Good afternoon everyone, I hope you had a great weekend.  I just read Frequent Miler’s article Alaska tanks utility of its “Famous Companion Fare” and learned that you can no longer use Alaska Airlines wallet funds to pay for Companion Fare tickets. That’s a major disappointment, since wallet funds and discounted Alaska Airlines gift cards from Costco used to pair beautifully with the Companion Fare.

Naturally, that got me wondering: Does Atmos Rewards also block wallet funds when using Barclays discount codes? (Short answer: yes.) What started as a quick check turned into a full comparison of Barclays vs. Bank of America and how their Discount Codes and Companion Fares stack up.  You can find your discount codes and companion fares in your Atmos Rewards account under the Discounts and Companion Fares section.

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Background

A couple of weeks ago, I wrote Maybe the Barclays Hawaiian Airlines Credit Card is a Keeper – Here’s Why and wanted to take a closer look at how the Barclays 50% Off Companion Fare and the Barclays $100 Off Companion Fare compare to the Alaska Airlines Companion Fare from the Bank of America Credit Card. Here’s what I found.

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Baseline Flight Example

For consistency, I priced out a round-trip flight for two passengers on Alaska Airlines:

• San Francisco (SFO) to New York City (JFK)
• Departing October 31, returning November 5
• Standard price (no discounts): $1,725.22 total ($862.61 per passenger)

On the checkout screen, if you are not using any discount codes or companion fares, then you can use your wallet funds to pay for some or all of the ticket costs.

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Bank of America Companion Fare

• Total price: $999.64 ($499.82 per passenger)
• Savings: $725.58 compared to the original cost

That’s a huge discount! However, when you apply the Bank of America Companion Fare, you can’t use wallet funds toward the purchase. Payment must be made with an Alaska Airlines credit card.  I’m curious whether a Barclays Hawaiian Airlines Credit Card would work, or if it must be a Bank of America Alaska Airlines / Atmos Rewards Credit Card. (If you’ve tried this, please let me know in the comments.)

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Barclays 50% Off Discount Code

• Total price: $1,309.21 ($654.60 per passenger)
• Savings: $416.01 compared to the original cost

You’ll see the discount clearly reflected on the checkout screen, but again, wallet funds can’t be used for any portion of the payment. Fortunately, there are no restrictions on which credit card you can use to pay for the flights.

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Barclays $100 Off Discount Code

• Total price: $1,617.72 ($808.86 per passenger)
• Savings: $107.50 compared to the original cost

The checkout summary is a little confusing since the $100 discount isn’t itemized alongside the airfare costs. Like the 50% off code, wallet funds aren’t accepted, but any credit card can be used to pay for the flights.

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Final Thoughts

If you’re booking an expensive flight, the Bank of America Companion Fare offers the largest absolute savings (by a wide margin).  For pricier routes, the Barclays $100 Off Discount Code delivers the smallest discount. But for inexpensive flights (like the Los Angeles to Las Vegas flights below), that same $100 Off Discount Code can completely erase the base fare, leaving you with only the taxes and fees to pay.

To summarize everything in 4 short bullets:

• Wallet funds: cannot be used with any Companion Fares or Discount Codes :(
• Best for expensive flights: Bank of America Companion Fare
• Best for cheap flights: Barclays $100 Off Discount Code
• Best option if you do not have a Bank of America Companion Fare: Barclays 50% Off Discount Code

If you have any questions about the various companion fares and discount codes, please leave a comment below.  Have a great day everyone!