On Saturday, I wrote about the new Alaska Airlines credit card offer that launched today, which waives the usual $99 cost of the companion fare for the first year. This special application offer will only be available for two months according to an Alaska Airlines press release. Customers also will continue to receive 30,000 miles after meeting the offer terms.
This is a great deal to save hundreds or even thousands of dollars on your next flight with two passengers, and you get a new companion fare every year after paying the card’s annual fee. It’s good for flights operated by Alaska Airlines, Virgin America, and Horizon Air.
How does Alaska’s companion fare work? It’s pretty simple. The first person pays full price, and the second person just pays taxes and fees. On most flights these fees are minimal: maybe $22 for a round-trip ticket within the lower 48 states or $100 for a round-trip flight to Hawaii. One-way and multi-city flights are also eligible. You can even earn miles and upgrade your flight if you have elite status.
I was originally a little skeptical that Alaska was making this offer significantly better. I thought they might be removing the $100 statement credit you get for applying on their website, but in fact Alaska reached out to tell me they’ll be keeping that special offer. So nothing is being taken away, just new benefits added.
Refer a Friend for 5,000 Miles
Another big improvement is a refer-a-friend bonus program. Existing members can earn 5,000 miles each time they refer a friend who successfully applies for the Alaska Airlines Visa Signature Card. As far as I can tell there is no cap. Just visit the Alaska Airlines home page to view the offeror try using this link.
