ursine1

I suspect existing AirTran A+ credit cards will be converted to Southwest RR cards before the end of the year (prior to the point at which AirTran doesn't exist anymore, with no way to earn any more A+ credits). Both are issued by Chase, so that's a no-brainer.

I also suspect the function to convert A+ credits to RR credits will remain for a preset time following the end of AirTran, and that credits not converted by that deadline will be lost. (Automatic conversion *could* happen as well, but I suspect the onus will be left to the customer.) Transfers from RR points into A+ credits would end with the end of AirTran (goodbye two-step).

I wouldn't factor in the current expiration dates too heavily, as they're essentially meaningless once the end of the A+ program is announced. New dates will be put into place at that time.

You'll still be able to use points to create RR credits needed to reach 16 and "top off" Awards. So, Standard Awards will be around for a while. What's unclear is if Standard Award availability will increase to meet the greater demand. I suspect not.

rsteinmetz70112

You're assuming a lot of coordination of IT functions

They would be my guess as well in fact I originally wrote that but took it out. The customers holding the older Airtran cards were given new Chase cards. I think it was Juniper Bank that issued those. It was pretty painless Chase might actually be able to do it exactly on time.

This change requires Southwest IT to make this happen. I don't have high expectations. Automatic conversion would likely be the very last resort. When Chase reissued the Credit cards they somehow linked it to an old duplicate A+ Rewards account and for a couple of months credits were put in the wrong account. It got straightened out pretty easily. I can only imagine what would happen if Southwest tried to merge the programs automatically. They would at a minimum create new accounts for some customers, who already had accounts.

The current expiration dates are already part of the existing conversion. Moving Credits to Southwest keeps the same expiration date and creating new Credits from points assigns the new expiration date based on status.

As far as I'm aware you can't currently top off points. That will require reactivating that code from the RR 1.0 conversion. Again Southwest IT rears it's ugly head.

There will be some people who will at the last minute transfer points to Airtran to create new Credits and hold those till the last minute to create new Standard Awards. Even after that those credits can be topped off to create new awards.

You can plan a very good transition but I don't know if Southwest's IT could execute it.

joshua362

No friggin way. Today I went to check on the status of a friend's ISP-XXX-LAS flights I knew she was on first thing in the AM. Couldn't bring up a thing except for 2 later non applicable routings,

Tried to "buy" the routing through BWI, couldn't. Apparently it doesn't exist today but did when she bought it a few months ago. Minimum connection time change I guess. But no way to look it up on flight status without going through hoops!

flyventure

I almost think the most likely plan, and I haven't heard anything to back this up - just my opinion, that they'll do a voluntary conversion system at the end. Meaning the customer will need to go into their A+ account and convert the credits over to Southwest and get the 1200 pts for them. Probably have some arbitrary 3-6 month window on it and if people don't go in and do it, the credits are gone forever.

Then it just becomes a matter of flushing out the remaining RR1.0 credits in the system and the standard awards. Set in motion a similar timeline to where people must convert the credits to either standard awards or points. The awards obviously would have a new 1 year timeline on it, but make sure they are locked down and not open for renewal - not even a customer relations override. If people don't convert to one or the other, say by end of Dec 2014, then the credits are lost for good.

Who knows what will actually happen though.

ursine1

Certainly. And nothing involving Southwest's IT ever goes smoothly. But a lot of the responsibility for the credit card conversion will lie with Chase, so that may help.

Sorry, what I was speaking to was your earlier statement about A+ Credits being good for up to 2 years for Elite members. My point is that those expiration dates will be meaningless upon the dissolution of the A+ program, if Southwest decides to -- for example -- require conversion into RR credits by a preset time (say, 6 months or 1 year).

Huh?

You can still top off points to get 16 credits to create a Standard Award.

This function allows you to move over A+ credits and combine with existing RR points to create a Standard Award.

I don't believe the "top off" function ever went away, but if it did it returned as part of the A+ to RR conversion. You just need at least .25 credit to begin the process.



Um… yes. Using the function above, which you said you didn't think existed.

That's why I suspect that Southwest will put a time limit in place at the dissolution of A+ Rewards. Meaning that all A+ credits, even those created "at the last minute" will need to be converted into RR credits by a certain time; one that is probably shorter than the, say, 2 year expiration of then existing A+ credits, and one that represents a single, solid deadline for the end of all A+ credits (and associated financial value/liability they represent to Southwest).

Or, I could be wrong, and Southwest will just allow them to die out over time, with the end represented by the last expiration of existing A+ credits. But in either case, Southwest will end the transfer *into* A+, AirTran won't exist, and neither will the A+ Rewards credit card, meaning all A+ credits earning will end.

True.

I have extensive experience with banking systems conversions, and this A+/RR one isn't really all that difficult (from the outside, at least). But, you make a good point.

ursine1

That's essentially what I said earlier, except that I suspect the conversion will be limited to RR credits, not points.

One of the reasons I suspect that points won't be part of the equation is that RR points "never expire" while credits and Standard Awards do. Conversion into points represents a greater liability and keeps that liability on the books much longer than credits, whose value disappears once expired.

But you're right of course -- no one really knows what WN will do. Only time will tell.

flyventure

A+ Rewards will die November 1st. Can't get more specific than that right now.

rsteinmetz70112

That's kind of surprising. I wonder if they'll bother to tell anyone before then.

mek17

I just received the following email on this topic:

The next few months are going to be exciting as we work toward completing the integration of Southwest Airlines® and AirTran® Airways. As I shared in my last update, Rapid Rewards® will be the loyalty program of the combined airline, so you will enjoy benefits including unlimited reward seats, no blackout dates, and points that don’t expire*. Let me take a moment to share some additional details on what the integration means to you as an A+ Rewards® Member.

We are nearing the final stages of integration, including the complete transition of all A+ Rewards accounts to Rapid Rewards. This process will begin on November 2, 2014. Rest assured your A+ Rewards Credits are safe and we are committed to making this a smooth transition. Here are a few key dates to know for this transition:
The last day to earn A+ Rewards Flight Credits will be November 1, 2014.
The last day to redeem A+ Rewards Credits will be November 1, 2014.
Existing A+ Rewards Chase Cardmembers will begin earning Rapid Rewards Points in late October. More details about receipt of a replacement for your A+ Rewards Credit Card with a new Southwest Airlines branded credit card will be forthcoming from Chase prior to the end of October.
The last day to earn credits with Hertz®, e-Miles®, and e-Rewards® will be September 30, 2014.
Your A+ Rewards account will be closed on November 2, 2014. We will convert your active A+ Rewards Credits to Rapid Rewards Points at a ratio of one A+ Rewards Credit = 1,200 Rapid Rewards Points. We plan to complete this process as quickly as possible.

Please note that your credits will not automatically convert to Rapid Rewards Points prior to November 2, 2014. However, as a Rapid Rewards Member, you may still use Rewards Conversion to transfer your credits between programs. With this option, you can enjoy all 90+ destinations served by Southwest Airlines and AirTran Airways.

We are excited to be this close to completing the transition to Rapid Rewards, and we hope you are too. To keep you informed of progress and next steps, we will continue to send e-mail communications leading up to the close of the A+ Rewards Program. Additionally, you can always visit rewardsfarther.com for the latest information and news.

We look forward to welcoming you onboard soon!

rsteinmetz70112

Look what I just got:


Looking at this I wonder how they will match existing RR members to existing A+ members, if they haven't already been matched up.

nsx

This is what I suspected might happen. It reduces the time period over which Southwest's software needs to handle credits. It also means that decision time is coming up for Standard Awards vs. Points:

1. If you have A+ credits you can convert them to Southwest Standard Awards through October or leave them in place for conversion to Rapid Rewards points.

2. Holders of Southwest points have until the end of October to convert points to Standard Awards. This decision, once made, will be final.

3. Holders of Southwest standard awards, including one-way awards, have until the end of October to convert them to AirTran credits, whence they will return as Rapid Rewards points.

I will be sad to see the end of Standard Awards. They don't suit every use, but they are a genuine bright spot for the Rapid Rewards program.

UA Fan

I was getting really tired of the lack of availability with standard awards and was just contemplating using them for some small hops within TX. Converting them into points will be very useful.

flyventure

You'll need to make sure they are matched up by going into your account on Southwest.com and link them together. If they aren't linked, a new RR account is made.

rsteinmetz70112

I wonder if more information will become available for example on topping off credits with points.

rsteinmetz70112

Mine are linked, but I'm sure there are many many people who have both but haven't linked them yet.

Perhaps Southwest will actually communicate some of the details to people of this.