Bank of America Alaska Airlines Visa review: 70K bonus miles
(Offer no longer available — but this is part of my real points‑and‑miles journey)
After two decades of family‑focused domestic travel, I mastered the art of maximizing points with my Chase Sapphire Reserve. But now that our kids are in college and our travel goals are shifting toward bucket‑list adventures — like our dreamy Greek Isles cruise — I’ve been exploring new strategies and new points ecosystems.
That’s when I decided to try the Bank of America Alaska Airlines Visa Signature Card. At the time, it offered a generous 70,000‑mile sign‑up bonus, and I was curious to see how far those miles could take us.
Disclosure: I’m not a credit‑card affiliate. I only share personal referral links for cards I personally use. If you choose to use my links, I may earn bonus points at no extra cost to you. I keep these posts up so you can follow my real journey — wins, mistakes, and everything in between.
If you’re new to points and miles, my Credit Card Strategy is a great place to start.
💳 Why I Tried the Alaska Airlines Visa
Everyone on TikTok seemed to be raving about the Alaska Mileage Plan, and I’d been sitting on 10,000 Alaska miles since the Virgin‑Alaska merger. I never flew Alaska, so those miles just sat there — until I saw that 70K bonus and decided it was time to give the program a real test drive.
I love experimenting with new programs because it helps me understand how different ecosystems work — and it keeps my travel options open.
✈️ The 70K Bonus (When It Was Available)
The offer required $3,000 in spend within the first 90 days. Between our ski‑trip bookings and everyday expenses, hitting that threshold was easy. Combined with my old 10K miles, I had enough for two free flights — a solid start for a card with a $95 annual fee.
If you want to see how I stack points, perks, and credits for real trips, here’s How I Book Cruises & Save.
🧭 How I Used My Alaska Miles
Trying new programs always teaches me something. This card helped me understand partner redemptions and award charts in a new way — the same mindset that helped me master Hyatt redemptions in How to Transfer Chase Points to Hyatt.
Even though this card’s offer has changed, the lesson remains: Try new programs, track your bonuses, and decide if a card earns a permanent spot in your wallet.
Curious which cards have earned a permanent spot in my wallet? Here’s my full breakdown of What’s in My Wallet— the real cards I use every day to earn free flights and travel perks.
🌍 How I Actually Used This Bonus: Booking Our Barcelona Flights
One of my favorite parts of this card is that I didn’t just earn the bonus — I actually used it. I ended up booking our flights to Barcelona for our Solar Eclipse cruise using the miles from this sign‑up bonus.
This is why I love sharing my real journey with points and miles: you can literally see how one card, one bonus, and one strategy turned into a bucket‑list trip.
If you want the full breakdown of that trip, here’s mySolar Eclipse Cruise post.
💡 How I Met the $3,000 Spend Without Overspending
I timed my application around planned expenses — car insurance, holiday travel, and a Costco stock‑up. You can also prepay utilities, buy gift cards for stores you frequent, or use the card for recurring bills.
🏁 Final Thoughts
Even though this specific 70K offer is gone, the Bank of America Alaska Airlines Visa taught me a lot about diversifying my points strategy. For travelers who fly Alaska or want access to its partner network, it’s still worth watching for future promos.
I keep these older posts up because they show my real journey — how I experiment, learn, and evolve my points‑and‑miles strategy over time.
If you’re new here, my Start Here page walks you through the basics of points, miles, and how I plan real trips.
You can follow my full journey in Travel on Points.
✍️ About the Author
Julie Davis is the travel‑hacking mom behind No Point Left Behind, where she’s spent more than 20 years turning everyday spending into free flights, family adventures, and bucket‑list cruises. She’s known for her honest, real‑life approach to points and miles — sharing exactly what works (and what doesn’t) as she plans trips with her husband Brandon and their college‑aged sons, Tanner and Finn.
Julie has paid cash for only one plane ticket since 2019, and she documents her entire strategy so readers can follow along in real time. From booking international flights with sign‑up bonuses to planning cruises with points, she believes travel should feel accessible, doable, and fun — not overwhelming.
If you’re new here, start with her Credit Card Strategyor explore her full journey in Travel on Points.
