Recently we saw an increased new welcome bonus launched on the Alaska Airlines Visa® Business Credit Card, and it’s an offer seriously worth considering. I applied for this card when it had a worse offer, so I’m jealous of those of you who can get this welcome bonus.

In this post I wanted to look at six reasons you should consider applying for the Alaska Card under the current deal. It’s worth noting that the Alaska Airlines Visa® Credit Card has a great welcome bonus, and I’d highly recommend applying for either the personal or business version of the Alaska card (or both)!

1) A welcome bonus of 40K miles 

The Alaska Visa Business Card offers a welcome bonus of 40,000 Mileage Plan miles after spending $2,000 within 90 days. That’s just part of the bonus, and I’ll talk about the rest of the bonus below.

That might not sound like that much, but I value Alaska Mileage Plan miles more than any other mileage currency, so I’d consider those 40,000 miles to be worth roughly $800.

Mileage Plan miles are so valuable thanks to the ability to redeem them for travel on a unique selection of airline partners, and also since you’re allowed a free stopover even on one-way tickets. For example, I recently redeemed just 70,000 Mileage Plan miles for a first class Japan Airlines ticket from Tokyo to Chicago.


Japan Airlines 777 first class

2) A companion certificate as part of the welcome bonus

In addition to a welcome bonus of 40,000 Mileage Plan miles, the Alaska Visa Business Card also offers Alaska’s $121+ companion ticket the first year upon completing minimum spend. Historically you only start receiving this on the first anniversary, but with this offer, you get one on the first year as well.

You’ll just have to pay $99 plus taxes and fees, which start at just $22.

I’ll talk more about why this is so valuable below.


Alaska Airlines 737

3) A valuable companion certificate every year on your anniversary

Every year on the account anniversary of the Alaska Visa Business Card you’ll receive an Alaska companion certificate. You’ll just have to pay $99 plus taxes and fees, which start at just $22, so you’re looking at a $121+ fare for the second passenger.

Note that the card has just a $75 annual fee (if you have a single cardholder), and so, in the end, you’re paying under $200 per year for a companion certificate, which is an excellent deal.

Here’s the thing — there are quite a few airlines that offer companion certificates in one form or another, but in my opinion, the Alaska companion certificate is by far the most generous:

  • It’s valid on any Alaska Airlines economy fare
  • You can use it for a one-way, roundtrip, multi-city, etc.
  • The companion earns miles and can even be upgraded
  • The cardholder doesn’t even have to be the one to use it; you can use it for someone else, as long as you pay for the ticket with a card in your name

This benefit alone should be a reason to hold onto the card long term, in my opinion.

4) Applying for the card doesn’t count towards 5/24

Chase has a restriction whereby they typically won’t approve you for their cards if you’ve opened five or more new card accounts in the past 24 months. If this is a limit you’re trying to stay under, note that applying for most business cards, including the Alaska Visa Business Card, shouldn’t count towards that limit.

That’s because the card won’t show up on your personal credit report. So if you are trying to stay under that limit, this is a card that’s seriously worth considering.

5) A free checked bag on Alaska flights

If you fly Alaska Airlines with any frequency, the card offers a free checked bag on Alaska flights for you and up to six other passengers on the same reservation. Alaska charges $30 per checked bag, so this could save you up to $420 per roundtrip itinerary.

6) 3x miles on Alaska Airlines flights

The Alaska Visa Business Card offers 3x miles for every dollar spent on Alaska Airlines purchases.

While there are some other credit cards that offer 5x points for airfare purchases, I’d note that Alaska miles are a special currency that many find to be extremely valuable, and the program doesn’t partner with the major transferable points currencies.

So many may prefer to put their Alaska spend on this card because earning 3x Alaska miles is a very solid return.

Alternative: Consider the Alaska Visa Personal Card

If you don’t have a small business, consider instead getting the Alaska Airlines Visa Card. There’s lots of overlap between the two cards, as both have the same welcome bonuses, and both offer companion certificates, free checked bags, 3x miles on Alaska flights, etc.

There’s lots of value in even picking up both cards, so you can earn 80,000+ Alaska miles and get two companion tickets per year.

Bottom line

The Alaska Visa Business Card has a reasonable $75 annual fee, and offers a welcome bonus of 40K miles plus a $121+ Alaska companion certificate, making this a great card to consider applying for. If you don’t have a small business, the Alaska Airlines Visa Card is a great alternative.

This is also a card that’s worth holding onto long term, given the companion certificate you get every year. I consistently get value out of that, and it’s why I like always having an Alaska credit card.

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