Southwest is giving 50,000 points again

[ValpoCory]

It looks as if I applied just in the nick of time to get the 50K bonus. My card arrived yesterday. Now I'm off to pay some bills!

Me too. Glad I acted. I logged on to the Chase Online website, and it says "Next Closing Date -- 10/09/2012"

What advice do you have for me to get my 50K points the quickest? Is there any benefit to me spending $1,000 early, or anytime on or before October 9th will get me my points at the same time?

Also, assuming I get $1,000 spent by 10/9, about what day should I expect my 50K points in my account?

Thanks in advance.

 

[ruadisneyfan2]

Me too. Glad I acted. I logged on to the Chase Online website, and it says "Next Closing Date -- 10/09/2012"

What advice do you have for me to get my 50K points the quickest? Is there any benefit to me spending $1,000 early, or anytime on or before October 9th will get me my points at the same time?

Also, assuming I get $1,000 spent by 10/9, about what day should I expect my 50K points in my account?

Thanks in advance.

I've had a SW visa for a few years now. At the closing of each statement, the points for that month post to my SW RR account within a day or 2. Once your billing cycle closes, within a day usually you can view your statement online. It will list the amount of points being transferred to your SW RR acct. It's usually another day til they actually show in my SW RR acct. I think it's pretty quick.

hth.

 

[VLee]

Love, love, love my SW card! I still have 3 roundtrip awards from their old Reward system to use by December of 2013, plus over 280,000 points from the new Rewards points system. We have made Companion Pass for the past two years and also made that level back in July for the 2013 year.

We have put as much as we could on the card and pay it off each month to assure no interest.

As icing on the cake, I was issued a voucher for $440 last March, which I am using in January.

 

[NeverlandClub23]

I finally just got my 50,000 points today . However, our flights are now 6,000 more points than they were two weeks ago . I'm hoping they'll go back down so I can be credited the difference, but I won't get my hopes up.

 

[ValpoCory]

I finally just got my 50,000 points today . However, our flights are now 6,000 more points than they were two weeks ago . I'm hoping they'll go back down so I can be credited the difference, but I won't get my hopes up.

Similar to me too. In the last week, our total price for 4 tickets to Disneyland (DNA) went from $1,276.80 to $1,324.80. That $48 is 2,880 points.

 

[ValpoCory]

I've had a SW visa for a few years now. At the closing of each statement, the points for that month post to my SW RR account within a day or 2. Once your billing cycle closes, within a day usually you can view your statement online. It will list the amount of points being transferred to your SW RR acct. It's usually another day til they actually show in my SW RR acct. I think it's pretty quick.

hth.

Thanks. I'll just ensure I get the $1,000 spent by the statement closing date. Otherwise, I'll have to wait an additional month.

 

[ValpoCory]

Thank you all for this thread. Saved me a bunch of money.

 

[DisneyMom0115]

I'm not sure if this question has been answered or not so please forgive me if this is a repeat question: Can you earn points when you buy Southwest points on a Southwest Credit Card?

Case in point:

I currently have 7,042 points. The airfare that I am booking is valued at 22,199 points. I can buy 15,000 points for $375 or 16,000 points for $400.

If I buy 15,000 points - I will still have to make up for the 157 points needed

If I buy 16,000 points - I will have 843 points remaining.

Or I could simply buy the airfare for $390.10 - and earn 6 points for every dollar = 390.10 x 6 points = 2,341 points.

Basically I am trying to figure out the best way to do this. Also the airfare is in December so I wouldn't qualify for their current promo of "double points"

Hope this was not too confusing and I appreciate anyone who takes the time to respond to my question!

 

[HappyHappy]

I received points on credit card in June for buying points I needed for a flight. I bought more than I needed because it was easier for me to deal with and I thought "they don't expire" so go for it.This was my first time using points and it was stressful ( I don't like "change"). I hope someone with lots of experience also answers.

 

[DizDragonfly]

I can buy 15,000 points for $375 or 16,000 points for $400.

Or I could simply buy the airfare for $390.10

I'm confused. Why would you spend $375 or $400 to buy points to put towards a flight that you could buy straight for $390?

 

[Marionnette]

I'm not sure if this question has been answered or not so please forgive me if this is a repeat question: Can you earn points when you buy Southwest points on a Southwest Credit Card?

Case in point:

I currently have 7,042 points. The airfare that I am booking is valued at 22,199 points. I can buy 15,000 points for $375 or 16,000 points for $400.

If I buy 15,000 points - I will still have to make up for the 157 points needed

If I buy 16,000 points - I will have 843 points remaining.

Or I could simply buy the airfare for $390.10 - and earn 6 points for every dollar = 390.10 x 6 points = 2,341 points.

Basically I am trying to figure out the best way to do this. Also the airfare is in December so I wouldn't qualify for their current promo of "double points"

Hope this was not too confusing and I appreciate anyone who takes the time to respond to my question!

I don't see any value in buying points in order to make up the difference. You would end up spending as much money to buy the points as you would if you were to purchase the airfare outright.

One thing that you might want to check into is the cost of each leg of your trip. Is it possible to buy a one-way ticket with the number of points that you have and then pay for the return trip OOP? If one part of your trip is available for $117 or less (based on 60 pts/$ for Wanna Get Away fares), then you could use the points that you have.

Otherwise, I would just bite the bullet and pay for the entire trip with cash. You'll earn points from your credit card for the purchase and then more points from Southwest when you actually fly.

 

[Marionnette]

I received points on credit card in June for buying points I needed for a flight. I bought more than I needed because it was easier for me to deal with and I thought "they don't expire" so go for it.This was my first time using points and it was stressful ( I don't like "change"). I hope someone with lots of experience also answers.

It's generally considered a poor value for the money to buy points. Think about it. It costs $375 for 15,000 points which in turn will get you $250 worth of airfare, based on 60 points for every $1 in airfare for Wanna Get Away fares.

And how much do you get back for buying those points? Well, if you were to use a SWA credit card, you would get a whopping 750 points (worth about $12.50 in Wanna Get Away airfare) added to your account. If you have a travel card that gives you 2% back on travel, you would get $7.50 for your purchase.

 

[ANNABETH]

Has anyone seen the 50,000 points again? I'm so upset I didn't jump on this right away

 

[DVC Daisy]

Has anyone seen the 50,000 points again? I'm so upset I didn't jump on this right away

Agree! I wish I knew what a great deal this was when I first saw it.

I hope they run the promo again

 

[murphyjh]

I don't see any value in buying points in order to make up the difference. You would end up spending as much money to buy the points as you would if you were to purchase the airfare outright.

One thing that you might want to check into is the cost of each leg of your trip. Is it possible to buy a one-way ticket with the number of points that you have and then pay for the return trip OOP? If one part of your trip is available for $117 or less (based on 60 pts/$ for Wanna Get Away fares), then you could use the points that you have.

Otherwise, I would just bite the bullet and pay for the entire trip with cash. You'll earn points from your credit card for the purchase and then more points from Southwest when you actually fly.

If there is any chance you will cancel or rebook at a lower price, points are a better form to get refunded airfare. Cash refunds expire in one year; points don't expire.

 

[NeverlandClub23]

We have made Companion Pass for the past two years and also made that level back in July for the 2013 year.

I have a question, if you would be so kind enough to answer. Once you reach the Companion Pass level, which we will probably reach by Spring of next year, does that basically mean you can book one flight on points and the other flight is free? How long after you reach Companion Pass level do you get to start booking flights? Also (wait, I thought I just had one question! ), do you just designate one person for the entire year that would be your "companion" or can you change it?

 

[dcfromva]

I have a question, if you would be so kind enough to answer. Once you reach the Companion Pass level, which we will probably reach by Spring of next year,

Just to clarify, you must earn the 110,000 points in a calendar year starting Jan1st-Dec 31st. So, you Companion Pass Qualifying point balance (it is tracked separately from your points) will zero out on Dec 31st of this year and you have to start all over again on Jan 1st. (The earning period used to go on a rolling 12 month calendar, but they changed it to calendar year).

does that basically mean you can book one flight on points and the other flight is free?

Yes

How long after you reach Companion Pass level do you get to start booking flights?

As soon as you designate your companion. You can designate your companion online on your account. If you don't see the link to add your companion on to your itinerary, you could call a customer rep for help.

Also (wait, I thought I just had one question! ), do you just designate one person for the entire year that would be your "companion" or can you change it?

The Companion Pass is not transferrable. However, the Member may change his/her designated Companion and request issuance of a new Companion Pass up to three (3) times within the validity period of the Pass.
Link to What are the Companion Pass Rules and Regulations?

 

[NeverlandClub23]

That is SO helpful! Thank you!! Looks like we have some spending to do!

 

[rubybpc]

I'm sharing this info with some of the threads for SWA. I think it's an awesome deal if your flights are CRAZY EXPENSIVE!
How to Exploit SWA & Airtran merger.
http://milevalue.com/how-to-exploit-the-southwest-airtran-merger/

 

[Marionnette]

I'm sharing this info with some of the threads for SWA. I think it's an awesome deal if your flights are CRAZY EXPENSIVE!
How to Exploit SWA & Airtran merger.
http://milevalue.com/how-to-exploit-the-southwest-airtran-merger/

The flaw with this logic is that even though RR Awards can be more valuable than the sum of their points, they come with seat restrictions and blackout dates. Once you transfer your RR points into the Airtran program, they become A+ credits. You cannot covert A+ credits into RR points. They can only be converted into RR credits, like they had under the old RR program.

In some cases, I can see where the cost savings makes it worth accepting the restrictions. I happen to like being able to use my points to purchase ANY seat on ANY flight.

YMMV