The same day Doctor of Credit broke the news Bank of America will increase the sign-up bonus on the Alaska Airlines Visa to 30,000 Alaska miles upon approval in May, I got that exact offer in the mail. But it’s already active.

Actually, I got two offers. One for 25,000 miles. And another for 30,000 miles upon approval.

I typed in the link to the offer (alaskavisanow.com lol) and typed in the promo code in the letter. Sure enough, it works for immediate sign-ups.

If there had also been a $100 statement credit, I would’ve pulled the trigger.

Get a better offer anyway

For reference, you can still find the offer to earn 25,000 Alaska miles upon approval and a $100 statement credit after spending $1,000 within the 1st 3 months of account opening by making a dummy booking at alaskaair.com. Just click through to the payment screen to find it.

Oddly enough, I recently opened this card (this month actually), so I was surprised to get 2 different offers for a card I opened less than a month ago. Unless Bank of America’s mailers were scheduled over a month in advance, which is quite possible.

Comparing the two

Is 5,000 extra miles worth $100? 

If you value Alaska Airlines miles at 2 cents each, then yes, absolutely. But it would be even better to get both. That’s what I’ll hold out for. Because I think we’ll see a new offer on this card in the next few months.

But the miles are award upon approval, so if you need a quick top-up in your account, it’s a no-brainer to take the offer for more miles.

Mileage Plan

I’m excited about the prospect of earning elite status on Alaska Airlines this year. For the 8 months left in 2016, I’m crediting everything to Alaska.

Now, I don’t have that many paid flights. But Alaska Mileage Plan is the only distance-based (as opposed to revenue-based) loyalty program left. And you earn more miles and elite status faster with Alaska Airlines.

If you value American’s system-wide upgrades and complimentary upgrades, you won’t find much use in Alaska’s program. But if you fly American and Delta here and there, it’s a nice way to bank miles into one account.

All this to say, with the Bank of America Alaska Airlines Visa, you’ll get a companion fare each year. And if you have status, you can get an upgrade (and so can your companion from what I understand). Might be a nice way to take a trip to Hawaii (or anywhere else Alaska flies in the US).

I’m flying to Texas this week and it’ll be my first time crediting a flight to Alaska. So I’ll look forward to exploring Mileage Plan more. And who knows, maybe even earn some sort of status in the process.

Bottom line

Keep an eye on your mailbox! If you want 30,000 Alaska Airlines miles quick and easy, Bank of America is sending mailers for this increased offer. Lots of peeps on Reddit report getting this offer, too.

Personally, I’ll hold out for 30,000 Alaska miles and a $100 statement credit in May (hopefully).

This is a decent deal considering you earn the miles upon approval. And it’s nice to see Bank of America actually promoting their cards.

Hopefully there’s more where that came from.

* If you liked this post, consider signing up to receive free blog posts in an RSS reader and you’ll never miss an update!