INSIDER SECRET: Alaska Airlines allows you to add free stopovers on award flights. I’ve taken advantage of this to visit Hong Kong and San Francisco on my way to Japan for no extra miles!
There’s good news if you have, or are considering applying for, the Alaska Airlines Visa Signature® credit card as the card has two new benefits.
Now you’ll get a 20% discount on Alaska Airlines inflight purchases, including food, beverages and Wi-Fi. The discount is applied as a statement credit and should show up within seven days of purchase. You need to make the purchase with your personal Alaska Airlines Visa Signature® credit card in order to qualify for the credit.
You can also get a 50% discount on Alaska lounge day passes, which normally cost $50 each. (Except for the lounges in Seattle, however, all Alaska lounges are in the Priority Pass network, so you could be better off getting a card that comes with airport lounge access.)
Alaska Airlines Credit Card Offer
For a limited time, the Alaska Airlines Visa Signature® credit card is offering a $100 statement credit, 40,000 Alaska Airlines miles, plus a companion fare from $121 ($99 fare plus taxes and fees from $22) after you spend $2,000 on purchases within the first 90 days of account opening. You’ll also get a companion fare each year that you keep your account open (on your account anniversary), which allows you to bring along a friend from $121 ($99 plus the taxes and fees from $22). The companion fare is valid for economy class tickets and it expires 12 months after being issued; you can travel after the expiration date as long as you book your travel before the companion fare code expires.
Alaska Airlines miles are great for booking certain partner awards — I’ve used them to fly Iceland Air, Japan Airlines and Cathay Pacific — and their partner award charts have some great deals.
They have a different award chart for each partner. A few of the best deals are 55,000 miles one-way in Qantas business class from the US to Australia, 50,000 miles one-way in Cathay Pacific business class from the US to Asia and 55,000 miles in Fiji Airways business class from the US to Australia or New Zealand. What makes these deals even more special is the potential to add in a free stopover, which Alaska Airlines allows on one-way awards flights (the stop must be in a hub city). So, for example, you could book a Fiji Airways award to Australia and add in a free stopover in Fiji.
I have this card and already find it worth having just for the companion fare. As for the new perks, I know for sure that I’ll take advantage of the 20% discount for Wi-Fi the next time I’m flying with Alaska Airlines.
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Featured photo by @a_semenkov/Twenty20.
Updated on February 27, 2020