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Alaska Airlines Visa Signature Credit Card — Full Review [2024]

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Jarrod West

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Boasting a portfolio of over 20 cards, Jarrod has been an expert in the points and miles space for over 6 years. He earns and redeems over 1 million points per year and his work has been featured in o...
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LIMITED TIME OFFER
Alaska Airlines Visa Signature® credit card

Alaska Airlines Visa Signature® credit card

U.P. Rating
The rating for this card has been determined by our own industry experts who know the in's and out's of credit card products. Bonuses, rewards as well as rates and fees are all taken into account. Compensation from the issuer does not affect our rating. We only recommend products we either use ourselves or endorse.
Star rating iconStar rating iconStar rating iconStar rating iconStar rating iconStar rating iconStar rating iconStar rating iconStar rating iconStar rating icon4.25
  • 60,000 miles + $99 Companion Fare™

  • $95

  • 20.74% - 28.74% Variable

  • Good to Excellent (670-850)

Alaska Airlines Visa Signature® credit card

Provides the potential to earn plenty of miles to fly with Alaska Airlines or over a dozen partners. Plus, get an annual companion fare from just $122 ($99 fare plus taxes and fees from $23) when you spend at least $6,000 a year on the card!

U.P. Rating
The rating for this card has been determined by our own industry experts who know the in's and out's of credit card products. Bonuses, rewards as well as rates and fees are all taken into account. Compensation from the issuer does not affect our rating. We only recommend products we either use ourselves or endorse.
Star rating iconStar rating iconStar rating iconStar rating iconStar rating iconStar rating iconStar rating iconStar rating iconStar rating iconStar rating icon4.25
Summary

With the Alaska Signature card in your wallet, you can get great perks and earn miles at the same time. This is a win-win if Alaska is the airline you prefer to fly with! Plus, its annual companion fare is a great benefit for traveling couples.

Card Details

Card Snapshot

Welcome Bonus & Info

  • Get 60,000 bonus miles plus Alaska’s Companion Fare ($99 fare plus taxes and fees from $23) after you make $3,000 or more in purchases within the first 90 days of your account opening.
  • Alaska’s Famous Companion Fare™. Get a $99 Companion Fare (plus taxes and fees from $23) each account anniversary after you spend $6,000 or more on purchases within the prior anniversary year. Valid on all Alaska Airlines flights booked on alaskaair.com.
  • Free checked bag. Any cardholder who purchases airfare with their card, and up to 6 additional guests traveling on the same reservation, may check their first bag free.
  • Enjoy priority boarding so you can get to your seat quicker, when you pay for your flight with your card.
  • Earn unlimited 3 miles for every $1 spent on eligible Alaska Airlines purchases. Earn unlimited 2 miles for every $1 spent on eligible gas, EV charging station, cable, streaming services and local transit (including ride share) purchases. And earn unlimited 1 mile per $1 spent on all other purchases. And, your miles don’t expire on active accounts.
  • Earn a 10% rewards bonus on all miles earned from card purchases if you have an eligible Bank of America® account.
  • A faster way to earn status with your Alaska Airlines credit card. Throughout 2024, for every $10,000 you spend on purchases, you’ll automatically earn 4,000 elite-qualifying miles (EQMs), up to 20,000 EQMs total.
  • Enjoy 20% back on all Alaska Airlines inflight purchases and get $100 off an annual Alaska Lounge+ Membership when you pay with your new card.
  • With oneworld® Alliance member airlines and Alaska’s Global Partners, Alaska has expanded their global reach to over 1,000 destinations worldwide bringing more airline partners and more ways to earn and redeem miles.
  • Flexibility with no blackout dates on Alaska Airlines flights when booking with miles or a companion fare.
  • Plus, no foreign transaction fees.
Pros & Cons

Pros

  • 3x miles per $1 spent on Alaska purchases
  • 2x miles per $1 spent on eligible gas, EV charging, local transit (including rideshare), cable, and select streaming services
  • 1x mile per $1 spent on all other purchases
  • 10% rewards bonus on all miles earned from card purchases if you have an eligible Bank of America account
  • Annual companion fare after spending $6,000 on the card in a year
  • Free checked bag and priority boarding for you and up to 6 traveling companions
  • 20% back on Alaska inflight purchase
  • $100 off an annual Alaska Lounge+ membership

Cons

  • Charges a $95 annual fee
  • Does not earn transferable rewards

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Great Card If

  • If you’re a frequent Alaska Airlines flyer.
  • You want perks like free checked bags and priority boarding.
  • You could make good use of the annual companion fare certificate.

Don’t Get If

  • You seldom fly with Alaska.
  • You want a card that earns transferable rewards.

Alaska Signature Card — Is It Worth It?

If you frequently fly with Alaska Airlines, the Alaska Signature card is likely worth it for you. The card helps you earn far more Alaska miles than you would otherwise earn, with 3x miles on Alaska flights, 2x miles on eligible gas, EV charging station, cable, streaming services, and local transit purchases, and 1x miles on all other purchases.

Plus, if you have an eligible Bank of America account, you receive a 10% rewards bonus on all miles earned from card purchases. This means that, at the end of your cardmember year, if you’ve earned 30,000 miles from card purchases, you receive a further 3,000 bonus miles.

The Alaska Signature card also offers several other rewarding perks, such as free checked bags, priority boarding, 20% back on inflight purchases, an annual companion certificate when you spend $6,000 on the card, and more.

Alaska Signature Card Top Perks and Benefits

Let’s take a detailed look at the specific perks of the Alaska Signature card.

Annual Companion Certificate

The annual companion certificate on the Alaska Signature card allows you to book a companion fare flight for just $122 — a $99 fare plus taxes and fees starting from $23.

The companion fare is valid for any round-trip economy ticket purchased through the Alaska website for anywhere Alaska flies (including internationally).

Needless to say, depending on where you are planning to fly and the time of year, it is likely that the cash price of your companion’s tickets could be far more than the $122 you’d pay with the companion fare. However, you are required to spend $6,000 on your card in the previous calendar year to earn the companion certificate.

Free Checked Bags and Priority Boarding

Paying for checked bags can be expensive, especially when you are traveling with a large party. But with the Alaska Signature card, you and up to 6 guests traveling on your reservation receive free checked bags. This can amount to pretty large savings if you often travel with family and friends.

Your full party of up to 6 guests also receives priority boarding, allowing you to be one of the first passengers to board so that you can settle in and secure overhead bin space for your carry-on items.

Discount on Inflight Purchases

If you often buy items on your Alaska flights, especially Wi-Fi, the Alaska Signature card helps save you money there as well, with a 20% rebate toward food, beverages, and Wi-Fi purchased on Alaska and Alaska-operated flights.

Discount on Alaska Lounge+ Membership

If you’re a frequent Alaska Airlines flyer, you likely have an Alaska Lounge at your home airport. If you want to be able to access these lounges each time you fly, you can use your Alaska Signature card to get a $100 discount off an annual Alaska Lounge+ membership.

Best Ways To Earn and Redeem Alaska Miles

By far, the easiest way to earn more Alaska Airlines miles is to use your card for all of your daily expenses and pay your statement balance in full each month. This will ensure that you’re earning anywhere from 1x to 3x miles on these purchases, depending on what bonus category the purchase falls in.

If you’re an Alaska Airlines frequent flyer, it probably comes as no surprise to you that Alaska offers one of the most valuable airline loyalty programs. Once you’ve built up a nice stash of miles, you’ll have tons of great ways to redeem Alaska miles thanks to their lucrative award charts.

Alternative Cards to the Alaska Signature Card

Bilt World Elite Mastercard®

In the world of cards that earn transferable rewards, the Bilt Rewards program is the only 1:1 transfer partner program with Alaska Airlines.

With the Bilt Card, you can earn 3x points at restaurants, 2x points on travel booked directly with airlines, hotels, and car rental agencies, and 1x points on rent payments, without a transaction fee, up to 100,000 points each calendar year. Keep in mind that you need to use the card 5 times each statement period to earn Bilt Points (Rewards & Benefits).

Plus, the Bilt Card offers other perks like cellphone insurance, a monthly rent day where the number of points you earn is doubled (except on rent purchases), trip delay insurance, rental car insurance, and more.

Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card

If you prefer to earn transferable rewards to avoid being locked into the Alaska Airlines loyalty program, the Chase Sapphire Preferred card is worth considering.

With the Chase Sapphire Preferred card, you earn 5x points on Chase Travel purchases, 3x points on dining, online grocery purchases, and select streaming services, 2x points on all other travel worldwide, and 1x points on all other purchases. Plus, it too offers a 10% bonus on all points earned each year.

Beyond that, you receive perks like a $50 annual Chase Travel hotel credit, travel and purchase protections, a complimentary DoorDash DashPass membership, access to Chase transfer partners, and more.

We’ve also compared the Alaska Signature card to the Chase Sapphire Preferred card here:

The information regarding the Alaska Airlines Visa Signature® credit card was independently collected by Upgraded Points and not provided nor reviewed by the issuer.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is the Alaska Signature card it worth it?

If you often fly with Alaska Airlines, want to earn more Alaska miles on your everyday purchases, and would appreciate having benefits like priority boarding, free checked bags, and an annual companion certificate, then the Alaska Signature card would be worth it for you.

Does the Alaska Signature card have an annual fee?

Yes, the Alaska Signature card charges an annual fee of $95.

What credit score do you need to be approved for the Alaska Signature card?

No matter how high your credit score is, there is no guarantee that you will be approved for the Alaska Signature card. That said, if your credit score is 670 or higher and you have at least a couple of years of clean credit history, you should have strong odds of being approved for the card.

Does the Alaska Signature card come with priority boarding?

Yes, the Alaska Signature card comes with priority boarding for you and up to 6 additional passengers traveling on your reservation.

Does the Alaska Signature card come with TSA PreCheck?

No, the Alaska Signature card does not include a TSA PreCheck credit as a card benefit.

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About Jarrod West

Boasting a portfolio of over 20 cards, Jarrod has been an expert in the points and miles space for over 6 years. He earns and redeems over 1 million points per year and his work has been featured in outlets like The New York Times.

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