Rumor: Big changes could come to individual Alaska Airlines credit cards; Why am I not happy about it
As if the drum of negative news from Alaska Airlines is not enough, we are currently receiving reports that the main benefit of holding Alaska Airlines Visa Signature® credit card could soon become much harder to find.
Alaska Airlines Mileage Package is one of TPG’s loyalty programs. Unfortunately, there was a small, trickle, drip of negative happenings at the show.
Credit Doctor be the first to report this news, then selected by View from the Wing.
Rumored changes coming to personal Alaska pass
According to an app link temporarily obtained by Doctor of Credit, the personal version of this Bank of America credit card could soon have a minimum spending requirement to earn it’s worth. Alaska Companion Fare Benefits.
According to the app’s landing page, which Bank of America pulled from, you need to spend $6,000 per year to claim the Companion Fare benefit.
If the rumor is true, it’s not bad news. Supposedly there will be the biggest sign-up bonus ever for the card.
According to the limited-time email offer sent to some customers, the sign-up bonus will be a whopping 70,000 Alaska miles after you spend $3,000 on the card in the first 90 days of account opening. You’ll also receive a $100 statement credit on purchases in Alaska.
On top of that, you also earn 2 miles per dollar spent on gas, cable, streaming and local transit (including ride-hailing) purchases plus 3 miles per dollar spent. for purchases in Alaska. You’ll also get a $100 discount at Alaska Lounge + Annual Membership when paying with your new card.
The annual fee will increase from $75 to $95.
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A new benefit is priority boarding for cardholders, which will likely be similar to Group 4 or 5 boarding on American Airlines for its co-branded credit card holder.
There’s another sweetener: a 10% discount on miles earned each year if you have another account at Bank of America.
Related: Sweetest places with Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan
TPG has reached out to both Bank of America and Alaska Airlines for comment. Alaska wouldn’t confirm any details but did say, “We’re currently working to improve our Visa Signature Card. We announced this past March that additional benefits are on the way. We’ll have more to share in early 2023.”
This leads us to believe that Alaska may announce card changes at the same time or as soon as the expected devaluation of their award charts by the end of December.
What do I plan to do with my Alaska card?
If you don’t have a personal card yet, you can sign up for this innovative offer (when it becomes available). However, for me, the changes to the annual fee and the Companion Fare perks will be a deal-breaker.
I used mine Companion ticket price for my niece on a recent trip to Hawaii. Not like Delta Companion Certificate, you can use the Alaska Companion Fare on your trips to Hawaii, which is great, but I didn’t spend $6,000 on my Alaska pass last year and neither will I this year. I find it more meaningful to use a card that earns me transferable currency.
Related: How My Unused Alaska Companion Fare Saved a Colleague Nearly $700 on Summer Travel
I could reconsider whether spending on an Alaska credit card would help me achieve status, but apart from a temporary privilege in 2021, The card doesn’t do anything to help you win Alaskan status.
I think there is a chance that existing cardholders will enjoy the current benefits. That makes it difficult for me.
It’s not clear what happens to the Alaska Airlines Visa® Business card, which also offers a companion card and I keep it too, but if these changes are implemented for both, I’ll change both into a non-annual card – Bank of America card fee. (TPG recommends downgrading instead of closing your card to help maintain your credit score).
It’s part of a recent trend with Alaska that I’m not happy about. Alaska was established Dynamic pricing on some awardsmakes it difficult to find corporate-level awards and more expensive.
Alaska also has decrease in income rate on partners like Cathay Pacific and leave valuable partners like Emirates.
Key point
These changes are not major and worse can occur when another potential devaluation seems to be on the horizon.
There’s still a lot to love about Alaska, including the possibility more free stops on most awards and the fact that you still earn miles for every mile you fly on both Alaska and its partners. (That means you get the same mileage even on low-cost tickets, unlike other major US carriers.)
However, I am still very worried about the direction of Alaska. The negative changes for existing Alaska cardholders will be another change that slowly takes me away from my once-favorite airline.
