Some of the most valuable benefits in select airline credit cards are companion certificate benefits. Companion certificates let you bring a friend or family member at a deep discount (or, in some cases, almost free) when you book a qualifying ticket.
If you are looking fly with Alaska or Hawaiian Airlinestwo Atmos Rewards Cards provide excellent companion benefits.
He Atmos™ Rewards Ascent Visa Signature® Credit Card and the Atmos™ Rewards Visa Signature® Business Card Provide companion fare benefits that can be maximized for maximum value. Here’s what you should know about this benefit.
Alaska and Hawaii Escort Rates Overview
With the Alaska and Hawaii companion rate on Atmos Rewards cards, you can bring a travel companion on an Alaska Airlines or Hawaiian Airlines flight within North America for a fixed dollar amount (plus required taxes and fees).
Currently, welcome offers for both personal and business cards include a companion rate:
- Atmos Rewards Upgrade: Earn 80,000 bonus points and a $99 companion fee (plus taxes and fees starting at $23) after you spend $4,000 or more on purchases within the first 120 days of account opening.
- Atmos Rewards Business: Earn 80,000 bonus points and a $99 companion fee (plus taxes and fees starting at $23) after you spend $5,000 or more on purchases within the first 90 days of account opening.
You can also unlock a companion rate each year you have either card after spending $6,000 or more on purchases during the previous anniversary year.
Before we continue, it’s worth noting that these two cards were previously known as the Alaska Airlines Visa Signature® Credit Card (no longer available) and the Alaska Airlines Visa® Business Card (no longer available), and their companion fares used to be for Alaska fares only. Now, since Atmos Rewards combined Alaska and Hawaii, this benefit covers flights booked with either airline.
Information for Alaska Airlines Visa Signature and Alaska Airlines Visa Business cards has been independently collected by The Points Guy. The card details on this page have not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer.
Reward your inbox with TPG’s daily newsletter
Join over 700,000 readers to receive breaking news, in-depth guides, and exclusive offers from TPG experts.
Companion fare restrictions
The benefit also comes with some additional restrictions and important items, as stated in Atmos. Companion Rates FAQ Page:
- Both the main ticket holder and companion must be booked on the same itinerary at the same time.
- Both travelers earn Atmos Rewards points on flights.
- The certificate is valid only for travel in a saver or main cabin, although tickets are eligible for upgrades.
- The companion fare must be redeemed by 11:59 pm Pacific Time on the expiration date, although travel can be made after expiration.
- You do not have to be one of the travelers to use the companion rate. However, you will have to use your Atmos card to pay for tickets.
When will you receive your Alaska and Hawaii escort rate?
As far as timing goes, the terms state that the first year’s companion fee will be credited to your account within the first two billing cycles after you qualify for the welcome bonus.
After the first year, the terms indicate that you will receive the companion code within two billing cycles after your anniversary date.
How do you use the Alaska and Hawaii escort rate?
The benefit on Atmos Rewards Upgrade or the Atmos Rewards Business This is obtained in the form of a discount code that is automatically deposited into your account.
To find it, log into your Atmos account, look for the companion discount codes and rates section on the profile home page, and see if you have a valid code.
The actual code is a series of letters and numbers. To start a search, you’ll need to press “use to book.” Then, the companion’s fare code should automatically be copied into the “Discount Code” field.
From there, enter your search criteria, click “Search for Flights,” and make sure you only have two passengers selected. If you try to book for more than that, you will receive an error message like this:
Once you’ve started your search, the results page will mark eligible itineraries with a green icon next to the price:
Find the flight you want and click “Add to Cart.” The summary page will indicate that your base fare is the regular price, but your companion fare is only $99 plus taxes and fees starting at $23.
Expect to pay at least $23 more to cover additional taxes and fees for your companion.
In the example above, the total for two passengers is $753.63. However, if the add-on rate code is removed, the price rises to $1,233.20.
In other words, on this sample round-trip itinerary from Orlando (MCO) to Seattle (SEA), the benefit saves $479.57, more than five times the personal card’s $95 annual fee.
Related: Why I’m Considering a Citi Credit Card as an Alaska Airlines Fan
A note on stopovers and open itineraries
While the companion fare applies to round-trip and one-way tickets, there were previously more flexible ways to use it. This has since changed.
Previously, TPG users could use the companion fare discount code to book open itineraries or itineraries that included stopovers at a solid discount. However, an Alaska Airlines spokesperson confirmed to TPG that multi-city and stopover travel can no longer be booked with the companion fare discount since the program’s recent “systems modernization.”
This is certainly a negative change that makes the companion rate less flexible. In the past, this had been one of the best ways to maximize the value of this benefit.
Related: Flights with Airline Stopovers: A Complete Guide to Maximizing Your Flight Itinerary
How to Maximize Your Alaska and Hawaii Escort Rate
If you’re looking to get the most value from your escort fare, consider the following.
Status Challenge
First, let’s talk about a status challenge. Atmos Rewards offers you a 90-day trial of the Atmos Rewards elite status equivalent level, which matches the Oneworld equivalent status.
If you’re a top-tier member of another loyalty program, you can even enjoy Atmos Gold (Oneworld Sapphire) or Atmos Platinum (Oneworld Emerald).
Be sure to wait until your flight is less than 90 days away to start the challenge. This way, you will enjoy the corresponding benefits on your trip and the ticket booked with the companion fare will help you meet the requirements to extend your status for the rest of the year.
Book for friends or family
Unlike most companion ticket benefits, you don’t have to be one of the travelers to use them.
One of the questions on the FAQ page is: “Who can use my companion rate code?” This is the answer:
The Atmos™ Rewards member who owns the companion rate code must be one of the travelers or the purchaser of the reservation. If the member allows two travelers to use their companion fare code, then the member’s name must match the name on the credit card used to purchase the reservation.
Open two Atmos cards in your home
If you and your spouse, partner, or partner open the card, you’ll each have your own companion tickets to use each year and you won’t even need to travel to use them.
Here are some examples of when this could work well:
- family of four: A single companion fare for a family of four would reduce the ticket price by approximately 25% in the first year. If both parents have one, the price will be cut almost in half.
- Family of three plus a friend.: If you are a family of three, you can use a second companion rate to take a trip with your child and allow them to bring a friend.
- weekend with friends: Maybe you’re planning a getaway with friends over the next year or two. By having several companion fares spread across the entire group, you can save a lot of money for the trip itself.
- Two trips as a couple: If you normally take at least two round-trip flights in Alaska or Hawaii as a couple, you can take advantage of two companion fares, where one pays for the first ticket and the other pays for the second.
Keep it simple
Lastly, you might want to consider keeping things simple. There is no need to add an open jaw or include a scale. Sometimes it makes more sense to book the flight you need and still get solid value.
Related: Why American Airlines travelers should pay attention to Alaska Airlines Atmos rewards
In a nutshell
The accompanying fare benefit in the Atmos Rewards Upgrade and the Atmos Rewards Business It is flexible and easy to use on all types of itineraries. The only real restriction is that you must book flights operated by Alaska or Hawaiian Airlines.
If you’ve never considered these cards before, hopefully you now see the benefits.
For more information, read our full reviews of the Atmos Rewards Upgrade and Atmos Rewards Business Cards.
Apply here: Atmos Rewards Ascent Visa Signature Credit Card
Apply here: Visa Signature Atmos Rewards Business Card
