It has been quite the day when it comes to announcements from Alaska Airlines, including related to the Atmos Rewards program. We’ve learned about when Atmos Rewards will introduce its new points earning structure, and we’ve also learned about the new Atmos Rewards Communities concept.
Here’s my last Atmos Rewards update of the day — it sounds like the program will be partnering with more transferable points currencies, and on top of that, we’ll see Bank of America launch a transferable points currency! Let’s cover what we know so far…
Atmos Rewards expanding points transfer options
Atmos Rewards has revealed that in 2027, it’ll partner with more transferable points currencies:
In 2027, Alaska also plans to deepen its Bank of America relationship by enabling customers with eligible Bank of America card products to transfer points into Atmos Rewards. The new capability will give Bank of America cardholders another path into Atmos Rewards while creating an additional revenue opportunity for Alaska through the sale of points. Over time, Atmos Rewards also plans to add points-transfer opportunities with other select global financial institutions, creating incremental revenue while building the program’s global relevance.
The first big key detail here is that Bank of America will introduce points transfers to Atmos Rewards. While Atmos Rewards co-branded credit cards are already issued by Bank of America, this is an interesting development, as Atmos Rewards doesn’t currently have a transferable points currency.
So we can only speculate as to what this arrangement will look like, but it’s always exciting to see more options in the market. Will points transfers be added to some existing cards, as an alternative to earning cash back? Or will we see a new dedicated points card introduced?
Also interesting is that Atmos Rewards will partner with more points currencies. Currently, Atmos Rewards only partners with Bilt Rewards (well, and Marriott Bonvoy), and has clearly intentionally stayed away from partnering with other programs. It sounds like that will be changing, so let’s see just how widespread transfers get.
Will Atmos Rewards go as extreme as Air France-KLM Flying Blue and Virgin Atlantic Flying Club, in terms of partnering with virtually everyone? Or what will that selection process look like?
Are more Atmos Rewards points transfers good or bad?
I suspect people will be of two minds when it comes to Atmos Rewards partnering with more transferable points currencies.
Some people will likely view this as a positive, and be excited to have more opportunities to earn valuable Atmos Rewards points. Others will likely view this as a negative, in terms of “opening the floodgates,” and may wonder to what extent Atmos Rewards is committed to preserving the value of points.
What’s my take? Well, there’s no denying that increased “funnels” into efficiently earning American AAdvantage miles and Alaska Atmos Rewards points does increase competition for the oneworld awards that are available (keep in mind that Citi ThankYou added American AAdvantage as a transfer partner last year).
At the same time, I do believe Alaska management is committed to keeping the program attractive. I think it’s important to remember that the biggest challenge Atmos Rewards members face isn’t necessarily what partner award pricing is like (though it’s mostly very attractive), but instead, how much award space partner airlines actually make available to their non-native program.
One of the biggest trends impacting points collectors has been how airlines increasingly restrict award space to partner programs, and that’s something that I anticipate will only continue to get worse. That’s the real factor limiting the value of Atmos Rewards points, as I see it.
Bottom line
Atmos Rewards has announced that in 2027, it’ll start to partner with more transferable points currencies. That reportedly includes Bank of America, which doesn’t currently have a transferable points currency, so that’s pretty cool, at least. As of now there are more questions than answers, but Atmos Rewards is definitely trying to go more mainstream.
What do you make of Atmos Rewards planning more points transfer options?
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