Alaska Airlines

Traveling During COVID-19

August 1, 2020

Traveling during the pandemic, and whether or not you should consider it, has become a polarizing issue. On one end of the argument, are the scientists attempting to curb the spread; on the other end are the professionals whose livelihoods depend on people traveling. This dichotomy is strikingly pervasive throughout most industries in the country these days. Unfortunately, after over four months under the same roof, my wife needed to return to Nashville from the Bay Area in July. This provided us with a glimpse into the current conditions of air travel and ground transportation; all photo credits to her. Purchasing Tickets The earliest sign of change that we experienced was the lack of nonstop tickets. In fact, there were zero nonstop flights between the Bay Area (SFO, OAK, SJC)...

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Alaska Airlines Introduces Promotional Perks

bkerrick

July 1, 2020

If you fly Alaska, this post is for you. Alaska has already extended elite status for existing customers through 2021. But if you're looking to earn elite status, or improve your current tier, you now have options! For those of you traveling, Alaska is offering a 50% bonus on elite qualifying miles through the end of 2020. That means rather than needing to fly 20,000 miles to earn MVP status, you now only need to fly 13,334. In addition, one of the most disappointing credit cards on the market, the Alaska Airlines Visa from Bank of America, now offers some valuable perks; albeit temporarily. From now until September 30, 2020, you will earn 2,500 elite qualifying miles for every $5,000 you spend on the card (limit 10,000 miles). That means if you spend $20,000 on your card (yes,...

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Dumped by Alaska

bkerrick

December 1, 2019

It's been a while since my last ugly breakup, and I'm sorry to say the clock reset on August 29th. Yes, my partner of a year, who would often treat me to sweet surprises and gifts, who carried me between destinations, and who always responded to my tweets, dumped me; in an email no less! Don't worry, my wife and I are as happy as ever. Alaska Airlines discontinued their service between SFO and BNA effective November 1, 2019. As you may be aware, I fly around 40 of these segments annually so the news was horrific. Since this route represented a majority of my air travel, losing the route was devastating to both my elite status and upcoming itineraries. The Route Was Doomed Having flown 28 segments in or out of Nashville in the last year, I have been cognizant of the shortcoming...

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Benefits of MVP Gold

bkerrick

July 1, 2019

As you know, I visit my wife who is pursuing her career in Nashville twice a month. So when I myself chased a career opportunity out of state, I was faced with an overwhelming amount of useless pre-booked flights. Luckily, I was able to take advantage of my MVP Gold status with Alaska Airlines to solve that problem. Logistics Regardless of your Elite status, Alaska allows you to cancel and change flights online without speaking to a representative. However, some of my itineraries were complicated in nature (I had used companion fares and needed partial rather than full changes), so I opted to call the MVP Gold line for assistance. The team was great to work with, and in no time, my 16 flights were cancelled or changed accordingly with the refunds deposited as a credit to my Alaska ...

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Why Have the Alaska Card?

bkerrick

May 1, 2019

If you have taken a flight with Alaska Airlines recently, you have heard about the Alaska Airlines Signature Visa card from Bank of America. Flight attendants, who receive a commission if you apply on-board, will tell you about the exclusive and remarkable benefits available to cardholders, and their inflight entertainment systems even now include commercials advertising the card too. What is the Card? The card itself is one of the most basic on the market. The annual fee is $75.00/year, it earns 3x Alaska Miles on money spent with Alaska and one mile for everything else. Notably however, the card offers a Companion Fare benefit that permits you to add a second ticket to your Alaska reservation for just $121 (taxes and fees) once a year. Should I Use It Everywhere? No!! It ca...

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A Weekend in Vegas

bkerrick

February 22, 2019

Ever since I added the Hilton Aspire card to my wallet, I knew I'd be using it to go to Las Vegas. Vegas, and all that comes with it, is undoubtedly my favorite vacation spot. As ridiculous as that sounds, it is an adult playground and I will never get enough of it. To celebrate a milestone birthday later this year, I took advantage of some perks in my arsenal to develop a quick weekend with flair. Airfare Because I have MVP Gold status with Alaska Airlines, I have the ability to complete same day flight changes for free. I also am awarded some first-class advance-award tickets on select flights each year. For my departure, I found a great mile redemption of just 7,500 miles for the one-way ticket. I booked it, and even though the flight departs at an ungodly evening time (arriving ...

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Earning Elite Status

bkerrick

October 7, 2018

As you may be aware, I travel every two weeks while my wife and I maintain our lives in two states over the next few years. The journey officially began two months ago, and despite the abrupt halt to our "normal lives," the upcoming travel presented an interesting opportunity: Earning elite status with an airline. While it is very easy to "buy" status with hotels by having the right credit card in your wallet, the same is not true for airlines. The only way you can achieve elite status with an airline is to complete their flight-based requirements each year in order to earn and maintain the status. So naturally, I was very excited at the prospect of playing this through. Here is how I approached planning for this process: Be Intentional from Day 1 There's nothing worse than coming up a fe

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Finding Your Next Card

bkerrick

August 28, 2018

Commitment While I'm no loyalist, I do value commitment in all phases of my life including credit cards. That's because a percentage of your credit score is the average length of your accounts. If you have two cards, one you've had for ten years and the other brand new, your average length of your accounts is five years. If you cancel the card you've had for ten years, you now have a nonexistent average. On the flip side, if you retain the card(s) you've had longest (assuming they have no annual fees or you're still claiming the value from the fees), your score can afford to adopt some new plastic or metal friends into your wallet. Know Yourself and Spot the Fakes Where do you spend your money? For me, it's dining and travel. Nearly 100% of my discretionary income goes to one of those two

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Alaska Air’s Price Guarantee

bkerrick

March 20, 2018

Alaska Airlines discontinued this service in 2018. If you have MVP Gold status, you can still use this strategy since change/cancellation fees are waived. Alaska Airlines is my preferred airline for many reasons, and one reason I love booking with them is their Price Guarantee. Using Google Flights, which monitors airfare pricing and alerts you of changes within the parameters you set, I ensure that by the time I travel, I've paid the lowest fare available. Just like any good plan, you need a spreadsheet. So I have one that lists (one per row) all of the airfare I've purchased. After I purchase a ticket, I add a row to my workbook and round-up the total I paid. I then add the itinerary I booked, using the same parameters (i.e. Airline, nonstop/1-stop) into Google Flights so I'm essent

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8 Nights in Tokyo + Airfare for $237

bkerrick

July 1, 2017

Earlier this year, we enjoyed a trip to Tokyo, Japan for nine days and eight nights. My wife, mother and I flew round-trip with just one connection, and stayed in the heart of Tokyo's business district at a 4.5 star hotel in Shinjuku. We stayed on the executive floor and enjoyed access to the Executive Lounge offering breakfast, snacks and cocktails; and we did it all for less than $237/person. Breakdown Service Value Paid Hotel – 8 nights w/ Exec Lounge $4,861 $95 Round-trip Airfare for 3 $4,129 $615 Sum $8,990 $710 (92% off!) $236.67 / person The $710 paid was a result of taxes incurred, and annual fees associated with credit cards we acquired solely for this trip. Value It pays to use points for airfare and hotel expenses because not only are the exchange rates favorable, yo