Alaska Airlines announced a few negative changes to its Atmos Rewards program yesterday. It’ll be increasing partner award fees, increasing call center booking charges, and eliminating Atmos Rewards points earning and Status Points earning on Saver fares.
Increased fees
There are two types of fees that’ll be increasing: Call center booking fees and partner award fees.
The existing policy is that if you contact Alaska’s call center to make a booking, you’ll pay a fee of $15 per person. That pricing will remain in force for bookings made by July 1, 2026. For bookings made via the call center from July 2, 2026 onwards, it’ll be increased to $30 per person—a 100% increase.
Unfortunately the partner award booking fee for online bookings will be increasing too. At the moment, when booking partner award flights using Atmos Rewards you have to pay a $12.50 fee per person on top of any other applicable taxes and fees. That cost will still be applied for all bookings made by June 30, 2026. For partner award bookings from July 1, 2026 onwards though, you’ll be charged a fee of $20 per person—an increase of 60%.
That latter fee is particularly annoying seeing as there’s no way to avoid it if you want to book a partner award; at least the call center fee is—theoretically—optional. For a family of four booking a partner award online, you’re looking at having to pay $80 one way or $160 round trip on top of whatever the standard taxes and fees are. Depending on the redemption that might still be a cost that’s worth eating, but it’s definitely a factor to consider, especially considering you don’t get that partner award booking fee refunded in the event that you cancel your award flight (you would still get your Atmos Rewards points and taxes paid back).
The slight piece of good news is that no additional partner award fee will charged if you have to change your booking, even if you change the partner airlines, itinerary and/or travel dates.
As a reminder, one of the benefits on the Atmos™ Rewards Summit Visa Infinite® card is waived partner booking fees. If you book several award flights each year using Atmos Rewards points, or book for several people, that benefit makes the card even more worthwhile to have with the increased $20 per person fees going forward.
No Atmos Rewards points or Status Points on Saver flights
The other negative change is that if you book a Saver fare for flights with Alaska Airlines or Hawaiian Airlines, you’ll no longer earn Atmos Rewards points nor Status Points towards elite status.
Per this page:
Saver fares (X class) earn 30% of miles flown for travel through July 31, 2026, or for trips booked before June 11, 2026. Saver fares booked on/after June 11, 2026 and flown on/after August 1, 2026 do not earn Atmos Rewards points or status points. However, tickets flown in X class of service on Alaska or Hawaiian after August 1, 2026 will count as lifetime flown miles toward Million Miler achievement equal to 100% of actual distance flown.
The fact that Saver fares will still count towards Million Miler status will be scant consolation. It’s not like the current 30% earning rate was overly generous in the first place, so it’s a shame that in the near future all you’ll get is a seat on the plane and nothing else.
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The dust hadn’t even settled yet from AA blocking nonstop partner awards for flights less than seven days away. Now it’s $20 each way plus taxes/fees to book a reward. Wonder what the next shoe will be to drop.
Please clarify – Alaska Fare class “X” appears to pertain to only basic economy booked with cash (i.e., not miles). If so, then “saver” award flights booked with miles will NOT be subject to this negative change (i.e., not counting towards towards “Rewards points or status points”). Is this interpretation correct?
following this. I feel like it would only be affecting cash fares, but if it affects saver rates in miles, then Alaska program is cooked.
Free stopovers have basically been obliterated as well