Change is on the way for Alaska Airline's Mileage Plan program, but with amazing partner airlines and low redemption rates, Alaska miles are among the most valuable in the travel world … and also some of the hardest for travelers to earn. Luckily, that has changed.
Bank of America and Alaska Airlines just rolled out a massive new welcome offer bonus on the Alaska Airlines Visa Signature® Card: You can currently earn 70,000 bonus miles and Alaska's Famous Companion Fare™ (paying a $99 fare plus taxes and fees, from $23) after spending $3,000 or more within the first 90 days. This increased bonus makes for the best offer we've ever seen on this card.
It's one of the easiest ways to get miles for some incredible travel – and not just with Alaska Airlines, but with amazing partners like Starlux, Cathay Pacific, Qantas, Condor, and many more. This bigger bonus comes ahead of some major changes to Alaska's mileage program set to take effect sometime in March, including some award rate hikes … but other deals are getting even better, and the ultra-cool option of adding a free stopover to any award ticket isn't going anywhere.
No matter if it requires spending $15,000 or just $3,000, keep in mind: Credit cards are serious business. You should never open or spend 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, from $23) when you apply for the Alaska Airlines Visa Signature® card and make $3,000 or more in purchases within the first 90 days of opening your account.
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
Free Checked Bag & Priority Boarding
Alaska Airlines Visa credit card holders will get a free checked bag when 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 get 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, paying the $99 fare plus taxes and fees starting from $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, and 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
Get $100 off an annual Alaska Lounge+ Membership when you pay with your Alaska Card.
This gets you access to all nine Alaska Airlines lounges as well as 90-plus partner lounges for you. Up to two guests are included and up to two guests.
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.
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, that means 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.
Why Alaska Miles Are So Valuable
They may be hard to earn since they are not a transfer partner of any of the major credit card programs, but Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan miles are some of the most valuable on the planet thanks to low award rates booking partner airlines like Cathay Pacific, Qantas, and more.
Some major changes on the horizon will mean many of these great redemptions will move around in the months ahead. But until that happens, there are some amazing ways to put Alaska Mileage Plan miles to use.
This is just the start – check out our full list of the best Alaska Mileage Plan sweet spots!
Condor Business Class to Europe for 55K
With brand-new planes equipped with snazzy new lie-flat business class seats and massive upgrades even back in economy, German budget carrier Condor isn't just glowing up. It's become one of the best ways to cross the Atlantic, period – especially at the front of the plane.
It's tough to beat this.
That's right: Just 55,000 Alaska miles for a one-way in a brand new Condor business class seat across the pond. And unlike many other airlines on the list of Alaska Mileage Plan sweet spots, finding the award availability to book Condor business class is typically fairly easy.
But why stop in Frankfurt (FRA)? You can also connect onward throughout much of Europe … or head all the way down to the white-sand beaches of Mauritius (MRU) for just 70,000 miles total.
Fly Cathay Pacific First or Business Class to Asia & Beyond
It doesn't get much better than this deal. Using Alaska miles, you can book premium cabins on Cathay Pacific for much less than Cathay charges using its own Asia Miles – or even redeeming American AAdvantage miles for the same trip.
Here's a look at some of the fantastic rates where you can fly this top-notch product when redeeming Alaska miles.
- Fly from the U.S. to Asia for 50,000 miles in business class or 70,000 miles in first class each way!
- Fly from the U.S. to India or the Middle East for 62,500 miles in business class or 70,000 miles in first class one way!
- Fly to Australia or New Zealand for just 60,000 miles in business class or 80,000 miles in first class each way!
For comparison, American and Cathay Pacific charge between 70,000 and 85,000 miles in business class and 110,000 to 125,000 miles in first each way for these same exact flights. This means you could save nearly 30 to 45% by booking Cathay Pacific flights using Alaska miles.
If you're traveling beyond Cathay Pacific's hub in Hong Kong (HKG), you can add in a free stopover when booking with Alaska miles. This can be a great way to break up a trip to Australia or India flying fancy on one of the best airlines in the world and getting to see two cities for one low price.
Best of all, Cathay Pacific first class has finally returned to the States with nonstop flights to Los Angeles (LAX) – and soon, New York City (JFK), too. Award space for these seats is still tough to come by – and nearly impossible if you're looking for two or more passengers. But it's easily among the best ways to fly to Asia.
Fly Qantas First or Business Class to Australia
There are multiple ways to use Alaska miles to fly to Australia, but the best options is flying Qantas business class for 55,000 miles one-way – or, better yet, up in Qantas' vaunted first class for just 70,000 miles.
Admittedly, this award is a bit of a unicorn fare. You won't find award space in premium cabins on Qantas flights very often. But Thrifty Traveler Premium members will be first to know when we find good availability on these routes, like this alert we sent out last year for a trip to Australia in lie-flat business class!
This unbelievable deal is gone now – get the next award alert sent straight to your inbox with Thrifty Traveler Premium!
Qantas flies nonstop to Australia from Dallas (DFW), Los Angeles (LAX), San Francisco (SFO), and Vancouver (YVR) — and it has announced plans to start flying from New York City (JFK) starting in 2025. As with most awards booked with Alaska miles, you can fly from other cities served by Alaska Airlines by connecting to these cities on an Alaska Airlines flight.
Fiji Airways Business Class to Fiji, Australia, or New Zealand
Another incredible deal you can book using Alaska miles is to fly Fiji Airways nonstop to Fiji, or continue all the way down to Australia or New Zealand for just 55,000 miles one-way in business class!
This is about as cheap as it gets to fly in business class to the land down under – and unlike nonstop flights to Australia, finding award space to book it is much easier. Add in the fact that you can stopover in Fiji for some island time on your way to or from (or both) for no extra miles, and this is one of the best deals you can book with any mileage program.
Read more: 7 Sweet Spots to Use Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan Miles
Are You Eligible for the Alaska Airlines Visa® Credit Card?
When it comes to credit card application rules from Bank of America, there are three rules you will want to know.
The Bank of America 2/3/4 Rule
The Bank of America 2/3/4 rule states that you can only be approved for two Bank of America credit cards in a rolling two-month period. You can be approved for three Bank of America cards in a rolling 12-month period, and four cards in a rolling 24-month period.
This rule is specific to Bank of America credit cards (both business and personal). Applications with other banks will not be factored into this rule.
The Bank of America 3/12 & 7/12 Rule
Similar to Chase's 5/24 rule, Bank of America has something called the 3/12 & 7/12 rule. It works like this:
- If you have a bank account with Bank of America and have opened seven new cards (from any bank) in the past 12 months, your application for a new Bank of America card will likely not be approved.
- If you don't have a bank account with Bank of America and have opened three new cards (from any bank) in the past 12 months, your application for a Bank of America card will likely not be approved.
There may be some exceptions, but these are good rules of thumb to follow.
The Bank of America 24-Month Rule
Bank of America allows you to earn the welcome offer bonus on the same card multiple times. They will, however, restrict how often you can earn it.
You are not eligible to open a Bank of America Card and earn a welcome bonus if you've earned the bonus on that card in the past 24 months. You also can't have the card currently open if you want to get approved.
If you aren't impacted by any of these rules, you should be eligible to open the Alaska Airlines Visa® Credit Card and take advantage of this big limited-time welcome offer bonus.
Related Reading: Master Guide to Credit Card Applications: All of the Rules You Need to Know, Bank by Bank
Bottom Line
Bank of America and Alaska Airlines are currently offering a record-setting bonus on the Alaska Airlines Visa Signature® Card. You can earn 70,000 bonus miles and Alaska's Famous 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 this 70,000-mile offer will stick around, so don't wait.
Learn more about the Alaska Airlines Visa Signature® Card
In Nov 2022, I cancelled my personal Alaska card and I still have my Alaska Biz. At the beginning of Feb, I was approved for the Alaska personal and business, again. I applied bc of datapoints were indicating that maybe the revamped Alaska cards are now considered a new product. This seems to confirm it.
About a month ago, I discovered your blog during the ANA first class sale and heard about you. Fortunately, I was able to snag 3 First ANA seats for June, which aligned perfectly for our tour date in Japan! This was on the second round of a unicorn on ANA First. We are super duper exited, to say the least!!!
Anyways, your websight provides a strong background for miles/points and most importantly, unicorns and other business deals, to say the least! I now constantly following you bc and i can’t stress enough, how informative it is. You also have an incredible team!!
BTW – Your websight is a unicorn, to say the least!! Thanks you and keep up the awesome work!!
now you have 1 personal and 2 business Alaska card?
Also, I posted on your article for the new Allegris about how I am seeing First on A340-600 MU=>LAX/SFO/MEX for 3/28 and 3/29.
Is the April 3rd expiration for both the business and personal BOA Alaska cc’s or just the business one? I have read conflicting accounts- thank you!
We haven’t heard about an official end date for the offer on the business card.
Hey!
Do business cards count towards 3/12 rule?
They shouldn’t! Capital One reports some business cards to the personal credit bureaus but if your business cards are issued by Chase, Amex, or Citi, you should be fine.
Alaska Airlines CC link says application is unavailable?? Already gone?
Hey Peter. Thanks for letting us know. It does appear that offer is gone. I have corrected the link to the best offer available now, which is for 70,000 miles.