Originally Posted by
pinniped
I have abandoned all airline credit cards. They're simply too weak as a general-spend card and they don't convey any benefits that are useful to me. If I suddenly find myself flying an airline enough to want preboarding and a checked bag, I'm probably going to hit at least its low-elite tier anyway. I'll pull the trigger on one every now and then for a sign-up bonus, but that's about it. The Alaska card is the only one out there that seems somewhat tempting.
I don't know all the airline cards out there, but Chase UA Club Card serves me well. 1.5miles/$ is really great. If you put $7000/month on your card, you're already getting >$600 per year in extra value over other typical airline cards that earn you 1mile/$. But for us, in particular, the difference between UA Explorer and Club Card is ability to finance 3 free one-way TPAC flights vs only 2 per year. All while enjoying access to not only United Club, but also all the great Star lounges across Asia. But Chase UA Club Card is still not on par with Hilton Aspire card for my purpose.
Alaska Visa is actually the only other card I know. That card is losing value fast for me even though my home airport is SEA, and I'm thinking about canceling it. Alaska fares are getting so expensive that I was actually unable to use the companion pass last year and saw it go to waste. I'm actually flying DL more often now due to price difference. Although Alaska Visa covers bag fees, my Hilton Aspire card will reimburse up to ~$200 of airline fees, which would more than cover the bag fees associated with the few AS flights I take. And despite UA's near non-existence at SEA, I find Mileage Plus to be a more useful MP than AS at this point. But certainly you should go for AS Visa if there's a good sign-up offer.