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Both Alaska Airlines and American Airlines belong to the Oneworld alliance, but that doesn’t mean their loyalty programs charge the same rates for Oneworld-operated award tickets. In fact, the prices you’ll find in Atmos Rewards and American AAdvantage are often quite different.
If you’re not familiar with the intricacies of the Atmos Rewards award charts or AAdvantage award pricing, it can be difficult to know which miles to earn and which program offers better value for the redemptions you want to make. That’s where this post should come in handy.
Here are some examples of awards you should book through Alaska instead of AA.
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Oneworld Awards to Book with Atmos Rewards Points
Let’s start with why this matters. You shouldn't redeem more points or miles than you have to. If you can book the same award through Atmos Rewards for fewer points than what American Airlines asks for through its AAdvantage program, it makes sense to book through Alaska, assuming you have both currencies.
Even if you have neither, this still matters when planning your credit card strategy and deciding which points or miles to prioritize earning. If the awards you want are consistently cheaper through Alaska, it’s smarter to focus on earning Atmos Rewards points instead of AAdvantage miles.
It’s also worth remembering that Atmos Rewards award flights earn Status Points. That means you can save miles on certain routes while also earning one Status Point for every mile flown on award travel. This can help you progress toward elite status, something American Airlines doesn’t offer on award flights.
With that in mind, let’s look at some of the best routes you can book through Atmos Rewards for fewer points than with American Airlines AAdvantage.
Short-haul domestic awards on American Airlines
One of the best Atmos Rewards sweet spots is short-haul American Airlines routes. On itineraries under 700 miles (including connections), you’ll pay just 4,500 points each way for economy or 9,000 points for business or domestic first, plus about $19 in taxes and fees.
For example, you’ll see these prices on routes such as Wilmington (ILM) to Charlotte (CLT), which covers just over 180 miles.
Meanwhile, American Airlines advertises that domestic awards start at 7,500 miles for economy or 15,000 miles for business or domestic first, plus $5.60 in taxes and fees. It's not unheard of to see rates lower than this, but if you look at what AA is charging for the same flights as the ILM-CLT example above, it's pretty clear you'll come out ahead by booking through Atmos Rewards.
Business class awards to Europe
If you want to fly business class to Europe, you’ll more than likely save a lot of points by booking through Alaska Airlines Atmos Rewards instead of AAdvantage. But before we get into a prime example, it’s important to note that flights from the U.S. to Europe fall into one of three Atmos Rewards distance bands:
- 1,501–3,500 miles (e.g., New York to London): 45,000 points in business class
- 3,501–5,000 miles (e.g., Dallas to London): 55,000 points in business class
- 5,001–7,000 miles (e.g., Los Angeles to London): 70,000 points in business class
American Airlines advertises in its AAdvantage award chart that AA-operated business class awards to Europe start at 75,000 miles. You can sometimes find lower rates, such as 57,500 miles per way, which is also the standard price for partner-operated awards.
Here’s an example of a flight you should book through Atmos Rewards instead of AA. Take Philadelphia (PHL) to Zurich (ZRH), which travels 4,015 miles. Through Alaska, you’ll pay just 55,000 points for business class plus about $19 in taxes and fees.
For that same flight on the same date, American Airlines is charging 75,000 miles plus $5.60 in taxes and fees. That’s a substantial difference.
Premium economy to Australia
Flights between the United States and Australia cover a lot of miles, and if you don’t want to fly coach but don’t want to splurge on business class, premium economy can be a perfect middle ground. However, you’ll want to book Qantas premium economy awards through Atmos Rewards instead of American Airlines AAdvantage.
On the nonstop Qantas-operated flight between Los Angeles (LAX) and Sydney (SYD), you’ll travel 7,494 miles. Per the Atmos Rewards distance-based award chart, this itinerary costs 55,000 points one way plus about $46 in taxes and fees.
Conversely, on the same flight and date, American Airlines charges 65,000 miles plus $32.90 in taxes and fees. So, while you’ll pay a little more out of pocket in taxes by booking through Alaska, you’ll save 10,000 miles.
Business class to Fiji
One more example worth mentioning is Fiji Airways business class to Nadi. Business class space on Fiji Airways can be hard to find, but you can still save points by booking through Atmos Rewards instead of AAdvantage.
The nonstop flight between San Francisco (SFO) and Nadi (NAN) covers 5,465 miles. This falls squarely into Alaska’s 5,001–7,000-mile distance band, which means this one-way business class award will cost 75,000 Atmos Rewards points. You’ll also pay a modest ~$19 in taxes and fees.
American Airlines prices Fiji Airways awards dynamically, but business class typically starts at 80,000 miles per way plus taxes and fees. On the same date as the award above, AA is charging exactly that, plus $5.60.
So, in this scenario, you’re saving 5,000 miles. It’s a smaller difference than other examples, but still enough to put potentially cover a future short-haul flight.
How to Earn Atmos Rewards Points
If you’re short the Atmos Rewards points you need for the award ticket you want, you have a few options for growing your balance. Some of the top methods include:
- Apply for an Atmos Rewards credit card, such as the Atmos™ Rewards Ascent Visa Signature® card or the Atmos™ Rewards Summit Visa Infinite® Card, and earn the welcome bonus while continuing to earn points on everyday spending.
- Credit paid Oneworld flights to the Atmos Rewards program.
- Purchase Atmos Rewards points when they go on sale.
- Transfer points to the Atmos Rewards program. In the table below, you can find all of the Atmos Rewards transfer partners.
Bottom Line
There are plenty of ways to book award travel on Oneworld airlines, but not all programs are equal when it comes to how many miles you’ll need for specific destinations. While Alaska Airlines Atmos Rewards points can be harder to earn, they often deliver far better value than American Airlines AAdvantage for the routes highlighted above
As you plan your travel goals and points and miles strategy, don’t overlook Atmos Rewards. There’s a lot of value hidden in Alaska’s award charts, and it often goes unnoticed.
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