Best cards at Alaska Airlines

Good to know at Alaska Airlines

Alaska Airlines takes cards from every major network, so acceptance never decides this one — the ranking does. The top rate is 5x from The Platinum Card from American Express, but it carries an $895 annual fee, and the 5x covers flights booked directly with the airline or through Amex Travel up to $500,000 a year, then drops to 1x. The U.S. Bank Altitude Connect Visa Signature Card is next at 4x on travel with no annual fee, one of four cards tied at 4x.

Multipliers alone don't settle the middle of the list. The Atmos Rewards Ascent Visa Signature from Bank of America earns 3x, yet under conservative point valuations that works out to roughly a 3.9% cash-equivalent return — ahead of the 3% cards even though the headline numbers match. Its $95 annual fee is the tradeoff, and the four 4x cards above it still earn more. The order is the same whether you book online or pay in person.

If none of the premium cards are in your wallet, the no-fee options here are solid. The Altitude Connect earns 4x, the AAA Travel Advantage Visa Signature Card pays 3% on travel with no cap, Wells Fargo Autograph Card earns 3x with no caps or activation listed in our data, and both Costco Anywhere Visa cards from Citi pay 3% on airfare with a paid Costco membership. For someone who flies Alaska a few times a year, a steady no-fee 4x or 3x is usually the sensible stop before any annual fee enters the picture.

The math

Spend $250 a month at Alaska Airlines and The Platinum Card from American Express returns about $150 a year at our valuations — a flat 2% card returns $60.