Atmos Rewards Guide: How to Earn and Redeem Points in March 2026

When Alaska and Hawaiian merged their loyalty programs into Atmos Rewards, they created a system that offers more flexibility for earning points than either airline had before. You can now choose between three options for earning points: distance-based, price-based, or segment-based earning. Aside from that, Alaska has several high value ways in which you can use your points.

This guide covers everything from signing up and earning points to hitting status milestones and booking award flights that actually make sense.

TLDR:

• Alaska Mileage Plan and HawaiianMiles merged in late 2025
• You earn both redeemable points and status points, which serve different purposes.
• Three Bank of America cards earn Atmos points: Atmos™ Rewards Ascent Visa Signature® Credit Card, Atmos™ Rewards Summit Visa Infinite® Credit Card, and Atmos™ Rewards Visa Signature® Business Card.
• Status levels start at 20,000 status points for Silver and require 135,000 status points for Titanium.
• nextcard helps you compare the Atmos cards against other travel cards based on your spending.

What Is Atmos Rewards

Atmos Rewards is the loyalty program that Alaska Airlines and Hawaiian Airlines launched together in late 2025. If you previously earned miles with Alaska Mileage Plan or HawaiianMiles, those programs (technically) no longer exist. Everything moved under the Atmos Rewards umbrella.

The program lets you earn points when you fly with Alaska or Hawaiian, book through partner airlines, stay at hotels, shop online, pay rent, book Lyfts or use co-branded credit cards. You can redeem those points for flights, upgrades, and other travel perks across both airlines and their partners, or even earn points on your mortgage.

The program introduced status levels that mirror what you might recognize from Alaska's old system, but with added benefits for Hawaiian routes.

Whether you're based on the West Coast, fly to Hawaii regularly, or just want access to a solid rewards program, Atmos Rewards gives you more routes and redemption options than either airline offered alone.

How to Sign Up for Atmos Rewards

Signing up for Atmos Rewards is free and takes a few minutes. Head to the Atmos Rewards website or download the app, then create an account with your email, name, and basic travel info. You'll get a membership number right away that you can use to start earning points on flights and partner activities.

If you already had an Alaska Mileage Plan or HawaiianMiles account before the 2025 merger, your miles from either program automatically converted to Atmos Rewards points at a 1:1 ratio. Your old account credentials still work to log in. Status from either legacy program also transferred over to the new Atmos status tiers, so nothing was lost in the transition.

There's no fee to join or maintain your account, which makes it easy to keep your points active.

How to Earn Atmos Rewards Points on Flights

When you fly Alaska or Hawaiian, you earn both redeemable points and status points on every ticket. The exact amount depends on which earning option you choose before your flight.

Atmos Rewards introduced a "Choose How You Earn" feature that lets you pick between three calculation methods:

1. distance-based (earn one point per mile flown),
2. price-based (earn five points per dollar spent), or
3. segment-based (earn flat 500 points per flight segment).

Your elite status tier also affects how many points you earn per flight, with higher status levels applying multipliers to your base earning rate regardless of which calculation method you choose.

Members can change their preference once per year.

How to Earn Points Beyond Flying: Partners and Shopping

You don't need to fly to rack up Atmos Rewards points. The program has partnerships that let you earn while you shop, dine, book hotels, and rent cars.

The Atmos Rewards Shopping portal connects you to hundreds of online retailers. Earning rates vary by store, but you can get anywhere from 1 to 10+ points per dollar spent depending on the merchant and active promotions. You log in through the portal before shopping, and points post to your account within a few weeks.

The dining program works similarly. Register your credit or debit card, eat at participating restaurants, and earn points automatically when you pay with that card.

Atmos Rewards also partners with Lyft, major hotel chains, and car rental companies. Booking vacation packages through Alaska or Hawaiian can earn bonus points on top of your flight earnings, especially if you bundle flights with hotels or activities.

Another way you can earn Atmos Rewards points is when you pay your rent/mortgage with an Atmos credit card. You'll have to pay a 3% fee when you do this but you will earn 3 Atmos Rewards per $1 spent on the rent/mortgage.

Atmos Rewards Credit Cards: Ascent, Summit, and Business Options

Bank of America issues three co-branded Atmos Rewards cards, each with different earning rates and perks based on your travel frequency:

• The Atmos Rewards Ascent Visa Signature Card has a $95 annual fee and earns 3x points on Alaska and Hawaiian purchases, 2x on gas, EV charging, cable, streaming services & local transit and 1x elsewhere.
• The Atmos Rewards Summit Infinite Visa Card costs $395 annually and earns 3x on Alaska and Hawaiian purchases, dining and foreign transactions and 1x on everything else.
• The Atmos Rewards Visa Business Card has a $95 annual fee and earns 3x points on Alaska and Hawaiian purchases, 2x on gas, EV charging, shipping, local transit (including rideshare) and 1x on all other purchases.

All three cards earn status points on every purchase, helping you reach elite tiers without flying. If you have a qualifying Bank of America account, you'll get an additional 10% points on your purchases.

Understanding Atmos Rewards Status Levels

Atmos Rewards has four elite status tiers that reset each calendar year based on status points earned. The thresholds are lower than many competing programs, making entry-level status more accessible if you fly regularly or use an Atmos credit card.

Atmos Rewards Milestone Perks

Atmos Rewards includes a milestone system that runs alongside status tiers. As you accumulate points, you unlock perks at thresholds between 10,000 and 250,000 points.

At each checkpoint, you select your reward from several options: bonus points, upgrade certificates, lounge passes, or companion discounts. You choose what fits your travel needs instead of getting a preset benefit.

This setup delivers more frequent rewards than waiting for your next tier. Even without reaching Platinum, you collect perks that improve your flights.

Atmos Rewards Earning Structure: Redeemable Points vs. Status Points

Redeemable points are what you use to book award flights, upgrades, and other travel perks. These are the points you'll earn when you fly on Alaska or spend when redeeming for an Alaska ticket. They don't expire.

Status points only count toward elite qualification and milestone rewards. You can't redeem them for flights. Every calendar year, your status point balance resets to zero, and you start earning again from scratch.

When you fly or spend on an Atmos credit card, you earn both types of points simultaneously.

Redeeming Atmos Rewards Points for Flights

Atmos Rewards has award charts for flight redemptions, starting at 4,500 points for short one-way trips on Alaska or Hawaiian. You can book awards on either airline plus more than 30 partner carriers, including all oneworld alliance members like American, British Airways, Cathay Pacific, and Qantas.

The program's sweet spot is international premium cabin redemptions. Booking business class on partners like Japan Airlines or Qatar Airways through Atmos Rewards often requires fewer points than transferring to those airlines directly. Domestic American Airlines flights are another great redemption potential.

Transfer Partners: How to Move Credit Card Points To and From Atmos Rewards

Atmos Rewards has limited transfer partnerships compared to programs like United MileagePlus or Iberia, which can work in your favor or against you depending on how you earn points.

Bilt Rewards is the only major credit card program that transfers to Atmos at 1:1. If you use the Bilt Blue, Bilt Obsidian or Bilt Palladium, you can move points directly into your Atmos account and book flights the same day.

Marriott Bonvoy also transfers to Atmos Rewards, but the ratio is 3:1 (three Bonvoy points equals one Atmos point). If you transfer in increments of 60,000 Bonvoy points, you get a 5,000-point bonus, improving the effective ratio to 2.4:1.2.

And unfortunately Chase, Amex, and Citi don't transfer to Atmos Rewards.

Finding and Comparing Atmos Rewards Credit Cards with nextcard

If you're weighing whether an Atmos Rewards credit card fits your wallet, we built a recommendation tool to help you figure that out.

You can see how cards stack up on earning rates, annual fees, and perks without opening multiple tabs or reading through dense card agreements. Whether you're building a credit card strategy from scratch or adding to an existing setup, nextcard gives you the tools to decide if Atmos Rewards cards earn a spot in your rotation.

Final Thoughts on Earning and Redeeming with Atmos

Atmos Rewards built a program that works whether you're chasing status or just want to book a few award flights each year. The atmos rewards program stands out for its low status thresholds and partner network that covers most of the places you'd want to fly. You can switch between earning methods on every flight, which removes a lot of the guesswork other programs force you through. Sign in for personalized card recommendations and figure out if an Atmos card makes sense for you.

FAQ

How do I log in to my Atmos Rewards account if I had an Alaska Mileage Plan account before?

Your old Alaska Mileage Plan credentials still work for Atmos Rewards. Just use your previous login information on the Atmos Rewards website or app, and you'll have access to your converted points and status.

What's the difference between redeemable points and status points in Atmos Rewards?

Redeemable points are what you spend on award flights and upgrades, while status points only count toward qualifying for elite tiers like Silver or Gold and reset to zero each calendar year.

Can I transfer points from Chase or Amex into Atmos Rewards?

No, Chase Ultimate Rewards and Amex Membership Rewards don't transfer to Atmos Rewards. Only Bilt Rewards transfers at 1:1 and Marriott Bonvoy transfers at 3:1 (or 2.4:1.2 with the 60,000-point bonus).

How many Atmos Rewards points do I need for a one-way flight?

Award flights start at 4,500 points for short one-way trips on Alaska or Hawaiian, with pricing based on distance-based award charts that vary by route and partner airline.

Do Atmos Rewards points expire?

Your points stay active as long as you earn or redeem at least once every 24 months. There's no annual fee to keep your account open.