Reposting as these are now all live. There was also a 4% devaluation.
Southwest has announced several positive changes:
- Earn A-List Status Faster:Â Starting Jan. 1, 2024, Southwest Rapid Rewardsâ„¢ Members only need to fly 20 one-way qualifying flights (previously 25) or earn 35,000 tier qualifying points to reach A-List status.
- Earn A-List Preferred Status Faster:Â Starting Jan. 1, 2024, Rapid Rewards Members only need to fly 40 one-way qualifying flights (previously 50) or earn 70,000 tier qualifying points3Â to earn A-List Preferred status.
- Earn Tier Qualifying Points Faster with Southwest Rapid Rewardsâ„¢ Credit Cards from Chase:Â Starting Jan. 1, 2024, Rapid Rewards Credit Cardmembers will receive 1,500 tier qualifying points for every $5,000 spent (previously $10,000) on purchases using their Rapid Rewards Premier, Premier Business, Priority, or Performance Business Credit Cards from Chase.
- New Perk Alert—Complimentary Premium Drinks for A-List Preferred Status: Starting Nov. 6, 2023, A-List Preferred Members can receive up to two complimentary premium drinks per flight, added directly to their mobile boarding passes.
- Redeem with Cash + Points:Â Starting in spring of 2024, Rapid Rewards Members will have the option to pay for their flight with a combination of cash and points, starting with as few as 1,000 points.
It’s rare to see positive changes like this from an airline so we will take what we can get.
Attempted to re-price several award bookings this morning via “change” flights to take advantaged of reduced WGA fares. When selecting the flight via “change” there was no points refund indicated. Was forced to cancel and rebook flights. Hopefully just a glitch but expect it is a deliberate change going forward. Haven’t had a chance to check “cash” bookings yet.
Anyone else showing a delay in January’s points posting?
I did the Southwest business offer in Decemeber, and earned 132k+ points on my January 2, 2004 statement, as confirmed by Chase by phone and in app.
Howver, the southwest web site, I have the following entry: “1/2/24 Credit Card RR Credit Card Tier Qualifying Points – 01/02/2024 0”, with no other entry.
In prior months, I had entries like,,”12/1/23 Credit Card Rapid Rewards Credit Card Points – 12/01/2023 +995″
I would chalk it up to posting being delayed, but it’s odd that this statement shows “0” where others were posted correctly, right away…
Meanwhile, I’m eager to get some bookings done with a newly minted CP…
Same here. I’ve got 133k RR queued up which aren’t showing up in my southwest account, but small change earnings showed up just fine on the statement close dates of previous cycles.
Does the 133k points alone qualify for CP or do I need to spend another equivalent of 2k RR since the CO requirement is 135k RR?
You will get bonus 10K companion qualifying points from having a southwest credit card. It will post to your sw account “up to” Jan 31st. That means your comapnion pass will be updated when the companion qualifying pts hits. I am in the same baot as you.
Finally posted. Companion pass earned through 12/31/2025. Yes!!!
Hopefully Secretary Pete at DOT will stop any further devaluations https://www.pbs.org/newshour/amp/show/airlines-face-government-scrutiny-over-devaluation-of-frequent-flyer-programs
Two edged sword – more regulations will be good for the true frequent flyers, but that’d most likely mean smaller SUBs for us free loaders.
Sounds fair to me
Pothole Pete and the rest of the US Federal Government should mind their own business and put their attention on stopping the non-stop devaluation of the US dollar via inflation.
Pete’s in charge of DoT, it’s literally his job to keep the airline industry in check. If you don’t like how the Federal government operates, then maybe you and your rusty old mouth should move elsewhere.
Is it strange that I am relieved that the devaluation is only 4%?
I have a stockpile of Southwest points but the companion pass is worth more than anything to me.
Since they’re tied to the dollar, the actual de-valuation is 4% plus the de-valuation incurred by USD. Southwest must be targeting a 1 cent valuation in the future.
The only positive change that will ever make me a regular Southwest customer again is to get rid of their idiotic boarding process. Just go to assigned seats! Please Southwest!
I wonder if the points+cash option is actually just a way for them to save some money. I’m guessing you don’t earn points on a points+cash booking, so maybe they’ll wind up giving out fewer points overall.
Correct, no points earnings and no A-List or Companion credit
Remember that points were devalued 4% on January 1. So not all positive.
It devalues the program. Everyone will be A list
Oh no who will qualify for all the free seat upgrades to first on Southwest??? /s
NIMRBY, hint: R stands for Rewards.
Sorry, how does that devalue anything? Is it worth more to you just because fewer people can have it?
Actually that is the way the world works. If everyone had a million dollars, you would suddenly find that a million dollars isn’t that much.
Status isn’t quite the same as general monetary inflation, but if loads of people are lining up in “priority” then you aren’t so much of a priority anymore.
I don’t think you understand the point of rewards program. It’s to get the rubes to keep buying from you by giving them nothing of value in return. Choosing your seat costs the airlines absolutely nothing. It quashes competition, by creating a logical fallacy that you should keep buying from the earned rewards program.
I’m a little scared this will be paired with a devaluation, especially the points+cash feature, but we shall see!
looks like points+cash won’t count towards status or companion pass so i assume they’re banking on that being a full-on points drain
Relegated to local port cruises. No airline involved.. no trust
The fuck