Back in January 2025, I opened the Alaska Airlines Business Card and earned a welcome bonus of 70,000 Alaska Miles. Since then, Alaska Miles have been converted into Atmos Rewards Points following the Alaska-Hawaiian Airlines merger. Atmos Rewards Points are among the most valuable airline currencies available, primarily because of the strong redemption options available through airline partners.<\/p>\n
Although the Alaska Airlines Business Card no longer exists, it has been replaced by the Bank of America Atmos Business Card. This opens up some interesting possibilities for me. Importantly, the Atmos Business Card appears to be treated as a separate product. That means people who previously had the Alaska Airlines Business Card may still be eligible to earn a signup bonus on the Atmos Business Card.<\/p>\n
For anyone trying to maximize their Atmos Rewards balance, that\u2019s a valuable opportunity. However, actually getting approved for the card may be more difficult than you expect.<\/p>\n
I was recently approved for the Atmos Business Card after previously holding the Alaska Airlines Business Card. That\u2019ll add another 85,000 Atmos Points to my Atmos account balance, which is very valuable for me. In this post, I wanted to go over my application history with this card and what ultimately worked for me to get approved for it.<\/p>\n
My History Applying for the Atmos Business Card<\/h2>\n
I first opened the Alaska Airlines Business Card in January 2025 when it was offering a welcome bonus of 70,000 Alaska Miles. The card carried a $95 annual fee. Since I didn\u2019t have an ongoing use for the card, I decided to close it when the annual fee came due in the second year. I closed the account in March 2026.<\/p>\n
After Alaska Miles became Atmos Rewards Points, I started hearing reports that it might be possible to hold both the old Alaska Airlines Business Card and the new Atmos Business Card. With that in mind, I applied for the Atmos Business Card in October 2025. I applied as a sole proprietor and used my Social Security number as the tax ID number.<\/p>\n
Unfortunately, my application for the Atmos Business Card was instantly denied. While getting denied for a credit card is part of the game when you apply for new cards frequently, it still hurts because you take a hard inquiry without getting anything in return. I decided not to call reconsideration and simply moved on to different cards.<\/p>\n
A few months later, in April 2026, I decided to try again for the card, figuring that maybe I had a better shot at getting it since I had closed my Alaska Airlines Business Card. Once again, I applied as a sole proprietor using my Social Security number. And once again, I received an instant denial.<\/p>\n
After two failed applications, I figured my chances were slim. Either Bank of America didn\u2019t like my profile, or the previous Alaska Airlines Business Card approval was preventing me from getting approved for the Atmos version.<\/p>\n
Applying For The Atmos Business Card With An EIN<\/h2>\n
A few weeks after my second denial, I was talking with a friend about my failed Atmos Business Card application. During that conversation, he mentioned that Bank of America combines hard pulls for applications made within 30 days. In other words, if I applied for another Bank of America card within 30 days, the bank likely wouldn\u2019t pull my credit again.<\/p>\n
Since there was little downside, I decided to give the Atmos Business Card one more shot. This time, however, I applied using the EIN for an LLC that I own instead of applying as a sole proprietor.<\/p>\n
Getting an EIN is relatively easy. In fact, you can obtain one for free directly from the IRS. I personally have two EINs\u2014one for my sole proprietorship and another for my LLC.<\/p>\n
For this application, I chose to use the LLC\u2019s EIN because I thought it might improve my chances of approval compared to using an EIN for myself as a sole proprietor. Would using the EIN from my sole proprietorship have worked as well? Maybe. I honestly don\u2019t know. However, I felt more comfortable applying through my LLC and figured it\u2019d give me a better shot at approval.<\/p>\n
The Approval Process<\/h2>\n
After submitting my application, I received a message stating that the application was under review. During my previous two attempts at getting this card, I had received instant denials. Seeing the application move into review suggested that something had changed. I also did not receive an additional hard pull, so it was true that Bank of America combines hard pulls over a 30-day period.<\/p>\n
At that point, I wasn\u2019t sure what would happen next. Some business credit card applications are approved immediately, while others remain pending for several days while the issuer reviews the information.<\/p>\n
After a day, I checked my Bank of America account and saw that the Atmos Business Card was now visible in my online dashboard. Shortly after, I received an email saying that my application was approved.<\/p>\n
One thing I was curious about was whether applying with an EIN would create additional complications. I have an LLC registered with the state, so I could provide any documentation that might have been requested. In this case, though, I didn\u2019t have to provide any additional information, and the business information I provided appeared to be sufficient for Bank of America to complete its review.<\/p>\n
My Thoughts on Applying With an EIN<\/h2>\n
The EIN appears to be a sort of secret weapon when it comes to getting approved for new business credit cards. Historically, I\u2019ve never applied for business cards with an EIN, mainly because I didn\u2019t want to have to deal with the possibility of having to submit additional documentation. So, for the vast majority of my business card applications, I\u2019ve applied as a sole proprietor using my SSN.<\/p>\n
However, over the past year, there have been a few changes that have made applying for new cards using an EIN a necessity. The main change was with the Chase Ink Business Cards. These are valuable cards that, in the past, allowed you to apply for and earn the bonus on them essentially as often as you wanted. Chase changed the terms on these cards recently, which made it so you couldn\u2019t earn the bonus on these cards if you had already earned a bonus on them before. That being said, I found it was possible to continue to open new cards and earn the signup bonus so long as you used an EIN for a different business.<\/p>\n
With this information in mind, I think everyone should apply for an EIN and have that handy for at least some business card applications. Everyone can have an EIN for themselves individually (i.e., you don\u2019t need a separate business entity). If you have a business entity, such as an LLC, it\u2019s worth having an EIN for that as well.<\/p>\n
Of course, every bank uses different underwriting standards. Approval is never guaranteed. Still, based on my experience, using an EIN did not create any additional obstacles during the application process.<\/p>\n
Final Thoughts<\/h2>\n
Overall, my Atmos Business Card application process was surprisingly smooth.<\/p>\n
After two denials while applying as a sole proprietor, I applied again using my LLC\u2019s EIN and was ultimately approved.<\/p>\n
While I can\u2019t say for certain that the EIN made the difference, it was the only major change between my unsuccessful applications and my approved one.<\/p>\n
If you already have an established business entity and have been considering the Atmos Business Card, this data point may be helpful.<\/p>\n
As always, approval will depend on factors such as your business profile, revenue, credit history, and overall relationship with Bank of America. However, in my case, applying with an EIN worked out well. And it\u2019s a big score for me, as it\u2019ll add another 85,000 Atmos Rewards points to my account balance.<\/p>\n
This post may contain affiliate links.<\/em><\/p>\n Check out these other ebikes and scooters I’ve reviewed:<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
\n <\/ul>\n<\/div>\n For additional <\/span>investing app bonuses, be sure to check out the ones below:<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
\n <\/ul>\n<\/div>\n If you\u2019re looking for more <\/span>easy bank bonuses, check out the below options. These bonuses are all easy to earn and have no fees or minimum balance requirements to worry about.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
\n <\/ul>\n<\/div>\n Kevin is an attorney and the blogger behind Financial Panther, a blog about personal finance, travel hacking, and side hustling using the gig economy. He paid off $87,000 worth of student loans in just 2.5 years<\/a> by choosing not to live like a big shot lawyer.<\/p>\n Kevin is passionate about earning money using the gig economy and you can see all the ways he makes extra income every month in his side hustle reports<\/a>.<\/p>\n Kevin is also big on using the latest fintech apps to improve his finances. Some of Kevin’s favorite fintech apps include:<\/p>\nMore <\/span>Recommended Ebike\/Scooters<\/h2>\n
<\/p>\n
More <\/span>Recommended Investing App Bonuses<\/h2>\n
<\/p>\n
More <\/span>Recommended Bank Account Bonuses<\/h2>\n
<\/p>\n
![\"financial](\"https:\/\/www.financialpanther.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/07\/caricature1-1.png\"\/)
![\"financial](\"https:\/\/www.financialpanther.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/07\/caricature1-1.png\")
<\/p>\n\n