Alaska Airlines Credit Card

[Dave N]

Maybe I am misreading the second part, but we used a companion fare, miles and a full price ticket for my family and I (3 of us) to fly to Mexico last year. We use that method on all trips, as long as the companion fare has obviously not been used yet in the calendar year we are travelling. They allow using miles, companion, etc. together.

Don't know how you managed that! When you check the "use miles" box starting a reservation the box for the code disappears.

 

[SD_Prairie_Goat]

Cards great, price is justifiable as long as you use the companion fare every year. If you don't use the fare, I have found other cards that are free and offer benefits. None can beat the companion fare if used though... Getting a $700 ticket for ~$200 (after the fees) is hard to beat...

 

[Wrong Burgundy]

Don't know how you managed that! When you check the "use miles" box starting a reservation the box for the code disappears.

I have to always call and work with someone in reservations; my airline tickets have so many damn combos to make it work, I can never pull it off via the website alone.
They have been super helpful though when booking like this. On our last trip, it was actually a bit cheaper for my son's tickets to be two one-way options vs. a standard round trip. So, it was miles for one ticket, companion fare for the second, then two one-ways for the third....and we made it to and from Baja with no issues (well, the only big one being I didn't catch a Roosterfish...)

 

[glass eye]

I have to always call and work with someone in reservations; my airline tickets have so many damn combos to make it work, I can never pull it off via the website alone.
They have been super helpful though when booking like this. On our last trip, it was actually a bit cheaper for my son's tickets to be two one-way options vs. a standard round trip. So, it was miles for one ticket, companion fare for the second, then two one-ways for the third....and we made it to and from Baja with no issues (well, the only big one being I didn't catch a Roosterfish...)

I suspect that they were booked separately but at the same time. You could probably do it yourself but would have to do them one at a time. Companion fare for 2, then miles for another, = 2 bookings for 3 people.

 

[glass eye]

What you can't do is use miles to purchase companion fare.

 

[Bambistew]

I've been using the Alaska Credit card for a long time, and really its about the only carrier I fly.

The CC has an annual fee of $75, so your companion ticket about $200.

The "award" travel seat (i.e. using miles) is limited per flight. Meaning only X number of seats are available to use with miles. I've been denied before when flying with my family on miles. So if you intend to fly on miles book early, it will also use less miles to book the flight, usually. The number of miles needed inflates similarly to the ticket price as the date approaches. Also If something changes in your plans and you have to cancel your ticket... your miles are down the drain where as if you purchase the ticket you can reuse the ticket price towards another flight.

That said. I fly Alaska a lot using miles and companion tickets along with the included discounted tickets (which only work on short notice flights). What I've found is that I can use another CC that has cash back, and I get basically the same value in cash back or more vs similar $ worth in airline miles. On a $ spent on travel, I'd rather have the cash option vs miles. You can't use miles and a companion ticket, its one or the other. And since I have to buy a ticket to use the companion ticket, I have the cash to do so. I do build miles when it makes sense (when they offer 2 or 3 miles per $ spent on certain purchases or when they run specials on buying miles). The initial hook with miles and the companion ticket are great incentives, but for an everyday use card, it really isn't worth it to build the miles, IMO.

 

[glass eye]

You can make changes to a flight booked on miles up to 60 before departure date with no penalties.
I changed a flight from St. Paul Island to Cold Bay when Penn Air was going bankrupt and it didn't cost me a penny. Everything was equal.
And again I just changed a pending flight from St. Paul Island to Cold Bay because Ravn is bankrupt. Actually, on this ticket I had to cancel the flight and they refunded my miles into my account and then I booked a new flight because it was the only way I could get the best deal.

 

[Bambistew]

You can make changes to a flight booked on miles up to 60 before departure date with no penalties.
I changed a flight from St. Paul Island to Cold Bay when Penn Air was going bankrupt and it didn't cost me a penny. Everything was equal.
And again I just changed a pending flight from St. Paul Island to Cold Bay because Ravn is bankrupt. Actually, on this ticket I had to cancel the flight and they refunded my miles into my account and then I booked a new flight because it was the only way I could get the best deal.

Glad you were able to. I lost miles 2x when changing.

 

[iaengineer]

Also, you get two free bags for first class. I just booked my tickets and two one way tickets were the same miles and round trip. I got first class on the flights back. I assume I will need to check more on the way back. The miles needed to upgrade to first class is not bad and worth it for the extra bag.

 

[N_8]

It is worth checking into the annual PFD sale as well. There is usually a sale timed with the oil check dispersal. Not sure if it will work for your dates, but there are great deals and the sale is fairly predictable.

 

[Schaaf]

Glad you were able to. I lost miles 2x when changing.

I tried bumping my flight up 48 hours when I was headed home from FAirbanks that was booked with miles. I think it cost me another 24k miles.

 

[glass eye]

I tried bumping my flight up 48 hours when I was headed home from FAirbanks that was booked with miles. I think it cost me another 24k miles.

Changes within 60 days of flight will cost you. Outside of 60 it's free.

 

[Robinhood21]

I got my fathers and I's tickets for basically NOTHING to Alaska and back because of my AA credit card. I'm not talking just to Anchorage either, we had another flight to a small village that it also covered. Totally worth it! It saved us almost $2k on our trip