Alaska Air – My Favorite Airline but not my Favorite Credit Card

Alaska Air ranks up there as one of my all time favorite airline carriers. Considering that I’ve racked up over 100,000 frequently flyer miles, my guess is that I’ve flown Alaska more than 50 times.

Despite the frequency, it takes a long time to accumulate miles since they pretty much dominate the LA/Seattle market and those are 2,000 round-trip miles.

Since it takes 20,000 miles to get a first class upgrade, I’ve been saving upgrades for longer flights. That is, vacation to Alaska where the 3,500 mile trip can take up to 7 hours of flight time with a stop in Seattle.

So does it make sense to get the Alaska Air Credit Card? The answer is yes if you live on the west coast and fly between Portland, Los Angeles or Seattle and take frequent trips between these cities. The benefits of moving up to first class are well worth the annual card fee.

If you’re planning to take a vacation or fishing trip to Alaska, and I highly recommend that you do, it’s worth enrolling in Alaska’s frequent flyer program to offset the first class ticket price. (It’s a long flight to Alaska, and believe me, you want to fly first class.)

With the miles you accumulate from your credit card purchases and enrollment bonuses, you should get enough to cover your vacation trip.

Other than frequent business use or one or two vacation trips to Alaska, I would not recommend the Alaska Air Credit Card.