Allegiant Credit Card Review: Not a Good Fit for Most Travelers
The Bottom Line
3.7
The card could suit Allegiant loyalists who regularly purchase vacation packages through the airline to travel with companions. But its relative lack of benefits and the airline's small footprint are big drawbacks.
Rates, fees and offers
Annual fee
$59
Rewards rate
1x-3x
Bonus offer
25,000 Bonus Points, equal to $250 off a future Allegiant trip, after you make $1,000 or more in purchases within the first 90 days of account opening.
Intro APR
N/A
Ongoing APR
APR: 21.24%-29.24% Variable APR
Cash Advance APR: See Terms
Penalty APR: 29.99%, Variable
Balance transfer fee
Either $10 or 3% of the amount of each transaction, whichever is greater.
Foreign transaction fee
None
More details from Bank of America
- 25,000 Bonus Points, equal to $250 off a future Allegiant trip, after you make $1,000 or more in purchases within the first 90 days of account opening.
- Buy one, get one free airfare — anytime you use your card to purchase a vacation package from Allegiant with 4 or more hotel nights or 7 or more rental car days on the same itinerary.
- Earn 3 points per $1 on Allegiant purchases (air, hotel, and car rental), 2 points per $1 on qualifying dining purchases, and 1 point per $1 on all other purchases.
- Points can be redeemed for airfare, hotels and car rentals on Allegiant.com.
- No blackout dates, no destination restrictions and no minimum points redemption.
- Complimentary priority boarding every time you fly Allegiant when you present your Allegiant credit card.
- One free beverage every time you fly Allegiant when you present your Allegiant credit card.
- No foreign transaction fees and a low $59 annual fee.
- This online only offer may not be available elsewhere if you leave this page. You can take advantage of this offer when you apply now.
Detailed Review
The Allways Rewards Visa® credit card, the Allegiant Air credit card issued by Bank of America®, packs a $59 annual fee but offers very few ongoing incentives to defray that cost — especially when compared with other travel credit cards.
If you typically stick to Allegiant’s limited routes, regularly purchase vacation packages and travel with companions, the Allways Rewards Visa® credit card could have some value. But for most travelers, a general travel credit card can offer better money-saving perks and flexibility, even if you choose to fly with Allegiant.
Allegiant flies only within the U.S. and services many small and midsize airports, but those flights often only run a few times a week. The airline also offers solely nonstop routes, which can be appealing for many trips but a nuisance in some circumstances. If you want to fly Allegiant to continue on to another destination, you’ll have to purchase a whole separate ticket.
Key features of the Allways Rewards Visa® credit card
Card type: Airline.
Sign-up bonus: 25,000 Bonus Points, equal to $250 off a future Allegiant trip, after you make $1,000 or more in purchases within the first 90 days of account opening.
Annual fee: $59.
Companion fare: The card offers a “buy one, get one free” fare offer with eligible purchases. (Terms apply, see below.)
APR: The ongoing APR is 21.24%-29.24% Variable APR.
Ongoing rewards:
3 points per $1 spent on Allegiant, including flights, hotels and car rentals booked through Allegiant.
2 points per $1 spent on dining.
1 point per $1 spent on everything else.
Rewards earned from the card are called Allways Rewards, and each point is worth 1 cent toward Allegiant airfare or other travel, such as car rentals, hotel stays and attractions. (But you can't redeem points on hotel-only or car-only bookings through Allegiant.) There are no blackout dates, destination restrictions or minimum redemption requirements. Allways Rewards will never expire as long as you keep your card open, but you will lose them if your Allways account is ever closed.
Foreign transaction fees: None.
Other perks:
Priority boarding: Every time you fly Allegiant and show the Allways Rewards Visa® credit card.
Free drink: One free beverage when you fly and show the card.
Compare to Other Cards
Drawbacks and Considerations
Limited airline footprint
Allegiant is a low-cost domestic airline with limited routes. There are no international flights, nor does Allegiant fly everywhere in the U.S.
The Allways Rewards Visa® credit card won't be a good pick for those who don't live near an Allegiant hub, or those who intend to globe-trot.
Meager incentives for a $59 annual fee
While the annual fee isn’t as steep as other airline credit cards, the Allways Rewards Visa® credit card offers very few incentives for what it costs to hold. Ongoing rewards are weak, so it'll be difficult to rack up a pile of rewards unless you spend frequently on Allegiant travel purchases. The sign-up bonus is also paltry compared with other travel cards — general-purpose and co-branded airline cards — that charge annual fees.
And you won't get much in the way of perks either. The card doesn't offer free checked bags, a potentially valuable benefit often found on co-branded airline cards that charge annual fees. Plus, as a budget airline, Allegiant itself doesn't offer elite status or first-class seats. You'll have to pay if you want to choose where you sit, for instance, and the card won't even help you there.
A general travel rewards card will be more rewarding, even for most Allegiant loyalists. For example, consider the $0-annual-fee Bank of America® Travel Rewards credit card. It earns 1.5 points per $1 spent on all purchases, which could help you rack up rewards quicker on everyday purchases. Better yet, those rewards are flexible. You can redeem toward a wide variety of travel-related expenses, so you're not limited to one specific airline.
Or if you don’t mind paying an annual fee that can be offset with perks, consider the $95-annual-fee Bank of America® Premium Rewards® credit card instead. It earns 2 points per $1 spent on travel and dining purchases, and 1.5 points per $1 spent on all other purchases. You’ll get up to $100 in statement credit each calendar year for airline incidentals, which can be used to cover purchases made on domestic-originated flights on certain U.S.-domestic airline carriers, including seat upgrades, checked baggage fees and airport lounge fees with eligible airline carriers. It also offers a statement credit for TSA PreCheck or Global Entry application fees. The sign-up bonus is generous, too: Receive 60,000 online bonus points - a $600 value - after you make at least $4,000 in purchases in the first 90 days of account opening.
'Buy one, get one free' airfare isn’t easy to snag
One of the few benefits touted by the Allways Rewards Visa® credit card is a "buy one, get one free" airfare perk, but it isn’t as straightforward or easy to earn as it is on other airlines that offer a cost-saving companion airfare benefit.
To take advantage of this cardholder perk, you’ll have to purchase a vacation package from Allegiant — not just a flight. The vacation must include at least four hotel nights or at least seven rental car days on the same itinerary. And remember, destinations while flying with Allegiant are limited.
You’ll have to call to book a vacation package and use this benefit; it can’t be redeemed online. And you won’t be able to use points to book the buy one, get one itinerary, though you will earn points on the booking.
How To Decide If It's Right For You
If Allegiant is your go-to airline or you regularly purchase vacation packages through Allegiant for travel with companions, the Allways Rewards Visa® credit card could possibly work for you. But it's also possible to do much better with a general travel credit card. And if you’re willing to pay a slightly higher annual fee that can be offset with perks or incentives, you’ll get even more value.
See our list of the best credit cards for more options.
The $0-annual-fee Discover it® Miles earns 1.5 miles per dollar spent. It offers flexible redemption options and you don't need a minimum amount to redeem them. New cardholders also get an intro APR: 0% intro APR for 15 months on purchases and balance transfers, and then the ongoing APR of 18.74%-27.74% Variable APR. There's also a potentially generous sign-up bonus.
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Methodology
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