Unlock Hidden Alaska Airlines Atmos Rewards Secrets: The Surprising Hacks No One Tells You About

Launching a new loyalty program is always a bit like setting sail into uncharted waters — thrilling yet filled with questions. Alaska Airlines and Hawaiian Airlines have just navigated that voyage together with the debut of Atmos Rewards, their joint loyalty program unveiled this August. This isn’t your everyday miles-and-points shuffle; the program brims with subtle perks and, intriguingly, empowers members to select how they rack up points and elite status. For those who loved Mileage Plan, Atmos keeps Alaska’s award chart alive but spices up the earning game with fresh choices. Whether you’re a seasoned flyer hunting that next big redemption or a casual traveler curious about what’s new on the horizon, understanding how to maximize Atmos Rewards could be your ticket to elevated travel bliss. Hawaiian Airlines is set to fully roll into this unified system by October 1, promising a smoother, richer loyalty experience. Ready to unravel how you can turn your flights, spending, and everyday activities into valuable points? Let’s dive into all the unique ways Atmos Rewards wants to reward you.

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Alaska Airlines’ and Hawaiian Airlines’ much-anticipated joint loyalty program, Atmos Rewards, launched in August. With it came a slew of under-the-radar perks and a unique way to choose how to earn points and elite status. Though Atmos Rewards introduced new benefits and changes, compared to its predecessor program, Mileage Plan, it will still utilize Alaska’s award chart.

So, if you’re wondering how you can earn Atmos Rewards points for your next redemption, keep reading to find out more.

Note that Hawaiian Airlines will fully integrate with the Atmos Rewards program Oct. 1.

Related: Are we all (mostly) winners? My take on Alaska’s new unified Atmos Rewards program

Earn Atmos Rewards points by flying

Alaska Airlines partners with over 30 airlines, including but not limited to members of the Oneworld alliance. You can earn Atmos Rewards points with all of these partners, but a few do not offer Atmos Rewards award redemptions.

For now, Atmos Rewards uses a distance‑based points-earning structure. However, in 2026, the program will introduce two new ways to earn points — and members will get to choose which method they prefer.

• Distance-based: Earn 1 point per mile flown (including award redemptions).
• Spending-based: Earn 5 points per dollar spent on flights.
• Segment-based: Earn 500 points per segment flown.

For distance- or spending-based earning, you’ll earn points per the current earning charts depending on which airline operates the flight and whose site you use to book. Premium fare classes earn bonus points on top of the usual 100% base points, while basic economy tickets (fare class X or U) only earn 30% of the base points.

For instance, say you booked a one-way nonstop Alaska Airlines flight from Seattle-Tacoma International Airport (SEA) to John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK), a distance of roughly 2,421 miles in economy fare class Y for $200 on alaskaair.com. Here’s what you would take home depending on which points-earning path you chose:

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• Distance-based: 3,632 points (150% of your miles flown)
• Spending-based: 1,500 points (5 points per dollar spent)
• Segment-based: 500 points (500 points per segment)

As you can see, it’s worth putting some thought into which method will be most lucrative for your travel plans. For instance, if you mostly use Alaska Airlines for short, nonstop domestic flights under 500 miles, the segment-based approach could work best. You may prefer the spending-based path if you typically book cash tickets (and especially if you hold an Atmos Rewards cobranded credit card), or distance-based if you often book long-haul flights with miles.

You can change your selection, which also determines how you earn elite status, up to once per calendar year. If you don’t choose, you’ll default to the spending‑based option.

Earn bonus points with elite status

All Atmos Rewards elite members earn bonus points on flights, including on Alaska’s 30-plus partner airlines. The number of bonus points you’ll receive depends on your status tier:

• Atmos Silver: 25% bonus points
• Atmos Gold: 50% bonus points
• Atmos Platinum: 100% bonus points
• Atmos Titanium: 150% bonus points

Related: What exactly is elite status in travel — and how can I get it?

Earn Atmos Rewards points with credit cards

Along with its new loyalty program, Alaska recently unveiled its overhauled cobranded credit cards and an all-new premium card. All are offering a sizable chunk of Atmos Rewards points — as well as a valuable companion certificate — as part of their welcome bonuses. Plus, you’ll earn Atmos Rewards points on everyday purchases.

Here’s an overview of the Atmos Rewards program’s three card offerings:

Beyond earning points, the above cards provide perks like free checked bags, priority boarding and inflight discounts. They also earn status points toward your next Atmos Rewards elite status tier.

Though it will not fully integrate with the Atmos Rewards program until Oct. 1, Hawaiian Airlines HawaiianMiles also offers two credit cards. Hawaiian miles currently transfer to Atmos Rewards at a 1:1 rate; starting in October, all Hawaiian miles will transition to Atmos Rewards points.

Here are the current Hawaiian cards offered:

The information for the Hawaiian Airlines World Elite Mastercard and World Elite Business Mastercard has been collected independently by The Points Guy. The card details on this page have not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer.

Transfer Atmos Rewards points

Alaska Airlines’ transfer partners haven’t changed. You can still transfer points from Bilt Rewards and Marriott Bonvoy, and there’s a new way to share points with friends and family members.

What about HawaiianMiles? For now, you can still transfer HawaiianMiles to Atmos Rewards at a 1:1 ratio. As noted above, the HawaiianMiles program will officially end Oct. 1, when your remaining Hawaiian miles will automatically be moved into your Atmos Rewards account.

Transfer from Bilt Rewards

If you’re a member of Bilt Rewards, you can transfer Bilt Points to Atmos Rewards at a 1:1 ratio. However, Bilt points transfers are not eligible for Atmos status points.

Plus, if you hold the Atmos Rewards Summit or Atmos Rewards Ascent, you can earn 3 Atmos Rewards points for every dollar spent on eligible rent when paying through Bilt, on up to $50,000 per calendar year (terms apply).

Related: Alaska Airlines is sticking with Bilt — but don’t expect more Atmos Rewards transfer partners anytime soon

Transfer from Marriott Bonvoy

Marriott Bonvoy allows members to transfer points to Alaska Airlines at a 3:1 ratio, plus 5,000 bonus miles for every 60,000 points you transfer.

While the 3:1 ratio may cause you to lose some value, there are situations where it could make sense to convert Marriott points to airline miles.

Pool Atmos Rewards points with family and friends

Finally, you can transfer Atmos Rewards points to friends and family members — but the program charges $10 per 1,000 points transferred. That fee may be worth it if you just need a few thousand more points for a big redemption, but it could add up fast for larger transfers.

If pooling points with family and friends is important to you, you might want to consider applying for the Atmos Rewards Summit card. One major perk of this card is the ability to transfer points at no additional cost back and forth with up to 10 Atmos Rewards members. That’s great news for families and friend groups who’d like to pool their resources toward a flight.

Earn business rewards with EasyBiz

Alaska currently offers a business rewards program called EasyBiz, which allows businesses to earn Atmos Rewards points on employee travel (on top of what employees earn on their personal loyalty accounts). If you had an EasyBiz and/or Hawaiian Airlines Corporate Travel account before the launch of Atmos Rewards, your miles are now Atmos Rewards points.

With EasyBiz, companies can earn 1 Atmos Rewards point per dollar spent on base airfare. They can also access other features, like 24-hour reservation holds, ticket reports and travel management tools.

According to Alaska’s site, Atmos for Business will soon replace EasyBiz, though it’s unclear if or how the program will change during the rebranding. Atmos for Business bookings are slated to open in September 2025, but you can log in with your EasyBiz credentials now and explore the new portal.

Earn Atmos Rewards points with travel partners

Atmos Rewards offers several ways to earn points on travel other than flying. Read on to learn how you can boost your Atmos Rewards balance on hotels, rental cars, cruises and more.

Earn points with Alaska’s hotel partners

With Alaska Vacations, the program’s hotel booking site, Atmos Rewards members can access exclusive pricing and earn 1 point per dollar spent at nearly 1 million properties worldwide. You’ll also earn 1,000 status points for every 3,000 points earned through non-air spending with Alaska Vacations.

You can also earn Atmos Rewards points when booking hotels through one of Alaska’s partners:

Earn points on car rentals and ride-hailing services

Similar to Alaska Vacations, Alaska Car Rentals lets members save up to 35% on base rates and earn bonus points on Avis and Budget car rentals as follows:

And, if you hold Atmos elite status, you can match it to Avis Preferred Plus or Avis President’s Club.

Alternatively, you can earn points on rentals booked through one of Atmos Rewards’ car partners as follows:

Related: Use these tips to never pay full price for a rental car

Book a cruise

Alaska Airlines also offers a cruise booking platform, where Atmos Rewards members can earn 1 point per dollar spent on the purchase price of their cruise (excluding taxes and fees). Plus, you’ll earn 1,000 status points for every 3,000 points earned through non-air spending with Alaska Airlines Cruises.

Related: I booked a sailing through American Airlines Cruises — was it worth it?

Earn Atmos Rewards points with other partners

Travel bookings aren’t the only way to rack up more Atmos Rewards points. You can earn points on everyday purchases, like shopping and dining with Atmos Rewards’ other partners.

These points are in addition to what you’ll earn with the card you use to pay, so be sure to choose the right card — for example, one of the top dining cards or best cards for online shopping.

Atmos Rewards Shopping

Alaska Airlines’ shopping portal, recently rechristened Atmos Rewards Shopping, allows members to earn points online at over 1,100 retailers when they click through the portal to the merchant’s site. Or, install the Atmos Rewards Shopping button on your desktop browser to get alerts for points-earning opportunities at your favorite stores.

There are also in-store offers that you can link to your credit card to earn extra points while shopping in person.

Atmos Rewards Dining

When you set up an Atmos Rewards Dining account and add a credit card, you’ll automatically get points when you dine at participating restaurants and pay with that card.

You’ll earn up to 5 points per dollar spent on your total bill, including taxes and tip, depending on your membership status. Basic members earn just 1 point per 2 dollars spent. If you sign up for email alerts, you’ll become a Select member and earn 3 points per dollar spent. After dining 11 times in 12 months, you’ll reach VIP status and earn the maximum 5 points per dollar spent.

You may be able to earn additional points by leaving reviews for restaurants or participating in promotions. For example, at the time of writing, you can earn 500 bonus points when you join Atmos Rewards Dining and spend $30 on eating out in the first 30 days.

Related: Can you earn rewards with a dining rewards program and a credit card at the same time?

Other partners

Atmos Rewards partners with several other companies to award points on your everyday purchases, as well as certain other activities like filling out surveys. These include:

• 1-800-flowers.com
• Teleflora
• The Opinion Terminal
• Carrs-Safeway
• E-Rewards
• Diners Club International
• Greenlight
• GCI
• Harry & David
• Laithwaites
• Rate

Even better, many of these are eligible for status points. Learn more about earning points at Alaska’s “Everyday partners” page.

Buy Alaska miles

If you need more Atmos Rewards points, the program lets you buy them — for an eye-popping 3.5 cents each. Considering we only value Atmos Rewards points at 1.5 cents apiece per our September 2025 estimates, that’s not a great deal.

However, if you just need a handful of points to reach your next redemption, purchasing them could make sense — especially if you can take advantage of a promotion on buying points.

Bottom line

There are many ways to earn Atmos Rewards points (and elite status) aside from flying. You can also earn points with other travel, credit card spending, shopping, dining and more. This means you don’t have to be a devoted Alaska Airlines flyer or high spender to earn enough points for an excellent redemption, like flying business class to Japan.

One of the highlights of the Atmos Rewards program is the ability to choose how you earn points on flights, starting in 2026. So, consider your travel plans and choose the points-earning path that makes the most sense.