Last month, Alaska and Hawaiian Airlines unveiled their new joint loyalty program, dubbed Atmos Rewards. While the name might take a little getting used to, the program is nearly identical to the old Alaska Mileage Plan program savvy travelers loved.
At the same time, Alaska officially launched a new premium co-branded credit card, the Atmos™ Rewards Summit Visa Infinite® Card. New applicants can currently earn 100,000 Atmos Rewards points and a new 25,000-point Global Companion Award after spending $6,000 in the first 90 days.
While the bonus offer is eye-popping, the card also unlocks a unique Global Companion Award, automatic flight delay credits, a faster path to elite status than any other U.S. airline card currently offers, and much more. The card's $395 annual fee certainly isn't nothing … but it's relatively modest compared to other premium airline cards. After some quick mental math, I quickly decided that all the card's benefits made it a price worth paying (for me) and applied.
Here's what I considered beforehand – and what you can expect from the application process if you decide to apply.
Why I Applied
This may (or may not) come as a shock to some of you, but I've never stepped foot on an Alaska Airlines plane … nor do I have any immediate plans to. Don't get me wrong, it's not that I'm actively avoiding Alaska – far from it. But the Seattle-based airline doesn't fly to my small regional airport … or any others I frequent.
So why on Earth would I apply for a $395 per year credit card from an airline I don't even fly? Because Alaska miles Atmos points are insanely valuable, and I just can't get enough of them!
Before the backdoor transfers from Amex to Alaska closed in late June, I moved over a sizable chunk of American Express Membership Rewards points. But after taking my own advice and burning them down, I was looking for a quick and easy way to earn more.
With business class awards to Europe for as few as 45,000 points each and short domestic hops starting at 4,500 points, having a big stash of Atmos points is a good problem to have.
But I didn't apply for this card just because of its big bonus offer. Getting a 25,000-point Global Companion Award each and every year of card membership has real value that can't be ignored. Since I regularly travel with my wife – and often our two kids – I view this like getting 25,000 bonus Atmos points per year. Is that worth $395 on its own? Maybe … maybe not – but it's certainly worth something.
Big spenders can unlock an even more valuable 100,000-point Global Companion Award after spending $60,000 in a card anniversary year. Barring any unforeseen circumstances, it's highly unlikely that I'll hit that spending mark … but you never know.
Another big reason I find this card worthwhile is that it offers waived partner award booking fees. Since I'm exclusively planning to use Atmos points to book partners like American Airlines, Aer Lingus, Japan Airlines, and hopefully, Starlux, this perk could add up in a hurry. Usually, I'd get hit with a $12.50 fee (per person) in each direction when booking one of these awards. But with this card in my wallet, I'll be saving $25 with each roundtrip award … and much more than that when I'm traveling with the whole family.
Finally, this card offers an easy(ish) path to earning Alaska elite status. While that might seem like a silly thing to care about – especially for someone who's never even flown Alaska Airlines – earning Alaska elite status comes with a handful of worthwhile benefits flying Oneworld airlines like American, which I do fly with quite a bit.
The way it works, you get 10,000 status points each year after your first anniversary – that's enough to get you halfway to Silver elite status on its own. The card also earns one status point for every $2 spent on the card, meaning $20,000 in spending is enough to close that gap. But since you also earn status points on flights credited to Alaska – even those booked with Atmos points – you might not need to spend all that much to earn status.
In my case, I've already earned nearly 15,000 status points this year from flying on Alaska award tickets. After spending the $6,000 needed to earn the card's bonus, I'll be just over 2,000 points shy of Silver elite status. I've got a couple of flights booked with Atmos points still this year that should help me close that gap, and I can make up the difference with a bit of additional spending.
While Silver elite status is nothing to write home about, it's enough for Oneworld Ruby status, which gets complimentary first class upgrades on Oneworld partners like American (+1 companion), as well as preferred seating for all companions, priority check-in, extra baggage allowance, and preferred boarding.
I fly American Airlines enough to make decent use of some of those perks, and with a few long-haul award tickets already booked for next year, hitting Gold status (and getting even better perks) isn't out of the question.
Step-by-Step Application Process
The Atmos Rewards Summit Card is issued by Bank of America, and somewhat shockingly, I've never held a Bank of America card or bank account. This might have complicated my application a bit, but all told, it was still a simple process.
If you're planning to apply for yourself, you'll first need to navigate to the card's landing page (for full disclosure, this is not an affiliate link) and click “apply now.”
Be sure to check out our full breakdown of the Atmos Rewards Summit Card before applying!
After clicking “apply now,” you'll be asked to fill in some pretty standard personal information, including your name, address, phone number, and email address. This is also where current Bank of America customers can log in and save some time filling out the application.
Next, you'll be asked about your citizenship, country of residence, date of birth, employment status, and income. You can also choose whether or not you'd like to complete a balance transfer or add an authorized user to your card.
After filling in the rest of this info, you'll need to accept the terms and conditions and officially submit your application, authorizing a credit check. If your credit is frozen, be sure to thaw it with all three bureaus – Equifax, TransUnion, and Experian – before submitting your application.
Upon submitting my application, I received notice that I was approved within seconds. Success!
One thing to note is that the card took a little longer (10 calendar days) than I initially expected. If you have big expenses coming up, it might not hurt to give Bank of America a call and see if they can expedite it for you. Unlike some banks, Bank of America did not give me the option to create a virtual card to start using instantly with a mobile wallet like Google Pay or Apple Pay.
Are You Eligible?
If you already have the Alaska Airlines Visa Signature® Credit Card or the business version, there are no restrictions in place that would prevent you from getting the new Atmos™ Rewards Summit Visa Infinite® Card. The same is true for the Hawaiian Airlines® World Elite Mastercard® or the business versions of either card.
That said, there are a few Bank of American specific card eligibility rules you'll want to be aware of before you apply.
The Bank of America 2/3/4 Rule
The Bank of America 2/3/4 rule states that you can only be approved for two Bank of America credit cards in a rolling two-month period. You can be approved for three Bank of America cards in a rolling 12-month period, and four cards in a rolling 24-month period.
This rule is specific to Bank of America credit cards (both business and personal), and applications from other banks will not be factored into this rule.
The Bank of America 3/12 & 7/12 Rule
Similar to Chase's 5/24 rule, Bank of America has something called the 3/12 & 7/12 rule. It works like this:
- If you have a bank account with Bank of America and have opened seven new cards (from any bank) in the past 12 months, your application for a new Bank of America card will not be approved.
- If you don't have a bank account with Bank of America and have opened three new cards (from any bank) in the past 12 months, your application for a Bank of America card will not be approved.
That said, these rules aren't firm. There are plenty of reports of non-Bank of America members getting approved for one of its credit cards despite having opened far more than three credit cards in the last 12 months.
The Bank of America 24-Month Rule
Like both Chase and Citi, Bank of America allows you to earn the welcome offer bonus on the same card multiple times. They will, however, restrict how often you can earn it.
You are not eligible to open a Bank of America Card and earn a welcome bonus if you've earned the bonus on that card in the past 24 months. You also can't have the card currently open if you want to get approved.
Read More: Master Guide to Credit Card Applications: All the Rules You Need to Know, Bank by Bank
Bottom Line
Alaska Airlines' new Atmos Rewards program largely mirrors its old Mileage Plan, and the new Atmos™ Rewards Summit Visa Infinite® Card can supercharge it: Earn 100,000 points and a 25,000-point Global Companion Award after spending $6,000 in the first 90 days.
Given this big bonus offer and all the other perks the Atmos Summit Card has to offer, I jumped at the opportunity to apply and was instantly approved. If you're considering this card, use this guide to help you through the application process.
All information about the Atmos™ Rewards Summit Visa Infinite® Card has been collected independently by Thrifty Traveler and has not been verified by the issuer.
Learn More about the Atmos™ Rewards Summit Visa Infinite® Card (for full disclosure, this is not an affiliate link).
