URGENT- credits from old reward program about to expire, how to redeem?
 

On my rapid reward accounts it states:


3 Past Credits
13 Credits = 15,600 Points needed for a reward flight

Old program:
16 Credits = 1 Standard Award

New program conversion:
1 Credit = 1,200 Points

You have 3 credits and 4,326 points. Earn 11,274 more points to get a flight award.


Your Past Credit is worth:
3,600
+

Your current points balance:
4,326
+

Earn this many more points to get a reward flight:
11,274

I don't understand, if my past credit worth is worth 3,600 points than why do I need to earn 11,274 points to get a reward flight?
Shouldn't it be 7,764 points (15,600 - 3,600 (3 x 1,200) - 4,326) to earn a reward flight?

[Also, if it matters, all 4,326 points are coming from my southwest RR card.]

Can anything be done to redeem the 3 credits from the old program? If I need to earn 11,274 that means my 3 credits from the old program are not counting for anything, correct?

19200 points = 16 credits are needed for an Award. You have 3 credits (worth 3600) plus 4326 in your account. That leaves 11274 needed. The source of the points does not matter (credit card, flight, rental car/hotel, transfer in, etc.).

Nothing to be done with RR credits except to add to them with the requisite number of points to get an old-style standard reward. You cannot cash them in otherwise and you cannot give or transfer them to anyone.

Read this, though, for another wrinkle involving credits that you may find of interest:

http://flyerguide.com/wiki/index.php...nsfer_two-step

Assume, I were to apply for the business SW credit card and get 50,000 points. When I redeem, can I choose to use 3 credits + the remainder in points? Or does the redemption automatically use points first?

You will first purchase the additional 13 credits to get the standard award or SA.

The SA can only be used on certain flights and is becoming increasingly difficult to redeem. I had 6.5 (13 OW's) when RR 2.0 and I have just now gotten it down to 3 OW's. I was able to schedule one more today.

I also have 3 credits and I have decided the points are more valuable than the SA I could purchase. I am going to let them die of neglect. But, I have 250K+ points, so I have no shortage of options for booking flights. I have found that the flights in which I can use SA's are the cheap ones that do not require a lot of points. Close in, less than 48 hours, a SA may open up on a more expensive fare.

Why would I need to purchase 15 additional credits? I already have 3 so I need 13 more to get to 16, correct? And how exactly do I purchase a credit? I see the option to purchase points but not credits.

Because I can heither type nor prooofread.

Sorry

Yes, 13.

You can use your points as tender to "buy" credits to fill out your standard award.

(When I screw up a reply, I really screw it up.)

You don't purchase credits. You make a transaction combining your existing credits (worth 1200 points each) with the appropriate number of extra WN points to get to 19200.

It is not automatic; you have to authorize it specifically. It is right on top when you click the blue box with yellow lettering that reads: "Where are my Old Credits and Rewards?"

I would suggest parking those 3 credits in Airtran. They will get a new 1 year expiration date and stay there until the rewards program side of the merger is complete (which I would have to guess will be within the next year, if somehow not you could always transfer to SW and back to extend). When any remaining A+ credits get swept into SW, they will either be valid with a new 1 year expiration date for a last minute redemption. And Murphy's Law states you will need them the day after you needlessly let them expire.

That's incorrect:

The only way to refresh the expiration date is to transfer a full 16 AirTran credits to Southwest.