Quick highlights
- Rewards rate: 3X miles on eligible Alaska Airlines purchases, 2X miles on eligible gas, shipping and local transit, 1X mile on all other purchases
- Welcome offer: Get 50,000 bonus miles plus a $100 statement credit plus Alaska's Famous Companion Fare™ from $122 ($99 fare plus taxes and fees from $23) with this offer. To qualify, make $3,000 or more in purchases within the first 90 days of opening your account.
- Annual fee: $70 for the company and $25 per card
- Purchase intro APR: N/A
- Balance transfer intro APR: N/A
- Regular APR: 21.24 percent to 29.24 percent variable APR
Current welcome offer
New Alaska Airlines Business cardholders can get 50,000 bonus miles plus $100 statement credit after spending $3,000 or more in purchases in their first 90 days. If you meet the spending requirements, you’ll also get a $100 statement credit and the Alaska Airlines Companion Fare for just $122 ($99 fare plus taxes and fees from just $23). The Companion Fare gives you one round-trip coach ticket when you travel with another person on a paid published coach airfare on the same itinerary, booked at the same time.
Based on Bankrate’s latest points and miles valuations, Alaska Airlines miles are worth an average of 1.1 cents per point. So the Alaska Airlines Visa Business Card’s intro offer is worth around $550 by our estimates. Plus, the $3,000 spending requirement shouldn’t be an issue if you’re a frequent traveler.
The card previously offered 70,000 bonus miles and the Companion Fare after a $4,000 spend in the first 90 days, making the current slightly less impressive, but a bit easier to attain. It still carries plenty of value, especially since it includes a $100 statement credit and still comes with the Companion Fare. Most airline credit cards that offer airline companion passes make it harder to get this perk in your first year. For example, the Delta SkyMiles® Reserve American Express Card makes you wait until your first anniversary — after you’ve paid your $550 annual fee — before you can get the companion certificate. And other cards with low annual fees, like the British Airways Visa Signature® Card*, won’t hand over a companion certificate until you’ve reached a much higher spending requirement ($30,000 for the British Airways card).
Rewards rate
When it comes to earning rewards, the Alaska Airlines Business card’s rewards program is not the best and not the worst. That’s because, like many airline credit cards, the Alaska Airlines Business card only offers a decently high rewards rate on purchases made with the airline.
As a cardmember, you’re automatically enrolled in Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan, the airline’s loyalty program. This has typically been considered one of the best airline loyalty programs around. But due to recent changes, including switching from fixed- to dynamic-rewards pricing and increasing the number of miles needed for certain seats, some experts are falling out of love with the program.
Still, business travelers can find plenty to like about the airline’s flexible redemption options. This includes a number of transfer partners and chances to get more value when using your miles for travel. Alaska Airlines fans who use the airline often will also enjoy numerous perks, including a chance to reach elite status quickly, unlocking a variety of new benefits.
Earning rewards
The Alaska Airlines Business Visa Card earns 3X miles on eligible Alaska Airlines purchases, 2X miles on eligible gas, shipping and local transit and 1X mile on all other purchases. There are no limits to how many miles you can earn.
This is a respectable rewards rate, especially since it can be hard to find an airline rewards card that offers more than 2X miles on anything other than purchases with the carrier. The card may be especially appealing for small-business owners who spend a lot of time on the road or spend heavily on shipping goods.
As a Mileage Plan member, cardholders also qualify for additional ways to earn miles, including through car rentals and shopping at select retailers. For example, most of Alaska’s car rental options will earn 50 miles per day for a rental. Plus, when you enroll in Mileage Plan Dining, you can earn miles at eligible restaurants. Depending on how much you participate in the program, you can earn up to 5 miles for every dollar.
Perks like these are nice and can be found in numerous airline cards of the same level. But they don’t provide the best value. For example, if you carry the Southwest® Rapid Rewards® Premier Business Credit Card, you automatically earn 2X points on car rentals when booked with the company’s car rental partners as well as a number of other business-related categories (compared to only 1X miles with Alaska’s business card).
Redeeming rewards
The Alaska Airlines Business card is a bit more flexible when it comes to redemptions. The airline will let you redeem your rewards at Alaska Airlines for award travel, upgrades and hotel accommodations (when you book your hotel through the Alaska Airlines Hotels program, you’ll get access to discounted redemption levels).
Plus, Alaska Airlines’ partnership with Oneworld Alliance means you can also redeem your rewards for flights through two dozen of Alaska Airlines’ worldwide airline partners (including American Airlines, British Airways, Emirates and more).
Currently, with the right transfer partner, Alaska Mileage Plan miles are worth an estimated 1.1 cents apiece according to our valuations. That’s not bad, though some cards could get you slightly better value. For example, the Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card, a general-purpose business credit card for travelers, earns points currently worth an estimated 2 cents apiece on average, according to our valuations.