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Over the past couple of years, Alaska Airlines has opened up new, flexible ways to qualify for elite status. Unlike traditional mileage programs — where only paid flights count toward elite status — Alaska now also awards status credit on award flights and lets you earn elite-qualifying points through co-branded credit card spending and even partner earnings.
That means you don’t necessarily need to fly dozens of paid segments or spend thousands of dollars on cash tickets. With the right strategy, you can piece together Alaska elite status using points and miles. And that’s exactly what I've done in 2025.
Here's how I did it and how you might also be able to earn Alaska elite status using points and miles.
Page Contents
Why I Switched My Loyalty to Alaska
For years, I was loyal to American Airlines. As a Phoenix-based flyer who values direct flights, American Airlines is my best option among full-service airlines. So, I've held AAdvantage Executive Platinum for five of the last six years. However, I decided to switch my preferred airline loyalty program to Alaska Airlines for 2025, largely due to Alaska's extensive network of airline partners and changes to their loyalty program that made elite status easier to earn.
In addition to joining Oneworld, Alaska and American inked reciprocal elite benefits — including Main Cabin Extra access and even first-class upgrades. So, even after switching my loyalty from AAdvantage to Alaska, I'd still enjoy elite benefits when flying American Airlines.
More importantly, the new program made status easier to earn in unconventional ways. So, before my AAdvantage status expired, I status matched into Alaska MVP Gold 75K (now Atmos Platinum) for a three-month trial. That let me secure Main Cabin Extra seats at booking, earn the possible upgrade to first class in the process, and keep Oneworld benefits like a free checked bag when flying on American.
But I knew I wouldn’t requalify at this tier. Instead, I set my sights on Atmos Silver — and I got there through a mix of award flights, credit card spending, and points redemptions.
Three Ways I Earned Alaska Elite Status Using Points
Award flights
One of Alaska’s biggest loyalty improvements is granting status points on award tickets. Unlike the other airlines that offer elite status credits on award flights, you'll earn one status point per mile flown (regardless of the cabin of service) even when flying a partner like American. All you need to do is book using Alaska points and list your Alaska Atmos mileage number.
I run a YouTube channel that requires a lot of travel to and from Florida. As a small business owner, I want to keep my travel costs low. I've been impressed with Alaska's award availability for direct flights from Phoenix (PHX) to Miami (MIA) and Orlando (MCO) on American. For 12,500 Atmos points in economy, or 25,000 in business, I can fly a convenient itinerary, often cheaper than what American AAdvantage charges for the same flight.
Each trip earned me 1,972 status points, the same as if I’d bought the ticket. Over time, those redemptions added up to 16,262 status points — already 81% of the way to Atmos Silver.
Credit card spending
Another new change to Alaska Airlines' loyalty program is the ability to earn status points via credit card spending. In 2025, Alaska cardholders earn 1 status point for every $3 spent on purchases made on the Atmos™ Rewards Ascent Visa Signature® card and Atmos™ Rewards Visa Business Card, and 1 status point for every $2 spent on the new Atmos™ Rewards Summit Visa Infinite® Card. Cardholders are able to earn up to 30,000 status points with credit card spend in 2025, unlimited in 2026.
As a new Atmos Ascent Visa Card cardholder, I had a signup bonus to earn. In addition to earning Atmos points, I also earned 1 status point per $3 spent on the card as I worked to meet the minimum spending requirement to get the bonus.
To date, I've earned 1,141 status points through credit card spending. While that's not a ton, this brought me even closer to earning Atmos Silver status.
- Earn unlimited 3 miles for every $1 spent on eligible Alaska Airlines purchases
- Earn unlimited 2 miles for every $1 spent on eligible gas, EV charging stations, cable, streaming services and local transit (including ride share) purchases
- Earn unlimited 1 mile for every $1 spent on all other eligible purchases
Credit card point redemptions
The last piece came from a redemption using the Amex Pay With Points rebate on my The Business Platinum Card® from American Express. I wanted to fly Hawaiian Airlines’ brand-new Boeing 787 business class to Honolulu. Instead of transferring points (no longer possible to Hawaiian anyway), I used Amex Pay With Points through the Amex Travel portal, getting a 35% rebate on this premium cabin fare.
Because this booked as a paid fare, the flight earned Atmos status points. With the 150% premium cabin multiplier, I earned 4,375 points for my one-way flight to Hawaii. That redemption pushed me over the finish line to earning Atmos Silver status — and set me on my way to the next status level, Atmos Gold.
Other Ways You Can Earn Alaska Elite Status Credits
I highlighted the three ways that I used to earn Alaska Atmos elite status: award flights, card spending, and bank point redemptions. But travelers have several other ways to earn towards Alaska status in 2025.
The most straightforward is by flying Alaska or its partner airlines. Alaska publishes a handy chart outlining how many status points and redeemable Atmos points you should expect to earn, depending on how you booked your flight and the fare class.
Plus, you can also earn Alaska status points via the airline's many partners. During 2025, you'll earn 1,000 status points for every 3,000 redeemable points earned with partners like Lyft, 1-800-Flowers, Alaska's own dining program and shopping portal, and more.
Bottom Line
Alaska’s Atmos Rewards program makes it possible to earn status without relying solely on paid tickets. By combining award flights that earn credit, credit card spending, and Amex Pay With Points redemptions, I qualified for Atmos Silver in 2025 without paying out-of-pocket for a single flight.
For travelers sitting on a balance of Alaska or Hawaiian points — or holding the right cards — these nontraditional methods can be just as effective as buying tickets outright.
My goal is to earn as high a status as possible in 2025, and possibly utilize Alaska's flexible Parental Leave benefit if we decide to grow our family even more. Overall, I'm pleased with the results of my status journey so far. I can't wait to get back in the sky to earn more status points!
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