American and Alaska Make Co-Brand Card Changes

We've seen big changes made to Alaska's credit card lineup as of late, with the launch of the Atmos Rewards Summit Visa and renaming of the Atmos Rewards Ascent card, on the heels of its merger with Hawaiian Airlines. And American has had two different issuers for its card products for years, a product of its merger with US Airways in 2013. It seems that October 2025 is the month that both of these companies are making changes to simplify its product offering, but are approaching it in different ways. Here's what's happening and how it may affect your wallet.

Hawaiian Airlines card changes

First, let's discuss changes at Alaska Airlines, who recently completed their acquisition of Hawaiian Airlines. The airline has (smartly) elected to continue operating the Hawaiian Airlines brand, as there's a lot of loyalty among Hawaii-based flyers. With a newly-combined loyalty program, there's some awkwardness in promoting the brand's card products. Barclays issues Hawaiian Airlines co-branded cards. Bank of America issues the Alaska Airlines credit cards.

There was some alarm on October 1st that the Hawaiian Airlines Bank of America World Elite Mastercard would stop taking applications, as links from Hawaiian's website were leading to a 404 page. Instead, the airline clarified that for the foreseeable future, the Barclays product will be promoted only in the air on Hawaiian flights and through Bank of Hawaii's website.

As a holder of this card, I was also interested in knowing how my 50% off Hawaiian Airlines coupons would be handled. As of this writing, it's been deposited in my Atmos account, and I now have to book them on Alaska's website. Makes sense, as the programs have now been combined.

While anything can happen in the future, we don't know how long the Barclays arrangement will continue. Could we soon see a Hawaiian Airlines branded card issued by Bank of America?

American Airlines Ends Applications For Its Aviator Cards

The other big news in the co-brand card world is American has finally ended applications for the Aviator cards. These credit cards are issued by Barclays. These cards were leftover from US Airways, who had an agreement with the card issuer. Citi has issued American Airlines credit cards for years. Since the merger, the Aviator Red card has been promoted exclusively in-flight. These offers were well received because they required just one purchase to hit the welcome bonus. They will be missed by many.

Now, all American Airlines cards available for sign up are Citi issued. While I haven't flown American since this change was made, I imagine in-flight offers will switch to Citi soon, if they haven't already.

American & Alaska Make Co-Brand Card Changes: ToP Thoughts

Changes in the credit card world are inevitable. It makes sense why Alaska would contain credit card applications for the Hawaiian Airlines products. The markets the card is intended for is where they should be promoted to prevent market confusion. And, it's been a long time coming for American to move to one issuer of its co-branded credit cards. For consumers like us, it means less opportunities for sign up bonuses, which is a major bummer.