Most premium travel credit cards are designed for people who live in the United States and take the occasional trip abroad. They reward vacations or business trips, but they do not reward the reality of living abroad. Digital nomads pay rent in pesos, coffee in euros, Grab rides in baht, and coworking spaces billed in rupiah. For nomads, those everyday purchases are almost always foreign transactions. Nearly every premium card on the market lumps them into the dreaded “other” category that earns a flat 1X.
The Atmos™ Rewards Summit Visa Infinite® flips that on its head. Instead of treating foreign spend as filler, it makes it the centerpiece. With 3X on all foreign purchases, a built-in path to oneworld status, and award redemptions that remain some of the best in the game, the Summit feels like the first premium card actually designed for life lived outside the U.S.
The card carries a $395 annual fee, which is in line with other premium cards, but delivers a very different kind of value for nomads. It is available to U.S. residents, but unlike Amex or Chase products, it was built specifically with global spending in mind.
Why 3X on Foreign Purchases Matters for Digital Nomads
The Summit Visa Infinite® changes the game. Every single non-USD transaction earns 3X Atmos points. Whether it is your rent in Lisbon, your morning latte in Paris, or your Grab ride in Bangkok, it all counts and it all earns like a premium category. Dining worldwide and Alaska or Hawaiian purchases also earn 3X, while everything else earns 1X.
The difference this makes is massive:
- Spend $2,500 per month abroad = $30,000 per year
- Earn 90,000 Atmos points
- Add a 10% Bank of America bonus and the total is nearly 100,000 points
- The same spend on Sapphire Reserve or Amex Platinum = 30,000 points
That is the gap between economy and business class award flights.
For nomads, this is not just a perk. It is a redefinition of what everyday spend means.
A Launch Boost With the Welcome Offer
What makes the Summit even more powerful is how quickly you can build a balance. The card is currently offering a 100,000-point welcome bonus after spending $6,000 in the first three months. For a nomad, that threshold could be met with a few months of rent and daily expenses abroad.
Layer that bonus on top of what the card earns naturally, and the numbers get impressive fast. A year of living abroad with $30,000 in foreign purchases would generate about 90,000 points from spend alone. Add the welcome offer, and you finish year one with close to 200,000 points. If you’re wondering what else is out there right now, our PointsYeah September Picks list highlights today’s most compelling travel card offers.
That total is enough for two round-trip business class tickets to Asia, or four round-trip tickets to Europe, with points still left over. For a nomad, it means your lifestyle abroad funds almost all of your long-haul premium travel in the same year you pick up the card.
Status Without Mileage Runs
Elite status has always been elusive for nomads. You are traveling constantly, but not in the ways U.S. airlines want you to. Too many one-way tickets, too many discount carriers, too many routes outside the system. The Summit fixes that by giving cardholders a direct path to elite recognition through everyday spend.
Each year you automatically receive 10,000 status points just for holding the card. On top of that, the card earns 1 status point for every $2 spent, which means your groceries, your rent, and even your late-night cab rides are moving you closer to status.
Here’s how that looks over a year:
| Annual Spend | Status Points Earned | +10K Bonus | Total | Atmos Tier | oneworld |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| $24,000 | 12,000 | 10,000 | 22,000 | Silver | Ruby |
| $40,000 | 20,000 | 10,000 | 30,000 | Just shy of Gold | |
| $60,000 | 30,000 | 10,000 | 40,000 | Gold | Sapphire |
| $100,000 | 50,000 | 10,000 | 60,000 | Near Platinum | Emerald with some flying |
Gold is the sweet spot: oneworld Sapphire means alliance-wide lounge access, priority check-in, and priority boarding. For a nomad, that’s achievable entirely on spend. Other cards also offer valuable ways to earn perks through spend, see our PointsYeah September Picks for this month’s top options.
Starting in 2026, Atmos will let members choose how they qualify for elite status: by miles flown, by qualifying spend, or by flight segments. With the Summit card feeding status points from everyday purchases, that flexibility becomes especially powerful for nomads.
Redemption Sweet Spots That Still Deliver
Points are only as good as what you can redeem them for, and Atmos still offers some of the richest fixed-value awards in the industry.
- U.S. → Europe in Business Class: From 45,000 points
- U.S. → Asia in Business Class: From 60,000 points
- U.S. → South America in Business Class: From 35,000 points
Compare that to competitors charging 70K, 80K, even 100K for the same routes, and Atmos looks like a throwback to the golden age of award travel.
For nomads, this matters. The 90,000 points you earn from a year of foreign spend can already get you up to 2 business class seats to Europe or fly you all the way to Asia in lie flat comfort. And because Atmos partners with carriers like Qatar, Japan Airlines, Cathay Pacific, Iberia, and LATAM, you’re not just redeeming for flights, you’re redeeming for premium experiences that would otherwise cost thousands.
How Atmos Companion Awards Benefit Traveling Couples and Nomads
The Summit card sweetens the pot with companion awards that go far beyond typical airline certificates. Each year, you receive a Global 25K Companion Award, which discounts a companion’s award ticket by up to 25,000 points. Spend $60,000 in a card year and you unlock the Global 100K Companion Award, which can shave an incredible 100,000 points off a companion ticket.
Unlike many airline companion passes, these certificates apply even to premium cabins. That means you could book yourself into a 45,000-point business class seat to Europe, then use the 25K certificate to slash your partner’s redemption nearly in half. At the 100K level, you are looking at savings that make aspirational business-class travel genuinely realistic for two people.
Travel Day Perks That Make Life Easier for Digital Nomads
For digital nomads, travel days are rarely glamorous. They mean early mornings, crowded terminals, and the occasional delay that can derail your plans. The Summit doesn’t pretend to fix all of that, but it does give you a set of tools that make those days far less punishing.
Start with the lounges. Every year you get eight Alaska Lounge passes, issued two per quarter, and through 2026 each visit comes with a complimentary cocktail or upgraded bar item. For a nomad hopping between cities, that can mean the difference between hours in a crowded gate area and a quiet place to work, recharge, or simply decompress.
When you do fly Alaska, the card makes the experience smoother with a handful of practical perks:
- Eight inflight Wi-Fi passes per year (issued quarterly) to stay connected midair.
- Your first checked bag free for you and up to six companions.
- Preferred boarding whenever you book with the card.
- $50 credit automatically if your Alaska-marketed flight is delayed more than two hours.
- Same-day confirmed changes waived, saving you the usual fifty-dollar fee.
Beyond Alaska, the Summit still travels with you. Every four years, you receive up to $120 in credits for Global Entry or TSA PreCheck, which helps you move through airports more efficiently. And because it’s a Visa Infinite product, the card carries a suite of protections you can count on anywhere in the world, including:
- Trip cancellation and interruption insurance
- Trip delay reimbursement
- Baggage delay coverage and lost luggage protection
- Auto rental collision coverage
- Purchase protection and extended warranty
- Emergency evacuation assistance
Individually, none of these benefits are headline-worthy. But together, they create something far more valuable for nomads: peace of mind on the days when everything feels out of your control. And if you’re curious about other cards that also deliver strong perks for travel days, check our PointsYeah September Picks roundup.
The Perfect Pair: Summit + Venture X
On its own, the Atmos Summit is one of the most compelling premium cards available. But pair it with the Capital One Venture X, and you’ve built the strongest two-card strategy a nomad can carry.
Venture X effectively cancels out its $395 annual fee with a $300 Capital One Travel credit plus a 10,000-mile anniversary bonus. It also provides Priority Pass membership and Capital One Lounge access, filling the lounge gap where Alaska doesn’t reach. Earning is simple: 2X everywhere, 5X on flights, and 10X on hotels and cars booked through Capital One Travel.
The play is straightforward: put all foreign purchases and dining on the Summit to maximize 3X earning and elite status progress. Use Venture X when booking flights or hotels through Capital One Travel, which triggers the $300 credit and earns 5X or 10X. Rely on Venture X for global lounge access, as well as for everyday purchases back in the States, where Summit would only earn 1X but Venture X gives you 2X. Together, the two cards cover every angle of nomad life: daily spend, aspirational redemptions, status progress, lounge access, and fee offsets.
A Year in the Life
Consider a freelance designer splitting her year between Medellín, bali, and Lisbon. She spends about $2,500 per month on living expenses abroad, including rent, groceries, and daily purchases, which adds up to $30,000 annually. On Atmos, that everyday spend alone earns 90,000 points. Add in another $10,000 across dining, nights out, and travel experiences, and her total annual spend climbs to $40,000, which translates into 120,000 Atmos points in a single year.
On the status side, $40,000 in card spend generates 20,000 status points. With the 10,000 anniversary boost, she finishes the year with 30,000, just shy of Gold. A few flights on Alaska or partners would push her into oneworld Sapphire, unlocking global lounge access and priority treatment.
On the redemption side, 120,000 points is enough for round-trip business class tickets to Europe, or for a one-way in business to Asia with a healthy remainder for a South America hop. All of it is earned not from chasing bonus categories, but from groceries, rent, and coffee shops abroad. That’s the Atmos difference.
Final Verdict: The Best Travel Card for Digital Nomads in 2025?
The Atmos Summit Visa Infinite® isn’t just another premium travel card. It’s the first card that actually feels designed for digital nomads.
Three points on all foreign purchases turns daily life abroad into outsized earning. Status by spend means you can finally reach oneworld elite perks without chasing mileage runs. Redemption sweet spots such as 45K to Europe, 60K to Asia, and 35K to South America stretch your balances further than almost any U.S. competitor. Companion awards, lounge passes, and Visa Infinite protections add practical value you will feel on the road.
And because it runs on the Visa network, the most widely accepted worldwide, you can rely on it whether you’re in a café in Paris, a market in Mexico City, or a coworking space in Bali. For nomads, that universal acceptance is more than convenience; it’s peace of mind.
Pair it with Venture X, and you’ve got a wallet that covers every angle of nomad life: a daily driver that makes groceries and rent as rewarding as business flights, and a global generalist that guarantees lounge access and fee offsets.
Verdict: Yes. If you live abroad and want a card that rewards your lifestyle instead of penalizing it, the Atmos Summit is the best travel credit card you can carry in 2025.
Want to Explore More Travel Card Options?
This review focused on one standout card, but it is not the only way to earn big rewards. Each month, we publish a roundup of the strongest travel card offers currently available, from beginner-friendly earners to premium cards with lounge access and luxury perks.
👉 Take a look at our September Card Picks to see what else is on the radar this month.
Key Lesson: Always evaluate whether unique local accommodations might offer better value than luxury hotels, and reserve your loyalty program benefits for maximum impact. To do this, search for “Unique Hotels” in PointsYeah’s Hotel Collection.
