[Wiki] Recent Devaluations
 

Requests to all members:
1. Please take it on yourself to keep this thread's Wiki up to date. If you have 90 posts and 90 days of membership, you can edit this Wiki. If not, you can post an edit request on this thread and some other member will do the edit for you.
2. This thread's Wiki should summarize the facts at an introductory level, allowing new arrivals to get up to speed quickly and painlessly.
3. When you follow a link from this Wiki, please check that the target thread has a Wiki summarizing it. If not, please create a Wiki for that thread.
4. How to create a Wiki is not obvious. Open the thread. In the blue bar above the first post, near the right, look for Thread Tools. Click the down arrow to pull down the Thread Tools menu. Halfway down that menu select Create a Wikipost.
5. If you are new to FlyerTalk or just new to the subject, read the target thread's Wiki first. Diving into the detailed discussion in the target thread is completely optional.
6. When you edit this or any other Wiki, please make a post to the thread briefly describing what you changed. Your post will push this thread to the top of the forum, drawing readers' attention back to it.

If everyone pitches in, this structure can work superbly to provide concise information quickly on all kinds of topics.

Links added for Delta's devaluations, including the zero-notice change on November 8.

Southwest has revalued its points 7.5% and simultaneously devalued flight earnings 7.5%. The net effect is 7.5% positive for existing balances and for credit card and other partner earnings, neutral for future flight earnings, and 7.5% negative for points-based elite qualification.


See http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/south...stockpile.html

Wyndham surprise 50% devaluation of points to miles added to the Wiki.

When does IHG typically devalue? Soon?

Added Delta's major devaluation of the SkyMiles program, switching from distance-based to revenue-based mileage accrual.

I added these three 2015 Razzies to the top of the Wiki:

Southwest Airlines effective April 17, 2015: "the number of Rapid Rewards Points needed to redeem for certain flights will vary based on destination, time, day of travel, demand, fare class, and other factors." This extraordinarily vague announcement leaves members, at least for now, with no idea what their points will be worth. It also opens the door to unlimited changes in the value of points with no notice.

Delta Airlines has eliminated its published award chart without warning, presumably in order to allow award pricing to be better fine tuned. This also opens the door to unlimited changes in the value of miles with no notice.

British Airways effective April 28, 2015 makes many changes to Avios. Redemption levels increase for most premium cabin travel. Most coach awards stay about the same. One benefit is an ample number of off-peak dates for redemption at lower levels in each class. Upgrade using Avios pricing increases dramatically. Tier status will be harder to earn.

'Tis the season to be grumpy about devaluations. If I have overlooked any important adverse changes to any programs from March 2014 through January 2015, please add them to the Wiki and post them here.

Chase credit card churner crackdown commences
 

This isn't a devaluation of points, but a new barrier to earning points. Chase, by far the largest issuer of points and miles credit cards, has started cracking down on people who apply for new cards too frequently. From the Wiki of this thread:

Not even close. Chase issues ~15 cards which generate airline miles, hotel points or transferable proprietary points, and they only issue such cards in the USA and Canada.

American Express (USA) issues ~23 miles/points cards, and they issue such cards worldwide.

What is important for USA members to realize is that the three large rewards card factories: American Express, Chase, and Citi have each recently implemented rules which preclude earning a new account bonus for 12, 18 or 24 months after opening, holding or closing the identical card. Each bank's rules are different, American Express has even adopted a "one bonus per product per lifetime" policy for personal cards (but not for business cards). This all means that an individual needs to do some research before applying for a card, in particular if not following this topic closely since mid-2014.

This changes constantly. Chase had this policy until they (fairly recently) implemented the new rule allowing someone to receive the bonus multiple times.

Added a note that Delta now enforces married segment logic on awards, and requires individuals and agents to search O&D instead of piecing together itineraries point-to-point. Delta's systems actively attempt to prohibit point-to-point ticketing, and even if you are successful, it will result in additive pricing even if the routing would normally be allowed between the origin and destination. This is dramatically reducing the number of available results, especially on international itineraries involving partners.

Delta announced today that for flights on or after 6/1/16, "the number of miles needed will change based on destination, demand and other dynamics." The dynamic award pricing that was foreshadowed by the removal of published award charts has finally arrived.

Delta also expanded the fare classes for which mileage upgrades can be redeemed, but simultaneously increased the price between 2-3x on average. For example, US-Europe upgrades could previously be obtained for 25k SkyMiles. Now they are 60k, or 80k if redeeming from the newly eligible lower fares.

http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/delta...uncements.html

Is that fact or just rumor? The linked post that was used a basis for that thread no longer says what it apparently used to, it now just says: