Atmos Rewards Ascent Visa Signature

The short answer

The Atmos Rewards Ascent card from Bank of America is the airline rewards card for Alaska Airlines and Hawaiian Airlines, with a $95 annual fee. Its companion fare lets you add a companion to an eligible paid ticket for a base fare of $99, plus taxes and fees. The certificate has to be earned with spending first, so it is a benefit to plan around, not one you can use the day you apply.

In Julia's example, two round-trip Alaska tickets at $450 each cost $600 with the companion fare instead of $900. After the fee and the rewards she gives up to qualify, she is $184 ahead on that trip. If an equally convenient flight on another airline cost $350 per person, she would finish $12 behind, though nothing about the certificate had changed.

The Studio's verdict on fit is "An eligible paid companion trip on Alaska and useful family checked bags." The card suits less well a household without an Alaska or Hawaiian trip already planned. The Wallet Score is 59 out of 100.

What it costs

The annual fee is $95, and the Studio's rate card lists no membership cost. For the current new-account terms, the annual certificate requires $6,000 in purchases during the preceding card anniversary year.

That spending has a cost. If the $6,000 were ordinary purchases earning 1 point per dollar, they would earn 6,000 points, worth $90 at Julia's value. A no-fee 2% card would have returned $120, so she gives up $30 in rewards to earn the certificate.

Julia compares the trip with a no-fee 2% card paying for the same flights, and with the fare on any other airline that suits the trip.

What it earns

• 3 points per dollar on eligible direct Alaska and Hawaiian purchases.
• 2 points per dollar in eligible gas, EV charging, cable, streaming and local transit categories.
• 1 point per dollar on other purchases.
• A 10% points bonus with a qualifying Bank of America relationship.
• 1 status point per $3 in net purchases, which helps toward airline status but is not a point you can redeem for a flight.

Julia values a point at 1.5 cents in her examples. The Studio's rate card uses 1.2 cents, so see the last section before relying on those totals.

The credits, used honestly

• Companion fare: an eligible paid ticket plus a companion at a base fare of $99. Taxes and fees on the companion ticket start at $23, so Julia uses the amount shown for her itinerary. Both tickets must be bought with the primary cardholder's Ascent card.
• First checked bag: it can cover a cardholder and up to 6 guests on the same reservation, if the flight is marketed by Alaska or Hawaiian and operated by Alaska, Hawaiian, Horizon Air or SkyWest.
• Preferred boarding: similar payment and flight requirements apply, and your Atmos number needs to be on the reservation.
• Lounge: $100 off an eligible annual Alaska Lounge+ membership. That still leaves a membership to buy, so it is not included lounge access.

The companion fare works on eligible Saver or Main Cabin travel within North America on Alaska or Hawaiian. You travel together on the same itinerary and book both tickets together at alaskaair.com. It is for paid travel, so it cannot be combined with an award ticket or paid for with points, and multiple stopovers are not allowed. The code must be redeemed within 12 months of issue, though travel can happen later if the ticket is already issued. It does not remove the restrictions of the fare you choose, so Julia compares Main Cabin with Saver before taking the cheapest qualifying fare.

For bags, Julia counts only those she would actually check and otherwise pay for. A partner airline on the booking does not automatically qualify, and if the fare or status already includes the bag, the saving does not count twice. In her carry-on getaway she counts no baggage savings.

The catch

The companion price is only half the comparison. Julia compares departure times, connections and cancellation rules, and a small saving would not persuade her to accept an inconvenient connection. She also compares the points earned from taking each flight, which her figures do not include. The Studio's limitation puts it this way: "No Bank of America relationship bonus is assumed. The companion itinerary still needs to beat other airlines on price."

The bank bonus depends on your accounts. Julia checks her eligibility before including it and compares the result with the cards she already has. If opening a bank account meant fees or giving up interest elsewhere, she would compare those costs with the gain.

A welcome offer could improve the first year, but she judges renewal on the benefits she would use again.

Who it fits

The card fits a household for whom travelling together on Alaska or Hawaiian is already planned, with qualifying spending it can comfortably pay off, a certificate it can use and an itinerary that holds up against the alternatives. The companion fare helps when it replaces an eligible trip already planned.

It fits less well a household that cannot find a good companion booking or would choose a pricier flight just to use the discount. Julia would revisit the card's value before renewal rather than count the certificate at its maximum saving.

The score of 59 weighs value after costs across 3 household budgets, then reward freedom, the routine involved and 2 specific protections. The test needs the spending threshold, a usable reservation and payment of the companion fare and taxes, and it also covers a year when the certificate goes unused. No unverified protection earns points.

The arithmetic

Two people want the same round-trip Alaska flight at $450 each, including taxes. With the certificate, Julia's ticket stays $450 and her partner's costs $150: the $99 fare plus $51 in taxes and fees. Together they pay $600 instead of $900.

• Rewards: $600 on the Ascent card earns 1,800 points at 3 per dollar, worth $27 at 1.5 cents. The booking is $573 after rewards.
• Alternative: paying $900 on a 2% card returns $18, for a net cost of $882. The companion booking is $309 ahead.
• Qualifying and fee: subtract the $95 fee and the $30 given up on the $6,000 of spending, and the trip is $184 ahead.
• Another airline: at $350 per person the alternative is $700, or $686 with 2% cash back. The companion booking's advantage shrinks to $113, and after the fee and the $30 it is $12 behind.
• Bank bonus: 600 extra points on the $6,000 and 180 on the $600 booking, at 1.5 cents, add $11.70.

Before you apply

On the issuer's page today, check the $95 fee, the spending needed for the companion certificate, the booking rules, the bag and boarding terms, and your eligibility for any welcome offer. Then price your next trip both ways: with the companion fare, and with the flight you would otherwise book.

The Studio's record, checked on October 6, 2026, values a point at 1.2 cents, below the 1.5 cents in the video, so the points-based totals are smaller at the Studio's value. The rate card also carries the companion fare at $478, the largest of the $178 and $478 its household tests use, and flags it for review. The video's example pays $600 for two tickets that would otherwise cost $900, so confirm the current terms.

The figures in this article were verified on October 6, 2026.