Coming Soon: 30,000 Mile Bonus & No Foreign Transaction Fees for Alaska Airlines Card

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I wrote about rumors that a higher offer was coming soon for the Bank of America Alaska Airlines card.

Via Wandering Aramean, the sign-up bonus on the Bank of America Alaska Airlines Visa Signature will increase to 30,000 miles on June 1, 2016.

Usually, the sign-up bonus is 25,000 Alaska Airlines miles and a $100 statement credit after meeting minimum spending requirements.

Let’s see if it’s worth waiting for this new offer!

Emily and I don’t earn a commission for this offer, but we’ll always share the best deals with our readers!

What’s the Deal?

Link:   How to Use Alaska Airlines Miles

Link:   My Review of the Alaska Airlines Card

Link:   Bank of America Alaska Airlines 25,000 Miles + $100 Statement Credit

Starting June 1, 2016, you can earn 30,000 Alaska Airlines miles when you’re approved for the Bank of America Alaska Airlines Visa Signature card.

And from the same date, you’ll no longer pay foreign transaction fees when you use the card overseas.

A Bank of America representative confirmed on the phone that foreign transaction fees will be removed for existing cardholders as well!

Until then, you can earn 25,000 Alaska Airlines miles when you’re approved for the Bank of America Alaska Airlines card AND if you’re a new cardholder you’ll earn a $100 statement credit after spending $1,000 on purchases within the first 90 days of account opening.

You’ll also get:

• 3 Alaska Airlines miles per $1 you spend on Alaska Airlines
• 1 Alaska Airlines mile per $1 you spend on everything else
• A coach Companion Fare certificate each year (your companion travels with you on a paid ticket for $99 plus tax)
• First checked bag free for yourself and up to 6 companions traveling on the same reservation

The $75 annual fee is NOT waived.  But the $100 statement credit easily covers it.  You’ll also have access to Visa Signature benefits.

This card currently has a 3% foreign transaction fee, so it’s not a good card to use abroad (until June 1, 2016!).

Apply Now or Wait for Higher Offer?

It has not been confirmed if there will be a $100 statement credit with the new offer.  So, which offer is more valuable?

It depends if you’d rather have a $100 statement credit now or 5,000 extra Alaska Airlines miles later.

If you want more Alaska Airlines miles, you might decide to wait.  That’s because Alaska Airlines miles are valuable for award flights domestically and abroad.

The extra 5,000 Alaska Airlines miles can be worth ~$100 but it depends how you redeem them.  So some folks might prefer the $100 statement credit.  Or maybe the new offer will include the $100 credit!

You might consider applying now for the current 25,000 mile & $100 statement credit offer offer and calling after June 1 to request to be matched to the 30,000 mile offer.  But in my experience, Bank of America is not known to match offers like Chase or American Express.

Or, you might want to apply for the current offer now and apply for a second card once the 30,000 mile offer is available in June.  That will give you a total of 55,000 Alaska Airlines miles!

Bank of America limits the total amount of credit they extend to you (based on income, credit score, etc.).  So it’s better to ask for lower credit limits on your cards (such as $5,000) when you apply.  That way, you’ll have a better chance of being approved for more cards.

Use Alaska Airlines Miles for Big Travel on Other Airlines!

Alaska Airlines has partnerships with many airlines, including:

• American Airlines
• Aeromexico
• Air France
• British Airways
• Cathay Pacific
• Delta Air Lines
• Emirates
• Fiji Airways
• Hainan Airlines
• Icelandair
• KLM
• Korean Air
• LAN Chile
• PenAir
• Qantas
• Ravn Alaska

You can book awards with Alaska Airlines’ partner airlines for a ~$13 fee one-way or $25 for a round-trip ticket.  It’s a small fee, but awards booked through Alaska Airlines have no fuel surcharges (except for flights on British Airways).

You can get a great deal using Alaska Airlines miles for Cathay Pacific award flights.  Use the 30,000 Alaska Airlines mile sign-up bonus to fly to Asia in coach!

I’ve written about other great ways to use Alaska miles!

Keep in mind the number of miles needed to book an award flight can change at any time.  Recently, Alaska Airlines significantly increased the number of miles needed to book Emirates Business and First Class flights without notice.

Other Ways to Earn Alaska Airlines Miles

You can transfer Starwood points at a 1:1 ratio to your Alaska Airlines account.  You can earn Starwood points using the Starwood Preferred Guest® Credit Card from American Express or the Starwood Preferred Guest® Business Credit Card from American Express cards.

Remember, if you transfer 20,000 Starwood points, you get a 5,000 mile bonus for a total of 25,000 Alaska Airlines miles.

At that rate, 1 Starwood point = 1.25 Alaska Airlines miles.  That’s why the Starwood AMEX cards can be better for earning airline miles than regular spending than airline co-branded cards. 

After completing the spending requirement for the 30,000 Alaska Airlines miles, the best cards to earn more Alaska Airlines miles are actually the AMEX Starwood cards!  That’s because you can effectively earn 1.25 Alaska Airlines miles per $1 on everyday spending.

With the Bank of America Alaska Airlines card, you’ll only earn 1 Alaska Airlines mile per $1 on regular purchases.

Bottom Line

On June 1, 2016, there will a new offer for the Bank of America Alaska Airlines Visa Signature card which includes 30,000 Alaska Airlines miles after meeting minimum spending requirements.  AND no foreign transaction fees!

Some folks might want to apply now for the current 25,000 mile & $100 statement credit offer because there’s no guarantee there’ll be a statement credit for the upcoming offer.  It’s up to you to decide whether you want a $100 statement credit now.  Or 5,000 extra Alaska Airlines miles in June.

Alaska Airlines miles can be used on interesting airline partners, such as Cathay Pacific and LAN with no fuel surcharges.

We don’t earn a commission for this offer, but Emily and I will always tell you about the best deals!