Rapid Rewards 2.0 begins March 1, 2011

Old Jan 8, 2011, 7:28 pm
  #631  
 
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Originally Posted by arizonawildcat
OK on my current Companion Pass (expires 3/2011) I look to be one of the lucky ones who get a free mini-extension. I only need 1 more credit - have 99 right now, so should get to enjoy this until 12/31/2012 the way I read it.

I am totally confused, however, on what to do with my current Awards, both active and expired. Has anyone figured out a good strategy on this yet? On the expired ones, do I just wait until right before their 12month past expiration is about to hit and renew them for the $50 fee?

What about all of the active ones that have expirations in 2011 or 2012 after the 3/1/11 date? Help please!!

Active: 2/22/11, 4/2/11, 4/21/11, 5/10/11, 6/2/11, 10/2/11, 1/3/12
Expired: 11/2/10, 11/2/10, 1/2/11, 1/2/11, 1/4/11
Seriously, is there even a "right" answer to this? I am completely lost on what strategy to take with current and expired awards.
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Old Jan 8, 2011, 7:46 pm
  #632  
 
Join Date: Sep 2009
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Originally Posted by arizonawildcat
Seriously, is there even a "right" answer to this? I am completely lost on what strategy to take with current and expired awards.
Any active or expired award on 3/1/11 can get a one-time extension. The extension must be requested within 1 year from the expiration date.

For maximum time do not request an extension until necessary.
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Old Jan 8, 2011, 8:31 pm
  #633  
NLS
 
Join Date: Nov 2009
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how many leftovers do you need by 3/1?

Apologies if this was discussed earlier in the thread -- if it was I couldn't find it:

"You have a one-time option to top off your last 16-credit Standard Award at the ratio of 1200 points per credit. At that point you get a Standard Award. From then on, you can only earn points, not credits. FT member swag came up with a tip: It might be wise to delay exercising your option until you really need the Standard Award. That way it will carry a later expiration date if you don't use it immediately. For this purpose, you need at least 1 leftover RR credit in your account as of March 1."

Do you need one leftover RR credit or will as little as .25 credits (from RR Dining) or .50 credits (from a hotel/car partner purchase) suffice?

thanks!
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Old Jan 8, 2011, 8:59 pm
  #634  
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Even 0.25 unused old RR credit should be sufficient.
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Old Jan 8, 2011, 9:11 pm
  #635  
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Originally Posted by benmaller
Any active or expired award on 3/1/11 can get a one-time extension....

For maximum time do not request an extension until necessary.
This is absolutely incorrect due to the change from two year to 12-month extension window. Awards that expired between 01-Mar-09 and 28-Feb-10 will be permanently bombed out of existence if they are not extended (for $50) by 28-Feb-11.
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Old Jan 8, 2011, 9:12 pm
  #636  
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I think there is a hidden agenda by SWA and we have to thank them for it - they want to improve American's math skills
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Old Jan 8, 2011, 9:19 pm
  #637  
 
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Originally Posted by ftnoob
This is absolutely incorrect due to the change from two year to 12-month extension window. Awards that expired between 01-Mar-09 and 28-Feb-10 will be permanently bombed out of existence if they are not extended (for $50) by 28-Feb-11.
Thanks for catching that. You are correct. Any award less than 12 months expired on 3/1/11 can be extended. Ones expired more than 12 months need extended prior to 3/1/11.
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Old Jan 8, 2011, 9:21 pm
  #638  
 
Join Date: Aug 2010
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Originally Posted by mdurette
"You will not be able to combine cash and points directly for a purchase, but you will be able to buy the extra points you need and then redeem your points. Points will be sold in blocks of 1,000 for $25, with a minimum purchase of 2,000 for $50. The maximum purchase is 40,000 points."


Can you purchase points and then use them in your one time only conversion from points to credits?

My 5 YO daughter will be 2 credits short come March. The only way I have found to get a child credits is to fly. The trips after March are short haul and it might take a bit to make those 2,400 points.
Yes, to convert into the post-launch award, the points can be bought.
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Old Jan 8, 2011, 10:03 pm
  #639  
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Originally Posted by Aitchly
In regards to cramming for CP qualification before 3/1 to get the extra year...

There is no added benefit to getting the CP qualification completed before 3/1 that will not exist after RR2 goes into effect.
I can't agree with that assertion. In future years the CP credit count will reset to zero at midnight on New Year's Day (Herb Time? PST?). This year folks have the opportunity to combine, what, 12 months? of prior earnings with a last minute points transfer to earn a CP good for at least 22 months. Someone with zero or very few points earned in the past year would do better making a huge transfer just after 1/1 of some future year (thus earning a 24-month CP), but most folks would be much better off taking advantage of the transition rule quirks.
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Old Jan 8, 2011, 10:31 pm
  #640  
 
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Originally Posted by ftnoob
I can't agree with that assertion. In future years the CP credit count will reset to zero at midnight on New Year's Day (Herb Time? PST?). This year folks have the opportunity to combine, what, 12 months? of prior earnings with a last minute points transfer to earn a CP good for at least 22 months. Someone with zero or very few points earned in the past year would do better making a huge transfer just after 1/1 of some future year (thus earning a 24-month CP), but most folks would be much better off taking advantage of the transition rule quirks.
You missed an earlier post that indicated SWA was going to allow a rolling 12 month period throughout 2011. If you are on track for earning it by 5/1, there is little need to transfer a huge amount of points.

Granted the calendar year restriction may hurt in the future, but on average, if you can get it in a rolling year, you should be able to get it in a set calendar year.

Last edited by Aitchly; Jan 8, 2011 at 10:33 pm Reason: added link to post 500
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Old Jan 8, 2011, 10:38 pm
  #641  
 
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The strange thing is.... for someone like me who will re-earn a CP by 1 Feb 2011 which will be good until 12.31.12, I have much less incentive to earn points/credits for the rest of the year.

I used to count credits as $20+ as they earned me Awards and CP. From Feb to Dec 2011, only earns me Awards and on a much worse conversion as I mainly fly discount fares. I could care less about A List.

So I will fly my lifetime Platinum airline in many cases and put my rental cars and hotels towards non WN programs.
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Old Jan 8, 2011, 11:04 pm
  #642  
 
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Originally Posted by ftnoob
Someone with zero or very few points earned in the past year would do better making a huge transfer just after 1/1 of some future year (thus earning a 24-month CP), but most folks would be much better off taking advantage of the transition rule quirks.
Seems correct. If one can get 100 "credits" from 1/1/2012 to 3/15/2012, they will have a CP for the rest of 2012 and 2013. So if one can store points/credits on non WN credit cards, hotels, etc. - then dump them after 1/1 of a year, they can earn a CP for up to 24 months with one qualification.
(If my crossed eyes read this correctly).
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Old Jan 8, 2011, 11:05 pm
  #643  
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Originally Posted by Aitchly
You missed an earlier post that indicated SWA was going to allow a rolling 12 month period throughout 2011.
No, I did not miss that update. Using the extended rolling qualification does not equate to taking advantage of the transition quirk. It alleviates the 01-March drop-dead urgency, but it does not change the fact that 2011 provides an extra-special opportunity to many.
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Old Jan 9, 2011, 12:13 am
  #644  
 
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Here's a thought about the "one time post award" thing....since SW is letting you buy points at $25/1,000 points starting March 1st, can you buy the maximum (40,000 points/$1,000) at one time right on March 1st which would equal 33 "credits" being posted into your account...and then get 2 Awards out of it?? I mean...if it's a one time post award thing and you are buying all of the points at one time which means they would all hit your account at one time, they should be giving you the 2 awards from 33 credits....thoughts?
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Old Jan 9, 2011, 12:14 am
  #645  
 
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Originally Posted by benmaller
Thanks for catching that. You are correct. Any award less than 12 months expired on 3/1/11 can be extended. Ones expired more than 12 months need extended prior to 3/1/11.
I think there's also decisions to be made soon about awards that will only reach their 12-month post-expiration date fairly soon after the RR 2.0 epoch date as well as awards that won't expire at all until after the RR 2.0 epoch date.

E.g., suppose you currently have a Standard award that had expired on 03/02/2010. On 03/01/2011, after conversion to RR 2.0 rules, you will still have the right to pay $50 to extend it, but that will be your one-time final extension for that award. If you do exercise that right, you would then be able to fly on that Standard award until 03/01/2012. However, if you prematurely pay $50 on 02/28/2011 to extend the award, you now have a Standard award expiring on 02/28/2012 when the conversion to RR 2.0 rule occurs. On 02/28/2013, you should be able to pay $50 to exercise your RR 2.0 one-time extension right on your then-365-day-expired award. In that case, you should still then be able to fly on that Standard award until 02/28/2014. Of course I carefully constructed this example to be extreme. By spending your $50 a mere 1 day earlier and spending another $50 much later only if necessary (because you didn't use the award meanwhile), you gain nearly two additional years to use your Standard award.
I think this scenario is a no-brainer: people should go ahead and extend early in this scenario.

Let's move 12 months along the spectrum. If you currently have a Standard award that will expire on 03/02/2011, you could spend $50 to exercise your RR 2.0 one-time extension right on 03/01/2012, and fly on that award until 03/01/2013. Or you could spend your $50 a year early by extending on 02/28/2011. On 02/28/2013, if you still hadn't used the award, you could then exercise your RR 2.0 one-time extension right and spend another $50, and fly on that award until 02/28/2014.
This scenario is still mostly a no-brainer, I'd say people should go ahead and extend in this scenario. You're paying $50 in advance to buy the option of one more year to use your award, and yet it doesn't really cost you $50, because you would have had to pay $50 later anyway to use the award at all. And if you can't come up with $50 a year early, this probably isn't a game you should be trying to play....

Let's move even further along the spectrum by another 6 months. If you currently have a Standard award that will expire on 09/01/2011, now things get messy. If you plan to only extend once under RR 2.0 rules, you may have to spend up to $50 to be able to fly up until 08/31/2013. If you prematurely extend once under RR 1.0 rules and then plan to extend again under RR 2.0 rules if necessary, you spend at least $50 and up to a total of $100 to be able to fly up until 02/28/2014.
Now this is harder to figure out. If you don't prematurely extend, and you find an opportunity to use the award before its current expiration of 09/01/2011, you pay nothing to use the award. If you prematurely extend and you still find a good opportunity to use the award before 09/01/2011, now the $50 for premature extension is truly a sunk cost that you might have been able to avoid with perfect advance knowledge.

As you continue to incrementally move along the spectrum, the amount of additional time you buy by prematurely extending (and committing your money) becomes less and less, while the window of time during which you might have been able to redeem the award before its original expiration date and thus pay nothing in extension fee grows and grows. The extreme, of course, is a Standard award earned on the last possible RR 1.0 date, 02/28/2011, and expiring in 02/28/2012. Paying $50 to prematurely extend that award is obviously a pure waste of money, because essentially nothing changes. WN shareholders would thank you, though.

Personally, I'm thinking of using 09/01/2011 as a cut-off. Awards expiring before 09/01/2011, I'm doing something about them before the RR 2.0 epoch date. Awards expiring after 09/01/2011, I'm going to leave them as is, and if I need to, then I'll extend them under RR 2.0 rules. Also, something to consider is that if you do decide to pay under RR 1.0 rules to extend a bunch of expired Standard awards, that's an opportune time to consider the free conversion from two Standard awards to one Freedom award with the earlier of the two Standard award expiration dates -- you'll end up with a Freedom award with the maximum possible lifetime. Conversely, if you have several Standard awards that aren't expired yet but that you do want to prematurely extend, instead of paying two $50 fees to extend each separately, consider paying the $50 to convert two of them to a Freedom award with a freshly assigned expiration date. My intention is to have a basket of both Standard and Freedom awards as we enter the RR 2.0 era.
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