Thoughts on the Alaska Airlines credit card?

[Paul in Idaho]

Thanks everyone for your replies. My card should be here in a week or so.

They also have a limit on the number of tickets for "award travel" on each flight, and I think its 2. You can still use your miles, but its usually considerably more miles after award tickets have been issued for the flight.

Thanks for the heads-up on this point Bambistew. I hadn't found that in their fine print yet.

 

[NoWiser]

Keep in mind that it might be beneficial to split up your trip in such a way that you can use the companion fare for some of it and your miles for the rest of it. I had to do my trip in 3 bookings in order to get the most value out of the card. Companion fare from Minneapolis to Anchorage, miles from Anchorage to Kodiak, and then miles from Kodiak back to Minneapolis.

 

[glass eye]

Unless you're sitting on more miles than you know what to do with, don't burn them on cheap flights. Buy the cheap flights and build 3x points plus miles flown and then use the miles to book an expensive ticket.

 

[Dave N]

I did find a couple things that threw me a bit, but maybe I missed something. When I used miles to fly it only cost $11.20 for my round trip ticket. But the miles actually flown did not count toward my balance. Guess they didn't want me earning miles back after I just used them to fly! The other thing was when I used my companion fare voucher for my wife. I couldn't use miles for myself. Maybe someone knows if there is a way around that.

They will send you offers to buy miles and get free bonus miles added. Horse hockey! Why not just use the card to buy something, get those miles, and end up with something in your hand besides a bigger mile balance?

 

[glass eye]

The other thing was when I used my companion fare voucher for my wife. I couldn't use miles for myself. Maybe someone knows if there is a way around that.

Your wife doesn't need a credit card to earn miles but you do have to sign her up for the mileage plan, it's free. My wife and I use the companion fare every year to fly to Hawaii. We both earn miles flown. After she has accumulated 25k miles I book a flight from her account but make the ticket in my name and fly to Adak or Cold Bay, a ticket that has about a $1,500 value for $11.20 just the 9/11 tax.

 

[belshawelk]

Your wife doesn't need a credit card to earn miles but you do have to sign her up for the mileage plan, it's free. My wife and I use the companion fare every year to fly to Hawaii. We both earn miles flown. After she has accumulated 25k miles I book a flight from her account but make the ticket in my name and fly to Adak or Cold Bay, a ticket that has about a $1,500 value for $11.20 just the 9/11 tax.

No you cannot use miles with the companion fare on same ticket. You have to buy airfare in order to get companion. I travel for business every week. Have flown over 2 million miles. 1.5mm of them on Alaska. I know their programs better than some who work there. They are quite simply the best airline by a long shot. Easy to use miles.

BUT never book a SAVER FARE. You cannot change or cancel it.

 

[Dave N]

That's what I figured. And to quote a librarian from that "other" credit card commercial, "HOLY MOLY, THAT'S A LOT OF MILES!"

 

[glass eye]

No you cannot use miles with the companion fare on same ticket. You have to buy airfare in order to get companion.

I know that. I misunderstood his statement. I thought he was saying that he couldn't get miles for her travel. My bad.

 

[Trial153]

yea, keep in mind that everyone that flys needs their own account to get the miles. I signed the kids up even....

 

[Jim/Wa]

"They are quite simply the best airline by a long shot."

I don't disagree with this but it puzzled me why they partnered with American Airlines -- quite simply the worst airline by a long shot...

 

[belshawelk]

Ya American is bad. The killer is when Delta and then got into the pissin match over the west coast and Alaska. My daughter is in college in SD and has to fly through MN. Her first year it was great becuase i could use my Alaska miles to book Delta. Then they got divorced. I have over 1.5mm in my account on Alaska and only had about 250k in Delta. Delta now are long gone in just a year of flying her home. Thanks god I have American Express I can get miles on.

 

[Mica Man]

Been to Alaska 6 times in the last 7 years and have only paid the 15$ fee when I booked my round trip flight. One of those trips I took my wife and three of my kids as well. Again redeeming miles and paying 15$ when we booked flights. With our regular family spending I usually accrue enough miles for 2 free flights a year. Guarantee if you go to Alaska once, you'll go back again. Card is definitely worth it to me.

 

[Paul in Idaho]

Thanks everyone, lots of good info here.

 

[Dave N]

Once you get signed up with the Mileage Plan they have a shopping link. All it does is provide a link through them to hundreds of stores (including Bass Pro and Cabela's) and any purchase made adds miles to your account. Lots of stores offer multiple miles per dollar spent.

 

[NEWHunter]

All I can say 75k or $900pp is a steal, I just let my united account go because their point system was so terrible. It was basically impossible to ever get a flight with points due to restrictions and they devalued their points multiple times.

So getting points on United is kinda like getting moose points in WY