Rapid Rewards 2.0 begins March 1, 2011

Old Jan 6, 2011, 11:36 am
  #166  
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Originally Posted by nsx
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.
RR Terms and Conditions says this:

"40. Southwest Airlines reserves the right to amend, suspend, or terminate this program at any time, with 30 days’ notice."

I would expect that if we get some more RR credits in the next 30 days, to get over the 100 credit hurdle to requalify, that we'd have our CP until 12/31/12.

I could have had it already, but I've been saving up Starpoints via Amex card instead of getting RR credits with the WN Visa. I can transfer enough Starpoints in 5 minutes.
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Old Jan 6, 2011, 11:36 am
  #167  
 
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Fu southwest!!

I am LIVID about this new program. I fly SW every weekend from LAX-PHX, and also have the Southwest credit card, so i've been earning a rapid reward once a month. This program is AWFUL for people who travel short haul flights, I cannot even believe SW would do this. I can't imagine the hundreds of thousands of people who are no longer going to fly Southwest after this. This is an insult. Screw Southwest. I'm done flying them and i'm cancelling my credit card. So glad I just referred 5 people to the credit card in the last 2 months raving about the great rapid rewards program and how easy it was to earn a free flight. This is disgusting.
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Old Jan 6, 2011, 11:39 am
  #168  
 
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If I am reading the FAQ correctly, the inability to convert existing standard award to a freedom award after 3/1/11 is a bit strange. They are retaining every other benefit for the standard award including the $50 extension option, why not this one?
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Old Jan 6, 2011, 11:39 am
  #169  
 
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Change is always hard and this change is no different. But that being said, did anyone really think that RR 2.0 was going to be as lucrative as 1.0? We all knew that some adjustment and devaluation was going to happen. And we all know that RR 1.0 also had its limitations and challenges.

It is obvious that SW had to make some changes to the current program. I applaud SW for being very creative in their approach to RR 2.0. Yes we lose some advantages but we gain some also. I am looking forward to finding the lucrative parts of the new program, just as we did with the old.

They will continue to get the majority of my business due to their overall flexibility; lucrative Companion pass, no change fees, no baggage fees and still the best service in the industry!

Kudos SouthWest!
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Old Jan 6, 2011, 11:42 am
  #170  
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Originally Posted by luv2buynfly
Change is always hard and this change is no different. But that being said, did anyone really think that RR 2.0 was going to be as lucrative as 1.0? We all knew that some adjustment and devaluation was going to happen. And we all know that RR 1.0 also had its limitations and challenges.
I actually feel this change has more positives than negatives, unlike so many "enhancements" at other airlines.
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Old Jan 6, 2011, 11:43 am
  #171  
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Originally Posted by leeinct
Boy, I bet I'm not the only one with my head spinning this am.

BRIAN:

Quick question. What is known about the 2 levels of Chase CC cards? I called Chase for more information and was told that it was "in the mail" and that the new cards are tiered cards. The first is a $39 to $59 annual fee, with the "Premier" being $85+. They told me that the "every dollar spent on the premier card would translate to a SWA TQP" Is that accurate?

I noticed at the bottom of the earnings page it says "Tier qualifying points are earned from revenue flights or through select Rapid Reward credit cards from Chase and are exclusive of bonuses and promotions"

If it is correct, I spend over $70,000/year on my Chase RR card (assuming I will get Premier), I would get A list preferred in no time at all as it only requires 70K tqps.

Clarifications would be helpful if you can Brian.
Lee, the answer is at newrapidrewards.com under "How To Earn">Partners.

The big difference is that the Premier Card offers 6,000 points (vs 3.000 on the standard card) on your Anniversary and it offers 1,500 TQP per every $10,000 spent.
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Old Jan 6, 2011, 11:43 am
  #172  
 
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This blows for me.

The vast majority of my paid flights are sub $100 one-way fares from the Bay Area to So Cal, Vegas, AZ.

I earned 218 credits over the last 2 years, sneaking in CP both years.

According to the new system I would have earned 77k points in 2010, leaving me well short of the 110k needed for CP.

The CP was the main reason that Southwest was my preferred carrier.

Time to look elsewhere.
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Old Jan 6, 2011, 11:46 am
  #173  
 
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Originally Posted by SWABrian
The big difference is that the Premier Card offers 6,000 points (vs 3.000 on the standard card) on your Anniversary and it offers 1,500 TQP per every $10,000 spent.
SWABrian, do you have any information or timetable on the new Premier Card?
Having spent about 500k annually on my SW Visa, I simply LOVE the ability to "Buy" A List/A List+ status thought CC spend. This is a definite perk.
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Old Jan 6, 2011, 11:49 am
  #174  
 
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Originally Posted by Vinodavid
This blows for me.

The vast majority of my paid flights are sub $100 one-way fares from the Bay Area to So Cal, Vegas, AZ.

I earned 218 credits over the last 2 years, sneaking in CP both years.

According to the new system I would have earned 77k points in 2010, leaving me well short of the 110k needed for CP.

The CP was the main reason that Southwest was my preferred carrier.

Time to look elsewhere.
Unless I misread something, you'd still be a CP if you hit 100 segments. Not sure if you qualified for your CP via segments or points, though.
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Old Jan 6, 2011, 11:50 am
  #175  
 
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Originally Posted by ninetynine
The worst part to me is that they're starting us all at zero - so if you're an A-List weekly traveler now, you start at zero on Jan/March 1 with regards to earning rates, so at 2 flights a week you won't start earning the 25% bonus points until halfway through 2011, and the 100% bonus points until the end of the year - which puts you at a huge disadvantage for renewal.
Where do you see this? A listers will continue to be A-list. Why would you assume anybody who isn't A-List would earn at something less than the 25% bonus?
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Old Jan 6, 2011, 11:52 am
  #176  
 
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Originally Posted by luv2buynfly
SWABrian, do you have any information or timetable on the new Premier Card?
Having spent about 500k annually on my SW Visa, I simply LOVE the ability to "Buy" A List/A List+ status thought CC spend. This is a definite perk.
I just clicked on the small "Terms & conditions" link in the bottom right corner of the new website. That answered a few more questions and clarified someting else....

You cannot buy A-List+ status, or even A-list status on the Chase card. My earlier $488,000 figure was wrong.
It says the Chase Premier card earns Alist qualifying TQM Points at the ratio of $10,000 spent on the card per 1500 TQM, **only a maximum of 15,000 TQM earned per year via Credit card**

That means spending $100k on the card can be a help towards the 35k / 70k threshhold, but you will need a minimum of $3,333 in base 6 point per $ WGA spending to hit regular A-list, or a minimum of $9,166 in WGA spending to get A-list plus.

And it's either or, since flight segments of 25 or 50 per year don't combine with the TQM system, you can't earn 34,999 TQM via credit card and $ spending and fly a handful of segments out of the 35 to get status.
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Old Jan 6, 2011, 11:53 am
  #177  
 
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Originally Posted by xadiohead
So basically what Southwest is saying to all its customers that take short trips on the cheap fairs is "SCREW YOU, WE DO NOT CARE ABOUT YOU".

A $39 dollar flight will equal about 300 points ($50*6). To then redeem a $200 "wanna get away" free flight you would need 12000 points. That is equivalent to FORTY $39 flights to get a $200 free flight!
No, it means you get free flights faster based on your purchased routings. My example?

$59 ow AUS-DAL every two weeks. Booked in advance, fare is usually close to that.

RR 1.0? Need 16 credits for a free flight.

RR 2.0? Need 10 flights at $59 for a free flight at $59.

They've taken the ratio of 16:1 (anywhere) and made it 10:1 (comparable fare). You're right that if I want a $119 fare it'll take 20 flights instead of 16, but I don't use WN except to shuttle my daughter back and forth to DAL to see family, so earning a free flight per 10 vs 1 per 16 is a significant improvement to me.

It also means that if we make a last minute reservation at $129, it's like getting two credits in the old system... so 5 of those would get me the next r/t at $59. Combined with fare sales, this has the potential to GREATLY increase reward usage... not to mention NO BLACKOUT/SEAT RESTRICTIONS. RR 1.0 forking the rewards into regular and freedom just SUCKED.
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Old Jan 6, 2011, 11:54 am
  #178  
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Originally Posted by luv2buynfly
SWABrian, do you have any information or timetable on the new Premier Card?
Having spent about 500k annually on my SW Visa, I simply LOVE the ability to "Buy" A List/A List+ status thought CC spend. This is a definite perk.
Just what is on the web site at this point.
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Old Jan 6, 2011, 11:56 am
  #179  
 
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[QUOTE=pshuang;15596676]Reviewing my situation, I wanted to re-iterate (as another poster already has) that RR 2.0 changes the RR 1.0 practice of expired awards being extensible for up to 24 months after the expiration date. After March 1, the grace period drops to 12 months after expiration, and you will only be able to extend one more time, whereas in RR 1.0 I believe effectively you could keep on extending if you wanted to. (And the one additional new Standard award that you might be able to get issued after March 1 [thanks to your still having some legacy RR 1.0 credits remaining and make the one-time election to augment those credits with RR 2.0 points] cannot be extended at all.)

Where are these new rules on expired and soon expiring rewards disclosed?
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Old Jan 6, 2011, 11:56 am
  #180  
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hey everyone, I am trying to nail down a concrete answer for those of you who have a CP know and who have amassed enough credits for a second one.
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