$100 back on $500 or more on Alaska Airlines via Amex Travel w/ new targeted Amex Offer [enrollment required]

There’s a new targeted Amex Offer out that can make for a nice savings for Alaska Airlines travelers as you can get $100 back on $500 or more on Alaska Airlines flights, but there’s a catch — you’ll have to book via Amex Travel (and have and enroll in the Amex Offer).

The Deal

A new targeted Amex Offer is out that’s good for $100 back when you spend $500 or more on Alaska Airlines flights at AmexTravel.com [enrollment required]

Key Terms

Offer valid only for Alaska Airlines marketed flights booked directly with American Express Travel online through AmexTravel.com, the Amex® App, or by calling the number on the back of your Card.
Flights must originate in the US and be paid for in USD, in an amount totaling at least $500 between 2/26/2024 and 5/26/2024, in order to qualify.
Excludes flights purchased as a Flight + Hotel package through American Express Travel, and any flights booked directly with Alaska Airlines (outside of American Express Travel) or through other third-party sites and apps.
Excludes all other types of American Express Travel bookings or purchases not listed as eligible.
Excludes fare upgrades, seat selection/baggage fees, in-flight spend, gift cards, hotel, car services, travel insurance, Alaska trips, Alaska Lounge membership, Alaska Lounge merchandise and day passes, purchase of points/miles, Alaska Airlines Freight and Alaska Lounges/Boardrooms.
American Express Travel Related Services Company, Inc. is acting solely as a sales agent for travel suppliers and is not responsible for the actions or inactions of such suppliers. Certain suppliers pay us commission and other incentives for reaching sales targets or other goals and may provide incentives to our Travel Consultants. For more information visit www.americanexpress.com/travelterms. California CST#1022318; Washington UBI#600-469-694.
American Express identifies qualifying transactions based on information provided by the participating merchant.
Offer is non-transferable.
Valid only on purchases made in US dollars.

Quick Thoughts

There are a few key restrictions here to keep in mind:

You have to book via Amex Travel. While that means you could earn bonus points depending on the card you use for the purchase, it also means potential headaches if you need to change or cancel your reservation.
The offer is basically only valid on airfare — things like seat selection, baggage fees, and even flight + hotel packages are excluded.
Flights must originate in the US and be charged in US dollars

If you can work within those confines, this deal could obviously save you some money. Keep in mind that Costco very frequently (almost always?) offers a $500 Alaska Airlines gift card for $450. This deal is better in that the discount is higher and you can at least potentially have credit card travel protections since you’ll be booking your flight with a credit card instead of a gift card. On the other hand, if you would ordinarily consider using a gift card, this only improves the discount by $50 and adds the potential hassle if you might cancel your flight or in the event of irregular operations. I’d probably still be happy enough to get the $100 discount if I needed to buy an Alaska Airlines flight, but it’s worth keeping in mind that there are potential downsides.

Overall, this deal will probably work out well for those who travel with Alaska Airlines frequently.