It’s a fascinating time for loyalty at Alaska Air Group. We’ve recently seen Alaska Airlines and Hawaiian Airlines merge, though two separate brands will be maintained in the long run. We’ve also seen the airline group introduce a new loyalty program, known as Atmos Rewards (which replaces the former Mileage Plan program).
In this post, I’d like to take an in-depth look at elite status with the Atmos Rewards program, as there’s a lot that makes it special. In particular, I love how Atmos Rewards is the only major US frequent flyer program that still lets members earn points based on how far they fly rather than how much they spend.
Even if you’re not an Alaska or Hawaiian loyalist, there’s potentially lots of merit to engaging in Atmos Rewards, especially if you frequently redeem points, fly on oneworld partner airlines, spend on credit cards, etc.
In this post:
How to earn Alaska Atmos Rewards elite status
Qualifying for Alaska Atmos Rewards elite status is based on how many status points you can rack up in a calendar year. So you can earn status without flying a minimum number of segments, without actually flying Alaska or Hawaiian, etc.
Here are the requirements for the four Atmos Rewards elite tiers for 2026, from the lowest to the highest tier:
- Silver status requires 20,000 status points
- Gold status requires 40,000 status points
- Platinum status requires 80,000 status points
- Titanium status requires 135,000 status points
You can earn Atmos Rewards status points not just for flights on Alaska, but also for travel on dozens of airline partners, ranging from oneworld airlines, to carriers like Condor, Icelandair, Porter, etc. Note that status points earning rates differ based on whether you book through Alaska or Hawaiian, or directly through the partner airline (they’re typically better when booking through Alaska or Hawaiian).
But I’d argue that what makes Atmos Rewards unique is the opportunity to earn status beyond that. For one, Atmos Rewards awards status points for award flights booked through the program. You earn one status point per flown mile on an award, regardless of the cabin you’re traveling in. That’s pretty awesome, and makes this a really compelling program for those who redeem lots of points (like I do, for travel on American).
On top of that, Atmos Rewards awards status points for credit card spending, on three excellent co-branded credit cards, all with no caps on how many status points you can earn:
- The Atmos™ Rewards Ascent Visa Signature® credit card (review) and Atmos™ Rewards Visa Signature® Business Card (review) offer one status point per $3 spent
- The Atmos™ Rewards Summit Visa Infinite® Credit Card (review) offers one status point per $2 spent
If you’re going to spend a lot to earn status points, you’ll obviously want to use the Atmos Rewards Summit Card. This is one of the all-around most compelling airline credit cards, as it also offers plenty of other useful perks, like free points sharing, waived partner award booking fees, 3x points on foreign purchases, the ability to earn Global Companion Awards, and more.
Lastly, note that Alaska Atmos Rewards has a million miler program and also a status match challenge, which can earn you various elite tiers.
Alaska Atmos Rewards elite status benefits & perks
Alaska Atmos Rewards’ four elite tiers come with a variety of perks, ranging from bonus points, to complimentary upgrades, and much more. As you’d expect, your luck with using these perks will vary based on your elite tier, especially for those benefits that are offered on a space available basis.
Let’s go over the details of each of the perks offered across elite tiers, roughly in the order that I value them.
Complimentary first & business class upgrades
All Atmos Rewards elite members are eligible for unlimited complimentary space available upgrades within North America on Alaska and Hawaiian flights, for themselves and one companion on the same reservation. Upgrades start clearing at a certain window, which varies based on your elite tier. For Alaska flights, this window is as follows (for Hawaiian flights, upgrades are currently offered only on the day of departure, but that should soon change):
- Titanium members clear upgrades starting 120 hours before departure
- Platinum members clear upgrades starting 120 hours before departure
- Gold members clear upgrades starting 72 hours before departure
- Silver members clear upgrades starting 48 hours before departure
Let me emphasize that just because first class seats are still available for sale at the upgrade window doesn’t mean the upgrades will immediately clear (more often than not, they won’t).
Within each elite tier, the tie-breaker to scoring an upgrade is whether you’re a million miler member, whether you have the Atmos Rewards Summit Card, the status points you’ve earned this year and last year, and when you booked (in that order).
The only other restriction is that if you’re traveling on a Saver fare, you’re only eligible for a same-day upgrade, and will be notified of whether you’ve cleared within two hours of departure.
How often should you expect upgrades to clear? Well, it really depends on your status and the market. Upgrades are no doubt becoming much tougher as time goes on, as airlines get better at monetizing their premium cabins. You’re definitely going to have much better luck traveling during off peak periods, and the higher your status, the better your chances of clearing.
One last thing worth mentioning is that starting in the spring of 2026 (we don’t have an exact date), Titanium members will exclusively be eligible for upgrades on global flights on Alaska and Hawaiian outside of North America. This will also be valid for a companion, and upgrades will clear on the day of departure. That’s an unrivaled perk that we’ve never seen before from a US frequent flyer program.
Complimentary Premium Class seating
All Atmos Rewards elite members are eligible for unlimited complimentary space available upgrades to Premium Class, which is Alaska’s extra legroom economy seating, typically in the front of the economy cabin and at exit rows, and it generally offers several extra inches of legroom. Furthermore, Premium Class offers complimentary alcoholic drinks, including beer, wine, and cocktails.
How early you get access to these seats depends on your status, and the type of fare you book. Assuming you’re eligible for complimentary Premium Class seating, that applies to the member plus one companion on the same reservation, as follows:
- Titanium and Platinum members can select Premium Class at the time of booking, except on Saver fares
- Gold members can select Premium Class at the time of booking, assuming they’re booked in one of the following fare classes: Y, B, H, K, M, L, V, S or N
- Silver members can select Premium Class at the time of booking, assuming they’re booked in one of the following fare classes: Y, B, or H
For Gold and Silver members, Premium Class upgrades are otherwise available 72 hours and 48 hours before departure, respectively. The only other restriction is that if you’re traveling on a Saver fare, you’re only eligible for a same-day upgrade, and will be notified of whether you’ve cleared within two hours of departure (this applies to all elite tiers).
oneworld Emerald, Sapphire, or Ruby status
Alaska Airlines belongs to the oneworld alliance, and this means that Atmos Rewards elite status also comes with corresponding alliance-wide perks:
- Atmos Rewards Silver status offers oneworld Ruby status
- Atmos Rewards Gold status offers oneworld Sapphire status
- Atmos Rewards Platinum status offers oneworld Emerald status
- Atmos Rewards Titanium status offers oneworld Emerald status
As I view it, it’s the two highest oneworld elite tiers where the value really starts to become apparent.
Atmos Rewards Gold offers oneworld Sapphire status, which is a pretty valuable alliance-wide status. This offers various benefits when traveling on any of the over dozen oneworld airlines, including priority check-in, priority boarding, and more.
As a oneworld Sapphire member you’ll also get access to most oneworld business class lounges when traveling on long haul international flights. This includes everything from American Flagship Lounges, to the Greenwich Lounge New York (JFK), to the oneworld Lounge Los Angeles (LAX). It’s a real treat to be able to visit many of these lounges when traveling internationally.
Meanwhile Atmos Rewards Platinum and Titanium offers oneworld Emerald status. Incrementally, this offers access to oneworld first class lounges, ranging from the Cathay Pacific First Lounge Hong Kong (HKG), to the Qantas First Lounge Sydney (SYD).
25-150% boost on points earning from flights
Atmos Rewards elite status offers a boost to the number of redeemable points earned, based on points accrued from flights:
- Silver status offers a 25% points boost
- Gold status offers a 50% points boost
- Platinum status offers a 100% points boost
- Titanium status offers a 150% points boost
The 150% points bonus is industry leading, and will really make points rack up really quickly. Between that and the program still awarding points based on distance flown, mileage running is still very much a thing with Alaska!
Priority check-in, security, and boarding
All Atmos Rewards elite members receive priority airport services, including:
- Priority check-in, with first class
- Priority security screening
- Priority boarding — Titanium members get boarding with first class, Platinum and Gold members get boarding with Group A, and Silver members get boarding with Group B
Generally I think priority boarding is the most valuable of those benefits. Most people check-in online, and nowadays TSA PreCheck and CLEAR will typically save you the most time at security, rather than a priority security line.
Same day flight changes and priority standby
Atmos Rewards Platinum and Titanium members can make complimentary same day flight changes to another flight in the same market. There are capacity controls to this, so don’t expect that it will always be possible, even if there are seats available.
Beyond that, all elite members receive priority standby, and the list is prioritized based on elite status.
One to three complimentary checked bags
All Atmos Rewards elite members receive a free checked bag perk, which applies to the member and any companion traveling on the same reservation. Specifically:
- Silver status offers one free checked bag
- Gold status offers two free checked bags
- Platinum status offers three free checked bags
- Titanium status offers three free checked bags
Checking bags with Alaska Airlines is pretty painless, thanks to the carrier’s 20-minute baggage guarantee. With this, you’re promised that your bag will arrive within 20 minutes of your arrival, or you can claim 2,500 bonus points or a $25 Alaska discount voucher.
Complimentary drink, meal, and/or snack, in economy
To make the travel experience a bit more pleasant when upgrades don’t clear, Atmos Rewards elite members may receive a complimentary drink, snack, and/or meal, when traveling in economy. As mentioned above, Premium Class passengers get unlimited free alcoholic drinks, so that’s not necessarily going to be an incremental benefit. So, how does this work?
- Atmos Rewards Titanium, Platinum, and Gold members, receive a complimentary premium beverage or chocolate on most flights of over 350 miles
- On flights of over 790 miles, Atmos Rewards Titanium members receive a free snack, or you can even pre-order a fresh meal for free, which could include a fruit & cheese platter, a protein platter, a sandwich, a salad, or a picnic pack
Atmos Rewards Milestone Perks benefits
In addition to the standard perks offered at each tier, Atmos Rewards also has the Milestone Perks program. This offers benefits at 11 additional thresholds, ranging from 10,000 status points to 250,000 status points. So it’s for those who under qualify and over qualify for status.
Just as an example, when passing 95,000 status points in a year, you can pick rewards like 15,000 bonus points, two upgrade certificates, and more. When passing 125,000 status points, you can choose perks like 50,000 bonus points, an Alaska Lounge+ membership, etc.
Reciprocal elite perks on American
There’s a reciprocal upgrade agreement between Alaska and American. Specifically, you can potentially be eligible for first class upgrades on American, as well as Main Cabin Extra seating. The value of this obviously depends based on how much you fly with American.
Is Alaska Atmos Rewards elite status worth pursuing?
Alaska Atmos Rewards is an incredibly compelling loyalty program, all the way from entry level status to top tier status. A few things stand out to me about the program, which I’d like to talk about briefly.
First of all, I think Atmos Rewards really strikes a sweet spot when it comes to efficiently qualifying for elite status. That’s because you can earn status through a combination of revenue flying, award flying, and credit card spending. For someone with well balanced participation in a program, that’s a pretty unbeatable combo.
Next, I’d say Atmos Rewards has some really compelling perks, especially if you can earn one of the higher tier status levels. I love the concept of unlimited complimentary global upgrades on Alaska and Hawaiian, so if you do often fly with one of those airlines, that’s a major reason to go for Titanium status. But even beyond that, the total number of points you can earn is impressive, especially with the Milestone Perks program.
Of course the value of the Atmos Rewards program will vary greatly based on the elite tier you earn. After all, that’s the case with virtually any airline loyalty program. Personally, I don’t view first class upgrades as a major motivator of going for status nowadays, given how hard upgrades have become in many markets. But yeah, a Titanium member is definitely going to see a lot more upgrades than a Silver member, for example.
Bottom line
Alaska Atmos Rewards is a robust loyalty program. Not only are the points valuable for award redemptions, but the status is pretty lucrative as well. Status can be earned pretty easily through a combination of revenue flying, award flying, and credit card spending, and the benefits are also pretty lucrative, especially given oneworld reciprocity.
It’s nice to see Alaska continuing to invest in its loyalty program, using it as a point of differentiation in an industry where competitors are increasingly all looking quite similar to one another.
If you’re an Atmos Rewards elite member, what’s your experience with the program?
One thing that people keep downplaying is how detrimental not allowing mixed carrier awards has been. Except some specific combinations in certain routes, AS does not allow mixing partners, so if you want to go to certain places that only 1 partner serves, you usually have to book 2 separate tickets and take significant risks, while spending 50%-100% more than what it should be.
Atnmos/Mileage Plan elite status has been massively watered down and miles have been significantly devlaued. Outside of short-haul AA awards, awards are outrageously priced most of the time, elite benefits goalposts have been moved much farther away, and U space has vanished. I've been puzzled by the free pass given by bloggers on the massive devaluation of this program.