Transfer Bank of America Points to Alaska’s Atmos Rewards?
A comment made by Alaska Air Group CFO Shane Tackett has sparked speculation that Bank of America points could soon become transferable to Alaska’s Atmos Rewards program.
Speaking at the TD Cowen 10th Annual Future of the Consumer Conference, Tackett said Alaska would “love ultimately for the proprietary cards that our bank partner provides to be able to convert to points and redeem.” While far from an official announcement, the remarks suggest Alaska and Bank of America may be exploring deeper integration between their rewards programs.
The idea is particularly interesting because Atmos Rewards points aren’t easy to earn through transferable currencies. Currently, Bilt is the only major transferable points program that offers direct transfers to Alaska’s loyalty program. Marriott Bonvoy is also an option, but at a 3:1 ratio.
The comments come shortly after Alaska and Bank of America announced an extension and expansion of their long-standing credit card partnership. Alaska’s CFO also noted that the new agreement creates additional opportunities for the two companies to grow the loyalty program together.
For now, this remains purely speculative and neither company has announced a transfer partnership. However, if Bank of America Rewards points eventually become transferable to Atmos Rewards, it would give travelers ore options to earn one of the more valuable airline currencies.
HT: Doctor of Credit
If BoA does it, they’d be smart to demand exclusivity unlike Chase allowing Bilt to eat their lunch with Hyatt and United.