When excited about cobranded airline playing cards, it is simple to solely take into consideration the playing cards from airways you continuously fly with. In any case, among the key advantages of airline playing cards embrace precedence boarding, free checked baggage and a sooner path to elite standing with the affiliated airline.
I typically encourage individuals to assume past a card’s airline or resort companion when deciding whether or not it is smart for them.
Take the Citi® / AAdvantage® Government World Elite Mastercard® (see charges and charges), for instance. This card supplies a complimentary Admirals Membership membership to assist cardholders justify its $595 annual charge. On the floor, it looks as if that may solely be helpful for American Airways’ largest followers.
However an Admirals Membership membership provides one thing additional: complimentary entry to Alaska Airways lounges. This is how Alaska loyalists can maximize this card with out ever setting foot on an American Airways flight.
Alaska Airways lounge entry
By way of the Admirals Membership membership you obtain along with your AAdvantage Government, you will take pleasure in complimentary entry to Alaska lounges everytime you’re flying on a same-day American, Alaska or Hawaiian Airways flight. Observe that this entry is not prolonged to licensed customers, and you need to have your bodily card with you to enter.
A typical Alaska Airways lounge membership prices $595 a 12 months, the identical as this card’s annual charge. By placing that cash towards the AAdvantage Government as a substitute of a lounge membership, you will take pleasure in Alaska lounge entry plus all of this card’s different advantages.
No matter whether or not you are flying with American, Alaska or a Oneworld airline, you too can get into Admirals Membership lounges for no added charge.
To entry companion lounges with simply an Alaska Airways lounge membership, you’d must pay $795 annually for the Alaska Lounge+ membership, $200 greater than what the AAdvantage Government fees.
Whereas an Alaska Lounge+ membership supplies entry to some lounges that the AAdvantage Government does not, corresponding to three United Golf equipment, nearly all of its companion lounges overlap with what you’ll be able to entry with this card.
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Each an Alaska Lounge+ membership and the AAdvantage Government present entry to The Qantas Membership and Admirals Membership places. I see no purpose to pay $200 extra annually for a sliver of additional lounges to entry.
You may guide Alaska Airways flights with American Airways miles
The AAdvantage Government earns American Airways miles. Whereas that may initially appear ineffective to an Alaska loyalist, it is truly the other.
American Airways miles can simply be used to guide Alaska Airways flights, that means you could by no means even must step on American Airways steel to get extra worth out of this card past lounge entry. That mentioned, there are some nice itineraries that mix Alaska and American Airways flights.
For instance, you can guide a one-way business-class ticket from Seattle-Tacoma Worldwide Airport (SEA) to Heathrow Airport (LHR) for 57,500 miles plus $5.60 in taxes and charges. Should you have been to guide this itinerary with money, you’d pay $3,483. That is a price of 6 cents per level.
Should you typically fly domestically, there’s loads of availability there, too. You can guide a nonstop economic system flight on Alaska through American from Boston Logan Worldwide Airport (BOS) to San Francisco Worldwide Airport (SFO) for 12,500 miles plus $5.60 in taxes and charges.
Should you have been to guide with money, this flight would price $304, netting you 2.4 cents per level in worth. That is nice for a home economic system flight.
To be taught extra about what American Airways miles are value, try our full information to the AAdvantage program.
Tips on how to earn American Airways miles
For a restricted time, you’ll be able to earn 100,000 bonus miles after spending $10,000 within the first three months from account opening with the AAdvantage Government. That is a ton of miles to make use of towards Alaska flights, and even an American flight or two in the event you discover an important deal.
Apart from its welcome bonus, this card provides easy incomes charges that can assist you rack up extra American miles. You will earn 10 miles per greenback spent on motels booked by way of aadvantagehotels.com and automotive leases booked by way of aadvantagecars.com. Plus, you’ll be able to earn 4 miles per greenback spent on different American Airways purchases and 1 mile per greenback spent on all the things else.
Should you spend $150,000 a 12 months or extra on this card, you will earn 5 miles per greenback spent on American Airways purchases as a substitute of 4 by way of the top of the calendar 12 months.
Whereas I typically do not advocate utilizing this card for non-American Airways purchases, if incomes miles towards award flights on Alaska is on the high of your precedence record, it might make sense to tug this card out for sure purchases. That is very true in the event you’re making a purchase order that does not fall beneath a bonus class coated by one among your different playing cards.
Associated: How I exploit Seats.aero day-after-day to seek out the very best airline award availability in seconds
Different helpful advantages
Regardless of being an American Airways-branded card, the AAdvantage Government has further advantages you should use with out reserving a flight.
Should you typically lease vehicles in your holidays, you will take pleasure in this card’s rental automotive assertion credit score. You may earn as much as $120 again yearly on eligible pay as you go leases from Avis or Finances. Simply take into account that you will must guide your rental on-line to obtain the credit score.
If renting a automotive is not one thing you often do, this card can nonetheless assist offset your transportation prices. You may obtain as much as $120 again annually for Lyft rides. You need to take three rides to obtain your $10 month-to-month credit score, so this profit is greatest for individuals who naturally use Lyft a number of occasions a month.
Lastly, you’ll be able to obtain as much as $10 every billing assertion for Grubhub purchases. That is nice for anybody who likes to order takeout, even simply on occasion. To make your credit score stretch additional, order pickup as a substitute of supply.
Whereas these credit are lifestyle-dependent, they will nonetheless present outsize worth for anybody who can simply benefit from them.
A simple credit score for any traveler to make use of is that this card’s TSA PreCheck/World Entry software charge credit score. Even when you have already got TSA PreCheck or World Entry, you should use your AAdvantage Government to pay for another person’s software.
Lastly, this card provides a spread of vital journey protections. You do not have to fly with American Airways to make use of these protections, to allow them to assist safeguard your subsequent flight with Alaska. Journey cancellation and interruption safety, misplaced baggage insurance coverage, and journey delay safety are a number of vital advantages that you would be able to depend on.
Backside line
To get Alaska lounge entry with an ordinary membership, you’d must pay $595 a 12 months. For a similar worth, you will get Alaska, Admirals Membership and Qantas lounge entry; American Airways miles to make use of for Alaska flights; assertion credit; and journey protections with the AAdvantage Government.
It is a no-brainer for any Alaska loyalist to noticeably think about making use of for the AAdvantage Government. It is an effective way to supercharge your subsequent Alaska flight, particularly because it’s at the moment providing an elevated 100,000-mile welcome bonus. Plus, in the event you’re ever interested by attempting American Airways, this card is prepared in your pockets that can assist you out.
To be taught extra, try our full evaluation of the Citi / AAdvantage Government.
Apply right here: Citi / AAdvantage Government World Elite Mastercard