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Our experts rate credit cards based on several factors including card benefits, bonus offers and independent research. Credit card issuers do not influence or have a say in our card ratings. Read our credit card methodology here.If you want to earn rewards to use toward free flights, the Alaska Airlines Visa Signature® credit card is well worth its $95 annual fee. West Coast flyers will benefit the most from this card, thanks to its valuable companion fare offer and Alaska Airline-specific perks.
But since the Alaska Airlines Visa Signature® credit card partners with the oneworld® Alliance and other airline programs, its miles can be redeemed for flights to more than 1,000 destinations across the globe. Still, you’ll get the most value out of this card by flying on Alaska Airlines.
Compared to other travel credit cards, the Alaska Airlines Visa Signature® credit card offers tremendous value during the first year of card membership, mainly due to its sign-up bonus. But after that, the value goes down considerably.
→ Not the right card for you? See other top airline credit cards.
Generous sign-up bonus
The Alaska Airlines Visa Signature® credit card offers an extremely valuable sign-up bonus for new cardholders: Earn 60,000 bonus miles plus Alaska's Famous Companion Fare™ ($99 fare plus taxes and fees from $23) with this offer. To qualify, make $3,000 or more in purchases within the first 90 days of opening your account.
A 60,000-mile sign-up bonus is pretty on par for an airline credit card that charges a $95 annual fee. But where this card stands out is its companion fare offer — it can potentially save you hundreds to thousands of dollars in airfare if you regularly travel with a friend or family member.
→ Learn more about the best credit card sign-up bonuses.
Solid earning rate
Along with a lump sum of rewards from the sign-up bonus, this card gets you elevated rewards in a variety of popular spending categories. You’ll earn unlimited 3 miles for every $1 spent on eligible Alaska Airlines purchases. 2 miles for every $1 spent on eligible gas, EV charging station, cable, streaming services and local transit purchases including ride share. 1 mile for every $1 spent on all other purchases.
The value you get for your miles can exceed its competitors when you redeem them for flights on Alaska Airlines. For example, you can fly roundtrip from Seattle to San Francisco for just 10,000 miles in economy. Longer flights, such as from Seattle to New York City, can run as low as 25,000 miles roundtrip.
→ Learn more about the best rewards credit cards.
Annual Companion Fare
Beyond the sign-up bonus, you can continue to earn Alaska’s Famous Companion Fare™. Every year on your credit card account anniversary, you’ll receive a companion fare after you spend $6,000 or more on purchases within the prior anniversary year. This allows you to book a companion flight starting at $122 ($99 base fare plus taxes and fees from $23, depending on your flight itinerary). Note, the companion fare is only valid on Alaska Airlines coach fares booked on alaskaair.com with your card. Aside from that, this benefit is fairly flexible and can save you significantly each year.
Lets say, for example, you book a flight for you and your spouse from Seattle to New York over the Thanksgiving holiday. The two roundtrip tickets could run you a total of $1,764. But if you have the companion fare benefit, you’ll only end up paying just over $1,000 for both tickets, plus any additional taxes and fees.
Robust travel benefits
The Alaska Airlines Visa Signature® credit card gives card members access to a number of beneficial airline perks, including:
Annual fee
The Alaska Airlines Visa Signature® credit card charges a $95 annual fee. Note that this is a standard fee for an airline credit card, and you can easily justify it each year with perks like free checked bags and a companion fare.
There are travel credit cards available with no annual fees, but those typically offer lower sign-up bonuses and fewer benefits.
Limited flight destinations
Unless you travel to and from destinations served by Alaska Airlines — which primarily include Western states like Alaska, California and Washington — this card probably won’t be a good fit.
That said, the airline does offer limited flights to select cities in other parts of the U.S. and internationally, including New York, Florida, Canada and Mexico. Plus, you can transfer miles to 30 global partners, including American Airlines, British Airways and Cathay Pacific. Still, you’ll likely get the most from your card by using and redeeming your rewards with Alaska Airlines.
Credit Cards | Our Ratings | Annual Fee | Rewards Rate | Welcome Offer | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
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Alaska Airlines Visa Signature® credit card*
|
$95 | 1X - 3X miles
| 60,000 miles
60,000 bonus miles plus Alaska's Famous Companion Fare™ ($99 fare plus taxes and fees from $23) with this offer. To qualify, make $3,000 or more in purchases within the first 90 days of opening your account.
| ||
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Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card*
|
$95 | 1X - 5X points
| 60,000 points
Earn 60,000 bonus points after you spend $5,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening.
| ||
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Southwest Rapid Rewards® Premier Credit Card*
|
$99 | 2X - 3X points
| 50,000 points
Earn 50,000 bonus points
after you spend $1,000 in the first 3 months from account opening.
| ||
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Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card
|
$95 | 2X - 5X Miles
| 75,000 miles
75,000 Miles once you spend $4,000 on purchases within 3 months from account opening
|
If you want a travel credit card that packs a ton of value — and you don’t want to be tied to a specific airline — the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card is a great alternative. In fact, it’s our pick for the best travel credit card for travel rewards.
You can earn 60,000 bonus points after you spend $5,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening. For ongoing rewards, you’ll enjoy benefits such as 5x on travel purchased through Chase Travel℠, 3x on dining, select streaming services and online groceries, 2x on all other travel purchases, 1x on all other purchases, $50 Annual Chase Travel Hotel Credit, plus more.
Similar to the Alaska Airlines Visa Signature® credit card, the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card has an annual fee of $95. However, it provides the ability to transfer your points to a number of airline and hotel loyalty partners, including British Airways Executive Club, JetBlue TrueBlue, Southwest Airlines Rapid Rewards® and United MileagePlus, at a rate of 1 to 1.
If you want to get an extremely discounted (practically free) airfare for your flying companion, but your travel doesn’t align with the routes provided by Alaska Airlines, you may want to consider the Southwest Rapid Rewards® Premier Credit Card. Southwest is one of only a handful of airlines that also offers a companion pass.
To help you get the Companion Pass faster, the Southwest Rapid Rewards® Premier Credit Card lets you earn 50,000 bonus points after you spend $1,000 in the first 3 months from account opening. You’ll also get 3X points on Southwest® purchases, 2X points on local transit and commuting, including rideshare, 2X points on internet, cable, and phone services; select streaming and 1X points on other purchases.
Just keep in mind that this card comes with a $99 annual fee.
→ Learn more about the best Southwest credit cards.
The Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card is another solid option if you want to get a lot of bang for your buck from a general travel rewards credit card. This card lets you earn 75,000 Miles once you spend $4,000 on purchases within 3 months from account opening. Plus, you’ll get 2 Miles per dollar on every purchase, every day; 5 Miles per dollar on hotels, vacation rentals and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel.
The Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card doesn’t offer a companion pass, but you can transfer miles at a rate of 1:1 to more than 15 partners, including Air Canada, British Airways Executive Club, Emirates Skywards and Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer.
Similar to the other cards included in this post, the Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card charges an annual fee of $95 (see rates & fees).
If you typically travel with a companion on routes offered by Alaska Airlines, you should definitely consider the Alaska Airlines Visa Signature® credit card. Further, while Alaska Airlines’ route network may not be as extensive as other airlines, its membership in the oneworld Alliance can make it worthwhile for anyone who travels frequently with its partner airlines.
But if you don’t want a card tied to a specific airline, the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card or Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card will give you more flexibility in how you can earn and spend your rewards.
For Capital One products listed on this page, some of the benefits may be provided by Visa® or Mastercard® and may vary by product. See the respective Guide to Benefits for details, as terms and exclusions apply
The information related to the Alaska Airlines Visa Signature® credit card, Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card and Southwest Rapid Rewards® Premier Credit Card has been independently collected by LendingTree and has not been reviewed or provided by the issuer of this card prior to publication. Terms apply.
The content above is not provided by any issuer. Any opinions expressed are those of LendingTree alone and have not been reviewed, approved, or otherwise endorsed by any issuer. The offers and/or promotions mentioned above may have changed, expired, or are no longer available. Check the issuer's website for more details.