frugalcanuck

I am interested in getting this card, mainly for the companion pass. I live on the East Coast, so could drive down to Boston. I would like to visit my family in Vancouver, BC and then go to Hawaii with some of my family after that. So, playing around with Alaska's website, I could do the trip on one ticket. Would the following route be compatible with a companion pass? If it is, I will apply for one this week.

Boston-Seattle-Vancouver stopover 3 or 4 days
Vancouver-Kaui or Maui for 6-7 days
Kaui or Maui-Seattle or Portland-Boston

Also, being in Canada, and especially on the East Coast, it is difficult to collect Alaska Miles. I know you get 3 miles per 1.00 spent on Alaska, but it is in USD, so there is the fx fee. The mock ticket I did up was around 1200 USD so the fx fee would cost about 30.00. Are the miles worth it? Could I cancel the card after 6 months or so and then reapply a few months later to get the bonus point again? If I were to fly just to Vancouver to visit my family, there are other airlines that are usually cheaper (Delta, United).

Also, just wanted to double check that the first checked bag is not waived with this card.

Thanks

robsaw

There is a long thread on the MBNA Alaska Airlines MasterCard here:

http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/alask...astercard.html

There are also a thread on companion pass here:

http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/alask...-fare-faq.html

Mexberry

As I recall the companion fare discount is credited after your first aniversary? Best check AS website.

CanuckFan

No, the companion fare discount code is available shortly after credit card approval.
Everything you need to know about companion fares can be found in the link robsaw provided.
Read the posts for the past few months in the Alaska Airlines Canadian MasterCard link (robsaw provided also) to see how quickly others are churning this card. I have churned myself with success but not as quickly as you are describing.
If you apply for the card, Great Canadian Rebates offers $60 rebate on annual fee. So make sure you apply through their link.
And no, Canadian credit card holders don't get the first checked bag fee waived, unfortunately.

Welcome to Flyertalk frugalcanuck!

theOtherHolmes

What’s the recent data points on miles earned on the MBNA credit card posting to Alaska? My statement was in Mid May and I still have not yet seen the points in my Alaska account. Was hoping to book a ticket on or before May 31...

theOtherHolmes

So I held the card for six months, had WB points, cancelled, waited about 5.5 months and applied again and yes got my WB 30K points.

Flying for Fun

Typically, my points are credited/debited about a week after the closing date. All of my May closing dates have already posted.

James

Flying for Fun

Yes, a circle trip is possible with a companion certificate including the route you have mentioned. You could even have an open jaw in Hawaii if you wanted to visit 2 Islands.

Yes, there is a fx fee when making charges in foreign currencies. I use my MBNA AS Mastercard for Canadian purchases and my BofA AS Visa for US & Foreign currency purchases.

However, consider that the MBNA AS Mastercard gets 1 Mileage Plan mile for each Canadian Dollar spent. That is a ~40% bonus with current currency exchange rates. Let's look at your USD $1200 purchase & 3× miles on AS ticket purchases. If that was charged to an Alaska Airlines BofA Visa, it would earn 3600 AS miles. If you charged it to the Alaska Airlines Canadian Mastercard, the USD $1200 would be converted at today's rate to CAD $1653.97 + CAD $41.35 (2.5% fx fee) = CAD $1695.32 and earn (3×) 5086 Mileage Plan miles.

I am in BC in an AS served city so it is definitely worth it to me. Being in Eastern Canada would definitely be more challenging but depending on how much spend you would put on the card, you may be able to get some value out of it still; possibly even more so when AS joins One World in 2021. I am not a CC churner myself. That has been closed up to the BofA AS Visa and could similarly be closed up to the MBNA AS Mastercard if they find it being abused.

This is speculation on my part but the "bonus" on the currency differential is probably somewhat offset by not including a checked baggage fee waiver.

James