Link: Learn more about the Atmos™ Rewards Visa Signature® Business Card
The Atmos™ Rewards Visa Signature® Business Card is the business credit card of Atmos Rewards, which is the loyalty program of Alaska Airlines and Hawaiian Airlines. The card is issued by Bank of America, and is a rebranding of the former Alaska Airlines Visa Business Card.
There are many reasons to consider picking up this card, especially if you fly Alaska or Hawaiian with any frequency. In this post, I’d like to take an in-depth look at the card’s value proposition, for anyone who may be considering applying.
Atmos Business Card welcome bonus & fee basics
The Atmos Rewards Business Card is the only business card in the Atmos Rewards ecosystem. To start, let’s cover the welcome bonus, annual fee, eligibility rules, and more.
Welcome bonus of 70K points & $99 companion fare
The Atmos Rewards Business Card is offering a two-part welcome bonus. After spending $4,000 within the first 90 days, you can earn:
- 70,000 Atmos Rewards bonus points
- A $99 companion fare (plus taxes and fees from $23), valid for flights within North America (plus Hawaii) on Alaska and Hawaiian
I value Atmos Rewards points at 1.5 cents each, given the great uses of these rewards. That means the 70,000 points are worth $1,050 for me. That doesn’t even account for the value of the companion fare, which could save you hundreds of dollars.
Atmos Rewards credit card eligibility rules
The Atmos Rewards Business Card is issued by Bank of America. The good news is that eligibility for this card is unrelated to having any other Atmos Rewards card, so you’re eligible for this card (including the bonus) if you have the Atmos™ Rewards Ascent Visa Signature® credit card (review) or Atmos™ Rewards Summit Visa Infinite® Credit Card (review).
Let me emphasize that you are eligible for this product if you have any of the previously issued personal or business HawaiianMiles Barclays cards, or any of the previously issued personal Alaska Mileage Plan cards.
Beyond that, Bank of America doesn’t have many consistent restrictions when it comes to getting approved for business cards. While Bank of America has the 2/3/4 rule and 3/12 rules, those apply to personal cards, and not business cards.
Anecdotally, it appears that lots of people are getting instant approvals on this card, more so than with most other business credit cards, and more than on the personal version of the card. Applying for this card won’t count as a further card toward Chase’s 5/24 limit, in case that’s a limit you’re trying to stay under.
I should also mention the following restriction in the terms:
I also understand that I may be declined for additional credit card accounts if my business entity currently has, or has had, another business card with Bank of America in the preceding 24 month period.
On the surface, this suggests you may be declined for a Bank of America business card if you have another Bank of America business card. However, anecdotally, this doesn’t appear to be enforced much. I think the term “may” is the key here (which is different than “will”).
$70 company annual fee & $25 per person annual fee
The Atmos Rewards Business Card has a $70 annual fee for the company, and then a $25 annual fee per card. In other words, if you open an account for one person, you’ll pay a $95 annual fee, with two people you’d pay $120, etc.
Atmos Business Card rewards structure
The Atmos Rewards Business Card has bonus categories that can help you rack up points faster. Furthermore, spending on the card can help you earn Atmos Rewards elite status, as well as a $99 Companion Fare. Let’s talk about how rewarding spending on the card can be.
3x points with Alaska & Hawaiian purchases
The Atmos Rewards Business Card offers 3x points on Alaska and Hawaiian flight purchases. So if you fly either of those Alaska Air Group carriers with any frequency, that’s a solid return on that spending.
2x points for spending in select categories
The Atmos Rewards Business Card offers 2x points in a variety of categories, including on eligible gas, EV charging stations, shipping, and local transit purchases (including rideshare). It’s always nice to earn bonus points, though in fairness, 2x points isn’t exactly the biggest return on spending that we’ve seen.
1x points on all other eligible purchases
The Atmos Rewards Business Card offers 1x points on all other eligible spending. As you might expect, there are more exciting cards for everyday spending, as independently, that’s not a terribly exciting return.
Earn status points with spending (1x points per $3)
The Atmos Rewards Business Card can help you earn elite status in the Atmos Rewards program. Specifically, the card offers one status point for every $3 in eligible spending. There’s no cap on how many status points you can earn with the card.
If you are serious about earning status with spending, I’d recommend instead considering the Atmos™ Rewards Summit Visa Infinite® Credit Card (review), which offers one status point for every $2 in eligible spending.
Earn annual $99 companion fare with spending
In addition to the companion fare offered as part of the welcome bonus, the Atmos Rewards Business Card offers a $99 companion fare when you spend $6,000 per anniversary year on the card.
The companion certificate is one of the most valuable airline credit card companion ticket for revenue travel, in my opinion. You’ll pay $99 plus taxes and fees (which start at $23), so you’re looking at paying $122+ for your companion.
What makes this companion fare so exceptional is that it’s valid on all Alaska and Hawaiian economy fares within North America (plus Hawaii), you can use it for one-ways or roundtrips, the companion even earns points and is eligible for upgrades, etc. So whether you want to go to Hawaii or Mexico, it gives you a lot of flexibility.
Bank of America 10% relationship bonus
The Atmos Rewards Business Card also offers a Bank of America relationship bonus. If you have an eligible small business Bank of America checking or savings account, you’ll receive a bonus equal to 10% of the points you earn on each dollar spent.
This is a way to earn even more rewards, as you’d earn 3.3x points on Alaska and Hawaiian purchases, 2.2x points on the other purchases eligible for bonus categories, and 1.1x points on everyday spending.
No foreign transaction fees
The Atmos Rewards Business Card has no foreign transaction fees, so it’s a decent card to use for purchases abroad, since you can rack up rewards without paying a fee.
Atmos Business Card benefits & perks
The Atmos Rewards Business Card offers a variety of perks, which can potentially more than justify the annual fee year after year. These perks are the main reason you want to consider picking up this card, in addition to the great welcome bonus. In no particular order, let’s go over the main benefits.
First checked bag free on Alaska & Hawaiian flights
The Atmos Rewards Business Card offers a free checked bag for you and up to six guests on the same reservation when flying on Alaska or Hawaiian. In order to be eligible for this perk, you need to charge the cost of the ticket to your card. Another great thing is that authorized users on the card can also receive this benefit, as long as their ticket is purchased with the card.
This is a great benefit that could save you a lot of money — Alaska and Hawaiian ordinarily charge $35-40 per checked bag, so that’s a savings of up to $80 per person roundtrip, if checking bags. If you fly Alaska or Hawaiian fairly often but don’t have elite status, that alone could quickly more than justify the annual fee.
Preferred boarding on Alaska flights
The Atmos Rewards Business Card offers preferred boarding for you and up to six guests on the same reservation. In order to be eligible for this perk, you need to charge the cost of the ticket to your card. Another great thing is that authorized users on the card can also receive this benefit, as long as their ticket is purchased with the card.
This is a valuable benefit that help you ensure that there’s space in the overhead bin for your bags. It’s also an awesome authorized user perk, so that you can share this benefit with family members.
20% inflight savings on Alaska & Hawaiian flights
The Atmos Rewards Business Card offers 20% back on Alaska and Hawaiian inflight purchases when paying with your card. This applies for the purchase of food, beverages, and Wi-Fi onboard flights, and the statement credit should post to your account within seven days. There’s no limit to how often you can take advantage of this.
$100 Alaska Lounge+ membership discount
If you’re looking to get an Alaska Lounge membership, the Atmos Rewards Business Card offers $100 off an Alaska Lounge+ annual membership when you pay for the purchase with your card. An Alaska Lounge+ membership ordinarily costs $795 annually, and offers access to all Alaska Lounges, plus nearly 100 partner lounges around the world (including American Admirals Clubs).
Being able to get this lounge discount could prove to be a good value.
Is the Atmos Rewards Business Card worth it?
The Atmos Rewards Business Card is the only business card in the Atmos Rewards ecosystem, so how valuable is this product? A few thoughts…
First of all, I think there’s a lot of merit to picking up this card for the excellent welcome bonus, which includes a lot of points and a $99 companion fare.
Bank of America business cards are generally quite easy to get approved for, and many people are even eligible if they’ve had this card in the past. Given the value of the Atmos Rewards ecosystem, there’s no reason not to pick up this card, if eligible.
What about the long term value proposition of the card, though? If you fly Alaska or Hawaiian with any frequency and don’t have elite status, the basic perks add up, including a first checked bag free, preferred boarding, and more.
Beyond that, I think there’s merit to putting $6,000 of spending per year on the card, so that you can pick up the $99 companion fare, which is super valuable. However, I’d say there’s also merit to picking up one (or both) of the personal Atmos Rewards cards…
How do the other Atmos Rewards cards compare?
If the Atmos Rewards Business Card sounds interesting but you’re not eligible for a business card, there’s good news. The $95 annual fee Atmos™ Rewards Ascent Visa Signature® credit card (review) is the personal version of this card, and is incredibly compelling.
You could even pick up both the personal and business card, to really maximize the points and companion certificates that you can earn, you could earn two companion fares per year, etc.
However, I’d argue that the $395 annual fee Atmos™ Rewards Summit Visa Infinite® Credit Card (review) is really the new star of the show. Yes, the card has a higher annual fee, but it has so many great perks. Among other things, it racks up status points at the fastest rate, allows you to earn Global Companion Awards, enables free points sharing, provides waived partner award booking fees, awards 3x points on foreign purchases, and much more.
Bottom line
The Atmos Rewards Business Card is an excellent business credit card that offers a great welcome bonus and strong perks. The initial bonus of 70,000 Atmos Rewards points plus a companion fare will come in handy for cardmembers, and is more than enough reason to get the card.
Also keep in mind that anecdotally this card is pretty easy to get approved for, and the eligibility restrictions aren’t particularly strict. On top of that, savings on checked bags and inflight purchases will add up over time.
If you don’t yet have this card and are eligible, I’d highly recommend applying. This is a card that many people don’t have, yet which offers lots of value and a great bonus.
If you want to learn more about or apply for the Atmos Rewards Business Card, follow this link.