| Rewards Rating: | 4.5 / 5 |
| Rewards Value: | 4.0 |
| Annual Percentage Rate: | 3.0 |
| Rewards Flexibility: | 4.0 |
| Features: | 3.0 |
| Issuer Customer Experience | 5.0 |
In a Nutshell:
A good deal for budget-conscious West Coast residents who frequently fly with the Alaska Air Group, the Atmos Rewards Ascent Visa Signature card pairs a generous sign-up bonus and valuable rewards program with one of the lowest APRs available on a travel card.
Rewards Rate
|  |
Sign-up Bonus Limited-time online offer: |  |
Annual Benefit Companion fare from $122 ($99 plus taxes and fees from $23) after you spend $6,000 or more on purchases within the prior anniversary year | |
Annual Fee $95 |  |
APR 20.24% - 28.24% Variable APR on purchases and balance transfers |  |
Chase Customer Service Ratings
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Other Notable Features: First checked bag free, discounted companion pass, no foreign transaction fees, lost luggage reimbursement, car rental insurance, concierge service, shopping discounts
Alaska Airlines and Hawaiian Airlines, both subsidiaries of Alaska Air Group, has a limited footprint and flies mostly in the Western U.S. But there is a reason why it has amassed a small army of devoted flyers. Atmos Rewards can carry you further than points from other popular programs. The major strengths of Atmos rewards are a great redemption scheme, generous routing rules, and a vast network of domestic and international partners.
The Atmos™ Rewards Ascent Visa Signature® credit card gives you an opportunity to get bonus points for things you have to do anyway, such as paying for your airline expenses. Aside from having a better-than-average earning scheme, it also offers a generous bags allowance and a companion ticket when you meet the spending requirements.
Terrific sign-up bonus
Currently, the sign-up bonus features a valuable limited-time online offer. You can earn 80,000 bonus points and a $99 Companion Fare (plus taxes and fees from $23) if you spend $4,000 in your first 120 days.
Based on the previous valuations from Bankrate, which valued previous Alaska miles at about 1.1 cents per mile, this 80,000 bonus points could be worth around $880 in travel.
Good earning scheme for an airline card
The Atmos™ Rewards Ascent Visa Signature® credit card pays you 3 points back per dollar spent on eligible Alaska Airlines and Hawaiian Airlines tickets, vacation packages and cargo purchases. That’s 50 percent higher than the average airline earning scheme rate. Most co-branded airline cards offer 2 miles per dollar for airline purchases. The card also earns 2 points per dollar in popular categories including eligible gas, EV charging station, cable, streaming service, local transit and rideshare purchases, as well as 1 points for all other purchases.
Discounted companion fare
Just like many other airlines, Alaska Airlines offers a yearly benefit of a companion fare with a paid ticket each year on your account anniversary, which cardholders will still be able to take advantage of with the Atmos Rewards Ascent Visa Signature card. You can get discounted fare for a companion starting at $122 ($99 fare plus taxes and fees from $23) after you spend $6,000 or more on purchases within the prior anniversary year. The fare is valid for any Alaska flight booked on alaskaair.com, there are no fuel surcharges and all fare brackets qualify. And the redemption is painless – you simply apply the discount code at the time you purchase the primary ticket.
Wide network of domestic and international partners
Alaska Air Group primarily serves the West Coast. However, even if you don’t live on the West Coast, you may still find Atmos rewards program valuable, thanks to Alaska airlines and Hawaiian airlines vast partner airline network. You can use Atmos rewards on American Airlines, Delta Air Lines, Cathay Pacific, Emirates, British Airways, and many other airlines. Most of these airlines do not make you pay fuel or other carrier surcharges. The award levels are usually quite reasonable, and Alaska rules allow a free stopover – even on a one-way trip. That means two stopovers per round trip – more travel for your points.
Valuable perks for frequent travelers
The Atmos Rewards card entitles the cardholder and up to six people traveling on the same reservation to one free checked bag each. On top of this valuable perk, the card comes with a slew of Visa Signature benefits, including car rental insurance, lost luggage reimbursement and concierge services.
Why get the Alaska Airlines card?
- You frequently fly on Alaska Airlines or Hawaiian Airlines.
- You want to collect Atmos rewards points to redeem on one or more eligible partner airlines.
- You’re interested in a discounted companion pass.
- You tend to fly with a big group and want to take advantage of the generous bag-checking allowance.
How to use the Alaska Airlines card:
- Book all your Alaska and Hawaiian flights and travel packages with the card to maximize earnings.
- Spend $4,000 in your first 120 days to earn the sign-up bonus.
- Try to utilize free stopovers on Alaska and partner airlines to get more bang for your points.
- Watch for fuel surcharges on Icelandair and British Airways.
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