I love credit cards so much! v7.0 - 2025 (see first page for add'l details)

[TheOneWithTheTriplets]

It seems anything booked by May 28 will keep current benefits, including luggage. So at least there's that... on March 27 they'll open the flight schedule through the rest of the year, I'll be on it to book our Thanksgiving flights.

Booking November flights that week, too.

Worried, though, about the possibility that the fares come out super high but, if you change after 5/28, you lose the bag benefits. So, you end up having to do the math on whether getting points back is worth paying for bags, unless you have the CC or the status.

 

[Duckbug.Ducktales]

Booking November flights that week, too.

Worried, though, about the possibility that the fares come out super high but, if you change after 5/28, you lose the bag benefits. So, you end up having to do the math on whether getting points back is worth paying for bags, unless you have the CC or the status.

Oh, good observation! DH has a CC and CP so not worried about bags for that trip (though I do have a solo trip in July where I'll have to make a calculation if the fare goes down). What I am worried about is that for November, we'll be using flight credits as DH is sitting on $600 accumulated through multiple Plats. If fares go down and we rebook, we might end up giving the credits expiration dates... Sigh, not a fan of this activist investor shaking things up at SW

 

[VGCgroupie]

For me the worst part of SW announcement is the flight credit expiration after 1 year. I also dont know if I saw if the lowest based fare will still qualify for flight credit if cancelled. I hope so. Their lenient flight cancel/change policy is what shined for me.

 

[TheOneWithTheTriplets]

DH has a CC and CP so not worried about bags for that trip (though I do have a solo trip in July where I'll have to make a calculation if the fare goes down).

I'm particularly interested, though, in how the CC benefit interacts with CP. With American or Delta, I know that everyone on the same reservation gets a bag if the cardholder is on the trip. We've used that benefit as a family.

But, CPs are on a separate reservation. So, in your case, would only your DH on the CP reservation get the free checked bag? For my family of 5, with two CPs in play, would only the 3 of us on the main reservation get the free checked bag? Or, with the new bag fee, are they going to extend to CPs whatever benefit the main reservation has? We're so spoiled with just checking all of our rollers and only carrying on personal items. It's going to get real annoying if we have to play the game of loading up with carryons to avoid bag fees.

 

[Duckbug.Ducktales]

I'm particularly interested, though, in how the CC benefit interacts with CP. With American or Delta, I know that everyone on the same reservation gets a bag if the cardholder is on the trip. We've used that benefit as a family.

But, CPs are on a separate reservation. So, in your case, would only your DH on the CP reservation get the free checked bag? For my family of 5, with two CPs in play, would only the 3 of us on the main reservation get the free checked bag? Or, with the new bag fee, are they going to extend to CPs whatever benefit the main reservation has? We're so spoiled with just checking all of our rollers and only carrying on personal items. It's going to get real annoying if we have to play the game of loading up with carryons to avoid bag fees.

I hadn't thought of that! I don't imagine benefits will transfer to CP reservations--why would they give you benefits when you're already flying free? sigh

 

[georgina]

For me the worst part of SW announcement is the flight credit expiration after 1 year. I also dont know if I saw if the lowest based fare will still qualify for flight credit if cancelled. I hope so. Their lenient flight cancel/change policy is what shined for me.

The email I got says "ALL fare types are eligible for cancellations without a fee" The basic fare is not changeable though, so no change if the price drops, unless you cancel and rebook I guess, then the credit expiration will apply.

 

[wanderlust7]

For me the worst part of SW announcement is the flight credit expiration after 1 year. I also dont know if I saw if the lowest based fare will still qualify for flight credit if cancelled. I hope so. Their lenient flight cancel/change policy is what shined for me.

It's the worst part for me too. The lowest fare still qualifies for a flight credit, but it expires 6 months from when it was booked. So if you booked further out, it could be a complete loss.

I see in the chart that everything except Basic allows changes with fare difference. I wonder if that means it can be punted down the line indefinitely. Instead of taking a flight credit that expires in a year, just keep changing the flight.

 

[newski_mom]

I'm particularly interested, though, in how the CC benefit interacts with CP. With American or Delta, I know that everyone on the same reservation gets a bag if the cardholder is on the trip. We've used that benefit as a family.

But, CPs are on a separate reservation. So, in your case, would only your DH on the CP reservation get the free checked bag? For my family of 5, with two CPs in play, would only the 3 of us on the main reservation get the free checked bag? Or, with the new bag fee, are they going to extend to CPs whatever benefit the main reservation has? We're so spoiled with just checking all of our rollers and only carrying on personal items. It's going to get real annoying if we have to play the game of loading up with carryons to avoid bag fees.

I also wondered that - I noticed in the wording, it says "Southwest will credit one checked bag for Rapid Rewards Credit Cardmembers" - that almost makes it sound like they will credit your card when you pay for a checked bag, kind of like how they do if you use the early bird credit for having certain cards.

 

[VGCgroupie]

The email I got says "ALL fare types are eligible for cancellations without a fee" The basic fare is not changeable though, so no change if the price drops, unless you cancel and rebook I guess, then the credit expiration will apply.

At least there is that so thats good, but ugh on no price changes

 

[VGCgroupie]

It's the worst part for me too. The lowest fare still qualifies for a flight credit, but it expires 6 months from when it was booked. So if you booked further out, it could be a complete loss.

I see in the chart that everything except Basic allows changes with fare difference. I wonder if that means it can be punted down the line indefinitely. Instead of taking a flight credit that expires in a year, just keep changing the flight.

6 months. Ughhh.

That could be a great hack.

 

[elgerber]

It seems anything booked by May 28 will keep current benefits, including luggage. So at least there's that... on March 27 they'll open the flight schedule through the rest of the year, I'll be on it to book our Thanksgiving flights.

By the fall, hopefully we'll know where things stand with CPs and folks who use it (we use it a lot) will know whether to try for one through SUBs.

Yeah, I was relieved that I booked the flight yesterday, in case we do actually go, so that I am grandfathered in for this flight.

 

[wanderlust7]

Points bookings remain refundable for the points, but taxes are nonrefundable unless booking Anytime/biz and becomes a flight credit.

This is worse than many airlines. Though I guess not worse than those charging a redeposit fee.

Under Refundable in the e-mail:
"For travel booked with Rapid Rewards points, if canceled, points will be returned to the Rapid Rewards account holder who booked the ticket. For Anytime or Business Select® reward travel reservations: the points used for booking will be redeposited to the purchaser's Rapid Rewards® account, and any taxes and fees associated with the reward travel reservation will be converted into a Transferable Flight Credit for future use."

 

[GZanta77]

I know these Southwest changes will affect many of you far more than me. Pre-covid we were regular SW customers with around 4 or 5 roundtrip flights per year. We also made sure we had at least one CP earned primarily through credit cards. Post-covid, SW slashed the number of direct routes from the Northeast and routed so many flights through BWI or MDW which pushed prices higher, and in combination with the need to connect, no longer made SW an attractive proposition. In the last 3 years we have only taken 2 one way flights, though I do have one booked for August. We haven't held a SW credit card since 2022. Before Covid, Southwest was our most flown airline domestically followed by JetBlue. We rarely flew anyone else. Since Covid, it is Delta followed by JetBlue, occasionally American and rarely Southwest.

I like to choose my own seat in advance and where possible, as a tall person, to fly in extra legroom seats. Those are positive changes to Southwest for me. I might consider getting a SW credit card again if that secures a free checked bag. However, the question for me is will these changes allow SW to be more competitive on the base fares because they are now more directly aligning themselves with the major airlines and they have lost most of the key differentiators. Amidst all the changes, I will be interested to see how long CP survives - feels like it is only a matter of time before it becomes significantly more difficult to obtain.

 

[elgerber]

The SW changes won't really hurt me much, I just thought the timing was crazy. Glad I didn't make any decision to jump on that CP offer yesterday.

 

[TheOneWithTheTriplets]

I also wondered that - I noticed in the wording, it says "Southwest will credit one checked bag for Rapid Rewards Credit Cardmembers" - that almost makes it sound like they will credit your card when you pay for a checked bag, kind of like how they do if you use the early bird credit for having certain cards.

Ugh, that would truly be the worst case scenario. I can't wait until we actually get the real fine print on all of this...

 

[elgerber]

Shoot last week p2 had green star offers for Ink cards. Now they are gone and we need a new card. Dang it

 

[Budzooka]

For me the worst part of SW announcement is the flight credit expiration after 1 year. I also dont know if I saw if the lowest based fare will still qualify for flight credit if cancelled. I hope so. Their lenient flight cancel/change policy is what shined for me.

This is terrible for us. I regularly book placeholder flights knowing that we can cancel and use those credits later if we decide not to travel. And for football season, game times are sometimes not announced until the week before, so I will book for Fri night in case of an early kick and Sat morning if a later kick.

I’m not that bothered by the charging for bags but flight credit expirations is a game changer. I know nobody else does it but this make me start looking into other airlines more, as to where we have pretty much been exclusively SWA forever.

 

[hsmamato2]

Points bookings remain refundable for the points, but taxes are nonrefundable unless booking Anytime/biz and becomes a flight credit.

This is worse than many airlines. Though I guess not worse than those charging a redeposit fee.

Under Refundable in the e-mail:
"For travel booked with Rapid Rewards points, if canceled, points will be returned to the Rapid Rewards account holder who booked the ticket. For Anytime or Business Select® reward travel reservations: the points used for booking will be redeposited to the purchaser's Rapid Rewards® account, and any taxes and fees associated with the reward travel reservation will be converted into a Transferable Flight Credit for future use."

so on the non returned fees.... but wouldn't this mean points are still golden? since it's the only flexible thing left to play with flight dates etc ?

 

[Budzooka]

so on the non returned fees.... but wouldn't this mean points are still golden? since it's the only flexible thing left to play with flight dates etc ?

Agreed, as it could be much worse but it is going to he a headache to track. i try to get A list every year, so I pay for any flight under $150 and use points for more expensive flights.

I think the hack is going to be cancelling and rebooking rather than just changing a flight.

 

[Duckbug.Ducktales]

Agreed, as it could be much worse but it is going to he a headache to track. i try to get A list every year, so I pay for any flight under $150 and use points for more expensive flights.

I think the hack is going to be cancelling and rebooking rather than just changing a flight.

You'll just be out $5.60 per person every time, since they won't refund the TSA tax.