Pick how you earn points: Alaska's new Atmos Rewards 'choice accrual' starts this week

Get ready to make your pick.Later this week, Alaska Airlines will go live with one of the most interesting new features of its Atmos Rewards program: the chance to choose how you'll earn points.Typically, an airline just tells customers how they'll earn miles.But beginning Thursday, Alaska and Hawaiian Airlines frequent flyers will be able to pick how they accrue both points and elite status.Here's how the choices stack up:Earn by flying the farthest: 1 point (and status point) per mile flownEarn by spending a lot: 5 points (and status points) per dollar spent on flightsEarn by taking the most flights: 500 points (and status points) per individual flight segmentThis setup is one Alaska had first announced last summer when the carrier combined its loyalty program with Hawaiian and launched Atmos.Priority check-in line for Atmos Rewards status members at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport (DCA). SEAN CUDAHY/THE POINTS GUYA first for a U.S. airline, it was a big reason the new program won a TPG Award earlier this year for innovation in loyalty.Why this is a notable setup"Choice accrual" essentially allows members to maximize their loyalty earnings based on how they tend to trav...