Southwest Airlines 2 free flights credit card offer-What's the catch?

[DMRick]

Anyone else having trouble signing into your rewards account today?

It says, when I try to sign in:
We are currently unable to complete your request. Please try again later.

 

[Bronte]

Well ... I applied last week online through the southwest link.
Got my card today (fast) but nothing said anything about free tickets so I called to activate and asked first about the free flights, the agent said I only have one free flight after first use and I said that I applied online through Southwest and the web page said two round trip tickets. He said they will look into it and send me a letter within 7 days but to wait until after I get the letter to activate ...

 

[M2DD's]

I'm not able to see that info without having three awards ( only have two, and one is mine and one is hubby's so I can only look up one), but dragonfly is..perhaps you should PM her and have her look it up.

Thanks for help
I was able to all yesterday and the agent was able to tell me how many rewards seats were available on those flights.
But 8 couldn't sign up for the promotion yesterday because they said there systems were down but it looks like they removed the promotional offer for the 2 free flight today

 

[DMRick]

Each time I have called, they told me it was one round trip, but two has shown up in my rapid rewards. Once they took a really long time, since so many were applying, so after going back and forth via email from my chase on line area, they gave me a third as a way to apologize. The people I refered got theirs and I was still waiting!

Well ... I applied last week online through the southwest link.
Got my card today (fast) but nothing said anything about free tickets so I called to activate and asked first about the free flights, the agent said I only have one free flight after first use and I said that I applied online through Southwest and the web page said two round trip tickets. He said they will look into it and send me a letter within 7 days but to wait until after I get the letter to activate ...

 

[tripplanner2]

So, you got credits instead of points (but you only got for one round trip instead of two)? If they have the seats you want, that may be the best bet for you, if the prices are high. I just changed someone's booking today, because the price was lower than when she booked on Sunday.

Yes, but I am the one without the annual fee and $500 in gift cards after spending $5k in 3 months. So I got 16 credits, which is 1 flight and then I have to wait for the cards. But prices are up today. LI to MCO, I wait for $79 each way.

 

[gortman65]

Anyone else having trouble signing into your rewards account today?

They just rolled out their new RR system today and are apparently having some issues - this includes RR members not being able to log in to their website. Hopefully they will have it cleared up soon.

 

[DizDragonfly]

today the offer says after first purchase you earn 20,000 bonus points which is good for up to 2 free flights..

So how does this compare with the previous offer; better or worse? I guess I don't know how many points it takes for a free flight.

I'm soooo glad I signed up for the 2 RT promotion! 20,000 isn't even enough for ONE RT ticket for us (PDX to MCO and back)!

I'm not able to see that info without having three awards ( only have two, and one is mine and one is hubby's so I can only look up one), but dragonfly is..perhaps you should PM her and have her look it up.

Anyone else having trouble signing into your rewards account today?

Yup! I can't sign in. So, I can't look anything up either.

 

[jrf71]

I'm soooo glad I signed up for the 2 RT promotion! 20,000 isn't even enough for ONE RT ticket for us (PDX to MCO and back)!


Except the old promotion is based on available "Rapid Reward" seats on the flight you are interested in so it has its limitations as well.

In the new program all seats are considered Rapid Reward seats but as you said 20,000 points @ (60 x fare) will not be enough for 1 RT.

I guess the 2 Free RT tickets are better if you are flexible but if you have pre-determined travel plans you may not be able to use them if the Rapid Reward seats are not available.

 

[DizDragonfly]

I guess the 2 Free RT tickets are better if you are flexible but if you have pre-determined travel plans you may not be able to use them if the Rapid Reward seats are not available.

Well, for the price of our flights, I'll make myself flexible. *stretch, bend, stretch, bend .... reach!*

 

[PatMcDuck]

Please bear with me... This credit card has me confused. DH and I both got our cards (separate accounts). I used mine for the first time on Feb 28. DH activated his Feb 28, but did not use until March 1. These cards were obtained under the 2 free RT ticket offer.

Will we get Rapid Reward points or bonus points? And if we get the bonus points, we can change them to Rapid Reward points? Which system is better for SW customers? I understand more flights would be available under the point system, but they will "cost" more, depending on the current price of the airfare?

I apologize for asking such stupid questions. I have been reading this thread, but it gets me somewhat confused. I expected the 2 RT tickets, per account, and now I am worried if we get the "points" we will not be able to redeem them for that.

Thanks all! You are the experts!

 

[DizDragonfly]

Will we get Rapid Reward points or bonus points?

I don't think anyone knows for sure. We'll have to wait and see what happens in the next couple of weeks. My best guess is that we will get "Rewards" rather than points, but that's just a guess. Rewards are good for flights, but have restrictions on the number of seats on the flight booked as rewards and there are some blackout dates too (but not a lot).

And if we get the bonus points, we can change them to Rapid Reward points?

Not sure about that either. I was told by a Chase rep that if I get the "new" points, I can convert them into "awards" that can be combined into "rewards".

Which system is better for SW customers? I understand more flights would be available under the point system, but they will "cost" more, depending on the current price of the airfare?

That depends on how much your flights cost in cash. If you can get a RT Southwest ticket for less than $320, the new points system may be better for you. If your ticket costs more, the old system may have been better. (Assuming my math is right!)

I expected the 2 RT tickets, per account, and now I am worried if we get the "points" we will not be able to redeem them for that.

I have the same fears. But, since no one can get a consistent answer from Chase or Southwest, we'll just all have to wait (im)patiently and see what happens.

You are the experts!

You must mean someone else. I'm no expert.

 

[kotto1234]

You're right. No one knows for sure. Have to wait till the reward is actually posted to the RR account.
My husband and I got our cards yesterday. I called Chase 3 different times to check the promotion of my card. All three times they all said that I'll get 2 RT flights.
Husband was not so lucky. He called once and was told that he'll get only one RT flight. He told the lady at Chase about the 2 RT promotion. She said all she could do is to make a note in the account to give him one more RT flight. But he has to make a purchase first. Then she got defensive when my husband said the promotion was misleading. "We're not here to scam people". That's what she said.
Make the long story short, We'll wait till the rewards posted. If we don't get what we were promised, we'll cancel all the credit cards we have with Chase.

 

[DMRick]

Make the long story short, We'll wait till the rewards posted. If we don't get what we were promised, we'll cancel all the credit cards we have with Chase.

I wouldn't do that. I would call and ask for what they promised. They have some great cards, with great rewards.

 

[DizDragonfly]

Ok, here's my experience ...

I received our cards (one for DH and one for myself), activated and made purchases on 2/5. We called about a week later and moved up our closing date, our bills closed a few days later, but no Awards triggered. I was waiting to see if they would trigger on our closing date (3/13). However, when I checked our RR Accounts this morning they were there (11 days before the next billing date). I'm not sure of the exact date that the Awards were deposited in my account (because the site has been down for several days), but my expiration date on the awards was 2/29/2012. Yeah, the 29th. Next year is leap year. So, 2/28 or 3/1??? !

We received two Awards each. Each award is listed as a "coupon" on their site and each "coupon" number has an "a" and a "b". So, for example, you get coupons 123456A, 123456B, 234567A and 234567B. Clear as mud? You can use an "a" or "b" to book a one way fare or use the whole coupon to book a RT flight.

I was having trouble booking on their site. Their site is having trouble today. The patient SW rep I spoke to said it's been up and down all day. They are having as much trouble as we are.

There's a good chance that the trouble I was initially having was of my own making however. I did not know that you have to book EACH award INDIVIDUALLY. So, even though I had two awards in each account, I had to book them all one at a time. The SW rep went ahead and did it all for me, since I was on the phone with her. She was having problems with the system the whole time and we were on the phone for 66 minutes (including my initial wait time of around 10 minutes).

Here is how you now have to check for your old credits and awards:

• Go to Southwest.com and log in using the boxes on the right.
• Once you are logged in, scroll down the page a bit and look at the column on the very right hand side (under where you logged in).
• You'll see "Credit Status", a "?" icon and the words "What happened to my credits?" Click that.
• You should see your credits on this page.
• If you have Awards available, IIRC, there should be a link under the credits information to view your Awards.

I wish I was more sure of that last step, I was only there for a moment and since I've now booked, I don't see the link anymore. But, I'm fairly certain that's correct.

Price today for the four of us to fly to Orlando was $1647.20. We paid $120 in annual fees to open 2 SW Visa cards. We paid $30 in 9/11 fees to book the tickets. I'll probably pay the $80 for the early bird check in because we have FOUR different confirmation #s, because each Award has to be booked separately. So, that's $230 for the four of us to fly and we won't have to worry about getting online 24 hours ahead of our flights (with four different confirmation #s) to get our boarding passes. Savings of $1417.20!!!

So, I still can't tell you if your "rewards" post after 3/1, if they will for sure be the restricted "Awards" or if they'll be points. My best guess is still "Awards" because that's what the offer stated.

What I can say is that I got two AWARDS per card. Awards are good for 2 RT or 4 one way fares. My awards took a little more than 4 weeks to show up in my Rapid Rewards account. They do _not_ show up at all in my Chase account online, although they might after my next bill processes in a couple of weeks.

Not sure how much this will help anyone, but at least it's a little bit of info. Good luck all!

 

[DMRick]

There should be a place in the left hand column, when in your reward page, that says awards. If you click on it, it will show how the past ones are being used, and if you have new ones. I only have awards, no points, so that may change.

When I go online ot Chase, it has never shown awards, just how many points I had, and every time I had 1200, they subtracted it and it was gone...moved over to SW.

They never have shown up as soon as they leave Chase. I have a date (for me it's the 3rd of the month) when my awards show up. My end date is the 25th. My husbands end date is the 27th, and his don't show up until the 13th on SW.

Thanks for sharing about your great savings. By the way, in the past, I could book two of us at once, one way, on one award, then two of us to return on the other award. We had different confirmation numbers for each going and returning, which is a pain for getting our boarding nymbers.

Ok, here's my experience ...

I received our cards (one for DH and one for myself), activated and made purchases on 2/5. We called about a week later and moved up our closing date, our bills closed a few days later, but no Awards triggered. I was waiting to see if they would trigger on our closing date (3/13). However, when I checked our RR Accounts this morning they were there (11 days before the next billing date). I'm not sure of the exact date that the Awards were deposited in my account (because the site has been down for several days), but my expiration date on the awards was 2/29/2012. Yeah, the 29th. Next year is leap year. So, 2/28 or 3/1??? !

We received two Awards each. Each award is listed as a "coupon" on their site and each "coupon" number has an "a" and a "b". So, for example, you get coupons 123456A, 123456B, 234567A and 234567B. Clear as mud? You can use an "a" or "b" to book a one way fare or use the whole coupon to book a RT flight.

I was having trouble booking on their site. Their site is having trouble today. The patient SW rep I spoke to said it's been up and down all day. They are having as much trouble as we are.

There's a good chance that the trouble I was initially having was of my own making however. I did not know that you have to book EACH award INDIVIDUALLY. So, even though I had two awards in each account, I had to book them all one at a time. The SW rep went ahead and did it all for me, since I was on the phone with her. She was having problems with the system the whole time and we were on the phone for 66 minutes (including my initial wait time of around 10 minutes).

Here is how you now have to check for your old credits and awards:

• Go to Southwest.com and log in using the boxes on the right.
• Once you are logged in, scroll down the page a bit and look at the column on the very right hand side (under where you logged in).
• You'll see "Credit Status", a "?" icon and the words "What happened to my credits?" Click that.
• You should see your credits on this page.
• If you have Awards available, IIRC, there should be a link under the credits information to view your Awards.

I wish I was more sure of that last step, I was only there for a moment and since I've now booked, I don't see the link anymore. But, I'm fairly certain that's correct.

Price today for the four of us to fly to Orlando was $1647.20. We paid $120 in annual fees to open 2 SW Visa cards. We paid $30 in 9/11 fees to book the tickets. I'll probably pay the $80 for the early bird check in because we have FOUR different confirmation #s, because each Award has to be booked separately. So, that's $230 for the four of us to fly and we won't have to worry about getting online 24 hours ahead of our flights (with four different confirmation #s) to get our boarding passes. Savings of $1417.20!!!

So, I still can't tell you if your "rewards" post after 3/1, if they will for sure be the restricted "Awards" or if they'll be points. My best guess is still "Awards" because that's what the offer stated.

What I can say is that I got two AWARDS per card. Awards are good for 2 RT or 4 one way fares. My awards took a little more than 4 weeks to show up in my Rapid Rewards account. They do _not_ show up at all in my Chase account online, although they might after my next bill processes in a couple of weeks.

Not sure how much this will help anyone, but at least it's a little bit of info. Good luck all!

 

[DizDragonfly]

There should be a place in the left hand column, when in your reward page, that says awards. If you click on it, it will show how the past ones are being used, and if you have new ones. I only have awards, no points, so that may change.

You can see that now? I'm not seeing anything like that on the new version of the webpage. No biggie though. I have my confirmation #s and emails from SWA.

By the way, in the past, I could book two of us at once, one way, on one award, then two of us to return on the other award. We had different confirmation numbers for each going and returning, which is a pain for getting our boarding nymbers.

Weird. I couldn't book it like that on the webpage and she said she had to book them separately too. Maybe it's something new with the new system. What a pain for people who are trying to book awards over the next year!

 

[DMRick]

Well, I can't see it that way now. I could a few hours ago LOL. They must still be working on it. I had to go to the bottom and click on awards to see them. Im afraid to click on anything to see what it does, because I think it would be easy to erase my booked flights.

Funny thing though..that now I can see the available days to use my awards, and the checkmarks you were talking about...and I'm shocked, that almost all the days, that weren't available before for awards, are now available. Just a few aren't.

As for booking together..I couldn't book different awards together, but I could use one award number (A & B) to book two one ways going the same place, but two different names.

You can see that now? I'm not seeing anything like that on the new version of the webpage. No biggie though. I have my confirmation #s and emails from SWA.



Weird. I couldn't book it like that on the webpage and she said she had to book them separately too. Maybe it's something new with the new system. What a pain for people who are trying to book awards over the next year!

 

[DizDragonfly]

Well, I can't see it that way now. I could a few hours ago LOL. They must still be working on it.

That's becoming the motto for Southwest this week!

Funny thing though..that now I can see the available days to use my awards, and the checkmarks you were talking about...and I'm shocked, that almost all the days, that weren't available before for awards, are now available. Just a few aren't.

Well, at least it's showing more availability now, not less. Strange that the checkmarks are showing up now for you though.

As for booking together..I couldn't book different awards together, but I could use one award number (A & B) to book two one ways going the same place, but two different names.

Ahhh, wonder if that still works. It'll be a long time before I'll be able to find that out for myself though.

 

[padstack1]

Question for the group. My wife and I both applied and were accepted. She got hers first and activated it. The rewards didn't show and when I called, I was told we were BOTH ineligible since we already had a chase rewards card. Anyone else run into this?

 

[DMRick]

Nope..I already had a Chase rewards card and I got it. Did you already have a SW Chase card?
I would call back and get someone different since it didn't say you couldn't have a Chase card, just not a Chase SW card.

Question for the group. My wife and I both applied and were accepted. She got hers first and activated it. The rewards didn't show and when I called, I was told we were BOTH ineligible since we already had a chase rewards card. Anyone else run into this?