gawright

I have an Alaska Airlines platinum Visa card, which is not free. When I first acquired it, I did so because it offered a $50 companion ticket and a couple of first-class upgrade coupons. The card renewed last fall, and I paid the fee. A few months later I had not received any new coupons, so I phoned the number on the credit card. The person on the other end of the line explained to me that I was not entitled to any more coupons--that they were only included with the initial acquisition of the credit card. (Silly me, I thought.)

So I asked if I could cancel the credit card and get a refund of my annual fee. "Too late," she said, "you can cancel at the beginning of next year." (Screwed me, I thought.)

A few months later I received a letter from Alaska/Visa explaining that my ANNUAL benefits would no longer include free Board Room passes. So I called Alaska and explained that I would please like to receive the coupons that I should have received 8 months earlier. "No problem," she said, "look for them in about 6 weeks." (Why does it take anyone 6 weeks to do something as simple as mail a letter?)

So I eventually received my coupons. The only problem is that I wanted to use the $50 companion coupon in the interim, and I couldn't. Irritating.

Before I received the new coupons, irritated I was in the Seattle airport in August and wanted to upgrade to first class. I explained my situation and asked if I could get an upgrade. No chance. I presented an upgrade coupon that had expired 7/31/02. No chance. I retired to a quiet location and wrote a phone number on the expired coupon, in such a way that it overwrote the "02". I approached another gate agent with the coupon. Bingo. First class upgrade. Am I bad?