You don’t need to love one airline to like these cards. The market shifted. Now there are products that actually appeal to the casual traveler. Not just the loyalists. Two cards stand out. The Atmos Rewards Summit Visa Infinite and the Citi AAdvantage Globe Mastercard.
One ties you to Alaska and Hawaiian. The other locks you into American.
Both are good. Here is why.
The Sign-Up Battle
Welcome bonuses are where the rubber meets the road. TPG valued the Atmos Rewards Summit bonus at $1,750. That includes a Global Companion Award. The Citi AAdvantage Globe bonus is worth $1,200.
Atmos Rewards Summit wins the welcome bonus category.
By a significant margin. The Summit hands you more value right out of the gate.
Perks That Pay Off
Let’s look at lounges.
Both cards get you in. Both waive bag fees. Both give you that Global Entry credit. The details differ though.
Atmos cardholders get eight Alaska Lounge passes a year. You can share them. I let a friend gift me passes for a trip out of SFO. My partner and I sat in an empty room. Ate pancakes from a machine. It was nice.
Citi users get four Admirals Club passes. You bring kids under 18 for free. The trick? Use the pass across multiple lounges in one day. Fly Oneworld. Chain the lounges together. Maximize the single pass.
Companion Certificates
This is where it gets tricky.
Summit cardholders get a 25,002-point Global Companion Award every year. Spend $60,002 on the card and you get another one for 100. It works on partners.
Globe users have to wait. No companion certificate in year one. In year two you buy it for $99 plus taxes.
Summit offers 10,002 status miles a year. Globe offers Flight Streak Loyalty Points. Five thousand for every four American flights. You can stack that to 15,002 points a year.
Which matters? Depends on if you are chasing elite status with AA or just want a free companion ticket now.
The Small Stuff
No foreign transaction fees on either.
Summit earns 3x on foreign spending. Globe offers $100 back for inflight purchases and $102 in “Splurge” credits for things like 1stDibs or Live Nation. Summit also has roadside assistance.
Winner? Atmos Rewards Summit.
Getting the companion award in year one beats waiting a full year to even unlock the Citi version.
Earning Miles
Summit earns:
– 3x on dining
– 3x on Alaska and Hawaiian purchases
– 3x on foreign transactions
– 1x elsewhere
Globe earns:
– 6x on AA hotel bookings
– 3x on AA purchases
– 2x on transit
– 2x at restaurants
– 1x elsewhere
Summit takes the dining crown. Globe has more bonus categories.
If you fly international often Summit wins. If you buy a lot of transit rides Globe might keep pace. But dining is a bigger expense for most.
Summit wins on earning potential.
Redemptions
Where do the points go?
Use Atmos Rewards on Alaska or Oneworld partners. Business class from the West Coast to Asia costs 75.002 points. Use AAdvantage on AA or Oneworld. Domestic one-way flights can be as low as 4500 miles.
Value-wise?
Citi / AAdvantage Globe wins on redemption value.
AA miles are generally worth slightly more per unit.
Transferring
AAdvantage miles are sticky. They don’t transfer like Amex points do. You fly AA partners. That is it.
Atmos Rewards points can go to hotels. Marriott Bonvoy. Wyndham. The ratios are decent 1:1 for Marriott but poor value.
Summit wins here technically because you can move points to hotels. But should you? Probably not.
Which One Do You Get?
Atmos took most categories above.
But Globe is close.
I am not loyal to one carrier. I fly wherever the schedule allows. I wanted both cards at launch. Why not carry two?
If your spending fits one profile stick to that card. If you can afford two keep them. The math supports it.
These cards tailor to specific airlines. Alaska or American. Your travel habits decide the winner. Not the marketing copy.
