Should you apply for an Alaska Airlines credit card offer? Read through this review of the Alaska Airlines credit cards. Alaska Airlines was started with a single three-seat airplane in 1932. Alaska Airlines merged with Horizon Air in 1987. Since then they have grown to be one of the most customer centric airlines in the country.
Ranked among the top 5 on-time carriers, they offer several perks for their frequent fliers. This includes several different Alaska Airlines Visa cards. For consumers the Visa Signature, Platinum and Preferred cards as well as the Visa Debit. There is also the Business Visa card.
Because so many of their destinations are in Canada, there are also cards available specifically for Canadian residents. Although the list of benefits varies slightly with each card, they all offer opportunities to earn bonus miles when used to purchase Alaska Air tickets and when certain purchase amounts are achieved. Start comparing credit cards now!
Alaska Airlines Visa Credit Card
The benefits include the ability to earn up to 25,000 bonus miles, depending on the level of card you qualify for. The Signature card is issued to those who qualify for a limit of $5000 or more. For these cardholders, 20,000 bonus miles are credited to the Alaska Air Mileage Plan automatically. The additional 5,000 points are added once $750 in purchases is made. The Alaska Airlines Visa Signature Platinum card is issued to those qualifying for a credit limit of at least $2,000, but less than $5,000. The bonus miles earned for these cards are 5,000. For Preferred cardholders qualify for less than a $2000 line of credit and the bonus miles they earn are 3000.
Cardholders can earn 3 points for every dollar spent with qualifying purchases of Alaska Air or Horizon Air tickets and packages. Each of these cards carries with it an annual membership fee. The highest is the Signature card at $75. The Platinum account has a $50 annual fee and the Preferred account is $35. They also each have their own APR. The Signature card has the lowest variable APR for purchases and balance transfers at 12.74%. The Platinum is 12.24% and the Preferred card is 14.24%. The fees for cash advances and penalties are the same for all cards and are based on the dollar amounts, rather than flat rates.
Alaska Airlines Visa Debit Card
Existing Bank of America account holders can add an Alaska Airlines debit card to their account. This allows Alaska Air frequent mileage customers to earn benefits towards future travel faster. One Mileage Plan mile is earned for every $2 spent, regardless of the purchase. For Alaska Air or Horizon Air tickets purchased with the debit card, a mile is earned for each dollar spent. There is also up to 3000 miles earned with the first purchase. Other benefits include the ability to track all transactions online and to set daily limits for purchases and withdrawals. There is an annual fee of $30, but as this is a debit card, not a credit card, there is no interest charged.
Alaska Airlines Visa Business Credit Card
This Visa Business card was developed specifically for business owners. It enables them to track and manage their business expenses separately from their personal expenses, while still allowing Alaska Airlines miles to be earned. The benefits include 0% fixed APR on purchases for the first 9 months, providing that at least the minimum required payments are made on time. After the introductory period, the APR moves to a variable 9.9%. Unlike most cards, account holders can earn up to 1,000,000 mileage points per year and they can be redeemed for travel on 11 different airlines reaching 700 destinations. The remaining features mirror those of the consumer’s Signature card, including the ability to earn up to 25,000 bonus miles.
Alaska Airlines Credit Card Offer Comparisons
There are several positive points to the Alaska Airlines credit cards. Although the Visa Signature card is the best value, all cards allow for bonus miles to be earned through purchases. The variable rates are better than most and the billing cycle is at least 25 days. Most organizations are moving to a 21-day payment cycle. There is also no limit to the number of miles that can be earned in a year. The negatives include a high annual fee. However, if the cardholder travels frequently, it will be more than offset by the miles earned and the ability to fly for free and to earn companion tickets relatively quickly.
Due to the recent economic difficulties, Bank of America has tightened their requirements to qualify for the higher limits. This may make it more difficult to achieve the Signature card and take advantage of the highest level of benefits and perks. This is true for the Business Visa card as well. As an alternative, business owners may wish to consider the American Express OPEN card that is offered through the Starwood Preferred Guest program. It has similar benefits and points can be exchanged to go towards Alaska Air mileage points. The annual fee is $45 rather than $75 and it was voted the best affinity card at the 19th Freddie Awards.
Start comparing credit cards now!
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Bank of America lies when they advertise that you get 25,000 miles upon approval. First evidence is when you get your welcome packet and they tell how you can get your 25,000 bonus miles. You get 20,000 upon approval and then another 5,000 after $750 in purchases. Oh, is that what ‘upon approval’ means? I made the purchases and got the 5,000 miles, but 3 months later I still don’t have the first 20,000. I have called several times and get a different story every time. The latest one is that it takes 2 billing cycles to get the 20,000. Not two months mind you, that’s two billing cycles with a balance. If you don’t use the card I guess you never get your 20,000 bonus miles.
Somehow, Bank of America thinks that forcing you to use the card for 2 billing cycles means the same as upon approval. English is my first language and in my wildest and most generous interpretation of “upon approval” I can arrive at no other conclusion than this is an outright and deceptive LIE. If you’re ok with doing business this way and travel a lot, great card and benefits.
As for Alaska Airlines side of things, the bonus miles are wonderful for getting free and discounted flights, until you realize how they are applied. The best deals are at odd times or with long layovers. Anything convenient is going to cost you more, whether in cash or miles. The same thing is reflected in their pricing structure for flights. So it’s really not an issue with the Mileage Program, just know that this is how Alaska does things.