Yesterday I posted a link to an Alaska Airlines Visa offer of 30,000 miles with first purchase, an improvement on the usual offer of 25,000 miles.
Jared at Online Travel Review came up with one even better, 35,000 miles as a signup bonus.
That’s the second best bonus for the card I’ve ever seen (last June there was a 40,000 mile bonus offer). There’s no minimum spend requirement for the points. Bank of America cards are generally churnable. And while there’s a $75 annual fee (no first year fee waiver, Bank of America cards don’t generally offer first year free), you get a $99+tax oompanion ticket that is good for any seat on any flight, I’ve used it with a paid first class ticket to Hawaii, getting the second first class ticket for just over $100.
Alaska partners with several airlines — both in Skyteam and in oneworld. The only real drawback is no one way award on partners (though they’re supposedly working on that), and no mixing of partners on a single award (so currently you have to fly the same partner both directions, of course you can fly Alaska as part of the itinerary as well). Alaska also partners with Emirates, one of the few partners that Emirates has (along with Japan Airlines, Korean, South African, and Jet Airways). We should soon see redemption offered as part of the partnership, I’m hoping for first class awards on Emirates A380 suites with showers…
Does anyone know if BofA will bump the bonus? I had my wife apply for this card online one week ago (25k offer). She got instant approval. The card has *not* arrived yet – I’m expecting it in the mail tomorrow or the following day. So the card has not been activated yet.
We could decline to activate the card, and instead apply for the better (35k) offer.
If we did that, it would set us back a week (I’m about to pull the trigger to book am award flight). I’m assuming that it’s the card activation that specifically triggers the $75 annual fee – correct?
How many months after can I apply for the card again to get the bonus?