Atmos Status: Elite Levels and Perks for 2026

Alaska Airlines unveiled its new Atmos Rewards program in August 2025 folding together Alaska and Hawaiian Airlines frequent flyer programs. As the calendar turned over to 2026, some additional updates and higher thresholds for some tiers took effect as well, so the information below is freshly updated as of January 2026.

How does one earn all the points for super fancy elite status? Check out my post accentuating tips and changes for earning Elite Status Points or my post about the forthcoming Choice Earning program expected in 2026.

As a refresher, Alaska updated many aspects of their frequent flyer program with an overhaul in October 2024. The changes included expanded ways to earn elite points, milestone rewards at various tier levels, and updated benefits for loyal flyers. Below, I’m breaking down the current Atmos Rewards tiers and perks (including the prior overhaul and some considerations with Atmos Rewards credit cards)—and sharing my take on what these updates mean for frequent flyers.

Before we get too far along, let me note that while Alaska Airlines and their OneWorld partners are typically my go-to for air travel, they (unfortunately) aren’t paying me to share my $0.02 here, so these tips are all mine.

Tiers and Milestones

One of the big changes to Alaska’s frequent flyer program in 2025 was the addition of milestone awards. Along with the formal tiers of elite status that have ongoing benefit, the milestone awards are intermediary steps with one-time perks. My take is that these are aimed at baiting or … encouraging travelers to reach the next status tier, or at least not stop traveling on Alaska once they’ve reached a particular level.

A potentially helpful note: once a particular tier of status—silver, gold, platinum or titanium—is reached within a calendar year, the member retains that status for the remainder of that calendar year, as well as the following one. This isn’t necessarily true for members who get status through a status match from another airline; however, so read the fine print if that’s your situation.

The info shared below may look redundant to the info on Alaska’s website, but I’ve tried to add helpful links since Alaska’s info isn’t all in one place or particularly easy to find, and have also added my own thoughts about some of the benefits (my picks in bold), including ones the airline quietly changed or did away with in 2025 and those that changed with the Atmos rebrand and new credit card benefits.

10K Milestone

As noted above, milestones were new for 2025. The first milestone is when a frequent flyer has reached 10,000 elite status points (see my post on earning for more on those, they’re not always the same as total points or flown miles). When this milestone is reached, the member can choose one of the following—but note that benefits such as a meal or WiFi expire if not used:

• 750 bonus points (Note: these are not elite points)
• Pre-order a complimentary meal for your Alaska-operated flight (about a $10 value, must be pre-ordered, and options will vary based on flight length). For what it’s worth, this is the one I picked in 2025—and I can confirm that if you happen to change your flight last minute, you don’t lose this benefit.
• One complimentary WiFi pass (an $8 value). Note for Atmos Summit cardholders: four WiFi passes per quarter are included as a card perk.
• Try Atmos Silver status for a trip (seems to me to be of dubious value unless you need the free checked bag benefit on a flight, but see below for potential benefits)
• Earn double points with non-air partners (Note: these are not elite points)
• Upgrade your next Avis rental
• $10 Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) contribution.

Atmos Silver Status

Atmos Silver, Alaska/Hawaiian’s entry-level tier of elite status, retains the same 20,000 elite status point requirement from prior years. Silver-level members also are considered OneWorld ruby, with a few benefits when flying on OneWorld partners. Benefits include:

• Earn 25% bonus miles on all flights, including partners (was a 50% bonus prior to 2025; these are not elite points). Members who achieve status through a status match may not earn bonus miles at this or other tiers).
• Space-available upgrades to First and Premium Class on Alaska flights and First or Main Cabin Extra on American Airlines flights. (Note: your upgrade results will definitely vary depending on when and where you fly.)
• At check in, space-available upgrades for the member only (not traveling companions) for extra-legroom seats on Hawaiian flights (First Class upgrades on domestic Hawaiian flights are coming mid-2026).
• Priority boarding (Group B: after other elites, but before non-elite members in Main Cabin) and preferred seating, except for Saver fares—generally the first 1/3 of Main Cabin seating, behind the Premium Class seats.
• One free checked bag for the elite member and each companion on the same reservation for Alaska, Hawaiian, and American Airlines flights. (Note: free checked bag benefits for elite status and credit card holders do not stack, it’s one or the other. Was two bags per passenger prior to 2026.)

30K Milestone

Midway between Atmos Silver and Gold status, members who earn 30,000 elite status points get another round of one-time perks. My take is that it’s always nice to get perks, but these aren’t exactly robust. They include:

• 2,500 bonus points (Note: these are not Elite Qualifying Miles)
• $25 off a future Alaska flight
• Four Wi-Fi passes ($32 value). What I’d picked in 2025, but the Atmos Summit card now includes four of these quarterly.
• Try Atmos Gold status for a trip. This might net the member an upgrade they wouldn’t have gotten otherwise, but this is rarely confirmed at the time of booking so it’s hard to predict the benefit. It also might earn another free checked bag, but that seems of little benefit unless you know ahead of time you’ll need this.
• $100 off an Alaska Lounge or Lounge+ membership. As with the checked bag benefit, this discount is also included with the Alaska credit card (and the discount can’t be combined), so I see this to be of little benefit for cardholders.
• New with Atmos: $25 Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) contribution.

Atmos Gold Status

Earning 40,000 elite status points gets you to the second tier of elite status: Atmos Gold (also OneWorld Sapphire) which comes with much more robust benefits, in my opinion. In addition to the benefits offered to Silver members, Gold benefits include:

• Earn 50% bonus miles on all flights, including partners (was a 100% bonus prior to 2025; these are not status points)
• A complimentary premium (alcoholic) drink or chocolate in Main Cabin. Note that booze is complimentary in Alaska’s Premium Class seats, whether the guest has paid for a Premium class seat or has received a complimentary upgrade. As for the chocolate, if you’re not a member of the Facebook group for Alaska frequent flyers, you have no idea how obsessive folks are about them. 🤣
• Standby and waitlist for full flights. While I’ve rarely used this benefit, for passengers who have found themselves needing to change flights last-minute, I can see that this would be valuable.
• Complimentary same-day flight changes. Similar to standby and waitlist benefits, this could be a good benefit for travelers who find themselves making last minute changes. I’ve definitely used it. Distinct from standby and waitlist benefits, this allows for confirmed seats on a flight that’s not yet full. (Note: this benefit is also included with the Atmos Summit credit card. Saver fares are not eligible for this benefit, regardless of status level and I’m assuming regardless of credit card perks.)
• OneWorld sapphire privileges, including access to Business Class lounges when traveling on a OneWorld member airline outside of the US, Canada or Mexico. The JAL Sakura lounge in Honolulu might be of particular benefit for travelers connecting through HNL if you’re flying on an Alaska-operated flight. I would personally note that the British Airways Business Class lounges at Heathrow are great, though often busy, as are the LAX OneWorld lounges. Keep in mind that not all Alaska partners are OneWorld members, so flights on partners such as Condor, Starlux, and others are not eligible for this benefit.
• Group A boarding, after first class and Titanium members (and maybe families, military, and others) but before everyone else. I digress, but there’s a hilarious Key & Peele skit about this. 😆
• Two free checked bags for the Atmos Gold member and any companions on the same reservation on an Alaska, Hawaiian, and American Airlines flights.
• Gone: First Class Guest Upgrade certificates go away for Gold members as of 2025 (but see below for the 55K milestone perk).

55K Milestone

Midway between Atmos Gold and Platinum status, members who earn 55,000 elite points get yet another round of one-time perks. As with the 30k milestone, it’s always nice to get perks, but most of these are also of minimal benefit in my opinion. The 55k perks include:

• 5,000 bonus points (Note: these are not elite points)
• 10,000 points off a Atmos Unlocked experience, which includes concerts, entertainment, dining and other options. TBD if this is of value for folks.
• Gift Atmos Silver status to someone else for a trip. As with the 10,000 milestone, I don’t see much benefit here except in the scenario where the elite member wanted to get benefits such as a free checked bag and priority boarding for a friend who they weren’t traveling with.
• One complimentary Lounge day pass (about a $30+ value). This may not be of benefit for travelers who purchase a Lounge membership or who have an Atmos Summit card which includes two passes as a quarterly benefit. But it could be of benefit for others or as a gift, especially for lounges that don’t make passes available for purchase (such as Portland). The pass is good for a full day, so a traveler could use one lounge at their departure location and another at their arrival or connecting location. (Note: this is for the pass holder only—not companions—and is for Alaska-branded lounges only, not partner or Lounge+ locations.)
• Two upgrade certificates, which may of little value if others’ experience matches mine. I’ve found few flights out of Portland for which these certificates can be used. Your results may vary, especially from Spokane (GEG), from what I’ve read. (Note: this may be of greater benefit in 2026 when these are eligible for long-haul international flights.)

Atmos Platinum Status

I’ve found the elevated benefits of the Platinum level to be noticeable compared to the Gold level, but for 2026, it’ll now take 80,000 status points to qualify versus 75,000 in prior years. This certainly involves a lot of flying (and/or card spending), but with the inclusion of award travel for earning, some folks like me may reach this level more easily than in the past. Perks are mostly similar to prior years, with a couple updates:

• Earn 100% bonus points on all flights, including partners (was a 125% bonus prior to 2025; these are not status points)
• Complimentary upgrades into Premium Class at the time of booking for all Main Cabin fares, except Saver. And with the introduction of the Atmos program, this is across all global routes, which is a big deal if you’re flying Hawaiian to Asia or Australia or for forthcoming Europe flights on Alaska. The fine print is what’s key here: at the time of booking and all Main Cabin fares details made a big difference for me in terms of seat selection and being able to consistently reserve Premium Class seats. It’s rare that I sit in “regular” economy any more and I’m not mad about it.
• OneWorld Emerald status, which adds First Class lounge access to the Gold-level perk of Business Class lounges when traveling on a OneWorld airline outside of the US, Canada, and Mexico. I’ve taken advantage of the first class lounge—and first class check in—at London Heathrow and it’s lovely. The Qantas first class lounge at LAX also has great made-to-order food, though I liked the ambience of the business class lounge better. Yes, I visited both. (Note: the British Airways Concorde Lounge at LHR is not included as an accessible lounge with this benefit.)
• Three free checked bags per passenger for the Platinum member and any companions on their reservation for Alaska, Hawaiian, and American Airlines flights. I rarely travel with this much luggage, but it’s handy in Maui to drop off the husband curbside with all of our to-be-checked bags while I return the rental car.
• Gone: 50,000 bonus points upon qualification as Platinum and the ability to nominate another member for status (see the 95k milestone for the status-nominating option).

95K Milestone

Members reaching this milestone can pick two of the following perks:

• 15,000 bonus points (Note: these are not elite points)
• 25,000 points off an Atmos Rewards Unlocked experience. As noted at the 55k milestone, we’ll see what benefit this may hold.
• Gift Atmos Gold to someone else for a trip. As with the other milestones, I don’t really see much benefit here except as a gift for a friend who the member wasn’t traveling with, or in the case of traveling with two companions.
• Nominate another member to receive Atmos Silver for the year. This one of the perks I chose for 2025, nominating my mother in law so she gets the checked bag benefits. It’ll save her a few hundred bucks over the course of the year.
• Two complimentary Lounge day passes. Similar to the 55k milestone, for someone who already has a Lounge membership, this would primarily be of benefit to share as a gift, but could also be useful at lounges that don’t make day passes available for purchase (such as Portland).
• Two upgrade certificates, if the traveler could use them—this might be of greater benefit starting in Spring 2026 when the certificates qualify elite members for business class upgrade lists on long-haul flights.
• 10,000 elite points rolled over to the following year, which is what I chose for my second perk.
• $150 Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) contribution.

125K Milestone

What used to be a secondary perk for members who achieve Titanium status is now a second intermediary milestone between Platinum and Titanium status:

• 50,000 bonus points (Note: these are not elite points)
• 75,000 points off an Atmos Rewards Unlocked experience. As noted at other milestones, we’ll see what benefit this may hold.
• A one-year Alaska Lounge+ membership, which the hubby and I have used a lot over the years.
• Unlimited WiFi sessions for one year.
• Four upgrade certificates, if the traveler could use them—this might be of greater benefit starting in Spring 2026 when the certificates qualify elite members for business class upgrade lists on long-haul flights.
• Nominate someone for Atmos Gold status.

Atmos Titanium Status

What used to be MVP Gold 100k is now Atmos Titanium, with a higher 135,000 point threshold for 2026. This tier has remained mostly the same as prior years, including the highest priority for complimentary upgrades and the following benefits over and above Atmos Platimum:

• Earn 150% bonus miles on all flights, including partners (same bonus percentage as 2025; these are not status points).
• Complimentary meals in Premium Class or Main Cabin on Alaska-operated flights (availability and options vary based on length of flight; must be reserved prior to flight).
• Choice benefit, including one of: bonus miles, miles off an Extras redemption, an Alaska Lounge+ membership, complimentary Wi-Fi on every flight, upgrade certificates, or nominating someone for Atmos Gold status.
• Starting Spring 2026: complimentary, space-available global business class upgrades. As with other upgrades, the value of this will depend on what space is actually available.

Additional Milestones

After achieving Atmos Titanium status, there were three new milestones established for 2025 (150k, 200k, and 250k miles) each with one-time perks. These perks are the same as the 125k milestone, with the exclusion of nominating a member for Atmos Gold status, which is only available at the 125,000 mile mark.