Airline elite status is something most frequent flyers covet. Whether it’s due to insufficient flying experience or the inability to meet strict requirements, elite status may not be attainable for everyone. However, even if you don’t fly often, it’s still possible to earn elite status and take advantage of the benefits and perks that come with it.
For instance, Alaska Airlines offers one of the easiest paths to elite status, and it doesn’t require much flying. If you hold the Atmos™ Rewards Summit Visa Infinite® Credit Card, you can enjoy Atmos Rewards elite status without ever setting foot on a plane.
Here’s how you can reach status with just one cobranded credit card in your wallet.
Overview of the Atmos Rewards Summit card
The Atmos Rewards Summit is the newest and top-tier card offering from Alaska and Hawaiian Airlines. It offers perks like:
Plus, there are numerous other perks that can benefit frequent and infrequent Alaska and Hawaiian Airlines flyers. The perks alone are enough reason to consider adding the card to your wallet, but one notable reason is the ability to earn elite status without having to fly.
Related: Who’s eligible for the Atmos Rewards Summit Visa Infinite Credit Card?
Why you should want Atmos Rewards elite status
You can choose from one of the following models:
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- Distance-based: Earn 1 status point for every 1 mile flown
- Spending-based: Earn 5 status points per dollar spent purchasing flights
- Segment-based: Earn 500 status points for each award segment flown
This flexibility is especially helpful for travelers who may not fly long distances or take enough Alaska Airlines flights to earn status through traditional means. That’s where the Atmos Rewards Summit can help you jump-start your pursuit of elite status as it earns 1 status point for every $2 spent on the card.
There are four tiers of status: Silver, Gold, Platinum and Titanium.
With any tier of Atmos Rewards elite status, you enjoy benefits like earning bonus points, priority service, complimentary first-class upgrades when flying on Alaska, Hawaiian or American Airlines, complimentary premium class upgrades on Alaska, extra comfort upgrades on Hawaiian and main cabin extra upgrades on American Airlines, access to complimentary preferred seating on Alaska, Hawaiian, American and Oneworld partners and Oneworld equivalent status.
Silver elite status is the entry-level tier and the most attainable. It corresponds to Oneworld Ruby, which provides minimal benefits like access to business-class check-in lines, preferred or pre-reserved seating and priority waitlisting.
However, Gold is the elite tier sweet spot. At that level, you’ll unlock Oneworld Sapphire status, which allows you to enter Oneworld lounges when traveling internationally on a Oneworld airline, regardless of what cabin class you’re flying.
If you plan to spend a lot on your Atmos card, you can potentially earn Platinum or Titanium status (both correspond to Oneworld Emerald status). Plus, starting in 2026, Titanium status members will receive global Business class upgrades when available.
Elite status holders will also receive some reciprocal benefits when flying on American Airlines, such as extra legroom seating (subject to availability) and complimentary upgrades.
Related: Which credit card should you use for Alaska Airlines flights?
Earning Atmos Rewards status with the Atmos Summit card
Here is a breakdown of the Atmos Rewards status tiers and the spending requirements to earn status on your Summit card. Plus cardholders receive 10,000 status points every account anniversary. This earns you half of the way to silver status. Since cardholders earn 1 status point for every $2 spent on purchases (with no cap), here is a breakdown of what you would need to spend on the card to reach each status tier.
| Status tier | Atmos elite status point thresholds | Spending required on the Summit card |
|---|---|---|
| Silver status (Oneworld Ruby equivalent) | 20,000 | $20,000 (earn 10,000 status points) |
| Gold status (Oneworld Sapphire equivalent) | 40,000 | $60,000 (earn 30,000 status points) |
| Platinum (Oneworld Emerald equivalent) | 75,000 | $130,000 (earn 65,000 status points) |
| Titanium (Oneworld Emerald equivalent) | 100,000 | $180,000 (earn 90,000 status points) |
Since reaching Platinum or Titanium elite status would require spending over $100,000, I’d only recommend going for Silver or Gold status through this spend-based method. For most people, reaching Platinum or Titanium through card spending isn’t realistic; you’d be better off earning status organically by flying with Alaska and its partners. This method is best for those with high spending who may not fly enough to qualify otherwise.
Related: Last-minute strategies for earning Alaska Airlines Atmos Rewards elite status
Bottom line
If you can’t earn Atmos Rewards elite status organically, the Atmos Rewards Summit card can help fast-track your way there through spending. And even if you’re not pursuing status but enjoy flying Alaska Airlines, this could still be a worthy addition to your wallet due to benefits like the eight annual lounge passes and the ability to earn 3 points per dollar spent on foreign transactions.
To learn more, read our full review of the Atmos Summit card.
Apply here: Atmos Rewards Summit Visa Infinite Credit Card
