Help me use my RR points
Mar 11, 2015, 8:03 pm
#1
Original Poster
Join Date: Sep 2003
Location: LAS
Posts: 1,323
Help me use my RR points
I am likely moving across country some time before the end of this year.
In the three family members' accounts in our household, we have approximately 750,000 RR points combined.
Upcoming devaluation, coupled with our expected change in travel patterns, less travel on WN, leads me to conclude that the RR points need to go.
I looked at redeeming RR points for gift cards, but the exchange rate seems dismal. Looked at the WN 'experiences' currently on offer, and none are appealing to us.
Suggestions?
In the three family members' accounts in our household, we have approximately 750,000 RR points combined.
Upcoming devaluation, coupled with our expected change in travel patterns, less travel on WN, leads me to conclude that the RR points need to go.
I looked at redeeming RR points for gift cards, but the exchange rate seems dismal. Looked at the WN 'experiences' currently on offer, and none are appealing to us.
Suggestions?
Mar 11, 2015, 8:13 pm
#2
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Jan 2005
Location: home = LAX
Posts: 25,933
Sorry, but RR points are only a good value when used on Southwest flights. (And, btw, the devaluation is only rumored, not confirmed, and it's not clear if it would affect 1% or 99% of flights.) RR points an equally bad value when used for anything else. The reason: Southwest doesn't have to pay anything for you to use RR points for flights (it's assumed that a lot of it, on average anyway, is "excess capacity" being filled by points redemptions), but it does have to pay hard cash money for you to redeem them for anything else (since for you to redeem them for gift cards, they have to buy the cards with their cash to be able to offer them for redemption).
This is not just limited to Southwest. Generally, "excess capacity" (flights or hotel rooms) are way better values than all other redemptions, in all programs.
I doubt any "devaluation" is going to be as great as the loss of value you're guaranteed to get by using RR points for stuff other than flights.
So I suggest you figure out how to keep those RR points from expiring, and just use them as opportunity appears, instead of ever paying for a Southwest flight again, and don't worry about how many years it takes to use them up or what the value of them is when you use them up.
This is not just limited to Southwest. Generally, "excess capacity" (flights or hotel rooms) are way better values than all other redemptions, in all programs.
I doubt any "devaluation" is going to be as great as the loss of value you're guaranteed to get by using RR points for stuff other than flights.
So I suggest you figure out how to keep those RR points from expiring, and just use them as opportunity appears, instead of ever paying for a Southwest flight again, and don't worry about how many years it takes to use them up or what the value of them is when you use them up.
Mar 12, 2015, 5:36 am
#4
Join Date: Jan 2012
Location: IND
Programs: Avianca Brazil Diamond, Etihad Gold, Southwest CC Pass, HH Diamond, SPG Gold
Posts: 315
I wouldn't use WN points for anything else other than flights. Even with the upcoming devaluation they are more valuable for flights. Just book a ton of speculative flights if you are that concerned you can always cancel flights booked on points easily.
Mar 12, 2015, 7:01 am
#5
Join Date: Jul 2014
Location: Austin, TX
Posts: 1,012
Take a trip? I dunno, I don't see how one gets more 'value' out of needlessly burning through points just to avoid a devaluation, the details of which aren't even known yet. I would just save them until you need them....
Mar 12, 2015, 9:58 am
#6
Original Poster
Join Date: Sep 2003
Location: LAS
Posts: 1,323
It isn't the upcoming devaluation that is the primary motivation for using up the accumulated RR points but rather my family's move by the end of this year. Current job requiring frequent WN travel out of MCI will cease.
It is unlikely we will use WN much in our future home base, so I was just trying to plan ahead, and the April devaluation announcement was merely a push to those plans.
It is also likely that there will be further program changes in the future, but I suppose just keeping our 3 accounts active with the occasional WN flight once a year may be the only option, despite those points maybe losing value in the long term.
It is unlikely we will use WN much in our future home base, so I was just trying to plan ahead, and the April devaluation announcement was merely a push to those plans.
It is also likely that there will be further program changes in the future, but I suppose just keeping our 3 accounts active with the occasional WN flight once a year may be the only option, despite those points maybe losing value in the long term.
Mar 12, 2015, 10:55 am
#7
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Sep 2002
Location: Chicagoland, IL, USA
Programs: WN CP, Hilton Diamond
Posts: 14,192
It isn't the upcoming devaluation that is the primary motivation for using up the accumulated RR points but rather my family's move by the end of this year. Current job requiring frequent WN travel out of MCI will cease.
It is unlikely we will use WN much in our future home base, so I was just trying to plan ahead, and the April devaluation announcement was merely a push to those plans.
It is also likely that there will be further program changes in the future, but I suppose just keeping our 3 accounts active with the occasional WN flight once a year may be the only option, despite those points maybe losing value in the long term.
It is unlikely we will use WN much in our future home base, so I was just trying to plan ahead, and the April devaluation announcement was merely a push to those plans.
It is also likely that there will be further program changes in the future, but I suppose just keeping our 3 accounts active with the occasional WN flight once a year may be the only option, despite those points maybe losing value in the long term.
That is a lot of value sitting there doing nothing.
Mar 12, 2015, 2:39 pm
#9
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Jan 2005
Location: home = LAX
Posts: 25,933
What does frequent work travel have to do with the ability to redeem points? 
It only has to do with the ability to earn points, doesn't it?
But you have so many points, why do you need to make a decision based on your inability to earn more? Why do you need to get rid of Southwest points just because you're not flying Southwest for work?
I pretty much never fly for work at all (1 or 2 very short flights a decade at most), and yet I've flown Southwest dozens of times on points and awards (which I earned solely through partner activity like hotels, rental cards, dining, etc, and promos on same), since I stopped flying Southwest paid about a decade ago.
What area are you moving to? How far from a Southwest airport will you be? That would seem to me what should be the only question (besides how to keep those Southwest points alive for however many years it might take to use them up).
It's far from your only option! There are many, many, many ways to keep your 3 accounts alive without needing a single flight. Like I said, learn how to keep those accounts alive. For example, are you familiar with Rapid Rewards Dining? (A cup of coffee or a sandwich, once a year, will keep each account from expiring, when purchased with a different card for each account.)
It only has to do with the ability to earn points, doesn't it?But you have so many points, why do you need to make a decision based on your inability to earn more? Why do you need to get rid of Southwest points just because you're not flying Southwest for work?
I pretty much never fly for work at all (1 or 2 very short flights a decade at most), and yet I've flown Southwest dozens of times on points and awards (which I earned solely through partner activity like hotels, rental cards, dining, etc, and promos on same), since I stopped flying Southwest paid about a decade ago.
What area are you moving to? How far from a Southwest airport will you be? That would seem to me what should be the only question (besides how to keep those Southwest points alive for however many years it might take to use them up).
It's far from your only option! There are many, many, many ways to keep your 3 accounts alive without needing a single flight. Like I said, learn how to keep those accounts alive. For example, are you familiar with Rapid Rewards Dining? (A cup of coffee or a sandwich, once a year, will keep each account from expiring, when purchased with a different card for each account.)
Last edited by sdsearch; Mar 12, 2015 at 2:49 pm
Mar 12, 2015, 8:17 pm
#10
Original Poster
Join Date: Sep 2003
Location: LAS
Posts: 1,323
What does frequent work travel have to do with the ability to redeem points? It only has to do with the ability to earn points, doesn't it?
But you have so many points, why do you need to make a decision based on your inability to earn more? Why do you need to get rid of Southwest points just because you're not flying Southwest for work?
. . . . There are many, many, many ways to keep your 3 accounts alive without needing a single flight. Like I said, learn how to keep those accounts alive. For example, are you familiar with Rapid Rewards Dining? (A cup of coffee or a sandwich, once a year, will keep each account from expiring, when purchased with a different card for each account.)
It only has to do with the ability to earn points, doesn't it?But you have so many points, why do you need to make a decision based on your inability to earn more? Why do you need to get rid of Southwest points just because you're not flying Southwest for work?
. . . . There are many, many, many ways to keep your 3 accounts alive without needing a single flight. Like I said, learn how to keep those accounts alive. For example, are you familiar with Rapid Rewards Dining? (A cup of coffee or a sandwich, once a year, will keep each account from expiring, when purchased with a different card for each account.)
I was seeking ideas on how to use up those points because (a) travel patterns will be changing and (b) My initial thought was what toomanybooks indicated, it's a lot of value to sit on for years. I'm having difficulty justifying keeping the accounts alive, with the expectation we might use points up slowly over many years . . . and it's a bit unlikely that those points will increase in value.
Mar 13, 2015, 1:11 am
#11
Join Date: Oct 2010
Programs: My opinions are my own and not that of my employer(s)
Posts: 1,411