From 1 January 2027, Atmos Rewards — the merged loyalty program covering Alaska Airlines, Hawaiian Airlines and their partners — will ask members to choose one of three ways to earn points: miles flown, dollars spent, or segments flown. You can lock in your pick now, but you'll only be able to switch it once per calendar year, so it pays to get it right. Through the end of 2026, everyone keeps earning by distance.
The three options work like this. Distance-based earning gives you one point and one status point per mile on paid flights. Price-based earning gives five points and status points per eligible dollar spent. Segment-based earning gives 500 points and status points per flight segment. Award flights also earn status points under every method. One catch: Alaska Saver fares and excluded basic economy tickets earn nothing at all, and elite bonuses apply only to redeemable points, not status points.
There's a simple rule of thumb for the distance-versus-price question. Distance wins when your average fare costs less than about 20 cents per mile flown. On a 2,500-mile flight, that means if the ticket costs under $500, take the miles; if it costs more, take the cash. Segments become the smart choice when your flights average under 500 miles, or when your typical fare is under $100 per segment. That makes this option especially interesting for Hawaii residents hopping between islands — Huakaʻi by Hawaiian members earn a 50% bonus on Neighbor Island flights, so a 100-mile hop could net 750 points.
Watch out for one wrinkle if you fly partner airlines booked directly with them (other than American). Under price-based earning, economy fares on those partners often earn just 25% or 50% of flown miles, while business and first fares actually earn more than they would under distance-based earning. If you credit lots of overseas partner tickets in economy, distance is likely safer.
Elite status thresholds stay the same under any method: 20,000 status points gets Silver (Oneworld Ruby), 40,000 gets Gold (Sapphire), 80,000 gets Platinum (Emerald) and 135,000 gets Titanium (also Emerald).
Not sure which fits? The Atmos Rewards site has a "Help me choose" tool showing how your flights through 31 August would have earned under each method, plus a calculator for upcoming trips. As a rough guide: bargain long-haul flyers should pick distance, big spenders on premium fares should pick price, and short-hop regulars should pick segments. Members joining before the end of 2026 default to distance; new members from 2027 default to price-based earning.
If you mostly fly cheap long routes — think transpacific economy deals — distance still wins. If you splurge on business class, the dollars method is your friend. And if your year is a string of short hops, count your segments.
