s0ssos

I know they were footnotes that weren't converted when they were copied and pasted, but thought it was funny in the way it could be interpreted.

NoStressHere

Some folks will continue to fly over 100 flights per year with or without concerns for CP.

There are even some folks that fly 100, have a CP and never use it.

And - there are folks that will only fly SW a few times a year.

And some that never fly SW.

DIFFERENT STROKES FOR DIFFERENT FOLKS.

darthbimmer

As soon as I saw the subject line in my inbox this morning, "We're making some changes to Rapid Rewards", my immediate thought was, "Oh @#%!, this won't be good." And... yeah, them increasing the CP threshold to 125k is disappointing. I've had CP for several years, about half the time having stretched just to reach 110k.

I figure WN is doing this to decrease the number of people who game the system, earning CP just by opening two credit cards and charging generic spend. Ironically this will push me to game the CCs more, churning through them more often for signup bonuses that-- in addition to my CPQP from flights-- I'll need to hit the higher target.

olouie

Airlines make a ton of money from CC signups so WN probably loves this. I know a ton of folks who got CP from that CA CC offer a while ago then ended up taking like 3-4 flights total. The number of folks who actually really get amazing value from CP is more limited than I thought. I def use it a lot when I have it, but know many who have it and still barely use it .

nsx

True. This is why the CP still exists.

flyer4512

How was a person getting companion pass from just the 80K Business card ?

IMO this is good news, we all knew a change the 110k was coming soon and they are still letting people qualify via credit cards.

Getting CP is a bit harder but still relatively easy when compared to the savings it provides.

nsx

Frankly, what irks me most about this very late change is that it makes me look like a giver of unreliable advice. Less than 48 hours after telling people about Southwest's amazing deal I have to back and tell them that Southwest sucker punched us. Southwest knows that 6 months' or more notice for an adverse change is a best practice, but they don't seem to care.

I suppose we gamers deserve to be gamed in return.

olouie

Still better than what UA pulled. 15k points increase for CP isn't the best, but when I saw the email I feared much worse (was expecting to see 150k).

Boraxo

outstanding - will make it a bit tougher for those who wanted to game system by qualifying just after January 2020 - will have to charge quite a bit more $$ or figure a way to get a personal and business card. I'm thinking specifically of our blogger friend GLEFF who just applied for the 80k card.

That would be me! I have only used CP a few times this year - just didn't work much for our family vacation schedule as we went to Europe and don't tend to fly around the USA much. Also the prices to Mexico have been obscenely high (as is the case for all airlines) so one free flight doesn't incentivize the family to use WN.

I have a friend who qualified for CP with 100 segments a few years running. He did not have anyone to designate as a companion so he got even less use from his CP than we did this year.

Ergo I don't think WN is too worried about adding more CPs, they just want you to spend more with Chase to keep Chase happy.

hansolo2019

Is there any indication they're doing away with the "you earn the companion pass for the balance of the year in which you earn it AND the following year"?

SwaBiz

Just cancelled my Chase Rapid rewards card now that points don't expire. Quick Reply

LegalTender

Unless Southwest hooks me up, a companion pass is of no personal consequence.

Does the switch to points never expiring overall increase redemption costs?

nsx

My guess: It makes customers more willing to carry large points balances, reducing redemption in the short run. That was the effect on me when DL eliminated expiration.

NoStressHere

There are so many different scenarios that make it difficult to say if the TOTAL redemption costs will increase or not. Some of these factors could increase and decrease $$ or WN. Sometimes using points also results in a purchased ticket. Sometimes not. There is also a marketing value that you can not put a $$ figure on.


Guessing some will no longer think they need to use up points and they sit around.
Some will no longer buy points to top off for a specific trip.
In my case, I will no longer do surveys to keep points active. (did not earn any points for two years while a CP)
Some people will not have points expire, but will use in the future since they do not expire.

camaross

Considering how easy it is to hit 110-125k points with a signup bonus or two (or a little MS), this isn't a big deal.