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Alaska Airlines’ Atmos Rewards program has seen several major changes recently, and most of them have been positive for frequent flyers.
However, one change that wasn’t particularly favorable took effect at the beginning of 2025. This was when Alaska Airlines introduced new earning tables for partner flights — and debuted its downright unrewarding chart for tickets booked directly through a partner airline.
This was frustrating for several reasons, but most notably because travelers often had to choose between paying more for the same ticket to book through Alaska and earn points at the best rates, or booking a (generally cheaper) fare through a partner and settling for fewer points.
Fortunately, those days are numbered. Starting in 2026, booking a premium cabin flight directly through a partner airline’s website will earn you significantly more Alaska points than it does today.
Here are the details.
Alaska’s Current Earning Charts for Partners Flights Booked Indirectly Are Unrewarding
If you book a partner airline flight in a premium cabin today, such as business or first class, and credit the flight to Alaska by adding your Atmos Rewards number, earning rates top out at 150% of the distance flown.
For example, a one-way first class ticket from Miami (MIA) to London (LHR) on British Airways, booked directly through BA’s website, would earn you just over 6,625 redeemable points and elite-qualifying status points. That reflects 150% of the 4,417 miles flown on this route.
You can see the current Atmos Rewards earning rates for flights booked directly through a partner airline below:
If you’re thinking, “Wait, 6,625 points doesn’t seem like much of a reward for a very expensive first class flight,” you’re absolutely right. This is one of the biggest issues with Alaska Airlines’ current earning charts. In many cases, you earn more redeemable points and elite-qualifying status points by booking through Alaska Airlines’ website instead.
Using this British Airways first class ticket as an example, booking through Alaska Airlines would earn a total of 350% of the miles flown — 100% base points plus a 250% cabin bonus. That same MIA to LHR flight in first class would earn a total of 15,495 redeemable points and elite-qualifying status points, which is more than twice the rewards.
Thankfully, Alaska Airlines is making changes to this unrewarding system starting in 2026.
Alaska Airlines New Earning Charts for Partner Flights in 2026
Starting “later in 2026,” Alaska Airlines’ earning chart for flights booked directly through a partner airline will become more rewarding. We don’t yet know exactly when these changes will roll out, but we do know what the updated chart will look like and that three cabins will see improved earning rates:
- Domestic business and first
- International business
- International first
These are meaningful improvements. Under the new chart, a first class cash flight booked directly through a partner airline’s website will top out at 250% of the distance flown.
That means a one-way British Airways first class flight from Miami to London would earn more than 11,000 Alaska points — an increase of more than 66% compared to what you’d earn today.
That’s still fewer points than you’d earn by booking the same ticket directly through Alaska, but the gap will be much smaller, assuming the ticket you want is available through Alaska’s website in the first place.
Unfortunately, updated earning rates won’t extend to economy or premium economy tickets booked through partner airlines. For now, those earning rates are expected to remain unchanged going into next year.
To see all of Alaska Airlines' earning charts, click here.
It'll Soon Be Easier to Earn Status and More Points
One key takeaway from these upcoming changes is that it’ll soon be easier to earn more Atmos Rewards points and, by extension, unlock Alaska elite status.
Alaska already makes it relatively easy to earn status without relying solely on cash flights. That’s because award flights booked with Alaska points also count toward status. You earn one status point per mile flown, regardless of cabin. But with better earning charts, it'll get easier to earn status on paid flights, too.
On top of that, you can earn both status points and redeemable points through credit card spending. 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 Atmos™ Rewards Summit Visa Infinite® Card. The rate at which you'll earn redeemable points depends on your card's specific earning categories.
And don’t forget that Alaska Airlines also has a short but growing list of transfer partners. These can be a way to pad your account balance outside of flying and spending:
Bottom Line
These changes, whenever they officially launch in 2026, make the Atmos Rewards program even more appealing, especially for travelers who book premium cabin fares on partner airlines. The ability to earn up to 250% of the distance flown will give frequent flyers a sizable boost in Alaska points for future award redemptions.
While we’d still prefer Alaska make earning rates identical regardless of whether you book directly or through a partner, this is clearly a step in the right direction.
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