The
Allegiant Credit Card is a pretty good airline rewards credit card, assuming you have
good credit or better and you fly Allegiant Air at least a couple times per year. The so-called Allways Rewards Visa card is worth its
$59 annual fee if you can earn its initial bonus. Making purchases from Allegiant and qualifying restaurants can also help you earn bonus points, and paying your bill in full each month will prevent interest charges from erasing your savings from rewards.
What I Like About the Allegiant Credit Card
Solid initial bonus
New cardholders earn
30,000 points for spending $1,500 in the first 90 days. That’s worth $300 in Allegiant airfare, which exceeds the average cash bonus among credit card offers right now, according to
WalletHub research.
It’s nowhere close to being the biggest travel rewards bonus, but it is a lot easier to get than the
most valuable bonuses. So, this is a solid deal for relatively light spenders who like to travel.
Bonus rewards on eligible travel and dining
You will earn
3 points / $1 spent on airfare, hotel reservations, rental cars and attractions booked directly through Allegiant. You’ll also get 2 points / $1 spent on qualifying dining purchases, which include purchases from restaurants, bars, caterers, and other eating/drinking establishments. Fast food purchases are excluded, though.
Those earning rates equal 2% to 3% back when you redeem for Allegiant airfare. That is well above the market average for a rewards card.
Priority boarding and free drinks
If you show your Allways Rewards Visa card when you fly with Allegiant Air, you’ll get priority boarding and your first drink for free. Priority boarding is common among airline credit cards, but free drinks are far less common. If you typically don’t have more than one beverage on flights anyway, this is a particularly good perk.
BOGO offer for vacation packages
There are some strings attached to this benefit, but it can still be a good deal. More specifically, you need to book a vacation package with at least four hotel nights or seven days with a rental car, and you need to book it through Allegiant. Plus, the buy one, get one free offer only applies to airfare. But if you’re a fan of vacation packages and there’s a chance you’ll save money by going through Allegiant, it’s certainly worth considering.
What I Don’t Like About the Allegiant Credit Card
1 point / $1 spent on most purchases
If you use the Allways Rewards Visa as your everyday credit card, most purchases you make will earn just
1 point / $1 spent, getting you just 1% back. That’s a bit below the market average for a rewards card, so you’re better off using the card solely for purchases in the bonus-point categories.
$59 annual fee
The
Allegiant Credit Card is far from the most expensive airline credit card, but it’s not the cheapest either. In fact, it costs
$59 more per year than some airline cards, and its annual fee is $30.75 higher than what the average credit card offer charges.
High APR
As is the case with most airline credit cards, carrying a balance from month to month with the Allegiant Allways Rewards card will get very expensive very quickly. If you want to save money with this card, you’ll need to pay the bill in full every month. That will prevent interest from being charged.
Requires good credit
You need a credit score of
700 or higher to have good odds of getting approved. That’s a difficult bar for many people to meet.
You can estimate your chances by
checking your credit score for free right here on WalletHub. You can also check out our editors’ picks for the
best airline credit cards and the
best travel credit cards overall if you’re interested in alternatives.
Note: This review is not provided, commissioned or endorsed by any issuer. Opinions and ratings are our own.