaska Mileage Plan Miles can vary greatly depending on if you decide to redeem miles for domestic or international flights and on the cabin class. Domestic tends to yield lower value. International first and business class are harder to find but are great value given the points needed relative to the retail price.

Main Takeaway

The Alaska Airlines Visa card is worth considering if you’re an Alaska Airlines frequent flyer - but not enough to get status. The card gives you benefits like a free checked bag and priority boarding which can be huge moneysavers. You also get Alaska's Famous Companion Fare™ ($99 fare plus taxes and fees from $23) each account anniversary after you spend $6,000 or more on purchases within the prior anniversary year which can help subsidize the annual fee.

For aspirational travel, redeem miles with oneworld^® Alliance partners for international business and first-class flights like Cathay Pacific and Japan Airlines.