Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan miles are popular among Alaska Airlines and Oneworld loyalists — so getting one of their two cobranded credit cards might interest you.
Those two cards are the Alaska Airlines Visa® credit card and the Alaska Airlines Visa® Business card.
In addition to how useful Alaska miles can be, another good reason to consider these cards is that they are both issued by Bank of America. That’s important because if you have reached your limit with American Express cards or are affected by Chase’s 5/24 rule, looking to other banks for your next credit card is probably a good idea.
Let’s examine the details of these two cards and discuss how they match up.
Alaska Airlines Visa vs. Alaska Airlines Business Visa comparison
| Alaska Airlines Visa credit card | Alaska Airlines Visa Business card | |
|---|---|---|
| Annual fee | $95 | $95 ($70 per company, $25 per card, so $95 for the first card) |
| Sign-up bonus | 70,000 bonus miles plus Alaska’s Famous Companion Fare™ ($99 fare plus taxes and fees from $23) after making $3,000 or more in purchases within the first 90 days of opening your account | 50,000 bonus miles and Alaska’s Famous Companion Fare ($99 fare plus taxes and fees from $23) after making $3,000 or more in purchases within the first 90 days of opening your account |
| Earning | 3 miles per dollar on eligible Alaska Airlines purchases
2 miles per dollar on eligible gas, EV charging stations, local transit (including ride-hailing), cable and select streaming services 1 mile per dollar on other purchases |
3 miles per dollar on eligible Alaska Airlines purchases
2 miles per dollar on eligible gas, EV charging stations, local transit (including ride-hailing) and shipping purchases 1 mile per dollar on other purchases |
| Alaska benefits | Annual Companion Fare (each account anniversary after you spend $6,000 or more on purchases within the prior anniversary year)
Free checked bag for you and up to six additional guests on the same reservation when you purchase airfare with your card 20% off inflight purchases $100 off one Alaska Lounge+ Membership annually when purchased with your card Priority boarding when you pay for your flight with your card |
Annual Companion Fare (each account anniversary after you spend $6,000 or more on purchases within the prior anniversary year)
Free checked bag for you and up to six additional guests on the same reservation when you purchase airfare with your card 20% off inflight purchases $100 off one Alaska Lounge+ Membership annually when purchased with your card Priority boarding when you pay for your flight with your card |
| Other benefits | 10% rewards bonus on all miles earned from purchases if you have an eligible Bank of America account
No foreign transaction fees |
10% rewards bonus on all miles earned from purchases if your company has an eligible Bank of America account
No foreign transaction fees |
Alaska Airlines Visa vs. Alaska Airlines Business Visa welcome bonus
The personal Alaska Airlines Visa is currently offering new cardholders 70,000 bonus miles and Alaska’s Famous Companion Fare ($99 fare plus taxes and fees from $23) after making $3,000 or more in purchases within the first 90 days of opening your account.
Meanwhile, the Alaska Airlines Business Visa is currently offering new cardholders 50,000 bonus miles plus Alaska’s Famous Companion Fare ($99 fare plus taxes and fees from $23) after you make $3,000 or more in purchases within the first 90 days of opening your account.
For the same spending requirement, you’ll get 20,000 more miles with the personal card over the business card.
Winner: Alaska Airlines Visa. It’s currently offering 20,000 more miles than the business card.
Alaska Airlines Visa vs. Alaska Airlines Business Visa benefits
You won’t find many differences between the two cards’ day-of-travel perks.
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Both the Alaska Airlines Visa credit card and the Alaska Airlines Visa Business card afford cardholders a free checked bag for themselves and up to six guests on the same reservation when they pay with their card.
You’ll also enjoy priority boarding and $100 off one Alaska Lounge+ Membership annually when you pay with your Alaska card.
Cardholders with either product also receive 20% back on Alaska inflight purchases, including food and Wi-Fi.
Both products also reward cardholders with an annual Companion Fare, one of the most generous airline credit card companion certificates around. In effect, this is a buy-one-get-one-discounted deal (plus taxes and fees). However — and this is a big one — you have to spend $6,000 or more on purchases within the prior anniversary year to earn the Companion Fare on either card (apart from any that come with the welcome bonus).
When you book a round-trip economy ticket on Alaska Airlines, you can use the Companion Fare to reserve a second ticket on the same reservation from $122 ($99 fare plus taxes and fees from $23).
The Companion Fare must be redeemed within 12 months of the issue date, though the actual travel can take place after that — extending its usefulness to nearly two years. Even better, both travelers accrue full mileage credit for their flights and are eligible for upgrades.
The cardholder doesn’t even have to be flying but must use their Alaska card to pay for the tickets. Depending on how you redeem your Companion Fare, it can be worth hundreds of dollars, especially on some of the airline’s more expensive routes, like those to Hawaii, and can more than offset either card’s annual fee each year.
Winner: Tie. Both cards offer the same benefits.
Related: Maximizing the Alaska Airlines Visa Companion Fare
Earning miles on the Alaska Airlines Visa vs. Alaska Airlines Business Visa
Earning rates are comparable: both cards earn 3 miles per dollar on eligible Alaska purchases, 2 miles per dollar on gas, EV charging stations and local transit (including ride-hailing) and 1 mile per dollar on everything else.
The personal card also earns 2 miles per dollar on cable and select streaming services, while the business card offers a 2-mile-per-dollar rate on shipping.
Winner: Tie. Both cards offer similar earning rates.
Related: How to earn miles with the Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan program
Redeeming miles on the Alaska Airlines Visa vs. Alaska Airlines Business Visa
Despite the devaluation of Alaska’s award charts in late 2022, numerous valuable ways exist to maximize Alaska miles.
For short-haul flights like TPG editor Emily Thompson prefers, such as Seattle to San Francisco, you can redeem as little as 5,000 Alaska miles for each leg of the journey. Even for longer flights, economy awards often start at 12,500 miles.
If you prefer a first-class experience, longer domestic flights typically require 40,000 miles, but shorter flights can begin as low as 15,000 miles for each leg in first class.
Alaska Airlines also provides access to several partner airlines, allowing you to cover your travel needs across various destinations worldwide. Notable partners include British Airways, Cathay Pacific, Qantas and Singapore Airlines.
While it’s important to note that Alaska may not always offer the lowest mileage booking rates for these partners (depending on the specific route), the airline’s unique benefit of permitting one free stopover on one-way award tickets can create exceptional itineraries. This feature enables travelers to maximize their journey by exploring multiple destinations within a single trip, making the most of their Alaska miles.
These options demonstrate that there are still attractive opportunities to utilize Alaska miles effectively despite adjustments to the award charts.
Winner: Tie. Both cards earn Alaska miles and provide the same redemption options.
Should I get the Alaska Airlines Visa or the Alaska Airlines Business Visa?
Since the cards are so similar, your decision may simply rest on whether you’re eligible for a business card. If you are, you’ll be free to choose the card with the better welcome offer when you’re applying.
Bottom line
Both the Alaska Airlines Visa credit card and the Alaska Airlines Visa Business card are worth adding to your wallet, given the high value of Alaska miles and the Companion Fare. Both come with less than $100 in annual fees and valuable Alaska Airlines benefits. Because of their similarities, your choice may come down to which one offers a higher welcome bonus.
Learn more in our full review of the Alaska Airlines Visa and our full review of the Alaska Airlines Visa Business.
Apply here: Alaska Airlines Visa credit card
Apply here: Alaska Airlines Visa Business card