Bank of America and Alaska Airlines just rolled out a big new welcome offer bonus on the Alaska Airlines Visa Signature® Card – helping you earn more of the most valuable airline miles on the planet.
You can now earn 70,000 bonus miles – plus one companion fare (paying a $99 fare plus taxes and fees that start from $23 – after spending $3,000 or more within the first 90 days. That’s up from the standard bonus of 60,000 miles for the same spending requirement.
It’s one of the easiest ways to earn miles for incredible travel – and not just with Alaska Airlines, but you can use these miles to book excellent partners like Starlux, Qatar Airways, Cathay Pacific, Qantas, Condor, and many more. Alaska miles are among the most valuable in travel … but historically, they’ve been hard to earn. That’s changing thanks to the Hawaiian and Alaska Airlines merger and the ability to transfer points between both programs.
Whether you need to spend $15,000 or just $3,000, remember that credit cards are serious business. You should never open or spend money on a credit card to make purchases you can’t afford to pay off immediately.
But if you can do so responsibly, these valuable miles are worth earning even if you never plan to set foot on an Alaska Airlines jet. Let’s take a deeper look.
Full Benefits of the Alaska Airlines Visa Credit Card
Welcome Offer Bonus
For a limited time, you can get 70,000 bonus miles and Alaska’s Famous Companion Fare
(paying a $99 fare plus additional taxes and fees, which start at $23) when you apply for the Alaska Airlines Visa Signature® card and spend $3,000 or more within the first 90 days of opening your account.
There’s nothing in this for us: We don’t make any money promoting the Alaska Card. We simply think it’s a great offer that should be on your radar if you’re in the market for a travel card.
But it’s unclear how long this bigger bonus will stick around, so don’t wait too long.
Learn more about the Alaska Airlines Visa Signature® Card (for full disclosure: this is not an affiliate link).
Free Checked Bag & Priority Boarding
Alaska Airlines Visa credit card holders will get a free checked bag – so long as they purchase airfare with their card. You’ll also get free checked luggage for up to six additional guests traveling on the same reservation.
Cardholders who pay for their flight with their Alaska card will also get priority boarding on Alaska-operated flights.
Alaska’s Famous Companion Fare
In addition to the companion fare you’ll receive as a part of the welcome bonus offer, cardholders can earn another companion fare each year on their account anniversary after spending $6,000 or more on the card during the prior year.
This allows you to add a companion to another Alaska flight you book for as low as $122. You pay the $99 fare plus taxes and fees, which start at $23.
Earn Miles with No Milage Cap
Alaska Airlines Visa credit cardholders earn 3x miles per dollar spent on Alaska Airlines purchases.
You’ll earn 2x miles per dollar spent on gas, EV charging stations, cable, streaming services, local transit purchases, and 1x point per dollar spent on all other eligible purchases.
20% Back on Alaska Airlines Inflight Purchases
Get 20% back on Alaska Airlines inflight purchases when you pay with your card.
$100 Off an Annual Alaska Lounge+ Membership
You can also get $100 off an annual Alaska Lounge+ Membership when you pay with your Alaska Card.
Alaska Lounge+ memberships typically cost $550 for those with Alaska elite status (MVP, MVP Gold, Gold 75k, Gold 100k) and $650 for those without status. This perk knocks the final price down to $450 or $550, respectively.
This allows you to access all nine Alaska Airlines lounges and 90-plus partner lounges. Up to two guests are included, too.
Get a 10% Rewards Bonus
If you have an eligible Bank of America checking or savings account, you’ll also get a 10% bonus on all miles earned from card purchases.
For example, for every 1,000 miles you earn from purchases on your card, you’ll receive 1,100 miles.
Annual Fee
The Alaska Airlines Visa Signature® card has an annual fee of $95, which is not waived in the first year.
Wondering if you’re eligible to open the Alaska Card? Make sure to check out our story on credit card application rules for Bank of America.
Why Alaska Miles Are So Valuable
They may be hard to earn since they can only be transferred from Bilt Rewards, but Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan miles are some of the most valuable on the planet.
That’s largely due to low award rates booking partner airlines like Cathay Pacific, Qantas, and many more. You can book all 20-plus Oneworld airlines using Alaska miles, plus a few additional partners like Condor and Starlux.
Alaska miles unlock one of our favorite ways to fly to Europe: Condor business class, which will cost you just 55,000 Alaska miles each way!
Check out our full list of the best Alaska Mileage Plan sweet spots!
Bottom Line
Bank of America and Alaska Airlines are currently offering a bigger bonus on the Alaska Airlines Visa Signature® Card for a limited time. You can earn 70,000 bonus miles and a companion fare after spending $3,000 within the first 90 days.
It’s one of the best ways we’ve ever seen to easily and quickly pile up Alaska miles. But there’s no telling how long it will stick around, so don’t wait to apply.
Learn more about the Alaska Airlines Visa Signature® Card (for full disclosure: this is not an affiliate link).
