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-   Southwest Airlines | Rapid Rewards (https://www.flyertalk.com/forum/southwest-airlines-rapid-rewards-501/)
-   -   Rapid Rewards 2.0 begins March 1, 2011 (https://www.flyertalk.com/forum/southwest-airlines-rapid-rewards/1168741-rapid-rewards-2-0-begins-march-1-2011-a.html)

UA Fan Jan 6, 2011 10:54 am

Finally points do not expire. That one thing has been holding me away from Southwest.

toomanybooks Jan 6, 2011 11:01 am


Originally Posted by smmrfld (Post 15596491)
Can someone from WN please confirm, with certainty, that the 100-credit requal for CP by 2/28 will result in CP through 12/31/2012? The language is very unclear ("at launch", etc.) and there are many CP holders who will have the 100 credits by 2/28, thus requalifying, yet the existing CP will still show a 2011 expiration date. This is very important to know in order to determine strategy in the next few weeks.

Agreed. My CP renewal date is 5/31/11.

I am either going to be severely disappointed if my 71 credits so far toward renewal don't count going forward for another year, or I'm going to take drastic action over the next few weeks to get to 100.

Either way I would love to know, for sure, in writing..

gmcnail Jan 6, 2011 11:02 am

A-List and other ramblings
 
So a current A-List member qualifying for A-List Preferred starts at zero and needs 50K points? Or do we start at 35K as an existing A-Lister, and need just 15K more points for the A-List Preferred??

Also, has anyone figured out how the transition of the current WN CC relates to the two new CC's??

This is all making my head spin............

I will say that flying STL-LGA RT and getting 8300 points isn't too shabby. However, only needing 13 more credts for CP and having that wiped out is EXTREMELY frustrating, and frankly a pretty big slap in the face.

cooger72 Jan 6, 2011 11:03 am


Originally Posted by lougord99 (Post 15594872)
This won't change anything. They want business class and assigned seats.

This is mostly accurate, unless they put Elites in the A-List Preferred. Earning 20% on WGA and 40% on business select and losing capacity restrictions is nice. Is it enough to offset losing last minute 8 credit flights across the country? Hard to say. I'm A+ on FL but do all of my flying on short hauls, so the 1 credit per flight is great for me, and even at 20% I wouldn't be thrilled about it, compared to FL's program, but if you match it against DL or UA even with Medallion or 1k bonuses, I think it still comes out as pretty generous if you don't care about using miles for upgrades.

tusphotog Jan 6, 2011 11:04 am


Originally Posted by rajuabju (Post 15595686)
I fly weekly from LAX to OAK, almost always on $59 fares (or better with sales).

Will be switching to another carrier once all my existing bookings and awards are used.

Who are you going to start flying on this route? ;)


Originally Posted by screeton (Post 15596063)
Is this official SWA dogma? I have 76 credits towards a new CP (current CP expires 8-2010 under Rewards 1.0 rules), and would definitely make a run toward getting 100 credits before March 1 if that would indeed result in issue of a new CP and extension to 12-31-2012.

Is this scenario covered anywhere in the SWA FAQ or elsewhere so that I would know with some assurance that it was worth making the run to squeeze in another 24 credits before March 1?


Originally Posted by SAPMAN (Post 15596264)
Hopefully if at Launch you have earned enough credits to be able to extend your CP to 2012, they will extend your CP to 12/31/2012 -- but not what it says. Comment?

I need to see something official from WN before I knock the next 47 credits out. I've got well in excess of 700,000 HH points, so I'll probably transfer a block of those and then make up the rest with flights. I've got a heavy Jan/Feb travel schedule.

My companion pass expires 10/31/11, with my 100 credit earn by date of Sept. 3, 2011. There's nothing that says if we hit 100 credits by 3/1/11, we're in good shape. That concerns me.

SWABrian any comment?

jrpaguia Jan 6, 2011 11:06 am

No more solo trips on WN till 2012
 
Since my CP re-qual looks like this:

Current Balance Towards Companion Pass: 109.00
Credit Needed for Companion Pass: 0.00
Credit Needed by: 01/10/2011
Existing Companion Pass Cardholder: Yes, and she's hott!

...and my A-List looks like this:

Flights1 flown 04/29/2010 - 01/06/2011: 36
Flights needed to retain A-List Membership: 0
32nd Flight must be flown by: 04/29/2011

It would appear that 2011 may be the year that I focus virtually all my earning towards *A miles.

Redeeming for international travel on WN may still not be as favorable, i.e., how many WN points are required for a trans-Pacific business class ticket vs. ~100,000 miles on *A.

Might be a different story if WN reconsiders and computes A-List Preferred based on segments flown between 3/1/2010 and 3/1/2011.

ScroogeMcFlyer Jan 6, 2011 11:08 am


Originally Posted by rajuabju (Post 15595686)
end of the world, no.

End of my relationship with WN? Yes.

I fly weekly from LAX to OAK, almost always on $59 fares (or better with sales).

Will be switching to another carrier once all my existing bookings and awards are used.

Let's see $59 X 6 = 354 points each way. Or you can earn 336 flight miles on another carrier. Sounds about break even to me.

And 25,000 points redeemed at a WGA fare will get you $417 in free travel, versus 25,000 miles will maybe about hours of searching for a low mileage award on someone else to travel on a day you don't want to travel, plus redeposit fees if you decide to change your flight.

Sounds like RR2.0 is just as good and often better than mileage to me.

cooger72 Jan 6, 2011 11:14 am


Originally Posted by jftino (Post 15595498)
As an Airtran Elite who typically flies BOS - BWI I'll be in the same boat. I mean, they keep talking about pushing this market but you look at the rewards program and geez. I mean 80 some flights for elite (just a quick guess)? That's crazy. Back to looking for another carrier. Sadly jetblue doesn't seem much better.

it's 25 flights for Alist, and 50 for alist+. Not sure where you got 80 for elite unless you're just looking at points.

jrpaguia Jan 6, 2011 11:16 am


Originally Posted by ScroogeMcFlyer (Post 15596903)
Let's see $59 X 6 = 354 points each way. Or you can earn 336 flight miles on another carrier. Sounds about break even to me.

Except I don't think anyone else flies non-stop LAX-OAK (or SJC-ONT for that matter). It would require taking the long way via PHX if flying US (and the ability to leave the office earlier and arrive later on the return...plus a Club membership to make the lay-over more bearable).

However, as a mid-level elite, that will yield ~1700 miles each way (~1100 elite qualifying miles with a 500 mile segment minimum).

nsx Jan 6, 2011 11:19 am


Originally Posted by gmcnail (Post 15596860)
only needing 13 more credits for CP and having that wiped out is EXTREMELY frustrating, and frankly a pretty big slap in the face.

SWABrian, this is one glitch in the transition that Southwest has the ability to fix, even if it requires manual processing of these relatively few cases.

I know if I were in this situation I would continue to fly my regular pattern and pick up the equivalent of those 13 credits. Then I would write a polite letter to Southwest asking them to manually issue me a CP since I fulfilled the terms of the 100-credit threshold that was in effect when the qualification period started a year earlier. I'd give that letter at least a 50% chance of succeeding.

tusphotog Jan 6, 2011 11:19 am


Originally Posted by jrpaguia (Post 15596890)
Existing Companion Pass Cardholder: Yes, and she's hott!

Did she make you write that? ;)

hockeystl Jan 6, 2011 11:28 am

I consider myself a rather seasoned FF program player. That said....upon first glance, whew, this new system appears about as straightforward as Lombard Street. :D

royalmile Jan 6, 2011 11:30 am

Question regarding companion pass
 
I have a companion pass expiring March 1, 2011. However, I have allready earned 165 credits toward requalification. Under the new rules does my companion pass expire December 31, 2012 or 2011?

Boraxo Jan 6, 2011 11:34 am


Originally Posted by nsx (Post 15596215)
Precisely. The main restriction of WGA redemption is that these fares disappear (for most markets) 7 days before the travel date. So no last-minute bookings and no last-minute date changes.

Fortunately have not had the need or desire to make last minute RR reservations so this makes no difference to me. I suppose in theory it was a nice option to have available but one that had no value to me. Also note that many legacy carriers have eliminated close-in booking fees for awards, making this less valuable.


Originally Posted by uwfballfan (Post 15596025)
Unfortunately, I do not think these changes to the RR program will have the desired effect WN is seeking. WN still cannot satisfy two needs desired by business travellers; first class upgrades and points for international travel.

That's the irony here. Over the past year I've taken two relatively expensive (i.e. not the usual $39-59 one-ways) trips on WN - $400+ RT OAK-MCO and $900+ RT to OAK-HOU. With RR 2.0 I would have cleaned up but instead only received a measley 4 RR credits - same as if I'd spent $250 on a couple of OAK-BUR RTs.

That being said, if I'm flying 3+ hours unless the price differential is outrageousI'm generally going to fly with my legacy carrier because I have a continuous need for EQMs and I'm more likely to get a better seat (exit row, E+ or possibly an upgrade to F) not to mention often a more convenient schedule.

So I predict that WN will not see the anticipated bonanze of business travelers, but instead will see a defection of solid business travelers travelers to VS and others that often offer lower advance purchase fares and other perks.

cupps Jan 6, 2011 11:35 am

On the one hand, since my kid's fly infrequently, under RR 2.0 these credits which now become points will no longer expire.

However, as many others have indicated since most of the occaisions that I do fly SWA on a paid ticket it tends to be WGA fares which will not net me much less in points in RR 2.0 than I received previously under RR 1.0.

One thing that I am very unclear on is what the period from now until March 1, 2011 means if I have a portion of an award such as say 12 credits. It seemed initially to me when I read the SWA announcement that I would have until March 1, 2011 to earn 4 more credits through flying, partners, etc. to get up to a Standard award. In other posts I am reading on this site I am unusure of this option. Anybody have more clarification from SWA on this limbo type of scenario, not yet an award, but very close?

Thanks


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