Point hoarders - what are you going to do?
Mar 16, 2020, 4:35 pm
#1
Original Poster
Join Date: May 2013
Programs: Rapid Rewards
Posts: 7
Point hoarders - what are you going to do?
With discretionary travel likely to be limited for the next year+ I'm wondering what folks who have a lot of RR points plan on doing with them? I've got 484K built up and I had no plans on redeeming them for anything other than future travel, but I'm wondering if any feel that they might pull gift cards from more rewards, or if a devaluation is coming soon.
Thoughts?
Thoughts?
Mar 16, 2020, 4:57 pm
#3
Join Date: Dec 2006
Location: SNA
Programs: Bonvoy LTTE/AMB, AmEx Plat, National EE, WN A-List, CLEAR+, Covid-19
Posts: 4,964
Mar 16, 2020, 8:12 pm
#6
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Nov 2000
Location: Nashville -Past DL Plat, FO, WN-CP, various hotel programs
Programs: DL-MM, AA, SW w/companion,HiltonDiamond, Hyatt PLat, IHF Plat, Miles and Points Seeker
Posts: 11,072
I would agree.
I would NOT agree any big devaluation is going to happen. That would be counter to getting the public back on their planes - when the time comes.
Mar 17, 2020, 9:38 am
#8
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Nov 2000
Location: Nashville -Past DL Plat, FO, WN-CP, various hotel programs
Programs: DL-MM, AA, SW w/companion,HiltonDiamond, Hyatt PLat, IHF Plat, Miles and Points Seeker
Posts: 11,072
484k in points is a bit high and would take quite a bit of time to spend - that is some $7,000+ in flights. It is good to have a fair number so you can have lots of flights booked for "maybe" trips, but not that much.
Still, I think flights are the best use of them unless you think the airline will go away or make MAJOR point changes.
Still, I think flights are the best use of them unless you think the airline will go away or make MAJOR point changes.
Mar 17, 2020, 4:50 pm
#10
Join Date: Mar 2010
Location: SJC, Northern Cal.
Programs: SWA RR BIS 6.2M, A+'20, CP'20, AA, UA Gold, Hertz PC, Hilton Diamond
Posts: 909
With discretionary travel likely to be limited for the next year+ I'm wondering what folks who have a lot of RR points plan on doing with them? I've got 484K built up and I had no plans on redeeming them for anything other than future travel, but I'm wondering if any feel that they might pull gift cards from more rewards, or if a devaluation is coming soon.
Thoughts?
Thoughts?
I had shifted my points generation a couple months ago to the SWA card to hedge point accumulation for CP- so points will still be hitting during this self imposed grounding. I have a BS RT flight and a second pax RT flight booked all with points for July so that's a crap shoot at this point but probably coming back as points. CP is clearly at risk for me, but points are also accumulating via my Chase card @ 3x and they pass over- making accumulation still possible if I want SWA but not towards CP.
tl;dr- crazy times, burn 'em since I got 'em now. Worry about the fallout later, but I got mine.
Mar 17, 2020, 4:54 pm
#11
Join Date: Dec 2006
Location: SNA
Programs: Bonvoy LTTE/AMB, AmEx Plat, National EE, WN A-List, CLEAR+, Covid-19
Posts: 4,964
Mar 17, 2020, 4:55 pm
#12
Join Date: Nov 2015
Location: St. Louis, MO
Programs: Southwest Companion Pass
Posts: 790
I *had* about 460k sitting there until early this morning. I feared radical devaluation, and in a dark chance, worse for SWA so I unloaded them out as a ton of gift cards. Yeah I know SWA is better positioned than other carriers for a variety of reasons, but I sit here typing this from my home in the Bay Area where they have issued a shelter in place for 6 (soon to be 8) California counties till early April and who ever imagined THAT could happen in todays world? Couple that with articles saying most carriers could be dead by mid year from this and I decided that I can use the Amazon cards and other staples related cards much sooner than burning off flight points bound to a single carrier. Scared? No. Cautious and cashing in my chips for now? Absolutely. More there probably later if I need them.
I had shifted my points generation a couple months ago to the SWA card to hedge point accumulation for CP- so points will still be hitting during this self imposed grounding. I have a BS RT flight and a second pax RT flight booked all with points for July so that's a crap shoot at this point but probably coming back as points. CP is clearly at risk for me, but points are also accumulating via my Chase card @ 3x and they pass over- making accumulation still possible if I want SWA but not towards CP.
tldr; crazy times, burn 'em since I got 'em now. Worry about the fallout later, but I got mine.
I had shifted my points generation a couple months ago to the SWA card to hedge point accumulation for CP- so points will still be hitting during this self imposed grounding. I have a BS RT flight and a second pax RT flight booked all with points for July so that's a crap shoot at this point but probably coming back as points. CP is clearly at risk for me, but points are also accumulating via my Chase card @ 3x and they pass over- making accumulation still possible if I want SWA but not towards CP.
tldr; crazy times, burn 'em since I got 'em now. Worry about the fallout later, but I got mine.
Mar 17, 2020, 5:03 pm
#13
Join Date: Mar 2010
Location: SJC, Northern Cal.
Programs: SWA RR BIS 6.2M, A+'20, CP'20, AA, UA Gold, Hertz PC, Hilton Diamond
Posts: 909
Mar 17, 2020, 5:10 pm
#14
Join Date: Mar 2010
Location: SJC, Northern Cal.
Programs: SWA RR BIS 6.2M, A+'20, CP'20, AA, UA Gold, Hertz PC, Hilton Diamond
Posts: 909
As another poster mentioned, it was a lot of points to have sitting there at risk in times like this. I used to do weekly RT day trips booking BS flights to LA netting me 9k or more at a whack. I am fortunate that can get/rebuild more if things stabilize. *If*
Mar 17, 2020, 9:04 pm
#15
Join Date: Feb 2009
Posts: 6,605
It would take one CRAZY deval to make a WN point today worth less then the redemption value for gift cards.
Don't forget if you use CP the value of your points is doubled.
We just booked MSP/TPA R/T ( Sat- Sat) in Late April for about 4200 points for 2 people using CP.................4200 points gets you a $25 Texas Roadhouse gift card
Don't forget if you use CP the value of your points is doubled.
We just booked MSP/TPA R/T ( Sat- Sat) in Late April for about 4200 points for 2 people using CP.................4200 points gets you a $25 Texas Roadhouse gift card
