The Alaska Airlines Visa® Gold Card, issued by Bank of America, is designed for those who travel on Alaska Airlines, or any of its partner airlines.
Through the reward program, cardholders earn one mile for every dollar spent on the card that can be applied to Alaska Airlines or any of its partner airlines (American Airlines, British Airways, Continental Airlines, Horizon Air, KLM, Hawaiian Airlines, Lan Chile, Northwest Airlines, or QANTAS). Cardholders can also earn up to ten miles for every dollar spent at selected restaurants. Upon approval, 3,000 bonus miles are applied to the account and accumulated miles do not expire as long as there is activity on the account within a three-year period. There is also a 100,000 yearly limit on miles that can be earned.
In addition to the reward program, cardholders can expect common gold card benefits offered by Bank of America, such as up to $250,000 in travel accident insurance, auto rental insurance, various travel and emergency assistance services, extended warranty services, and online account access. (See website for additional benefits offered.)
The interest rate applied to purchases and balance transfers is reasonable for a reward card, though not ideal for those who plan to carry a balance. The annual fee is also about average for an airline reward card and is the same annual fee as applied to that of the classic card. However, there is a minimum cap of 19.99% for cash advances, so no matter how low the Prime Rate falls (the APR is tied to the Prime Rate), the interest rate will not go below the minimum cap.
Therefore, those who can afford to pay in full each month (to avoid finance charges) and will be able to redeem a free ticket within a two-year period (due to it's annual fee of $45), will benefit most from what the Alaska Airlines Visa® Gold Card has to offer.
Individuals with very good credit may want to consider the platinum card, which offers various additional benefits to cardholders for a higher annual fee.
|