Alaska Airlines bid adieu to its old Mileage Plan loyalty program last summer and introduced the world to Atmos Rewards, born out of the Alaska and Hawaiian Airlines merger. While the name is new, most of what points and miles aficionados loved about Alaska's old Mileage Plan program remains the same.
With each airline offering co-branded credit cards of its own (plus business versions), there are now multiple welcome offers that can help you accumulate a bunch of Atmos Rewards points in a hurry.
Even if you never plan to fly with Alaska Airlines – or Hawaiian, for that matter – the Atmos Rewards program is incredibly valuable for travelers with their sights set on Europe, Asia, or even those looking to book American Airlines flights closer to home. With a total of 30 partner airlines, you can use Atmos Rewards points to book flights with the likes of Qatar Airways, Japan Airlines, Starlux, and many more.
Here's how you can quickly and easily earn 160,000 Atmos Rewards points and a 25,000-point global companion award – and why you might want to.
How to Earn 160K+ Atmos Rewards Points
With the launch of the new Atmos™ Rewards Summit Visa Infinite® Card credit card and elevated bonus offers on the old ones, there's never been a better time than now to earn a great big stash of points for your future travels.
The Atmos Summit Card currently has an unadvertised offer, allowing you to earn 100,000 Atmos Rewards points and a 25,000-point Global Companion Award after spending $6,000 in the first 90 days. And since that global companion award effectively knocks 25,000 points off the price of award tickets for you and your favorite travel buddy, you can really think of this as a 125,000-point bonus.
Meanwhile, the Hawaiian Airlines® Bank of Hawaii World Elite Mastercard® (for full disclosure, this is not an affiliate link) hasn't gone anywhere … despite speculation its days could be numbered. This card even comes with a big bonus of its own: Earn 60,000 bonus HawaiianMiles after spending $2,000 in the first 90 days.
Add it all up and you've got 160,000 points and a 25,000-point global companion award after spending just $2,000 on one card and $6,000 on the other.
If you're OK with a higher spending requirement, the Atmos™ Rewards Ascent Visa Signature® Credit Card (for full disclosure, this is not an affiliate link) currently comes with an unadvertised 85,000-mile bonus after spending $4,500 in the first 120 days. You can pair this card with the Atmos Summit and have an even bigger stash of points when all is said and done.
But make no mistake, whatever card combo you go with, this isn't an insignificant amount of spending in three months. Credit cards are serious business. You should never open one credit card, let alone two or more, and spend money you don't have just for the sake of earning points. But if you can do it responsibly, this is a great opportunity to earn a bunch of ultra-valuable points in a hurry.
One other thing to note: You'll also be on the hook for nearly $500 in annual fees. The Atmos Rewards Summit Card comes with a long list of benefits that can further take the sting out of its higher annual fee, and the Hawaiian card also comes with a $99 annual fee, but at the end of the day, that is a small price to pay for 160,000-plus Atmos Rewards points.
Here's a quick look at the benefits and points (or miles) you can earn with each card.
Atmos™ Rewards Summit Visa Infinite® Card
- Welcome offer: Earn 100,000 Atmos Rewards points and a new 25,000-point Global Companion Award after spending $6,000 in the first 90 days.
- Earn 3x points per dollar spent on dining, foreign purchases, and Alaska & Hawaiian Airlines purchases.
- Earn 1x points per dollar spent on all other purchases
- Plus, earn a 10% rewards bonus on all points earned from card purchases if you have an eligible Bank of America® account.
- Global Companion Award: Each year upon renewal, cardholders get a 25,000-point companion certificate, reducing the cost of a companion’s ticket by 25,000 points when booking award travel for two people on the same itinerary.
- Spend $60,000 a year on the card and you’ll get a second 100,000-point Global Companion Award.
- Alaska lounge passes: Get eight Alaska Lounge passes per year (two per quarter). Each pass covers a full travel day – allowing you to access multiple lounges in Alaska's network if you've got connections.
- Status points: On each account anniversary year, you will receive 10,000 status points. Plus, earn 1 status point for every $2 spent on net purchases (exclusive of any fees, such as the annual fee).
- Waived partner award booking fees: When booking award tickets on other carriers, cardholders will have the $12.50 partner award booking fee waived. You'll still pay mandatory government taxes and fees on award tickets.
- Instant travel delay credit: If your Alaska Airlines (or any of its subsidiaries) flight is canceled or delayed by two or more hours on the day of departure, you will receive a $50 voucher redeemable at eligible merchants.
- Same-day change fee waiver: Enjoy waived fees for same-day confirmed Alaska Airlines flight changes – a savings of up to $50 per change.
- Free checked bag & preferred boarding: Get a free checked bag for the cardholder plus six companions on Alaska or Hawaiian flights, plus preferred boarding on Alaska.
- Global Entry or TSA PreCheck® credit: Get a credit of up to $120 to cover the cost of either Global Entry or TSA PreCheck every four years.
- Points sharing: Share and redeem your accumulated points with up to 10 additional Atmos™ Rewards members.
- $395 annual fee
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.
Hawaiian Airlines® Bank of Hawaii World Elite Mastercard®
- Welcome offer: Earn 60,000 Atmos Rewards points after spending $2,000 in the first 90 days.
- 50%-off companion discount: Receive a one-time 50%-off companion discount for roundtrip (economy) travel between Hawaii and North America on Hawaiian Airlines.
- Earn 3x miles on eligible Hawaiian Airlines purchases, 2x miles on gas, dining, and eligible grocery purchases, and 1x miles on all other purchases.
- Free checked bag: Get two free checked bags when you use your card to purchase eligible tickets directly from Hawaiian Airlines.
- $100 companion discount: Celebrate your card anniversary every year with a $100 companion discount for roundtrip travel between Hawaii and the Continental U.S. on Hawaiian Airlines.
- Transfer miles: Cardmembers can receive HawaiianMiles from friends and family through “Share Miles,” without a fee.
- No foreign transaction fees.
- Annual fee: $99
All information about the Hawaiian Airlines® Bank of Hawaii World Elite Mastercard® has been collected independently by Thrifty Traveler and has not be verified by the issuer.
Learn more about the Hawaiian Airlines® Bank of Hawaii World Elite Mastercard® (for full disclosure, this is not an affiliate link).
How Far Can You Go With 160K Atmos Rewards Points?
Alaska miles may have been hard to earn (historically), but earning a bunch of Atmos Rewards points is a whole different story. And these are some of the most valuable points on the planet thanks to low award rates booking partner airlines like Japan Airlines, Aer Lingus, and more.
This list is really just the tip of the iceberg. There are many amazing ways to put Atmos points to use whether you want to fly within the U.S., abroad to Europe, or even book lie-flat seats to far-flung destinations in Asia and beyond.
Check out our full list of the best Atmos Rewards sweet spots!
Business Class to Europe from 45K Points
Perhaps the best example is using Atmos Rewards points to book lie-flat, business class seats to Europe.
Fly in a lie-flat, business class seat on Aer Lingus to Ireland and beyond to other destinations in Europe for just 45,000 points + $19 in taxes and fees one-way. And that out-of-pocket cost is even less with the Atmos Rewards Summit card in your wallet. One of the card's key benefits is waived partner award booking fees, so you can shave $12.50 per ticket off awards like this.
Plus, you can stop in Dublin for a taste of Guinness straight from the source on your way to another European destination … and doing so could even save you miles in the process. Crazy!
Aer Lingus flies from several North American gateways, including Boston (BOS), Los Angeles (LAX), Las Vegas (LAS), Minneapolis (MSP), Miami (MIA), Newark (EWR), New York City (JFK), Orlando (MCO), Philadelphia (PHL), Seattle (SEA), San Francisco (SFO), Toronto (YYZ), and Washington D.C.-Dulles (IAD).
Read next: 5 Things I Loved Flying Aer Lingus Business Class (& 2 I Didn't)
But Aer Lingus isn't the only option for getting to Europe in style. If you ask us, Condor business class is criminally underrated and one of our favorite ways to get to Europe – especially without paying the huge surcharges you'd face flying other carriers like British Airways.
From East Coast cities like Boston (BOS) and New York City (JFK) as well as Toronto (YYZ), it'll cost you just 55,000 points to get to Frankfurt (FRA) in a lie-flat seat. Even longer flights from Baltimore (BWI) and Miami (MIA) cost the same amount.
That's right: Just 55,000 Atmos Rewards points for a one-way in a brand new Condor business class seat across the pond. And unlike many other airlines on the list of Alaska Mileage Plan sweet spots, finding the award availability to book Condor business class is typically fairly easy.
Starlux Business Class for 75K Points
Using Atmos Rewards points to book a business class flight with the new, Taiwan-based Starlux Airlines is one of the best deals to get from the West Coast to Taipei (TPE) and other destinations in Asia. A one-way, business class flight from San Francisco (SFO) to Taipei on Starlux is just 75,000 points each way.
You could also find business class availability departing from Los Angeles (LAX).
This is an unbelievable deal to get to Asia in business class, considering these flights could easily run you over $3,000 in each direction.
Short-Haul U.S. Flights from 4.5K Points
Short, domestic flights can be a real bargain when using Atmos Rewards points – and not just when you're flying Alaska: You'll see these same prices for American Airlines flights, too!
Here's a look at an Alaska Airlines flight from Seattle (SEA) to San Francisco (SFO) as an example. Just 4,500 points is all you'd need for the two-hour ride down the West Coast.
Or maybe you need to take a positioning flight from Minneapolis-Saint Paul (MSP) to Chicago-O'Hare (ORD) ahead of a long-haul business class redemption. Booking American Airlines with Atmos Rewards would cost you the same 4,500 points in each direction.
At these low prices, you could even spring for a seat in first class for just 9,000 points one way. When these short flights are looking expensive, being able to turn to your Atmos Rewards points to book for less is always a great workaround.
Read next: How to Find & Book the Best Atmos Rewards Points Deals
Bottom Line
Alaska and Hawaiian Airlines have officially combined – and in the process, created a brand new loyalty program: Atmos Rewards. Because each airline still issues its own co-branded credit card, there's never been a better time to earn a lot of points … in a hurry.
With so many great ways to use Atmos Rewards points, applying for these cards now can help you meet all your travel goals – no matter your bucket list.
Featured image courtesy of Alaska Airlines.
Can I still apply for both cards and get both Sign-Up Bonus now?
The ability to use any 6-digit code seems to have been removed as of 9/26. Is there a way to get a valid code, other than receiving a paper application with a code printed on it from a flight attendant?
Hey Rob, thanks for the heads up – we’ve updated the story accordingly. You can find a valid code with a little Googling (try Reddit).
Reddit worked like a charm for the code. Thanks for the tip!
Same! Found a valid code and it worked this morning ! Thanks all for your help!
Where can we find a promo code for the Hawaiian offer?
You can use any 6 digit number and it should work.
The offer appears to be dead on that link. It worked yesterday when I tested it and today it won’t accept any code.
Hey, thanks for the heads up. We updated the story accordingly! If you’re still interested, it’s possible to find a working code with a little internet sleuthing (try Reddit).
I just tried to apply for the Alaska Airlines card online. After entering my phone number which I have had about 20 years, it said Please enter a valid phone number. My confidence in Bank of America vanished if they can’t even get simple phone number validation right.
Makes no sense. You take up 2 of your 5/24 slots for 120K points. Even now Alaska program has poor availability. But now with billions of MR points being routed to AS mileage program that availability will get worse.
A big hard pass on this.
I am not a huge fan of AS Mileage Plan, but they can have easy to find awards at the 10-11 months prior to departure date. It just takes work. Which most airlines’ awards take work to find inventory. Amex MR isn’t going to be as big a deal, because lots of people transferring were intending to bank the the miles. Whether that is a good idea is debatable. If one has millions of MR points then moving points to Hawaiian, isn’t a big deal. But most hobbyists do not have millions of points. The bloggers do, but plenty of us don’t.
Do you know how many personal and biz cards they will approve or do we have to wait a few months before getting approved and then applying again for the same cards?