Alaska Airlines Credit Card - Good Idea
Moose
Saved over $400.00 total on our flights due to the companion fare. Wanted to say thanks to those that told me to get this card. Will save an additional $100 with baggage check fees. Booked both tickets with insurance for $1,000. Tickets with taxes were $725 each.. Good deal
Glad it worked out Danny. Have a great hunt!
They do make traveling to Alaska a lot cheaper if you take advantage of the card. Enjoy your trip and good luck. Hunt
standswittaknife, can you explain the details of what you did with the card and how it saved you money? A buddy and I are flying to Fairbanks in September for a hunting trip, but we haven't purchased the commercial tickets yet. I'd gladly get an AK CC if it'd save me 400 bones.
Seriously considering the Alaska Air credit card. Three of us are flying up in August to hunt caribou. Original plan was for all three to get a card and use points to cover a one way ticket. The companion fare adds some mud to the water though....
Is it safe to assume the companion fare is only an option if you don't use miles to purchase the primary ticket? (i.e either use points or companion fare, but no combination of both?)
Also, it looks like most of the "points" flights advertised are red eyes. Are those the only flights points are allowed...or are those just the best bang for your points?
Thanks
Baggin, Basically you get a $100 companion fare, free first checked bag for you and your buddy and 25,000 miles bonus miles. Google it for details.
Stekewood, does this only apply when you sign up, or does the deal renew periodically for cardholders?
I'll have to do some googling.
Pav, You are right about not being able to use the points for the primary ticket and take advantage of the companion fare. I haven't looked at cashing in any points yet. For me though, the only flights home from there are red-eyes anyway!
Baggin, you get a companion fare every year. I see it as a good excuse to keep going back. :-)
Yep, and if you do the 25,000 miles free on signup with a couple flights you can get a free flight
Gentlemen-
All credit cards have advantages and disadvantages. As long as you are aware of this, you can take advantage of the benefits and come out ahead... or at least feel like you do.
I would also suggest looking into Delta Airlines Credit Card also. Delta Frequent Flyer Miles don't expire and Delta will get you to Anchorage in addition to most places throughout the world. I booked my trip to Anchorage using points and then paid the $475 to get me to Dillingham and back on Alaskan (Alaskan is a partner of Delta as well, but there are restrictions for mileage credit and ticket redemption).
I'm just trying to be helpful... something to consider.
Best of Luck!
Jeremy
Exactly what Steke stated. I applied for the card, signed up for my membership benefits. I had to wait about a week to get my companion fee code and used it to book our airfare right through my membership site. Was simple and worked perfectly. Their is an annual fee, but if used to fly its really ease to offset this fee with the savings from flights.
I simply applied for the card online. I need to cut some of my available cards in the future and will probably keep this one. thanks,
My only issue was that the companion fare was pretty much useless to me in ND as the closest AK Airlines non partner airport is Minneapolis. We can get on a "partner" airline in ND for the frequent flyer, but have to go to Minneapolis to use the Companion Fare. Really wasn't an issue for me with 4 trips to AK planned, but for my buddies that got the card for one trip ended up being a deal breaker AFTER they already got the card. (long story) I bought their miles and they cancelled the card and bought airfare.
Probably the biggest value for those considering a one time use is the companion fare.
We (wife and I) travel to Great Falls, MT several times a year and our savings are great. Both have cards.
The 25K is one time, but the companion fare renews on your anniversary with them.
Getting a lowest number miles ticket requires some early planning.
I fly from SoCal to AK 6 times a year and from booking the flights that I do buy and buying all expenses for a family of 4 on the card and paying it off each month, I only have to buy about 1/2 of my tickets and I fly all the way to Kotzebue.
I'm permanently MVP now too and get upgraded to 1st class for about 1/3 of my flights.
The miles were the bright side to dumping $1121 on a Wyoming elk license. lol
I run all of my living expenses etc etc through the card and pay it off every month.
Just got the Alaska card. Oldest daughter moved from Midwest to Portland so we will accumulate lots of miles going to see the grandkids. A trip to Alaska awaits.
I have used my Alaskan Airlines card for every purchase from bubble gum to rent for the past 3 years. Several free flights later it is the best purchase I've made in years. I haven't paid for a flight to/from/within Alaska in years and still sitting on 70k+ miles now.
How many points would it take for a round trip from Texas (San Antonio or Austin) to Anchorage?
Only issue you really have to be aware of.... depending on where and when, AK Air flights are sometimes a good deal more expensive.
Using the companion fare to AZ I saved a whopping $100 for two people. They were several hundred over other airlines to the same destination, only the companion ticket made it competitive, barely at that.
A few months later I had to make an unexpected trip to AK. I went with another airline (delta if I recall?) for several hundred dollars less than AK air. The companion deal is only once a year.
I have yet to use their mileage points.... but have not had very good luck using mileage from anyone the last few years. 20-25 years ago no problem. Now so many restrictions, they bump up (devalue) the miles needed it seems right about when you are going to use them, etc. I'm thinking they want you to use them for upgrades rather than "free" tickets.
I use it for every purchase I make. I haven't paid for a flight with anything other than miles in 3 years. 4-5 trips a year I'd guess along with a random flight to and from anchorage here and there.
For me it's a great tool or better worded an enabler as it allows me to travel much more for much less.
With any CC, be smart and pay it off every month or every week even!
txhunter58, if you fly out of somewhere that AK Airlines flies to, and I think they fly into at least Dallas, you could get a round trip ticket for anywhere from 25,000 to 40,000 points depending on when you book the flight.
If you book out a few months, you should be able to get it for 25K.
We use ours to earn flights to see our son in the navy. Just be sure to pay it off every month
I also want to thank whoever on this site turned me on to that card. I am not a big believer in credit cards so I use it like an American Express card and pay it off every month. Two years ago I flew round trip to Anchorage on points. Last year my wife went with me on the companion fare. I basically paid full price and she went with me for an additional $100.00. This year I am going round trip to Fairbanks on points. I have never had any issues at all with them. It has been great for me.
Another big thanks for bringing this up on the forum. By buddy and I just saved almost $400 each for our flights to Fairbanks this September. That's real money.
I fly a LOT on Alaska and use my Alaska Visa cards a LOT. Consequently I have a LOT of Alaska miles.
Wife and I are headed to Africa in April/May. Using my Alaska miles. First Class on Alaska to Seattle, then Seattle, Dubai, Jo-burg on Emerites! This is the most decedent way to fly the long trip to the Dark Continent that I know of! Makes it part of the adventure instead an ordeal to be endured to enjoy the adventure!
Pete
I got myself a card a little over a year ago and just booked flights for one of my trips to AK and saved a lot of money for a couple buddies with the companion fare. I will also have enough points accrued to fly on the other trip first class. I have never done that before so I will feel very fancy!
I have an Alaska card that I used all my pts on a trip last year. I only had enough pts to cover my flight one way. I did a search for best airline credit cards and just signed up for a Venture card that offers 40,000 pts after spending $3,000 on the card in the first 3 months. It mentions the pts are worth $400. $400 will almost pay for the entire round trip so I think Venture is a better deal than the Alaska card.
Booked my August round trip ticket to Fairbanks this morning using the free 25,000 sky miles and $53 (including trip insurance). Got a good flight going up and booked a red eye coming back. What a deal!
Thanks much guys!
