Card benefits change often, and this page may be out of date by the time you read it. Always check the bank’s page and your card’s guide to benefits for the current terms before you rely on a benefit.
The Atmos Rewards Ascent Visa Signature is the $95 Alaska Airlines card from Bank of America (Atmos Rewards is what Alaska Mileage Plan became after the Hawaiian merger). It earns 3x on Alaska and Hawaiian, 2x on gas, EV charging, cable, streaming and local transit, and comes with a free checked bag for you and up to 6 others on the same reservation and Alaska’s Famous Companion Fare.
The companion fare is the reason most people keep it, but it now takes $6,000 a year of spending to earn and it comes with a list of rules. Below is how the card earns, exactly what the companion fare covers and doesn’t, what’s (not) included in insurance, the offer code trick, and my verdict.
Alaska Atmos Ascent at a glance
- Annual fee: $95
- Current public offer: 75,000 points plus a $99 companion fare (plus taxes and fees from $23) after $3,000 in purchases in the first 90 days; enter any six-digit number in the promo code field on the application to see it (the bank’s page shows 50,000 points after $1,500 without the code) (as of October 14, 2026, per Frequent Miler)
- Is it the best ever?: No. It was 85,000 points plus the companion fare (after $4,000 in 120 days) until August 2026, and 80,000 points plus the companion fare with a 50% discount code until May 2026.
- Foreign transaction fee: None
- Best for: West Coast and Hawaii flyers on Alaska or Hawaiian who’ll put $6,000 a year on the card to earn the companion fare, or who check bags for the family.
- Skip it if: You rarely fly Alaska or Hawaiian, or you’d never spend $6,000 a year on this card. You can get Atmos points through Bilt without a card that earns 1x on most spending.
- Bank’s page: Atmos Rewards Ascent on bankofamerica.com
Jump to: Highlights · Earning · Companion fare · Perks · Insurance · Application rules · My take · The catch · Keep it? · Offer history · Quick Answers
The highlights
- 3x Alaska and Hawaiian purchases; 2x gas, EV charging, cable, streaming and local transit (including rideshare); 1x elsewhere; 10% more with a Bank of America account
- Famous Companion Fare each anniversary: a second Saver or Main Cabin seat for $99 plus taxes and fees (from $23), only after $6,000 in purchases in the prior anniversary year
- Free first checked bag and preferred boarding for you and up to 6 guests on the same reservation when you pay with the card
- 1 status point per $3 spent toward Atmos elite status
- 20% back on inflight food, drinks and Wi-Fi; $100 off an Alaska Lounge+ membership
- No blackout dates on Alaska and Hawaiian award or companion fare bookings
- No travel insurance listed by Bank of America; no foreign transaction fees
How it earns
| Category | Rate | Caps and fine print |
|---|---|---|
| Alaska Airlines and Hawaiian Airlines purchases | 3x | No cap. Tickets, flight subscriptions, inflight and lounge purchases, vacation packages booked directly with Alaska or Hawaiian; third-party bookings don’t count. |
| Gas, EV charging, cable, streaming and local transit (including rideshare, trains, tolls) | 2x | No cap. |
| Everything else | 1x | No cap. |
| Status points | 1 per $3 | Count toward Atmos elite status only. |
A 10% bonus applies to all points earned on purchases if you have any open Bank of America checking or savings account or Merrill investment account (a $0-plus average balance qualifies). Points don’t expire on active accounts and book Alaska, Hawaiian and partner flights, including Japan Airlines, Cathay Pacific, Qantas and Fiji Airways business class. Alaska announced on September 29, 2026 that eligible Bank of America points will transfer into Atmos starting in 2027 (which cards and the ratio weren’t announced); for now Bilt is the only major program that transfers to Atmos at 1:1.
Credits and how to use them
The card has no statement credits. Its main annual benefit is the companion fare, and the rules matter more than the headline.
| Credit | Amount | How often | Where / how | The catch |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Famous Companion Fare | $99 plus taxes and fees (from $23, so from $122) | Each account anniversary | Spend $6,000 on purchases in the anniversary year; the code arrives within 2 billing cycles after the anniversary | Only on Saver or Main Cabin fares (no First or Premium Class), within North America on Alaska or Hawaiian, booked on alaskaair.com with both fares on the card, no multiple stopovers, not with award tickets, and the code expires 12 months after it’s issued. |
| Welcome companion fare | Same as above | Once, with the welcome offer | Comes with the new-account bonus after the offer’s spend | Same rules, but no $6,000 requirement for this first one. |
| Alaska Lounge+ discount | $100 off | Annual membership | Buy the membership with the card | A discount, not lounge access. |
| Inflight rebate | 20% back | Every purchase | Alaska food, drinks and Wi-Fi and Hawaiian food and drinks bought onboard with the card | — |
Perks
- Free first checked bag for you (any cardholder on the reservation) and up to 6 guests on the same reservation, on flights marketed and operated by Alaska, Hawaiian, Horizon or SkyWest, when you pay with the card. At $35 or more per bag each way, a family of four saves $280 or more on one round trip.
- Preferred boarding for the same group, after elites and premium cabins.
- Atmos Rewards Dining: the card is automatically enrolled and earns an extra point per $2 at participating restaurants.
- No lounge access.
Insurance and protections
| Benefit | What the bank says |
|---|---|
| Trip delay, trip cancellation, baggage delay, lost luggage | None listed by Bank of America on the card page or in its terms. The Points Guy (September 2026) says the card has no trip cancellation, baggage or purchase protection. Upgraded Points lists Visa Signature coverages (trip delay up to $500 after 12 hours, cancellation up to $1,500, lost luggage up to $3,000), but I couldn’t confirm them, so I wouldn’t count on them. One-way and award tickets: Not applicable: no confirmed coverage. Ask the benefits line on the back of the card if you’re relying on it. |
| Auto rental collision damage waiver | Not listed by the bank; Upgraded Points says secondary |
| Fraud | $0 liability guarantee |
For a card you’d use to buy plane tickets, the lack of documented trip coverage is a real gap; put big trips on a card with published coverage.
For how this compares with other cards, see my card travel benefits comparison.
Application rules for this card
- Bank of America’s terms for this card say: “This card may not be available to you if you currently have or have had the card in the preceding 24 month period.” Doctor of Credit calls the Alaska version the strictest, because the 24 months run from when you close the card, so you can’t simply hold it and reapply.
- The rule is per card, so holding the Atmos Summit shouldn’t block the Ascent (and vice versa), and the terms say it doesn’t apply to the Atmos business card.
- The 2/3/4 rule: Bank of America approves at most 2 new cards in 2 months, 3 in 12 months and 4 in 24 months, and data points suggest a 7/12 limit on new cards from all banks if you have a Bank of America deposit account (3/12 if you don’t). Details are in my application rules guide.
The full rules for every bank are in my credit card application rules guide.
My take
A $95 fee with no credits, so the fee is the fee, and the card has to earn it with the companion fare and the free bags. One round trip with two checked bags pays for it, and the companion fare can be worth a few hundred dollars on a long flight (say, the West Coast to Hawaii or the East Coast), but only after $6,000 a year of spending on a card that earns 1x on most things.
If you’d hit $6,000 anyway on gas, streaming and Alaska tickets, it’s an easy keeper for anyone who flies Alaska or Hawaiian at least once a year. If you’d have to move spending from a 2% card to get there, the companion fare effectively costs you $60 or more in lost rewards each year.
Atmos points themselves are some of the most useful airline miles around (Japan Airlines, Cathay Pacific and Qantas business class at good rates), and Bank of America transfers are coming in 2027, but you don’t need this card to earn them.
In any case, I personally would hate to sign up at 75,000 points when 85,000 was available as recently as August 2026.
The catch
The companion fare now takes $6,000 of spending a year and only works on Saver and Main Cabin fares in North America, booked on alaskaair.com, never on awards or First Class. Saver fares can’t be changed and are the cheapest seats, so the $99 companion is worth the most on expensive Main Cabin trips.
There’s no travel insurance Bank of America will commit to on the card page, so buying flights on it means giving up the trip delay and cancellation coverage most travel cards include. Earning outside Alaska is 1x on most spending.
Keep it after year one?
The fee to me is $95, offset by one companion fare (after $6,000 of spending) or a couple of free checked bags. If you fly Alaska or Hawaiian at least once a year with someone else, it’s worth keeping. If you don’t hit $6,000 or don’t fly them, I’d cancel or ask Bank of America about a product change rather than pay $95 for free bags you won’t use.
Offer history
| Offer | Ended |
|---|---|
| 80K + companion fare after $4K in 120 days + 50% discount code (best ever) | 2026-05 |
Not in the table: 85,000 points plus the companion fare after $4,000 in 120 days, which Doctor of Credit listed until August 24, 2026.
Quick Answers
$95 a year as of October 2026, not waived the first year.
As of October 14, 2026, 75,000 points plus a $99 companion fare after $3,000 in purchases in the first 90 days, shown when you enter any six-digit promo code on the application (Frequent Miler). Without the code the bank page shows 50,000 points after $1,500.
Spend $6,000 on purchases in each anniversary year. The code arrives within two billing cycles after your anniversary, is valid for 12 months, and costs $99 plus taxes and fees from $23.
No. It only works with a paid Saver or Main Cabin fare on the same itinerary, within North America, booked on alaskaair.com and paid with the card.
Not yet. Alaska announced on September 29, 2026 that eligible Bank of America points will transfer to Atmos starting in 2027, without naming the cards or the ratio.
Last checked: October 14, 2026. Card terms change often, so confirm on the bank’s page before you apply. There are no affiliate or referral links on this site, ever; links go to the bank’s own page.