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Home Travels & Tours 5 perks that make the Atmos Ascent Card worth more than its $95 annual fee

5 perks that make the Atmos Ascent Card worth more than its $95 annual fee

4 Mins read

Few $95 airline cards can reliably deliver more than double their annual fee in value year after year. The Atmos™ Rewards Ascent Visa Signature® credit card is one of them.

Between a generous welcome offer, a highly usable Companion Fare and meaningful day-of-travel perks, this card can justify its annual fee surprisingly quickly, especially if you fly Alaska Airlines or Hawaiian Airlines at least once a year.

Here are five ways the Atmos Ascent can offset — and often far exceed — its $95 annual fee.

The current welcome offer alone can be worth over $1,000

When a welcome bonus delivers outsize value, it can justify the annual fee immediately — and the current Atmos Ascent offer does just that.

New applicants can currently earn 70,000 bonus points and a $99 Companion Fare (plus taxes and fees from $23) after spending $3,000 on purchases in the first 90 days of opening your account.

According to TPG’s February 2026 valuations, Atmos Rewards points are worth 1.5 cents apiece, making that offer worth about $1,050.

That’s more than 10 times the $95 annual fee alone.

Alaska Airlines departs Sea-Tac — DON WILSON/PORT OF SEATTLE/SEA AIRPORT

Alaska Airlines is a member of the Oneworld alliance, so you can redeem points for flights on partners like Japan Airlines, Cathay Pacific, British Airways and American Airlines.

Atmos Rewards are widely considered one of the most valuable airline currencies because of their partner sweet spots and generous routing rules, which allow a free stopover on many one-way award tickets.

That kind of flexibility can dramatically increase the real-world value of your points. If you redeem strategically, especially in business class on partners like Japan Airlines or Cathay Pacific, it’s entirely possible to get well above 1.5 cents per point in value.

When you consider how far this welcome bonus can stretch, that $95 annual fee looks minimal by comparison.

A $99 Companion Fare that’s easy to use

The Companion Fare is one of the most practical ways this card delivers long-term value. Unlike a one-time bonus, this is a benefit you can potentially use year after year.

Cardmembers receive:

One $99 Companion Fare (plus taxes and fees starting at $23) after earning the welcome offer
An additional Companion Fare each year after spending $6,000 on the card in a calendar year

Unlike some airline companion certificates that are restrictive or difficult to use, the Alaska Airlines companion certificate can be applied to paid economy fares within Alaska’s route network.

There are a few important details to keep in mind. You must pay for the tickets with your Atmos Ascent card, and the primary traveler and companion must be booked on the same itinerary.

However, the cardholder does not need to be one of the travelers. Both passengers earn full redeemable points for their flights, and both tickets are eligible for upgrades if you hold elite status.

For example, TPG director of points, miles and credit card content Carly Helfand was able to save $137.03 when using the Ascent’s Companion Fare to take a last-minute trip to Chicago with her husband.

The round-trip flights from Portland International Airport (PDX) to Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport (ORD) cost $542.60 per person, but she only needed to pay $679.63 for both tickets with the Companion Fare.

Those savings alone offset this card’s $95 annual fee.

I recommend looking at this benefit first when deciding whether to keep the card long term. If you can use it even once per year, it can deliver meaningful savings on its own.

Free checked bags for you and up to six companions

Beyond the Companion Fare, complimentary checked bags provide another easy way to offset the annual fee. With the Atmos Rewards Ascent, you and up to six companions on the same reservation get your first checked bag free on Alaska and Hawaiian flights, as long as you use your card to purchase the ticket.

Alaska and Hawaiian typically charge $35 per bag each way. That means if you use your Atmos Ascent to pay for your flight, you’ll save:

$70 per person round-trip
$140 in savings if you travel with just one companion
$280 if you’re traveling as a family of four

In other words, just two solo round-trips or one trip with a companion can effectively cover the card’s annual fee.

In my experience, baggage perks like this are one of the fastest ways to see real savings with an airline card. Just a couple of trips per year could quickly recoup the cost of carrying the card.

A shortcut to elite status through everyday spending

If you’re working toward Atmos Rewards elite status, the Atmos Rewards Ascent can help you get there faster.

Cardholders earn 1 status point for every three dollars spent on purchases, with no cap. That means everyday spending, not just flying, can move you closer to status.

A woman walking around a city with her phone and a credit card in her hands — RGSTUDIO/GETTY IMAGES

Even entry-level Silver status (starting at 20,000 status points) unlocks benefits like priority boarding and bonus points on paid flights, while higher tiers offer complimentary first-class upgrades and Oneworld alliance perks when flying partners.

For frequent Alaska or Hawaiian flyers, that added boost from credit card spending can make reaching and maintaining status meaningfully easier — and the upgrades, bonus points and priority perks that come with it can easily outweigh the card’s modest annual fee over time.

Practical travel perks that add everyday value

Beyond its headline perks, the Atmos Rewards Ascent includes practical travel benefits that make it easier to keep long-term.

These include:

No foreign transaction fees
Primary rental car collision damage waiver
20% back on eligible inflight purchases

While these perks alone may not justify the annual fee, they round out the value proposition and add everyday utility, especially for international travelers.

I wouldn’t apply for the card solely for these features, but I do see them as meaningful extras that strengthen the overall value proposition, especially if you travel internationally or rent cars on trips.

Bottom line

The Atmos Rewards Ascent Visa Signature makes a compelling case at $95 a year.

A welcome offer worth over $1,000, a $99 Companion Fare (plus $23 in taxes and fees) that can easily offset the annual fee on a single trip and free checked bags for up to six companions make it one of the stronger value plays among airline cards at this price point.

If you fly Alaska or Hawaiian even once a year, it’s not hard to extract far more than $95 in value. For the right traveler, this card pays for itself, and then some.

To learn more, read our full review of the Atmos Rewards Ascent.

Apply here: Atmos Rewards Ascent Visa Signature

Editorial disclaimer: Opinions expressed here are the author’s alone, not those of any bank, credit card issuer, airline or hotel chain, and have not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by any of these entities.