Alaska Airlines Launches First Premium Card Amid Loyalty Overhaul

In what has been one of the most anticipated announcements of the summer, Alaska Airlines has finally unveiled its brand new combined loyalty program with Hawaiian Airlines: Atmos Rewards.

In conjunction with the announcement of the new loyalty program, Alaska is also debuting its first-ever premium credit card: the Atmos Rewards Summit Visa.

Photo: Courtesy of Alaska Airlines

Alaska has been teasing a new premium co-branded credit card for some time now, and that day has finally arrived. The Atmos Rewards Summit Visa (issued by Bank of America) will come with a palatable $395 annual fee and will be coupled with a long list of very unique benefits that are unlike many of the benefits that we see on other premium co-branded airline cards today.

“The Atmos Rewards Summit card sets a new bar for what a premium travel card can be – globally connected, deeply rewarding, and designed to elevate every step of the journey,” said Brett Catlin, vice president of loyalty, alliances, and sales at Alaska Airlines. “We crafted this card from the ground up to offer unique, industry-leading benefits with outsized rewards and experiential enhancements unmatched by any other airline card.”

Globally inspired card benefits

The most eye-catching benefits of this new credit card lean heavily into the airline’s shift into becoming a proper long-haul international carrier. This strategy naturally coincides with Alaska’s recent global route expansion out of its Seattle hub that includes non-stop flights to cities like London, Rome, Reykjavik, Seoul, and Tokyo.

Photo: Courtesy of Alaska Airlines

Included in these benefits is the brand new Global Companion Award, which could prove to be one of the most lucrative credit card benefits on the market. This new award allows Atmos Rewards Summit Visa cardholders the ability to cover a companion’s ticket when booking award travel for two people on the same itinerary, up to a specified number of points.

Cardholders can earn up to two of these Companion Awards per year, and they can be used across the entire Alaska and Hawaiian network, including all oneworld and other global partner airlines. The best part? These can be used in any class of service, including Business and First class.

Photo: Courtesy of Alaska Airlines

A 25,000-point Global Companion Award will be rewarded after qualifying spend on a new account, as well as annually after each card anniversary. Subsequently, a 100,000-point Global Companion Award will be rewarded by spending $60,000 or more on purchases in a card anniversary year.

In terms of spending bonus categories, the Atmos Rewards Summit Visa will offer a generous 3x points on eligible dining purchases, as well as 3x points on eligible purchases when traveling internationally, which is a first in the industry. Cardmembers will also earn 3x points on eligible Alaska and Hawaiian purchases, and eligible Bank of America account holders will earn an additional 10 percent rewards bonus on all purchases with the card.

Note that within Atmos Rewards, “status points” will be the new metric for tracking status progress (formerly elite-qualifying miles), and “points” will become the new award currency (replacing miles from the old Mileage Plan and HawaiianMiles programs).

In addition, cardholders will have partner booking fees (up to $25 per person on every round-trip flight) when booking award flights with Alaska’s partners, including oneworld member airlines. Government taxes and partner surcharges will still apply.

Fast track to status, lounge access, and more

Coinciding with the new Atmos Reward program, cardholders of the Atmos Rewards Summit Visa will have the opportunity to boost their status points by spending with the card. Every $2 spent on purchases with the card will earn one status point (with no annual limits), and cardholders will also receive an additional 10,000 status points every year, beginning with the first anniversary of having the card.

Photo: Courtesy of Alaska Airlines

Each year, cardmembers will also receive eight entry passes to any of the nine Alaska Lounges. Each pass is valid for the entire travel day, allowing access to multiple lounges throughout the same journey. Passes also include complimentary access for up to two accompanying children, and beginning in 2026, will offer access to an all-new premium bar experience when showing your Summit card. Existing Alaska Lounge members will be able to share these one-time passes with family and friends.

Cardholders (and up to six additional guests on the same reservation) will receive one free checked bag on Alaska and Hawaiian-operated flights, as well as early boarding on Alaska flights when purchased with the Summit card.

Another unique benefit of the Summit card that we have not yet seen offered elsewhere is an instant same-day travel delay credit.

Photo: Courtesy of Alaska Airlines

If a cardholder experiences a flight delay on Alaska for longer than two hours (or a flight cancellation within 24 hours of scheduled departure), they will automatically receive an instant $50 voucher linked to their Summit card that will be valid for 48 hours.

Additional card benefits include waived same-day flight change fees, hotel partner program points transfers, and free points sharing with up to 10 other Atmos Rewards members, including family, friends, and other cardholders.

Limited-time sign-up offer

For a limited time, new Atmos Rewards Summit Visa applicants will receive (upon approval) 100,000 bonus points after spending $6,000 on purchases within the first 90 days of account opening.

In terms of their current credit card portfolio, the current Alaska Airlines Visa Signature card (issued by Bank of America) will transform into the new Atmos Rewards Ascent Visa Signature card, whose benefits will remain the same as the old card. For existing cardholders, there is no action that needs to be taken; existing account numbers and card benefits will remain the same without interruption.

Photo: Courtesy of Denver International Airport

The Hawaiian Airlines World Elite Mastercard (issued by Barclays) will also continue unchanged, including the name. Existing cardholders will retain their current accounts, and no action will be needed. The card itself will continue to earn HawaiianMiles until those are fully transitioned over to Atmos Rewards points on October 1.

Housekeeping items to keep in mind

Regarding the transitioning current members from both Mileage Plan and HawaiianMiles over to the new Atmos program, Alaska has relayed information on how that is going to look moving forward.

As of today, Mileage Plan members are now Atmos Rewards members, and they will be retaining their existing account numbers and benefits with no action needed. As a reminder, one Mileage Plan mile will automatically translate to one Atmos Rewards point beginning today.

HawaiianMiles members will see their miles automatically transition into Atmos Rewards points on October 1 at an even 1:1 ratio. Those HawaiianMiles members who have not yet linked a corresponding Mileage Plan account will have a new Atmos Rewards account created on that date as well.