Alaska Airlines Business Card Review: 60K Miles & More

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Bank of America issues the Alaska Airlines Visa business card. If you're eligible but don't have it yet, the card is worth it. Alaska Mileage Plan miles are incredibly valuable for partner airline redemptions, and the card offers some useful perks if you fly Alaska Airlines with any regularity.

The welcome bonus, application restrictions, annual fee, and rewards structure of the Alaska Visa Business Card are what you need to know.

Alaska Visa Business Card Welcome Bonus

The Alaska Visa Business Card has a welcome bonus. You can get rewards after making purchases of $3,000 or more within the first 90 days of opening your account.

• 60,000 bonus Mileage Plan miles
• Alaska’s Famous Companion Fare™ from $121 ($99 fare plus taxes and fees from just $22)

The 60,000 Alaska Mileage Plan miles are worth over $1,000. For example, 60,000 Mileage Plan miles is enough for a one-way business class award from the United States to many points in Asia in Cathay Pacific business class or Japan Airlines business class.

The companion fare could save you hundreds of dollars on airfare. I will get into that more below. This is one of the best credit card welcome bonuses out there.

Alaska Visa Business Card Application Restrictions

Bank of America doesn't have a strict limit on how many cards you can have with the issuer, but there are other restrictions to be aware of. Bank of America application restrictions are listed here.

• You will typically be approved for at most two Bank of America cards in a rolling two month period, three cards in a rolling 12 month period, and four cards in a rolling 24 month period
• You will generally only be approved for Bank of America cards if you haven’t opened three or more new cards with all issuers in the past 12 months, excluding business cards
• You typically won’t receive a new cardmember bonus on a card if you’ve received a bonus on that exact card in the past 24 months

Bank of America business cards are easy to be approved for with the rules out of the way. If you apply for this card, you won't count as a further inquiry toward Chase's 5/24 limit, because Bank of America business cards won't count.

Alaska Visa Business Card Annual Fee

The Alaska Visa Business Card has an annual fee of $50 for the company and $25 per card. The annual fee is $75 if you have one user on the account.

Alaska Business Card Rewards Structure

The Alaska Visa Business Card has a straightforward rewards structure.

• Earn 3x Mileage Plan miles per dollar spent directly with Alaska Airlines
• Earn 1x Mileage Plan miles per dollar spent on all other purchases
• The card has no foreign transaction fees, making it useful for purchases globally

These are not industry-leading bonus categories. You can potentially earn more than three points per dollar on airfare with other cards, and you can also earn more than one point per dollar on everyday purchases with other cards.

I think it's a good strategy to put spending on this card because Alaska miles are hard to come by, and I know there are people who put spending on this card because they value Alaska miles so much.

Alaska Airlines Business Card Perks

The Alaska Visa Business Card has a variety of perks which can potentially more than justify the annual fee. The perks are the main reason to pick up this card. Let's go over my favorite benefits in no particular order.

First Checked Bag Free On Alaska Airlines

If you have an Alaska Airlines Business Card, you can get a free checked bag with up to six other passengers on the same reservation. If you travel with six other people and everyone is checking a bag, you can save $420 on your itinerary.

It's rare for most people to travel with more than one person, but if you travel with just one other person, you can save $120 on a ticket.

Discounted Alaska Lounge Access

You can get a 50% discount on Alaska Lounge day passes if you have the Alaska Airlines Business Card. The cost is brought down to $25 with this perk. I think it's a good idea to buy lounge access at that price, as you'll probably pay more than that for a couple of drinks in the terminal.

If you are an occasional Alaska Airlines flyer, this is a more economical option for lounge access than buying an Alaska Lounge membership.

20% Back On Alaska Airlines Inflight Purchases

If you have the Alaska Airlines Business Card, you will receive 20% back on Alaska Airlines inflight purchases. The value of this will quickly add up if you fly Alaska Airlines often.

Annual Alaska Airlines Companion Fare (& How It Works)

The Alaska Airlines Business Card has a companion fare that you can get every year on your account anniversary. You will receive a voucher that will allow you to get a companion fare from $121 with taxes and fees starting at $22.

The Alaska companion fare is the most valuable companion airfare ticket offered by any US airline credit card, in my opinion. There are some basic restrictions associated with the companion fare.

• The companion fare is only valid for tickets booked in economy, though all economy fare classes are included; you can travel throughout Alaska’s route network, including on international flights
• Tickets booked with the Alaska companion fare are upgradeable, both for the primary passenger and companion (this includes using complimentary elite upgrades, Gold Guest upgrades, instant upgrade fares, etc.)
• Both passengers booked with the Alaska companion fare earn miles for their tickets
• The companion fare is valid for a year from when it’s issued, though that’s only the book-by date, while you can travel on a subsequent date
• You’re allowed to use your companion fare code for two other people, but if you do, you need to use a credit card in your name to pay for the ticket
• Both passengers need to be booked in the same itinerary, travel on the same flights, and be ticketed at the same time
• The companion fare is valid for roundtrip, one-way, and multi-city travel
• The Alaska companion fare isn’t valid for award travel, or for travel that includes segments on any airlines other than Alaska or regional subsidiaries

You could travel from the East Coast to Hawaii and both passengers are still eligible for mileage accrual and upgrades, so it's worth it.

Best Business Card Alternatives

There are a lot of credit cards for business. If you are looking for one of the best cards for everyday business spending, I recommend you consider one of the following.

• The Blue Business® Plus Credit Card from American Express (review) has no annual fee (Rates & Fees), and offers 2x Membership Rewards points on the first $50,000 spent per calendar year (after that 1x); this is the most lucrative card for the first $50,000 of non-bonused spend annually, in my opinion
• The American Express® Business Gold Card (review) has a $295 annual fee (Rates & Fees) and offers 4x Membership Rewards points on the two categories where your business spends the most each billing cycle (there are select categories, and this applies on the first $150,000 in combined purchases every calendar year)
• The Capital One Spark Cash Plus (review) has a $150 annual fee and offers unlimited 2% cash back with no foreign transaction fees; there’s also the possibility to convert these rewards into Capital One miles at a favorable rate
• The Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card (review) has a $95 annual fee and offers the best welcome bonus of any credit card, has an amazing cell phone protection plan and rental car coverage, and offers triple points on the first $150,000 in combined purchases per anniversary year on travel, shipping purchases, internet, cable, phone services, and advertising purchases made with social media sites and search engines
• If you’re willing to get more than one card, there’s huge value in pairing the Ink Preferred with the no annual fee Ink Business Cash® Credit Card (review) and/or Ink Business Unlimited® Credit Card (review), as the cards offer 1.5-5x points per dollar spent, along with huge welcome bonuses

The Alaska Visa Business Card has a big welcome bonus and strong perks. The initial bonus of 60,000 miles plus a companion fare will be useful for cardmembers. Over time, the savings on checked bags, lounge access, and inflight purchases will add up.

I would seriously consider applying if you don't have this card yet. Many people don't have this card, yet it offers a lot of value and a big bonus.

You can learn more about the Alaska Business Credit Card by following this link.

The rates and fees for American Express cards can be found in the following links. The Blue Business Plus Credit Card from American Express is included.