Alaska Airlines Offering Status Shortcut and Double Points — But There’s a Catch

It didn’t take long for Alaska Airlines to run its first promotion after overhauling its loyalty program. The first Atmos Rewards promotion is now here, and it’s a good one — assuming you live on or are traveling to the West Coast.

Members can fast-track their way to Silver or Gold status in the new program, plus there’s an offer for double points during a 6-month travel window from October to March.

Sounds great, right? These offers require you to fly in and out of San Diego, so let’s check out the details to see if this Atmos promotion works for you.

Atmos Rewards Status Shortcut Promotion

Alaska Airlines and Hawaiian Airlines launched their joint loyalty program, Atmos Rewards, yesterday, August 20. And a promotion was released within 24 hours.

The first offer provides a shortcut to Silver and Gold status — the 2 lowest tiers in the new program, which replace MVP and MVP Gold in Alaska’s former Mileage Plan program. With the status shortcut offer, members must register, and eligible flights are from October 1, 2025, to March 31, 2026.

If you complete 5 flight segments, you’ll receive Silver status. Those who fly 10 segments will receive Gold status. This status is valid through December 31, 2026.

Here are the important terms you should note:

• Flights must have San Diego (SAN) as the origin or destination.
• Flights must be marketed and operated by Alaska Airlines, Hawaiian Airlines, or operated on behalf of Alaska by Horizon Air or SkyWest.
• Flights must be credited to your Atmos Rewards account.
• Codeshare flights, award tickets, Saver (X) fares, and flights operated by other airlines, including Oneworld partners, are ineligible.
• Registration is available through March 20, 2026.

If you can fly in or out of San Diego a few times between October 2025 and March 2026, this could be a very rewarding offer.

Atmos Rewards Double Points Promotion

Alaska Airlines no longer offers miles. Instead, it offers ” points,” which can be earned twice as fast with this offer. Registration is available here. You must register by March 20, 2026.

This offer also requires flying in and out of San Diego, and it covers nonstop flights to/from the following destinations:

• Atlanta (ATL)
• Austin (AUS)
• Boise (BOI)
• Chicago (ORD)
• Denver (DEN)
• Fresno (FAT)
• Honolulu (HNL)
• Las Vegas (LAS)
• New York (JFK)
• Orlando (MCO)
• Phoenix (PHX)
• Reno (RNO)
• Sacramento (SMF)
• Salt Lake City (SLC)
• San Francisco (SFO)
• San Jose (SJC)
• Tampa (TPA)

This offer applies to flights on the eligible routes between October 1, 2025, and March 31, 2026.

To earn double points, your flight must:

• Be nonstop to/from San Diego on the routes mentioned above
• Be marketed and operated by Alaska Airlines, Hawaiian Airlines, or operated on behalf of Alaska by Horizon Air or SkyWest
• Be credited to the member’s Atmos Rewards account
• Not be any of the following: codeshare flight, operated by other airlines, an award ticket, or a Saver (X) fare

Flights that are less than 500 miles in length receive a minimum of 500 points in your account. Otherwise, you’ll earn points based on flight distance. Either earning metric will be doubled during this promotion.

Final Thoughts

A day after launching its new Atmos Rewards program, Alaska Airlines is offering double points on flights or a shortcut to elite status — though both require flying in and out of San Diego.

That restriction won’t work for everyone, despite San Diego being a great place to visit. If you can make the logistics work — or you already live nearby — the first Atmos promotions offer generous rewards and a simple path to elite status on flights between October 2025 and March 2026. Remember that both offers require registration.