The Best MBnA Travel Card In Canada (Alaska Airlines Mastercard Review)

The MBNA Alaska Airlines World Elite Mastercard is a great way to earn Alaska Miles. 

While Aeroplan gets a lot of the buzz amongst Canadian travellers, the Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan should not be overlooked. 

By signing up for the Alaska Airlines World Elite Mastercard, and by leveraging the annual companion voucher, you can easily save up to $1,000 on your dream vacation. 

NOTE: This Card is Not Accepting new Applicants in Canada

The Basics 

Annual Fee: $90

Sign up Bonus: 30,000 Alaska Miles

First Year Free: No

GCR Rebate: $50

Referral Bonus: None

Lounge Access: No

First Year Value: $500

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MBNA Alaska Airlines World Elite Mastercard Sign up Bonus 

New cardholders will earn 30,000 Alaska Miles upon spending $1,000 in the first 3 months

Earning Rewards

The MBNA Alaska Airlines World Elite Mastercard is the top Canadian credit card for earning Alaska Miles points. The earn rates are as follows: 

3 Alaska Miles per dollar spent on Alaska Airlines

1 Alaska Mile for every dollar spent everywhere else

While other cards have higher earning rates for particular categories (the American Express Cobalt card offers 5 Membership Rewards on Food & Drink, which can be transferred to Aeroplan at a 1:1 ratio), the MBNA Alaska Airlines World Elite Mastercard provides great everyday earning if you are interested in collecting Alaska miles.

Given that some establishments don’t accept American Express, it’s a good idea to have a Visa or Mastercard card in your wallet that has solid everyday earning. MBNA Alaska Airlines World Elite Mastercard certainly fits that parameter.

There are certain establishments (Costco for example) that only accept Mastercard, so this card could be useful if you’re a regular Costco shopper.

Note: This earning rate is identical to MBNA’s lower tier Alaska Airlines Mastercard, the MBNA Alaska Airlines Platinum Plus Mastercard

Redeeming Your Rewards

Alaska Airlines services the following Canadian airports:

• Victoria
• Vancouver
• Edmonton 
• Calgary 
• Kelowna

While Alaska Airlines may not service an airport close to where you live, you can still get immense value out of the Mileage Plan through their travel partners. 

Alaska Airlines in part of the OneWorld airline alliance, providing the opportunity to transfer miles to a bevy of partners 

The conversion rate varies for each airline partner. The full list can be found here.

To help you with your partner booking needs, Alaska Airlines provides you with a website which provides details on the points needed for partner redemptions

Redemption Chart

Alaska Airlines has a distance based rewards chart similar to other airlines in the OneWorld Network. 

Alaska Airlines Partner Redemptions

Alaska Airlines has a different award chart for partner airlines, similar.This page on the Alaska website allows you to search for your desired destination, and determine the number of miles needed for your trip

Here is an example of a trip from Canada to Hawaii

The “Money & Miles” award tickets let you pay only a portion of your fare with miles, and the remaining balance with cash. 

MBNA Alaska Airlines World Elite Mastercard Benefits

Free Checked Bags on Alaska Airlines Flights

That’s right, cardholders and supplementary cardholders receive their first checked bag for free when traveling on an Alaska Airlines flight (for up to 6 people). 

Alaska Airlines Companion Voucher

Owners of the Alaska Airlines World Elite MasterCard can further dive into savings by leveraging an annual companion voucher. 

The companion voucher is a simple concept. Passenger 1 pays full price for their fare, and their companion is able to travel with them at a reduced rate.

The Companion Voucher rates are as follows:

• $121 USD+tax for round-trip travel in Canada and the continental U.S.

For example, if you and your partner are flying round trip from Vancouver to Honolulu and the base fare is $700 round trip/individual, you would be able to leverage a companion voucher to drastically reduce the cost of your flight. 

Full Fare	As an Alaska Airlines World Elite Cardholder
2 x $700 = $1,400	Fare 1: $700  Fare 2 (companion voucher): $119  Total = $819

In this example, the companion voucher saves the cardholder $581

As you can see, the companion voucher can provide a great deal of savings. Cardholders get 1 companion voucher per year, so choose wisely. 

How to Properly use Your Alaska Airlines Companion Voucher

• Companion vouchers cannot be leveraged on award flights booked through points, and cannot be leveraged on any of Alaska Airlines’ flight partners
• Both travellers must be on the same itinerary
• You do not need to be one of the travellers on the itinerary (but the Alaska Airlines World Elite Mastercard must the card used to purchase the flight)
• There are no blackout dates
• Your companion voucher must be used before your card expires

Your companion voucher will appear in your Milage Plan account 6 to 8 weeks after hitting the minimum spending requirement. 

Car Rental Discounts

Cardholders save at least 10% in Canada and the US at Avis & Budget car rentals

MBNA Alaska Airlines World Elite Mastercard Insurance Coverage

The MBNA Alaska Airlines World Elite Mastercard does not come with the perks that you see with credit cards offered by American Express, or the big banks here in Canada. As a cardholder, you receive the following insurance coverage: 

• Car Rental Damage Insurance 
• Common Carrier Accidental Death & Dismemberment Benefits – up to $1,000,000
• Unexpected Return Home – up to $2,000
• Extended Warranty Benefit – Doubles the written warranties for up to one additional year on most new purchases made with your MBNA credit card

Summary

While Aeroplan gets a lot of the buzz amongst Canadian travellers, the Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan should not be overlooked. 

By signing up for the MBNA Alaska Airlines World Elite Mastercard, and by leveraging the annual companion voucher, you can easily save up to $1,000 on your dream vacation. 

Canadians will have to make a personal decision as to whether or not the $99 annual fee is worth taking into the second year. It may be in your best interest to downgrade to a lower tier MBNA credit card after year one, and look at re-applying for this card a few years down the road.