Welcome Bums!
Today we have a very special guest post from Slack User: Chris.
Whenever I have the fortune of catching up with Chris he’s always either telling me about a trip he just got back from, or a trip he’s going on.
What makes his situation a bit more unique is that he applies the knowledge from the Bum Substack/Slack community but is constantly researching and exploring new cards.
Chris epitomizes what it means to be a true bum. He had his first baby about a year ago, and like my daughter, his daughter has already been all over the world (on points of course).
Take it away Chris!
Bum Note: Below is Chris’s unedited guest post.
One year with the Atmos Rewards Summit Card
One year ago, I was approved for the Atmos Summit Rewards Card and when I crunched the numbers from the previous 12 months, I can confidently say it’s the best credit card I’ve ever held in my wallet from a pure earning standpoint.
The Atmos Summit card is the premium flagship credit card that was borne out of the acquisition of Hawaiian Airlines by Alaska Airlines. The previous iteration of Alaska’s loyalty program, MileagePlan, was well-known throughout the points and miles world for its lucrative partner redemptions.
Alaska was not a member of any of the big three airline alliances until 2021 so they had partnerships with individual airlines and there was once a time that you could find deals to like flying Cathay Pacific in first class from North America to Hong Kong for 70,000 miles or Emirates in their swanky A380 in business or first class code around 100,000 miles.
While some of those sweet spots are sadly a vestige of the past, the new combined loyalty program of Alaska Airlines and Hawaiian Airlines, called Atmos Rewards, is still full of sweet spots.
And since I started focusing on earning Atmos points, especially since this card entered my wallet, I’ve been able to take advantage of many of them.
First, let me lay out the value proposition for this card:
$395 annual fee
80,000 point sign-up bonus after spending $4,000 in the first 90 days after opening. Note: I earned 100,000 as an introductory offer and 5,000 more for having signed up for their wait list.
Companion certificates: You receive 25,000 points off a companion’s award redemption every year just for holding the card. Additionally, if you spend $60,000 in a card member year (the clock starts when you are approved), you receive a second 100,000 discount off a companion’s award redemption. This can have huge value, especially when looking at a business class redemption.
Elite status help: After the first year you receive 10,000 Atmos status points to help you with your status journey, if you’re chasing that. Atmos Silver, the lowest tier, only requires 20,000 points, so holding the card gets you halfway there. You also receive 1 status point for every $2 of spend, so putting $20,000 on the card would net you the other 10,000 to get you to Silver.
Lounge & Wi-Fi Access: 8 Alaska Lounge passes and 8 in-flight Wi-Fi passes annually, broken in two of each per quarter and they don’t carry over unfortunately, so if you don’t use them you lose them.
Flight Delay Credits: You receive an instant $50 voucher if an Alaska flight is delayed by 2+ hours or canceled within 24 hours of departure, even for weather (something that other airlines don’t do!).
How you earn points with the Atmos Rewards Summit Card
Earn 3x points on Alaska or Hawaiian purchases
3x on dining worldwide
3x on all foreign transactions - uncapped - with no foreign transaction fees. This one is super unique and if you like to travel (which is probably why you’re in the hobby) this is a very fruitful earning category.
10% Relationship Bonus if you also have a Bank of America checking or savings account. This bumps your earnings to 3.3x on 3x categories (everything else is 1.1x).
You can share your points with other Atmos members and also transfer your points to some hotel loyalty programs including Marriott Bonvoy.
And then some of the more standard benefits you see included on many annual fee cards, including a free checked bag; earlier boarding for you and up to six guests on the same reservation; and $120 towards TSA PreCheck or Global Entry every four years
$25 off per person on partner award fees, which helps reduce your out-of-pocket spend on award redemptions.
Here’s what I love about the card:
My organic spend earns me more points than any other card
Due to Atmos Reward’s deal with Bilt, I can earn 3x Atmos points when using my card to pay rent on their platform. While the payment is subject to a 3% transaction fee, the 3x points I earn on my rent (and the fee) is always worth more than one cent per point, so I feel I eventually come out on top. Living in a very high cost of living city, the rent payment alone earns me over 12,000 Atmos points. When you add other monthly spend, I can hit 15,000 points in a month.
Importantly, in addition to earning rewards points, all of that spend also goes towards the $60,000 threshold I need to hit in order to get the 100,000 companion discount, something I just received a couple of weeks ago. That can be worth thousands of dollars when used for a premium cabin redemption.
A meaningful boost towards airline status
While airline loyalty programs are constantly being devalued and status has become diluted, there are some concrete benefits in that arena by holding and aggressively spending on this card. Keep in mind that Alaska is in the Oneworld Alliance, of which American Airlines is a member.
With my card setup right now, I am on track to hit Atmos Gold, their second tier, which would translate to Oneworld Sapphire, a status level that would allow me to get Main Cabin Extra seating on American Airlines flights at the time of booking. On a transatlantic flight
I’m currently booked on, that would save me upwards of $90 alone. (I am a mere 151 points short of Silver status right now but will hit Gold by the end of the year). While a first class upgrade will be elusive, getting those four extra inches of legroom just because of my status is a tangible benefit.
Final thoughts:
Some (or all) of these benefits might not be worth it to you but between what feels like a windfall of points over the last 12 months and the fact I’m on track to attain meaningful airline status, this is my favorite card in my wallet.
If this card sounds like it’s a little too much, I encourage you to check out the Atmos Rewards Ascent Card, which has slightly fewer benefits (except 2x on gas, EV charging stations, rideshare, and select cable and streaming services) but only a $95 annual fee. In addition to earning 70,000 points after spending $2,500 in your first 90 days, you can also get a nearly free companion fare (buy one fare and your companion only spends $99) after spending $6,000 in a cardmember year.
Bum Conclusion
Solid writeup, and good pointing out that this card earns him more on organic spend than any other card.
Definitely worth checking out if you’re not working towards an Amex SUB.
Big thank you to Chris, and we might need a trip recap post or two from all the family vacations he’s been on!
Comments are open if you have any questions for Chris!
Good luck!
Disclaimer: None of this is to be deemed legal or financial advice of any kind.