BofA Atmos Rewards Business Credit Card: 85,000 Miles + Companion Ticket Welcome Bonus

The welcome bonus is 85,000 miles plus one companion ticket. With the companion ticket, when you buy one airfare, the second one costs only $99. The cardholder must travel on the same itinerary.

• Application link

This offer is excellent, and we've added it to our small business card welcome bonus rankings!

• Recommended U.S. Small Business Cards

BofA Atmos Rewards Business Credit Card

【Note】If this is your first business credit card application, please read “Business Credit Card Introduction” carefully first

Highlights

• Generous welcome bonus: The Alaska Airlines miles you receive are worth about $1,000+ when redeemed for flights; the first-year companion ticket only requires the companion to pay taxes and fees, which is about $22. In practice, you can use the companion ticket on almost any ticket you can find on the airline's website.
• Airline benefits:
  • Buying tickets with this card gets you priority boarding and one free checked bag, and authorized users get the same benefit too (they can fly separately)!
  • The first checked bag is free for up to six travel companions (all tickets must be paid for with this card)
  • 20% cash back on Alaska in-flight purchases (including food, beverage, and Wi-Fi) and 50% off Alaska Lounge Day Pass admission
• Alaska Lounge+ Membership discount: Buy this lounge membership with this card and get $100 off
• 10% mileage bonus: You need to have a BofA business bank account (checking or savings) or an investment account (Merrill), and meet either an account activity requirement or have a balance above 0. It looks like this 10% bonus is still fairly easy to get.
• Companion ticket perk: Spend $6,000 per year and you get one Companion Pass. After one person buys an Alaska Airlines ticket, adding a companion's ticket costs only $99 + $22 (taxes). This is valid only for domestic flights on Alaska Airlines and Virgin America. It is especially valuable for flights to Hawaii. In the example below, you can get an $800 ticket for just $99. When you use it, just search as usual and it will automatically connect Alaska and Virgin America flights.
• BofA card benefits
  • Free museums: On the first weekend of each month, BofA cardholders get free admission to major museums nationwide. You can add an authorized user for a family member so they can also get free admission. To see the list of free museums by state, please click here
  • BofA Deals: Offers 5%-15% cash back or a fixed cash amount at various merchants. Past good deals have included Sears 15% cash back ($25 cap), Nordstrom Rack 15% cash back ($37.50 cap), and a $5 bonus for using any BofA Deal. See: BofA Deals usage guide
  • Free credit score: BofA credit cards now provide a free TransUnion credit score. See: free credit score comparison
  • Product change option: This card can be converted to another no-annual-fee BofA credit card, so you can product change after one year if you do not want to pay the annual fee. See: product change summary

Drawbacks

• There are relatively few ways to earn Alaska Airlines miles. See: earning Alaska miles

Introduction to Alaska Airlines Miles

• Point value: Each mile is worth 1.6 cents (points value chart)
• Redeeming miles: Alaska Mileage Plan has been integrated into Atmos Rewards, and existing miles were converted to the new points at a 1:1 ratio. You can redeem flights on Alaska, Hawaiian, and oneworld and other partner airlines such as AA, Cathay Pacific, and Japan Airlines. Short-haul awards and some partner business class awards still offer decent value, but long-haul and multi-segment itineraries are no longer as cheap as before. See Alaska miles redemption
• Redemption advantages: Eligible international one-way award tickets can include one free stopover of up to 14 days, and round-trip awards can include up to two stopovers. The award chart is priced mainly by region and flight distance, with partner-airline short-haul awards starting at 4,500 points, and some Japan Airlines, Cathay Pacific, and AA business class awards can still deliver strong value.

My take:

This card's benefits are basically the same as the personal Alaska card, with different 2x categories. Because Alaska Airlines miles have relatively limited earning opportunities and are fairly valuable among airline miles, after you've gotten the personal card, picking up a business card too is a good idea. As for long-term value, if you can spend $6,000 and can make use of the Alaska companion ticket, then it is definitely a no-brainer to keep it; saving $75 per flight should not be a problem.

How to apply

• This is an airline co-branded credit card, so it's best to register for an Alaska frequent-flyer account first; you can enter the number directly when applying
• 【Note】If this is your first business credit card application, please read “Business Credit Card Introduction” carefully first

• BOA application status check link, or call: (800) 732-9194
• 2/3/4 rule: at most 2 cards approved within 2 months, 3 within 12 months, and 4 within 24 months. However, BofA’s system is not very reliable, and sometimes a card may be approved at first but later shut down.
• The welcome bonus on the same card can only be received once every 24 months, and you need to make sure the card is closed before applying again>
• You need to be a Resident to apply for a BOA credit card online: when applying for a BofA credit card online, if you select Non resident alien, you will not be able to continue and must apply by phone. However, BofA’s definition of Resident alien is different from the IRS definition of Resident alien for tax purpose. No matter what immigration status you used to enter the US, if you have lived in the US for 183 days within the past two years, then select Resident Alien. If you just arrived in the US and cannot meet this requirement, follow the prompt on the online application page and call 1.800.932.2775 to apply.
• You can call the reconsideration line (888-593-6092) to speed up credit card approval or request a review of a denied application.
• More about applying for BofA credit cards

Application link:

• BofA Alaska Business Credit Card>>