A new premium card, plus a name change for the old one
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With an annual fee of $395, the new Atmos™ Rewards Summit Visa Infinite® credit card costs exactly $300 more than its little sibling, the Atmos™ Rewards Ascent Visa Signature® credit card — formerly known as the Alaska Airlines Visa Signature® credit card. Beyond that new name, the existing card’s primary reward rates and perks aren’t changing, but the new Summit card offers rewards and perks that you won’t get with the Ascent:
Rich rewards
As part of the new loyalty program, both Atmos cards will earn points, not miles, in the also-new Atmos Rewards program (more on that below). As noted, the Ascent’s rewards structure isn’t changing, but the new Summit card will earn an unlimited:
3x points on Alaska Airlines and Hawaiian Airlines purchases.
3x points on foreign purchases, including purchases made in a foreign currency.
3x points on dining, which includes restaurants, bars, fast food and catering.
1x points on all other purchases.
A pile of perks
The new Atmos™ Rewards Summit Visa Infinite® credit card will also feature a lengthy list of benefits, including most notably a new “Global Companion Award,” which will be applied as a discount on the total points price of a flight. (For example, if you have a 25,000-mile Global Companion Award and you find a 40,000-point flight, the flight would cost 15,000 points after the award is applied.) Crucially, a Global Companion Award may be redeemed for any service class on any flight in Alaska’s full network, including eligible international partners.
Here’s a fuller look at what the new card offers:
A rich welcome offer. For a limited time, new cardholders can earn 100,000 bonus points and a 25,000-point Global Companion Award by spending $6,000 or more on purchases within the first 90 days of opening the account. Redemptions start at 4,500 for a one-way ticket, so the bonus could get you at least 20 free flights.
Up to two Global Companion Awards per year. Each year, cardholders receive one Global Companion Award of 25,000 points or less. Cardholders can get another Global Companion Award of 100,000 points or less by spending $60,000 in an anniversary year.
