Atmos Rewards Credit Cards

With a new loyalty program comes, new credit cards. Sort of. So, now that we’ve gone over Atmos Rewards and changes for HawaiianMiles members, let’s discuss the Atmos Rewards credit cards, with a particular focus on the community’s new darling card: the Atmos Summit.

Of everything we saw last week, the Atmos Rewards credit cards were likely the least surprising, as Alaska Airlines had already previewed much of the Summit card’s features well before launch. But as always, when it comes to this hobby, the devil is in the details. Just because a flashy new card is lauded for having unheard of features doesn’t mean it’s necessarily the right card for you. So, let’s dig in.

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Atmos Rewards Summit Visa Infinite

We’re going to kick off my analysis of the Atmos Rewards credit cards by going after the top dog – the Atmos Rewards Summit Visa Infinite. Like its humble predecessor, the Atmos Summit is issued by Bank of America. But, as Alaska Air Group’s first premium card product, it’s quite a bit different. Let’s take a look:

$395 annual fee
25k Global Companion Award
100k Global Companion Award after spending $60k in a card anniversary year
1 Status Point per $2 spent with no limit
3x points per $1 spent on dining, foreign transactions, and Alaska Air + Hawaiian Air spending
1x points per $1 spent on everything else
No foreign transaction fee
Free checked bag for you and up to six on your itinerary when paid with your card
Preferred boarding for you and up to six on your itinerary when paid with your card
Eight in-flight WiFi passes per year (two per quarter)
Eight Alaska Lounge passes per year (two per quarter) valid for entire day of travel and includes entry for up to two accompanying children
$120 statement credit every four years for trusted traveler program fees, such as Global Entry and TSA PreCheck
Partner Award booking fee waiver – an up to $25 per person value
Transfer points to partners
Free points sharing
10,000 status points on your cardholder anniversary
Travel delay protection
Same day change fee waiver, except on basic fares – $50 voucher for delays of 2 hours or more

There’s also a benefit which gives cardholders an exclusive signature cocktail or elevated bar offering when visiting an Alaska Lounge, but this is temporary right now, as it’s currently scheduled to end at the end of 2026.

Global Companion Certificate

Now, I know the thing everyone is gushing over when it comes to the new Atmos Rewards credit cards is the Summit’s Global Companion Certificate. The initial hope is that it would’ve been a global version of the existing Companion Certificate. It is not. Instead, it’s a 25k discount on award bookings. That is a huge devaluation compared to the existing certificate, as 25k can’t even get you to and from Hawai’i, which would be a domestic award.

Yes, you can use the new Global Companion Award to fly anywhere and in any cabin, but that doesn’t negate the fact that it’s offering overall less value than the old certificate. Take a look:

Roundtrip SEA-HNL Award Flight costs as little as 30k points per person, 60k – 25k = 35K points
Roundtrip SEA-HNL Cash costs $589 roundtrip + $165 for companion certificate = $754 total
Conservative Atmos Reward points valuation of $0.015 = $525 value for the above redemption
Pricing based on March/April 2026; cash prices can dip to $300-range, with companion charge going as low as $150-range
Depending on pricing, it can make more sense to to use cash for this itinerary

Jumping to the true use of the Global Companion Award, here’s what we’re seeing:

Roundtrip SEA-NRT in Main Cabin: as low as 60k points per person
Roundtrip SEA-NRT in Business Class: as low as 300k points per person

If you’re doing the math, that’s 120k points for the Main Cabin itinerary for two people and 600k in Business. Ouch. 25k off of those itineraries isn’t nothing, but it also isn’t a huge savings.

The value of the award itself is ultimately about $375, depending how you value Atmos Rewards points.

Yes, there is the 100k certificate, but $60k in spending to earn it?! Geez… I don’t know too many people with that kind of money. Sure, it’s better than what you get for spending that amount on the Sapphire Reserve, but it’s still not mind-blowing to me.

Other Perks

The other perks that stand out to me are the 3x points on foreign transactions, as that’s potentially HUGE for someone who travels abroad a lot, or even lives overseas. It’ll be interesting to see how BoA tries to control this.

I do like the waiver on partner awards bookings and the ability to transfer points to partners, though the ability to share points for free benefit is disturbing, as it’s a current benefit of the $99 annual fee Hawaiian Airlines World Elite Mastercard.

The Delay voucher is intriguing, but the disclosure is interesting, as it limits this benefit to flights sold and operated by Alaska Air, Horizon Air, and SkyWest. What happened to Hawaiian?!

Instant Travel Delay Credit: A Primary Cardholder that experiences a same day flight departure delay of 2 or more hours, or a same day flight cancellation, on flights marketed by Alaska Airlines and operated by Alaska Airlines, Horizon Air or SkyWest will receive a $50 voucher, valid for 48 hours from issuance, delivered to the email address associated with their reservation. Departure delay or cancellation must occur within 24 hours of scheduled travel. Travel must be originally booked directly via Alaska Airlines using the Atmos™ Rewards Summit card. Travel booked through a third-party merchant (e.g., travel agency, online merchant) will not qualify for this benefit. Only one $50 credit per calendar day

Value

When looking at the new Atmos Rewards credit cards, it’s important to look at the overall value proposition of the card. Given the 25k Companion Award’s value of about $375, this card is definitely worth it if you can make use of that award every year. Remember, this is an award that expires annually – it’s not like the redeemable points Southwest gives you for having their cards. And, that’s smart from Alaska Air’s perspective, as they’ll get more value out of you than they’re providing.

The earning rate is also great, but the value you extract from that depends on how much you spend on the card annually.

While the Alaska Lounge is superior to Priority Pass lounges, which are also now difficult to get into, it is a little strange that a card at this price level doesn’t offer broader lounge access. Again, though, Priority Pass membership is dime a dozen nowadays and isn’t all that valuable to have, so that isn’t a dealbreaker.

All of the above considered, the Alaska Air Summit card definitely is not for me. I don’t travel enough to justify having it. But, if you do, it’s a card you should seriously consider.

Atmos Rewards Ascent

Honestly, this card is the exact same thing as the Alaska Airlines Visa Signature card – its name has just changed. The one upcoming change that we do know about is that the cap on Status Points earnings is being eliminated next year.

Now, as we talk about the Atmos Rewards credit cards, the one thing that gave me the most apprehension is if any changes would be made to the card’s Companion Certificate. Luckily, no changes have been made. Moreover, I’ve heard from others that those of us grandfathered into receiving the certificate annually without having to hit a spending requirement will continue to enjoy that benefit.

Will these facts about the existing certificate eventually change? Perhaps. In fact, given the new “certificates” for the summit card, I’d say that it’s highly likely that we’ll see the current certificate go away or change. But, as with everything in our hobby, only time will tell.