Do the Alaska Global Companion Awards apply to cash bookings?

No, the Atmos Rewards Summit card’s Global Companion Awards are only for bookings made with Atmos Rewards points on the Alaska Airlines website.

Can you use a 100,000-point Alaska award for a fare that's more than 100,000 points?

Yes, you can apply the Atmos Rewards Summit card’s Global Companion Award as a discount for any award fare, whether it’s more or less than the discount amount. If you book a flight that’s more than 100,000 points, you’ll pay the difference in points. You’ll forfeit the remaining points if you book a flight for fewer than 100,000 points.

Does the Alaska companion award have to be with the cardholder?

The Atmos Rewards Summit cardholder doesn’t have to be on the itinerary to use the companion award benefit. You can use the Global Companion Award to book any 2 travelers as long as it’s with the cardholder’s Atmos Rewards account.

Atmos Rewards Summit Card — How To Use the Global Companion Awards [2026]

Updated: February 8, 2026, 4:33pm CST

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Table of Contents

How the Global Companion Awards Work
Atmos Rewards Summit Card Overview and Benefits
Final Thoughts

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The Global Companion Awards are a generous and easily overlooked benefit of the Atmos™ Rewards Summit Visa Infinite^® card.

Cardholders can get 2 companion discounts — the first as an automatic annual award for 25,000 points and another worth 100,000 points after you spend $60,000 in a cardholder year. You can use the awards for award bookings on Alaska Airlines, Hawaiian Airlines, and Oneworld member airlines.

Read this guide to see how the companion benefits work and when it makes sense to use them.

How the Global Companion Awards Work

Cardholders of the Atmos Rewards Summit card are eligible for 2 types of Global Companion Awards (GCA).

A 25,000 companion award is issued when you open your account and at every card anniversary. You can earn a 100,000 companion award after you spend $60,000 or more on your card in a single cardmember year.

The awards can be applied to any one-way or round-trip award booking with a second traveler. Depending on the award, a discount of up to 25,000 or 100,000 points applies to the second traveler’s fare.

You must book with Alaska Airlines and use Atmos Rewards points for the award. You’ll forfeit the remaining value if the fare costs less than the award value. But if the fare exceeds the award value, you can apply the award and pay the difference in points.

Awards are valid for 12 months from the date issued.

Hot Tip:

These awards are points discounts, not free companion tickets. You should still expect to pay taxes and fees for both travelers using the Atmos Rewards Summit card, as well as the difference between your award booking and the points discount.

Where To Check for Your Global Companion Awards

First, log in to Atmos Rewards. Then click your member profile (your first initial in the top right corner). Then select Rewards from the drop-down menu.

Alaska Airlines Atmos Rewards Homepage Member — Image Credit: Alaska Airlines

On the Rewards page, scroll down to the Your Rewards section and click Companion Awards.

Atmos Rewards Rewards Page Companion — Image Credit: Alaska Airlines

Who Can Use Global Companion Awards

Global Companion Awards are issued to the cardholder, but companion award travel can be booked with or without the cardholder on the itinerary. Award tickets can be booked for any 2 passengers using the companion award.

Where You Can Use Global Companion Awards

You can use Global Companion Awards for award flights on Alaska Airlines, Hawaiian Airlines, and Oneworld member airlines, including American Airlines, British Airways, and Japan Airlines.

You must redeem the award through Alaska’s website, and it will automatically apply to eligible bookings. You can only use awards for Atmos Rewards bookings; cash bookings don’t qualify.

How To Apply a Global Companion Award

Let’s say you and a friend want to fly on Hawaiian’s new route from Seattle (SEA) to Seoul (ICN). There’s a round-trip itinerary that costs 75,000 points plus $41 in taxes and fees per person.

Atmos Rewards booking Hawaiian Airlines SEA to ICN — A round-trip itinerary from SEA to ICN. Image Credit: Alaska Airlines

You could use the 25,000- or 100,000-point award for this booking, though the 100,000-point option would result in a forfeiture of some points.

If you use the 25,000-point award discount, you’ll pay 75,000 points for the first passenger and 50,000 points for the second after applying the 25,000-point discount — a total of 125,000 points for 2 tickets. The taxes and fees total would be $82 combined.

Book with the 100,000-point award discount, and you’ll pay 75,000 points for the first passenger and zero points for the second after you apply the 100,000-point discount. You’ll forfeit the remaining 25,000 points on the 100,000-point discount, but only pay 75,000 points for 2 tickets. Again, the taxes and fees would be $82 combined.

Hot Tip:

Using the 100,000-point award for bookings of at least 100,000 points is best, so you don’t waste any points. However, there’s still tremendous value in getting a companion ticket even if you don’t utilize the full 100,000-point discount.

Atmos Rewards Summit Card Overview and Benefits

Atmos™ Rewards Summit Visa Infinite^® card

U.P. Rating

The Atmos Rewards Summit card is the perfect companion for Alaska Airlines loyalists.

Atmos™ Rewards Summit Visa Infinite^® card

The Atmos Rewards Summit card is the perfect companion for Alaska Airlines loyalists.

Welcome Offer50% Flight Discount upon approval and Earn 100,000 Bonus Points after spending $6,500 or more on purchases within the first 90 days of account opening.
100,000 points + 50% Flight Discount

UP's Offer Valuation*:
$1,600

Annual Fee

$395

APR

19.49% to 27.49% Variable

Why We Like This Card

The Atmos Rewards Summit card is perfect for any frequent Alaska or Hawaiian flyer who wants a card loaded with great benefits, such as an annual Global Companion Award, Alaska Lounge passes, free checked bags, and a fast-track toward Atmos Rewards elite status.

Pros & Cons

Pros

3x points on Alaska Airlines and Hawaiian Airlines purchases
3x points on dining and foreign purchases made overseas
1x points on all other purchases

Cons

$395 annual fee
Points aren’t as flexible as other transferable reward programs

Read Full Review

Card Highlights

50% Flight Discount upon approval and Earn 100,000 Bonus Points after spending $6,500 or more on purchases within the first 90 days of account opening.
3x points on Alaska Airlines and Hawaiian Airlines purchases
3x points on dining and foreign purchases made overseas
1x points on all other purchases
Receive 10,000 status points each year and 1 status point for every $2 of card spend
10% rewards bonus on all points earned from card purchases if you have an eligible Bank of America account.
25,000-point Global Companion Award annually
100,000-point Global Companion Award (after spending $60,000 or more on purchases in a card anniversary year)
$395 annual fee

Financial Snapshot

APR: 19.49% to 27.49% Variable
Foreign Transaction Fees:

The Atmos Rewards Summit card is the new premium credit card for Alaska Airlines’ refreshed Atmos Rewards loyalty program. It offers a suite of benefits for frequent Alaska Airlines flyers. The Global Companion Award discounts are a standout feature that can lower the points cost of award travel for a traveling companion.

In addition to the GCAs, key benefits of the card include:

Free checked bags for cardholders and up to 6 guests on the same itinerary
Preferred boarding for cardholders and up to 6 guests on the same itinerary
Waived same-day confirmed change fees
Waived partner award booking fees
8 Alaska Lounge passes annually
$50 instant travel delay credit
Hotel transfer partner access
Points sharing with up to 10 Atmos Rewards members

Final Thoughts

With a discounted companion travel benefit, you can significantly reduce or eliminate the points cost on companion fares with Alaska Airlines and partner airlines. This flexible benefit applies regardless of whether the cardholder is flying. If you frequently book award travel, especially international itineraries, the value of companion awards can offset the annual fee.