If you’ve been following Alaska Airlines lately, you know the big news: Mileage Plan and HawaiianMiles are gone, replaced by a new joint loyalty program called Atmos Rewards. Alongside that change came new credit cards, including the Atmos Rewards Summit Visa Infinite that comes with Alaska Global Companion Awards. Buried in the benefits of that card is something new: the Global Companion Award (GCA).
If you’re used to Alaska’s traditional Companion Fare, Alaska Global Companion Awards work differently. The old certificate still exists, but it’s tied to cash tickets and requires you to be one of the travelers. The new GCA moves into the award-travel space and works more like a mileage discount for your companion.
Here’s what you need to know.
What the Global Companion Award Is
When you hold the Summit Visa Infinite, you earn two possible certificates through Alaska Global Companion Awards:
- Global 25K Companion Award – You get one after meeting the card’s first spend requirement and then once a year at renewal. It can reduce a companion’s award ticket by up to 25,000 points.
- Global 100K Companion Award – If you put $60,000 in purchases on the card during a membership year, you unlock a certificate worth up to 100,000 points off a companion ticket.
Unlike the older Companion Fare, you don’t need to be traveling. You can use a certificate to book flights for any two people.
Where You Can Use It
GCAs can be applied to award tickets booked on AlaskaAir.com. That includes:
- Alaska Airlines flights within North America and to destinations like Mexico and Costa Rica.
- Hawaiian Airlines flights, both inter-island and long-haul
- Oneworld partners such as Japan Airlines, Cathay Pacific, and British Airways. See our post here how we redeemed Alaska points for a trip to Hawaii. Here is a review of our experience.
Award space is still the limiting factor. If a partner flight doesn’t have saver-level award seats available, you won’t be able to apply a certificate.
How It Plays Out in Practice
A few examples help make the mechanics clearer:
- A flight from Seattle to Los Angeles costs about 10K points per person in economy. If you apply a 25K certificate, your companion flies free. But you lose the rest of the points.
- A business class ticket from San Francisco to Tokyo is currently 140K points R/T. With a 100K certificate, your companion costs 40K instead of 140K.
Think of the award like a fixed block of points you can apply once a year (25K) or after significant spend (100K).
The Rules You’ll Need to Work Around
There are a few restrictions:
- You can only use one certificate per booking. The 25K and 100K can’t be combined.
- If the award costs less than the certificate’s value, the remainder is forfeited.
- If the award costs more, you cover the difference with points.
- Certificates expire one year after issue. You can book beyond that date, but once expired, you can’t re-apply it if you cancel.
- Taxes, fees, and surcharges must be paid with your Summit card.
How This Fits Into Atmos Rewards
The Global Companion Award isn’t the only new feature in Atmos Rewards. Alaska kept distance-based earning but now gives you the option to earn based on dollars spent or segments flown. Elite tiers were renamed (Silver, Gold, Platinum, Titanium) and qualification levels are shifting upward in 2026.
If you hold the Summit card, you also get access to point pooling, the ability to transfer points to select hotel programs, and eventually free in-flight Wi-Fi as Starlink rolls out.
Why It May be Useful to You
The 25K certificate is relatively easy to use. A single domestic round-trip or Hawaii flight will usually take care of it. The 100K certificate is more situational. It requires heavy spending and works best when you’re booking long-haul premium cabins. If you tend to fly partners to Asia or Europe, it could save you a significant number of points.
If you mostly redeem for shorter domestic trips, you’ll probably use the 25K award and ignore the 100K. But either way, the idea is the same: Alaska is giving you a tool to cut down the cost of flying two people together, this time in the award travel space instead of cash fares.
Is 60K spending worth 100K Alaska points? Depends who you ask. If you put all the spending on the summit card, you get 160K Alaska points. If you spread the spend across cards and sign-up bonuses, you will net a lot more points.
Bottom Line
The Global Companion Award is Alaska’s attempt to modernize its most famous perk. It doesn’t replace the Companion Fare, but it complements it. Where the old certificate is tied to cash fares, this one is tied to points.
If you already use Alaska miles (now Atmos points) for awards, the GCA is straightforward to use and potentially valuable—especially if you book international business or first class. If you don’t redeem awards often, it may not add much to your wallet.
Either way, it’s worth knowing the difference. If you carry the Summit Visa Infinite, this is a benefit you can plan around each year.
