Alaska Airlines Business Credit Card Review 2023

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The Alaska Airlines Business Credit Card is worth considering if you fly Alaska or collect the airline’s miles, and it’s currently offering an excellent bonus. Plus, cardholders can save money on Alaska flights with perks like a free first checked bag and inflight discounts.

Review: Is the Alaska Airlines Business Credit Card the Best Credit Card for You?

If you like to fly Alaska Airlines and are looking to open one of the best small-business cards, the Alaska Airlines Business Credit Card is a great choice. 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 an elevated welcome bonus of Alaska Airlines Business Credit Card. The miles alone are worth around Alaska Airlines Business Credit Card – Featured Reward Value in flights, based on Insider’s latest points and miles valuations.

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 Alaska Airlines Business Credit Card ($95 total for one card, with the option to add more). 

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 its routes. Between the friendly service, rewarding elite status, and valuable miles, there’s a lot to like about the airline, especially if its destinations work with your travel plans. 

The Alaska Airlines Business Credit Card earns 3 miles per dollar spent on Alaska Airlines, 2 miles per dollar on eligible gas, shipping, and local transit including rideshare purchases, and 1 mile per dollar on all other purchases. Plus, if you have an eligible Bank of America small-business account, you’ll earn a 10% rewards bonus on all miles earned from card purchases.

You’ll get a companion certificate every account anniversary when you spend $6,000 on purchases in a card anniversary year, and a free first checked bag and priority boarding for yourself and up to six people traveling on the same reservation when you pay for your flight with the card (this applies to authorized users as well). Either of these benefits can make the card well worth keeping year after year. 

You’re also able to get $100 off an annual Alaska Lounge+ Membership purchased with your card 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 Alaska Airlines Visa® Credit Card.

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
• 2 miles per dollar on gas (service stations, automated fuel dispensers, marinas, marine service and supplies, and fuel dealers of fuel oil, wood, coal, and liquefied petroleum)
• 2 miles per dollar on local transit including rideshare (local and suburban commuter transportation, including ferries, passenger railways, taxicabs, limousines, bus lines, tolls, and bridge fees)
• 2 miles per dollar on shipping (air or ground courier services, motor freight carriers)
• 1 mile per dollar spent on all other purchases.

The 2x categories are new as of March 2023, which makes the card more useful for day-to-day spending to earn Alaska miles.

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. 

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 no longer expire, but your account will be locked after two years of inactivity (you have to call to reactivate it and your miles). Spending on your Alaska Airlines Business Credit Card counts as activity and is an easy way to keep your account from being locked. 

Alaska Airlines Business Card Benefits and Features

Annual companion fare certificate 

Every year on your account anniversary, as long as you’ve spent at least $6,000 on the card in an anniversary year, you’ll receive a companion fare certificate. This allows a companion to fly with you from $122 ($99 for the fare plus taxes and fees starting at $23). This certificate is added to your account automatically if you meet the spending requirement, and you can use it on any Alaska Airlines flight that you book through alaskaair.com.

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 and your authorized users 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. 

There’s a new requirement to take advantage of this benefit, though. Cardholders must use their card to pay for their ticket in order to get the free checked bag.

Priority boarding

Another new benefit for primary cardholders and authorized users is priority boarding for the cardholder and up to six companions on the same reservation on Alaska flights. Again, you must use your card to pay for your ticket to get this perk.

Relationship bonus

Alaska Airlines Business Credit Card cardholders with an eligible company/business account with Bank of America receive a 10% bonus on miles earned with the card. Qualifying accounts include business checking, business savings, business CDs, and Merrill business investment accounts.

Alaska Airlines discounts

When you pay with your Alaska Airlines Business Credit Card, you’ll get a $100 discount off a full Alaska Lounge+ membership. Note that this applies to an Alaska Lounge+ membership (which includes entry to Alaska-operated lounges and over 90 partner lounges and costs at least $550). The standard Alaska Lounge membership, which only includes Alaska lounges, doesn’t qualify for the discount.

Travel and emergency services

Alaska Airlines Business Credit Card members can also access valuable travel and emergency benefits, including:

• Travel accident insurance
• Auto rental insurance
• Assistance with things like emergency ticket replacement, lost-luggage assistance, and legal and medical referrals when traveling away from home

Fraud monitoring

Bank of America blocks potential fraud if they detect abnormal patterns on your account, and lets 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. 

Alaska Airlines Business Card Fees and Costs

The Alaska Airlines Business Credit Card has an annual fee of Alaska Airlines Business Credit Card, and doesn’t have foreign transaction fees, so it’s a useful card to take on trips abroad.    

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

Compare Alaska Airlines Business Card vs Other Bank of America Cards

Alaska Airlines Business Credit Card vs Other Small-business Airline Credit Cards

*When you use your United℠ Business Card to pay for your ticket, or the taxes and fees on an award ticket

***On the United℠ Business Card, $100 United credit after making seven or more United flight purchases of $100 or more each card anniversary year

****Up to 1,000 PQP in a calendar year for the United℠ Business Card

Alaska Airlines Business Credit Card Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

What credit score do I need for the Alaska Airlines Business card?

Most people who are approved for the Alaska Airlines Business Credit Card have an excellent credit score, which means a FICO score of at least 800.

If you’re not quite in that range, there are plenty of great travel rewards credit cards that you may be eligible for with good credit score, including the personal Alaska Airlines Visa® Credit Card (you can read our review of the Alaska Airlines credit card for more information).

Is the Alaska Airlines Business card worth it?

If you’re a small-business owner and fly Alaska Airlines frequently, the Alaska Airlines Business Credit Card is worth it. The free checked bag perk alone can be worth much more than the annual fee if you check bags on Alaska even a couple of times a year, and the companion certificate can be worth hundreds of dollars depending on how you redeem it.

Even if you don’t fly the airline, earning Alaska miles can be a very rewarding strategy if you like to book award flights on Oneworld and other international partners. With numerous award chart sweet spots, you’ll often pay fewer Alaska miles for an award ticket compared to using other frequent flyer miles.

How does the Alaska Airlines companion fare work?

The Alaska Airlines companion fare you receive with the Alaska Airlines Business Credit Card is awarded in the form of a discount code in the primary cardholder’s Alaska Mileage Plan account. It allows the cardholder to buy one round-trip economy class companion ticket on Alaska Airlines from $122 ($99 base fare plus applicable taxes and fees from $23 depending on your flight itinerary) when traveling with another guest who’s purchased a paid ticket on the same itinerary.

To use the companion certificate, you must book both tickets (the paid flight and the companion fare) at the same time on alaskaair.com, and you must use your Alaska Airlines Business Credit Card for the purchase.

How do I get a free checked bag with the Alaska Airlines Business card?

If you’re the primary cardholder or authorized user and you’ve included your Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan frequent flyer number on your reservation, you and up to six companions on the same reservation will receive a free first checked bag on Alaska Airlines flights as long as you pay for the ticket with your card.