You may want to consider just going for it right now!

http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/south...l#post28383408

Hi, layoverdan, I just saw this thread. Welcome to FT! I'm not sure where you're at in your planning process on going for CP right now, but I'd like to offer the following thoughts:

1) I absolutely agree with your interest in seeing more of the US. It's a big country, and varied.

2) Southwest's Companion Pass makes it much more feasible to jaunt around the US as a couple. My partner and I take casual trips once a month or so for a long weekend or even just two days. At full price we'd consider that too expensive, but at basically two-for-one airfare it fits our budget.

3) As suggested up-thread already, consider going for the CP now. It's true you'd get only about 18 months out of it instead of 24 if you timed it perfectly for Jan 2018, but there's the possibility that the credit card deals you're counting on may be gone or significantly reduced by then.

4) Keep in mind that credit card spend is not the only way to earn CP. Points from flights count, too! Plus you can earn 600 CP qualifying points on each car rental (and likely more than that in redeemable points) by crediting to Southwest.

It's also possible that Southwest will terminate the CP program, not allowing any CP's to be earned after 2017. After the hotel transfer incident, if I were running the program I'd be tempted to conclude that the CP benefit was much more trouble than it's worth to the company.

I have been thinking this for about 5-6 years, yet here we are.

They could also return CP to a true BIS program, the way it existed before Chase came along.

Punch cards or stickers!

I'm pertty sure that after closing the "loop hole" CP has at least a couple more yersa left. Remember if Southwest stopped CP they would be leaving a lot of money on the table from point sales. I still believe tha average CP is probably used ony 5 or so times a year and costs Southwest less than $1,000 per year. Remember most of the seats they "give away" would have flown empty or not at all.

I saw the new offer, I've been racking my brain since!! It kills me but I'm actually leaning toward waiting. I don't really have the ability to travel much more for the rest of 2017, I have a big trip to Asia in nov and a few weekend trips planned thanks to those UR points. Plus I need some cash left over to buy this girl a ring. I haven't quite made up my mind yet but that's my thinking so far.

just out of curiosity...

If I get the companion pass...and I get 120K points in year...suppose if I don't fly...my 120K points will remain in my accounts (considering I use my CC once every 2 years)..correct..just had a doubt so wanted to make sure...

Points do not expire as long as you earn some at least every 24 months.

The annual fee alone will satisfy this.

It seems like you're suggesting Southwest could terminate the CP program entirely. I think it's extremely unlikely they'd do that. I expect that if they felt CP was being gamed too much they would simply disqualify credit card bonus miles and leave CP open to people who reach it primarily by flights.

To say it more precisely, the anniversary points that are posted around the same time as the billing of the annual fee will satisfy it, not the payment of the fee itself (other than assuring anniversary points for the following year).

And let's not forget... WN makes a lot of money from chase; it's not like they are not making money from people signing up for credit cards.