Companion Pass Dates for 2017 and 2018?
 

My goal- CP for 2017 and 2018.

Timeline- Signed up for RR Plus (50k bonus) and RR Premiere (50k bonus) in Oct. Received cards.
First month statement closed on 11/18 (payment of $0 due on 12/15)...

After reading through a bunch of data concerning the CP and the various methods of accrual, and dates of posting, I still have one lingering question...When is the soonest that I can spend, to ensure my points the earliest in JAN (without triggering them in 2016.

I am really confident that if I wait until after 12/19, and spend the $10k (via Simon Mall Visa GCs) it will hit in Jan, but I was wondering about sooner. I called Chase and the rep stated that if I spent now (11/19-12/18), my points would post in Jan. Can anyone confirm, definitively? I just don't want to thread the needle incorrectly, and end up with a few days in 2016 and 2017. I want it soon, because I am traveling a lot in early 2017.

Thanks and cheers!
Ryan

I can confirm that both my Southwest cards closed on December 6th and and I immediately hit the minimum spend the next day. All 100,000 bonus points for both cards posted on my next closing date on January 6th. It did take a few more days to be deposited into my rapid rewards account. This allowed me to get the companion pass for 2016 - 2017.

Don't listen to anything a chase rep says. They like to say it takes 6 to 8 weeks which is not true.

There are many hundreds of posts here on this over the years. In the early months of the WN Visa, there can be unexpected partial-month statement drops, triggering the bonus. You are probably OK spending right after the Dec. drop, but not guaranteed.

The only way to be 100% safe is to spend on Jan. 1.

And, yeah, do not listen to Chase reps. Listen to us.

And just to pile on, if you're going to wait until 12/19 anyway, why not just wait 12 more days to ensure 2 years of CP?

Keep in mind he applied for the cards in October. He's probably concerned about the 90 days Chase says you have to meet the spend. Of course we have no idea what day it was. If it was October 31 this is a moot point.

Another thing. It is not unknown that a vendor accidentally runs your charge twice by mistake. Or there can be a computer glitch.

Even if reversed immediately, the bonus will be triggered if the spend goes over the threshold momentarily.

Are you sure about that? Not that I would want to take the chance, but in my experience the bonus will not be triggered for about 5 to 7 days after the final qualifying purchase has posted to the account. In the case of a charge that was immediately reversed, I have never had one post.

Thanks for all of the replies! I believe I have until 1/18 to meet the 90 day, so I should be fine there. I also have an international flight on 1/6, which is why I was trying to put this all together, in advance of that date. I'll wait until after 12/5 and then drop 2k on the Plus and 8k on the Premier, and hopefully it posts early January. Based on the responses, and my reading, it might still be a day/two later than the 6th, but worth a shot. I will let you all know how it turns out!

If you spend the money on 12/5 your bonus will post 12/18 when your December statement ends. You will be losing out on one year of the companion pass.

With your statement dates as they are, the earliest in 2017 you will get them is when your January statement ends. If your statement ends January 18, that's when chase will award them. It will probably take a couple days longer to have them post to your RR account. So if your goal is getting the companion pass for 2017 - 18 you're not going to be using it on your flight January 6th.

Like I said, ignore what that Chase rep told you and since you seem so unsure of yourself, maybe you should just wait until January 1st so there is no way to mess it up.

I have been following this stuff daily for 10 years.

Go back and look at relevant posts from the end of the last few years. People have messed this up in about 15 different ways.

We even had a guy whose card number was stolen by a cab driver who charged it up. Even though the charges were reversed, the bonus triggered in December.

The process seems to be computerized and automatic and not amenable to human intervention/reversal.

So now I have the opposite problem. Currently at 107,928 for the year thru flights and credit card spend (no signup bonus). Card typically closes on the 21st, with spend points posting on the 22nd or 23rd. We're at the 28th and I need my November points! Looking back I see that in May it took until the 27th (but card statement says transferred on the 21st).

You don't have to go back a few years. Just go up 4 post and you can see how easily people get confused. When people listen to Chase, it's no wonder they mess up.

Reading these posts have me nervous all the sudden. I got the two SWA cards with 50,000 bonuses in early Nov. My statement closing date on both cards is the 3rd of the month. I've put a little on both cards over the last month (less than $1,000 on each). My plan was to start using the cards for my Christmas shopping after Dec 4, so that those points and my bonus would post on Jan 3.

Am I reading this correctly, that in the past some people have had their bonus post when they reached $2,000, not when their statement closed? I know the safer plan is to just wait and spend the money in Jan, but with all the added expenses in December it would be much easier to do it now.

The bonus will be triggered when $2,000 is spent. It won't be awarded until the statement in which it is triggered ends. If your statement ends December 3rd then you're probably alright to start spending after that. Theoretically, any points earned, including bonuses, should be awarded when your next statement ends on January 3rd. The reason I say theoretically is because there have been some people who have claimed to have a "short billing cycle" which caused points to be awarded earlier than expected. I have not experienced this. I suspect this is most likely caused by people who don't have a good understanding of what a billing cycle is or how to determine when it ends.

The easiest way to not screw this up is to not spend until January. However, since you want some of your Christmas shopping to count, my advice would be to spend, but not enough to trigger the bonus. Maybe leave a $300 buffer.

If you decide to go this route, it's very important not to have any unexpected charges. I would take all the cards, including authorized user cards and put them in your sock drawer. Do not use them until January. Also, dont forget to disable any auto payments that are connected to these cards. Once January hits, spend away.If you do it this way your bonus will not post until February 3rd.

CC spend points posted mid-day, I missed it by 248 points!! :D

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