Southwest is giving 50,000 points again

[IDoDis]

I've just discovered the downfall of this card. You have to have all of the points in your account to get a ticket, otherwise you have to buy points at a PREMIUM price. I started with 56,600 points (50,000 sign-on plus I've earned 6600). Booked 3 tickets but I was short 6500 points for the third ticket. I was not allowed to pay the difference in cash. I had to buy 7000 points which cost me $175 which ended up being half the price of the round trip!

So even though a round trip for one ticket at 20,000 points valued at the $376.00 and I only needed 6500 points, I paid 1/2 the price of the ticket for those points which was really high. So just make sure you have the FULL amount of points when booking. When you have points left over you'll have to just bank them until you can buy another full ticket (could be a while). Don't buy points because you end up paying way more in the long-run.

 

[Massillon Dad]

...since they merged?

 

[eeyoreforever]

When do we get our 50,000 points? Is it after the first billing statement? I sure hope not....I got my card about 10 days ago and made my first purchase. I just looked at my statement on the Chase website and it says my due date is April 10, which means that this billing cycle won't close for another month yet. I'm hoping to be buying tickets before that.

Just to clarify, it shows a due date, but there is not a statement generated yet. There is no minimum payment amount or anything.

 

[ShelsGoingToDisney]

I've just discovered the downfall of this card. You have to have all of the points in your account to get a ticket, otherwise you have to buy points at a PREMIUM price. I started with 56,600 points (50,000 sign-on plus I've earned 6600). Booked 3 tickets but I was short 6500 points for the third ticket. I was not allowed to pay the difference in cash. I had to buy 7000 points which cost me $175 which ended up being half the price of the round trip!

So even though a round trip for one ticket at 20,000 points valued at the $376.00 and I only needed 6500 points, I paid 1/2 the price of the ticket for those points which was really high. So just make sure you have the FULL amount of points when booking. When you have points left over you'll have to just bank them until you can buy another full ticket (could be a while). Don't buy points because you end up paying way more in the long-run.

You need to be smart about how you buy the tickets. First off you should always book your tickets as one ways, not round trip. If one leg of your trip goes down in price you can adjust and get a credit or points refunded. If you have a round trip booked then you will be at the mercy of both legs going down instead of just one which is much less common.

When you book with points you have different confirmation numbers for each person anyway so plan out your purchase to maximize your points. If you are short in points then decide if it is cheaper to book just one ticket using cash instead of points. That may be cheaper than buying the points. In your scenario I am guessing a 1 way ticket would have been cheaper to pay for than the points. You could have just bought that one ticket with money and the rest of the tickets with points.

When do we get our 50,000 points? Is it after the first billing statement? I sure hope not....I got my card about 10 days ago and made my first purchase. I just looked at my statement on the Chase website and it says my due date is April 10, which means that this billing cycle won't close for another month yet. I'm hoping to be buying tickets before that.

Just to clarify, it shows a due date, but there is not a statement generated yet. There is no minimum payment amount or anything.

Your points will be credited the day your first statement cuts. So if it says a due date of 4/10 your statement will probably cut a few days after that. My due date is the 19th and my statement cuts the 24th.

You could try calling and ask to have your payment date changed. If they can do it now you may be able to get the dates moved up?

 

[IDoDis]

You need to be smart about how you buy the tickets. First off you should always book your tickets as one ways, not round trip. If one leg of your trip goes down in price you can adjust and get a credit or points refunded. If you have a round trip booked then you will be at the mercy of both legs going down instead of just one which is much less common.

When you book with points you have different confirmation numbers for each person anyway so plan out your purchase to maximize your points. If you are short in points then decide if it is cheaper to book just one ticket using cash instead of points. That may be cheaper than buying the points. In your scenario I am guessing a 1 way ticket would have been cheaper to pay for than the points. You could have just bought that one ticket with money and the rest of the tickets with points.

You are so right! I didn't even think of those things. I will be smarter next time. This whole point thing was new to me and I admit I didn't research the best strategy for buying the tickets. I know better now.

 

[Stacy9402]

I got an offer in the mail that states $69 annual fee and I get 50,000 points after my first purchase. Is this rare because other posters have said you do not get that many points with the $69 annual fee. It does also say I will get 3000 points on anniversary.

Also, Can you use your Rapid rewards points to buy another person a ticket?

TIA

 

[jcemom]

I got an offer in the mail that states $69 annual fee and I get 50,000 points after my first purchase. Is this rare because other posters have said you do not get that many points with the $69 annual fee. It does also say I will get 3000 points on anniversary.

Also, Can you use your Rapid rewards points to buy another person a ticket?

TIA

That's the offer we got. It isn't uncommon. You get 50,000 points with both the $69 and $99 annual fee cards. The difference is that the $69 offers 3,000 additional points each year, while the $99 offers 6,000 points.

 

[Nan5]

Hi, how many points needed to fly from New York to Florida?
Thanks

 

[ICF]

Hi, how many points needed to fly from New York to Florida?
Thanks

you would need to go to their website and check for yourself.....

there are way to many variables -- date, non-stop, time of day for anyone to give you a concrete answer to that question.

 

[NokOnHarts]

For our upcoming trip, I will be buying 2 tickets using points and 2 tickets using cash. I was told by Southwest that these would have to be separate transactions (that I can't buy tickets using points and cash together.) My concern is (however unlikely), buying 2 tickets and then going back to buy 2 more and having that particular flight no longer available. We need to all be on the same flight of course. I was advised by one Southwest Rep that I might want to call them when I am booking, have them book the 2 tickets using the points while I book the other 2 tickets using cash online. Are there any other great ideas as to how to do this? I just want to ensure we all get on the same flight! Seems kinda crazy I can't book them all together.

 

[Priorityonecb]

Are there any other great ideas as to how to do this? I just want to ensure we all get on the same flight! Seems kinda crazy I can't book them all together.


I have two thoughts for you. First, you could call and ask how many seats are available on the flight you are going to book. If it's a large amount, I'd feel safe doing the two transactions within minutes of each other. Another idea would be to have another computer and do the transactions at the same time. My dh is a computer geek, so we have about 5 laptops and two desktops at home though...not sure that's a normal experience!

 

[NokOnHarts]

Are there any other great ideas as to how to do this? I just want to ensure we all get on the same flight! Seems kinda crazy I can't book them all together.


I have two thoughts for you. First, you could call and ask how many seats are available on the flight you are going to book. If it's a large amount, I'd feel safe doing the two transactions within minutes of each other. Another idea would be to have another computer and do the transactions at the same time. My dh is a computer geek, so we have about 5 laptops and two desktops at home though...not sure that's a normal experience!

I like those ideas better than having to book over the phone/computer. Our DHs sound very similar! We have 5 computers in our home (most of them being "work" computers). Haha

 

[jcemom]

For our upcoming trip, I will be buying 2 tickets using points and 2 tickets using cash. I was told by Southwest that these would have to be separate transactions (that I can't buy tickets using points and cash together.) My concern is (however unlikely), buying 2 tickets and then going back to buy 2 more and having that particular flight no longer available. We need to all be on the same flight of course. I was advised by one Southwest Rep that I might want to call them when I am booking, have them book the 2 tickets using the points while I book the other 2 tickets using cash online. Are there any other great ideas as to how to do this? I just want to ensure we all get on the same flight! Seems kinda crazy I can't book them all together.

Do you need four round trip tickets? You could book four one way tickets using your points, and then book the four one way return tickets paying cash?

 

[stacielee]

Are there any other great ideas as to how to do this? I just want to ensure we all get on the same flight! Seems kinda crazy I can't book them all together.


I have two thoughts for you. First, you could call and ask how many seats are available on the flight you are going to book. If it's a large amount, I'd feel safe doing the two transactions within minutes of each other. Another idea would be to have another computer and do the transactions at the same time. My dh is a computer geek, so we have about 5 laptops and two desktops at home though...not sure that's a normal experience!

Same here, 4 people, about 7 computers!!

I would book all the one-ways together. So if you have 4 people (like I do), book 4 one-way tickets, then 4 return one-way tickets. That way if only one part goes down in price, you can cancel and rebook those 4 one-way tickets all together. The way I do that is to open one window with the lower price ticket already selected so you're on the payment window, open another window to cancel the higher priced fare, then use the confirmation number from the canceled flights to book the lower priced flights. That way you know that there are enough seats for the rebooking. Hope that makes sense!!

 

[NokOnHarts]

Same here, 4 people, about 7 computers!!

I would book all the one-ways together. So if you have 4 people (like I do), book 4 one-way tickets, then 4 return one-way tickets. That way if only one part goes down in price, you can cancel and rebook those 4 one-way tickets all together. The way I do that is to open one window with the lower price ticket already selected so you're on the payment window, open another window to cancel the higher priced fare, then use the confirmation number from the canceled flights to book the lower priced flights. That way you know that there are enough seats for the rebooking. Hope that makes sense!!

OK, so our party is myself, DH, 4 year old DD, (and infant.) The 4th ticket was for my mom who will be going with us but will be paying us back for the ticket. With this party, would it work well to buy 4 tickets one-way with points and then 4 tickets one way with cash? Since my mom is the 4th ticket I wasn't sure what route we should go? She would be doing her own ticket but I thought it would be easier if we purchased them all together. And we might as well get the points for her ticket with our SW CC. Trying to find the simplest way for our group.

 

[jcemom]

OK, so our party is myself, DH, 4 year old DD, (and infant.) The 4th ticket was for my mom who will be going with us but will be paying us back for the ticket. With this party, would it work well to buy 4 tickets one-way with points and then 4 tickets one way with cash? Since my mom is the 4th ticket I wasn't sure what route we should go? She would be doing her own ticket but I thought it would be easier if we purchased them all together. And we might as well get the points for her ticket with our SW CC. Trying to find the simplest way for our group.

How does it work out, points-wise? If you have enough points for two round trip tickets, is it the same amount of points for four one way tickets? (For me, it is. PIT-MCO is 6,000 points one way, and it's the same each way, so 12,000 round trip.) I ALWAYS book one way tickets with Southwest anyway, never round-trips. That way, if the price goes down for only one half of my trip, and it often does, I can rebook that half only, without having to attempt to rebook the entire thing.

If the points are the same for you both ways, definitely book all four one way tickets on points. Then book your return flights using your SW cc separately.

 

[HayGan]

How does it work out, points-wise? If you have enough points for two round trip tickets, is it the same amount of points for four one way tickets? (For me, it is. PIT-MCO is 6,000 points one way, and it's the same each way, so 12,000 round trip.) I ALWAYS book one way tickets with Southwest anyway, never round-trips. That way, if the price goes down for only one half of my trip, and it often does, I can rebook that half only, without having to attempt to rebook the entire thing.

If the points are the same for you both ways, definitely book all four one way tickets on points. Then book your return flights using your SW cc separately.

Just a word of caution regarding PIT/MCO since I know that there are a number of us here that fly that route and that have mentioned using SW points. When I looked online this morning because our dates opened up, I noticed that a number of our options are now 8,640 points vs. 6,000 points. (For those flights that were less than $125 the points required were 6,000, The other flights had a cost of $155 and their point requirement was 8,640.) One of the flights that we wanted has changed to the higher limit so we are likley going to leave a day earlier and spend a little more on a room for another night It all goes on the cost of the flight so I would expect that with rising fuel prices the 6,000 points are likely to become few and far between. I would suggest that anyone who wants to book a 6,000 point flight do so as quick as they can becuase flying certainly isn't going to get any cheaper!

Also, with SW being the only one with direct PIT/MCO direct now, they have more wiggle room to raise rates and still have consumers use them!

 

[brooklyn615]

If anyone sees the 50,000 point sign up deal again,please let me know!! I went to the website, as I would sign up but it was just the standard 3,000 point offer. If I am going to open a credit card and pay a yearly fee, I would like it to be big, such as 50,000 points!!

Thanks!

 

[cyndik1111]

If anyone sees the 50,000 point sign up deal again,please let me know!! I went to the website, as I would sign up but it was just the standard 3,000 point offer. If I am going to open a credit card and pay a yearly fee, I would like it to be big, such as 50,000 points!!

Thanks!

OMG- it was there 2 days ago! They must have just pulled the offer.
here is the link for 25k points
https://creditcards.chase.com/airli...5892&jp_cmp=cc/TEAirlinePhrase/sea/na/Airline

 

[eeyoreforever]

Just want to be sure this will work. If my dad has 50,000 points from the credit card offer, can I purchase tickets and use his rapid reward points to pay for them? I would log into his account, as I have all the info. Thanks in advance.