Two business class award tickets from the US to Europe usually run about 180,000 Alaska points. That is a serious balance to build. Then you still need the award space.
The Atmos™ Rewards Summit Visa Infinite® credit card has an answer for the second-ticket problem. It is called the Global Companion Award, and the big version wipes up to 100,000 points off your companion’s award ticket on the same reservation. You earn it by spending $60,000 on the card in an anniversary year.
This is the full guide: what the award is, exactly how to earn it, the step-by-step for using it, real booking examples from my own account, and the terms that trip people up. Including the one about unused value.
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TL;DR: the 100K award in one paragraph
The 100,000-point Global Companion Award is a Summit card benefit that covers up to 100,000 points of a companion’s award ticket when you book two passengers on the same reservation. It works on Alaska, Hawaiian, and eligible partner award flights in any cabin, including business and first class. You earn it by spending $60,000 or more in purchases during a card anniversary year. It expires one year after it is issued, travel can happen after that as long as you book before the expiration date, and any unused portion of the 100,000 points is forfeited.
What the 100K Global Companion Award actually is
A companion award usually means a second paid ticket for the price of taxes. This one is different. It is a points award: when you book an award flight for two people on the same reservation, the Global Companion Award covers the companion’s points, up to the companion award’s value.
You still pay the full award price for traveler one. Traveler two’s points drop to zero, as long as their ticket costs 100,000 points or less. If it costs more, you top up the difference from your points balance. Both travelers still pay their own taxes and fees, and those go on your Summit card.
The Summit card actually comes with two versions of this benefit, so keep them straight:
| Award | How you earn it | Covers | Best use |
|---|---|---|---|
| 25K award | Qualifying spend on a new account, then each card anniversary | Up to 25,000 points | Domestic round trips, short partner hops |
| 100K award | $60,000+ in purchases per anniversary year | Up to 100,000 points | International business class, long-haul partner awards |
The two Global Companion Awards on the Summit card. Each works on Alaska, Hawaiian, and partner award flights booked with points.
A point worth being honest about, because it trips people up: the Global Companion Award is denominated in points, not in tickets. A “100K companion award” does not mean any companion ticket is free. It means the first 100,000 points of the companion’s award price disappear. A 90,000-point companion ticket costs you nothing in points. A 120,000-point companion ticket costs you 20,000 points out of pocket, plus taxes and fees.
How to earn it
There are two paths, and they are separate.
The 25K award. New cardholders earn a 25,000-point Global Companion Award after qualifying spend on a new account. After that, you get one every card anniversary, as long as the account is open. This one is easy to use: 25,000 points covers a domestic round trip for a companion in economy, or a chunk of a pricier one-way.
The 100K award. Spend $60,000 or more in purchases during a card anniversary year and you earn the 100,000-point version. That is the big one, and it is aimed squarely at international premium cabin redemptions.
A few mechanics that matter here. The $60,000 is purchases, so balance transfers and cash advances do not count. The clock runs on your card anniversary year, the 12-month cycle that starts when your account opens, not the calendar year. And the two awards are independent: you can earn both in the same year, which means up to 125,000 points of companion value annually from one card.
Once earned, the award shows up in your Atmos Rewards account under Rewards, in the Discounts and companion fares section. Mine shows both right now: the 100K award and the 25K award, each with its own expiration date. That page is also where you get the discount code you will need at booking, which brings us to the mechanics.
How to use it, step by step
The flow is different from a normal award search, so follow the order.
<strong>1. Find award space for two passengers.</strong> Search on alaskaair.com with “Use points” checked and the passenger count set to 2 adults (or 2 travelers of any kind). The award only applies when both travelers are on the same reservation.
<strong>2. Get your discount code.</strong> From your account’s Discounts and companion fares page, hit “Use to book” next to the award you want. That gives you the code tied to that award.
<strong>3. Paste the code into the Discount code field on the award search page.</strong> This is the step people miss. Without the code, the results page shows normal two-person pricing. With it, the page applies your award and the fares display with the companion discount already baked in.
<strong>4. Read the results correctly.</strong> A banner at the top confirms your award is applied: “You have 100k points in Global Companion Award credit. Unused value does not carry over.” Under each flight, the companion’s price reads something like “0k pts + $26” with a checkmark. That is the award doing its job in the results, not a pricing error.
<strong>5. Select your flights and check out.</strong> At checkout the companion’s points drop to zero (or to the remainder above the award value, which you pay from your balance). Pay both travelers’ taxes and fees with your Summit card, which is a hard requirement.
One more mechanical note: the award has to be applied at the time of booking. You cannot book a normal award ticket and add the award to the reservation afterward.
Real examples from my account
Theory is fine, but this benefit lives or dies on the numbers in the search results. Here are two from my own account, both with the 100K award applied.
Business class to Europe from the East Coast
One way to use the 100K award is to fly round trip business class to Europe from the East Coast or Midwest. The example below covers Philadelphia to Dublin.
I searched Philadelphia to Dublin for two adults, round trip, with the 100K discount code applied. Aer Lingus flight EI 114 came back at 90,000 points plus $88 in taxes per passenger for business class, round trip. With the award applied, traveler two’s points dropped to zero. Here is the full math:
| Item | Amount |
|---|---|
| Traveler 1: business round trip, PHL to Dublin | 90,000 pts + $88 |
| Traveler 2: same business round trip | 90,000 pts + $88 |
| 100K award covers traveler 2 | -90,000 pts |
| Your total for two | 90,000 pts + $176 |
Two round trip business class tickets to Europe for 90,000 points total, plus fees. Without the award that trip costs 180,000 points. To put the award’s value in real terms: the companion’s business class ticket would typically sell for $3,000 to $4,000 or more in cash. The award wiped out its entire 90,000-point price.
Business class to Southeast Asia from the West Coast
From the West Coast, one strong use is business class to Southeast Asia. The example below covers Los Angeles to Manila.
I searched Los Angeles to Manila for two adults, one way, with the 100K code applied. Philippine Airlines flight PR 113 came back at 85,000 points plus $26 in taxes per passenger for business class. Companion’s points: zero. The numbers:
| Item | Amount |
|---|---|
| Traveler 1: business one way, LAX to Manila | 85,000 pts + $26 |
| Traveler 2: same business one way | 85,000 pts + $26 |
| 100K award covers traveler 2 | -85,000 pts |
| Your total for two | 85,000 pts + $52 |
Two one-way business class tickets to Manila for 85,000 points total, plus fees. Notice something about this one: the award was worth 85,000 points here, and the remaining 15,000 points of the 100K value simply vanished. Unused value does not carry over. That is the rule working as designed, and it is the reason to aim your biggest redemption at this award.
The full terms, in plain English
This is the section that decides whether the award actually pays off for you. Every line below comes from Alaska’s published terms and the card’s product page.
- One year to use it. The award expires 12 months after it is issued. You must book before the expiration date, but the travel itself can happen later. My account shows the 100K award expiring 08/04/2027 and the 25K expiring 08/26/2027, so each award runs its own clock.
- Unused value is forfeited. If the companion’s ticket costs 85,000 points, the other 15,000 points of a 100K award disappear. There is no residual credit and no partial reuse.
- One award per booking. You cannot stack the 25K and the 100K on the same reservation. One award per booking, period.
- Same reservation, two passengers. Both travelers have to be booked together on one reservation, on an award ticket paid with points.
- New bookings only. The award must be applied at the time of booking. You cannot attach it to an existing reservation.
- Alaska, Hawaiian, and partners. It works on any award flight bookable on alaskaair.com, which includes Alaska and Hawaiian plus oneworld and other partner airlines. Any cabin, including business and first class.
- The cardholder does not have to travel. You can use your award to book any two travelers. It does not have to include you.
- Top-ups come from your balance. If the companion’s ticket costs more than the award’s value, you pay the difference in points at checkout. A 120,000-point companion ticket against a 100K award costs you 20,000 points out of pocket, plus taxes and fees.
- Taxes and fees go on the Summit card. Both travelers’ taxes, fees, and surcharges must be paid with your Summit card. No exceptions.
- Cancel and rebook before it expires. If your plans change before travel, you can cancel and get the award back with its original expiration date, then use it on another booking. If the award has expired by then, the companion discount is gone.
The $60,000 shortcut: foreign spend at 3 points per dollar spent
Sixty thousand dollars of spend sounds like a lot until you look at how the Summit card pays for it. The card earns 3 points per dollar on eligible dining, on Alaska and Hawaiian purchases, and on foreign transactions, with no foreign transaction fees. Everything else earns 1 point per dollar.
That foreign transaction category is the whole game for the right person. I live in Canada, so nearly all of my everyday spend is technically foreign spend. Groceries, gas, the dentist, all of it earns 3x. If you have heavy spend outside the US, for work travel, family abroad, or because you live there, the $60,000 hurdle stops being a hurdle and starts being what you were going to spend anyway.
The math on $60,000 of foreign spend:
| Item | Amount |
|---|---|
| $60,000 in foreign purchases at 3x | 180,000 pts |
| Plus 10% rewards bonus with an eligible Bank of America account | +18,000 pts |
| Points earned while unlocking the 100K award | 198,000 pts |
The same $60,000 that unlocks the award also earns roughly 180,000 points on its own, or close to 198,000 with the eligible-account bonus. You end up with enough points for traveler one’s ticket and the award for traveler two, all from one year of normal spend.
The honest caveats
The award is genuinely one of the best companion benefits in the US card market. It still has sharp edges, and a guide this long would be dishonest without them.
<strong>Award availability is the real gate.</strong> The award does nothing about award space. A 100K award with no saver seats to Manila is worth zero. Check that the space exists before you plan around the benefit, and before you move any points in from a transfer partner. The examples in this post were live searches in my account; space on your dates and routes will differ.
<strong>Size your redemption to the award.</strong> Because unused value is forfeited, a 60,000-point companion ticket wastes 40,000 points of a 100K award. The sweet spot is a companion ticket priced between about 85,000 and 100,000 points, which is exactly where long-haul partner business class tends to land.
<strong>The $60,000 is real money.</strong> Do not manufacture spend you would not otherwise do just to chase the award. The math only works if the spend is organic. If you are putting $60,000 on the card anyway, it is free. If you are not, it is not.
The fee is real too. The card carries a $395 annual fee. A fully used 100K award is worth up to about $1,500 at my 1.5 cent Atmos valuation, so one good redemption covers the fee nearly four times over. An award that expires unused covers nothing.
One award per booking. If you are traveling as a family of four, one 100K award covers one companion. The second pair of tickets prices normally. Plan accordingly.
My take
For a two-person household that flies international business class on points, this is the best companion benefit attached to any US airline card right now. Nothing else wipes 100,000 points off a partner business class ticket for a second traveler.
The honest version of that take: the award is only worth it if the $60,000 happens on its own. At 3 points per dollar on foreign spend, my household clears it without thinking about it, and the points earned along the way pay for the first ticket. If your spend does not naturally get there, the 25K anniversary award is still a strong benefit, and the 100K version is a nice-to-have you should not contort your finances to reach.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I earn the 100K Global Companion Award?
Spend $60,000 or more in purchases on your Atmos Rewards Summit card during a card anniversary year. The award is deposited into your Atmos Rewards account, where it appears in the Discounts and companion fares section with its own expiration date. It is separate from the 25K award, which you earn after qualifying spend on a new account and then each anniversary.
Can I use the award on partner airlines?
Yes. The Global Companion Award applies to any award flight bookable on alaskaair.com, which includes Alaska Airlines, Hawaiian Airlines, and oneworld and other partner airlines. It works in any cabin, including business and first class. The examples in this guide use Aer Lingus and Philippine Airlines partner awards.
What happens if my companion’s ticket costs less than 100,000 points?
The unused portion is forfeited. A 85,000-point companion ticket uses 85,000 points of the award’s value, and the remaining 15,000 points disappear. There is no residual credit and no partial reuse, so it pays to aim your biggest redemption at this award.
Can I use the 25K and 100K awards on the same booking?
No. Only one Global Companion Award can be applied per booking. If you have both, use them on separate trips, or use one and save the other for a future booking before it expires.
Do I have to be one of the two travelers?
No. The cardholder does not need to be traveling. You can use your Global Companion Award to book any two travelers on the same reservation, which makes it usable for family members or friends flying without you.
The Bottom Line
The 100K Global Companion Award turns one international business class award ticket into two, for the price of the first ticket’s points plus taxes. Earn it with $60,000 in card spend per anniversary year, book two passengers on one reservation with the discount code applied, and pay the taxes with your Summit card. Watch the one-year expiration and the forfeited unused value, and size your biggest redemption to the award.
Related Reading: Atmos Rewards Communities: 20% Off Kids Awards Guide , How Much Are Alaska Atmos Rewards Points Worth? (2026 Guide) , Alaska’s Atmos Rewards Lets You Choose How You Earn Points
Two business class tickets to Europe for 90,000 points. That is what this award does.
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