$25 Southwest gift cards are back for 1000 points - yikes! Hard to say if that's worth more than the PC award equivalent - I guess depends on whether you can get a 5k room award which could be worth anywhere from $50-500 depending on the normal room rate.

If you fly Southwest and also stay at PC properties I'd say that the WN gift cards are a better deal when it comes to redeeming MCR points. PC members have been able to essentially "purchase" unlimited PC points via the cash-and-points award book and cancel trick for $6 per 1K points for several months now. 1K MCR points will get you a $25 WN GC while the same 1K MCR points would yield the equivalent of only 3125 PC points (500 PC points for 160 MCR points).

Bottom line: if you redeem 1K MCR you could get 3125 PC points which can be "bought" elsewhere for $18.75 while the the same 1K MCR will get you a $25 WN gift cert which can be bought for $25 elsewhere - I say you'd be better off using your MCR points on the WN GC's.

the key is that its WN.. which I won't step foot on..

I use the PC points for the 5K point breaks so 1600 (160*10) PC points yields me one free night. Although the value of the night can range from $60 to hundreds per night.. I find this to be a better ratio than the WN (even if I did fly WN) even at the low end of PC hotel redemption value ($60/1600=800PC pts per $30 in hotel redepemption price value)

That's the exact reason that I italicized the first word "If" in my post above as there are some that can't face the horror of touching WN metal.

I've flown WN 100+ times - I've also been a UA 1K multiple times so I've seen the other side of the fence - and I have absolutely no qualms flying them on any route they fly.

PC Points moot
 

Comparing the $25 Southwest gift card redemption to the 500 Priority Club point redemption option is moot in that the 500 Priority Club points are now listed as OUT OF STOCK:(

WN gift cards are out of stock. Just checked.

It will be interesting on the restocking of PC points

whether 2010 will >

1. they have them again.. and if they do.. see 2 & 3
2. they price them different
3. put restrictions on the number of redemptions

I am so glad I kept turning mine into PC points :) ! I have a measly 120 in 1 account & 50 in a friend's account now! So now I have little/ no reason to waste my time hunting for codes at the recycling bins!

I have a free $20 Southwest code from MCR to the first person who wants it, just post here and I will PM the code.

My only rule, is please don't take it if you aren't really booking a ticket.
Ticket must be booked by December 31, 2009 for travel January 1, 2010 through March 12, 2010.

UPDATE *Given away*

$25 sWN GiftCards are back in stock @ 1000 points each! No luck on PC points, though!

Now the PC points don't even show when I do a search for "priority" or "airline." Yesterday they displayed as an item "Out of Stock."

Nothing left that even interest me. I am probably just about done with MCR.

I'm sitting on a jizz load of points to unleash, here is to hoping there is a restocking of something useful

I wouldn't get my hopes up.

Along the same lines if you want to get some bang for your MCR points you might want to consider redeeming 1K points for a Universal Studios Hollywood ticket which are good until 12/31/2010, I know from personal experience that - even after listing fees and the eBay and PayPal commissions - you can easily clear $40+ each when selling them on eBay.