no annual fee. I'm typically opposed to paying an annual fee unless it really comes back to me in some kind of benefit. I travel Alaska Air often, mostly because I live in the west and they go most places that I want to go. Their visa card is through Bank of America.
The benefits are straightforward. You get three miles for every dollar spent on eligible purchases, 2 miles for every $1 spent on eligible gas, local transit (including ride share), cable, and select streaming services and 1 mile per dollar spent on all other purchases. It really adds up.
You get a $99 companion fare (taxes and fees not included) and that covers the cost of the annual membership. AK Air gives you a free checked bag for you and up to 6 guests on your reservation when you pay with your card.
I'm aware of the crazy thing that happened with the door that blew off the AK Air flight a couple months ago but it looks like that was a Boeing thing and not an airline thing. That said, AK Air has really reliable customer service, imo. I recently traveled to Hawaii and it was in the middle of the 737 Max grounding and flights were a mess. I took issue with lack of communication on our flight that was delayed for 3 hours with no explanation. I emailed them from my phone and within a couple of days, I had a $200 voucher as an apology. Not every airline will respond that quickly if at all.
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