Alaska announced a set of changes to Atmos Rewards on September 29, and the headline one is that members will pick how they earn. Enrollment opens October 1, 2026, and the choice applies to flights departing on or after January 1, 2027.
Choosing how you earn
Alaska's release says members choose between earning on distance traveled, on price paid, or on segments flown. You can change the choice once per calendar year, for future travel. Choosing is optional: current members who don't pick keep earning on distance traveled, and new members who join on or after January 1, 2027 start on price paid.
Alaska says that makes Atmos the only airline loyalty program that lets members choose how they earn points for flights. Letting a member pick the basis means a leisure flyer buying discounted long-haul economy and a consultant buying short expensive hops can both earn on the metric that suits them.
Brett Catlin, Alaska's Senior Vice President of Network, Loyalty and Partnerships, put the reasoning this way: "While many loyalty programs focus their richest rewards on a small group of travelers, we're expanding choice, flexibility and value for members across a wide range of travel styles."
Alaska's Choose How to Earn fact sheet, linked from the release, gives the rate for each: 1 point per mile flown, 5 points per dollar spent (excluding taxes and fees), or 500 points per segment flown. The choice applies to Alaska, Hawaiian and partner flights. Earning from credit cards and other partners stays as it is today.
Six communities
Alaska is expanding what it calls Atmos Communities, and lists six: Global Locals, Families on the Go, Culinary Journeys, Active Escapes, Club 49 and Huakaʻi by Hawaiian.
The release describes the benefits across them as free bags, exclusive flight deals, bonus-point challenges, partner offers and 20% off select Atmos Rewards Unlocked experiences. Families on the Go carries award-flight discounts for children. Club 49 and Huakaʻi by Hawaiian are the resident programs for Alaska and Hawaii, and Alaska says resident benefits are expanded.
Communities open on October 1, 2026, the same day as earning enrollment.
A debit card, and a card refresh
Alaska says an Atmos Rewards debit card is planned for early 2027, with pre-registration open now. It earns Atmos Rewards points and status points, carries no foreign transaction fees, and lets members pay certain account fees with points.
On the credit side, the release says a refreshed Atmos Rewards Visa Business Card from Bank of America is coming in late 2026, with 10x points on eligible purchases through Atmos Rewards for Business, lounge passes and free same-day confirmed flight changes. Alaska says full details come later this fall.
Bank of America points will transfer in
The Atmos Rewards Visa credit cards are issued by Bank of America, and the release says that in 2027 eligible Bank of America card products will be able to transfer points into Atmos Rewards. Alaska frames this as the first of a set, saying other select global financial institutions will follow over time.
Atmos already takes points from transfer partners, including Bilt and hotel programs, as our Atmos Rewards guide explains. Eligible Bank of America cards would join that list in 2027.
New partners
Alterra Mountain Company, Nordstrom and Pebble Beach Resorts are named as upcoming lifestyle partners. Alaska says they extend Atmos Rewards into mountain travel, destination resorts, food and wine, retail and lifestyle, with Atmos Unlocked as one way to reach select experiences, packages and offers through points and membership.
The dates
Alaska's release attaches a date to each piece:
- October 1, 2026: enrollment for how you earn, and the expanded Communities
- November 2, 2026: Premium Class companion benefits for Platinum and Titanium members
- Late 2026: the refreshed Business Card
- January 1, 2027: the earning choice applies to flights
- Early 2027: the debit card
- 2027: Bank of America point transfers
What to do now
If you fly Alaska or Hawaiian with any regularity, the one thing with a deadline is the earning choice. Enrollment opens October 1 and the choice governs travel from January 1, so you have the fourth quarter to look at how you actually flew this year before committing.
Look at whether your flying is long and cheap, short and expensive, or simply frequent. That's the question Alaska is asking you to answer, and you only get to answer it once a year.
Our Atmos Rewards guide covers how points and status points work today, which is the baseline these changes sit on top of.
Sources
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