Battle Of The Atmos Cards: Which Alaska Airlines Atmos Rewards Cards Should You Have?
Alaska Airlines’ Atmos Rewards cards currently have fantastic limited-time offers that can end at any time.
This post will examine which card is best for you:
Atmos Rewards points:
Atmos Rewards is the rebranded loyalty program from Alaska Airlines and Hawaiian Airlines, and Atmos points are among the most valuable airline points out there.
There is no mileage program today that provides me with more everyday value than Alaska Airlines’ Atmos Rewards. With award tickets on partner airlines like American or Porter starting at just 4.5K points in coach or 9K points in first class, I always get incredible values.
The Atmos Rewards cards are well-designed co-brand cards with excellent rewards earning and valuable benefits perks. They include the:
All of these are excellent cards, but they each have their own unique benefits and uses.
All 3 cards are currently offering limited-time welcome bonuses that can end at any time.
You can rack up Atmos points quickly thanks to a strong card lineup with elevated bonuses and category multipliers.
Bank of America is significantly more likely to approve your card application if you have a bank account with them.
Here is how I turned my Atmos card denial into an approval after opening a Bank of America checking account.
Having a Bank of America banking account will also trigger a 10% bonus on top of all earnings from spending on the card!
Atmos award charts remain distance-based on partner airlines, allowing for excellent values. Plus, every one-way international Atmos award still includes a free stopover, and round-trips include 2 free stopovers!
Atmos Rewards partners include:
- American Airlines (OneWorld)
- British Airways (OneWorld)
- Cathay Pacific (OneWorld)
- Finnair (OneWorld)
- Fiji Airways (OneWorld)
- Iberia (OneWorld)
- Japan Airlines (OneWorld)
- Malaysia Airlines (OneWorld)
- Oman Air (OneWorld)
- Qantas (OneWorld)
- Qatar Airways (OneWorld)
- Royal Air Maroc (OneWorld)
- Royal Jordanian (OneWorld)
- SriLankan Airlines (OneWorld)
- Aer Lingus
- Air Tahiti Nui
- Condor
- Hainan Airlines
- Icelandair
- Korean Air
- Porter Airlines
- STARLUX Airlines
Sample Atmos award rates that are still hard to beat:
- Fly on AA or Porter NYC to/from Cleveland, Detroit, Montreal, Pittsburgh, or Toronto in economy: 4.5K points in economy or 9K in first class.
- Fly on AA NYC to/from Fort Lauderdale or Miami in business: 7.5K in economy or 15K in first class.
- Fly on AA JFK to London: 22.5K in coach, 30K in premium, 45K in business, or 67.5K in first
- Fly on AA JFK to Rome or Royal Air Maroc JFK to Casablanca: 27.5K in coach, 35K in premium, 55K in business, or 82.5K in first
- Fly on Air Tahiti Nui LA to Papeete: 30K in coach, 40K in premium, or 60K in business
- Fly on Qantas or AA LA to Sydney: 42.5K in coach, 55K in premium, 85K in business, or 130K in first class.
Welcome bonus:
- Atmos Summit: 100,000 Atmos points + 25K Global Companion Award after $6,500 spend in 90 days + 50% Flight Discount Code upon account opening.
- Atmos Ascent: 80,000 Atmos points + $99 Companion Fare after $4,000 spend in 120 days + 50% Flight Discount Code upon account opening.
- Atmos Business: 80,000 Atmos points + $99 Companion Fare after $5,000 spend in 90 days.
Winner: Atmos Summit
Annual fee:
Winner: Tie between Atmos Ascent and Business.
Annual fee for additional cardholders:
Winner: Tie between Atmos Summit and Atmos Ascent
10% Rewards Boost with Bank of America banking:
- Atmos Summit: Get a 10% bonus on all points earned with eligible BoA personal banking
- Atmos Ascent: Get a 10% bonus on all points earned with eligible BoA personal banking
- Atmos Business: Get a 10% bonus on all points earned with eligible BoA small business banking
Winner: Tie
Points per dollar on Alaska Airlines and Hawaiian Airlines purchases:
Winner: Tie
Points per dollar on dining:
Winner: Atmos Summit
Points per dollar on all purchases made outside of the US:
Winner: Atmos Summit
Points per dollar on gas, EV charging, transit, and ride-share:
Winner: Atmos Ascent and Atmos Business
Points per dollar on cable and streaming services:
Winner: Atmos Ascent
Points per dollar on shipping:
Winner: Atmos Business
Points per dollar on everyday spending:
Winner: Tie
Foreign Transaction Fees:
Winner: Tie
Free checked bag on Alaska and Hawaiian Airlines:
- Atmos Summit: Cardholder, additional cardholders, and 6 guests
- Atmos Ascent: Cardholder, additional cardholders, and 6 guests
- Atmos Business: Cardholder, additional cardholders, and 6 guests
Both the primary cardholder and additional cardholders, as well as up to 6 additional guests on the same reservation get a free checked bag on Alaska Airlines and Hawaiian Airlines flights, even on Saver Basic Economy tickets. That’s a value of $90 round-trip per passenger!
Winner: Tie
Priority boarding on Alaska and Hawaiian Airlines:
- Atmos Summit: Cardholder, additional cardholders, and 6 guests
- Atmos Ascent: Cardholder, additional cardholders, and 6 guests
- Atmos Business: Cardholder, additional cardholders, and 6 guests
Winner: Tie
20% back on inflight food, beverage, and Wi-Fi:
Winner: Tie
Annual Companion Award benefit:
- Atmos Summit: 100K Global Companion Award each card anniversary after $60K of annual spend.
- Atmos Ascent: $99 Companion Fare each card anniversary after $6K of annual spend, on Alaska/Hawaiian flights in North America.
- Atmos Business: $99 Companion Fare each card anniversary after $6K of annual spend, on Alaska/Hawaiian flights in North America.
Winner: Atmos Summit
Alaska Lounge passes:
Winner: Atmos Summit
Alaska WiFi passes:
Winner: Atmos Summit
Discount on annual Alaska Lounge+ Membership:
Winner: Tie
Lounge Bar Program:
Winner: Atmos Summit
Global Entry / TSA PreCheck application credit:
Winner: Atmos Summit
Status points earning rate:
Winner: Atmos Summit
Bonus status points each card anniversary:
Winner: Atmos Summit
Share points between members:
Winner: Atmos Summit
Transfer points to hotel programs:
Winner: Atmos Summit
Flight delay and cancellation protection on Alaska:
Winner: Atmos Summit
Same-day flight change fee waiver on Alaska:
Winner: Atmos Summit
Partner award booking fee waiver:
Winner: Atmos Summit
$50 voucher for flight delays of 2+ hours or cancellations:
Winner: Atmos Summit
Primary Car Rental Damage Insurance:
Winner: Atmos Summit
Rental car elite status:
Winner: Atmos Summit
Adds to Chase 5/24 count of cards:
Winner: Atmos Business
Spending affects credit utilization ratio:
Business card spending doesn’t get reported on your personal credit report, so having a bill close with an amount owed won’t hurt your score on the Atmos Business card.
Winner: Atmos Business
Win count
Dan’s Quick Thoughts:
All 3 Atmos cards offer outstanding limited-time welcome bonuses and unique benefits that make them worth having. Unsurprisingly, the Atmos Summit is the overall winner. Of course, that comes at a cost of $395/year.
Personally speaking, the partner booking fee waiver alone pays for the annual fee and then some. Because Alaska’s partner award booking fee is non-refundable, waiving it effectively means there is no cancellation penalty on partner award flights booked with this card, all of the points and taxes are refunded if you cancel anytime before departure. For points junkies who book speculative travel or backup flights, this benefit alone is worth the annual fee. Best of all, family members and friends can redeem miles from their account and pay with your card to waive the partner booking fee!
Earning 3 or 3.3 points per dollar on all purchases made outside the US or on dining or Alaska Airlines purchases is a truly incredible benefit as well.
If you’re after status, $60K of annual spend on the Summit yields 40,000 status points when combined with the 10K annual status points for being a cardholder. That’s enough to earn the annual 100K global companion award as well as Alaska Gold and OneWorld Sapphire status. You’ll also get an additional milestone perk you can pick at 10K status points (750 points, free food item, Alaska Silver for a trip, etc.), Silver status at 20K status points, and a milestone perk you can pick at 30K status points (2,500 points, $100 off lounge membership, Alaska Gold for a trip, etc.).
With Gold status you’ll get perks such as:
- Upgrades on Alaska and American flights for you and a companion.
- 2 free checked bags on Alaska and American flights for you and all companions.
- Extra legroom seats on Alaska and American flights at the time of booking.
- Priority baggage handling, check-in, security, and boarding on all OneWorld airline flights.
- Preferred seating on all OneWorld airline flights.
- OneWorld business class and Icelandair lounge lounge access on international travel for you and a companion.
- Extra baggage allowance on all OneWorld airline flights.
That means with $60K in annual spending you can potentially earn over 300,000 points and Alaska Gold/OneWorld Sapphire status! $60K spending on 3.3x categories nets 198K points, plus 100K points from the annual Global companion award, and 3,250 points from milestone awards.
Of course, spending $395/year won’t make sense for everyone.
The Atmos Ascent and Atmos Business cards are just $95/year and have excellent signup bonuses. They are also strong earners thanks to their bonus categories, plus the ability to earn an annual $99 Companion Fare.
You can have all of the Alaska cards and take advantage of the bonuses and perks that they each offer!
Which Atmos Rewards cards do you have, and which benefits do you value the most?
