Alaska Airlines Business Credit Card Review: Best-Ever 60K Offer

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Review: Is the Alaska Airlines Business Credit Card the best card for you?

If you like to fly Alaska Airlines and have a small business, the Alaska Airlines Business Credit Card is a great complement to both. There aren’t as many ways to earn Alaska miles as other airlines, and Alaska is one of the few airlines with no bank transfer partners, so this card is a good way to get more Alaska miles in your account. 

For a limited time, the card is offering its highest-ever bonus of 60,000 bonus miles plus Alaska’s Famous Companion Fare™ from $121 ($99 fare plus taxes and fees from just $22) after spending $3,000 or more within 90 days from account opening. The companion ticket is usually awarded after your account anniversary, but here it’s included as part of the welcome offer. The card has an annual fee of $50 per company and $25 per card ($75 total for one card, with the option to add more). 

Read more: The best small-business credit cards of 2021

Because Alaska is part of the Oneworld alliance and maintains its own relationship with several global airlines, Alaska miles are among the most valuable for domestic and international travel awards. For Alaska flyers, it’s one of the last airlines that award bonus miles based on mileage flown instead of a revenue-based model. 

For these reasons, Alaska has a loyal fan base — and those who like Alaska will go out of their way to fly their routes. Between the friendly service, rewarding elite status, and valuable miles, there’s a lot to like about the airline, especially if their destinations work with your travel plans. 

The Alaska Airlines Business Credit Card earns 3 miles per dollar spent on Alaska Airlines, and 1 mile per dollar on all other purchases. That’s a basic earning rate compared to other airline cards, but it’s the other benefits that make the card a keeper.

You’ll get a companion certificate every account anniversary when you pay the card’s annual fee, and a free first checked bag for yourself and up to six people traveling on the same reservation. Either of these benefits can make the card well worth keeping year after year. 

You’re also able to get day passes to Alaska lounges for $25 (50% off the usual rate), and 20% back as a statement credit for Alaska inflight purchases.

If you don’t qualify for a small-business card, the personal Alaska Airlines Visa® Credit Card
is also worth considering. It comes with similar benefits and is offering a welcome bonus of 40,000 bonus miles and Alaska’s Famous Companion Fare™ from $121 ($99 fare plus taxes and fees from just $22) after spending $2,000 or more in purchases within the first 90 days from account opening. Plus, get 25,000 bonus miles after spending $8,000 or more on purchases within the first 6 months.

Featured credit cards from our partners

Featured Reward

100,000 points

Credit Needed

Good to Excellent

Featured Reward

3 Free Nights (valued up to 50,000 points each) after spending $3,000 in the first 3 months, plus 10x total points per $1 spent on up to $2,500 in combined purchases in select categories within your first 6 months

Credit Needed

Good to Excellent

Featured Reward

$200 after spending $500 on purchases in the first three months from account opening

Credit Needed

Good to Excellent

Comparison: Alaska Airlines Business card vs other Bank of America cards

Alaska Airlines Business credit card vs other small-business airline credit cards

*$100 United credit after making seven or more United flight purchases of $100 or more each card anniversary year

How to earn miles from the Alaska Airlines Business card

With the Alaska Airlines Business Credit Card, you’ll earn 3 Alaska miles per dollar spent on Alaska Airlines purchases, and 1 mile per dollar spent on all other purchases.

Read more: The best airline credit cards of 2021

There aren’t any bonus categories other than Alaska Airlines purchases, but using your card for regular spending is one of the best ways to earn Alaska miles, other than flying Alaska or its partners. 

How to use Alaska Airlines miles

Alaska Airlines has reasonable award prices on their own flights and a set award chart for airline partner awards, which is a big part of what makes Alaska miles so valuable. 

Economy flights on Alaska Airlines under 700 miles start at just 5,000 miles one-way and go up to 15,000 miles each way for the longest domestic flights in coach, including to Hawaii. 

Read more: How to earn, redeem, and maximize Alaska Airlines miles

Prices for partner awards vary based on distance, region, and airline partner, but it’s easy to check exact prices with Alaska’s award chart. A few of the best partner awards include: 

• American Airlines business class from the US to Europe with a stopover for 57,500 Alaska miles
• Cathay Pacific first class from the US to the Middle East or Africa via Hong Kong for 70,000 Alaska miles
• Qantas business class from the US to Australia for 55,000 Alaska miles

You can use 15,000 Alaska miles to upgrade to First Class each way when traveling on an eligible paid Alaska fare, including companion tickets earned with your Alaska Airlines Business Credit Card. 

Other ways to redeem miles include sharing them with someone else, donating them to charity, or purchasing magazine subscriptions. 

Keep in mind, Alaska miles expire after two years of inactivity. Spending on your Alaska Airlines Business Credit Card counts as activity and is an easy way to keep your miles from expiring. 

Read more: The best credit card rewards sweet spots that get you the most from your hard-earned points and miles

Benefits and features

Annual companion fare certificate 

Every year on your account anniversary, you’ll receive a companion fare certificate that allows a companion to fly with you from $121 ($99 for the fare plus taxes and fees starting at $22). This certificate is added to your account automatically, and you can use it on any Alaska Airlines flight that you book through alaskaair.com.

Read more: 10 airline credit cards that offer companion deals so you can bring along a friend for only taxes and fees

Depending on the itinerary, you can get a lot of value from this perk and easily cover the card’s annual fee. It’s valid everywhere Alaska flies, including Hawaii, Alaska, Mexico, Costa Rica, Belize, and Canada.  

Free first checked bag

You’ll get a free first checked bag on Alaska flights for you and up to six people traveling on the same reservation. Alaska charges $30 to check a bag each way, so using this benefit even once or twice a year would recover the cost of the card’s annual fee. 

Read more: Airline checked bag fees can eat into your travel budget — here’s how to avoid them with the right credit cards

Alaska Airlines discounts

When you pay with your Alaska Airlines Business Credit Card, you’ll get 50% off day passes to Alaska airport lounges, and 20% back as a statement credit on all Alaska inflight purchases. Lounge day passes are usually $50, so this benefit saves you $25 for each pass you purchase. 

Read more: Credit cards from Delta, United, and other airlines offer discounts on in-flight purchases, so you can save on drinks, Wi-Fi, and more

Fraud monitoring

Bank of America blocks potential fraud if they detect abnormal patterns on your account, and let you know when fraudulent activity is suspected via email and/or text.  

$0 liability guarantee

You won’t be responsible for unauthorized charges made by others using your account. Claims are subject to dollar limits and verification. 

Free FICO credit score

The primary cardholder is eligible to review their FICO credit score through online banking, mobile, and the Bank of America app. Your score is updated monthly and supplied by TransUnion. 

Fees and costs

The Alaska Airlines Business Credit Card has a $50 per company and $25 per card annual fee (broken down as $50 per company and $25 per card), and doesn’t have foreign transaction fees, so it’s a useful card to take on trips abroad.    

Read more: The best credit cards with no foreign transaction fees

Like most other cards, the Alaska Airlines Business Credit Card charges fees for cash advances, late payments, and returned payments.