Despite the lack of press this card gets from the general public, the MBNA Alaska World Elite MasterCard has one of the most valuable welcome bonuses that is offered to Canadians. Coupled with a 1 Alaska Mile per dollar earn rate, the card offers 25,000 Alaska Miles after a mere $1,000 spend in the first 3 months, which is enough for a one way flight from Canada to Japan/Korea. For our purposes of churning this card, most other features won’t really come into play (Companion Fare, 3X earn rate on Alaska Air travel, etc). The card is almost impossible to find online; its not advertised at all on the MBNA website. The only way to apply for it is on Great Canadian Rebates, where the $60 rebate effectively reduces the annual fee from $75 to a mere $15. There is a personal minimum income requirement of $80,000 or $150,000 per household, but applicants will automatically be considered for the Platinum Plus card upon denial, which offers the same 25,000 bonus points.
Now let’s take a look into what really makes the MBNA Alaska Airlines MasterCard special; Its churn potential. Many aggressive churners cycle through this card every 4–6 months, meaning you’ll be able to earn over 50,000–75,000 Alaska Miles from the bonus every year for about $50 in annual fees.
How to churn the MBNA Alaska Airlines World Elite MasterCard:
- Apply for the card though GCR.
- Spend $1,000 on it and wait for your bonus points to deposit into your Alaska Air account.
- Wait 2–3 weeks and then call in to cancel the card.
- Repeat the process after waiting for at least 3 months after cancelling.
For those who don’t want to churn this card regularly, it can also be used as a points top-up when combined with the flight and hotel packages offered by Marriott Hotels. For 270,000 Marriott points, you can redeem a 7 day stay at any category 1–5 hotel, along with 120,000 bonus miles. You can choose from a variety of airlines, but obtaining the 120,000 as Alaska Miles, along with the 25,000 from your MBNA Alaska Card will total around 145,000 points. With this amount, you can redeem a First Class Round Trip Flight from Canada to almost anywhere in Asia/Europe through Cathay Pacific or Japan Airlines. Click here to see Alaska Airline’s flight rewards.
Here’s a summary of what the card has to offer:
- 25,000 bonus Alaska miles after spending $1,000 within the first 3 months
- 3 Alaska Airlines miles per dollar spent on Alaska Airlines and Virgin America Airlines
- 1 Alaska Airlines mile per dollar spent on everything else
- $15 annual fee ($60 rebate on $75 through GCR)
Please click here for more information on the MBNA Alaska Airlines World Elite MasterCard.
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