mwsteinb

2017 is my first time attempting to earn a CP. I had never registered for a SW RR Credit Card prior to this year. I signed up for the Personal Plus RR Card and was approved and received the card in March 2017. I spent $2,000 and hit the 50k bonus by about May, and the rest of the year have been flying/spending to earn roughly 90k CP eligible miles for the year, March-August, so far. I do not want to sign up for a Premier or Business Card, despite their bonuses.

My question is, when is the best possible time to finally hit the 110k threshold for maximum value and length of the CP? Is a person theoretically trying to hit 110k as fast as possible this year, meaning ASAP by the end of August? Or do they wait until December 2017 and the end of the year they started, to finish the goal?

I'm confused on if you have to reach the 110k goal in the year you start the process, in this case the latest by December 2017, or by March 2018, a full year later?

Also, if you can extend into the following year, would the best time to hit the 110k goal actually be in the beginning of that year, so January 2018? Say you could finish 110k in January of 2018, how long do you get the CP for? Do you get CP for all of 2018 and 2019, or just all of 2018 in that example, having started the previous March, of 2017?

I know these basic questions are asked plenty on the forum, and this will be my last thread on the subject. Just want to get the exact timeline straightened out, as it would help anyone I know who may want to earn CP in the future as well. Thanks so much!

dmbolp

RR point accumulation towards CP resets at end of year, so get the points ASAP or you're starting from zero on Jan 1st

hhoope01

I ordered a Marriott Travel Package award (7 night hotel award + 120K RR points) in January of this year. (At the time Marriott TP award transferred points counted toward your CP.) Since, as dmbolp mentioned, a CP is good for the year you achieve it plus all the next year, I could start using it in January, 2017 and can continue to use it until the end of Dec., 2018. Virtually two full years of use.

If I had waited until later in 2017 to get my CP, I wouldn't have been able to use it as early, but the expiration stays the same, end of Dec. 2018.

flyer4512

Assuming you hit 110K CPQP in 2017 you will have CP until 12/31/2018.

The sooner you hit 110K the better.

If you don't hit 110K by 12/31/2017 you start over at zero on 1/1/2018

You could grab another Southwest credit card ( assuming you are under 5/24 ) and easiily hit 110K

mwsteinb

Thanks you guys, I understand the process much better now. Will have to explore a way of getting the remaining CP points ASAP, as the rules on transferring from other sources like hotels are much stricter now than it seems they were in the past. Aside from ordering another Southwest Credit Card, I can't think of many other ways to get this done.

dmbolp

Fly, Fly, Fly

joshua362

And/Or Spend, Spend, Spend

toomanybooks

Rental cars at 600 CP-qualifying points are good to go for.

rove312

Take flights on Business Select.

flyer4512

If you consider "much stricter" to = non existent you are correct.

The 60K credit card offers are back, grab a card and be done with it or wait about 8 weeks and get 2 cards and CP for 2018/19