Post by: tmd012 on November 13, 2014, 10:48:29 AM
Post by: Ricky on November 13, 2014, 10:54:33 AM
Post by: johnny847 on November 13, 2014, 11:26:33 AM
EDIT: It still works when you use your points to book a flight, so now you've doubled the value of your points!
Also, Chase is now explicit about the signup bonus - you can only receive the signup bonus if you have not received the signup bonus in the past 24 months. But since if you time it right, the companion pass lasts for a bit less than two years, that's only a couple months at most (depending on how fast you can meet the signup bonus) that you wouldn't have a companion pass.
Of course, I'm assuming that anybody who gets these cards to get the companion pass has a partner they fly with consistently. So the other solution would be for your partner to sign up for the cards as your companion pass is ending.
Rinse and repeat.
Post by: johnny847 on November 13, 2014, 11:27:42 AM
Not bad at all. I'd do it if I didn't already have too many hard inquiries :(
How many inquiries do you have that you think it's too many? I don't know how many is "too many" (I don't think anybody really knows for sure), but I was just curious what your opinion is.
Post by: TeresaB on November 13, 2014, 11:47:18 AM
Spend $2000 in the first three months on each card to earn 50,000 bonus points each.
Then spend an additional $6,000 to get you to a total of 110,000 points which will get you the companion status. (This can be done by transferring points from partner companies. I will personally be transferring over Marriott points to cover this $6k spending)
Now this is important- make sure that all points you earn is in the billing period with a closing date in January 2015 because only points in the same calendar year count towards your companion status.
Wow, this looks fantastic.
I've never done any credit card rewards churning and I have a question. Does the bolded mean that I'd essentially have to spend $10,000 in one month (2000/card + 6000)? I can't do that....
Post by: purplepear on November 13, 2014, 11:57:34 AM
Post by: johnny847 on November 13, 2014, 12:00:50 PM
Everything I say here is assuming you want to get the companion pass in 2015 (which is definitely the way to go):Spend $2000 in the first three months on each card to earn 50,000 bonus points each.
Then spend an additional $6,000 to get you to a total of 110,000 points which will get you the companion status. (This can be done by transferring points from partner companies. I will personally be transferring over Marriott points to cover this $6k spending)
Now this is important- make sure that all points you earn is in the billing period with a closing date in January 2015 because only points in the same calendar year count towards your companion status.
Wow, this looks fantastic.
I've never done any credit card rewards churning and I have a question. Does the bolded mean that I'd essentially have to spend $10,000 in one month (2000/card + 6000)? I can't do that....
Not in one month. You need to absolutely make sure that in 2015 you reach $2000 per card in spending since account opening. You can still make purchases in 2014 to reach $2000 per card.
However, spending in 2014 to reach the $2000 per card may not count towards the companion pass, because you need 110,000 Southwest points in the same calendar year. (I say may not, because it depends how Chase awards the Southwest points, and I don't know how they do. If they award points for your purchases after your statement closes, then your Southwest points earned at 1 point per dollar spent would post to your Southwest account at statement closing. Hence you could make purchases in December 2014 and have them count towards your companion pass if your statement closes in January 2015. But, if Chase posts Southwest points to your account immediately after each transaction clears, then this won't work).
In 2015, you will need to find some way to get all the points you are short. You will be short somewhere between 6000 and 10000 points, depending on how much of your spending towards the $2000 minimum per card occurred in 2014. You can do this all on the card, fly with Southwest, get some from transfer partners (though I've heard not all transfers from partners count towards the companion pass. Make sure you look that up if you are pursuing this route), buy stuff from the Southwest shopping mall, etc
As for how to spend that much money, you can search around for manufactured spending techniques, there's a ton of them. They vary in cost and hassle, but they're basically all worth it if that's the only way you can meet the signup bonus. As to whether it is worth it to manufacture spend on an ongoing basis is a different matter entirely.
So wait... how did you get the bonus if you opened up 2 cards at the same time? The website says you can't get the promotional offer if you've received a new cardmember bonus in the last 24months...It's one signup bonus per person per card every 24 months.
Post by: purplepear on November 13, 2014, 12:04:39 PM
Okay, now I see the "this consumer credit card" line.
Thanks for the badass tip!
Post by: dragoncar on November 13, 2014, 12:09:52 PM
However, make sure you really have time/desire to travel. I got the companion pass and it was pretty wasted on me -- I think I used it twice in two years.
Post by: stachethis on November 13, 2014, 12:45:20 PM
1. Sign up for both cards now.
2. Make sure to spend $2000 on each card within first 3 months, but ideally time this spending to occur late in 2014 so that it posts to account in 2015. From their website:
"To qualify for your bonus points, you must make Purchases totaling $2,000 or more during the first 3 months from account opening. Government fees as low as $23 are not included. Please allow 6 to 8 weeks for bonus points to post to your Rapid Rewards account."
This will get you 100,000 points (50,000 each card) in 2015.
3. Spend enough $ or transfer enough reward points to give you 10,000 points
This will get you to 110,000 points and companion pass status for 2 freaking years!
This sound right? If so, I'm applying tonight...
Post by: johnny847 on November 13, 2014, 02:08:45 PM
As far as I know transferring Marriott points counts towards the companion status but they aren't 1 for 1. I basically going to just use these cards for all of my spending starting sometime in December and I will have to spend the $4,000 (2k for each card) by the end of January to get it in before the 3 months is up. That is when the 100k of bonus points will hit your southwest account (plus 4k in spending points).
Then I will transfer over my marriott points (probably 6k worth) to meet the 110k threshold.
Oh I was thinking of Chase Sapphire preferred transfers - I believe those do not count towards the companion pass. I could be totally off base though.
Post by: POINTS of ER on November 14, 2014, 03:38:05 AM
basically need to sign up for 2 southwest credit cards- I did the 2 personal credit cards, the "Plus" and the "Premiere." I was approved for both instantly. (Tip* Do the 2nd one in another browser like IE instead of Chrome or use incognito mode in Chrome). (Sucks that you will probably have to pay both annual fees)Wow great job! I'm actually very impressed that this actually worked for the two personal cards.
This is the best timing to earn the companion pass. Since it's usually rare to see all 4 of the plus and premier business version and personal version at the 50K bonus offer.
I recently wrote a quick guide on earning the Southwest Companion Pass (http://pointsofearlyretirement.wordpress.com/2014/11/07/how-to-earn-the-southwest-companion-pass/) before they released the other cards at the 50K offer. Even touching up the quickest way about earning the 6,000 extra points by transferring chase UR to Hyatt then to Southwest. Hyatt to Southwest is 2.5 to 1 ratio. Which is far better ratio than Marriott.
Assuming you spent $2,000 on both cards, you've earned 104,000 points now. So what if you don't have any rewards card to transfer over to Southwest? The best thing you can do is buy the rest of the 6,000 points for only $220 (not $6,000). In order to do this you would simply create a Choice Hotel account and buy 20,000 points for $220 (Using your southwest card). Then transfer those 20,000 to Southwest RR for ~6,000 points 3.33 to 1 ratio. Once points post you roughly netted 6,220 points and you bought your way into the companion pass. Enjoy the pass for the next two years.
Post by: boarder42 on November 14, 2014, 06:10:05 AM
I love southwest
Post by: boarder42 on November 14, 2014, 06:15:44 AM
Post by: Thedudeabides on November 15, 2014, 07:10:56 AM
I can't recommend it enough!
Post by: Indio on November 15, 2014, 09:29:41 AM
Now I have to figure out all of the friends that I can invite myself over for a few days of vacation time.
Post by: kudy on November 15, 2014, 11:28:20 AM
I'm skeptical that I could easily reach the 3 month spend requirement for *2* cards, though. Also, I am curious if anyone can confirm that transferring points from a hotel/airline rewards program counts toward the pass?
Post by: johnny847 on November 15, 2014, 11:52:53 AM
Very tempted to make a go at this - I think my last Southwest card was over 2 years ago...
I'm skeptical that I could easily reach the 3 month spend requirement for *2* cards, though. Also, I am curious if anyone can confirm that transferring points from a hotel/airline rewards program counts toward the pass?
Look up manufactured spending techniques. There's a ton of them. The most common ones hinge on buying prepaid visa or mastercard gift cards (most effective is $500 for ~$5 activaiton fee), and then liquidating them through various means (usually for a nominal fee). If you can't use or aren't comfortable with any liquidation scheme you find, the worst case scenario is you've bought yourself basically infinite time to spend down the prepaid gift cards while still meeting the signup bonus (just don't lose them!).
While it's iffy whether it's worth going through the hassle of manufactured spending on a regular basis, it's always worth it to meet a signup bonus if you can't meet it through normal spending.
Post by: kudy on November 15, 2014, 12:36:23 PM
I will look into pre-paid cards - might be worth it! Adds a bit of extra cost, but seems minimal.
Post by: johnny847 on November 15, 2014, 12:56:51 PM
I had used Amazon payments in the past to reach bonus spending requirements - but that program is shut down now I think?
I will look into pre-paid cards - might be worth it! Adds a bit of extra cost, but seems minimal.
Yea that's been shut down, sadly.
Note I have never used any of the following methods, but I will soon because I need to spend $2000 in 3 months for my recent credit cards:
Prepaid cards are probably the way to go. Liquidation schemes for those include
1) Using Evolve Money to pay bills you already pay. No fees. Only one bill pay per month per payee. Unfortunately credit cards are not payees on Evolve Money. And their search function to find payees kinda sucks.
2). Going to Walmart and using their bill pay to pay a credit card (ie, the one you just used to buy it) or getting a money order and depositing it at your bank. MSers are cautious of the money order one because if that happens on a continuous basis your bank may ask questions. But if you're just doing it a couple times to meet minimum spend, you'll probably be fine. Both those methods have a small fee, I forget.
Other ways to meet minimum spend (I also have not executed these):
Amex Serve (but some credit cards are charged as a cash advance, so it can be risky), Amex for Target (but this isn't available nationwide), Prepaid REDCard for Target (colloquially called the RedBird by some MSers), and Amex Campus Edition (now that I think about it, all four of those involve Amex, interesting).
I don't have the time to explain them right now, but if you do a couple quick searches you can find out more.
Post by: kudy on November 15, 2014, 02:26:52 PM
I think I'm going to do it... just waiting to see if I will be approved for a new affiliate program - if I am I will try to self-refer to the card applications and get paid an affiliate income as well!
Post by: johnny847 on November 15, 2014, 09:15:33 PM
How about buying those PayPal cash cards? I've heard they are quick to freeze your account if you abuse it though
I've heard about those, but I think if you liquidate by transferring back to your bank account, they shut you down pretty quickly. If you spend it down via a Paypal debit card (but this is a business debit card) then they don't mind as much.
I haven't seen those cash cards in stores around here, so I never read too much into it.
Thanks for the info - it looks like Amex Serve is a great option. I might be misunderstanding it, but reading over the info on flytalk it appears I can sign up for softcard on my phone, get serve via softcard, and then load serve using the new Southwest cards up to $1500/month for no fees. I can then withdraw the money from the Serve card for free at an ATM, and pay off the Southwest balances.I probably wouldn't withdraw the money at an ATM. I don't know if people have been shut down for doing that, but I don't do it because I think it would be too obvious that I'm MS'ing. I load the Serve with one of my CC's, and then use the bill pay option to pay off my other CC's (again, I don't pay off the same CC I just used to load, because I think it would be too obvious).
Post by: Dicey on November 16, 2014, 01:15:08 AM
Post by: dhbike01 on November 16, 2014, 02:46:13 PM
I was looking to get into this card churning game and have been a Southwest Rewards credit card user for many years. To my surprise, I was able to sign up for the Plus and Premier as the card I use is no longer even offered. I wasn't paying attention to your 2 different browser recommedation. I applied for the Premier first with no problem. When I applied for the Plus I got a message saying that I needed to call a number to answer additional questions. When I called he said do you realize that you were approved for the other card to which I answered yes. Then, he said do you mind if we move $10,000 of the credit limit from your original Southwest card to this new card, and I agreed to. I asked if the Plus was going to interfere with the Premier and he said no, that I would be getting both.
The one question I have is if I spend $2000 in December, will it be credited towards the 50,000 bonus in January, 2015, and will the $2000 count as 2000 points in December 2014 or January 2015? I'm just trying to figure out the exact execution of the spending.
Post by: bye-bye Ms. FancyPants on November 16, 2014, 04:31:43 PM
Post by: kudy on November 16, 2014, 07:32:14 PM
I probably wouldn't withdraw the money at an ATM. I don't know if people have been shut down for doing that, but I don't do it because I think it would be too obvious that I'm MS'ing. I load the Serve with one of my CC's, and then use the bill pay option to pay off my other CC's (again, I don't pay off the same CC I just used to load, because I think it would be too obvious).
Hmm.. how flexible is their billpay? Can I add an individual as a payee? I can't really pay off another credit card with the balance, because I will also be loading *all* of my credit card possible spending onto these new cards. Maybe I can put spending on one card, and load money in Serve with the other, and then pay off card #1 with serve balance...
Post by: johnny847 on November 16, 2014, 07:37:42 PM
I probably wouldn't withdraw the money at an ATM. I don't know if people have been shut down for doing that, but I don't do it because I think it would be too obvious that I'm MS'ing. I load the Serve with one of my CC's, and then use the bill pay option to pay off my other CC's (again, I don't pay off the same CC I just used to load, because I think it would be too obvious).
Hmm.. how flexible is their billpay? Can I add an individual as a payee? I can't really pay off another credit card with the balance, because I will also be loading *all* of my credit card possible spending onto these new cards. Maybe I can put spending on one card, and load money in Serve with the other, and then pay off card #1 with serve balance...
You can, it will send a check.
You can just let the money sit in Serve, and then after meeting your minimum spend on these cards, use your other credit cards like normal and offload the Serve funds then.
But I think your approach is better - put spending on one SW card, load with other. Once you meet half the spend on both the cards, switch them and repeat.
Post by: johnny847 on November 16, 2014, 08:55:36 PM
But I don't know how up to date that data point is.
Post by: kudy on November 16, 2014, 09:04:00 PM
I've just applied for both cards. Curiously, the Premier got instant approval, while the Plus gave me the standard "10 day" answer response. I doubt they won't issue the card, but now I don't get to know right away - maddening!
Also downloaded Softcard, but had to order an enhanced SIM card for my phone in order to use the app? I hope they send that to me soon, so I can sign up for Serve through it (it appears that if you do this, you can load an extra $500, for a total of $1500 per month?).
Now, off to apply for the Choice hotels credit card to get the first-purchase 8000 points... guess I'm doing a mini app-o-rama tonight! Hope I don't need to apply for a mortgage is the next 6 months...
Post by: kudy on November 16, 2014, 09:13:17 PM
Post by: johnny847 on November 16, 2014, 09:16:03 PM
The serve thread of flyertalk lists Chase as one of the banks where Serve loads count as a purchase... of course, this could change at any moment.By next 6 months you mean next two years. Credit inquiries stay on your report for 2 years (although they stop affecting your score after 1).
I've just applied for both cards. Curiously, the Premier got instant approval, while the Plus gave me the standard "10 day" answer response. I doubt they won't issue the card, but now I don't get to know right away - maddening!
Also downloaded Softcard, but had to order an enhanced SIM card for my phone in order to use the app? I hope they send that to me soon, so I can sign up for Serve through it (it appears that if you do this, you can load an extra $500, for a total of $1500 per month?).
Now, off to apply for the Choice hotels credit card to get the first-purchase 8000 points... guess I'm doing a mini app-o-rama tonight! Hope I don't need to apply for a mortgage is the next 6 months...
I'm assuming they will ask me to close one of my Chase cards, and I am willing to close the Freedom card; unfortunately the "reconsideration" office is closed for the evening, so I have to wait until tomorrow.I wouldn't close the Freedom. It's a no annual fee card. You can usually just tell them to move some of the credit line to the new card.
Why you should keep the Freedom - keep accumulating points on the Freedom from normal spending, and NEVER cash them in. Then, one day apply for the Chase Sapphire Preferred (or if you have it already that's great too). You can transfer your points from Freedom to Sapphire Preferred, and then to airline partners, where you basically always get a value greater than 1 cent per point that you would have gotten on the Freedom (unless you can't find "saver level" awards, then you might not get all that much more than 1 cent per point....)
Post by: kudy on November 16, 2014, 09:19:05 PM
Thanks for the tip about the Sapphire card, I had it a while back but closed it due to yearly fees. I wonder when I had it... I really should start keeping these in a spreadsheet.
Post by: johnny847 on November 16, 2014, 09:24:39 PM
Since I already have credit cards with each of the banks I'm applying to, there may be no inquiries on my credit?
Thanks for the tip about the Sapphire card, I had it a while back but closed it due to yearly fees. I wonder when I had it... I really should start keeping these in a spreadsheet.
There will absolutely be a credit pull from a bank when you apply for a credit card, regardless of how many you have with them already. Some banks do consolidate the inquiries into one if you apply for multiple cards with a single bank in a short time frame. But don't count on it.
Post by: Self-employed-swami on November 16, 2014, 09:48:49 PM
I still earn over 10,000 air miles a year, but they just don't go as far now. :(
Post by: kudy on November 16, 2014, 10:20:49 PM
Post by: johnny847 on November 17, 2014, 06:26:44 AM
Post by: kudy on November 17, 2014, 12:12:14 PM
Post by: johnny847 on November 17, 2014, 12:16:26 PM
Just called and got the 2nd card approved after reconsideration... they said I have applied for too many cards in the past year, so they auto-denied it.
Yea I think the entire model that generates your credit score is just stupid. Who cares if you've applied for a ton of cards as long as you can show you've paid them off.
Also, there's absurd things like how my dad paid off his mortgage and his score dropped like 30 points (granted he still has a great score, since everything around 740+ will get you the best mortgage rates, from what I've read)
Post by: nawhite on November 17, 2014, 12:48:18 PM
For the last 6000 points you need to get to 110,000, I used two promotional offers to get a bunch of points. First they were offering 1000 points per bouquet of flowers you bought so I bought flowers for Mothers day and Valentines day for a few people and then I had to rent a car and got another 2400 points there.
I used the 110000 points to fly from Denver to Puerto Rico, Maine, Rochester NY, and Nashville TN with my wife. Then I got a Chase Ink Bold Business credit card for another 70,000 points which transfer 1:1 into Southwest points. Those points are taking us to Vegas, Salt Lake City, Maine and Nashville.
So overall, about $400 in annual fees and flowers for around $6500 in flights. Best credit card deal I'll ever do.
Post by: POINTS of ER on November 17, 2014, 03:52:24 PM
You basically need to sign up for 2 southwest credit cards- I did the 2 personal credit cards, the "Plus" and the "Premiere." I was approved for both instantly. (Tip* Do the 2nd one in another browser like IE instead of Chrome or use incognito mode in Chrome). (Sucks that you will probably have to pay both annual fees)
After learning that you can do this with two personal cards. I decided to take the plunge and test it out myself. Over the weekend I applied, unfortunately I wasn't able to get any instant approval and both went to further review. So off to the reconsideration line I went. However, the agent on the reconsideration line told me I would need a verification department in order to proceed with this approval. It seems that they needed to verify that it was actually me who applied for these two apps and their verification department was only open on the weekdays.
So fast forward to today. I gave them a call today and answered two basic questions in regards to my chase accounts. Then the agent instantly approved both cards right on the spot. So here's looking to having the companion pass again for 2015-2016. I hope everyone is able to jump on this deal. So if you're worried about not having a "business" and applying for the business version. You can definitely jump on board for the two personal cards.
Post by: nawhite on November 17, 2014, 05:33:37 PM
So if you're worried about not having a "business" and applying for the business version. You can definitely jump on board for the two personal cards.
Last year I applied for a "business" credit card with the business description being that I travel a lot for work and wanted a separate card to use for all of my expenses that would get reimbursed. I've gotten another card with "I just started a website". There is no verification if you say "I just started..." and have an expected revenue of <$100. They just process the business card with the underwriting they would use for you personally and call it a day.
Post by: kudy on November 17, 2014, 07:06:56 PM
Quote
I did the serve soft card last night. I one of us fills it successfully lets report back to confirm it shows up as a transaction and not a cash advance ok?
Agreed. I am especially curious if not having a cash advance line of credit on the cards will hinder me loading Serve with them (neither card was approved cash advance capabilities). Some of the info I've found says that some cards authorize as a cash advance, but then settle as a purchase - and this would require a cash advance line of credit.
Post by: POINTS of ER on November 18, 2014, 04:30:36 AM
Last year I applied for a "business" credit card with the business description being that I travel a lot for work and wanted a separate card to use for all of my expenses that would get reimbursed. I've gotten another card with "I just started a website". There is no verification if you say "I just started..." and have an expected revenue of <$100. They just process the business card with the underwriting they would use for you personally and call it a day.
I agree, you can definitely apply and get granted for multiple business cards as long as you have a rational explanation. Just as you mentioned explanations like new business, accounting reasons, etc. are all legitimate reasons. I've gotten some business apps pushed through right after I applied and they didn't question anything about my business. The two personal cards was more of a test for myself and the two inquiries will be consider as one pull from Chase since I did them the same day. The chase analyst even confirmed this when I called the recon department since they pull from the same credit bureau for each app.
Post by: vagabond on November 18, 2014, 06:10:50 AM
Post by: nawhite on November 18, 2014, 08:20:09 AM
I am new to cr card churning , could somebody explain how to time the billing cycle for this offer. If i apply now (Nov-2014), i'll have 90 days from the day i activate my card to complete the min spend req of 4k on two cards ? is there a specific day of the month that the card needs to be activated to get the correct billing cycle ? Also to get the other 6k points for companion pass - can i transfer accumalated points from existing chase or other bank acc i have as the 6k spending seems tough.
It's a lot simpler than you think. Apply in November, the card will show up sometime in late December. Finish your 4k in spending by the end of February and you'll be fine.
For the 6k points, points transferred from other cards usually don't count but Southwest runs promotions all the time for other ways to earn points. I talked about 2 promotions I used earlier.
Another companion pass holder here. I did this deal last year with one personal card and one business card (easier to get approved for one of each than two personal cards). I was really nervous about the timing and I didn't have any flights planned until April so I didn't finish up my spending and points earning until February.
For the last 6000 points you need to get to 110,000, I used two promotional offers to get a bunch of points. First they were offering 1000 points per bouquet of flowers you bought so I bought flowers for Mothers day and Valentines day for a few people and then I had to rent a car and got another 2400 points there.
Post by: purplepear on November 18, 2014, 09:19:01 AM
(I haven't ever added someone to my account before, so I'm not sure how that works.)
Post by: johnny847 on November 18, 2014, 09:21:40 AM
Does anyone know if it's fine to add someone else to your account and still rack up the points? It'll be much easier for me + boyfriend to spend $4K in 3 months than just me by myself.
(I haven't ever added someone to my account before, so I'm not sure how that works.)
Yup. If you add an authorized user, all the charges are still posted to your account and earn points. You are still legally liable for all charges (and the authorized user has no liability whatsoever).
Post by: nawhite on November 18, 2014, 10:14:28 AM
Post by: ejw001 on November 18, 2014, 10:53:28 AM
Something I haven't seen mentioned - the best way to get the most use of this is for business travel, if your company allows it. I can book a paid SW flight for work and earn the miles from it, my boyfriend can tag along with the companion pass for free, and our hotel is paid for by work where I'm also earning hotel loyalty points.
Not sure if one of the earlier questions has been answered confidently yet or not - yes, the points are transferred a day or two after the billing statement ends. So, if it ends 1/2, your points will show up in SW around 1/3-1/5. It will take about a day for the actual companion pass to show up in your account. I called and bugged them about it and they put it in for me the day the points credited.
Even more fun: SW will start targeting you for free drink coupons in the mail!
Post by: ejw001 on November 18, 2014, 11:01:51 AM
I am so excited for this- I can't believe they actually let the bonus points count towards the companion pass!
One thing to keep in mind is that the bonus points do count towards companion passes, but do NOT count towards A-list.
Post by: nawhite on November 18, 2014, 12:06:34 PM
I am so excited for this- I can't believe they actually let the bonus points count towards the companion pass!
One thing to keep in mind is that the bonus points do count towards companion passes, but do NOT count towards A-list.
Those cheap bastards
Doubly cheap because flights you take with points don't count either. So those 200,000 points I've earned this year, even when I took a flight with those points it didn't count towards A-list. I guess I'll just have to keep getting on the plane in the normal order and paying for my in-flight wifi on the 32 flight segments I've scammed them out of :-)
Post by: bigalsmith101 on November 18, 2014, 01:54:26 PM
I fly a lot for work, and my wife is my coworker. We get reimbursed for our flights as well. I'll be able to spent the required money in no time at all.
Just to be certain, as I've not participated in an offer like this before;
I need to be sure that the final purchase/transaction that brings me over 110,000 points occurs in January 2015 correct? NOT any sooner than that. Or else I will essentially forfeit nearly 12 additional months of the companion pass.
The cards will come in the mail soon, and I'll get to work!
Post by: kudy on November 18, 2014, 03:12:51 PM
Quote
I need to be sure that the final purchase/transaction that brings me over 110,000 points occurs in January 2015 correct? NOT any sooner than that. Or else I will essentially forfeit nearly 12 additional months of the companion pass.
Yes! You need to make sure that all of the 110,000 points credit to the account in 2015 - you can do some of the spending in 2014, as long as the billing cycle ends early in 2015.
I am hoping to call customer service when I get my cards to move the billing end date to the 4th, so I will have from Dec 5th to Jan 4th to get most of the spend done, and still have the points post to rapid rewards in 2015.
Post by: nawhite on November 18, 2014, 06:57:00 PM
QuoteI need to be sure that the final purchase/transaction that brings me over 110,000 points occurs in January 2015 correct? NOT any sooner than that. Or else I will essentially forfeit nearly 12 additional months of the companion pass.
Yes! You need to make sure that all of the 110,000 points credit to the account in 2015 - you can do some of the spending in 2014, as long as the billing cycle ends early in 2015.
I am hoping to call customer service when I get my cards to move the billing end date to the 4th, so I will have from Dec 5th to Jan 4th to get most of the spend done, and still have the points post to rapid rewards in 2015.
Not just the final purchase. All of your points need to be earned in 2015 otherwise they won't count towards the 110k points for the companion pass. The program is "if you earn 110k points in one calendar year, you get a companion pass good for the moment you reach 110k until the end of the following calendar year." So have 0 points on January 1st, have 110k as fast as possible (where 100k of that happen as a bonus soon after your last statement that says total spend since you got the card was greater than 2k/card) and get a companion pass good through the end of 2016.
The bit of clarification is that lets say that you put $1,999 on each card in the month of November and your December statement comes out before January 1st, then those points earned from the $3,998 wont count towards your 110k because you will have earned them in 2014, not 2015.
Post by: Roland of Gilead on November 18, 2014, 08:28:06 PM
Post by: johnny847 on November 18, 2014, 08:38:59 PM
I think you will owe tax on the FMV of the 100,000 points, so probably will owe tax on $2000 or so. In our bracket that would be about $600 of federal tax.
Everything that I have seen on the subject has said that the IRS's position on credit card rewards is that they are a discount on all purchases applied to the card to earn the rewards.
There has been one case where Citi issued tax forms for credit cards that earned AA miles. In that scenario, you could probably argue that you can't really assign a fair market value to points, since their value differs greatly based on what flight you book. In the case of Southwest, it's a bit more clear cut because the points required for a ticket are proportional to the ticket price.
However, even then, how could anybody truly assign the fair market value of Southwest's points? There are three tiers of tickets, and with each tier, the points are worth different amounts - 1.43 cents, 1 cent, or .83 cents per point (I'm pulling this from a website, so it may not be exactly accurate, but the fact that the points have different values across tiers of tickets is easily verifiable). And you could also decide to redeem your Southwest points for gift cards instead, at which point you get a far lower value of your points. Which of these valuations do you use?
Of course, the IRS position of credit card rewards being a discount towards spending charged to the card becomes problematic for cards such as Bank of America's Better Balance Rewards card, which only requires you to pay your bills on time (you need to charge something, but the amount doesn't matter) and earn up to $120/yr.
Post by: secondcor521 on November 18, 2014, 08:41:26 PM
Post by: Roland of Gilead on November 18, 2014, 08:46:02 PM
This deal you guys are discussing though might be different. It seems you have to spend xx dollars to get the points and they are not just a signup bonus? That might make them non-taxable.
Post by: dragoncar on November 18, 2014, 09:02:00 PM
I guess I'll just have to keep getting on the plane in the normal order and paying for my in-flight wifi on the 32 flight segments I've scammed them out of :-)
Someone I know NOT ME uses acrobat to add "a list preferred" to his boarding pass to use the flyby lane and post-a group boarding. Their screen just flashes valid/invalid not a detailed analysts of your boarding pass.
Post by: johnny847 on November 18, 2014, 09:27:58 PM
It was my understanding that reward points for spending are not considered taxable, but signup bonus rewards are. I think I read that was the ruling. Some of the forms from cards mention you will get a 1099 for the bonus given.
This deal you guys are discussing though might be different. It seems you have to spend xx dollars to get the points and they are not just a signup bonus? That might make them non-taxable.
That is the key differentiating factor - whether you need to spend $X to get your bonus or not. It's the same rationale that is applied to bank account signup bonuses - there's no spending required to get such bank bonus, and hence it's considered taxable.
tl;dr - This whole discussion of possibly owing taxes on the sign up bonus is a red herring. Enjoy your free flights!
Post by: KiloRomeo on November 19, 2014, 11:17:00 AM
Basically I need to spend $4k in the next 2 months and $6k asap (to get maximum companion pass time) right?
Any reason why I wouldn't just apply for a 3rd card? Get another 50k points and I only have to spend $6k total (instead of 10) and an additional yearly fee/credit hit.
Post by: johnny847 on November 19, 2014, 11:18:54 AM
I applied and got the two cards. Looking forward to spending $10k asap (seems very unmustachian).
Basically I need to spend $4k in the next 2 months and $6k asap (to get maximum companion pass time) right?
Any reason why I wouldn't just apply for a 3rd card? Get another 50k points and I only have to spend $6k total (instead of 10) and an additional yearly fee/credit hit.
Not exactly. You need to make sure you reach your $2k per card on a statement that's cut in January, or later. See above.
Post by: KiloRomeo on November 19, 2014, 11:41:20 AM
Not exactly. You need to make sure you reach your $2k per card on a statement that's cut in January, or later. See above.
Thanks, I figure the statements associated for the cards I just applied for will likely end in Jan but I'll double check.
Any reason why I wouldn't get a 3rd card?
Post by: bigalsmith101 on November 22, 2014, 07:21:01 PM
But, it looks like I scored a temporary contract for the next 4-5 weeks and when they arrive, I'll be able to to push all of my expenses onto the cards. Should amount to about $1k/week in business expenses and another $500-$600 in personal expenses. Perfect timing for this.
Just got to make sure the purchases fall in the statement ending in January!
Post by: kudy on November 22, 2014, 07:37:02 PM
Post by: mustachemayhem on November 22, 2014, 08:38:16 PM
https://www.southwest.com/rapidrewards/emails
Post by: boarder42 on November 23, 2014, 07:13:13 AM
Post by: Self-employed-swami on November 23, 2014, 09:22:47 AM
and the points rightfully shouldnt count towards Alist. coming from a guy who flies 40 times a year, you dont need A list status for your 3-5 free round trips you fly. you can check in on time or pay for early bird and get to the airport earlier to clog up the security line bc you never travel and dont know how to go thru security. and dont be one of those people who bitches at us when we walk past you on the way in... fly 20-40 times a year and you can do it too.
I'm sorry that you have to even spend time in the same airspace as us lowly few-times-a-year flyer-plebs.
Seriously though, that came off as super elitist. And I fly from some pretty small regional airports, filled with people who haven't flown for years, and I still don't feel like you.
Post by: kudy on November 23, 2014, 11:24:08 AM
Kudy who is your cell provider? Are you close to a store. When I was with Verizon I could just walk in to a store and get a new sim on the spot for free.
I'm with T-Mobile - there's a store not too far away; might be worth dropping in there if I don't get the SIM that supposedly is on it's way before I need it.
A few ideas I have for spending:
- Pre-pay my 6 months of auto insurance (usually it takes 1/6th each month)
- Buy garden seeds for the spring
- Pre-buy household goods I'll need over the next 2 months
- Grocery store gift card
Post by: Rainbow9 on November 23, 2014, 01:08:59 PM
Long time reader, first time forum participant. Just now getting interested in the churning game and I think I am completely misunderstanding how to make this work. I am specifically interested in the Companion Pass status. From what I reading below from the SW site and card terms, Bonus points do not count 1 for 1 toward reaching Tier Qualifying Status which is what is needed for Companion Pass. Am I misunderstanding this or is obtaining free flights for a companion for over a year really this easy to obtain?
From FAQ on Tier system SW site:
To qualify for a Companion Pass, you will need to earn 110,000 points from any combination of Southwest Airlines flights and Rapid Rewards Partners per calendar year, or fly 100 Southwest Airlines one-way qualifying flights per calendar year.
From FAQ SW site on earning points:
Tier Qualifying Points are earned from revenue flights or through the Southwest Airlines Rapid Rewards Premier Card from Chase. Points earned via Rapid Rewards Partners-with the exception of the Rapid Rewards Premier Card from Chase-purchased points, Bonus Points, or points earned via a promotion are not Tier Qualifying Points and do not count toward tier qualification.
Condensed From the Offer Details of the Personal Premier Card:
Earning Points
You will earn 1,500 Tier Qualifying Points (TQPs) for each $10,000 of eligible Net Purchases. TQPs are used solely towards elite status qualification. Maximum TQP accumulation is 15,000 points per Year, which equates to $100,000 in Net Purchases. There is no maximum number of points that you can accumulate on Net Purchases. (“Year” means, for your first year as a cardmember, the period beginning with your Enrollment Date through your billing cycle with a December closing date of that same year. For each year thereafter, “Year” means the twelve billing cycle period beginning the day after your billing cycle with a December closing date through your billing cycle with a December closing date of the next year.)
Post by: kudy on November 23, 2014, 02:57:44 PM
Post by: monkeymind on November 23, 2014, 04:11:07 PM
We've been thinking about getting in the game, and this offer makes it easy to finally take the leap. I applied for the Plus and Premier cards and received approval for both immediately.
Thanks, tyd450, for posting about the offer! I'm sure I'll be thinking another thank you when we're taking those free flights!
Post by: bye-bye Ms. FancyPants on November 23, 2014, 07:05:45 PM
FYI on 2 things:
1. The softcard version of the serve card allows $500 per day $1500 per month of credit card loading but I was worried at first because when you go to load it on the serve website it shows you the $200/$1000 limit... But you do in fact have the $500/$1500 it just doesn't make it clear. I had no problem loading $500 today.
2. After I loaded the $500 I checked chase.com to see what happened. It reduced my available cash advance limit by $500. I heard that it initially does this but then it posts as a valid transaction... not a cash advance- so don't panic if this happens to you as well.
Thanks for sharing the tips tyd450!
Post by: johnny847 on November 24, 2014, 08:24:16 AM
Post by: Zamboni on November 24, 2014, 08:38:44 AM
Post by: flashpacker on November 24, 2014, 10:28:54 AM
Post by: kudy on November 24, 2014, 06:53:27 PM
I'm not sure how the Serve card measures a month, but I might be able to work it so that I put 2 months worth of Serve loading (via softcard, total of $3k) onto the same Chase billing cycle. Planning to use Serve to pay mortgage and 1 other bill that I can't use credit cards for.
I *think* I will receive my new SIM card tomorrow so that I can sign up for softcard/serve - I was notified about a UPS delivery scheduled for tomorrow, and I am not expecting anything else.
Post by: johnny847 on November 24, 2014, 08:37:08 PM
Received my cards today. Activated them, and moved the closing dates to the 3rd, so my spending from December 4th - January 3rd should all credit in 2015. If I can swing it, I will get all $4k of the spend into that one month.Serve card measures a month as a calendar month. Which is kinda funny because they also send you statements on a ~30 day cycle.
I'm not sure how the Serve card measures a month, but I might be able to work it so that I put 2 months worth of Serve loading (via softcard, total of $3k) onto the same Chase billing cycle. Planning to use Serve to pay mortgage and 1 other bill that I can't use credit cards for.
I *think* I will receive my new SIM card tomorrow so that I can sign up for softcard/serve - I was notified about a UPS delivery scheduled for tomorrow, and I am not expecting anything else.
Post by: kudy on November 24, 2014, 10:17:41 PM
Quote
Serve card measures a month as a calendar month. Which is kinda funny because they also send you statements on a ~30 day cycle.
Awesome! That means I should hopefully be able to load 1500 in December, and at least 1000 at the beginning of January... I don't know if statement closing date means charges from that date are part of the statement, or on the next statement?
Quote
Thanks for the tip on changing the closing dates... I just called and did the same! Just curious, are your new closing dates showing online? Mine all still say not available.
My closing dates aren't showing online - I was told by the rep today that it might not update until a statement closes.
Post by: bigalsmith101 on November 24, 2014, 10:58:18 PM
Received my cards today. Activated them, and moved the closing dates to the 3rd, so my spending from December 4th - January 3rd should all credit in 2015. If I can swing it, I will get all $4k of the spend into that one month.
I'm not sure how the Serve card measures a month, but I might be able to work it so that I put 2 months worth of Serve loading (via softcard, total of $3k) onto the same Chase billing cycle. Planning to use Serve to pay mortgage and 1 other bill that I can't use credit cards for.
I *think* I will receive my new SIM card tomorrow so that I can sign up for softcard/serve - I was notified about a UPS delivery scheduled for tomorrow, and I am not expecting anything else.
Thanks for the tip on changing the closing dates... I just called and did the same! Just curious, are your new closing dates showing online? Mine all still say not available.
I got my two cards today and activated them immediately. Called into the service reps and asked about my billing cycle. It's slated for the first statement to roll in on Dec. 9th. I'm going to see if I can move it up to Dec. 3rd as I start a 4-5 week contract on that date and will have about $4-$5k in expenses in that first month.
Post by: flashpacker on November 26, 2014, 01:14:30 PM
Post by: johnny847 on November 27, 2014, 10:47:27 PM
http://frequentmiler.boardingarea.com/2014/11/27/how-to-feed-the-hungry-and-fly-for-free/ (http://frequentmiler.boardingarea.com/2014/11/27/how-to-feed-the-hungry-and-fly-for-free/)
This may work in your favor if you don't have any other good way to get 6000 points. Manufactured spending techniques would probably still be better though - buying prepaid Visa or Mastercard gift cards at a 1% fee (4.95 for $500 cards) would mean that buying $6000 worth of those would cost you only $60, half of what the orders of food would cost. Then again, you do need to asses how much you actually value the food you would buy in the above scheme.
Post by: kudy on November 29, 2014, 05:40:43 PM
Post by: KiloRomeo on December 01, 2014, 09:07:58 AM
Before I start researching Serve I have a quick questions. My payment due date (is this the close date?) is 1/8/2015. That means any spending from now until then should count towards 2015 right?
Post by: johnny847 on December 04, 2014, 10:53:02 AM
You can load $5000 a month fee free onto this at Targets. And then offload with bill pay, ATM withdrawal, etc (the same ways as the Amex Serve).
BUT, you can only get these at select places across the country (which is why I forgot to mention this, as I can't get one in my area). Also, you cannot register your Redbird if you have a Serve account.
Post by: purplepear on December 04, 2014, 11:58:03 AM
Post by: johnny847 on December 04, 2014, 12:13:04 PM
Can anyone verify that Amex Softcard works on a Republic Wireless Moto X?The Softcard app will only run on phones running on AT&T, T-Mobile, or Verizon.
Post by: johnny847 on December 04, 2014, 02:50:14 PM
This flyertalk thread has more detail: http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/manufactured-spending/1618018-prepaid-redcard-target.html (http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/manufactured-spending/1618018-prepaid-redcard-target.html)I just remembered - there's also the "redbird" http://frequentmiler.boardingarea.com/2014/10/11/redcard-changes-everything/ (http://frequentmiler.boardingarea.com/2014/10/11/redcard-changes-everything/)
You can load $5000 a month fee free onto this at Targets. And then offload with bill pay, ATM withdrawal, etc (the same ways as the Amex Serve).
BUT, you can only get these at select places across the country (which is why I forgot to mention this, as I can't get one in my area). Also, you cannot register your Redbird if you have a Serve account.
I think I may get this once IL targets have them available. Is it true they charge no fees at all? I think serve charges you a fee if you don't load it in a month right? Once I am done with the spending on these cards I probably won't do it as much so I will most likely cancel Serve.
2nd question- I go up to WI for work occasionally and they have the Red Bird cards there, if I pick one up in a WI store do you think I can load them in IL targets even though they don't sell them yet?
There's no mention of any fees on the wiki.
The wiki claims you can load at any Target, even ones that don't sell them.
Post by: secondcor521 on December 04, 2014, 06:10:57 PM
What do y'all think: Call reconsideration a second time and hope for a nicer rep? Apply for the personal premier card? Bag it and just get the 50K miles from the one card?
Post by: cashstasherat23 on December 04, 2014, 06:38:08 PM
Post by: secondcor521 on December 04, 2014, 08:24:55 PM
I'm a little late to the party, but I applied for the personal and business plus accounts to minimize annual fees. Instant approval for the personal, but deferred on the business card. Called reconsideration and was turned down for reasons related to me having done a bunch of this type of stuff in the past.
What do y'all think: Call reconsideration a second time and hope for a nicer rep? Apply for the personal premier card? Bag it and just get the 50K miles from the one card?
i think we need more detail as to why they declined you
did you do this today? I thought I heard that the promotion was over.
I applied maybe a week ago and spoke with retention about two days ago I think. You're right, though, the promotion is gone, so I guess I'm just going to get the 50K miles and call it good.
They declined me because of a pattern of only keeping credit card accounts open for a year or two, as well as zero business income the previous two years.
Post by: johnny847 on December 04, 2014, 08:27:53 PM
They declined me because of a pattern of only keeping credit card accounts open for a year or two, as well as zero business income the previous two years.Emphasis mine - I'm pretty sure the latter is more problematic than the former since you applied for the business card. Chase now explicitly states that you only qualify for a signup bonus for a particular card if you have not received it in the last two years (ie, you can received a signup bonus again if you wait two years).
Post by: kudy on December 07, 2014, 09:55:13 AM
I've dropped $300 or so in normal spending onto the 2nd card... waiting until closer to the end of the month to see what else I need to do to get to the full 4k spend.
Post by: johnny847 on December 07, 2014, 03:18:28 PM
Status update - I received and activated my Serve card, and my first $10 test ran through the Southwest card as a "Sale." Waiting for my next transaction of $500 to move from pending to sale before I run more, but it looks hopeful that I'll be able to do at least 2k on the Serve card.If all else fails, first buy store gift cards to places you normally shop at. You can also buy $500 prepaid Visa or Mastercard gift cards for usually ~1% fee. You can load these onto your Serve at Walmart, or just spend them down (but in doing so, you give up credit card rewards for the card you would've used for these purchases).
I've dropped $300 or so in normal spending onto the 2nd card... waiting until closer to the end of the month to see what else I need to do to get to the full 4k spend.
And in reality, it can be advantageous to just buy the Visa or MC gc's for a fee and put your normal spending on your normal credit cards, IF your normal cards have a high enough bonus category:
Suppose you have a card X that earns 5% in some category, whether it's a rotating category on Chase, Discover, or Citi, or it's 5% on groceries/gas/bookstores on Sallie Mae Mastercard. Every dollar you put on X earns 5%, but effectively incurs a 1% fee because that's how much you'd pay to manufacture spend on your Southwest card. Also, every dollar on the Southwest card earns 1 Southwest point, which is valued at 1.43 cents towards "Wanna Get Away" (economy class) fares (well, it's actually a little bit more complicated than that because Southwest doesn't charge you most of the taxes and fees when you book with points...but I'm going to ignore that for simplicity). So putting a dollar on X earns 5%, but has an opportunity cost of 2.43%. You're still coming out ahead by putting your spending on X as opposed to your Southwest card.
Now, that's all fine mathematically, but if you don't have a Walmart nearby to liquidate your Visa or MC gc's onto a Serve, then I'd just put all your spending on your Southwest card, unless you want to go through the hassle of spending down the Visa or MC gc.
Post by: kudy on December 08, 2014, 01:43:42 PM
- pay for 6 months of car insurance up front, instead of monthly
- Buy a large grocery store gift card for my own use in the future
Another update: have loaded serve card successfully for $1,000 so far, all "Sale" transactions and not cash advances.
Post by: bye-bye Ms. FancyPants on December 08, 2014, 05:20:50 PM
Post by: kudy on December 08, 2014, 07:21:48 PM
Post by: bye-bye Ms. FancyPants on December 08, 2014, 08:19:30 PM
Good luck Ms. FancyPants - I was considering trying the REDcard after I complete the spend for these new cards; please keep us updated on whether you can get it to work! Did you make sure to register the new permanent card online before trying to load it?
Yes, the permanent card has been activated/registered. Its weird, as I had no problem loading the card with $500 upon purchase :/ Fingers crossed it was just a glitch and nothing has changed. To be continued ....
Post by: kudy on December 17, 2014, 03:02:17 PM
Post by: arebelspy on December 18, 2014, 04:40:07 PM
Am I crazy for being afraid to reach the $2k spend before the start of the new year? I have this irrational fear that they might credit the points early or something.
It's after statement close.
I would wait, it's just two weeks.
/shrug
Post by: arebelspy on December 18, 2014, 04:53:30 PM
I haven't even activated my SW card I got in Oct, I'll do it, and all of it's spending, in early January. No need to mess with figuring out when closing dates are, etc. YMMV. :)
Post by: kudy on December 19, 2014, 09:51:00 AM
Post by: nawhite on December 19, 2014, 10:47:37 AM
I'm trying to wrap up my spending so that I get both the points and pass in mid-january, so I can book a flight for March.
I did this last year. One option to help yourself: if you have the points already or fly enough that you'll be buying flights with money to use with the Companion Pass eventually, buy the flight for yourself ASAP or whenever the flight is cheapest (which usually means earlier is better with Southwest). Once you get the companion pass you can add your companion to any already booked flight as long as there is a single seat free on the plane. There is no need to book them at the same time or wait until you get the companion pass to book your flight.
Post by: kudy on December 19, 2014, 11:15:00 AM
Post by: mjz on December 19, 2014, 12:21:01 PM
Post by: arebelspy on December 19, 2014, 01:40:03 PM
Brand new to this. Has anyone used serve with chase sw premier in last day or so and still have it go thru as purchase? Would like to do so but don't want ca charges.
It works fine.
Post by: fujiters on December 20, 2014, 09:49:18 AM
Post by: kudy on December 20, 2014, 11:18:49 AM
Post by: bye-bye Ms. FancyPants on December 23, 2014, 01:21:34 PM
I did call SW to see about combining points (with my husband) or even buying points - its a no go for the companion pass. Tell me there is another way?
Post by: shotgunwilly on December 23, 2014, 01:51:43 PM
I totally screwed myself - I accidentally hit my 50,000 bonus on my first card in December. I called to see if there was anything I could do and beyond making a $50,000 purchase they said no. ... Since that's never going to happen I thought I would check here to see if anyone has any tricks?
I did call SW to see about combining points (with my husband) or even buying points - its a no go for the companion pass. Tell me there is another way?
So, you will get 50,000 from one card in 2015, and you're needing another 50,000 Southwest points for next year?
You could get the Chase Ritz-Carlton Rewards card. Current promotion is 140,000 points (after spending $3k in 3 months) which are Mariott points, which transfer to Southwest at a rate of 2.8:1. Which means the 140,000 Mariott points are worth 50,000 Southwest points. The bummer is that the annual fee is $395.
Post by: purplepear on December 23, 2014, 02:08:18 PM
I've already hit the $2K spending on one card, so I was freaked out that the 50K miles would post in 2014.
Called chase, changed my closing date to early January. Boom.
Post by: bye-bye Ms. FancyPants on December 23, 2014, 02:43:26 PM
I totally screwed myself - I accidentally hit my 50,000 bonus on my first card in December. I called to see if there was anything I could do and beyond making a $50,000 purchase they said no. ... Since that's never going to happen I thought I would check here to see if anyone has any tricks?
I did call SW to see about combining points (with my husband) or even buying points - its a no go for the companion pass. Tell me there is another way?
So, you will get 50,000 from one card in 2015, and you're needing another 50,000 Southwest points for next year?
You could get the Chase Ritz-Carlton Rewards card. Current promotion is 140,000 points (after spending $3k in 3 months) which are Mariott points, which transfer to Southwest at a rate of 2.8:1. Which means the 140,000 Mariott points are worth 50,000 Southwest points. The bummer is that the annual fee is $395.
Yikes, $395 annual fee is steep, but an option. Thanks for sharing.
So I just now thought to check when the statement closing date was today... and found out that my closing date was tomorrow. O_OJust in the nick of time! I'm glad you remembered :)
I've already hit the $2K spending on one card, so I was freaked out that the 50K miles would post in 2014.
Called chase, changed my closing date to early January. Boom.
Post by: KiloRomeo on December 29, 2014, 12:55:09 PM
Also, whats the point of Serve/ Redbird? Is it just to front load $ amounts to get teh points and then you use the redbird card later instead of the credit card? How can you tell what kind of bills can be paid with Serve/Redbird? I wonder if I can pay my rent.
Post by: KiloRomeo on December 29, 2014, 12:55:29 PM
Also, whats the point of Serve/ Redbird? Is it just to front load $ amounts to get teh points and then you use the redbird card later instead of the credit card? How can you tell what kind of bills can be paid with Serve/Redbird? I wonder if I can pay my rent.
Post by: Zamboni on December 29, 2014, 05:19:32 PM
Post by: Exflyboy on December 29, 2014, 06:08:56 PM
In march I will pay the car insurance $850 or so.. thats within range of hitting the $2000 if you throw in normal spending on utilities etc... Plus maybe a Home Depot gift card for the balance.
Add this to the $840 We got for the chase freedom CC's and the Capital one accounts.. Not a bad end to the year..:)
Frank
Post by: KiloRomeo on December 31, 2014, 09:06:04 AM
I totally screwed myself - I accidentally hit my 50,000 bonus on my first card in December. I called to see if there was anything I could do and beyond making a $50,000 purchase they said no. ... Since that's never going to happen I thought I would check here to see if anyone has any tricks?
I did call SW to see about combining points (with my husband) or even buying points - its a no go for the companion pass. Tell me there is another way?
Thank goodness I didn't hit the bonus but I kind of screwed myself too. I called Chase any spending in December would post in January. I tried to move my close date but they said it was not necessary. Well sure enough, points posted in December and won't count towards 2015. Now I have about $7,500 to go instead of $4,000. Oh well, looking into softcard now.
Quick question. I made a large purchase which was reflected in my points posted in December. The item wasn't used and now I am going to return it.....what happens to those points?
Post by: kudy on December 31, 2014, 09:43:27 AM
I am planning to charge $500 on both the 1st and 2nd to my Serve card - I just hope the transactions aren't "pending" still when the statement closes on the 3rd. If they both go through, I will have fit all of the spending I needed to get the companion pass in one month (combined with 3600 points from Choice hotels transfer).
Quote
Quick question. I made a large purchase which was reflected in my points posted in December. The item wasn't used and now I am going to return it.....what happens to those points?
I think the statement credit for the returned item will deduct from points earned on the statement with the credit.
Post by: bye-bye Ms. FancyPants on December 31, 2014, 10:02:57 AM
Post by: kudy on December 31, 2014, 11:12:48 AM
@Kudy - I went back the next day and had no problems. I think it was just a computer glitch. I've been back several other times, worked like a charm. Good Luck!
Awesome! Thanks for the report... I am definitely going to switch cards the next time I need to manufacture spend.
Post by: kudy on January 02, 2015, 09:16:54 AM
My billing cycle closes tomorrow, which means if the Serve loads from yesterday and today close out and are in this statement cycle I'll have:
Premier Card: 50,000 bonus + 3100 points
Plus Card: 50,000 bonus + 3389 points
Transfer from Choice Hotels: 3600 points
Total: 110,089 points
If one or both of the serve loads from the past 2 days don't get on this statement (and they seem to be "pending" for a while), I'll either have to wait another month for the companion pass, or use something like the 1800flowers promo to get the missing 1000 points. I'd prefer not to spend more money (buy flowers), but I am booking a trip in March with these points, and it would be one less worry to have both seats booked right away, rather than waiting a month and worrying that there won't be a seat available when the companion pass comes in.
Who else is hopefully wrapping this up this month?
Post by: dhbike01 on January 02, 2015, 10:23:43 PM
Who else is hopefully wrapping this up this month?
Just checked my January statements for Southwest cards. Excited to see the 50,000 welcome bonus points on each. Really neat to see it work.
I used Redbird to generate 5,500. Paid Mortgage, Property Taxes, a few other bills, and sent the balance back to one of the cards. My kids thought I was crazy as they witnessed one of the transactions.
Premier and Plus Card: 108,299 points
Transfer from Choice Hotels: 1800 points
Total: 110,099 points
An interesting note on Choice: I had 990 points left from somewhere/sometime that were going to expire 12/31. With the 30% bonus sale on Choice points, I was going to purchase just enough points for $33 that when added to the 8,000 bonus would generate 12,000 points, and just throw away the 990 points. However, part of my calculation was the points earned by the purchase itself with the Choice credit card which generates even more points than I thought. Anyway, the Choice statement closed on me before the purchase converted to points. I was left with something like 12, 940 points. Since I would have less than 12,000 after 12/31, I panicked somewhat and decided to go ahead and purchase enough points to exceed 18,000 and convert 6,000 in 2014 and 12,000 in 2015. To my surprise, the Choice points say they take 4 to 6 weeks to convert to Southwest points as was previously mentioned in another post. I think I may end up getting the converted 2014 points in 2015 and still have 12,000 plus points lingering in my Choice account which I can either convert or not. Just something to keep in mind.
Post by: flashpacker on January 02, 2015, 10:28:51 PM
Who else is hopefully wrapping this up this month?
Me! I am so pumped for this.
Post by: kudy on January 04, 2015, 09:40:19 AM
Post by: kudy on January 04, 2015, 05:09:11 PM
I just realized that I transferred my Choice points on 12/31 - I am hoping there's no change they'll be backdated to that date? Assuming they arrive with a 2015 date, I'll be at 109,572... so close.
I have enough spending on the cards to reach the magic 110k after the next statement closes. I will use 25k points right now to book a flight for March, and then when the companion pass is earned, add on my 2nd flight for that trip.
Also considering using the Southwest shopping portal to sign up for the New York Times digital subscription ($5) for 1300 bonus points... this would be solely to speed up the companion pass (assuming the points post in the next 1-2 weeks, rather than waiting an entire month).
Post by: nawhite on January 04, 2015, 07:05:03 PM
Where are the two of you going?
Post by: iamlindoro on January 04, 2015, 07:10:32 PM
We're already looking at the Southwest destinations to see about long weekends places we might not otherwise go. We plan to really work the Companion pass hard :)
Post by: bigalsmith101 on January 04, 2015, 08:13:20 PM
Who else is hopefully wrapping this up this month?
I should be wrapped up by the end of this month. I've been working a contract for the past 5 weeks (with two more to go) and have spent every cent of my expenses on the cards. Might have to flex some manufactured spending to hit the rest, but it'll be close.
Made to cardinal mistakes though. Wasn't able to pay the first months lodging ($1,000) via card, and had to pay that in cash. Then FORGOT to buy the first $500'ish dollars in fuel on the cards, as I used my default PenFed card (5% cash back on fuel). So there went $1.5k in qualifying spending that I can't reverse. OOPS.
Post by: kudy on January 04, 2015, 11:08:04 PM
OK, so now for the important question regarding companion pass status...
Where are the two of you going?
Visiting family first, and then hopefully next year going to Costa Rica (southwest is planning to add a route this year). Maybe a trip to some other cool town thrown in as well?
Post by: Frugal Consumerist on January 05, 2015, 07:48:04 AM
Earned the points paying off the wedding reception costs. Oof!
In case it hasn't been mentioned here, there will be a promotion from 1/7 to 1/16 for a 30% discount on points purchase. So, if I'm not mistaken, book your travel then and make your CP + points go even further!
Post by: arebelspy on January 05, 2015, 07:52:06 AM
In case it hasn't been mentioned here, there will be a promotion from 1/7 to 1/16 for a 30% discount on points purchase. So, if I'm not mistaken, book your travel then and make your CP + points go even further!
Link? Typically that sort of promo means when you are buying points, which people here shouldn't really need to do - it's not buying tickets with points.
Post by: Frugal Consumerist on January 05, 2015, 07:59:22 AM
In case it hasn't been mentioned here, there will be a promotion from 1/7 to 1/16 for a 30% discount on points purchase. So, if I'm not mistaken, book your travel then and make your CP + points go even further!
Link? Typically that sort of promo means when you are buying points, which people here shouldn't really need to do - it's not buying tickets with points.
Rats, I think you are right...Here is the screen shot from my account.
Post by: cashstasherat23 on January 05, 2015, 09:46:28 AM
Edit: Just kidding! The points were not showing up on my Chase account, but once I checked my RR account on SW.com, I had 53,000 points post on 1/02. Hopefully the other points will post soon!
Post by: secondcor521 on January 05, 2015, 09:54:22 PM
Post by: arebelspy on January 05, 2015, 10:45:50 PM
I did all my (mostly manufactured) spending in December, statement closed 1/2 I think, and ~53K points have already posted at Southwest. Unfortunately since I didn't get the second card, I'm stuck with just a free (well, $69 plus some hassle) ticket. Still not a bad deal.
You still have ~11 months to get the other card and earn another 50k and have the companion pass until the end of 2016.
Post by: secondcor521 on January 06, 2015, 12:00:26 AM
I did all my (mostly manufactured) spending in December, statement closed 1/2 I think, and ~53K points have already posted at Southwest. Unfortunately since I didn't get the second card, I'm stuck with just a free (well, $69 plus some hassle) ticket. Still not a bad deal.
You still have ~11 months to get the other card and earn another 50k and have the companion pass until the end of 2016.
ARS, I'd love to, but according to an earlier post
http://forum.mrmoneymustache.com/share-your-badassity/southwest-100-000-bonus-points-2-years-of-companion-status-badass-offer/msg473687/#msg473687
the promotion is over. If you have a link that is still active, I'd appreciate it. I'll also check the link in the OP again to see if it is back on.
Post by: Frugal Consumerist on January 06, 2015, 06:14:34 AM
https://creditcards.chase.com/6000329
Post by: arebelspy on January 06, 2015, 09:41:52 AM
I did all my (mostly manufactured) spending in December, statement closed 1/2 I think, and ~53K points have already posted at Southwest. Unfortunately since I didn't get the second card, I'm stuck with just a free (well, $69 plus some hassle) ticket. Still not a bad deal.
You still have ~11 months to get the other card and earn another 50k and have the companion pass until the end of 2016.
ARS, I'd love to, but according to an earlier post
http://forum.mrmoneymustache.com/share-your-badassity/southwest-100-000-bonus-points-2-years-of-companion-status-badass-offer/msg473687/#msg473687
the promotion is over. If you have a link that is still active, I'd appreciate it. I'll also check the link in the OP again to see if it is back on.
If Frugal Consumerist's link doesn't work, just wait. It'll come back around. Just snag it when it's active later this year and hit the 110k in one year.
Post by: secondcor521 on January 06, 2015, 03:27:42 PM
I did all my (mostly manufactured) spending in December, statement closed 1/2 I think, and ~53K points have already posted at Southwest. Unfortunately since I didn't get the second card, I'm stuck with just a free (well, $69 plus some hassle) ticket. Still not a bad deal.
You still have ~11 months to get the other card and earn another 50k and have the companion pass until the end of 2016.
ARS, I'd love to, but according to an earlier post
http://forum.mrmoneymustache.com/share-your-badassity/southwest-100-000-bonus-points-2-years-of-companion-status-badass-offer/msg473687/#msg473687
the promotion is over. If you have a link that is still active, I'd appreciate it. I'll also check the link in the OP again to see if it is back on.
If Frugal Consumerist's link doesn't work, just wait. It'll come back around. Just snag it when it's active later this year and hit the 110k in one year.
@FC and @ARS, thanks. FC's link didn't work for me, so I'll follow ARS's advice.
Post by: Frugal Consumerist on January 07, 2015, 09:10:43 AM
I did all my (mostly manufactured) spending in December, statement closed 1/2 I think, and ~53K points have already posted at Southwest. Unfortunately since I didn't get the second card, I'm stuck with just a free (well, $69 plus some hassle) ticket. Still not a bad deal.
You still have ~11 months to get the other card and earn another 50k and have the companion pass until the end of 2016.
ARS, I'd love to, but according to an earlier post
http://forum.mrmoneymustache.com/share-your-badassity/southwest-100-000-bonus-points-2-years-of-companion-status-badass-offer/msg473687/#msg473687
the promotion is over. If you have a link that is still active, I'd appreciate it. I'll also check the link in the OP again to see if it is back on.
If Frugal Consumerist's link doesn't work, just wait. It'll come back around. Just snag it when it's active later this year and hit the 110k in one year.
@FC and @ARS, thanks. FC's link didn't work for me, so I'll follow ARS's advice.
Bummer. Sorry about that. I didn't click the apply link to see that the offer was unavailable. I figured they would take down the landing page if the offer was pulled, but I guess not.
Post by: secondcor521 on January 07, 2015, 01:49:31 PM
The link posted by tyd450 is still working for the Premier. I just applied and was instant approved for the card (with a $31K (!) credit line). Time to go dig out my manufactured spending tools again :-)
Post by: ejw001 on January 07, 2015, 10:33:34 PM
The Chase Hyatt card has a sign-up bonus of 2 free nights at ANY Hyatt property after spending $1000 in the first 3 months. (https://creditcards.chase.com/credit-cards/hyatt-card.aspx (https://creditcards.chase.com/credit-cards/hyatt-card.aspx)) The $75 annual fee is waived the first year. Hyatt has some pricey all-inclusive resorts in Jamaica, Los Cabos, and Cancun that you can use your free nights at -- all places that Southwest is now flying to. Couples (or whoever your companion pass partner is) could both sign up for this offer and combine their 2 free nights, to get 4 nights at an all-inclusive resort for free. With the Hyatt card, you will also get free Hyatt Platinum Elite status, which includes a complimentary upgraded room if available (so you could show up to find you get to stay in a suite!), late check-out, and free wifi. So, you'll end up with round trip flights and 4 nights, possibly in an upgraded room, at an all-inclusive resort for just the price of the international ticket taxes/fees from Southwest (keep in mind these are higher than the $5 domestic fees you might be used to). You could also use the 4 nights at any non-all-inclusive Hyatt property if you'd prefer to go to a different location.
I'm in Denver and I see some flights to Cancun right now for just 15,680 points (even on some weekends!) and $76.71 in taxes/fees round trip ($153.42 for 2 people). There's some options to Los Cabos for only 9,800 points and $79.61 round trip ($159.22 for 2 people). My companion and I could go on this 4 day all-inclusive trip for $159.22 total and still have 100,000 Southwest points left - is this real life??
*note: I have not actually done this myself (yet), but here's the original article I read from a travel hacking blog that gave me the idea: http://millionmilesecrets.com/2015/01/04/can-a-couple-combine-their-hyatt-free-nights-at-all-inclusive-resorts/ (http://millionmilesecrets.com/2015/01/04/can-a-couple-combine-their-hyatt-free-nights-at-all-inclusive-resorts/) Let me know if you see any flaws in my logic.
Post by: Frugal Consumerist on January 08, 2015, 06:36:12 AM
My status showed as "status pending" for a few days and now that is gone. All of my points have posted but it shows my companion pass status at 0%. I'm guessing it takes a few days to register or something?
When was your date of last activity in Rapid Rewards (should say in your account)? Mine was 1/2, which is before my points transferred over from Chase. I'm wondering if the activity refreshed then because it was the start of a new year, or if they do it every Friday. If it's every Friday, I would expect the the CP will be awarded tomorrow, if not, it will be interesting to see how long it takes. Got a flight I'm itching to book...don't want to book one seat now, just in case the flight sells out before the I get the CP.
Post by: johnny847 on January 08, 2015, 09:52:21 AM
I did all my (mostly manufactured) spending in December, statement closed 1/2 I think, and ~53K points have already posted at Southwest. Unfortunately since I didn't get the second card, I'm stuck with just a free (well, $69 plus some hassle) ticket. Still not a bad deal.Apparently all the 50k signup bonuses are back http://millionmilesecrets.com/2015/01/08/theyre-back-all-3-southwest-cards-offering-50000-points/?utm_source=feedblitz&utm_medium=FeedBlitzRss&utm_campaign=millionmilesecrets (http://millionmilesecrets.com/2015/01/08/theyre-back-all-3-southwest-cards-offering-50000-points/?utm_source=feedblitz&utm_medium=FeedBlitzRss&utm_campaign=millionmilesecrets)
Post by: nawhite on January 08, 2015, 10:11:14 AM
I'm sure we have nothing to worry about and are just being impatient but I was just curious if there is anyone here that was already awarded their CP.... If not, that would put my mind at ease!
I got mine in January 2014 :-) but that does't help you much. I remember it taking about a week to post to the account and another couple days for the companion pass status to be applied. We got the useless card about 2 weeks after I set it up.
Post by: dhbike01 on January 08, 2015, 02:14:11 PM
My status showed as "status pending" for a few days and now that is gone. All of my points have posted but it shows my companion pass status at 0%. I'm guessing it takes a few days to register or something?
Mine also were pending until today, but now that's clear. And also my Companion Pass shows 0%.
I transferred some Choice points at the end of Dec that posted on 1/05. If you view Reward Activity, you can choose "Companion Pass Qualifying Points" from the "Type" dropdown. Interestingly, the Plus and Premier points show on this list, but the Choice points do not. I'm hoping that just requires some further processing as well.
Post by: kudy on January 08, 2015, 03:08:35 PM
I transferred some Choice points at the end of Dec that posted on 1/05. If you view Reward Activity, you can choose "Companion Pass Qualifying Points" from the "Type" dropdown. Interestingly, the Plus and Premier points show on this list, but the Choice points do not. I'm hoping that just requires some further processing as well.
My Choice transfer points showed up today, and are also not showing as pass qualifying points... agreed that I hope it's temporary!
Post by: shotgunwilly on January 09, 2015, 08:09:20 AM
Post by: cashstasherat23 on January 09, 2015, 08:19:11 AM
Post by: mustachemayhem on January 10, 2015, 11:34:48 AM
Post by: kudy on January 10, 2015, 11:42:47 AM
Post by: mustachemayhem on January 10, 2015, 05:02:22 PM
I received my bonus points at the same time as the regular spending points, for both cards. I am not sure if that's how it's supposed to *always* work? Did you subtract the yearly fees from the total when figuring out your $2k spend on each card?
Yes. after i received my cards i moved the closing date to the 4th (Decemeber 4th was my first statement close. I payed the balance which was mostly the yearly fees. Next statement was January 4th and it was just over 2k on one card. I guess i'm going to have to call them.
Post by: Tick-Tock on January 11, 2015, 10:40:21 PM
Any idea how long it takes for the bonus points to post? My account closed on 1/4 and i payed the bill on 1/5. Southwest shows the 2k points for the regular spend but no bonus points.
Here's the report from my husband:
He got a personal and a business card (both Premier), both closing on 1/2. On both cards, he made the minimum spend before the closing date. With the business card, they awarded all points (both spend and bonus points) on the closing date, 1/2. With the personal card, they awarded the spend points on 1/2, but not the bonus points. When he called, they said that the bonus points for the personal card were awarded on 1/5, which was after the closing date, so they won't be posted until the next closing date, 2/2.
Also, he bought Southwest points with Marriott points and within two days they were added to his account and shown as applying to the Companion pass.
Post by: mustachemayhem on January 12, 2015, 08:53:13 AM
Any idea how long it takes for the bonus points to post? My account closed on 1/4 and i payed the bill on 1/5. Southwest shows the 2k points for the regular spend but no bonus points.
Here's the report from my husband:
He got a personal and a business card (both Premier), both closing on 1/2. On both cards, he made the minimum spend before the closing date. With the business card, they awarded all points (both spend and bonus points) on the closing date, 1/2. With the personal card, they awarded the spend points on 1/2, but not the bonus points. When he called, they said that the bonus points for the personal card were awarded on 1/5, which was after the closing date, so they won't be posted until the next closing date, 2/2.
Also, he bought Southwest points with Marriott points and within two days they were added to his account and shown as applying to the Companion pass.
I called and they told me basically the same thing. They said they requested the bonus points on the 7th and they won't post until my next closing date in February.
Post by: kudy on January 12, 2015, 07:59:36 PM
Might be time to check you account because mine is showing that I have the companion pass as of today!
Awesome, congrats! I am waiting on the delivery of 1300 points, and then I hope mine will show up. How many days between acquiring the 110k points and the arrival of the pass?
Post by: happyfeet on January 12, 2015, 08:35:21 PM
Got the Chase Ink business and Hyatt Cards and US Airways a few months back and hit the spends on all those.
Looking forward to some travel! And not spending a lot of $$
Post by: kudy on January 12, 2015, 09:08:53 PM
My chase points both posted on 1/4 and my Hyatt points transfer posted on 1/5 and I received the companion pass status today the 12th so it was a week exactly.
I just booked our first trip!
Where are you headed?
My only concern is that my choice hotel points still aren't showing as "companion pass qualifying" but I am pretty sure it'll still work. Good to know that I have a whole week after I cross the threshold to wait.
Post by: dhbike01 on January 12, 2015, 10:35:20 PM
My only concern is that my choice hotel points still aren't showing as "companion pass qualifying" but I am pretty sure it'll still work. Good to know that I have a whole week after I cross the threshold to wait.
My account has also been updated. Although my Choice points that were redeemed the end of December and posted in January did not count thus far for the Companion Pass. I had some more Choice points queued up, just in case the end of December experiment did not work, and so I'm trying another 1,800. I'm at 98% so if this doesn't work I'll just have to wait until Feb 2nd for the next statement close.
Post by: Frugal Consumerist on January 13, 2015, 06:29:17 AM
We are heading down to San Antonio to visit friends for the long President's weekend next month, then we are heading out to AZ for spring training in late March/early April, and then out to Portland in June.
Congrats! Mine just posted as well. Booked our flight to Aruba. The good news...in the time that I first got the points in my SW account and today, the cost (in Rapid Rewards) of the flight has gone down 6,000. This thing just keeps getting better. By my calculations, the points + the CP will reap about $4,000 in value. Not bad for $170 in credit card fees.
Post by: nawhite on January 13, 2015, 08:33:22 AM
We are heading down to San Antonio to visit friends for the long President's weekend next month, then we are heading out to AZ for spring training in late March/early April, and then out to Portland in June.
Congrats! Mine just posted as well. Booked our flight to Aruba. The good news...in the time that I first got the points in my SW account and today, the cost (in Rapid Rewards) of the flight has gone down 6,000. This thing just keeps getting better. By my calculations, the points + the CP will reap about $4,000 in value. Not bad for $170 in credit card fees.
I'm one year in on my Companion Pass and expect the value for the points and companion pass for me to be around $3000. I then got 70,000 more points with a Chase Ink Bold business card that got me another ~$2000 in value with the companion pass. I'm now at the point that I have more points than I have time to take flights with my wife in the next year so I need to move onto another reward type than Southwest points. Any recommendations for something that gets anywhere close to this return?
Post by: bigalsmith101 on January 13, 2015, 11:37:48 AM
Is there anyone here that signed up for both cards, who's wife/husband also signed up for both cards? Can the designated companion pass holder also be the owner of two cards and designate the other person as a companion pass holder?
Ie. I've already signed up, and in 3 weeks will hit the 110k mark, and when the companion pass posts to my account, I will designate my wife.
Is there any reason why my wife couldn't do the same, and designate me as her companion pass holder? Thus generating 220k air miles?
--Alex
Post by: iamlindoro on January 13, 2015, 12:12:01 PM
Question here:
Is there anyone here that signed up for both cards, who's wife/husband also signed up for both cards? Can the designated companion pass holder also be the owner of two cards and designate the other person as a companion pass holder?
Ie. I've already signed up, and in 3 weeks will hit the 110k mark, and when the companion pass posts to my account, I will designate my wife.
Is there any reason why my wife couldn't do the same, and designate me as her companion pass holder? Thus generating 220k air miles?
--Alex
Nope, totally allowed. Fairly frequently done, too, as far as I can tell.
Post by: shotgunwilly on January 13, 2015, 12:17:38 PM
I applied for BOTH the personal cards about 30 minutes ago (the premiere and the plus) and was instantly approved for both.
Post by: nawhite on January 13, 2015, 03:43:04 PM
Question here:
Is there anyone here that signed up for both cards, who's wife/husband also signed up for both cards? Can the designated companion pass holder also be the owner of two cards and designate the other person as a companion pass holder?
Ie. I've already signed up, and in 3 weeks will hit the 110k mark, and when the companion pass posts to my account, I will designate my wife.
Is there any reason why my wife couldn't do the same, and designate me as her companion pass holder? Thus generating 220k air miles?
--Alex
Nope, totally allowed. Fairly frequently done, too, as far as I can tell.
The better move I've seen though is to alternate years with your spouse. You get it for 2015/2016 and your spouse gets it for 2017/2018 repeat. Because you can't apply for the same cards within 2 years, this allows you to continually have companion pass status.
Post by: iamlindoro on January 13, 2015, 04:00:21 PM
The better move I've seen though is to alternate years with your spouse. You get it for 2015/2016 and your spouse gets it for 2017/2018 repeat. Because you can't apply for the same cards within 2 years, this allows you to continually have companion pass status.
Nice, good call!
Post by: bigalsmith101 on January 13, 2015, 07:22:27 PM
The better move I've seen though is to alternate years with your spouse. You get it for 2015/2016 and your spouse gets it for 2017/2018 repeat. Because you can't apply for the same cards within 2 years, this allows you to continually have companion pass status.
Nice, good call!
That's a better move for sure. I suppose the only drawback would be if the offer weren't available in two years hence. Of course, if it were, you'd force yourself out of awesome benefits.
OR, if you were planning MASSIVE travel during a given two year period you could generate a few hundred thousand air miles between a couple and reap the benefits.
Post by: kudy on January 13, 2015, 09:00:14 PM
Post by: dhbike01 on January 13, 2015, 09:47:43 PM
Has anyone who transferred Choice points received the pass yet? Is anyone else's choice points transfer not showing as "Companion Pass Qualifying Points"?
Since you transferred your points on 12/31, I don't think they will count this year. My Choice points from Dec did not count, even though they posted in Jan. I transferred 1800 points from Choice last night to see if that's the case. Will let you know. I actually called Southwest and they said I didn't have any Choice points in Jan but that they were in Dec, even though on their site I see them in Jan. I think the dead giveaway is that the transaction line item has a December date in the description, so they know.
Post by: dragoncar on January 13, 2015, 10:41:45 PM
Edit: actually, I can cash out my points at 100 points/$ by using my points to buy SW gift cards. Then, when I fly on business, I get reimbursed for those dollars. But it's still not as good as flying -- I just don't do it much these days! So far I've been keeping a "bank" of say 50k miles and cashing the rest in.
Post by: Frugal Consumerist on January 14, 2015, 06:19:32 AM
We are heading down to San Antonio to visit friends for the long President's weekend next month, then we are heading out to AZ for spring training in late March/early April, and then out to Portland in June.
Congrats! Mine just posted as well. Booked our flight to Aruba. The good news...in the time that I first got the points in my SW account and today, the cost (in Rapid Rewards) of the flight has gone down 6,000. This thing just keeps getting better. By my calculations, the points + the CP will reap about $4,000 in value. Not bad for $170 in credit card fees.
I'm one year in on my Companion Pass and expect the value for the points and companion pass for me to be around $3000. I then got 70,000 more points with a Chase Ink Bold business card that got me another ~$2000 in value with the companion pass. I'm now at the point that I have more points than I have time to take flights with my wife in the next year so I need to move onto another reward type than Southwest points. Any recommendations for something that gets anywhere close to this return?
The only card that comes to mind is the US Bank Club Carlson Premier. I get a 5% return per dollar spent because of the "last night free" benefit. Any reward stay over 1 night booked with points, they give you the last night free. This works great with two people having the card, you just book 2-night stays back to back. I have a blog post about the cards we used to get a free honeymoon (flight + hotels) and it discusses the Club Carlson Premier as well as some other cards.
http://www.frugalconsumerist.com/our-free-honeymoon/
Club Carlson has some really nice hotels in Europe, their fancy hotel selection in the US is a little more limited, but they do have a lot of mid range hotels here.
Post by: kudy on January 14, 2015, 10:21:16 AM
Since you transferred your points on 12/31, I don't think they will count this year. My Choice points from Dec did not count, even though they posted in Jan. I transferred 1800 points from Choice last night to see if that's the case. Will let you know. I actually called Southwest and they said I didn't have any Choice points in Jan but that they were in Dec, even though on their site I see them in Jan. I think the dead giveaway is that the transaction line item has a December date in the description, so they know.
I am 95% sure you're correct, and I am super mad at myself for jumping the gun. I thought I had read that Choice points credited on the day they posted to Southwest, not the day they transferred - and all I had to do was wait like 4 more hours!!!! AHHHG! I now need to make up 2700 points.
I really didn't want to spend more money on this, but it looks like I might have to... I can possibly close my Serve account and open a RedCard to manufacture spend, but I am not sure if this will work, and then I'll have 3 months worth of mortgage & bills on the RedCard, which causes a bit of a cashflow problem.
The 1800flowers offer that is currently shown expired Dec 31st, so I don't want to try to "buy" points via a flower order until the offer updates. I could buy more Choice points, but 1800 SW points doesn't quite get me there, and costs a lot ($66).
Post by: dhbike01 on January 14, 2015, 10:54:48 AM
Since you transferred your points on 12/31, I don't think they will count this year. My Choice points from Dec did not count, even though they posted in Jan. I transferred 1800 points from Choice last night to see if that's the case. Will let you know. I actually called Southwest and they said I didn't have any Choice points in Jan but that they were in Dec, even though on their site I see them in Jan. I think the dead giveaway is that the transaction line item has a December date in the description, so they know.
I am 95% sure you're correct, and I am super mad at myself for jumping the gun. I thought I had read that Choice points credited on the day they posted to Southwest, not the day they transferred - and all I had to do was wait like 4 more hours!!!! AHHHG! I now need to make up 2700 points.
I really didn't want to spend more money on this, but it looks like I might have to... I can possibly close my Serve account and open a RedCard to manufacture spend, but I am not sure if this will work, and then I'll have 3 months worth of mortgage & bills on the RedCard, which causes a bit of a cashflow problem.
The 1800flowers offer that is currently shown expired Dec 31st, so I don't want to try to "buy" points via a flower order until the offer updates. I could buy more Choice points, but 1800 SW points doesn't quite get me there, and costs a lot ($66).
I'm even more confident now than last night. I also did the Dining and Shopping promotion. I ate at a resturant on 12/31. My bonus points posted on 01/07 but again with 12/31 in the transaction description. Those bonus points did not count for the companion pass. However, I ate at another resturant on 01/03 and the bonus points posted on 01/14 and counted against the Companion Pass. Constrast that with Southwest CC spending. My Premier and Plus statements closed on 1/1 and that's the date in the transaction description. The transaction date in the Rewards Activity is 1/3 but it's really the 1/1 that is the key. There is a learning curve on this.
By the way, I used the RedCard and paid normal bills. However, I had some surplus on the RedCard and made a partial payment on one of the credit cards. It works so try that.
Post by: retirementbound on January 14, 2015, 11:29:46 PM
I didn't realize I had to apply for Serve through the Softcard app to get the higher load limits; I thought if I had both, it would increase my limits but that isn't the case. I have found that I need to cancel my Serve account and reapply through Softcard to get the higher limits. I have closed my Serve account and have received confirmation emails that my Serve account has been closed and that the Amex Serve card was removed from my Softcard account. I know I may need to wait a day or two to apply, but I wanted to see how to apply for Serve through the Softcard app. I have tried selecting "Add a Card" and choosing American Express Serve, but it just links me to go to the mobile website. I saw in a post to make sure I'm connected to T-Mobile's network and not WiFi; I have tried this with the same result. My phone is the Samsung Galaxy s5.
For others who have signed up through Softcard with T-Mobile, can you tell me how you signed up for a Serve account through the app, please?
Post by: misschedda on January 15, 2015, 08:18:18 AM
I know I may need to wait a day or two to apply, but I wanted to see how to apply for Serve through the Softcard app. I have tried selecting "Add a Card" and choosing American Express Serve, but it just links me to go to the mobile website.
You're doing the right thing. When you enter the Serve website through Softcard and add a card that way, you'll automatically be eligible for the $1500 credit card load limit.
Post by: retirementbound on January 15, 2015, 08:28:11 AM
I know I may need to wait a day or two to apply, but I wanted to see how to apply for Serve through the Softcard app. I have tried selecting "Add a Card" and choosing American Express Serve, but it just links me to go to the mobile website.
You're doing the right thing. When you enter the Serve website through Softcard and add a card that way, you'll automatically be eligible for the $1500 credit card load limit.
Thank you so much!
Post by: nawhite on January 15, 2015, 12:26:38 PM
We are heading down to San Antonio to visit friends for the long President's weekend next month, then we are heading out to AZ for spring training in late March/early April, and then out to Portland in June.
Congrats! Mine just posted as well. Booked our flight to Aruba. The good news...in the time that I first got the points in my SW account and today, the cost (in Rapid Rewards) of the flight has gone down 6,000. This thing just keeps getting better. By my calculations, the points + the CP will reap about $4,000 in value. Not bad for $170 in credit card fees.
I'm one year in on my Companion Pass and expect the value for the points and companion pass for me to be around $3000. I then got 70,000 more points with a Chase Ink Bold business card that got me another ~$2000 in value with the companion pass. I'm now at the point that I have more points than I have time to take flights with my wife in the next year so I need to move onto another reward type than Southwest points. Any recommendations for something that gets anywhere close to this return?
The only card that comes to mind is the US Bank Club Carlson Premier. I get a 5% return per dollar spent because of the "last night free" benefit. Any reward stay over 1 night booked with points, they give you the last night free. This works great with two people having the card, you just book 2-night stays back to back. I have a blog post about the cards we used to get a free honeymoon (flight + hotels) and it discusses the Club Carlson Premier as well as some other cards.
http://www.frugalconsumerist.com/our-free-honeymoon/
Club Carlson has some really nice hotels in Europe, their fancy hotel selection in the US is a little more limited, but they do have a lot of mid range hotels here.
Perfect! Applying today, going to turn it into 4 days at 4 star resorts (2 days at one, 2 days at another) in Iceland in April. Problem solved :-)
Post by: flashpacker on January 16, 2015, 12:51:41 AM
Post by: Frugal Consumerist on January 16, 2015, 05:58:22 AM
We are heading down to San Antonio to visit friends for the long President's weekend next month, then we are heading out to AZ for spring training in late March/early April, and then out to Portland in June.
Congrats! Mine just posted as well. Booked our flight to Aruba. The good news...in the time that I first got the points in my SW account and today, the cost (in Rapid Rewards) of the flight has gone down 6,000. This thing just keeps getting better. By my calculations, the points + the CP will reap about $4,000 in value. Not bad for $170 in credit card fees.
I'm one year in on my Companion Pass and expect the value for the points and companion pass for me to be around $3000. I then got 70,000 more points with a Chase Ink Bold business card that got me another ~$2000 in value with the companion pass. I'm now at the point that I have more points than I have time to take flights with my wife in the next year so I need to move onto another reward type than Southwest points. Any recommendations for something that gets anywhere close to this return?
The only card that comes to mind is the US Bank Club Carlson Premier. I get a 5% return per dollar spent because of the "last night free" benefit. Any reward stay over 1 night booked with points, they give you the last night free. This works great with two people having the card, you just book 2-night stays back to back. I have a blog post about the cards we used to get a free honeymoon (flight + hotels) and it discusses the Club Carlson Premier as well as some other cards.
http://www.frugalconsumerist.com/our-free-honeymoon/
Club Carlson has some really nice hotels in Europe, their fancy hotel selection in the US is a little more limited, but they do have a lot of mid range hotels here.
Perfect! Applying today, going to turn it into 4 days at 4 star resorts (2 days at one, 2 days at another) in Iceland in April. Problem solved :-)
Nice! I have been dying to go to Iceland, and definitely want to check out the Radisson Blu 1919. Would love to hear your review after your trip.
Post by: flashpacker on January 16, 2015, 02:22:21 PM
Statement closed end of day 1/15 (yesterday). Called this afternoon after I saw points were in my Rapid Rewards account. Had to call customer care to have companion name manually added. Under 10 minutes total process. Went back in and added my companion to some existing flights. Score!!!
Post by: dhbike01 on January 21, 2015, 01:13:43 PM
Since you transferred your points on 12/31, I don't think they will count this year. My Choice points from Dec did not count, even though they posted in Jan. I transferred 1800 points from Choice last night to see if that's the case. Will let you know. I actually called Southwest and they said I didn't have any Choice points in Jan but that they were in Dec, even though on their site I see them in Jan. I think the dead giveaway is that the transaction line item has a December date in the description, so they know.
I am 95% sure you're correct, and I am super mad at myself for jumping the gun. I thought I had read that Choice points credited on the day they posted to Southwest, not the day they transferred - and all I had to do was wait like 4 more hours!!!! AHHHG! I now need to make up 2700 points.
I really didn't want to spend more money on this, but it looks like I might have to... I can possibly close my Serve account and open a RedCard to manufacture spend, but I am not sure if this will work, and then I'll have 3 months worth of mortgage & bills on the RedCard, which causes a bit of a cashflow problem.
The 1800flowers offer that is currently shown expired Dec 31st, so I don't want to try to "buy" points via a flower order until the offer updates. I could buy more Choice points, but 1800 SW points doesn't quite get me there, and costs a lot ($66).
I'm even more confident now than last night. I also did the Dining and Shopping promotion. I ate at a resturant on 12/31. My bonus points posted on 01/07 but again with 12/31 in the transaction description. Those bonus points did not count for the companion pass. However, I ate at another resturant on 01/03 and the bonus points posted on 01/14 and counted against the Companion Pass. Constrast that with Southwest CC spending. My Premier and Plus statements closed on 1/1 and that's the date in the transaction description. The transaction date in the Rewards Activity is 1/3 but it's really the 1/1 that is the key. There is a learning curve on this.
By the way, I used the RedCard and paid normal bills. However, I had some surplus on the RedCard and made a partial payment on one of the credit cards. It works so try that.
No surprise here but my latest round of Choice points posted and counted against the Companion Pass. I now have a Companion Pass.
Here is what the transactions look like.
Date Type Description
01/21/2015 Hotel Choice 01/12/2015 (Companion Pass Qualifying)
01/05/2015 Hotel Choice 12/28/2014 (Not Companion Pass Qualifying)
For Choice, when you initiate the transfer of Choice points to Southwest is the date used instead of the post date.
Post by: kudy on January 22, 2015, 09:34:06 AM
For Choice, when you initiate the transfer of Choice points to Southwest is the date used instead of the post date.
I am still mad at myself - thanks for confirming that the transfer works if initiated in the right year!
I will have my pass after the next statement close on Feb 3rd.
Post by: shotgunwilly on January 22, 2015, 09:58:50 AM
Whenever I received my card and all the information, it never mentions anywhere the 50,000 pt bonus. Will it just "magically" appear in your account after you spend the $2000?
Post by: arebelspy on January 22, 2015, 10:09:47 AM
I'm curious about the 50,000 southwest pts you get after spending $2000 with the Chase Rapid Rewards card...
Whenever I received my card and all the information, it never mentions anywhere the 50,000 pt bonus. Will it just "magically" appear in your account after you spend the $2000?
If that bonus was in effect when you signed up, yes. You can always call customer service and confirm what your bonus is, when it's due by, etc.
Post by: Zamboni on January 22, 2015, 09:04:10 PM
One of the things I signed up for recently is the Rapid Rewards Dining Program. They advertised a 1000 point bonus for signing up your Chase card and completing one dine and review within a certain time period. I knew I'd manage it with a special occasion dinner that was going to happen no matter what in early January. While that bonus (+ the points for the dining itself) has appeared in my account, the 1000 point bonus doesn't appear to be counting as Companion pass qualify points at this time (I'll update if that changes.) I don't eat out very much, but I recently accidentally had a qualifying "dine" while on a road trip to another state. No clue it was a place in the program; just ordered from a place the bellhop recommended. I have a feeling those dining points will add up over time.
Post by: arebelspy on January 23, 2015, 02:39:56 PM
I received the actual companion pass card in the mail the other day. So I have that going for me, which is nice.
Did it come with total consciousness?
(http://hotmeme.net/media/i/7/5/uyV-so-i-got-that-goin-for-me-which-is-nice.jpg)
Post by: nawhite on January 23, 2015, 02:40:38 PM
I received the actual companion pass card in the mail the other day. So I have that going for me, which is nice.
I doubt the Dali Lama sent you the card though. ;-)
Post by: jmusic on January 23, 2015, 04:31:03 PM
I'm curious about the 50,000 southwest pts you get after spending $2000 with the Chase Rapid Rewards card...
Whenever I received my card and all the information, it never mentions anywhere the 50,000 pt bonus. Will it just "magically" appear in your account after you spend the $2000?
If that bonus was in effect when you signed up, yes. You can always call customer service and confirm what your bonus is, when it's due by, etc.
I just got mine. Key point is that you have to wait for the monthly statement date of the CC. Mine was Jan 18 and I saw it post on SW yesterday. Now I just need to call and find out about the plus card I applied for...
Post by: Sara on January 26, 2015, 09:02:33 AM
Post by: arebelspy on January 26, 2015, 09:16:05 AM
I just achieved companion pass status. I’ll be honest I was very skeptical this was going to work. I have both the Premier card and the plus card. I’m so excited to do some traveling this year once my boyfriend is done with Grad school in May! I only wish they flew to more places in the Midwest (where I’m from) and Hawaii would be nice as well, but it sounds like it (Hawaii) might be in the works! Thanks everyone for all the tips!
Congrats, and welcome to the forums!
Post by: bye-bye Ms. FancyPants on January 27, 2015, 06:29:13 PM
Question: The only current promotion is for the Signature card - do you think if he gets this card they will run the promotion on the Premier card again soon also?
Link: https://creditcards.chase.com/a1/southwest/50kPremierNonAEP?CELL=6RHZ
Post by: mushroom on January 27, 2015, 07:39:50 PM
Just click on "learn more" and the 50K promotion is at the top for both cards. My husband just signed up and ideally it's best to do both in one day if you care about the credit pull.
Post by: happyfeet on January 27, 2015, 09:32:05 PM
Post by: Zamboni on January 28, 2015, 04:27:33 AM
My experience with this entire process has been extremely positive. I was approved for two cards online on the same day in Nov and then was able to earn the bonus in January through a combination of my normal spending and earning points other ways (one business trip flight last week, converting some existing Choice hotels points, 1000 point bonus for a $35 birthday gift order from 1-800-flowers, and joining rapid rewards dining which netted me a couple of hundred points + another 1000 bonus.) That last 1000 points didn't seem to apply to the companion pass qualification, but it turns out I didn't even need it with so many other things netting points.
As a couple of others have noted, the companion pass didn't show up right away even though it said I was eligible, so I called customer service and she added my companion to the account as well as a couple of existing flights that I had already booked for myself. For one of my trips my companion needed to fly back earlier than I, so ~12000 points paid for that trip home (which is barely a drop in the points bucket at this point.) I am also A-list qualified for early boarding now, which means I got to get in the short line for baggage check and then again at security check and also boarded in the first group for my business trip and get the extra leg room rows which I really appreciate. I might even start bringing a rolling carry on since there will surely always be overhead bin space when I board! It just keeps getting better and better! Seriously, I can't believe anyone who can manage this and knows about it doesn't do it. My only regret is that I wish I had known about it a couple of years ago.
Good luck to everyone who is working on this, and thank you very much for posting to let us all know about it!
Post by: OutBy40 on January 30, 2015, 01:34:35 PM
Post by: bigalsmith101 on January 30, 2015, 01:57:41 PM
Specifically I'm interested in booking an international flight via this method
https://creditcards.chase.com/southwest/redeem/international-travel
I wonder if my future companion pass will be valid on such a flight. I.E Seattle --> Madrid or London or Bangkok...
Post by: nawhite on January 30, 2015, 05:10:46 PM
Has anyone used the Companion Pass on international flights on a carrier other than South West?
Specifically I'm interested in booking an international flight via this method
https://creditcards.chase.com/southwest/redeem/international-travel
I wonder if my future companion pass will be valid on such a flight. I.E Seattle --> Madrid or London or Bangkok...
I had no idea you could do that but I seriously doubt the companion pass would work on another airline. Playing around with that site makes it seem that you are simply booking a flight with another carrier that wont go through the Southwest website where you would say "add my companion." I'll be on the lookout for information to the contrary though.
Post by: bye-bye Ms. FancyPants on January 31, 2015, 09:02:09 AM
No, promotions for both cards should still be available: https://www.southwest.com/html/rapidrewards/partners/credit-cards/southwest-airlines-rapid-rewards-cards/index.html?int=GSUBNAV-RR-VISA
Just click on "learn more" and the 50K promotion is at the top for both cards. My husband just signed up and ideally it's best to do both in one day if you care about the credit pull.
YES!! ^^^THIS^^^ is why I love you all! Thank you mushroom! I've been so upset cause I thought I totally screwed it up. Thanks for responding with the link.
Post by: bigalsmith101 on February 01, 2015, 02:46:54 AM
Has anyone used the Companion Pass on international flights on a carrier other than South West?
Specifically I'm interested in booking an international flight via this method
https://creditcards.chase.com/southwest/redeem/international-travel
I wonder if my future companion pass will be valid on such a flight. I.E Seattle --> Madrid or London or Bangkok...
I had no idea you could do that but I seriously doubt the companion pass would work on another airline. Playing around with that site makes it seem that you are simply booking a flight with another carrier that wont go through the Southwest website where you would say "add my companion." I'll be on the lookout for information to the contrary though.
Southwest promoted international flights on multiple airlines, accessible with points etc. However, it took me a way too long to find the correct link/path to find a way to book international flights on other carriers.
I also hight doubt that a companion pass would be valid for an international flight outside of Southwest Airlines, but I may call them up and ask should I plan to make such a trip.
Post by: hred17 on February 01, 2015, 02:56:18 AM
Post by: johnny847 on February 02, 2015, 02:03:07 PM
EDIT: Here's a better explanation: http://frequentmiler.boardingarea.com/2015/02/02/how-to-feed-the-hungry-and-fly-for-free-take-two/ (http://frequentmiler.boardingarea.com/2015/02/02/how-to-feed-the-hungry-and-fly-for-free-take-two/)
Post by: Ms Independent on February 02, 2015, 04:19:44 PM
In the first post, I noticed there was a do-something-by-Jan.-2015 deadline. That's no longer possible. Is this deal still worth taking advantage of if I'd only now be signing up for the cards? Also -- does it make sense for 1 person to sign up for 2 cards, or for 2 people to sign up for 2 cards?
Apologies for utterly amateur inquiries ... and thanks!
Post by: johnny847 on February 02, 2015, 04:25:57 PM
Really interested in this, but have never played any of these credit card travel games before.The January 2015 thing was brought up because that was posted in December, and to get the most use of the companion pass, you'd want the points to post in January. If you signed up for the cards right now, you wouldn't have to worry about this, as it is 2015 already.
In the first post, I noticed there was a do-something-by-Jan.-2015 deadline. That's no longer possible. Is this deal still worth taking advantage of if I'd only now be signing up for the cards? Also -- does it make sense for 1 person to sign up for 2 cards, or for 2 people to sign up for 2 cards?
Apologies for utterly amateur inquiries ... and thanks!
The 50k bonus points on the plus and premier are still available here: https://creditcards.chase.com/6000321?CELL=6PLT (https://creditcards.chase.com/6000321?CELL=6PLT) (the link is for the Plus, and below you can find the links for the Premier and Business Premier).
EDIT: There's a lot of great info in this thread. But if you don't want to have to trudge through the entire thread, there's a nice guide on the pass here: http://www.doctorofcredit.com/everything-you-ever-wanted-to-know-about-the-southwest-companion-pass/ (http://www.doctorofcredit.com/everything-you-ever-wanted-to-know-about-the-southwest-companion-pass/)
Post by: Ms Independent on February 02, 2015, 04:51:18 PM
EDIT: There's a lot of great info in this thread. But if you don't want to have to trudge through the entire thread, there's a nice guide on the pass here: http://www.doctorofcredit.com/everything-you-ever-wanted-to-know-about-the-southwest-companion-pass/ (http://www.doctorofcredit.com/everything-you-ever-wanted-to-know-about-the-southwest-companion-pass/)
Many thanks -- the thread is indeed long, and I may get to the trudging, but this will help with the initial resistance to that.
Post by: schmiecs on February 04, 2015, 08:28:22 AM
I've been hitting the spends on all 4 cards (and to meet the companion points) by buying myself $500 gift cards to my grocery store. They don't expire, and I know I'll use them all up eventually.
Post by: johnny847 on February 04, 2015, 02:03:59 PM
When we applied for the cards, we got one with 50K points and one with 25K points. I was able to call Chase and have them change the bonus on the 25K cards to be 50K, after I'd met the spend.Are you buying grocery gc's or visa gc's?
I've been hitting the spends on all 4 cards (and to meet the companion points) by buying myself $500 gift cards to my grocery store. They don't expire, and I know I'll use them all up eventually.
If you're interested in using visa gift cards to pay off the southwest cc's, you can signup for an Amex serve to do this. You can reload the Amex serve at Walmart with your visa gc's, and then use the Serve's bill pay function to pay off the Southwest CC's
Post by: schmiecs on February 04, 2015, 06:43:59 PM
Post by: johnny847 on February 04, 2015, 06:56:53 PM
I'm just buying the grocery ones - is there any advantage to the other way? It sounds more complicated.It is certainly more complicated. The upside is that you're not floating hundreds of dollars in gift cards, and can still invest that money.
Having to wait in lines at Walmart is a significant downside. I can avoid this because I'm a grad student and I don't have to be in the lab at any specific hours, other than the occasional meeting.
But actually, easier way - you can load the Amex Serve online using your Southwest CC, and then use it to pay off other credit cards (I wouldn't recommend paying off the same CC you use to load Amex Serve though - I haven't heard reports of people getting shut down for this but it just seems way too obvious). Or, pay off other bills (there's a whole bunch listed, including some mortgages I think).
Post by: kudy on February 05, 2015, 06:25:51 PM
Does anyone know if they still send out those drink coupons?
Post by: Frugal Consumerist on February 06, 2015, 10:30:24 AM
Post by: arebelspy on February 06, 2015, 01:21:56 PM
Keep in mind whatever spot you get: you'll end up in the same place regardless. No need to panic.
Post by: arebelspy on February 06, 2015, 01:28:14 PM
yeah i think the two different confirmation numbers threw me off. so I can just check myself in with my number and that checks my wife in too?
That should work, yes. If it doesn't, check her in separately. Either way it takes about 30 seconds to check in (2 minutes if you haven't done it recently and read through everything), so it's not a big deal if you do have to do it separately for some reason. But you shouldn't.
Post by: nawhite on February 07, 2015, 08:32:19 AM
yeah i think the two different confirmation numbers threw me off. so I can just check myself in with my number and that checks my wife in too?
That should work, yes. If it doesn't, check her in separately. Either way it takes about 30 seconds to check in (2 minutes if you haven't done it recently and read through everything), so it's not a big deal if you do have to do it separately for some reason. But you shouldn't.
I've always had to check each of us in separately. When you check in the first person it won't give you the companion's boarding pass so you'll see you need to check in separately. Like ARS said though, it takes about 30 seconds so don't worry about it.
Post by: secondcor521 on February 13, 2015, 05:51:55 PM
Post by: Ms Independent on February 15, 2015, 11:43:56 AM
Post by: johnny847 on February 15, 2015, 12:10:44 PM
Thanks for all the help & discussion so far. I just applied for a Premier and a Plus card. The Premier was approved instantly ... the Plus is pending review. I applied for them about a minute apart. Why would the responses be different? Any call for concern? (Credit score excellent ...)Typically there is a limit on how much credit any one institution is willing to I grant you. If you already have other cards from Chase that might be what's happening (and typically you can reallocate credit from your other cards to get around this) . Regardless of what the real reason is though, you should call their reconsideration line to resolve it. I'd link you a page with all the recon numbers but I'm on mobile. It should come up quickly from Google though.
Post by: boarder42 on February 17, 2015, 02:33:46 PM
yeah i think the two different confirmation numbers threw me off. so I can just check myself in with my number and that checks my wife in too?
That should work, yes. If it doesn't, check her in separately. Either way it takes about 30 seconds to check in (2 minutes if you haven't done it recently and read through everything), so it's not a big deal if you do have to do it separately for some reason. But you shouldn't.
you have to check in both separately i do this all the time.
as to the drink ticket statement ... you will get 4 per CC per year.
Post by: misschedda on February 20, 2015, 10:09:50 AM
as to the drink ticket statement ... you will get 4 per CC per year.
Are you serious? How have I never heard of this perk? I should be getting the Companion Pass after two more billing cycles and I'm so psyched.
Post by: someday on February 20, 2015, 05:19:55 PM
First two years were under me, next two under the SO. We use it religiously on a monthly basis to fly up and down CA to see the SO's family and friends up in the bay area.
Here are my tips on how to maximize free flights with SW:
1. Book in advance Flights are typically booked when there's a sale, and periodically checked and re-checked for any price adjustments. Since awards can be cancelled without penalty, its a no-brainer to book far in advance when there's a nice sale. Just make sure you don't book the companion until the last minute as it's much more difficult to get points credited back when a companion has been added.
2. Reduce your total travel cost. Outside of hotels and car rentals at your destination (if needed), there is the basic cost of getting to the airport. I live 15 minutes away from LAX, and ride my motorcycle to catch flights. Motorcycles park free in the central terminal, meaning no airport parking shuttle transfers. Just walk across the street and you're into the terminal. Having friends drop you off or taking public transportation also helps reduce this cost.
3. Credit cards can help you travel more efficiently, comfortably, and even cheaper. I have the Amex Plat card - annual fee is $450 but it comes with lounge access, plus $200 flight travel credit which I use each calendar year to buy $200 worth of southwest gift cards. These gift cards are then used in turn to pay for the $5.60 TSA fee for each award ticket. The Amex Plat also gave free global entry, which means free TSA Pre Check status that allows you to breeze by security lines, good for 5 years. There's the Citi Prestige that I'll be switching to avoid having to pay the Amex Plat annual fee again this year. It's $350 a year for the Prestige, but also comes with another global entry fee reimbursement (will use for MIL), lounge access, and $250 per calendar year flight credit (also to buy southwest giftcards), along with some nice sign up bonuses and other perks. Not having to deal with security at the airport, and hanging out in the lounge, and having the benefits of a premium credit card at basically no cost when you factor in the flight credits, is pretty nice.
Post by: kudy on February 21, 2015, 10:09:07 AM
Quote
Just make sure you don't book the companion until the last minute as it's much more difficult to get points credited back when a companion has been added.
Thanks for this info, did not know this! Is there something specific about it that makes it hard? Is it just a longer wait for the refunded points?
Post by: bigalsmith101 on February 21, 2015, 01:02:19 PM
Except...
Not all of those 110,703 points count towards the companion pass. SO, how many counted? 109,939. I'm 61 points shy!!!!
Now I have to wait until the next billing cycle (Mar. 13th) before my companion pass will be activated.
The worst part? I was filling the tank on my work truck (Semi truck with 120gl diesel tanks), and ONLY put $150 in it (as the pump stopped short at a $150 limit.) I could have simply ran the card again and put another $100+ dollars on the card. And I NEARLY did, but decided not to bother. Had I been more aware, I would have known I was short of the 110k limit.
Oh well, I wasn't planning any flights within the next 3.5 weeks anyway, but I was still bummed!!!
Post by: bigalsmith101 on February 23, 2015, 12:01:52 PM
Here are my tips on how to maximize free flights with SW:
1. Book in advance. Flights are typically booked when there's a sale, and periodically checked and re-checked for any price adjustments. Since awards can be cancelled without penalty, its a no-brainer to book far in advance when there's a nice sale. Just make sure you don't book the companion until the last minute as it's much more difficult to get points credited back when a companion has been added.
Can I get some collaborate info on this? If I book a ticket with my rewards points TODAY for a flight in JULY, and come May the ticket price is cheaper, I can simply cancel my previously booked flight and then re-book at that time? Essentially a free cancellation policy that is nearly guaranteed to get me the best price possible (in rewards points) as long as I spent the time to follow up and check for future price discounts?
To follow that up. Since the companion flies for free on the companion pass, you can add your companion to your flight at any time? As long as there is still a seat available on that flight I assume? Do you run the risk of not getting your companion on the same flight as you if you wait too long to add your companion to your flight?
I'm looking at booking a flight in July to southern Mexico or the Caribbean and don't want to mess it up, but flights are much cheaper now than later.
Post by: misschedda on February 23, 2015, 01:15:17 PM
Can I get some collaborate info on this? If I book a ticket with my rewards points TODAY for a flight in JULY, and come May the ticket price is cheaper, I can simply cancel my previously booked flight and then re-book at that time? Essentially a free cancellation policy that is nearly guaranteed to get me the best price possible (in rewards points) as long as I spent the time to follow up and check for future price discounts?
To follow that up. Since the companion flies for free on the companion pass, you can add your companion to your flight at any time? As long as there is still a seat available on that flight I assume? Do you run the risk of not getting your companion on the same flight as you if you wait too long to add your companion to your flight?
Yes, you can definitely do free cancellations if you book with points. Essentially, SW will always "refund" you a ticket in the form of SW credit, which in this case is points. So if you book with points you can get those points refunded if you decide to cancel or change the ticket.
And yes, you can add a companion at any time as long as there are seats available, so do it ASAP. Companion seats are also "refundable" (i.e. you can cancel them at any time because you paid nothing for them.)
Post by: someday on February 24, 2015, 12:24:54 PM
QuoteJust make sure you don't book the companion until the last minute as it's much more difficult to get points credited back when a companion has been added.
Thanks for this info, did not know this! Is there something specific about it that makes it hard? Is it just a longer wait for the refunded points?
The way you can reprice an existing ticket is you "modify" your existing flight online. Basically southwest rebooks you on the flight, and refunds the difference in points. The process can be completed in a manner of several minutes from your keyboard.
Why I don't like to add the companion pass until about a couple weeks before the flight is because you get an error message when trying to modify your existing flight online to get a refund of points. Then you have to call in and talk with a representative. It's not the end of the world, but it's more work for me.
Much easier to just book it for the primary account, then book companion pass the closer you get to the departure date. My understanding is that with the companion pass, as long as there is ANY seat available (does not need to be in the same fare class that you originally booked (e.g., wanna get away fares, refundable, biz select). Weekend flights typically are not crazy booked (except maybe the last flight of the evening Sunday has a good amount of business travelers), so this method has worked for me the past 2 years.
There may be an upcoming devaluation of point value to Southwest, although the details are vague at this point.
http://thepointsguy.com/2015/02/southwest-rapid-rewards-devaluation-coming-april-17/
Post by: ejw001 on March 10, 2015, 05:07:20 PM
Why I don't like to add the companion pass until about a couple weeks before the flight is because you get an error message when trying to modify your existing flight online to get a refund of points. Then you have to call in and talk with a representative. It's not the end of the world, but it's more work for me.
You can just cancel the companion ticket, then change the original one, then add companion back on (using the confirmation numbers from the old flights for the credit for the security fees you paid). Equally annoying but doesn't require a phone call.
Post by: cashstasherat23 on March 11, 2015, 07:51:47 AM
The drink tickets are awesome! I didn't know about that.
Post by: iamlindoro on March 11, 2015, 10:12:02 AM
I really really want to sign up for the companion pass, but....I would like to do it at the end of this year/beginning of 2016, as we don't have much opportunity for travel this year. Do they do it every year? Is it too risky, and I should just bite the bullet and do it now? I know you can't know for sure what they will do, but if anyone has any insight, I would love to know.
There is definitely no guarantee that the 50K card offers will come back, or that they won't phase out the CP, or whatever-- there's always some degree of risk involved in waiting. That said, the CP has been around for a number of years, and the 50K offers tend to show up once or twice a year. Ideally the 50K offers show up at a time of year that allows for the points to post at the start of a year, but if Chase and Southwest get wise to how many people use this method of getting the CP, they could do something like have the 50K offers end by September so that all points would post in that calendar year, preventing the nearly two years of CP status. Anything is possible.
We also have a lot of major travel planned this year (taking up most of our vacation), so using our CP this year is going to be limited to long weekends and the like... but that's still pretty exciting too. We're doing a long weekend in Mexico City in May, I'm using some points to go check out some Real Estate Investment markets, etc. Next year we'll probably use the CP/remaining points for some beach vacations.
Post by: fartface on April 01, 2015, 11:36:23 AM
Anyway, since it's been 24months+ since he was awarded the bonus, we thought about applying for it again; however it looks like they've reduced the bonus to 25,000?
Post by: dandarc on April 01, 2015, 11:39:15 AM
I have the SW Visa card (premier I think). DH had one two years ago, but cancelled after redeeming his points to avoid the annual fee.These are generally time-limited offers. Last year, in addition to the November / December offer, they did this in May. Possibly other times as well - you just have to keep an eye out for it, if they make this offer again. I kind of want to do this if it comes up again, but not sure we fly enough to go through convincing my wife on opening more credit cards.
Anyway, since it's been 24months+ since he was awarded the bonus, we thought about applying for it again; however it looks like they've reduced the bonus to 25,000?
Post by: johnny847 on April 01, 2015, 11:41:39 AM
I have the SW Visa card (premier I think). DH had one two years ago, but cancelled after redeeming his points to avoid the annual fee.
Anyway, since it's been 24months+ since he was awarded the bonus, we thought about applying for it again; however it looks like they've reduced the bonus to 25,000?
http://www.doctorofcredit.com/round-up-of-all-the-current-chase-southwest-bonuses/ (http://www.doctorofcredit.com/round-up-of-all-the-current-chase-southwest-bonuses/)
It's actually possible to get 110k points with just the signup bonuses right now. Get the Personal Plus via referral (I'm sure somebody on this thread can refer you) or the Personal Premier for 50k. Then get the business Premier for 60k. Boom. Done.
Post by: Benaj on April 01, 2015, 11:44:21 AM
Post by: iamlindoro on April 01, 2015, 02:41:09 PM
Is that a referral link? As your first post? If so, dick move.
Edit: Nope, it's not. I'm the dick. Leaving the above for posterity and to acknowledge that I jumped the gun ;)
Post by: Benaj on April 01, 2015, 03:24:55 PM
I used it last week to start my rewards miles venture!
Post by: arebelspy on April 01, 2015, 03:29:07 PM
No referral link just a link to the 50k points signup!
I used it last week to start my rewards miles venture!
Thanks Benaj. Welcome to the forums!
Post by: DirtDiva on April 02, 2015, 03:23:53 PM
I've scored a few flights here and there with other frequent flier mile programs (most notably Denver/Vienna/Sarajevo/Denver for a total of $410 in fees this summer) but never with the measure of success I'm having with the Companion Pass and 110,000 Rapid Rewards points. Good stuff- many thanks to the OP.
Post by: elaine amj on April 02, 2015, 06:41:19 PM
We have gotten it 3 times right now. There are alternate ways to earn CP :)
2012 - DH applied for both CCs and we got the CP for 2012 and 2013
2013 - CP from the year before...started running low on points so applied for 3rd CC (there are 4 as both come in Personal and Business versions). In hindsight, a silly move.
2014 - I wanted a CP but cannot get the CCs since I am Canadian (DH is dual). So both DH and I applied for the Marriott CCs here in Canada. We also transferred DH's Ultimate Reward points (from other CC signups) to my Marriott account and ended up with a boatload of points. Using the combined points from both our Marriott accounts, I redeemed 250,000 Marriott points for 100,000 Southwest points and a 7 night Cat 1-5 Marriott stay. I applied for a Cdn Best Western CC and transferred the signup bonus to Southwest to get me my last 10k SW points. Complicated - but so worth it :)
2015 - We decided 1 CP was good but 2 would be better so BOTH kids travel free! DH applied for the 4th Southwest CC to get 50k points. Then he applied for the Ritz Carlton CC (and paid a hefty annual fee!) to get 140,000 Marriott points. After transferring the last of our Ultimate Reward points, he redeemed 220,000 Marriott points for 70,000 Southwest points plus a 7 night Cat 1-5 Marriott stay.
This is our year of crazy family flights :)
2016 - Only DH will have his CP so focus will be more couple trips. We will likely have to take a break from CP :( after this until we can attempt to churn the same credit card applications. My focus will change to earning American Airline and British Airways points as we have done nothing with either program so far.
Post by: bigalsmith101 on April 03, 2015, 05:50:50 PM
Can I get some collaborate info on this? If I book a ticket with my rewards points TODAY for a flight in JULY, and come May the ticket price is cheaper, I can simply cancel my previously booked flight and then re-book at that time? Essentially a free cancellation policy that is nearly guaranteed to get me the best price possible (in rewards points) as long as I spent the time to follow up and check for future price discounts?
To follow that up. Since the companion flies for free on the companion pass, you can add your companion to your flight at any time? As long as there is still a seat available on that flight I assume? Do you run the risk of not getting your companion on the same flight as you if you wait too long to add your companion to your flight?
Yes, you can definitely do free cancellations if you book with points. Essentially, SW will always "refund" you a ticket in the form of SW credit, which in this case is points. So if you book with points you can get those points refunded if you decide to cancel or change the ticket.
And yes, you can add a companion at any time as long as there are seats available, so do it ASAP. Companion seats are also "refundable" (i.e. you can cancel them at any time because you paid nothing for them.)
Can I get some more feedback on changing/canceling international flights? Ie. Seattle-->Cancun? There are $80.99 worth of international travel fees to be paid upon booking the flight for myself. If I decide to change the flight later, or cancel it altogether, will I be refunded the fees along with the points?
Post by: DirtDiva on April 04, 2015, 09:24:19 AM
Post by: handsnhearts on April 04, 2015, 02:06:52 PM
Post by: Ms Independent on April 07, 2015, 01:43:02 PM
- If we spend points on a flight before hitting 110,000, does that affect points toward CP?
- If we buy flight now with points before we have earned CP, can we still use CP for flight assuming we have earned it before Memorial Day?
Hope that was clear. Thanks in advance for help!
Post by: MsFrugalista on April 07, 2015, 02:26:14 PM
Have 60,000 points, waiting on the last 50K to post so we can use CP. In the meantime: We want to purchase a flight with points for Memorial Day weekend. My questions are:
- If we spend points on a flight before hitting 110,000, does that affect points toward CP?
- If we buy flight now with points before we have earned CP, can we still use CP for flight assuming we have earned it before Memorial Day?
Hope that was clear. Thanks in advance for help!
You can use your points now, it won't affect the points accumulated towards CP.
Yes, you can go ahead book the flight now with points. You can add your companion later once you reach CP status. There is a small chance that your flight maybe sold out (including all classes, not just the lowest fare class), but this has never happened to us. I have added my companion a week before the flight during high peak season with no problem.
Post by: arebelspy on April 07, 2015, 06:36:53 PM
Post by: cashstasherat23 on April 08, 2015, 07:39:27 AM
Post by: Gimesalot on April 08, 2015, 09:24:33 AM
Should I just wait until the bonus goes to 50,000?
Post by: iamlindoro on April 08, 2015, 09:34:09 AM
I am late to the game, so I can only find 25,000 pts on the plus card. I have a link to 50,000 pts on the premier.
Should I just wait until the bonus goes to 50,000?
That's one option. Another is to get both the personal and business version of the Premier (your personal situation permitting).
Post by: handsnhearts on April 08, 2015, 09:44:43 AM
used the doctor of credit link above to apply for both 60,000 business and then used 50,000 premier offer I received in mail. Business still pending and reconsideration closed d/t weekend. Premier approved after reconsideration and card expedited to me 1-2 days shipping to use it faster. WIll call business line this week to see how it is going. Used http://www.milesdividendmd.com/miles-and-points-travel/ (http://www.milesdividendmd.com/miles-and-points-travel/) for prep calling reconsideration line,but it was very easy and pleasant and not needed, but better to be prepared.
I will follow up on the business card today but the premier came in the mail last night with the expedited mail service. Now I can start making the charges to get the points. If you want the plus card, you have to find someone who can refer you for the 50,000 points.
Post by: vagabond on April 08, 2015, 11:45:13 AM
Can I apply for the Personal & business Premier (w/o a business) at the same time for reqd 110k points assuming i am able to spend (3+2k min spend combined ) in first 3 months.
if i apply in apr 2015 , and qualify for the CP with the reqd spending , does that entitle the CP for rest of 2015 and entire 2016.
I am late to the game, so I can only find 25,000 pts on the plus card. I have a link to 50,000 pts on the premier.
Should I just wait until the bonus goes to 50,000?
That's one option. Another is to get both the personal and business version of the Premier (your personal situation permitting).
Post by: nanu on April 08, 2015, 11:57:37 AM
apologies for being late to the game.You do need a business, but that can be anything such as "I do some consulting work on the side but I'm working on ramping it up and want to keep business expenses separate".
Can I apply for the Personal & business Premier (w/o a business) at the same time for reqd 110k points assuming i am able to spend (3+2k min spend combined ) in first 3 months.
if i apply in apr 2015 , and qualify for the CP with the reqd spending , does that entitle the CP for rest of 2015 and entire 2016.
Otherwise yes, it will give you the companion pass for the rest of 2015 and all of 2016.
Post by: iamlindoro on April 08, 2015, 11:57:53 AM
apologies for being late to the game.
Can I apply for the Personal & business Premier (w/o a business) at the same time for reqd 110k points assuming i am able to spend (3+2k min spend combined ) in first 3 months.
if i apply in apr 2015 , and qualify for the CP with the reqd spending , does that entitle the CP for rest of 2015 and entire 2016.
You must have a legitimate business to apply for a business card. That said, what constitutes a business is exclusively the decision of Chase. Many people apply for and receive business cards with only their side hustle, such as selling things on eBay, etc., and no actual registration of the business. Such people have been up front with Chase when asked, and not had a problem. What's acceptable seems to largely be a function of whether the application needs review, and who does the reviewing.
Yes, if you apply in 2015 and hit the spend of both cards, you will get the CP for the remainder of 2015, and all of 2016.
Post by: Nikii on April 15, 2015, 02:43:55 PM
Post by: arebelspy on April 15, 2015, 02:53:12 PM
Post by: iamlindoro on April 17, 2015, 07:38:37 PM
http://www.thestreet.com/story/13117139/1/southwest-airlines-may-replace-chase-for-credit-cards-program--exclusive.html
Southwest allegedly considering changing bank partners on their cards. Though it's possible/probable that they are using a rumored bank switch as leverage in their contract renegotiations with Chase, a switch to a new bank could present neat opportunities to get another couple SW signup bonuses in advance of the two years usually required between bonuses on the same card at Chase.
Post by: bye-bye Ms. FancyPants on April 22, 2015, 06:45:10 PM
WHOOHHOO!!
Now I need to work on churning for some rental car and hotel points. Anyone have any pointers or point me in the right direction??
Post by: nawhite on April 23, 2015, 11:58:42 AM
I just read these words: You qualify for a Companion Pass!
WHOOHHOO!!
Now I need to work on churning for some rental car and hotel points. Anyone have any pointers or point me in the right direction??
Best all around card I've found is the Barclaycard World Arrival card which does a $440 sign up bonus and 2.222 points/$ on everything if you only redeem the points for travel purchases (flights, hotels, rental cars, etc). Paid for a rental car for a week and 2 nights in a hostel in Puerto Rico last year.
For hotels, I've had luck with the Club Carlson card. Sign up bonus was worth 85k points which is worth about 2 nights in a 3-4 star hotel. The key is, if you stay more than 1 night, the last night is free. So if you book 2 separate 2-night stays, your points now get you 4 nights instead of just 2. Unfortunately Carlson's hotels are only in very large cities (though they are better in Europe). We stayed 2 nights in Edinburgh, Scotland and 2 nights in Reykjavik, Iceland with this a couple weeks ago.
Post by: nanu on April 23, 2015, 12:06:47 PM
If you have the card, you can still book now using this benefit for any future reservation, but new reservations made in May or June won't get that benefit anymore...
Post by: bye-bye Ms. FancyPants on April 26, 2015, 03:51:05 PM
Post by: cashstasherat23 on April 27, 2015, 09:46:25 AM
Disclosure, I'd get 5,000 points if you sign up with my link. Also sadly, I think this is only for the Premier card at this time.
Post by: lizzzi on April 27, 2015, 09:56:04 AM
Post by: DSKla on April 27, 2015, 10:14:15 AM
For anyone interested in the IHG Rewards Club Select, read the fine print. Yes, you get one night free every year. But it can only be on the one-year anniversary date that you signed up for the card.Don't you also get a 70,000 point sign-up bonus? I have no idea how many nights that's worth, but I think that's in addition to the free night.
Post by: lizzzi on April 27, 2015, 01:50:57 PM
Post by: Zamboni on May 09, 2015, 04:24:02 PM
I'm a huge SW airlines fan now. So far we've got the following either under our belt or lined up using the companion pass:
Denver
Philly
NYC
Orlando (not my idea!)
Denver (again)
Washington state
And that's just Mar-early July!
Oh, and I just had to change a business flight on US Airways. They charge a $25 "booking fee" now in addition to the other fees such as the $200 change fee and baggage fees. I wouldn't have minded so much except for a) $25 is ridiculous, b) I had to negotiate one of those obnoxious computer voice activated menus first, and b) they phone agent clearly did not speak English as a first language. He had all kinds of trouble communicating with me and I even had to spell the word "science" for him. What a long and tedious phone call; they should be sending me $25 for the extra time it took. Buh-bye, US Airways, last flight I'll take on you unless you are the only airline that goes where I need to go.
In contrast, it didn't cost me a penny in "booking fees" to call up and change my SW flight reservation coming back from Denver the night before it left (in fact they refunded some money since the new flight was cheaper), or to call and have the SW agent line up a three way flight for three people using only points and the companion pass.
I <3 SW Airlines!
Post by: Mikhial on May 21, 2015, 11:29:33 AM
Post by: dandarc on May 21, 2015, 11:36:55 AM
looks like the 50K deal is officially back on for all 3 cards - have a United card I need to put 3K on fairly immediately, but seriously tempted to see if I can't get the two personal cards here as well.
Post by: dandarc on May 23, 2015, 12:22:51 PM
Post by: dandarc on May 23, 2015, 03:28:41 PM
Post by: jaymeegs on June 07, 2015, 09:04:49 PM
A huge thank you for sharing all the info!
FYI, I was declined on the second card, so my husband applied for the Plus card using MY rapid rewards number, and it worked!
Both of our cards earned bonuses towards my RR account. We'll try to do the opposite in another two years.
Sent from my XT1049 using Tapatalk
Post by: bigalsmith101 on June 08, 2015, 01:29:58 PM
The taxes for the international flights to Mexico were just shy of $170 for the both of us.
We've booked a private room in a hostel for $215 USD for the week we're staying there. Having spent a LOT of time traveling and living in hostels (more than 13 months total), I'm more than happy with this.
So far, our flights and accommodation is under $400! Hell yea!
Thus far I've used just shy of 15k points for flying from Seattle to Ontario, California on last minute flights. This saved me over $250 that I would have paid for my flights otherwise (business related.)
The flight to Mexico, combined with wifey flying for free on the companion pass, is worth over $1,000.
I still have 77,677 points in the coffer and if I swing it right, that could easily be 3 more round trip tickets to Cancun (or more flights elsewhere), worth nearly another $3k in value.
I use the Southwest Card like a new religion. (Except when I buy fuel, then I use my PenFed card and get 5% cash back!)
Post by: nanu on June 08, 2015, 07:26:29 PM
My wife and I are flying to Cancun in 8 days, to stay for a week in Playa Del Carmen, Mexico. The flight from Seattle to Cancun was 30,520 points for a single ticket, though wifey is flying for free on her companion pass. Had I booked the flights earlier, I could have paid around 25k points, but I wasn't certain of the trip at the time.I'm pretty sure Southwest lets you cancel trips without any fees so you would simply get the points you paid back had you needed to cancel - better to book speculatively than wait in that case. Not only that, you can book in advance and if the price drops, make a new booking and cancel the old one for an instant discount.
Disclaimer: I've never done this myself, but it should work just fine, based upon other people's experiences.
Post by: MsFrugalista on June 08, 2015, 10:08:55 PM
I'm pretty sure Southwest lets you cancel trips without any fees so you would simply get the points you paid back had you needed to cancel - better to book speculatively than wait in that case. Not only that, you can book in advance and if the price drops, make a new booking and cancel the old one for an instant discount.
Disclaimer: I've never done this myself, but it should work just fine, based upon other people's experiences.
You are absolutely right, nanu. We do this all the time! I usually book as soon as the booking period opens up and then often times when there is a sale, I will change the flights when/if the price has dropped. You can cancel up to 1 hour before the flight. I suppose for international trips, you may not want to (or be able to) fork up the $100-$200 in fees for two people, but they will refund these back to you if you cancel (I forget now if it's in the form of a travel voucher or full cash credit - I have gotten both and have no problems using the travel voucher anyway).
We plan on going to Puerto Vallarta, Mexico over Thanksgiving this year and I will cancel if something changes last minute. We also used each of our 2 Free nights from the Chase Hyatt signup bonus to book 4 nights at the Hyatt Ziva PV all inclusive resort (food + drinks included!) :)
Post by: bigalsmith101 on June 09, 2015, 11:34:05 AM
I'm pretty sure Southwest lets you cancel trips without any fees so you would simply get the points you paid back had you needed to cancel - better to book speculatively than wait in that case. Not only that, you can book in advance and if the price drops, make a new booking and cancel the old one for an instant discount.
Disclaimer: I've never done this myself, but it should work just fine, based upon other people's experiences.
Yea, I totally f'ed it up. The difference was about 7500 points. Or basically a $115 mistake. I should have booked the tickets, and used the cancellation policy to my benefit. However, I think I was not aware of the benefits of booking with points at the time (aka, the no hassle cancelation).
We're already looking forward to planning another trip with the rewards points, many months in advance, so that we can lock down the best rates. Thanks for the input :)
Post by: Dee18 on June 09, 2015, 03:10:58 PM
I would love to hear hotel reviews from those of you already enjoying your companion passes!
Post by: dandarc on July 20, 2015, 06:45:16 AM
My statement on the premier card closed July 15th and still no points. Call chase, and their automated system says "52,519 points were transferred to your Southwest Rewards account" and will post within 4-6 days. Granted it has only been 5 days. Call SW - after educating the CSR that yes I do have both cards, and both accounts are open, he finds that my birth date & gender weren't entered on one of the cards. Apparently he couldn't see that these points had been transferred. Not sure if that has anything to do with the problem or not. Call Chase, talk to CSR. Hang up after being given the 6-8 week statement several times.
So I guess the play here is to wait a couple more days and then try southwest again? Want to squeeze 5 flights out of these 110K points starting with a trip in September, 2 of which are holiday travel, so I'm getting pretty antsy here.
Post by: nawhite on November 22, 2015, 02:48:17 PM
Post by: nawhite on November 22, 2015, 07:55:18 PM
Nice article. I'm planning on attempting this soon. I'm really really torn about whether to go for the business and personal card or two personal cards. I've heard of a lot of people denied by chase for the business card lately, so I'm really worried about getting denied. I don't have *much* of a business so it could be tough. Have you heard of people actually be successful telling them that they want a business card to travel for work? That would work for me, as I do travel a fair amount for work.
Eta: typo
I haven't gotten a business card in a over a year, but I definitely did the "I want to separate out my work travel expenses" line before. I'm currently applying for a new business card with a real business EIN and the process seems to be a little more involved. Need to fax some stuff but I expect to be approved. Maybe I'm counting my chickens before they hatch.
Post by: tomcatjam on November 22, 2015, 08:26:50 PM
http://thetravelroadmap.com/how-to-get-the-southwest-companion-pass (http://thetravelroadmap.com/how-to-get-the-southwest-companion-pass)
Post by: elaine amj on November 22, 2015, 10:52:06 PM
On another note, it sucks that Chase is being so restrictive with CCs now. After being denied a Chase CC a month ago (with excellent credit scores), we are planning to lay low for some months (although we did get a Citi credit card after getting denied by Chase).
Post by: dragoncar on November 23, 2015, 12:34:22 PM
The SW Companion Pass is awesome - we are on to our 4th yr with one. Our fave travel hack ...love that it is sooooo easy to use the points.
On another note, it sucks that Chase is being so restrictive with CCs now. After being denied a Chase CC a month ago (with excellent credit scores), we are planning to lay low for some months (although we did get a Citi credit card after getting denied by Chase).
Can you elaborate? I was going to get a sapphire preferred for the bonus and ability to Convert points to miles, but I already have like 4 chase cards. Chase always just had the best cards. I guess I can cancel one or two if I need to...
Post by: jorjor on November 23, 2015, 12:58:58 PM
The SW Companion Pass is awesome - we are on to our 4th yr with one. Our fave travel hack ...love that it is sooooo easy to use the points.
On another note, it sucks that Chase is being so restrictive with CCs now. After being denied a Chase CC a month ago (with excellent credit scores), we are planning to lay low for some months (although we did get a Citi credit card after getting denied by Chase).
Can you elaborate? I was going to get a sapphire preferred for the bonus and ability to Convert points to miles, but I already have like 4 chase cards. Chase always just had the best cards. I guess I can cancel one or two if I need to...
An anecdote here. We do all of our banking through Chase. They have our checking and savings, mortgage, and my wife's two credit cards (Freedom and Sapphire, for which I am an authorized user). I applied for the Premier and Plus cards early this month for the 50k bonus on each (had to find referrals for both for the increased bonus). The approval was immediate, to the point that the cards showed up on my Chase account literally within a few minutes after I was done applying.
Post by: iamlindoro on November 23, 2015, 01:11:37 PM
The SW Companion Pass is awesome - we are on to our 4th yr with one. Our fave travel hack ...love that it is sooooo easy to use the points.
On another note, it sucks that Chase is being so restrictive with CCs now. After being denied a Chase CC a month ago (with excellent credit scores), we are planning to lay low for some months (although we did get a Citi credit card after getting denied by Chase).
Can you elaborate? I was going to get a sapphire preferred for the bonus and ability to Convert points to miles, but I already have like 4 chase cards. Chase always just had the best cards. I guess I can cancel one or two if I need to...
An anecdote here. We do all of our banking through Chase. They have our checking and savings, mortgage, and my wife's two credit cards (Freedom and Sapphire, for which I am an authorized user). I applied for the Premier and Plus cards early this month for the 50k bonus on each (had to find referrals for both for the increased bonus). The approval was immediate, to the point that the cards showed up on my Chase account literally within a few minutes after I was done applying.
Last I checked, the data seemed to point to Chase only applying their new, tighter restrictions (no more than 5 cards at any bank in the past 24 months) to Chase branded cards, not the co-branded cards. Thus, the Southwest/United/Marriott cards should still be safe to churn as usual.
Post by: Jeremy E. on November 23, 2015, 01:26:25 PM
Post by: jorjor on November 23, 2015, 02:47:28 PM
I'm working on this right now, I don't quite know how to do manufactured spending yet, so I'm just trying to spend 10k by the end of this year and then I'll be able to have 110,000 points with my companion pass next year. I'm currently spending a ton on a house and just bought an electric bike and it's still hard for me trying to hit 10k, so without tons of manufactured spending or a big credit card purchase, I doubt most mustachians would be able to spend 10k in January.
Are you saying that you're almost to 110k points earned in this year, so you need to spend enough this year to hit the total?
Maybe you're already thinking of this, but I've seen a story where a guy tried to get spending in within the year, but he didn't the CP because the points for December didn't post until after the end of the statement period...which fell in the first couple days of the next year. Be careful about that.
Do you have a Marriott or Hilton rewards account from which you can transfer points into Southwest? Those count, but the points are discounted when you transfer.
Post by: Jeremy E. on November 23, 2015, 02:56:13 PM
You are correct that's what I'm saying, I got 100k points from the 2 cards and am currently at around 108k points after spending 8k on the cards so far, I guess I need to research manufactured spending tonight and get that last 2k on there like right now... so that it'll be posted this year, thanks for letting me knowI'm working on this right now, I don't quite know how to do manufactured spending yet, so I'm just trying to spend 10k by the end of this year and then I'll be able to have 110,000 points with my companion pass next year. I'm currently spending a ton on a house and just bought an electric bike and it's still hard for me trying to hit 10k, so without tons of manufactured spending or a big credit card purchase, I doubt most mustachians would be able to spend 10k in January.
Are you saying that you're almost to 110k points earned in this year, so you need to spend enough this year to hit the total?
Maybe you're already thinking of this, but I've seen a story where a guy tried to get spending in within the year, but he didn't the CP because the points for December didn't post until after the end of the statement period...which fell in the first couple days of the next year. Be careful about that.
Do you have a Marriott or Hilton rewards account from which you can transfer points into Southwest? Those count, but the points are discounted when you transfer.
Post by: nawhite on November 23, 2015, 03:14:31 PM
You are correct that's what I'm saying, I got 100k points from the 2 cards and am currently at around 108k points after spending 8k on the cards so far, I guess I need to research manufactured spending tonight and get that last 2k on there like right now... so that it'll be posted this year, thanks for letting me knowI'm working on this right now, I don't quite know how to do manufactured spending yet, so I'm just trying to spend 10k by the end of this year and then I'll be able to have 110,000 points with my companion pass next year. I'm currently spending a ton on a house and just bought an electric bike and it's still hard for me trying to hit 10k, so without tons of manufactured spending or a big credit card purchase, I doubt most mustachians would be able to spend 10k in January.Are you saying that you're almost to 110k points earned in this year, so you need to spend enough this year to hit the total?
Maybe you're already thinking of this, but I've seen a story where a guy tried to get spending in within the year, but he didn't the CP because the points for December didn't post until after the end of the statement period...which fell in the first couple days of the next year. Be careful about that.
Do you have a Marriott or Hilton rewards account from which you can transfer points into Southwest? Those count, but the points are discounted when you transfer.
It's too bad you couldn't wait until January, then you'd get a full extra year of pass status. If you finish you spending in December and get the pass in December 2015, it will expire at the end of 2016. If you get all 110,000 of the points in January 2016, it expires December 2017.
As for getting points, you need the points, you don't need the spending on the credit cards. Check out https://www.southwest.com/rapidrewards/earn-with-partners . There are tons of other ways to get points. Need a rental car for Thanksgiving? Rentals booked through their site are 600 points per reservation. Buy $30 or more from 1800-flowers through that site and get 1000 points per order. Sounds like $60 in flowers and you're there.
Post by: Jeremy E. on November 23, 2015, 03:45:12 PM
many of the points you can earn are not eligible to be a part of the necessary 110,000 points, I'm not sure if those options are eligible but I'm guessing the flowers won't work, I'll look into it though. It does suck that it'll expire at the end of 2016, I wish I would of waited till 2016 to get these cards, but I already had 52k points before I found out about the companion pass.You are correct that's what I'm saying, I got 100k points from the 2 cards and am currently at around 108k points after spending 8k on the cards so far, I guess I need to research manufactured spending tonight and get that last 2k on there like right now... so that it'll be posted this year, thanks for letting me knowI'm working on this right now, I don't quite know how to do manufactured spending yet, so I'm just trying to spend 10k by the end of this year and then I'll be able to have 110,000 points with my companion pass next year. I'm currently spending a ton on a house and just bought an electric bike and it's still hard for me trying to hit 10k, so without tons of manufactured spending or a big credit card purchase, I doubt most mustachians would be able to spend 10k in January.Are you saying that you're almost to 110k points earned in this year, so you need to spend enough this year to hit the total?
Maybe you're already thinking of this, but I've seen a story where a guy tried to get spending in within the year, but he didn't the CP because the points for December didn't post until after the end of the statement period...which fell in the first couple days of the next year. Be careful about that.
Do you have a Marriott or Hilton rewards account from which you can transfer points into Southwest? Those count, but the points are discounted when you transfer.
It's too bad you couldn't wait until January, then you'd get a full extra year of pass status. If you finish you spending in December and get the pass in December 2015, it will expire at the end of 2016. If you get all 110,000 of the points in January 2016, it expires December 2017.
As for getting points, you need the points, you don't need the spending on the credit cards. Check out https://www.southwest.com/rapidrewards/earn-with-partners . There are tons of other ways to get points. Need a rental car for Thanksgiving? Rentals booked through their site are 600 points per reservation. Buy $30 or more from 1800-flowers through that site and get 1000 points per order. Sounds like $60 in flowers and you're there.
Post by: dragoncar on November 23, 2015, 05:44:02 PM
many of the points you can earn are not eligible to be a part of the necessary 110,000 points, I'm not sure if those options are eligible but I'm guessing the flowers won't work, I'll look into it though. It does suck that it'll expire at the end of 2016, I wish I would of waited till 2016 to get these cards, but I already had 52k points before I found out about the companion pass.You are correct that's what I'm saying, I got 100k points from the 2 cards and am currently at around 108k points after spending 8k on the cards so far, I guess I need to research manufactured spending tonight and get that last 2k on there like right now... so that it'll be posted this year, thanks for letting me knowI'm working on this right now, I don't quite know how to do manufactured spending yet, so I'm just trying to spend 10k by the end of this year and then I'll be able to have 110,000 points with my companion pass next year. I'm currently spending a ton on a house and just bought an electric bike and it's still hard for me trying to hit 10k, so without tons of manufactured spending or a big credit card purchase, I doubt most mustachians would be able to spend 10k in January.Are you saying that you're almost to 110k points earned in this year, so you need to spend enough this year to hit the total?
Maybe you're already thinking of this, but I've seen a story where a guy tried to get spending in within the year, but he didn't the CP because the points for December didn't post until after the end of the statement period...which fell in the first couple days of the next year. Be careful about that.
Do you have a Marriott or Hilton rewards account from which you can transfer points into Southwest? Those count, but the points are discounted when you transfer.
It's too bad you couldn't wait until January, then you'd get a full extra year of pass status. If you finish you spending in December and get the pass in December 2015, it will expire at the end of 2016. If you get all 110,000 of the points in January 2016, it expires December 2017.
As for getting points, you need the points, you don't need the spending on the credit cards. Check out https://www.southwest.com/rapidrewards/earn-with-partners . There are tons of other ways to get points. Need a rental car for Thanksgiving? Rentals booked through their site are 600 points per reservation. Buy $30 or more from 1800-flowers through that site and get 1000 points per order. Sounds like $60 in flowers and you're there.
Where do you live? For a companion pass, it might be worth a short day trip just to get the qualifying points.
Do credit card miles qualify as CP miles? You could always guy a SW gift card if you fly a lot. Costco gift cards are pretty good, too, if you shop there regularly.
Anyways, from the FAQ:
Quote
Do the points I earn with Partners help qualify me for a Companion Pass?
Yes. Points earned from flying Southwest Airlines, exclusive of bonuses or promotions (unless otherwise noted), as well as points earned through Southwest Airlines Rapid Rewards Partners, count toward qualification for Companion Pass.
Post by: Jeremy E. on November 23, 2015, 06:19:08 PM
thanks for the tips, I don't fly much, I'll try to do some manufactured spending and if that doesn't work I'll buy some gift cards.many of the points you can earn are not eligible to be a part of the necessary 110,000 points, I'm not sure if those options are eligible but I'm guessing the flowers won't work, I'll look into it though. It does suck that it'll expire at the end of 2016, I wish I would of waited till 2016 to get these cards, but I already had 52k points before I found out about the companion pass.You are correct that's what I'm saying, I got 100k points from the 2 cards and am currently at around 108k points after spending 8k on the cards so far, I guess I need to research manufactured spending tonight and get that last 2k on there like right now... so that it'll be posted this year, thanks for letting me knowI'm working on this right now, I don't quite know how to do manufactured spending yet, so I'm just trying to spend 10k by the end of this year and then I'll be able to have 110,000 points with my companion pass next year. I'm currently spending a ton on a house and just bought an electric bike and it's still hard for me trying to hit 10k, so without tons of manufactured spending or a big credit card purchase, I doubt most mustachians would be able to spend 10k in January.Are you saying that you're almost to 110k points earned in this year, so you need to spend enough this year to hit the total?
Maybe you're already thinking of this, but I've seen a story where a guy tried to get spending in within the year, but he didn't the CP because the points for December didn't post until after the end of the statement period...which fell in the first couple days of the next year. Be careful about that.
Do you have a Marriott or Hilton rewards account from which you can transfer points into Southwest? Those count, but the points are discounted when you transfer.
It's too bad you couldn't wait until January, then you'd get a full extra year of pass status. If you finish you spending in December and get the pass in December 2015, it will expire at the end of 2016. If you get all 110,000 of the points in January 2016, it expires December 2017.
As for getting points, you need the points, you don't need the spending on the credit cards. Check out https://www.southwest.com/rapidrewards/earn-with-partners . There are tons of other ways to get points. Need a rental car for Thanksgiving? Rentals booked through their site are 600 points per reservation. Buy $30 or more from 1800-flowers through that site and get 1000 points per order. Sounds like $60 in flowers and you're there.
Where do you live? For a companion pass, it might be worth a short day trip just to get the qualifying points.
Do credit card miles qualify as CP miles? You could always guy a SW gift card if you fly a lot. Costco gift cards are pretty good, too, if you shop there regularly.
Anyways, from the FAQ:QuoteDo the points I earn with Partners help qualify me for a Companion Pass?
Yes. Points earned from flying Southwest Airlines, exclusive of bonuses or promotions (unless otherwise noted), as well as points earned through Southwest Airlines Rapid Rewards Partners, count toward qualification for Companion Pass.
Post by: elaine amj on November 24, 2015, 11:57:02 AM
Can you elaborate? I was going to get a sapphire preferred for the bonus and ability to Convert points to miles, but I already have like 4 chase cards. Chase always just had the best cards. I guess I can cancel one or two if I need to...
To be honest, we have slowed down our US CC churning a tiny bit to concentrate more on Cdn cards we haven't taken advantage of. I had read that in the last few months, Chase has become much more restrictive with approving credit cards if you have applied for multiple credit cards. Since we churn cards, this became a concern. Like I said, we applied for a Chase CC a month back (I can't remember which one) and were rejected for the first time - and even appeals to reconsideration didn't work. (My DH has really good credit and we have a great relationship with Chase as we bank there). That said, shortly afterwards, his banker handed him a Chase Freedom card (plan to keep this long term as I regret cancelling it a few years ago).
Sounds like iamlindoro has done the research (which I haven't) and according to him, data points say that they are less strict with co-branded cards like Southwest, etc. It shouldn't affect newbies - I believe the tipping point is 5 cards in 24 months (and we usually apply for 5-10 cards a year). I don't know enough about this other than that Chase has made it harder. It does correspond with my plans to slow down churning for a bit. We have too many balls in the air at present and I'm starting to lose track and have let points expire, etc.
As for trying to meet a minimum spend - it's not the best way - but when in a pinch, I book a refundable vacation. I'll keep working on the spend but it does help me meet the deadline. I float the money and cancel a few months later.
Post by: meadow lark on November 25, 2015, 07:11:22 PM
Post by: CCCA on November 25, 2015, 08:06:43 PM
I am ready to get the SW cards, but the only ones I can find are just 25,000 points. Anyone seen anything different?
https://creditcards.chase.com/a1/southwest/2rtfosam1
https://creditcards.chase.com/credit-cards/southwest-premier-business-credit-card.aspx
Post by: meadow lark on November 25, 2015, 09:53:50 PM
Post by: gliderpilot567 on November 27, 2015, 01:37:50 PM
Am I screwed, or can I wait 1-3 mos and reapply? Or should I just apply for another personal card?
Post by: iamlindoro on November 27, 2015, 02:08:30 PM
Don't want to double post so I'll link. Today I applied for both the personal and business cards; the personal was approved, but the business one was declined. Relevant details: http://forum.mrmoneymustache.com/ask-a-mustachian/declined-on-southwest-bus-credit-card-hoping-to-get-companion-pass/msg884212/#msg884212 .
Am I screwed, or can I wait 1-3 mos and reapply? Or should I just apply for another personal card?
Since the reasoning behind the denial was not that they have extended you too much credit, but that you have too many inquiries with them in too short a time, applying for another personal might result in another denial (it might not). Since you're aiming for companion pass status in 2016, waiting 30 days probably won't hurt you too badly.
Anecdotally, it seems that there is a slightly higher success rate for just applying for the Personal Premier + Plus. It removes the viability of your business from the equation entirely.
Post by: gliderpilot567 on November 27, 2015, 02:16:08 PM
I'll plan to use these cards mostly for churning... and even if I don't end up with the companion pass, the 50k points from the premier card is still a real nice couple of free round trips.
Post by: gliderpilot567 on November 27, 2015, 02:30:39 PM
Just returned from our first flight earned with our Chase cards and companion pass last week! 4 beautiful nights in Puerto Rico.
A huge thank you for sharing all the info!
FYI, I was declined on the second card, so my husband applied for the Plus card using MY rapid rewards number, and it worked!
Both of our cards earned bonuses towards my RR account. We'll try to do the opposite in another two years.
Sent from my XT1049 using Tapatalk
Interesting, I wonder if that will still work? I got declined on the business card but got the Personal Premier. if I can have my wife open one in her name but use my own RR number we might be all set.
Post by: johnny847 on November 27, 2015, 04:59:54 PM
Just returned from our first flight earned with our Chase cards and companion pass last week! 4 beautiful nights in Puerto Rico.
A huge thank you for sharing all the info!
FYI, I was declined on the second card, so my husband applied for the Plus card using MY rapid rewards number, and it worked!
Both of our cards earned bonuses towards my RR account. We'll try to do the opposite in another two years.
Sent from my XT1049 using Tapatalk
Interesting, I wonder if that will still work? I got declined on the business card but got the Personal Premier. if I can have my wife open one in her name but use my own RR number we might be all set.
That won't work.
Post by: dragoncar on November 28, 2015, 08:47:54 PM
Post by: boarder42 on December 01, 2015, 08:58:26 AM
Post by: CCCA on December 01, 2015, 03:32:29 PM
Just double checking that rewards accrue at the end of the billing cycle, not after the CC bill is paid?
we're excited to get started with our $10,000 spend, but don't want to jump the gun too early. Fortunately (for the rewards), but unfortunately (for our mustachian reputation), it won't be that hard for us to put $10000 on these two credit cards over the course of 2-3 months.
Post by: iamlindoro on December 01, 2015, 03:59:21 PM
We just got our two chase southwest credit cards! Yeah! One business and one personal, both Premier. My wife called and got our billing cycle to end on 12/8. My understanding is that if we want all the miles to show up in 2016, we should wait until 12/9 to start using the credit card, is that correct? Since the next billing cycle should end on january 8th or so, everything purchased on or after 12/9 will accrue rewards in 2016.
Correct. Wait for them to generate a statement, then start spending.
Just double checking that rewards accrue at the end of the billing cycle, not after the CC bill is paid?
Confirmed, this is correct.
Post by: CCCA on December 01, 2015, 04:59:26 PM
We just got our two chase southwest credit cards! Yeah! One business and one personal, both Premier. My wife called and got our billing cycle to end on 12/8. My understanding is that if we want all the miles to show up in 2016, we should wait until 12/9 to start using the credit card, is that correct? Since the next billing cycle should end on january 8th or so, everything purchased on or after 12/9 will accrue rewards in 2016.
Correct. Wait for them to generate a statement, then start spending.Just double checking that rewards accrue at the end of the billing cycle, not after the CC bill is paid?
Confirmed, this is correct.
Great, Thanks for the verification!
Post by: meadow lark on December 01, 2015, 08:15:30 PM
Post by: johnny847 on December 03, 2015, 07:56:59 PM
I'm getting so anxious about not screwing this up. I was going to go for two personal cards but now I'm thinking about the business one instead. Not sure I can qualify though. I do a lot of expensing for my job, and it would be nice to have a separate card just for that, but idk if that will qualify me because it's not my business, I just work there.
Work reimbursed expenses do not qualify you as having a business. I have seen this numerous times on this forum. To get a business card you're supposed to be a small business owner. Not just an employee.
That being said, the same way that you're pretty much never asked to verify your income on a cc application, in my experience I have never been asked to verify I actually own a business. I do check a box saying all the content of my application is true.
If you still want to apply for a business cc despite not having a business, that's your prerogative.
Post by: kudy on December 05, 2015, 01:45:37 PM
Post by: johnny847 on December 05, 2015, 01:55:23 PM
It's been a year already! Annual fees just hit both of my accounts. Rapid rewards account received renewal bonus points a few days later. Earlier today I canceled both cards - does anyone know if Chase claws back the annual renewal bonus, or is that a freebie if you cancel?
As long as the points posted to your Southwest account they won't claw them back.
But what was the point of cancelling the cards today? You already paid the annual fee. There was nothing to lose by keeping the cards open.
Post by: iamlindoro on December 05, 2015, 04:07:19 PM
It's been a year already! Annual fees just hit both of my accounts. Rapid rewards account received renewal bonus points a few days later. Earlier today I canceled both cards - does anyone know if Chase claws back the annual renewal bonus, or is that a freebie if you cancel?
As long as the points posted to your Southwest account they won't claw them back.
But what was the point of cancelling the cards today? You already paid the annual fee. There was nothing to lose by keeping the cards open.
With most cards, including this one, if you cancel after the annual fee hits, but before you do any further spending, they'll credit you for the annual fee so that you never end up paying it. With other cards, they'll even refund you a pro-rated portion if you've done further spending.
Post by: johnny847 on December 05, 2015, 04:12:48 PM
It's been a year already! Annual fees just hit both of my accounts. Rapid rewards account received renewal bonus points a few days later. Earlier today I canceled both cards - does anyone know if Chase claws back the annual renewal bonus, or is that a freebie if you cancel?
As long as the points posted to your Southwest account they won't claw them back.
But what was the point of cancelling the cards today? You already paid the annual fee. There was nothing to lose by keeping the cards open.
With most cards, including this one, if you cancel after the annual fee hits, but before you do any further spending, they'll credit you for the annual fee so that you never end up paying it. With other cards, they'll even refund you a pro-rated portion if you've done further spending.
Oh that's weird.
I wouldn't cancel to avoid the annual fee and at the same time pocket the anniversary bonus, since I want to maintain a good relationship with my banks, but to each their own.
Post by: iamlindoro on December 05, 2015, 04:22:44 PM
Oh that's weird.
I wouldn't cancel to avoid the annual fee and at the same time pocket the anniversary bonus, since I want to maintain a good relationship with my banks, but to each their own.
The anniversary bonus is an reward for your previous year's spending/membership, not in anticipation of the future. This won't affect your relationship with the bank at all (but of course, you should do what you're comfortable with).
Post by: Jeremy E. on December 07, 2015, 12:27:32 PM
Wanna get away flights - cheapest flights, least flexible
Anytime flights - more expensive, more flexible
Business Select - most expensive, most flexible
Post by: dragoncar on December 07, 2015, 12:38:51 PM
what type of flights do you guys recommend? the options are,
Wanna get away flights - cheapest flights, least flexible
Anytime flights - more expensive, more flexible
Business Select - most expensive, most flexible
If you are paying with points, wanna get away is great because if you cancel you just get your points back... Pretty flexible eh?
Post by: Jeremy E. on December 07, 2015, 12:46:30 PM
Nice, thanks for the info, I'll have my companion pass on the 13th of this month and it'll be time to start flying! Wanna get away it is, I want to do a trip to Aruba and Vegas(to check out Vegas and also to go see/camp at some National Parks in Utah) with my GF next year, the crappy thing about Aruba is that there are no direct flights from the airline I'll fly from GEG Spokane, WA. So I have to find the cheapest/least painful way to stop at another airport in between.what type of flights do you guys recommend? the options are,
Wanna get away flights - cheapest flights, least flexible
Anytime flights - more expensive, more flexible
Business Select - most expensive, most flexible
If you are paying with points, wanna get away is great because if you cancel you just get your points back... Pretty flexible eh?
Post by: dandarc on December 07, 2015, 01:02:12 PM
When paying with points, I'd go Wanna Get Away. Also when paying cash. Both because they are so much cheaper.Nice, thanks for the info, I'll have my companion pass on the 13th of this month and it'll be time to start flying! Wanna get away it is, I want to do a trip to Aruba and Vegas(to check out Vegas and also to go see/camp at some National Parks in Utah) with my GF next year, the crappy thing about Aruba is that there are no direct flights from the airline I'll fly from GEG Spokane, WA. So I have to find the cheapest/least painful way to stop at another airport in between.what type of flights do you guys recommend? the options are,
Wanna get away flights - cheapest flights, least flexible
Anytime flights - more expensive, more flexible
Business Select - most expensive, most flexible
If you are paying with points, wanna get away is great because if you cancel you just get your points back... Pretty flexible eh?
If you have to pay cash and WGA is not available - maybe a last-minute flight for something important, Business is not much less than Anytime. You get more miles, and a drink, and a better boarding position for like $30 each way. Whether or not that's worth it is up to you.
As an example, I'm currently looking at a flight where the fare difference is $28 from Business to Anytime. You get 1265 more miles - almost $19 worth of miles at $0.015 / mile. I've found $0.015 / mile a reasonable estimate, if you stick to wanna-get-away fares when booking with points. Of course, WGA is available on this particular flight right now, and that is $253 less than Business for this particular flight.
In conclusion: WGA if available, Business Select if WGA is not available and you must fly, unless you place essentially 0 value on an in-flight beverage and an easier time at the airport.
Post by: dandarc on December 07, 2015, 01:21:36 PM
Post by: johnny847 on December 07, 2015, 01:29:41 PM
One more tip - once you have booked a flight, keep an eye on the fare. If it goes down, make a change and you'll get the difference credited back to you. The change can be to the exact same flight.
+1
I recently got back ~12k WN points by doing this.
Post by: dragoncar on December 07, 2015, 01:49:36 PM
One more tip - once you have booked a flight, keep an eye on the fare. If it goes down, make a change and you'll get the difference credited back to you. The change can be to the exact same flight.
+1
I recently got back ~12k WN points by doing this.
Good tip-- would be a great online tool if someone could make a bot to watch this for you
Post by: johnny847 on December 07, 2015, 02:04:43 PM
One more tip - once you have booked a flight, keep an eye on the fare. If it goes down, make a change and you'll get the difference credited back to you. The change can be to the exact same flight.
+1
I recently got back ~12k WN points by doing this.
Good tip-- would be a great online tool if someone could make a bot to watch this for you
It cannot exist for technical reasons. Southwest doesn't provide an API for other sites to run automated queries for their flights and get back cost data. You may have noticed this yourself - Google Flights can get you routes but it won't tell you the price. Skyscanner can also find routes and price them, but the prices are from the FlyFar travel agency, and they must be charging a commission because the prices are higher than searching directly on Southwest.com. Expedia and Orbitz just flat out do not list Southwest flights.
I was seated next to a Southwest pilot once and he told me not listing Southwest flights on search engines like Expedia or Google Flights is part of their business model (I forget what the rationale was unfortunately). He also said this was one of the main reasons they decided to put southwest.com on the wingtips the then last time they changed their livery (they changed it again recently, but I talked to this pilot before the last livery change).
Post by: katsiki on December 07, 2015, 02:52:46 PM
One more tip - once you have booked a flight, keep an eye on the fare. If it goes down, make a change and you'll get the difference credited back to you. The change can be to the exact same flight.
+1
I recently got back ~12k WN points by doing this.
Good tip-- would be a great online tool if someone could make a bot to watch this for you
TripIt Pro actually does this. I received a few of these in the last year. I don't know how they do it..
Post by: charis on December 07, 2015, 03:00:04 PM
Just returned from our first flight earned with our Chase cards and companion pass last week! 4 beautiful nights in Puerto Rico.
A huge thank you for sharing all the info!
FYI, I was declined on the second card, so my husband applied for the Plus card using MY rapid rewards number, and it worked!
Both of our cards earned bonuses towards my RR account. We'll try to do the opposite in another two years.
Sent from my XT1049 using Tapatalk
I am hoping that this works for us too, but it really sounds to good to be true. Did both of your points just show up in your RR account? We also signed up for both cards with my RR #.
Post by: dandarc on December 07, 2015, 03:12:18 PM
Technical note - the API to do this exists. It is called Southwest.com. Probably an abuse of their terms of service, and for practical reasons it could be difficult (change the page structure might break your screen-scraping), but totally could be done.One more tip - once you have booked a flight, keep an eye on the fare. If it goes down, make a change and you'll get the difference credited back to you. The change can be to the exact same flight.
+1
I recently got back ~12k WN points by doing this.
Good tip-- would be a great online tool if someone could make a bot to watch this for you
It cannot exist for technical reasons. Southwest doesn't provide an API for other sites to run automated queries for their flights and get back cost data. You may have noticed this yourself - Google Flights can get you routes but it won't tell you the price. Skyscanner can also find routes and price them, but the prices are from the FlyFar travel agency, and they must be charging a commission because the prices are higher than searching directly on Southwest.com. Expedia and Orbitz just flat out do not list Southwest flights.
I was seated next to a Southwest pilot once and he told me not listing Southwest flights on search engines like Expedia or Google Flights is part of their business model (I forget what the rationale was unfortunately). He also said this was one of the main reasons they decided to put southwest.com on the wingtips the then last time they changed their livery (they changed it again recently, but I talked to this pilot before the last livery change).
Post by: dandarc on December 07, 2015, 03:13:09 PM
Thanks for this - have TripIt Pro through Barclaycard - will have to check it out!One more tip - once you have booked a flight, keep an eye on the fare. If it goes down, make a change and you'll get the difference credited back to you. The change can be to the exact same flight.
+1
I recently got back ~12k WN points by doing this.
Good tip-- would be a great online tool if someone could make a bot to watch this for you
TripIt Pro actually does this. I received a few of these in the last year. I don't know how they do it..
Post by: dragoncar on December 07, 2015, 03:51:05 PM
Technical note - the API to do this exists. It is called Southwest.com. Probably an abuse of their terms of service, and for practical reasons it could be difficult (change the page structure might break your screen-scraping), but totally could be done.One more tip - once you have booked a flight, keep an eye on the fare. If it goes down, make a change and you'll get the difference credited back to you. The change can be to the exact same flight.
+1
I recently got back ~12k WN points by doing this.
Good tip-- would be a great online tool if someone could make a bot to watch this for you
It cannot exist for technical reasons. Southwest doesn't provide an API for other sites to run automated queries for their flights and get back cost data. You may have noticed this yourself - Google Flights can get you routes but it won't tell you the price. Skyscanner can also find routes and price them, but the prices are from the FlyFar travel agency, and they must be charging a commission because the prices are higher than searching directly on Southwest.com. Expedia and Orbitz just flat out do not list Southwest flights.
I was seated next to a Southwest pilot once and he told me not listing Southwest flights on search engines like Expedia or Google Flights is part of their business model (I forget what the rationale was unfortunately). He also said this was one of the main reasons they decided to put southwest.com on the wingtips the then last time they changed their livery (they changed it again recently, but I talked to this pilot before the last livery change).
Yeah it might be better as a browser plugin or local executable so you aren't hitting the site 1000 times a day from the same ip
Post by: thefrugaler on December 07, 2015, 04:20:25 PM
I have several trips coming up mid/late next year and this would be great to be able to use!
Post by: jorjor on December 07, 2015, 05:48:13 PM
New here, just trying to follow everything. It looks like there is a way to do this with two personal cards, but you want to space the applications out by a week? The first post in this thread says to use another browser in incognito mode. Is one way better/preferred? Just trying to get the logistics worked out. It looks like now is a great time so I can use the card in early 2016 to get the most out of the CP.
I have several trips coming up mid/late next year and this would be great to be able to use!
I did two personal cards and signed up for them literally 5 minutes apart. I am a current Chase customer, and was immediately approved for both (both cards appeared on my Chase online account within a couple minutes).
The Premier card can be applied for online, though make sure the 50k bonus is active if you do. Otherwise, the 50k bonus is still commonly available for the Premier card using a referral link. To my knowledge, the only way to get a 50k bonus on the Plus card is by applying over the phone using referral info from a current SW cardholder. This was true within the last month when I applied. If still true, this makes the incognito browser mode suggestion irrelevant.
Post by: katsiki on December 07, 2015, 05:57:12 PM
Post by: johnny847 on December 07, 2015, 06:19:35 PM
Technical note - the API to do this exists. It is called Southwest.com. Probably an abuse of their terms of service, and for practical reasons it could be difficult (change the page structure might break your screen-scraping), but totally could be done.One more tip - once you have booked a flight, keep an eye on the fare. If it goes down, make a change and you'll get the difference credited back to you. The change can be to the exact same flight.
+1
I recently got back ~12k WN points by doing this.
Good tip-- would be a great online tool if someone could make a bot to watch this for you
It cannot exist for technical reasons. Southwest doesn't provide an API for other sites to run automated queries for their flights and get back cost data. You may have noticed this yourself - Google Flights can get you routes but it won't tell you the price. Skyscanner can also find routes and price them, but the prices are from the FlyFar travel agency, and they must be charging a commission because the prices are higher than searching directly on Southwest.com. Expedia and Orbitz just flat out do not list Southwest flights.
I was seated next to a Southwest pilot once and he told me not listing Southwest flights on search engines like Expedia or Google Flights is part of their business model (I forget what the rationale was unfortunately). He also said this was one of the main reasons they decided to put southwest.com on the wingtips the then last time they changed their livery (they changed it again recently, but I talked to this pilot before the last livery change).
But how would you automate it? If you can't automate it you can't make a tool for it.
Post by: dandarc on December 07, 2015, 06:38:24 PM
I've done this at my day job for an integration with a website for a system we don't directly control, and the resources weren't there to provide a more conventional interface. There are libraries available to parse html / navigate the site. Granted, now we have to be like - "be sure you tell us if you make any changes on screens A B and C so we can test", but it works. These are government systems, so changes aren't very frequent.Technical note - the API to do this exists. It is called Southwest.com. Probably an abuse of their terms of service, and for practical reasons it could be difficult (change the page structure might break your screen-scraping), but totally could be done.One more tip - once you have booked a flight, keep an eye on the fare. If it goes down, make a change and you'll get the difference credited back to you. The change can be to the exact same flight.
+1
I recently got back ~12k WN points by doing this.
Good tip-- would be a great online tool if someone could make a bot to watch this for you
It cannot exist for technical reasons. Southwest doesn't provide an API for other sites to run automated queries for their flights and get back cost data. You may have noticed this yourself - Google Flights can get you routes but it won't tell you the price. Skyscanner can also find routes and price them, but the prices are from the FlyFar travel agency, and they must be charging a commission because the prices are higher than searching directly on Southwest.com. Expedia and Orbitz just flat out do not list Southwest flights.
I was seated next to a Southwest pilot once and he told me not listing Southwest flights on search engines like Expedia or Google Flights is part of their business model (I forget what the rationale was unfortunately). He also said this was one of the main reasons they decided to put southwest.com on the wingtips the then last time they changed their livery (they changed it again recently, but I talked to this pilot before the last livery change).
But how would you automate it? If you can't automate it you can't make a tool for it.
The real risk is you do your thing, write your script to navigate / record / report on southwest.com, and then the owner's change a bunch of things so the buttons you click aren't the same as they were, and the field's aren't named the same. Basically, since the API is not officially supported, things can change that break what you've done.
Post by: Cathy on December 07, 2015, 07:02:34 PM
Personally, I think programming is a fundamental skill that everybody should learn at some early age in school, precisely because it's so useful for automating everyday tasks. I taught myself programming at age 8 or so and I think it would fit in well in an elementary school curriculum. Once you learn the basic skills, you never forget, and you can always pick up new languages and libraries with trivial effort. It's similar to how everybody learns to read and write in school, because even if they aren't going to become professional writers, those are fundamental skills for participating fully in society. In other words, programming shouldn't be thought of a special niche skill, but rather as a basic commodity tool available to all.
Post by: johnny847 on December 07, 2015, 07:28:34 PM
Personally, I think programming is a fundamental skill that everybody should learn at some early age in school, precisely because it's so useful for automating everyday tasks. I taught myself programming at age 8 or so and I think it would fit in well in an elementary school curriculum. Once you learn the basic skills, you never forget, and you can always pick up new languages and libraries with trivial effort. It's similar to how everybody learns to read and write in school, because even if they aren't going to become professional writers, those are fundamental skills for participating fully in society. In other words, programming shouldn't be thought of a special niche skill, but rather as a basic commodity tool available to all.
Thank you Cathy for that condescending remark about how I clearly have no programming skills.
I've implemented a partially (I and P frames, no B frames) H.264 video encoder in C++. Believe me, that's no easy task.
I didn't know how you'd do this because I have zero experience with programming for the web. But clearly I don't know jackshit about programming.
Post by: Cathy on December 07, 2015, 07:44:59 PM
Thank you Cathy for that condescending remark about how I clearly have no programming skills.
I'm not exactly sure how you got that out of my post, but it wasn't stated or implied or intended.
Post by: johnny847 on December 07, 2015, 07:50:53 PM
Thank you Cathy for that condescending remark about how I clearly have no programming skills.
I'm not exactly sure how you got that out of my post, but it wasn't stated or implied or intended.
Haha okay. Fake ignorance to make your point.
Either that you're just really that naiive and aren't aware of how you come off.
I don't know which one is worse.
Post by: Cathy on December 07, 2015, 07:56:04 PM
Post by: johnny847 on December 07, 2015, 08:03:37 PM
I'm not sure why you are being so hostile. I posted the impugned paragraph because I thought it would be encouraging to people who might otherwise think programming would be too difficult for them to learn. I didn't even have you or anyone in particular in mind when I wrote it.
Alright let me spell this out for you.
First, you explain how you'd create an automated tool, using the Mechanize library. That's cool. If you had stopped there we wouldn't be having this discussion.
But then this is immediately followed by comments about how everyone should learn programming.
The implication here being "oh you didn't know about this library. So you must not know programming. And I think everyone should. I mean, it's clearly easy. I taught it yourself at age 8."
Post by: dragoncar on December 07, 2015, 08:16:53 PM
Post by: moneysaver on December 07, 2015, 08:20:48 PM
Post by: charis on December 08, 2015, 06:03:54 AM
Post by: boarder42 on December 08, 2015, 06:05:40 AM
Post by: thefrugaler on December 08, 2015, 01:21:48 PM
New here, just trying to follow everything. It looks like there is a way to do this with two personal cards, but you want to space the applications out by a week? The first post in this thread says to use another browser in incognito mode. Is one way better/preferred? Just trying to get the logistics worked out. It looks like now is a great time so I can use the card in early 2016 to get the most out of the CP.
I have several trips coming up mid/late next year and this would be great to be able to use!
I did two personal cards and signed up for them literally 5 minutes apart. I am a current Chase customer, and was immediately approved for both (both cards appeared on my Chase online account within a couple minutes).
The Premier card can be applied for online, though make sure the 50k bonus is active if you do. Otherwise, the 50k bonus is still commonly available for the Premier card using a referral link. To my knowledge, the only way to get a 50k bonus on the Plus card is by applying over the phone using referral info from a current SW cardholder. This was true within the last month when I applied. If still true, this makes the incognito browser mode suggestion irrelevant.
Just to clarify I need to apply over the phone using referral info from a current SW Plus cardholder, or any SW cardholder?
Post by: jorjor on December 08, 2015, 01:36:00 PM
New here, just trying to follow everything. It looks like there is a way to do this with two personal cards, but you want to space the applications out by a week? The first post in this thread says to use another browser in incognito mode. Is one way better/preferred? Just trying to get the logistics worked out. It looks like now is a great time so I can use the card in early 2016 to get the most out of the CP.
I have several trips coming up mid/late next year and this would be great to be able to use!
I did two personal cards and signed up for them literally 5 minutes apart. I am a current Chase customer, and was immediately approved for both (both cards appeared on my Chase online account within a couple minutes).
The Premier card can be applied for online, though make sure the 50k bonus is active if you do. Otherwise, the 50k bonus is still commonly available for the Premier card using a referral link. To my knowledge, the only way to get a 50k bonus on the Plus card is by applying over the phone using referral info from a current SW cardholder. This was true within the last month when I applied. If still true, this makes the incognito browser mode suggestion irrelevant.
Just to clarify I need to apply over the phone using referral info from a current SW Plus cardholder, or any SW cardholder?
I'm not really sure. I assume a Plus cardholder? I found another forum where people were advertising that they had referrals for Premier and Plus cards (the referrer gets 5k referral points when I used the card, so something is in it for them). I PMed one of them. They sent me the link for Premier card and gave me their info to use when I called in for the Plus referral.
The whole part about calling and giving my application info over the phone seemed a bit fishy to me, so I did some searching around to make sure the number I was calling was legit and someone wasn't scamming me. Seemed fine. Cards showed up on my Chase account almost immediately.
Post by: Jellyfish on December 08, 2015, 08:11:52 PM
Once I got both cards I changed my billing cycle so my Nov cycle closed 12/4. My Dec billing cycle will run from 12/5 to 1/4 so I've just started my spending period. I've saved up my Christmas shopping, and have the final payment on some home construction that will get me to the $4000 total spend across both cards by the time my 90 days runs out. The points should hit after my billing cycle closes 1/4, and will leave me with $6K left to spend for which I'll probably MS.
That's the theory anyway.
Post by: boarder42 on December 09, 2015, 05:35:16 AM
Post by: shotgunwilly on December 09, 2015, 09:11:18 AM
That changes friday though, when I fly to Vegas! Hopefully I get more use out of it in 2016.
Post by: JustGettingStarted1980 on December 09, 2015, 10:12:46 AM
I already have the Plus, and I've had this for >5-6 years.
To get the other 50K bonus points, do I have to close the Plus account, and then Reopen it? How much time in between closing and opening is required? Do I just do this over the phone with the very nice SW customer service people?
Thanks for the input, folks.
JGS
Post by: nawhite on December 09, 2015, 10:21:13 AM
I already have the Plus, and I've had this for >5-6 years.
To get the other 50K bonus points, do I have to close the Plus account, and then Reopen it? How much time in between closing and opening is required? Do I just do this over the phone with the very nice SW customer service people?
The numbers I've heard in the past are that it needs to be closed for 2 years before you can re-apply and get the sign up bonus. This is why couples will alternate who gets the cards (I get both this year, get the pass for her, kill the cards, two years from now, she gets the cards, gets the pass for me, kills the cards, two years later, I get the cards...)
Your best bet may be one of the business cards since you won't be able to get the sign up bonus for a while.
Post by: johnny847 on December 09, 2015, 10:34:51 AM
I already have the Plus, and I've had this for >5-6 years.
To get the other 50K bonus points, do I have to close the Plus account, and then Reopen it? How much time in between closing and opening is required? Do I just do this over the phone with the very nice SW customer service people?
The numbers I've heard in the past are that it needs to be closed for 2 years before you can re-apply and get the sign up bonus. This is why couples will alternate who gets the cards (I get both this year, get the pass for her, kill the cards, two years from now, she gets the cards, gets the pass for me, kills the cards, two years later, I get the cards...)
Your best bet may be one of the business cards since you won't be able to get the sign up bonus for a while.
Nope.
If you read the T&C it says to qualify you need to currently not hold the product and have not received the signup bonus in the past 24 months.
There's no need to rely on hearsay for this stuff. You're much better off just reading the fine print.
EDIT: Grammar mistake.
Post by: dandarc on December 09, 2015, 10:39:37 AM
This.I already have the Plus, and I've had this for >5-6 years.
To get the other 50K bonus points, do I have to close the Plus account, and then Reopen it? How much time in between closing and opening is required? Do I just do this over the phone with the very nice SW customer service people?
The numbers I've heard in the past are that it needs to be closed for 2 years before you can re-apply and get the sign up bonus. This is why couples will alternate who gets the cards (I get both this year, get the pass for her, kill the cards, two years from now, she gets the cards, gets the pass for me, kills the cards, two years later, I get the cards...)
Your best bet may be one of the business cards since you won't be able to get the sign up bonus for a while.
Nope.
If you read the T&C it says to qualify you need to currently not hold the product and have not received the signup bonus in the past 24 months.
There's know need to rely on hearsay for this stuff. You're much better off just reading the fine print.
The question is, if I close my account today, will I be considered a previous card holder tomorrow? Intuitively yes, but given that Chase can re-open a closed account, maybe not? Probably in the big packet you get when you open the account it will be clarified.
Post by: nawhite on December 09, 2015, 11:55:57 AM
I already have the Plus, and I've had this for >5-6 years.
To get the other 50K bonus points, do I have to close the Plus account, and then Reopen it? How much time in between closing and opening is required? Do I just do this over the phone with the very nice SW customer service people?
The numbers I've heard in the past are that it needs to be closed for 2 years before you can re-apply and get the sign up bonus. This is why couples will alternate who gets the cards (I get both this year, get the pass for her, kill the cards, two years from now, she gets the cards, gets the pass for me, kills the cards, two years later, I get the cards...)
Your best bet may be one of the business cards since you won't be able to get the sign up bonus for a while.
Nope.
If you read the T&C it says to qualify you need to currently not hold the product and have not received the signup bonus in the past 24 months.
There's know need to rely on hearsay for this stuff. You're much better off just reading the fine print.
Thank you for looking it up. I guess that is a slight difference than what I said that only applies because JustGettingStarted1980 has had the card for 5 years. For your average credit card churner, what I said is basically still correct.
Post by: johnny847 on December 09, 2015, 12:47:54 PM
This.I already have the Plus, and I've had this for >5-6 years.
To get the other 50K bonus points, do I have to close the Plus account, and then Reopen it? How much time in between closing and opening is required? Do I just do this over the phone with the very nice SW customer service people?
The numbers I've heard in the past are that it needs to be closed for 2 years before you can re-apply and get the sign up bonus. This is why couples will alternate who gets the cards (I get both this year, get the pass for her, kill the cards, two years from now, she gets the cards, gets the pass for me, kills the cards, two years later, I get the cards...)
Your best bet may be one of the business cards since you won't be able to get the sign up bonus for a while.
Nope.
If you read the T&C it says to qualify you need to currently not hold the product and have not received the signup bonus in the past 24 months.
There's know need to rely on hearsay for this stuff. You're much better off just reading the fine print.
The question is, if I close my account today, will I be considered a previous card holder tomorrow? Intuitively yes, but given that Chase can re-open a closed account, maybe not? Probably in the big packet you get when you open the account it will be clarified.
Probably, but I'd give it about a week just to be safe.
Post by: johnny847 on December 09, 2015, 12:54:30 PM
I already have the Plus, and I've had this for >5-6 years.
To get the other 50K bonus points, do I have to close the Plus account, and then Reopen it? How much time in between closing and opening is required? Do I just do this over the phone with the very nice SW customer service people?
The numbers I've heard in the past are that it needs to be closed for 2 years before you can re-apply and get the sign up bonus. This is why couples will alternate who gets the cards (I get both this year, get the pass for her, kill the cards, two years from now, she gets the cards, gets the pass for me, kills the cards, two years later, I get the cards...)
Your best bet may be one of the business cards since you won't be able to get the sign up bonus for a while.
Nope.
If you read the T&C it says to qualify you need to currently not hold the product and have not received the signup bonus in the past 24 months.
There's know need to rely on hearsay for this stuff. You're much better off just reading the fine print.
Thank you for looking it up. I guess that is a slight difference than what I said that only applies because JustGettingStarted1980 has had the card for 5 years. For your average credit card churner, what I said is basically still correct.
No that's not "basically still correct" for the average credit card churner. The average cc churner doesn't close their cc immediately after getting the signup bonus. They wait until month 10 or 11 usually. And try to see if they can get the annual fee waived. Or in the case of the Southwest cards, as mentioned previously in this thread, get the cardmember anniversary bonus, and then cancel (and Chase will refund the annual fee if you haven't used the card since assessing the fee). If the bonus was earned in month 1, and the card was cancelled at the 12 month mark, then the churner could apply for the card again in month 25 and still get the bonus.
Under your initial assertion, the churner would have to wait until month the 36 month mark in this situation.
Even if the churner cancelled the card immediately after earning the bonus, they're missing out on that cardmember anniversary bonus of 6000 miles on the Premier or 3000 miles on the Plus, which is totally possible to get for free if you time it right:
With most cards, including this one, if you cancel after the annual fee hits, but before you do any further spending, they'll credit you for the annual fee so that you never end up paying it. With other cards, they'll even refund you a pro-rated portion if you've done further spending.
Oh that's weird.
I wouldn't cancel to avoid the annual fee and at the same time pocket the anniversary bonus, since I want to maintain a good relationship with my banks, but to each their own.
The anniversary bonus is an reward for your previous year's spending/membership, not in anticipation of the future. This won't affect your relationship with the bank at all (but of course, you should do what you're comfortable with).
Post by: Jeremy E. on December 18, 2015, 02:17:37 PM
Post by: dandarc on December 18, 2015, 02:30:26 PM
You can use miles to buy tickets for others, at least from what I can see. Haven't actually tried, but the "Passenger Name" fields are editable when you get to that part on the website.
Post by: Jeremy E. on December 18, 2015, 02:38:55 PM
Automatic Check-In
Better Boarding Position
Earlier Access to Overhead Bins
Post by: johnny847 on December 18, 2015, 02:40:30 PM
You can use miles to buy tickets for others, at least from what I can see. Haven't actually tried, but the "Passenger Name" fields are editable when you get to that part on the website.
I did this a couple months back. Definitely possible.
Sounds good, does anyone know if early bird check in is worth it? $12.50 per passenger each way, and comes with,
Automatic Check-In
Better Boarding Position
Earlier Access to Overhead Bins
No. If you can't find a seat you like just ask some people politely if they wouldn't mind switching seats with you.
Post by: dragoncar on December 18, 2015, 02:53:34 PM
Sounds good, does anyone know if early bird check in is worth it? $12.50 per passenger each way, and comes with,
Automatic Check-In
Better Boarding Position
Earlier Access to Overhead Bins
No. If you can't find a seat you like just ask some people politely if they wouldn't mind switching seats with you.
Wut
Anyways doesn't A-list auto-check you in?
Post by: johnny847 on December 18, 2015, 03:01:28 PM
Sounds good, does anyone know if early bird check in is worth it? $12.50 per passenger each way, and comes with,
Automatic Check-In
Better Boarding Position
Earlier Access to Overhead Bins
No. If you can't find a seat you like just ask some people politely if they wouldn't mind switching seats with you.
Wut
Anyways doesn't A-list auto-check you in?
I'm not sure what the confusion is? I'm saying there's no need to get access to a better boarding position if you can get a seat you want by asking nicely.
Post by: dragoncar on December 18, 2015, 03:49:20 PM
Sounds good, does anyone know if early bird check in is worth it? $12.50 per passenger each way, and comes with,
Automatic Check-In
Better Boarding Position
Earlier Access to Overhead Bins
No. If you can't find a seat you like just ask some people politely if they wouldn't mind switching seats with you.
Wut
Anyways doesn't A-list auto-check you in?
I'm not sure what the confusion is? I'm saying there's no need to get access to a better boarding position if you can get a seat you want by asking nicely.
Wut
Post by: bye-bye Ms. FancyPants on December 19, 2015, 05:13:24 PM
Post by: POINTS of ER on January 04, 2016, 12:15:16 AM
Sounds good, does anyone know if early bird check in is worth it? $12.50 per passenger each way, and comes with,
Automatic Check-In
Better Boarding Position
Earlier Access to Overhead Bins
It isn't worth it. If you set up an alarm about 24 hours and 5 minutes before your departure time. You have enough time to log into your SW account and wait a couple minutes until the 24 hour mark hits and then simply check in. You can't check in until 24 hours before if you don't have the early bird. By doing this I've always gotten A boarding. With A boarding your easily beating a majority of the crowd.
Post by: jorjor on January 04, 2016, 08:43:38 AM
Post by: charis on January 04, 2016, 10:31:11 AM
The annual fee just hit on both cards, ouch (I normally never pay annual fees).
Post by: gliderpilot567 on January 07, 2016, 01:17:06 PM
We applied for and were approved for personal (husband) and business (me) cards. We will get the cards in 1-2 weeks. There shouldn't be any issue with spending at the end of December, right (the first payment due date is 1/24, but the closing dates are unknown)?Just returned from our first flight earned with our Chase cards and companion pass last week! 4 beautiful nights in Puerto Rico.
A huge thank you for sharing all the info!
FYI, I was declined on the second card, so my husband applied for the Plus card using MY rapid rewards number, and it worked!
Both of our cards earned bonuses towards my RR account. We'll try to do the opposite in another two years.
Sent from my XT1049 using Tapatalk
I am hoping that this works for us too, but it really sounds to good to be true. Did both of your points just show up in your RR account? We also signed up for both cards with my RR #.
We did this too. We now hold two different Premier personal credit cards with different names and account numbers but the same RR number embossed on them. In a month or so I will report back here and see where the points end up getting posted to.
It's an experiment... I'll take one for the team, if it doesn't work and my companion pass dreams are shattered, it won't break my heart. We'll still end up with a buttload of SW points.
Post by: charis on January 08, 2016, 10:07:00 AM
We applied for and were approved for personal (husband) and business (me) cards. We will get the cards in 1-2 weeks. There shouldn't be any issue with spending at the end of December, right (the first payment due date is 1/24, but the closing dates are unknown)?Just returned from our first flight earned with our Chase cards and companion pass last week! 4 beautiful nights in Puerto Rico.
A huge thank you for sharing all the info!
FYI, I was declined on the second card, so my husband applied for the Plus card using MY rapid rewards number, and it worked!
Both of our cards earned bonuses towards my RR account. We'll try to do the opposite in another two years.
Sent from my XT1049 using Tapatalk
I am hoping that this works for us too, but it really sounds to good to be true. Did both of your points just show up in your RR account? We also signed up for both cards with my RR #.
We did this too. We now hold two different Premier personal credit cards with different names and account numbers but the same RR number embossed on them. In a month or so I will report back here and see where the points end up getting posted to.
It's an experiment... I'll take one for the team, if it doesn't work and my companion pass dreams are shattered, it won't break my heart. We'll still end up with a buttload of SW points.
I can report back at the end of January whether this worked for us. We hit the spending mins on both cards yesterday.
Post by: jorjor on January 12, 2016, 10:19:39 AM
For those who have gotten the CP before, how long after hitting 110,000 was the CP active? The first time we would possibly use it is late March, and any delay would determine whether we transfer 15k points and wait a billing cycle or 20k points to get it as soon as we can. We'll have to transfer from Chase through Hyatt (direct Chase to SW doesn't count for CP, but Hyatt transfers do).
Post by: Bruinguy on January 12, 2016, 12:47:49 PM
For those who have gotten the CP before, how long after hitting 110,000 was the CP active?
We did this last year. As I recall, once the points hit the account at Southwest, it was pretty quick. We may have called a couple of days after we went over to set it up. However, I don't recall how long it took for the credit card points to post to the Southwest account after the end of each month.
Post by: jorjor on January 12, 2016, 01:07:29 PM
For those who have gotten the CP before, how long after hitting 110,000 was the CP active?
We did this last year. As I recall, once the points hit the account at Southwest, it was pretty quick. We may have called a couple of days after we went over to set it up. However, I don't recall how long it took for the credit card points to post to the Southwest account after the end of each month.
Mine post quickly after the billing cycle ends. The only potential delays are:
- Time for Hyatt transfer points to post,
- and/or time to wait until end of next billing cycle,
- plus the time to wait between hitting 110,000 points and getting the CP activated.
Post by: charis on January 12, 2016, 02:25:24 PM
We applied for and were approved for personal (husband) and business (me) cards. We will get the cards in 1-2 weeks. There shouldn't be any issue with spending at the end of December, right (the first payment due date is 1/24, but the closing dates are unknown)?Just returned from our first flight earned with our Chase cards and companion pass last week! 4 beautiful nights in Puerto Rico.
A huge thank you for sharing all the info!
FYI, I was declined on the second card, so my husband applied for the Plus card using MY rapid rewards number, and it worked!
Both of our cards earned bonuses towards my RR account. We'll try to do the opposite in another two years.
Sent from my XT1049 using Tapatalk
I am hoping that this works for us too, but it really sounds to good to be true. Did both of your points just show up in your RR account? We also signed up for both cards with my RR #.
We did this too. We now hold two different Premier personal credit cards with different names and account numbers but the same RR number embossed on them. In a month or so I will report back here and see where the points end up getting posted to.
It's an experiment... I'll take one for the team, if it doesn't work and my companion pass dreams are shattered, it won't break my heart. We'll still end up with a buttload of SW points.
I can report back at the end of January whether this worked for us. We hit the spending mins on both cards yesterday.
How long should it take the points to hit my RR account after the statement date (1/11 in my case)? I thought it was the next day usually. We are waiting on my husband's points to hit my RR account, so holding our breath...
Post by: johnny847 on January 12, 2016, 02:46:49 PM
We applied for and were approved for personal (husband) and business (me) cards. We will get the cards in 1-2 weeks. There shouldn't be any issue with spending at the end of December, right (the first payment due date is 1/24, but the closing dates are unknown)?Just returned from our first flight earned with our Chase cards and companion pass last week! 4 beautiful nights in Puerto Rico.
A huge thank you for sharing all the info!
FYI, I was declined on the second card, so my husband applied for the Plus card using MY rapid rewards number, and it worked!
Both of our cards earned bonuses towards my RR account. We'll try to do the opposite in another two years.
Sent from my XT1049 using Tapatalk
I am hoping that this works for us too, but it really sounds to good to be true. Did both of your points just show up in your RR account? We also signed up for both cards with my RR #.
We did this too. We now hold two different Premier personal credit cards with different names and account numbers but the same RR number embossed on them. In a month or so I will report back here and see where the points end up getting posted to.
It's an experiment... I'll take one for the team, if it doesn't work and my companion pass dreams are shattered, it won't break my heart. We'll still end up with a buttload of SW points.
I can report back at the end of January whether this worked for us. We hit the spending mins on both cards yesterday.
How long should it take the points to hit my RR account after the statement date (1/11 in my case)? I thought it was the next day usually. We are waiting on my husband's points to hit my RR account, so holding our breath...
Mine took two days to post
Post by: charis on January 13, 2016, 07:03:46 AM
Post by: jorjor on January 13, 2016, 07:14:43 AM
Post by: charis on January 13, 2016, 07:35:23 AM
Mine have been posting the day after the statement ends. Both bonuses have posted.
My points have appeared in my RR account immediately, but not my husband's. I'm referring to the discussion of spouses having separate cards opened under the same RR account number. Apparently some couples have been able to do this and have both sets of points post to one spouse's RR account. A glitch maybe?
Just returned from our first flight earned with our Chase cards and companion pass last week! 4 beautiful nights in Puerto Rico.
A huge thank you for sharing all the info!
FYI, I was declined on the second card, so my husband applied for the Plus card using MY rapid rewards number, and it worked!
Both of our cards earned bonuses towards my RR account. We'll try to do the opposite in another two years.
Sent from my XT1049 using Tapatalk
UPDATE: No luck! Bonus points, etc, went to separate accounts. So not much hope of CP anytime soon unless someone has a 50K offer link for the Plus card (I already had the Premier too recently)??
Post by: Jeremy E. on January 18, 2016, 11:09:47 AM
Post by: MsFrugalista on January 18, 2016, 11:11:10 AM
Can I cancel my Chase Southwest cards and maintain the miles on my rapid rewards account?
Yes
Post by: johnny847 on January 18, 2016, 01:06:46 PM
UPDATE: No luck! Bonus points, etc, went to separate accounts. So not much hope of CP anytime soon unless someone has a 50K offer link for the Plus card (I already had the Premier too recently)??
Try asking for a referral in the comments here (http://www.doctorofcredit.com/chase-southwest-personal-business-premier-cards-both-50000-points/).
Post by: YoungRetire on January 22, 2016, 05:38:39 PM
Saw this posted over at slickdeals.
http://slickdeals.net/f/7319392-two-roundtrip-flights-w-southwest-airlines-credit-cards-50k-points-w-2000-spent-in-first-3-months?v=1
100k points is worth at least 4 flights ( or two round trips) and companion status means your designated companion can fly with you for free (unlimited)
You basically need to sign up for 2 southwest credit cards- I did the 2 personal credit cards, the "Plus" and the "Premiere." I was approved for both instantly. (Tip* Do the 2nd one in another browser like IE instead of Chrome or use incognito mode in Chrome). (Sucks that you will probably have to pay both annual fees)
Spend $2000 in the first three months on each card to earn 50,000 bonus points each.
Then spend an additional $6,000 to get you to a total of 110,000 points which will get you the companion status. (This can be done by transferring points from partner companies. I will personally be transferring over Marriott points to cover this $6k spending)
Now this is important- make sure that all points you earn is in the billing period with a closing date in January 2015 because only points in the same calendar year count towards your companion status. Once you earn your 110,000 points and gain Companion status in January of 2015 you not only get it for the rest of 2015 BUT FOR ALL OF 2016 TOO
This is awesome timing for us personally because my wife and I want to go visit some family and friends around the country- So for the next two years I can book my flights using the 110k points we earn and then she just flies for free as my companion.
That's a pretty decent offer. I am a fellow master credit carder also.
Post by: charis on January 23, 2016, 07:46:28 AM
Post by: nanu on January 23, 2016, 09:52:56 AM
I am currently waiting for my Plus card and Marriott card to arrive in the mail to finish off the companion pass. Chase takes sooo long to send cards.My last Chase card (about 1.5 months ago) I called them up right after getting approved and asked them to expedite it because I want to use the card on an upcoming trip (which was true) and wanted to make sure it arrives before I leave. They happily did, and I got the card only a few days later.
Post by: jorjor on January 26, 2016, 07:24:28 AM
Post by: Psychstache on February 02, 2016, 09:31:34 AM
Applied for Premier Business with 50k link on 10/6/15. Told to call to give more info which I did the next day, got approved over the phone.
After hanging up the phone, I immediately applied for Premier Personal with 50k linkon 10/7/15. Automatically approved.
Closing date on statements was the 20th and 21st, respectively. I left it alone.
On 12/28/15 (after both had closed for the cycle), charged planned expenses on card to get 5k in spending total (2k on one, 3k on the other).
Statements closed on 1/20/16 and 1/21/16, spending points and bonus points added to RR account on 1/22 and 1/23, bringing balance to 105k towards companion pass.
Transferred some leftover points from Hyatt account on 1/24. Hyatt points processed on 2/2. point total goes over 110k.
I didn't get an email about the companion Pass, but when I logged into RR, I saw the full chart (all points earned for pass valid through 12/2017) and was able to click and add my companion's info.
Super psyched to take this baby out for a spin.
Post by: charis on February 02, 2016, 09:59:14 AM
Anyone tried trading out a previously booked ticket after achieving the companion? I'm flying with my sister at the end of May - already booked with points. If I get the companion pass before then, I'd essentially like a refund of the points for her ticket and get her on as a companion.
Post by: gliderpilot567 on February 02, 2016, 10:05:31 AM
Not all is lost, I travel quite a bit for work and often on Southwest, so I might rack up enough points this year to actually hit 110k. Routine spending alone on the card will only get us another 20k or so during the remainder of the year. And worst case, the 60k-ish points in my account now will still redeem me a good handful of free trips.
Post by: charis on February 02, 2016, 11:37:16 AM
Congrats! As for me, I will not get the companion pass before the end of the year... update, we tried what had worked for some people (open two personal accounts, one in my name one in wife's, but put same RR number on each) however Chase figured it out, correlated them by RR number, and we were denied the second 50k. I later (2 months after opening my own personal Premier card) tried opening a Premier business card in my name, was instructed to call for more information, after about 30 minutes on the phone with them I was denied. Apparently my eBay income of $4500/year isn't high enough to qualify as a real business, haha.
We had a similar experience with the husband and wife accounts that did not get pooled under the same RR account. But I dealt with this setback by opening a Plus personal card. Have you considered that?
Post by: BigRed on February 03, 2016, 02:50:32 PM
Post by: iamlindoro on February 03, 2016, 03:10:16 PM
So, with the Plus card not offering 50k right now, what's the best way to accomplish this right now? I have a 50k Premier card offer, is the best way to get a Marriott card and transfer from there? Wait for the Plus card to have a 50k bonus again?
Assuming nothing has changed, 50K is still available on the Plus card so long as you get a referral code. Look upthread for some links on where you can request one.
Post by: Karsh on February 05, 2016, 11:59:12 AM
Anyone tried trading out a previously booked ticket after achieving the companion? I'm flying with my sister at the end of May - already booked with points. If I get the companion pass before then, I'd essentially like a refund of the points for her ticket and get her on as a companion.
I just got companion pass status yesterday and I can confirm this is possible. Chase goofed and didn't post one of my bonuses on my January statement, so I had to book my wife's ticket with points for some travel later this month. You'll have the option to add your companion onto your ticket even if it's already booked. Just call them to have the other ticket canceled and you should be able to get them to apply the security fee to the companion ticket without having to deal with doing a new charge on your card and getting a refund.
Just be aware that there's a limited number of times that you can change who your companion is, so if you're not planning on traveling with your sister a lot over the next two years, you might weigh that against the points you'd save on this specific trip.
I feel like I need to dress up as the Doctor on our trips together from now on.
Post by: charis on February 05, 2016, 02:33:51 PM
Anyone tried trading out a previously booked ticket after achieving the companion? I'm flying with my sister at the end of May - already booked with points. If I get the companion pass before then, I'd essentially like a refund of the points for her ticket and get her on as a companion.
I just got companion pass status yesterday and I can confirm this is possible. Chase goofed and didn't post one of my bonuses on my January statement, so I had to book my wife's ticket with points for some travel later this month. You'll have the option to add your companion onto your ticket even if it's already booked. Just call them to have the other ticket canceled and you should be able to get them to apply the security fee to the companion ticket without having to deal with doing a new charge on your card and getting a refund.
Just be aware that there's a limited number of times that you can change who your companion is, so if you're not planning on traveling with your sister a lot over the next two years, you might weigh that against the points you'd save on this specific trip.
I feel like I need to dress up as the Doctor on our trips together from now on.
You make a good point. Since that post, I've decided to trade my son's ticket out for the companion pass, as it would be more likely that I travel with him in the future.
Post by: johnny847 on February 05, 2016, 04:05:45 PM
I love booking with points, it is one way to make your ticket refundable in any situation. You just cancel and get your points back!
You also get the taxes and fees back!
Post by: warehouse on February 06, 2016, 08:55:11 PM
I can send email links for the Premier Personal 50k bonus point offer if anyone is in need!
Post by: CCCA on February 19, 2016, 01:11:18 PM
It was our first foray into credit card travel stuff and it was relatively straightforward.
We had one minor hiccup with paying one of the credit cards. I set up autopay on the business card but realized a couple days after the 1st payment was due that autopay defaults to only paying the minimum instead of the full balance. I paid off the entire balance 2 days after the bill was actually due, although since we paid the minimum there was no late fee.
I thought we were done and we'd maybe pay a little bit of interest for the 2 days we were late. But we got two separate interest charges totaling ~$80, one the next month and one the following month. Having never carried a balance on our card, it was a bit of a shock to see the interest charges and didn't fully understand why they were there, especially for the month after I fixed the issue. Ends up if you don't pay off your balance, they charge us interest for the remaining balance for 2 consecutive months ($3000 bal * 16% * 2/12 of the year = $80). Here I would have assumed that we would have been charged $3000 bal * 16% * 2/365 of the year = $2.63). Things a mustachian wouldn't know, I suppose.
Anyway, we called the CC company and were able to get them to refund both interest charges, so we're happy about that. But it was a bit eye-opening to see how CCs worked and easier to understand why it's difficult to get out of CC debt.
Post by: johnny847 on February 19, 2016, 02:59:23 PM
We hit our goal of 110,000 miles and got our companion pass a couple of weeks ago valid for the next 22 months!
It was our first foray into credit card travel stuff and it was relatively straightforward.
We had one minor hiccup with paying one of the credit cards. I set up autopay on the business card but realized a couple days after the 1st payment was due that autopay defaults to only paying the minimum instead of the full balance. I paid off the entire balance 2 days after the bill was actually due, although since we paid the minimum there was no late fee.
I thought we were done and we'd maybe pay a little bit of interest for the 2 days we were late. But we got two separate interest charges totaling ~$80, one the next month and one the following month. Having never carried a balance on our card, it was a bit of a shock to see the interest charges and didn't fully understand why they were there, especially for the month after I fixed the issue. Ends up if you don't pay off your balance, they charge us interest for the remaining balance for 2 consecutive months ($3000 bal * 16% * 2/12 of the year = $80). Here I would have assumed that we would have been charged $3000 bal * 16% * 2/365 of the year = $2.63). Things a mustachian wouldn't know, I suppose.
Anyway, we called the CC company and were able to get them to refund both interest charges, so we're happy about that. But it was a bit eye-opening to see how CCs worked and easier to understand why it's difficult to get out of CC debt.
Pretty sure it's actually worse than that. I'm sure it varies by the bank, but I remember (I can't find this post now because I forget which blog it was) a blogger saying that he messed up and scheduled a payment for $5 less than his $5k statement balance. He thought the interest he was charged (and later refunded after calling in) was really high.
During the grace period which occurs after your statement closes, they still internally calculate the interest accrued on that balance. If you make a payment for your full balance by the payment due date, they waive all of that internally calculated interest. However, even if you make some payments, if you do not pay your balance in full by the payment due date, you're charged all of the interest. On the full statement balance. Not any remaining balance after your partial payments.
ETA: Looks like I'm either remembering it wrong or the blogger was wrong. Probably the former. But either way, carrying a balance sucks, especially because it eliminates the grace period for the following month.
http://www.creditcards.com/credit-card-news/grace-period-avoid-paying-interest.php (http://www.creditcards.com/credit-card-news/grace-period-avoid-paying-interest.php)
Post by: Professor Ecks on February 22, 2016, 01:51:23 PM
Post by: charis on February 22, 2016, 01:58:49 PM
Post by: nawhite on February 22, 2016, 04:11:20 PM
I might take a points churning break after this :)
I totally get that. I had my CP for 2 years and used it to the fullest http://therecklesschoice.com/2015/11/21/the-southwest-companion-pass-is-awesome/ but now I'm kinda burned out on all that travel. I tried to get excited about some of the cash back cards but the sign up bonuses are only in the $100-$200 range and thus are much less worth my time. Give me a year off and I'll probably come back I think.
Post by: kpd905 on February 23, 2016, 07:11:03 PM
Also, has anyone been approved for a business card with your social security number (no bus. ID) and not had to call in? The one time I tried for a Chase business card I had to call in and they grilled me, and finally denied the app.
Post by: johnny847 on February 23, 2016, 11:28:23 PM
Pretty sure it's actually worse than that. I'm sure it varies by the bank, but I remember (I can't find this post now because I forget which blog it was) a blogger saying that he messed up and scheduled a payment for $5 less than his $5k statement balance. He thought the interest he was charged (and later refunded after calling in) was really high.
During the grace period which occurs after your statement closes, they still internally calculate the interest accrued on that balance. If you make a payment for your full balance by the payment due date, they waive all of that internally calculated interest. However, even if you make some payments, if you do not pay your balance in full by the payment due date, you're charged all of the interest. On the full statement balance. Not any remaining balance after your partial payments.
ETA: Looks like I'm either remembering it wrong or the blogger was wrong. Probably the former. But either way, carrying a balance sucks, especially because it eliminates the grace period for the following month.
http://www.creditcards.com/credit-card-news/grace-period-avoid-paying-interest.php (http://www.creditcards.com/credit-card-news/grace-period-avoid-paying-interest.php)
I so appreciated this reminder. I had to pay my card in full this month because I've been carrying a 0% interest balance transfer balance, but interest is accrued on new purchases regardless, unless the entire card balance is paid in full. I made a new purchase knowing I'd need to pay in full by the end of the month but forgot that my closing date was the 22nd, not the 30th! Fortunately this thread reminded me and now problem solved, no interest accrued and card is paid off. :)
Haha you're welcome!
ETA: It's why people who like to play the balance transfer game never make any purchases with these cards.
Post by: johnny847 on February 23, 2016, 11:30:17 PM
I'm looking for 50k links for both the Premier and Plus cards, if anyone has one send it my way, I'll be trying to sign up for both in the next month before Chase starts their 5/24 rule.
Also, has anyone been approved for a business card with your social security number (no bus. ID) and not had to call in? The one time I tried for a Chase business card I had to call in and they grilled me, and finally denied the app.
The general advice I've heard for business cc's with Chase is to not call in--unless you receive a denial letter in the mail (at that point, you have nothing to lose).
I've been approved by Chase for 2 business cc's now, but I have a EIN.
Post by: arebelspy on February 24, 2016, 02:18:27 AM
I'm looking for 50k links for both the Premier and Plus cards, if anyone has one send it my way, I'll be trying to sign up for both in the next month before Chase starts their 5/24 rule.
Also, has anyone been approved for a business card with your social security number (no bus. ID) and not had to call in? The one time I tried for a Chase business card I had to call in and they grilled me, and finally denied the app.
The general advice I've heard for business cc's with Chase is to not call in--unless you receive a denial letter in the mail (at that point, you have nothing to lose).
I've been approved by Chase for 2 business cc's now, but I have a EIN.
I called in multiple times with business cards with Chase (for myself and wife), did get grilled, was accepted I think 5 our of 6 times or something like that (one denial IIRC?).
We have no EIN, just using our SSNs.
The trick is to have good answers. :)
Post by: johnny847 on February 24, 2016, 07:15:30 AM
I'm looking for 50k links for both the Premier and Plus cards, if anyone has one send it my way, I'll be trying to sign up for both in the next month before Chase starts their 5/24 rule.
Also, has anyone been approved for a business card with your social security number (no bus. ID) and not had to call in? The one time I tried for a Chase business card I had to call in and they grilled me, and finally denied the app.
The general advice I've heard for business cc's with Chase is to not call in--unless you receive a denial letter in the mail (at that point, you have nothing to lose).
I've been approved by Chase for 2 business cc's now, but I have a EIN.
I called in multiple times with business cards with Chase (for myself and wife), did get grilled, was accepted I think 5 our of 6 times or something like that (one denial IIRC?).
We have no EIN, just using our SSNs.
The trick is to have good answers. :)
As yes. This general advice comes from churners, who often try to skirt the rules on what constitutes a business.
Post by: arebelspy on February 24, 2016, 07:52:30 AM
As yes. This general advice comes from churners, who often try to skirt the rules on what constitutes a business.
Not a big fan of what you're insinuating about me, but if you don't think my 15 rental properties counts as a business, feel free to ask the IRS, or multiple companies who have granted me credit based on it, and presumably disagree with you. :)
Post by: johnny847 on February 24, 2016, 08:09:38 AM
As yes. This general advice comes from churners, who often try to skirt the rules on what constitutes a business.
Not a big fan of what you're insinuating about me, but if you don't think my 15 rental properties counts as a business, feel free to ask the IRS, or multiple companies who have granted me credit based on it, and presumably disagree with you. :)
What? That was a huge misinterpretation. I was insinuating that most of the churners who frequent flyertalk and the like, who came up with that advice, are skirting the rules. Not that you are trying to skirt the rules. I am well aware that you have numerous rental properties (didn't realize it was high as 15 though!)
Post by: arebelspy on February 24, 2016, 08:15:17 AM
Post by: charis on February 29, 2016, 09:03:10 AM
Post by: iamlindoro on February 29, 2016, 09:10:22 AM
I closed my Chase SW business card the other day and the rep told me that I "wouldn't lose" my RR points if I still had an open SW card. I assume that it's BS to keep me from closing my other card - the RR are already in my account. Just to confirm, no one has lost points after closing the credit card, right?
Correct, once you earn the bonus, they don't have control over them. There are some limited cases where they can "claw back" points (buying a bunch of stuff to hit the signon bonus, then returning it all as soon as the bonus is awarded), but if we are talking about a card that you have had for some time, they can't do anything to your points, as they don't run that program.
Post by: arebelspy on February 29, 2016, 09:13:09 AM
I closed my Chase SW business card the other day and the rep told me that I "wouldn't lose" my RR points if I still had an open SW card. I assume that it's BS to keep me from closing my other card - the RR are already in my account. Just to confirm, no one has lost points after closing the credit card, right?
No, if they're in your SW account, you're good (CCs that have the points tied to the card can lose them if the card is closed, but that's not the case here). The rep might have meant that the points won't expire if you have an open card and use it, because then you'll earn points from using it, which renews all your points' expiration to two years out from the last time you used/earned points.
Post by: bigalsmith101 on March 03, 2016, 06:17:22 PM
The flights are valued at $1120. We paid $160 in taxes, thus netted $960 in dollar value. Saweeeeet.
Post by: jbjr on March 04, 2016, 01:35:07 PM
Post by: bigalsmith101 on March 05, 2016, 09:42:19 PM
Took a look through at this deal today and it looks like the personal cards are back down to 25k as a bonus. Business cards are at 50k but i dont own a small business. Any idea if there an updated link to the 50k deal available?
It doesn't matter the you don't own a small business. Neither do I, and I have a business card. Many of us don't. Apply for it anyway, use your Social Security Number as your business number, and you'll likely be accepted for the card.
Post by: charis on March 06, 2016, 06:47:02 AM
Post by: BigRed on March 10, 2016, 01:35:18 PM
Post by: dandarc on March 11, 2016, 09:50:54 AM
Finally got my application approved for the 50k Plus card. Should be able to get to a companion pass by May...Where'd you get a link for the 50K Plus card? Our companion pass is up this year, and so I'd like my wife to be applying for Premier and Plus cards so we can get set up for 2017/18.
Post by: krak on March 16, 2016, 02:24:06 PM
Edit: Never mind, was able to find one through Google. I've been approved for both the Preimier and Plus 50k bonus point rewards. Free (almost) flying, here I come!
Post by: BigRed on March 22, 2016, 03:37:50 PM
I then posted there to ask for a referral, then someone emailed me a phone number and their Southwest RR number. I then called and applied.
Post by: johnny847 on March 22, 2016, 04:10:18 PM
I google 50,000 Southwest Plus card offer, and ended up at http://www.uscreditcardguide.com/en/
I then posted there to ask for a referral, then someone emailed me a phone number and their Southwest RR number. I then called and applied.
This is what I did a while back (but on flyertalk forums) and I was fairly wary of this. I mean, how do I know that the phone number given to call is a legitimate Chase number, and not some scam set up to collect my SSN?
I still did it anyways, because I was greedy and this flyertalk user that sent me the referral had a high post count (so probably not a scammer, but you never really know). It all worked out in the end---it was a legit phone number and I got my 50k signup bonus from it---but I still think this is worth pointing out.
Off topic, are you a Cornell alum?
Post by: BigRed on March 22, 2016, 04:13:54 PM
I google 50,000 Southwest Plus card offer, and ended up at http://www.uscreditcardguide.com/en/
I then posted there to ask for a referral, then someone emailed me a phone number and their Southwest RR number. I then called and applied.
This is what I did a while back (but on flyertalk forums) and I was fairly wary of this. I mean, how do I know that the phone number given to call is a legitimate Chase number, and not some scam set up to collect my SSN?
I still did it anyways, because I was greedy and this flyertalk user that sent me the referral had a high post count (so probably not a scammer, but you never really know). It all worked out in the end---it was a legit phone number and I got my 50k signup bonus from it---but I still think this is worth pointing out.
Off topic, are you a Cornell alum?
Yes, I felt the same way. I actually posted in a couple different places to make sure that I got the same phone number from different people
Also, yes, Cornell Alum.
Post by: johnny847 on March 22, 2016, 04:28:55 PM
I google 50,000 Southwest Plus card offer, and ended up at http://www.uscreditcardguide.com/en/
I then posted there to ask for a referral, then someone emailed me a phone number and their Southwest RR number. I then called and applied.
This is what I did a while back (but on flyertalk forums) and I was fairly wary of this. I mean, how do I know that the phone number given to call is a legitimate Chase number, and not some scam set up to collect my SSN?
I still did it anyways, because I was greedy and this flyertalk user that sent me the referral had a high post count (so probably not a scammer, but you never really know). It all worked out in the end---it was a legit phone number and I got my 50k signup bonus from it---but I still think this is worth pointing out.
Off topic, are you a Cornell alum?
Yes, I felt the same way. I actually posted in a couple different places to make sure that I got the same phone number from different people
Also, yes, Cornell Alum.
Haha I didn't think of that. That's a good one to lower the chance of falling victim to a scam.
Post by: BigRed on March 22, 2016, 04:34:21 PM
Post by: BigRed on March 22, 2016, 04:48:37 PM
Now, I need to figure out how to quickly get the other 6,000 points after hitting the sign up bonuses.
Post by: johnny847 on March 22, 2016, 06:53:06 PM
It is, admittedly, a tad rude, since only one of the people who responds to you gets the referral bonus. Also, why the heck is Chase/Southwest encouraging people to practice stupid behavior?
True. I'd be okay with other people doing that to me though if I was the one handing out referrals, but only because I understand the security risks. I wouldn't expect others to think about that though.
I don't know how you get referrals to give out. Or if just supplying the number and your Southwest RR is all you need to do. Very mysterious.
Now, I need to figure out how to quickly get the other 6,000 points after hitting the sign up bonuses.
A quick way is to just spend $6k on your Southwest cc. You could send $6k to a buddy with a service such as Square Cash for a 3% fee.
Of course, while this is quick, this is certainly not cheap.
Back in the days when Amex didn't really care about what you did with your Amex Serve, I would've suggested that. Well, maybe I still do if you haven't been shut down already. .Because you just need the $6k before they shut you down, and they seem to batch process shutdowns every couple months.
Post by: Professor Ecks on March 23, 2016, 08:45:03 AM
Quote
I don't know how you get referrals to give out. Or if just supplying the number and your Southwest RR is all you need to do. Very mysterious.
For us, when we log into our Chase account, there is a little information bubble at the top of the page that told us we could get referral bonuses for friends who sign up for the card. Clicking the link would take us to a page where we could input email addresses and Chase would send a referral link. We only had the option to send Premier card links. I just checked today, and the option is gone, so I am guessing they only show up for a limited time.
Post by: jorjor on March 23, 2016, 07:55:40 PM
Now, I need to figure out how to quickly get the other 6,000 points after hitting the sign up bonuses.
We converted some Chase points to Hyatt, and then to Southwest. You can't count Chase --> SW, but you can count Hyatt --> SW. The conversion factor isn't one-to-one, but Hyatt was a better conversion than the other options we looked at.
Post by: johnny847 on March 24, 2016, 01:20:50 PM
Speak of the devil... I got an email to share invites for the 50,000 bonus points offer today... anyone need an invite? :D ;)
While I don't need one, you should specify for which card. The Plus is the one people seek out the most, as that doesn't seem to be available without a referral.
Post by: BrendanJ45 on March 24, 2016, 06:11:44 PM
https://applynow.chase.com/FlexAppWeb/renderApp.do?PID=CFFD2&SPID=FHV5&CELL=600F&MSC=1524330936 (https://applynow.chase.com/FlexAppWeb/renderApp.do?PID=CFFD2&SPID=FHV5&CELL=600F&MSC=1524330936)
Thank you,
Brendan
Post by: johnny847 on March 26, 2016, 09:29:24 AM
The bad news: I don't have a companion to regularly fly with (ie, girlfriend).
Why'd I get the pass? Because I wanted to complete the "challenge."
I'm glad I did it though because Chase's 5/24 rules are coming into effect soon and I definitely have exceeded 5/24.
Post by: apdale on April 12, 2016, 08:15:42 AM
https://applynow.chase.com/FlexAppWeb/renderApp.do?SPID=FHTY&CELL=600D&AFFID=&CLICK=&CID=&PROMO=DF01&MSC=1528931420
Thanks!
Post by: ohmylookatthat on April 13, 2016, 11:05:01 AM
Post by: johnny847 on April 13, 2016, 11:10:36 AM
seems like the platinum is back. 80k
Wrong thread?
Post by: dragoncar on April 13, 2016, 02:16:38 PM
For a while they were having amazing deals every November- 20% off amazon gift cards for example (4k points for $50 gift cards) so it was worth keeping the "other rewards" ability. But I've been flying a LOT less and can't justify paying the annual fee anymore. At worst I should churn and get the premier.
Post by: jorjor on April 15, 2016, 04:31:49 PM
Use #1: Both my wife and I had a busy, rough month of work. Wife wanted to get away (Southwest literally has a fare class for that!). She wanted to visit her sister in Sacramento since we haven't seen them or the niece/nephew in a while. This was a somewhat pricey trip (about 20k points) but no way would we have done it without that.
Use #2: Wife is an event planner, meaning sometimes travel companies come in and give presentations. Air Emirates came in last year, and raffled off two round trip tickets to Dubai. She won. We ended up going last week (it was awesome!) but had to get to Dallas, Houston, JFK, or LAX. No problem. CP and about 6k points + $22 to the rescue! That means we went round trip to Dubai for essentially the cost of taxes & fees (about $250 total between both airlines) and a few SW points. (And the Air Emirates flight to Dubai ended up being upgraded to Business Class both ways. Lay flat seats, and good food and wine for a 14 hour flight? Yes please.)
Use #3: My mom turns 50 next week. I randomly check flight prices today and they are pretty cheap! I decide to go. Wife says "You want me to come too?" Actually, yes I do! 11k points and $22 later, and we're all booked.
I've been booking work travel on SW to build up points whenever I can. We already have at least one trip that I have to take for work to a city we like (Portland) so she'll just come along too. We've used it three times, have about 80k points left (plus over 100k that we can transfer from Chase if it comes to it) and plenty of work trips that will build up the points.
What was I doing paying for two flights to get everywhere the last two years?!?!
Post by: DirtDiva on April 16, 2016, 10:01:45 AM
Anyone ever have luck with asking them to waive the annual fee? I keep meaning to cancel this sucker but I always forget (anti mustachian I know).
I called to cancel a few days after being charged the annual fee and they gave me $100 credit for the $95 annual fee...so I have the card for one more year.
Post by: Unicorn on April 16, 2016, 01:34:07 PM
Hi folks,
I've got the personal Premier card and I've cleared the $2,000 spending threshold. All good so far. But when I applied for the business card I was denied for "Too many requests for credit or opened accounts with us." Background: we have superb credit and the only recent credit inquiry or approval would have come about 2 months ago from our application for the first card. Any ideas on what went wrong here or what could be done to get approved for the 2nd card?
Post by: arebelspy on April 16, 2016, 10:51:59 PM
Hi folks,
I've got the personal Premier card and I've cleared the $2,000 spending threshold. All good so far. But when I applied for the business card I was denied for "Too many requests for credit or opened accounts with us." Background: we have superb credit and the only recent credit inquiry or approval would have come about 2 months ago from our application for the first card. Any ideas on what went wrong here or what could be done to get approved for the 2nd card?
No other applications with any other credit card companies? Chase tracks that (all applications, not just with them).
If so, call them and see.
Post by: Professor Ecks on April 27, 2016, 06:31:20 AM
For those interested in the 50K SW PLUS referral, I just got an email this morning saying I have them available. Send me a message with your email address and I will send you a link.
Post by: BrendanJ45 on April 29, 2016, 09:46:06 AM
I have referrals available for Southwest Plus and Premier cards (50k points for 2k spend in 3 months). PM me if you want a link. Cheers.
Post by: dandarc on May 02, 2016, 09:09:12 AM
Post by: JustGettingStarted1980 on May 02, 2016, 09:35:48 AM
Anyone else with similar experiences lately?
Post by: jorjor on May 02, 2016, 10:08:52 AM
FYI -both my Chase Southwest cards were hacked in the last week. Both now shut down, of course. I know they were both hacked, instead of simply palmed and copied at a restaurant or something, because I hadn't used my Premier card since I got the 50K bonus in December. It wasn't even in my wallet.
Anyone else with similar experiences lately?
My Plus card was "swiped" at a Square halfway across the country within a week of getting it a few months back. I had only used it once. No problems since then, though.
Post by: BrendanJ45 on June 29, 2016, 06:10:12 PM
Post by: bigalsmith101 on July 01, 2016, 08:12:00 AM
Post by: PatronWizard11 on July 01, 2016, 12:26:52 PM
Wifey and I just returned from Costa Rica. Cost 33k points all told, and wifey flew for free as my companion. It was awesome, and having flown for free all year so far, we still have 52k points to go.
how do you find avaliable flights? I've been looking at the hubs in central america and the islands near florida like jamaica, Nassau etc but I always get this message:
Flights from Charleston - CHS to San Juan - SJU are not scheduled to operate on 11/01/2016. Please select an alternate date or choose another origination/destination. Please visit the Southwest Airlines interactive route map for alternate choices. (SW100104-ARjP6x7qQF2GVVwCM6eykg)
I've changed the dates and even destinations just to get an idea of how much it would cost points wise and the dates avalible but I don't know how else to search. I'm using the interactive map right now.
Post by: dandarc on July 01, 2016, 12:31:00 PM
You could also try and "construct" a flight - book multiple flights to get there.
https://www.southwest.com/air/flight-schedules/results.html?departureDate=2016-11-06&destinationAirportCode=SJU&originationAirportCode=CHS&scheduleViewType=weekly&timeOfDay=ALL_DAY (https://www.southwest.com/air/flight-schedules/results.html?departureDate=2016-11-06&destinationAirportCode=SJU&originationAirportCode=CHS&scheduleViewType=weekly&timeOfDay=ALL_DAY)
Post by: dandarc on July 01, 2016, 12:32:12 PM
Post by: PatronWizard11 on July 01, 2016, 12:49:57 PM
Try the flight schedule on southwest - CHS to SJU appears to only fly on Saturdays. Many more options for the reverse - must be a quirk in the schedule.
You could also try and "construct" a flight - book multiple flights to get there.
https://www.southwest.com/air/flight-schedules/results.html?departureDate=2016-11-06&destinationAirportCode=SJU&originationAirportCode=CHS&scheduleViewType=weekly&timeOfDay=ALL_DAY (https://www.southwest.com/air/flight-schedules/results.html?departureDate=2016-11-06&destinationAirportCode=SJU&originationAirportCode=CHS&scheduleViewType=weekly&timeOfDay=ALL_DAY)
oh shoot, that is awesome. I didn't know how to find that page. thanks for the link
Post by: dandarc on July 01, 2016, 01:32:16 PM
Can narrow your search - if there is a direct flight, for example from Orlando to San Juan, you can search that and get a feel for how often Southwest planes even land at your destination - some places might have just 1 flight per day, some have many, many options.
https://www.southwest.com/flight/routemap_dyn.html?clk=GSUBNAV-AIR-ROUTEMAP (https://www.southwest.com/flight/routemap_dyn.html?clk=GSUBNAV-AIR-ROUTEMAP)
Post by: Jaguar Paw on July 01, 2016, 05:15:40 PM
Post by: dandarc on July 01, 2016, 07:10:08 PM
https://www.southwest.com/html/customer-service/faqs.html?topic=rapid_rewards_program_terms_and_conditions (https://www.southwest.com/html/customer-service/faqs.html?topic=rapid_rewards_program_terms_and_conditions)
Quote
Points purchased for personal use or as a gift, transferred points, points earned from program enrollment, Tier bonus points, flight bonus points, and Partner bonus points (with the exception of the Rapid Rewards Credit Cards from Chase) do not qualify as Companion Pass Qualifying Points.
Post by: dragoncar on July 04, 2016, 12:58:59 AM
Post by: jorjor on July 05, 2016, 12:47:22 PM
Question: Could I sign up for the southwest 50K bonus points and then transfer over 60K points I just churned from my Chase Sapphire to obtain the Southwest companion status? It says specifically I can transfer chase to southwest 1 for 1 but didn't know if the points would count to companion pass. Thanks!
No. Chase points can be transferred 1-to-1 to use for booking flights, but they do not count towards the CP.
Points transferred from other partners do count though, so you can transfer Chase to another partner like Hyatt or Marriott though and then transfer into Southwest and they will count. Chase to the hotel partners is 1-to-1, but the hotel partners to Southwest is not 1-to-1. 50,000 Hyatt points gets you something like 30,000 Southwest points after a bonus so if you were to do this you would need...many more miles.
Post by: moneysaver on August 07, 2016, 09:59:15 PM
Post by: BrendanJ45 on August 08, 2016, 12:49:04 AM
1) Rapid Rewards portal: earn 1-6x points/$ on your spendypants online purchases (I got 6x on a dell laptop during back to school)
2) Rapid Rewards Dining Club" earn 3x/$ points at select restaurants and I got an additional 1000 points for first dine
3) 5000 points per referral
I have 50k Southwest Plus if anyone still needs for this year.
Plus Link if needed: https://applynow.chase.com/FlexAppWeb/renderApp.do?PID=CFFD2&SPID=FHTS&CELL=600F&MSC=1524333410
Premiere Link (50k bonus as normal but I like free stuff :) ): https://applynow.chase.com/FlexAppWeb/renderApp.do?PID=CFFD2&SPID=FHV5&CELL=600F&MSC=1524330936
Post by: cj25 on August 08, 2016, 03:52:57 PM
Post by: johnny847 on August 08, 2016, 03:59:06 PM
Is there any point in attempting to start this process so late it the year, since the CP would only be good for a month or two this year and next? How frequently are the 50k points available? If I wait til Nov/Dec to apply to earn points in early 2017, will there even be an offer? I'd love to have the CP in 2017/2018, since I know we'll be travelling for a few things for sure in 2018.
The Southwest cards go up to 50k on a somewhat regular basis. Unless you have a lot of trips planned this year I'd probably wait until the end of the year. And you don't necessarily need the offers to come up in Nov/Dec - Jan/Feb 2017 will work too (unless you've got some early 2017 travel planned).
Just keep in mind that Chase now has a "5/24" rule (http://www.doctorofcredit.com/chase-524-rule-explained-detail-need-know/), which affects some cards including their Southwest cards: if you've opened 5 or more cards in the last 24 months (from any bank, not just Chase), you are pretty much guaranteed to be denied, without any reconsideration. I think there's some wiggle room if you were specifically targeted for the card, but that's about it.
So if you're already over 5/24, well, you're SOL. If you're 3/24 or under to be able to get two Southwest cards, then you should plan on remaining 3/24 through the rest of the year to be able to get two Southwest cards. If you're 4/24, well, you're probably SOL unless you've got some plan to source 58k Southwest points some other way.
Post by: BrendanJ45 on August 08, 2016, 05:05:03 PM
Is there any point in attempting to start this process so late it the year, since the CP would only be good for a month or two this year and next? How frequently are the 50k points available? If I wait til Nov/Dec to apply to earn points in early 2017, will there even be an offer? I'd love to have the CP in 2017/2018, since I know we'll be travelling for a few things for sure in 2018.
Even if there isn't a public 50k offer for the plus card, you can still get a referral for 50k in my experience. Wait until Dec imo, just make sure that your bonuses don't post until 2017.
Post by: hoping2retire35 on August 09, 2016, 02:16:25 PM
Post by: Professor Ecks on August 24, 2016, 10:53:59 AM
If you'd like a referral for either card, you can PM me your email address. I will send the referrals in the first week of September. If the referral code is good for 30 days, it will allow you to sign up for the card in early October. This will give you October to December to meet the minimum spending requirement, with the last statement closing in January 2017. So long as you don't meet the minimum spend before December (which would post the bonus points in December), the bonus points will post in January, maximizing your companion pass time.
Post by: forummm on August 25, 2016, 11:44:17 AM
Post by: Professor Ecks on August 25, 2016, 01:34:48 PM
Anyone know what credit bureaus they pull? I froze my credit for security reasons. Would be nice to only unfreeze the one they look at.
The inquiry shows on our Equifax and Experian reports. It does not show on Transunion.
Post by: johnny847 on August 25, 2016, 02:26:35 PM
Anyone know what credit bureaus they pull? I froze my credit for security reasons. Would be nice to only unfreeze the one they look at.
The inquiry shows on our Equifax and Experian reports. It does not show on Transunion.
Depends on where you live. And even then it's still not 100% consistent.
https://creditboards.com/forums/index.php?app=creditpulls (https://creditboards.com/forums/index.php?app=creditpulls)
Post by: Clean Shaven on August 26, 2016, 03:47:16 PM
You get 50K points after $2K spend in 3 months, I get 5K points when you complete your spend.
Post by: forummm on August 27, 2016, 01:49:34 PM
If anyone's looking, I have referrals for Southwest's Plus card -- PM me if interested.
You get 50K points after $2K spend in 3 months, I get 5K points when you complete your spend.
Can I get their regular 50k points card and the plus card at the same time?
Post by: Clean Shaven on August 27, 2016, 10:02:14 PM
There isn't a regular card, so to speak.
Post by: Rubic on August 28, 2016, 09:12:06 AM
There are two cards - Plus and Premier. They have different annual fees, and minor differences in benefits. You can get both at the same time.
If you apply for both at the same time, you may get a fraud alert call
from Chase, especially if you don't already have a history with them.
They'll ask you to verify some information so they can confirm it's a
legitimate application. If they call you, it's a good idea to have some
explanation of why you need two cards -- which can be something as
simple as "I want to keep my X expenses separate from Y expenses."
Post by: forummm on August 28, 2016, 01:07:59 PM
There are two cards - Plus and Premier. They have different annual fees, and minor differences in benefits. You can get both at the same time.
If you apply for both at the same time, you may get a fraud alert call
from Chase, especially if you don't already have a history with them.
They'll ask you to verify some information so they can confirm it's a
legitimate application. If they call you, it's a good idea to have some
explanation of why you need two cards -- which can be something as
simple as "I want to keep my X expenses separate from Y expenses."
Sweet! The bonus points are great. There's no way I can legitimately spend $10k in 3 months to get the companion pass. And we don't really travel much, so it wouldn't be especially useful.
Post by: forummm on August 28, 2016, 01:58:22 PM
Post by: forummm on August 28, 2016, 04:43:05 PM
Actually, it looks like I didn't understand how the companion pass works. Hopefully the 50k points from my card won't post until January. If I do a 2nd card, then I'll be able to earn the companion pass for sure in 2016 with normal spending. I may have applied for the first card a little too early. We'll see.
The language for the companion pass is "earn 110,000 Qualifying Points in a calendar year". I read that to mean that if my statement closes in December and that statement earns me 50k points, that those points are counted for 2016 and not 2017 (even if they do take "6-8 weeks" to post to my SW RR account). Is that right? Looks like I applied too early since 3 months from whenever they approve me will certainly still be in 2016.
Post by: arebelspy on August 28, 2016, 05:43:39 PM
Actually, it looks like I didn't understand how the companion pass works. Hopefully the 50k points from my card won't post until January. If I do a 2nd card, then I'll be able to earn the companion pass for sure in 2016 with normal spending. I may have applied for the first card a little too early. We'll see.
The language for the companion pass is "earn 110,000 Qualifying Points in a calendar year". I read that to mean that if my statement closes in December and that statement earns me 50k points, that those points are counted for 2016 and not 2017 (even if they do take "6-8 weeks" to post to my SW RR account). Is that right? Looks like I applied too early since 3 months from whenever they approve me will certainly still be in 2016.
Yup, too early. =/
Statement should close and points post in January.
Thus you don't want to apply for SW cards before October or so.
Post by: forummm on August 28, 2016, 06:56:27 PM
Post by: dandarc on August 29, 2016, 11:43:28 AM
Unless you travel so little that even with 2 people you're not going to spend 100K points next year.
Post by: arebelspy on August 29, 2016, 03:26:15 PM
I'd get the 2nd card as soon as you can, and get the spending done. You still get 1 year + 1 or 2 months of companion pass.
Agreed.
And then at the end of next year (next Nov), have the SO apply for both cards and have bonuses post in Jan, to extend it two more years.
Post by: forummm on August 31, 2016, 01:26:47 PM
I'd get the 2nd card as soon as you can, and get the spending done. You still get 1 year + 1 or 2 months of companion pass.
Unless you travel so little that even with 2 people you're not going to spend 100K points next year.
Why does it matter if we spend 100k points in a year? Can't I keep them forever?
Post by: dandarc on August 31, 2016, 01:37:21 PM
Good point. Get the companion pass for 2016-17 - no reason not to. Southwest points technically expire after 2 years if you don't earn any more, but for practical purposes it isn't too hard to keep them alive indefinitely.I'd get the 2nd card as soon as you can, and get the spending done. You still get 1 year + 1 or 2 months of companion pass.
Unless you travel so little that even with 2 people you're not going to spend 100K points next year.
Why does it matter if we spend 100k points in a year? Can't I keep them forever?
Post by: Gibbelstein on August 31, 2016, 03:15:52 PM
Is there any way to know for sure when is the earliest I can apply and have a statement that closes in Jan 2017? I would like as much time as possible to spend before the end of the year, but don't want to miss out because I got anxious and jumped the gun.
Post by: arebelspy on August 31, 2016, 03:34:32 PM
I'd get the 2nd card as soon as you can, and get the spending done. You still get 1 year + 1 or 2 months of companion pass.
Unless you travel so little that even with 2 people you're not going to spend 100K points next year.
Why does it matter if we spend 100k points in a year? Can't I keep them forever?
Because then you get the companion pass, if you hit 110k points in a single year. So getting the 2nd card now (for another 50k signup bonus) will get you 100 from the signup bonuses, another 6ish from the min spends, then you just need 4k of real (or MS) spend to hit 110k this year, and get the companion pass for 2016-17.
If you don't spend the 110k in a year, yes, you'll keep the 50k from this year, but start over at 0 towards earning the companion pass next year, so likely won't be able to earn it at all.
Post by: Gibbelstein on September 01, 2016, 10:53:38 AM
Thought I would add my experience here since I just finished.
Applied for Premier Business with 50k link on 10/6/15. Told to call to give more info which I did the next day, got approved over the phone.
After hanging up the phone, I immediately applied for Premier Personal with 50k linkon 10/7/15. Automatically approved.
Closing date on statements was the 20th and 21st, respectively. I left it alone.
On 12/28/15 (after both had closed for the cycle), charged planned expenses on card to get 5k in spending total (2k on one, 3k on the other).
Statements closed on 1/20/16 and 1/21/16, spending points and bonus points added to RR account on 1/22 and 1/23, bringing balance to 105k towards companion pass.
Transferred some leftover points from Hyatt account on 1/24. Hyatt points processed on 2/2. point total goes over 110k.
I didn't get an email about the companion Pass, but when I logged into RR, I saw the full chart (all points earned for pass valid through 12/2017) and was able to click and add my companion's info.
Super psyched to take this baby out for a spin.
Argh, of course I find this example after posting my question. Quoting to help out future searchers.
Post by: Professor Ecks on September 02, 2016, 08:51:50 AM
Post by: Mr. Green on September 04, 2016, 04:33:19 PM
The example here leaves me confused. of the cards where applied for on 10/6 and 10/7, and the closing dates are the 20th and 21st, are the first closing dates 10/20 and 10/21 or 11/20 and 11/21? If it's in October then the third month would close 12/20 and 12/21, running the risk of the points being awarded in 2016. Can anyone confirm that the first statement closing dates would be in November?Thought I would add my experience here since I just finished.
Applied for Premier Business with 50k link on 10/6/15. Told to call to give more info which I did the next day, got approved over the phone.
After hanging up the phone, I immediately applied for Premier Personal with 50k linkon 10/7/15. Automatically approved.
Closing date on statements was the 20th and 21st, respectively. I left it alone.
On 12/28/15 (after both had closed for the cycle), charged planned expenses on card to get 5k in spending total (2k on one, 3k on the other).
Statements closed on 1/20/16 and 1/21/16, spending points and bonus points added to RR account on 1/22 and 1/23, bringing balance to 105k towards companion pass.
Transferred some leftover points from Hyatt account on 1/24. Hyatt points processed on 2/2. point total goes over 110k.
I didn't get an email about the companion Pass, but when I logged into RR, I saw the full chart (all points earned for pass valid through 12/2017) and was able to click and add my companion's info.
Super psyched to take this baby out for a spin.
Argh, of course I find this example after posting my question. Quoting to help out future searchers.
Post by: arebelspy on September 13, 2016, 05:52:40 PM
The example here leaves me confused. of the cards where applied for on 10/6 and 10/7, and the closing dates are the 20th and 21st, are the first closing dates 10/20 and 10/21 or 11/20 and 11/21? If it's in October then the third month would close 12/20 and 12/21, running the risk of the points being awarded in 2016. Can anyone confirm that the first statement closing dates would be in November?Thought I would add my experience here since I just finished.
Applied for Premier Business with 50k link on 10/6/15. Told to call to give more info which I did the next day, got approved over the phone.
After hanging up the phone, I immediately applied for Premier Personal with 50k linkon 10/7/15. Automatically approved.
Closing date on statements was the 20th and 21st, respectively. I left it alone.
On 12/28/15 (after both had closed for the cycle), charged planned expenses on card to get 5k in spending total (2k on one, 3k on the other).
Statements closed on 1/20/16 and 1/21/16, spending points and bonus points added to RR account on 1/22 and 1/23, bringing balance to 105k towards companion pass.
Transferred some leftover points from Hyatt account on 1/24. Hyatt points processed on 2/2. point total goes over 110k.
I didn't get an email about the companion Pass, but when I logged into RR, I saw the full chart (all points earned for pass valid through 12/2017) and was able to click and add my companion's info.
Super psyched to take this baby out for a spin.
Argh, of course I find this example after posting my question. Quoting to help out future searchers.
They're in October, but I think you're miscounting in the bold statement.
The first period is oct 21-nov 21. Second is nov 21-dec 21. Third is dec 21-jan 21.
Post by: Mr. Green on September 14, 2016, 09:19:40 AM
I guess what confused me was the gap between the application dates and the first closing dates. I assumed if the applications were approved that day that the cards would be mailed and activated faster than two weeks from the approval date. Plus the term "closing date" made me think the first period would have closed in October, which I admit seemed strange because it would have been so short. I just don't want to mess it up since we're planning to use this for a lot of travel over the next two years.The example here leaves me confused. of the cards where applied for on 10/6 and 10/7, and the closing dates are the 20th and 21st, are the first closing dates 10/20 and 10/21 or 11/20 and 11/21? If it's in October then the third month would close 12/20 and 12/21, running the risk of the points being awarded in 2016. Can anyone confirm that the first statement closing dates would be in November?
They're in October, but I think you're miscounting in the bold statement.
The first period is oct 21-nov 21. Second is nov 21-dec 21. Third is dec 21-jan 21.
Post by: arebelspy on September 14, 2016, 09:23:43 AM
I guess what confused me was the gap between the application dates and the first closing dates. I assumed if the applications were approved that day that the cards would be mailed and activated faster than two weeks from the approval date. Plus the term "closing date" made me think the first period would have closed in October, which I admit seemed strange because it would have been so short. I just don't want to mess it up since we're planning to use this for a lot of travel over the next two years.The example here leaves me confused. of the cards where applied for on 10/6 and 10/7, and the closing dates are the 20th and 21st, are the first closing dates 10/20 and 10/21 or 11/20 and 11/21? If it's in October then the third month would close 12/20 and 12/21, running the risk of the points being awarded in 2016. Can anyone confirm that the first statement closing dates would be in November?
They're in October, but I think you're miscounting in the bold statement.
The first period is oct 21-nov 21. Second is nov 21-dec 21. Third is dec 21-jan 21.
As long as you apply in October, your third closing date will be in Jan, even if it starts at the date of application.
E.g. Oct 1->Nov 1 (first close)->Dec1 (second close--do spend after this second close)->Jan 1(third close..get points).
Post by: charis on September 14, 2016, 09:30:24 AM
As long as you apply in October, your third closing date will be in Jan, even if it starts at the date of application.
E.g. Oct 1->Nov 1 (first close)->Dec1 (second close--do spend after this second close)->Jan 1(third close..get points).
Not necessarily. I applied for the DW card last mid-December and my first closing date was December 28, less than two weeks from application date. I remember because I called the CC company to complain, since my buying and points that posted in December, which I had assumed would post in January, did not count toward 2016.
Post by: arebelspy on September 14, 2016, 09:42:35 AM
As long as you apply in October, your third closing date will be in Jan, even if it starts at the date of application.
E.g. Oct 1->Nov 1 (first close)->Dec1 (second close--do spend after this second close)->Jan 1(third close..get points).
Not necessarily. I applied for the DW card last mid-December and my first closing date was December 28, less than two weeks from application date. I remember because I called the CC company to complain, since my buying and points that posted in December, which I had assumed would post in January, did not count toward 2016.
Call and move your closing date after getting the card?
Also: what do the terms and conditions say? I thought they say within 3 months of the card opening. Not within 3 statements. So if you open after Oct 1, you should be able to complete spending by Jan 1 and be fine. Correct me if I'm wrong, but I'm pretty sure it's 3 months.
Post by: charis on September 14, 2016, 09:47:17 AM
As long as you apply in October, your third closing date will be in Jan, even if it starts at the date of application.
E.g. Oct 1->Nov 1 (first close)->Dec1 (second close--do spend after this second close)->Jan 1(third close..get points).
Not necessarily. I applied for the DW card last mid-December and my first closing date was December 28, less than two weeks from application date. I remember because I called the CC company to complain, since my buying and points that posted in December, which I had assumed would post in January, did not count toward 2016.
Call and move your closing date after getting the card?
Also: what do the terms and conditions say? I thought they say within 3 months of the card opening. Not within 3 statements. So if you open after Oct 1, you should be able to complete spending by Jan 1 and be fine. Correct me if I'm wrong, but I'm pretty sure it's 3 months.
Don't the points have to be earned in the same calendar year to count toward the companion pass? Isn't that what we are talking about? I apologize if not, I haven't read all of the posts. It's wasn't a huge deal, but I needed all the points that I could get.
Yes, call right after you receive the card and move your closing date. It didn't occur to me initially because I've never had a closing date within two weeks of application.
Post by: arebelspy on September 14, 2016, 09:53:33 AM
Don't the points have to be earned in the same calendar year to count toward the companion pass? Isn't that what we are talking about? I apologize if not, I haven't read all of the posts. It's wasn't a huge deal, but I needed all the points that I could get.
The key is the final bonus does. So as long as your third statement will end in January, then you can do all your spending after the second statement closes and it'll all post in Jan. Do that for 2x 50k cards, spend 2-3k on each to hit the min signup bonus, plus another few k to total 10k total spend (or transfer points in, or whatever to hit that 10k) to make 110k, and effectively get the CP for two years.
Post by: charis on September 14, 2016, 10:00:57 AM
Don't the points have to be earned in the same calendar year to count toward the companion pass? Isn't that what we are talking about? I apologize if not, I haven't read all of the posts. It's wasn't a huge deal, but I needed all the points that I could get.
The key is the final bonus does. So as long as your third statement will end in January, then you can do all your spending after the second statement closes and it'll all post in Jan. Do that for 2x 50k cards, spend 2-3k on each to hit the min signup bonus, plus another few k to total 10k total spend (or transfer points in, or whatever to hit that 10k) to make 110k, and effectively get the CP for two years.
I have the CP, I just wanted to warn people about the first statement closing early if they aren't prepared for it.
Post by: Mr. Green on September 14, 2016, 11:07:03 AM
Post by: johnny847 on September 14, 2016, 01:32:30 PM
If one couldn't spend $4,000 in one month, but wanted that spending to count toward the 110,000 points needed for the companion pass is there any reason not to wait until December to apply so you'd have all 3 months in 2017 to hit the 4k needed? I know the October application is designed to provide the longest window possible for the companion pass.
There's no guarantee taht the cards will have 50k bonuses on them in December. It usually happens but I wouldn't necessarily bank on it.
The official stance from Chase is that 25k is the standard bonus and 50k is a limited time promotion (but I swear it's at 50k for about 1/3-1/2 the year).
Post by: Mr. Green on September 14, 2016, 02:10:43 PM
Ah, I see.If one couldn't spend $4,000 in one month, but wanted that spending to count toward the 110,000 points needed for the companion pass is there any reason not to wait until December to apply so you'd have all 3 months in 2017 to hit the 4k needed? I know the October application is designed to provide the longest window possible for the companion pass.
There's no guarantee taht the cards will have 50k bonuses on them in December. It usually happens but I wouldn't necessarily bank on it.
The official stance from Chase is that 25k is the standard bonus and 50k is a limited time promotion (but I swear it's at 50k for about 1/3-1/2 the year).
Post by: kpd905 on September 15, 2016, 03:43:00 AM
Post by: Professor Ecks on October 04, 2016, 07:14:22 AM
Post by: arebelspy on October 04, 2016, 07:18:39 AM
http://millionmilesecrets.com/2016/10/02/marriott-points-for-southwest-companion-pass/
Using Starwood (SPG) Points->Marriott->SW works. 90k SPG will get you the 110k SW you need for a CP.
If you get denied a card (so only get 50k or something) or have already got those bonuses once before in your life, this could be useful.
Post by: Mr. Green on October 06, 2016, 10:37:18 AM
Post by: Mr. Green on October 06, 2016, 06:05:41 PM
I used a referral from Professor Eck for the Plus card but I had my own offer in an email from Southwest for the Premier card. The email specified a 50,000 point bonus and I used the link in the email to the Chase form, however I was slightly dismayed that the Chase form didn't say anything specifically about bonus points. I know it had my data from the email offer because a couple fields were pre-filled already (my name). The email offer did not expire until 10/22 so I should be good there.
The form from Professor Eck's referral had the 50,000 point bonus shown right there. Somehow I'd like to verify that the Premier card I signed up for included the 50,000 point bonus, just to be safe. I have a Chase Online account and I was looking around there (both cards show up) to see if there was anything that mentioned the bonus but I haven't come across anything yet. Does anyone know if that information shows up in your Chase Online account anywhere? I suppose I can call Chase for verification?
Also, I'm having difficultly figuring our when the first statements close. All I see is that the first payment is due by 11/17 and 11/19. If that's accurate then apply now was technically too early because I think they give you 21+ days to make the payment, which would put the first closing dates in October.
EDIT for Update: I called Chase and the lady said my Plus card's first cycle won't close until 11/20 and payment will be due on 12/17. So what I saw on my Chase online account with a due date of 11/17 was actually a phantom due date as if I already had a card. Whew! Just thought I would add that info just in case anyone else signs up, looks at their Chase Online account immediately afterward, and has a little panic attack like I did. :)
Post by: arebelspy on October 06, 2016, 06:10:08 PM
Post by: Mr. Green on October 06, 2016, 06:46:06 PM
The easiest thing to do is to call and confirm the bonuses and statement close date.50,000 bonus points offer verified for each card. I am so stoked about this!
Post by: joewalsh on October 07, 2016, 11:21:50 PM
Saw this posted over at slickdeals.Tip, you can usually get the annual fee back if you close the car very quickly. They usually refund it at Chase. But only close it after Chase sends all of your points to Southwest Airlines. Good Luck to you.
http://slickdeals.net/f/7319392-two-roundtrip-flights-w-southwest-airlines-credit-cards-50k-points-w-2000-spent-in-first-3-months?v=1
100k points is worth at least 4 flights ( or two round trips) and companion status means your designated companion can fly with you for free (unlimited)
You basically need to sign up for 2 southwest credit cards- I did the 2 personal credit cards, the "Plus" and the "Premiere." I was approved for both instantly. (Tip* Do the 2nd one in another browser like IE instead of Chrome or use incognito mode in Chrome). (Sucks that you will probably have to pay both annual fees)
Spend $2000 in the first three months on each card to earn 50,000 bonus points each.
Then spend an additional $6,000 to get you to a total of 110,000 points which will get you the companion status. (This can be done by transferring points from partner companies. I will personally be transferring over Marriott points to cover this $6k spending)
Now this is important- make sure that all points you earn is in the billing period with a closing date in January 2015 because only points in the same calendar year count towards your companion status. Once you earn your 110,000 points and gain Companion status in January of 2015 you not only get it for the rest of 2015 BUT FOR ALL OF 2016 TOO
This is awesome timing for us personally because my wife and I want to go visit some family and friends around the country- So for the next two years I can book my flights using the 110k points we earn and then she just flies for free as my companion.
Post by: bye-bye Ms. FancyPants on October 19, 2016, 11:23:34 AM
Post by: iamlindoro on October 19, 2016, 11:29:16 AM
A little off topic - I am getting ready to close my SW chase cards so that I can reapply later for another round of companion pass. Anyway, I have 6000 points left over sitting in my rapid rewards account. I was going to transfer the points to my husbands rr, but SW charges $60 to do that. Any other ideas in how to use these points efficiently? I'd hate to just lose them.
Why would you lose them? You won't lose any of your RR points when you close the Chase RR cards. Just keep them for the next time, and periodically (once every year or so) do a survey or other low-value points-yielding special offer that will keep all your points valid and unexpired.
Post by: dandarc on October 19, 2016, 11:56:27 AM
My rapid rewards account is the one with the companion pass for the rest of 2016, but I am basically out of miles. We're in process of getting companion pass on my wife's rapid rewards account for 2016-17. Goal is to be "on-schedule" after this year, so I'll re-apply in late 2017 and do spend such as to get companion pass for 2018-19.
Anyway, we recently booked a flight using my wife's miles, and I was a bit surprised to find that we could use my companion pass. Logged in to her account, booked flight with miles for me. Logged out, logged in to my account and I could add her as a companion to the ticket she just bought for me.
Post by: bye-bye Ms. FancyPants on October 19, 2016, 12:28:33 PM
Why would you lose them? You won't lose any of your RR points when you close the Chase RR cards. Just keep them for the next time, and periodically (once every year or so) do a survey or other low-value points-yielding special offer that will keep all your points valid and unexpired.
[/quote]
Nevermind, you are right, I misunderstood. For some reason I was thinking if I closed the cards I would lose them, but in reality I just have to have some sort of activity in within a 24 month period.
False alarm!
Post by: Rubic on October 19, 2016, 01:53:08 PM
Nevermind, you are right, I misunderstood. For some reason I was thinking if I closed the cards I would lose them, but in reality I just have to have some sort of activity in within a 24 month period.
Specifically you need activity that will add miles to your RR account, e.g. purchased
flights, UR point transfers, magazine subscription through a shopping portal, etc.
Merely redeeming Rapid Rewards miles won't reset the 2-year expiration date.
Post by: dragoncar on October 19, 2016, 08:14:40 PM
Nevermind, you are right, I misunderstood. For some reason I was thinking if I closed the cards I would lose them, but in reality I just have to have some sort of activity in within a 24 month period.
Specifically you need activity that will add miles to your RR account, e.g. purchased
flights, UR point transfers, magazine subscription through a shopping portal, etc.
Merely redeeming Rapid Rewards miles won't reset the 2-year expiration date.
You know, one "hack" I've noticed is that you can book a "Wanna Get Away" fare with points. Typically the Wanna Get Away Fares are the cheapest, but non refundable. But if you cancel a point reservation, you get your points back.
I've wondered if this deduction and addition of points qualifies to reset expiration.
I'm also much more likely to tentatively book a good fare and then cancel if I change my mind about a trip as the date approaches.
Post by: Mr. Green on October 21, 2016, 05:41:50 PM
Post by: arebelspy on October 21, 2016, 08:28:57 PM
Can anyone chime in on their experience regarding Chase/Southwest's definition of "first 3 months?" This thread has posts describing the strategy of opening cards in October so that the 3rd statement closes in January. I thought I timed everything correctly but for some reason Chase has given me a half billing period for the first cycle. I applied for the cards (and was approved) on 10/6, didn't receive them until 10/16, used them for a few days and now the first card already shows a statement with a closing date of 10/20. The second card's closing statement lags two days behind. So by Chase's math my first billing cycle was 15 days, where I had the cards for about 4 of them. This means that my third billing cycle will close on 12/20, however my first 3 months doesn't technically end until 1/6, which would be captured in my 4th billing cycle that closes on 1/20. Should I be concerned about this?
You should call and ask them about the exact date you have to hit the minimum spend for the signup bonus. They will have this date on file, easily accessible.
Post by: johnny847 on October 22, 2016, 06:49:54 AM
Nevermind, you are right, I misunderstood. For some reason I was thinking if I closed the cards I would lose them, but in reality I just have to have some sort of activity in within a 24 month period.
Specifically you need activity that will add miles to your RR account, e.g. purchased
flights, UR point transfers, magazine subscription through a shopping portal, etc.
Merely redeeming Rapid Rewards miles won't reset the 2-year expiration date.
You know, one "hack" I've noticed is that you can book a "Wanna Get Away" fare with points. Typically the Wanna Get Away Fares are the cheapest, but non refundable. But if you cancel a point reservation, you get your points back.
I've wondered if this deduction and addition of points qualifies to reset expiration.
I'm also much more likely to tentatively book a good fare and then cancel if I change my mind about a trip as the date approaches.
Nope. Refunds of points don't reset the clock.
Post by: Rubic on October 22, 2016, 06:56:22 AM
Can anyone chime in on their experience regarding Chase/Southwest's definition of "first 3 months?" This thread has posts describing the strategy of opening cards in October so that the 3rd statement closes in January. I thought I timed everything correctly but for some reason Chase has given me a half billing period for the first cycle. I applied for the cards (and was approved) on 10/6, didn't receive them until 10/16, used them for a few days and now the first card already shows a statement with a closing date of 10/20. The second card's closing statement lags two days behind. So by Chase's math my first billing cycle was 15 days, where I had the cards for about 4 of them. This means that my third billing cycle will close on 12/20, however my first 3 months doesn't technically end until 1/6, which would be captured in my 4th billing cycle that closes on 1/20. Should I be concerned about this?
As arebelspy suggests, you can call Chase to confirm the exact date, however I'm pretty
sure you don't have anything to worry about. Of all the cards I've acquired, Chase seems the
most flexible on the minimum spend period:
http://www.doctorofcredit.com/chase-unofficially-gives-almost-4-months-meet-signup-bonus-requirements/
That said, I always use 90 days starting from my application date for any card I'm
targeting for a bonus and I'm carefully verifying my purchases online to meet minimum
spend.
Some churners have gotten burned when they received a credit refund on a purchase
and they neglected to include it in their calculations. An easy way to eyeball this is to add
up all your payments on the account (> minimum spend) and check your balance is
non-negative, i.e. zero or greater.
Post by: Rubic on October 22, 2016, 07:03:02 AM
Nope. Refunds of points don't reset the clock.
Can confirm. johny847 is correct.
If you have Ultimate Rewards points on a Chase card, you can transfer 1,000 UR
points to your Southwest Rapid Rewards balance and reset the clock for 2 years.
I did this about 2 months ago. (Yes, there are other hacks such a buying a magazine
subscription through the RR portal, but this was quick and easy for me.)
Post by: Mr. Green on October 22, 2016, 09:00:16 AM
I may call to confirm but I would think I'd be safe. With all the legal crap the throw into credit card disclosures these days I can't imagine how they'd be able to turn "3 months" into 2 months and 15 days. I was just caught up in how everyone describes the process in terms of statement cycles. Though, using 90 days as a rule of thumb changes my date to 1/4 so I guess I'll have to be on top of things right at the end of December so I can be sure to go over right at the New Year.Can anyone chime in on their experience regarding Chase/Southwest's definition of "first 3 months?" This thread has posts describing the strategy of opening cards in October so that the 3rd statement closes in January. I thought I timed everything correctly but for some reason Chase has given me a half billing period for the first cycle. I applied for the cards (and was approved) on 10/6, didn't receive them until 10/16, used them for a few days and now the first card already shows a statement with a closing date of 10/20. The second card's closing statement lags two days behind. So by Chase's math my first billing cycle was 15 days, where I had the cards for about 4 of them. This means that my third billing cycle will close on 12/20, however my first 3 months doesn't technically end until 1/6, which would be captured in my 4th billing cycle that closes on 1/20. Should I be concerned about this?
As arebelspy suggests, you can call Chase to confirm the exact date, however I'm pretty
sure you don't have anything to worry about. Of all the cards I've acquired, Chase seems the
most flexible on the minimum spend period:
http://www.doctorofcredit.com/chase-unofficially-gives-almost-4-months-meet-signup-bonus-requirements/
That said, I always use 90 days starting from my application date for any card I'm
targeting for a bonus and I'm carefully verifying my purchases online to meet minimum
spend.
Some churners have gotten burned when they received a credit refund on a purchase
and they neglected to include it in their calculations. An easy way to eyeball this is to add
up all your payments on the account (> minimum spend) and check your balance is
non-negative, i.e. zero or greater.
Another question that has occurred to me based on my first week of using the cards, are points from regular credit card use transferred to my Rapid Rewards account at the end of each statement cycle or do the points transfer as purchases are made, lagging the transaction by a few days?
Post by: Rubic on October 22, 2016, 10:04:51 AM
Another question that has occurred to me based on my first week of using the cards, are points from regular credit card use transferred to my Rapid Rewards account at the end of each statement cycle or do the points transfer as purchases are made, lagging the transaction by a few days?
I canceled my last Southwest Chase card a couple years ago, but from my
recollection, they posted within a few days after statement close.
From the website:
When will I receive my points?
"Points earned on purchases appear in your Rapid Rewards account up to 30 days after your statement cycle date."
https://creditcards.chase.com/southwest/FAQ
Post by: mountain man on November 08, 2016, 12:38:19 PM
A little off topic - I am getting ready to close my SW chase cards so that I can reapply later for another round of companion pass. Anyway, I have 6000 points left over sitting in my rapid rewards account. I was going to transfer the points to my husbands rr, but SW charges $60 to do that. Any other ideas in how to use these points efficiently? I'd hate to just lose them.
You can also use them to book a flight for you or your husband - a lot of one-ways available for under 6K points where I'm at.
My rapid rewards account is the one with the companion pass for the rest of 2016, but I am basically out of miles. We're in process of getting companion pass on my wife's rapid rewards account for 2016-17. Goal is to be "on-schedule" after this year, so I'll re-apply in late 2017 and do spend such as to get companion pass for 2018-19.
Anyway, we recently booked a flight using my wife's miles, and I was a bit surprised to find that we could use my companion pass. Logged in to her account, booked flight with miles for me. Logged out, logged in to my account and I could add her as a companion to the ticket she just bought for me.
Just book a ticket for your husband from your account and put in his rapid reward number in the ticket. The ticket will then show up on his Rapid Rewards and you can add the companion pass without having to call in.
Don't transfer RR points. You might as well flush money into the garbage disposal. If you're short of points you can transfer in from many partners and worst case can buy a small amount to get you to what you need.
Post by: Professor Ecks on November 22, 2016, 11:05:45 AM
Post by: Alenzia on November 22, 2016, 11:44:20 AM
Post by: arebelspy on November 22, 2016, 11:52:38 AM
Anyone have experience with the 5/24 rule for Chase? I'm trying to figure out if I'm going to end up getting rejected before applying - had 2 chase cards in the last 24 months, but then also had 3 cards with other companies + been added as an authorized user on 2 of my husband's cards. Is it just the chase cards that count or do others count as well?
Any new, non-business card opened in your name.
I don't know about the AU ones, but the others alone likely will DQ you.
Chase is also fickle. The 5/24 rule isn't hard and fast. My wife was at 3 cards in the last 2 years, got a Sapphire Reserve, approved, got 2 Chase cards for the SW.. this was a month ago. So they approved past 5.
At the same time, I applied for the Reserve with 3 cards in the last 2 years, got rejected! Called the reconsideration, they confirmed it was because I had "opened too many accounts in the last 24 months" (and got a letter to that effect), and the guy didn't care that I was only at 3 (he put me on hold, looked up my credit report, and confirmed there were 3). I said I thought you could go up to 5, he said there's a lot of rumors around about it, but there's no hard and fast rule, and to apply again in a few months. Bleh.
(FWIW, I have the same or better credit score as my wife--both low 800s, same household income, everything the same.)
Bottom line: you never know for sure. :)
Post by: bigalsmith101 on November 22, 2016, 06:06:08 PM
Post by: katsiki on November 22, 2016, 07:07:18 PM
Chase is also fickle. The 5/24 rule isn't hard and fast. My wife was at 3 cards in the last 2 years, got a Sapphire Reserve, approved, got 2 Chase cards for the SW.. this was a month ago. So they approved past 5.
I don't know if this has changed but at one time SW cards were not subject to 5/24. That may have been the case when your wife applied. Just a thought and perhaps it will help some others.
Post by: arebelspy on November 22, 2016, 08:42:16 PM
Chase is also fickle. The 5/24 rule isn't hard and fast. My wife was at 3 cards in the last 2 years, got a Sapphire Reserve, approved, got 2 Chase cards for the SW.. this was a month ago. So they approved past 5.
I don't know if this has changed but at one time SW cards were not subject to 5/24. That may have been the case when your wife applied. Just a thought and perhaps it will help some others.
Oh nice! Good to know.
Post by: secondcor521 on November 22, 2016, 09:10:54 PM
Chase is also fickle. The 5/24 rule isn't hard and fast. My wife was at 3 cards in the last 2 years, got a Sapphire Reserve, approved, got 2 Chase cards for the SW.. this was a month ago. So they approved past 5.
I don't know if this has changed but at one time SW cards were not subject to 5/24. That may have been the case when your wife applied. Just a thought and perhaps it will help some others.
Oh nice! Good to know.
Right. I think it's a lot or most of the co-branded cards, so the Chase Southwest, Chase Marriott, etc. There's a list out there on one of the blogs if you google for it.
Post by: arebelspy on November 23, 2016, 02:20:10 AM
Chase is also fickle. The 5/24 rule isn't hard and fast. My wife was at 3 cards in the last 2 years, got a Sapphire Reserve, approved, got 2 Chase cards for the SW.. this was a month ago. So they approved past 5.
I don't know if this has changed but at one time SW cards were not subject to 5/24. That may have been the case when your wife applied. Just a thought and perhaps it will help some others.
Oh nice! Good to know.
Right. I think it's a lot or most of the co-branded cards, so the Chase Southwest, Chase Marriott, etc. There's a list out there on one of the blogs if you google for it.
Does it go both ways?
What I mean is it's not counted if you're applying for them, but are they counted if you're applying for non-cobranded ones?
That is, if I have 5 other cards, you're saying I can still get 2 SW cards. The SW cards don't "count."
What if I have 3 other cards, and 2 SW cards... can I still get a Sapphire Reserve, the 2 SW don't "count?"
Or do they just allow you to go past the 5/24 when applying for them, but they still count as cards when applying for something else?
Post by: secondcor521 on November 26, 2016, 09:56:42 PM
But then there's this, from a blog, that says otherwise:
http://www.doctorofcredit.com/chase-524-rule-explained-detail-need-know/#What_Cards_Count_Towards_The_5_Card_Limit
Hmm.
Post by: arebelspy on November 26, 2016, 11:44:38 PM
(I did, two years ago, get accepted for 1 chase card and not the other, under the reasoning I had received too many cards recently, but that was before the 5/24 rule existed, it was something they didn't have a hard number on, but loosely enforced. And my number was like 10 or something.)
Post by: HAPPYINAZ on November 30, 2016, 11:36:52 AM
Post by: arebelspy on November 30, 2016, 04:47:09 PM
Does anyone think if I just called Chase and asked them that they would say for sure if the SW cards count in the 5/24 rule?
They generally don't answer "hard number" questions like that, and tell you they can't answer about being accepted, you just have to apply (even if you're like "I just want to make sure the number of cards I have won't reject me" they'll tell you they can't tell).
It probably will not hurt to call and ask, but I doubt you'll get anywhere.
They do not seem to count for the 5/24 rule though, as my wife went over getting them recently, and had no problem (one anecdote, yes, but confirms what DoC says, so it seems to be legit).
Post by: ender on November 30, 2016, 06:56:14 PM
Post by: arebelspy on November 30, 2016, 07:06:51 PM
Hmmm, this is intriguing, though I don't think we'd use the companion pass enough to make it worthwhile.
If you ever fly anywhere in the US (i.e. not international), Southwest is the best.
What do you mean make it worthwhile? The cost is a $99 and $69 annual fee, which you'd recoup after a single use.
Post by: ender on November 30, 2016, 07:10:53 PM
Hmmm, this is intriguing, though I don't think we'd use the companion pass enough to make it worthwhile.
If you ever fly anywhere in the US (i.e. not international), Southwest is the best.
What do you mean make it worthwhile? The cost is a $99 and $69 annual fee, which you'd recoup after a single use.
Well, there's also opportunity costs, too, spending $10k on these means I don't get to do $10k on other cards (which may have better bonuses that are more useful, we could still do another CSP/CSR/Amex 100k if we wanted).
We also have taken approximately zero flights together since we got married, so there is that. Maybe that would change if we got this though? I don't know :)
Post by: arebelspy on November 30, 2016, 07:31:05 PM
Post by: HAPPYINAZ on December 01, 2016, 09:33:08 AM
Does anyone think if I just called Chase and asked them that they would say for sure if the SW cards count in the 5/24 rule?
They generally don't answer "hard number" questions like that, and tell you they can't answer about being accepted, you just have to apply (even if you're like "I just want to make sure the number of cards I have won't reject me" they'll tell you they can't tell).
It probably will not hurt to call and ask, but I doubt you'll get anywhere.
They do not seem to count for the 5/24 rule though, as my wife went over getting them recently, and had no problem (one anecdote, yes, but confirms what DoC says, so it seems to be legit).
but Doctor of Credit says the SW cards do count in the 5/24 in that link posted above. Hence my confusion....
Post by: dandarc on December 01, 2016, 09:55:43 AM
Post by: HAPPYINAZ on December 01, 2016, 11:25:56 AM
Happy - if you want the SW cards, why not just apply and see what happens?
Because I don't want to risk getting approved for one and not the other. Then I wouldn't be able to get the companion pass because I couldn't get 110,000 miles in one year. I have to be sure I would get approved for two of the SW cards with 50K bonus
Post by: arebelspy on December 01, 2016, 04:35:20 PM
Now the wife got both.
In a year or two, I'll try to get both again. Since they aren't a once per lifetime thing, you can get then every two years. So worst case, if you don't get it this time, you still have the miles to use, and can get it in the future.
May be better than not applying at all. Unless you have a CC passing the two year mark in a few months and want to wait for that and are hoping the 50k offers will still be available.
Post by: HAPPYINAZ on December 01, 2016, 05:36:59 PM
When I applied a few years back, I only got one, then they told me I had too many CCs open recently to get the second. I spent down the miles with like 4 free flights.
Now the wife got both.
In a year or two, I'll try to get both again. Since they aren't a once per lifetime thing, you can get then every two years. So worst case, if you don't get it this time, you still have the miles to use, and can get it in the future.
May be better than not applying at all. Unless you have a CC passing the two year mark in a few months and want to wait for that and are hoping the 50k offers will still be available.
thanks for the advice! For some reason I was thinking it was a one shot deal.
My husband got denied for the CSR because they said he opened too many credit cards. But according to my calcs he should have been under the 5/24. I was just at 5 in 24 and we put less cards in his name and didn't add him as AU on my CSR. I guess that denial is making me gun shy about chase now.
Post by: arebelspy on December 01, 2016, 06:31:16 PM
thanks for the advice! For some reason I was thinking it was a one shot deal.
Nope, just need to have it closed, and have a two year gap since you've received the bonus (this, of course, could change in the future).
Quote
My husband got denied for the CSR because they said he opened too many credit cards. But according to my calcs he should have been under the 5/24. I was just at 5 in 24 and we put less cards in his name and didn't add him as AU on my CSR. I guess that denial is making me gun shy about chase now.
Yeah, I got denied for the CSR too, for too many cards, even though I was definitely under the 5/24. I'll reapply again in a bit. No big deal.
Post by: fh2000 on December 05, 2016, 07:28:10 PM
If I (or my wife) applies for 2 SW cards (plus, premium) now, we can handle the $2000 for each card for the next 2 months. So, spending will be all in 2017. The question is how to get the 10,000 points so we can reach 110,000 for CP.
I read that you can transfer UR points to Hyatt, then SW. We have enough UR points, so that might be an easier method. Do I need to first apply for a Hyatt CC in order to have an account with them before I transfer UR points?
Post by: arebelspy on December 05, 2016, 09:24:39 PM
I read that you can transfer UR points to Hyatt, then SW. We have enough UR points, so that might be an easier method. Do I need to first apply for a Hyatt CC in order to have an account with them before I transfer UR points?
You don't need a CC, you can just apply for a membership number free, directly with them.
Post by: Mr. Green on December 07, 2016, 10:44:01 AM
I read that you can transfer UR points to Hyatt, then SW. We have enough UR points, so that might be an easier method. Do I need to first apply for a Hyatt CC in order to have an account with them before I transfer UR points?Check Southwest's terms before you do this. I believe that point transfers from other reward programs do not count toward the companion pass.
Post by: arebelspy on December 07, 2016, 11:29:00 AM
I read that you can transfer UR points to Hyatt, then SW. We have enough UR points, so that might be an easier method. Do I need to first apply for a Hyatt CC in order to have an account with them before I transfer UR points?Check Southwest's terms before you do this. I believe that point transfers from other reward programs do not count toward the companion pass.
Straight from UR they don't count towards the companion pass. From certain hotel ones they do count towards the companion pass.
So if you go UR->Hyatt->SW it counts. You may lose some in the conversion.
You can do a similar thing with SPG to Mariott to SW, at a slightly better rate. Depends on how you value SPG vs UR.
This could change at any time, but it's valid currently and has been for years.
Post by: Mr. Green on December 07, 2016, 11:37:37 AM
Post by: fh2000 on December 08, 2016, 09:52:17 AM
Post by: bigalsmith101 on December 08, 2016, 02:38:14 PM
Anyone still have referral links for 50,000 point offers for the 2 personal cards? As soon as I am done for spending with CSR card, I can start with this.
I've got Chase Rewards Plus for you. [MOD NOTE: PM user for link.]
Post by: arebelspy on December 08, 2016, 04:58:07 PM
Anyone still have referral links for 50,000 point offers for the 2 personal cards? As soon as I am done for spending with CSR card, I can start with this.
All 3 SW cards have the 50k offer right now, no special link needed, just google. :)
Post by: fh2000 on December 09, 2016, 09:37:11 AM
I searched google for Personal Premier card application, but can't seem to find it. I see 40K offer with $1000 spend. But I need 50K offer if one still exists. Please PM me if you can help.
Post by: Professor Ecks on December 09, 2016, 09:47:53 AM
I applied for Plus card. I had to call one credit bureau to unfreeze my credit, then got approved.
I searched google for Personal Premier card application, but can't seem to find it. I see 40K offer with $1000 spend. But I need 50K offer if one still exists. Please PM me if you can help.
fh2000 -
I always keep the link in my signature updated with the most current 50k offers I receive from Southwest to try to help out those trying to get the Companion Pass. When I was getting my CP last year, I couldn't find anyone who had a 50k offer for the Plus card, and ended up settling for a 25k bonus. Not ideal.
Anyway, I've received my max referral bonus for 2016, but my link should still get you the offer. Of course, if someone else has a referral for you, feel free to use theirs and hook them up with a little bonus of their own.
-P
Post by: fh2000 on December 09, 2016, 10:51:53 AM
Looks like I may not get premier card after all. We will see.
Post by: fh2000 on December 16, 2016, 03:16:18 PM
Anyway, today, I received the Plus card. The letter and paper do not mention RR points granted. I am still waiting on Premier card.
For my Plus card, should I hold off on any spend until after Jan 1st, or it is OK to spend as long as my last dollar is spent passed 1/1/2017? I think I read about this, but can't find the actual post now.
Post by: arebelspy on December 16, 2016, 04:34:24 PM
I was told that I got approved for both cards. I used referral links to apply, but I am not sure what I was approved for. Do they make mistakes and only provide 40K, not 50K?
Anyway, today, I received the Plus card. The letter and paper do not mention RR points granted. I am still waiting on Premier card.
For my Plus card, should I hold off on any spend until after Jan 1st, or it is OK to spend as long as my last dollar is spent passed 1/1/2017? I think I read about this, but can't find the actual post now.
Any spend now won't count towards the companion pass (must be done in the same calendar year), but will towards minimum spend. As long as the minimum spend posts in Jan, that counts towards it.
As far as the signup bonuses, call them and confirm which offer you have, and what the deadline for spend on it is, for each of the cards. :)
Post by: johnny847 on December 16, 2016, 04:54:04 PM
I was told that I got approved for both cards. I used referral links to apply, but I am not sure what I was approved for. Do they make mistakes and only provide 40K, not 50K?
Anyway, today, I received the Plus card. The letter and paper do not mention RR points granted. I am still waiting on Premier card.
For my Plus card, should I hold off on any spend until after Jan 1st, or it is OK to spend as long as my last dollar is spent passed 1/1/2017? I think I read about this, but can't find the actual post now.
Any spend now won't count towards the companion pass (must be done in the same calendar year), but will towards minimum spend. As long as the minimum spend posts in Jan, that counts towards it.
As far as the signup bonuses, call them and confirm which offer you have, and what the deadline for spend on it is, for each of the cards. :)
That's not necessarily true. This depends on when fh2000's current statement closes. If fh2000's current statement closes in January, the points from this month's statement will count towards the companion pass. If fh2000's current statement closes this month, then it won't count towards the companion pass.
And I concur, call in and confirm the signup bonus. And while you're at it fh2000, confirm the statement closing date as well
Post by: arebelspy on December 16, 2016, 05:19:57 PM
Thanks for the clarification. :)
Post by: fh2000 on December 18, 2016, 09:30:29 AM
I was told that I got approved for both cards. I used referral links to apply, but I am not sure what I was approved for. Do they make mistakes and only provide 40K, not 50K?
Anyway, today, I received the Plus card. The letter and paper do not mention RR points granted. I am still waiting on Premier card.
For my Plus card, should I hold off on any spend until after Jan 1st, or it is OK to spend as long as my last dollar is spent passed 1/1/2017? I think I read about this, but can't find the actual post now.
Any spend now won't count towards the companion pass (must be done in the same calendar year), but will towards minimum spend. As long as the minimum spend posts in Jan, that counts towards it.
As far as the signup bonuses, call them and confirm which offer you have, and what the deadline for spend on it is, for each of the cards. :)
That's not necessarily true. This depends on when fh2000's current statement closes. If fh2000's current statement closes in January, the points from this month's statement will count towards the companion pass. If fh2000's current statement closes this month, then it won't count towards the companion pass.
And I concur, call in and confirm the signup bonus. And while you're at it fh2000, confirm the statement closing date as well
Hi,
I am still waiting for my Premier card.
My Plus card statement date is 1/8/2017. I have not used this card yet. But looks like I am clear to spend all of the $2000 this year in order to receive my 50K, and qualify for CP for 2017. Correct?
Post by: johnny847 on December 18, 2016, 09:57:17 AM
I was told that I got approved for both cards. I used referral links to apply, but I am not sure what I was approved for. Do they make mistakes and only provide 40K, not 50K?
Anyway, today, I received the Plus card. The letter and paper do not mention RR points granted. I am still waiting on Premier card.
For my Plus card, should I hold off on any spend until after Jan 1st, or it is OK to spend as long as my last dollar is spent passed 1/1/2017? I think I read about this, but can't find the actual post now.
Any spend now won't count towards the companion pass (must be done in the same calendar year), but will towards minimum spend. As long as the minimum spend posts in Jan, that counts towards it.
As far as the signup bonuses, call them and confirm which offer you have, and what the deadline for spend on it is, for each of the cards. :)
That's not necessarily true. This depends on when fh2000's current statement closes. If fh2000's current statement closes in January, the points from this month's statement will count towards the companion pass. If fh2000's current statement closes this month, then it won't count towards the companion pass.
And I concur, call in and confirm the signup bonus. And while you're at it fh2000, confirm the statement closing date as well
Hi,
I am still waiting for my Premier card.
My Plus card statement date is 1/8/2017. I have not used this card yet. But looks like I am clear to spend all of the $2000 this year in order to receive my 50K, and qualify for CP for 2017. Correct?
Yes
Post by: FrugalSaver on December 21, 2016, 11:52:13 AM
I'm almost done satisfying all requirements for my Chase Reserve card and moving on to the next one.
Post by: bigalsmith101 on December 21, 2016, 01:38:11 PM
What's the current link for this deal? The one in the original post is 2 years old and doesn't take me to this deal.
I'm almost done satisfying all requirements for my Chase Reserve card and moving on to the next one.
I send you a message with referral links to both the Premier card and the Plus card. Hope it works for you!
Post by: Unicorn on December 28, 2016, 07:52:59 AM
Hi all -- Looking for a little extra guidance re the Companion Pass. I managed to accumulate 100,000 miles on Southwest this year, which I did not realize until yesterday... Since I am so close to the Companion Pass threshold, I transferred the equivalent of 12,000 miles from Marriott points to get over the hump. However, it turns out that the points won't necessarily transfer for 6 weeks. It is my understanding that all the miles need to be posted in the same calendar year, meaning that the points might transfer too late (i.e., after the New Year). I called Southwest and they seemed to say there was nothing else to be done about this -- and that even if I bought miles from Southwest directly or transferred from another Rapid Rewards account, the miles would not qualify towards the Companion Pass...
Just wanted to see if any Rapid Rewards experts on this thread might have additional ideas for quickly getting a few more points into the account. Thanks in advance.
Post by: dandarc on December 28, 2016, 11:35:47 AM
Business Select Round-Trip from Jacksonville to Chicago is available, and earns more than 10,000 miles, for example. Costs nearly $1K, but if you and your companion fly a lot next year, that CP could be worth quite a bit more.
Post by: Mr. Green on December 28, 2016, 02:11:11 PM
Post by: johnny847 on December 28, 2016, 05:15:59 PM
I just pushed both my SW cards over the $2,000 threshold for triggering the bonus points today. Also, we ended up getting my wife a Chase Sapphire Preferred card and hitting the points bonus amount on that card yesterday. Since the $4,000 we spent on the SW cards to get the bonuses won't count since all those bonus points will hit next year, I think we're going to transfer some of the Chase Ultimate Rewards points through another companion pass-qualifying points system (like Hyatt) to cover the additional 10,000 point we'll need instead of spending another $10,000 on the SW cards. That's $10,000 that could be put toward other new card bonuses that would have a much greater reward. Really excited to see how all this is going to work out and I'm looking forward to taking some trips this upcoming year!
I do hope you mean you finished your spending today but your statement closes in January. Not that you got your bonus points today. Because if it's the latter then your companion pass starts today and ends 12/31/2017.
For the record, you wouldn't need an additional $10k in spending on the Southwest cards. You'd need $6k because you spent $4k on your Southwest cards already to earn the signup bonus. You earned 4k in points for the spending itself.
Post by: Mr. Green on December 28, 2016, 08:36:07 PM
Yes I finished the spending but my 90 window closes January 4. It'll be my 4th statement thanks to a weird shortened first statement. Most all of my 4k in spending won't count because it was done in 2016.I just pushed both my SW cards over the $2,000 threshold for triggering the bonus points today. Also, we ended up getting my wife a Chase Sapphire Preferred card and hitting the points bonus amount on that card yesterday. Since the $4,000 we spent on the SW cards to get the bonuses won't count since all those bonus points will hit next year, I think we're going to transfer some of the Chase Ultimate Rewards points through another companion pass-qualifying points system (like Hyatt) to cover the additional 10,000 point we'll need instead of spending another $10,000 on the SW cards. That's $10,000 that could be put toward other new card bonuses that would have a much greater reward. Really excited to see how all this is going to work out and I'm looking forward to taking some trips this upcoming year!
I do hope you mean you finished your spending today but your statement closes in January. Not that you got your bonus points today. Because if it's the latter then your companion pass starts today and ends 12/31/2017.
For the record, you wouldn't need an additional $10k in spending on the Southwest cards. You'd need $6k because you spent $4k on your Southwest cards already to earn the signup bonus. You earned 4k in points for the spending itself.
Post by: johnny847 on December 28, 2016, 09:00:21 PM
Yes I finished the spending but my 90 window closes January 4. It'll be my 4th statement thanks to a weird shortened first statement. Most all of my 4k in spending won't count because it was done in 2016.I just pushed both my SW cards over the $2,000 threshold for triggering the bonus points today. Also, we ended up getting my wife a Chase Sapphire Preferred card and hitting the points bonus amount on that card yesterday. Since the $4,000 we spent on the SW cards to get the bonuses won't count since all those bonus points will hit next year, I think we're going to transfer some of the Chase Ultimate Rewards points through another companion pass-qualifying points system (like Hyatt) to cover the additional 10,000 point we'll need instead of spending another $10,000 on the SW cards. That's $10,000 that could be put toward other new card bonuses that would have a much greater reward. Really excited to see how all this is going to work out and I'm looking forward to taking some trips this upcoming year!
I do hope you mean you finished your spending today but your statement closes in January. Not that you got your bonus points today. Because if it's the latter then your companion pass starts today and ends 12/31/2017.
For the record, you wouldn't need an additional $10k in spending on the Southwest cards. You'd need $6k because you spent $4k on your Southwest cards already to earn the signup bonus. You earned 4k in points for the spending itself.
Oh right. I didn't think that last bit through.
Post by: Unicorn on December 29, 2016, 07:44:59 AM
.... I transferred the equivalent of 12,000 miles from Marriott points to get over the hump. However, it turns out that the points won't necessarily transfer for 6 weeks....
Just wanted to follow up in case anyone else has a similar question in the future. The Marriott points actually transferred over within 24 hours, even though they apparently reserve the right to take up to six weeks to move them. (So, I did get my Companion pass!)
Post by: arebelspy on December 29, 2016, 07:53:17 AM
Post by: Slow&Steady on December 29, 2016, 08:04:15 AM
Post by: gluskap on December 29, 2016, 12:39:59 PM
Post by: dandarc on December 29, 2016, 01:10:59 PM
I have a Chase SW card right now that I was planning to close. We opened the card during the summer of 2015. If I closed the account today would I be able to get these offers if I reapply in Jan?No. Terms are 1 signup bonus per card type per 2 years - January has not been 2 years since summer 2015.
So the thing to do is to have your companion get the cards in their name, assuming they don't already have them. Otherwise wait until end of 2017 to apply and get set up for 2018-19.
Post by: johnny847 on January 01, 2017, 04:17:48 PM
http://www.doctorofcredit.com/hotel-transfers-no-longer-count-towards-southwest-companion-pass/
Post by: dragoncar on January 02, 2017, 06:14:51 PM
Heads up guys. Starting today transfers from hotel and car rental partners DO NOT count towards the companion pass.
http://www.doctorofcredit.com/hotel-transfers-no-longer-count-towards-southwest-companion-pass/
Too bad, but makes sense. This was a huge loophole in reality.
Post by: arebelspy on January 03, 2017, 05:02:19 PM
Heads up guys. Starting today transfers from hotel and car rental partners DO NOT count towards the companion pass.
http://www.doctorofcredit.com/hotel-transfers-no-longer-count-towards-southwest-companion-pass/
Too bad, but makes sense. This was a huge loophole in reality.
Yeah, bummer. I was going to use that this month. But totally makes sense as to why they closed it--I have no complaints about that.
Post by: bye-bye Ms. FancyPants on January 04, 2017, 09:01:31 AM
Post by: MsFrugalista on January 04, 2017, 09:29:48 PM
Post by: arebelspy on January 05, 2017, 03:49:56 AM
I love Southwest. :D
Post by: johnny847 on January 05, 2017, 03:52:43 PM
Hi All,
I just wanted to stop in and say hi because I am the OP of this thread and my Companion Pass just expired from when I first started this thread a little over 2 years ago. I am glad to see that this thread is still going strong and it probably helped a lot of you get some cheap travel!
You should strong arm your companion into getting the Southwest cards ;)
Post by: bigalsmith101 on January 05, 2017, 09:58:55 PM
Hi All,
I just wanted to stop in and say hi because I am the OP of this thread and my Companion Pass just expired from when I first started this thread a little over 2 years ago. I am glad to see that this thread is still going strong and it probably helped a lot of you get some cheap travel!
It's because of this thread that my wife and I freely chose to revisit Cancun, Mexico for our 1st anniversary in 2015. We then traveled to Costa Rica for our 2nd anniversary. In the mean time I flew to Denver for business, and again to visit friends with wifey along as companion, which I nearly certainly would not have decided to pay for full price. It also allowed me to, without hesitation, immediately book tickets for wifey and I to DC to visit my friend on her 30th birthday. Taxes were the only costs involved for the flights. We still have 51k points on my card thanks to referrals, though my companion pass has also expired. However, we've got my wife enrolled and will have another companion pass secured around March for the following 21months.
I've got my sister enrolled, so that she and her husband can afford an international vacation with their two children (whereas my wife and I may very well decide to join), something they wouldn't otherwise be able to fit in their budget.
In short, it's been awesome!
Post by: bye-bye Ms. FancyPants on January 07, 2017, 11:12:23 AM
Post by: CloserToFree on January 07, 2017, 12:25:09 PM
Post by: dandarc on January 09, 2017, 08:26:49 AM
I applied for my two cards today using 2 different browsers. The second said it needed to go for further review and I should know something within 10 days. Pretty sure I meet all criteria (no recent card apps, etc) Did I screw up?Call the reconsideration number. They'll either issue the card or tell you why they can't issue the card. If the issue is "we've got too much credit extended to you", you may be able to suggest they split the limit they gave you on card 1 onto the 2 cards instead or something along those lines.
Post by: bye-bye Ms. FancyPants on January 09, 2017, 10:46:06 AM
I applied for my two cards today using 2 different browsers. The second said it needed to go for further review and I should know something within 10 days. Pretty sure I meet all criteria (no recent card apps, etc) Did I screw up?Call the reconsideration number. They'll either issue the card or tell you why they can't issue the card. If the issue is "we've got too much credit extended to you", you may be able to suggest they split the limit they gave you on card 1 onto the 2 cards instead or something along those lines.
so I called and was told anytime 2 applications are submitted on the same day it "raises a red flag and goes to a pending status for further review" He just kept repeating this over and over. ... News to me. I've never had that happen before. I closed both of these accounts with the most recent Oct 2016 AND I didn't even get companion status last time (under my name) because I screwed up my bonuses. So, we shall see.
Post by: FIREGuy on January 09, 2017, 11:20:27 AM
Post by: Longwaytogo on January 09, 2017, 11:52:28 AM
I applied for my two cards today using 2 different browsers. The second said it needed to go for further review and I should know something within 10 days. Pretty sure I meet all criteria (no recent card apps, etc) Did I screw up?Call the reconsideration number. They'll either issue the card or tell you why they can't issue the card. If the issue is "we've got too much credit extended to you", you may be able to suggest they split the limit they gave you on card 1 onto the 2 cards instead or something along those lines.
so I called and was told anytime 2 applications are submitted on the same day it "raises a red flag and goes to a pending status for further review" He just kept repeating this over and over. ... News to me. I've never had that happen before. I closed both of these accounts with the most recent Oct 2016 AND I didn't even get companion status last time (under my name) because I screwed up my bonuses. So, we shall see.
Does anyone know if they ever let you know if you definitely don't qualify or won't get it?
My wife applied for both Chase Sapphire reserved and then minutes later to SW in a different browser. Instant approval for the Sapphire which we have already received and working on the minimum spend. It's been~3 weeks and we have not heard anything back on the SW or received it.
I would have just thought we would of got a letter in the mail or an email saying sorry you were denied or whatever.
They were her 4 and 5th app in the 24 months so thought we were good there.
Post by: dandarc on January 09, 2017, 12:02:41 PM
I did them both on the same day in 2015, called recon and wound up closing a United card I had opened earlier that year and they approved 2nd. When we did for my wife last year, we called and they said it was her limited credit history (not many cards in her name - these were the first credit cards we got for her specifically), and to try again in a month or two. Sure enough, applied again 45 days or so later and it went through. So if they don't say anything, I'd just wait and try again in a little while.I applied for my two cards today using 2 different browsers. The second said it needed to go for further review and I should know something within 10 days. Pretty sure I meet all criteria (no recent card apps, etc) Did I screw up?Call the reconsideration number. They'll either issue the card or tell you why they can't issue the card. If the issue is "we've got too much credit extended to you", you may be able to suggest they split the limit they gave you on card 1 onto the 2 cards instead or something along those lines.
so I called and was told anytime 2 applications are submitted on the same day it "raises a red flag and goes to a pending status for further review" He just kept repeating this over and over. ... News to me. I've never had that happen before. I closed both of these accounts with the most recent Oct 2016 AND I didn't even get companion status last time (under my name) because I screwed up my bonuses. So, we shall see.
Post by: aetherie on January 09, 2017, 12:34:13 PM
Free honeymoon heck yes :)
Post by: johnny847 on January 10, 2017, 10:14:52 AM
http://www.doctorofcredit.com/chase-southwest-business-premier-60000-point-bonus-easily-get-companion-pass/ (http://www.doctorofcredit.com/chase-southwest-business-premier-60000-point-bonus-easily-get-companion-pass/)
Post by: bigalsmith101 on January 10, 2017, 10:31:42 AM
Post by: arebelspy on January 10, 2017, 03:31:37 PM
Post by: CloserToFree on January 11, 2017, 09:55:02 AM
And to clarify timing: If I apply for both now and get approved, meet the minimum spend amounts and spend enough additional to hit the 110,000 points needed in the next few months, then I'd get the companion pass for the rest of 2016 and all of 2017, correct?
Post by: arebelspy on January 11, 2017, 12:00:04 PM
Can anyone tell me whether the Plus and the Premier use a similar 5/24 rule as the Chase Reserve does? I have 6 cards opened in the past 24 months (will be down to 5 in May 2017 and down to 4 in November 2017) and am concerned that since these are Chase cards too, I'm doomed. Say it ain't so?
And to clarify timing: If I apply for both now and get approved, meet the minimum spend amounts and spend enough additional to hit the 110,000 points needed in the next few months, then I'd get the companion pass for the rest of 2016 and all of 2017, correct?
The second part is correct.
As for the first, it seems that these two cards don't count for the 5/24 rule, so you may be okay! :)
Post by: MsFrugalista on January 11, 2017, 06:40:38 PM
Can anyone tell me whether the Plus and the Premier use a similar 5/24 rule as the Chase Reserve does? I have 6 cards opened in the past 24 months (will be down to 5 in May 2017 and down to 4 in November 2017) and am concerned that since these are Chase cards too, I'm doomed. Say it ain't so?
And to clarify timing: If I apply for both now and get approved, meet the minimum spend amounts and spend enough additional to hit the 110,000 points needed in the next few months, then I'd get the companion pass for the rest of 2016 and all of 2017, correct?
According to DoC (http://www.doctorofcredit.com/chase-524-rule-explained-detail-need-know/#What_Cards_Does_This_Affect)these two cards are subjected to the 5/24 rule. A cursory review of the comments looks like some have had luck despite being over 5/24 (may have had a targeted offer?). Like everything, YMMV.
Also, I assume you meant rest of 2017 and all of 2018? If so, that is correct.
Post by: arebelspy on January 11, 2017, 07:11:15 PM
Post by: CloserToFree on January 11, 2017, 07:43:23 PM
Post by: fh2000 on January 18, 2017, 08:22:01 AM
I then tried to transfer that 5000 to SW, though I can't find the transfer option on my Hyatt Gold Passport account. I had to call Hyatt HelpLine, and asked to transfer for me, which they did. They told me it would take 3 weeks to finish, so I will wait before I transfer more.
I read from somewhere that you can transfer online from Hyatt to SW. I wonder where that option is.
Post by: MsFrugalista on January 18, 2017, 08:50:51 AM
I then tried to transfer that 5000 to SW, though I can't find the transfer option on my Hyatt Gold Passport account. I had to call Hyatt HelpLine, and asked to transfer for me, which they did. They told me it would take 3 weeks to finish, so I will wait before I transfer more.
I read from somewhere that you can transfer online from Hyatt to SW. I wonder where that option is.
I think you do have to call or email Hyatt for the transfer. The "official" transfer time is 4-6 weeks. But there are data points on flyertalk that state people have gotten it within a week. So just check your account in a week or even every few days (if in a hurry) to check if they've been transferred!
Enjoy the CP!
Post by: bigalsmith101 on January 18, 2017, 09:20:06 AM
Apparently referral points help qualify for the companion pass. Has anyone else found this to be accurate? I won't know until the next few days, but I may have timed it just well enough to get the companion pass on the months end statement.
Post by: arebelspy on January 18, 2017, 03:43:19 PM
When I look online at my Southwest account, it allows me to check my point accumulation by category. It allows me to look at "companion pass qualifying points".
Apparently referral points help qualify for the companion pass. Has anyone else found this to be accurate? I won't know until the next few days, but I may have timed it just well enough to get the companion pass on the months end statement.
They do indeed.
Someone from the forums PM'd me for a 50k referral, I'm counting on it to hit my 110k. :)
Post by: bigalsmith101 on January 18, 2017, 04:42:58 PM
When I look online at my Southwest account, it allows me to check my point accumulation by category. It allows me to look at "companion pass qualifying points".
Apparently referral points help qualify for the companion pass. Has anyone else found this to be accurate? I won't know until the next few days, but I may have timed it just well enough to get the companion pass on the months end statement.
They do indeed.
Someone from the forums PM'd me for a 50k referral, I'm counting on it to hit my 110k. :)
That's the exact scenario I've found myself in. I had another referral, but it landed in December. Although I'm always happy to have an extra 5k points for a referral, I'm even more pleased that this next one should land in January's statement and push me to 110k. Then it's time to move onto the Chase Sapphire Rewards card with 100k point bonus. I'll be asking for a referral when that time comes ;)
Post by: dragoncar on January 18, 2017, 06:17:10 PM
When I look online at my Southwest account, it allows me to check my point accumulation by category. It allows me to look at "companion pass qualifying points".
Apparently referral points help qualify for the companion pass. Has anyone else found this to be accurate? I won't know until the next few days, but I may have timed it just well enough to get the companion pass on the months end statement.
They do indeed.
Someone from the forums PM'd me for a 50k referral, I'm counting on it to hit my 110k. :)
What's the referral bonus at SW?
Post by: arebelspy on January 18, 2017, 07:13:35 PM
Post by: Mr. Green on January 24, 2017, 08:00:50 AM
Post by: Mr. Green on January 24, 2017, 08:08:30 AM
It appears that after March 31st, Southwest will no longer be allowing point transfers from Hotel partner programs to count toward the Companion pass. This was originally supposed to be effective January 1 but Southwest reversed their position after what I imagine to be a bunch of angry calls from customers who had initiated the process months ago to earn the Companion Pass in January. Pretty gracious of them.
http://thepointsguy.com/2017/01/no-hotel-transfers-for-southwest-companion-pass/
Post by: toppdealer on January 24, 2017, 10:09:55 AM
Post by: DailyGrindFree on January 24, 2017, 06:16:15 PM
If anyone needs a referral and would like to help me get to 110K quickly. I would really really appreciate it. I may even buy you a virtual beer. :-)
I am really excited about the possibility of getting a Companion Pass.
Post by: secondcor521 on January 25, 2017, 01:26:59 PM
I'd like to churn this - I mean get the Companion Pass again - but I think there is a two-year speed limit that Chase imposes (separately from the 5/24 limit).
Does anyone know for sure when this 2 year limit clock starts? Is it related to account opening or when one gets the points?
From my scant records it looks like I got my first Chase Southwest card on 12/5/14, my second chase card on 1/14/15, and hit my 110K points on a purchase that occurred on 3/23/15. Both cards were personal ones I believe.
I've got a sophomore in high school and think that getting the CP I can add him to that and then use our points to visit colleges the rest of his sophomore year, all of his junior year, and the first half of his senior year.
I know most of the time people advocate getting this at the end of the year, but I was applying for other cards in November and was afraid if I got the Chase SW cards before 12/5/16 I might violate the 2 year rule and then would be out of luck in terms of the CP.
I tried googling but anything having to do with "2 year" and "companion pass" all point to getting the CP for almost 2 years, not anything having to do with the limit on churnability.
Thanks!
Post by: dandarc on January 25, 2017, 01:33:32 PM
Quote
Earn 50,000 Points after you spend $2,000 on purchases in the first 3 months of opening your account.* This product is available to you if you do not have this card and have not received a new cardmember bonus for this card in the past 24 months.
It is from when you received your bonus points. So I'd go with "after the bonus points on the last card went over to Southwest" as a "safe" date to apply again.
Post by: secondcor521 on January 25, 2017, 01:42:34 PM
https://creditcards.chase.com/a1/southwest/50kPlusNonAEP?CELL=6RHZ (https://creditcards.chase.com/a1/southwest/50kPlusNonAEP?CELL=6RHZ)QuoteEarn 50,000 Points after you spend $2,000 on purchases in the first 3 months of opening your account.* This product is available to you if you do not have this card and have not received a new cardmember bonus for this card in the past 24 months.
It is from when you received your bonus points. So I'd go with "after the bonus points on the last card went over to Southwest" as a "safe" date to apply again.
Thanks!!
Post by: bigalsmith101 on January 31, 2017, 12:49:10 AM
Does transferring points from one Rapid Rewards account to another count towards the companion pass? I'm 9k points shy of the companion pass (not all of my bonus qualifying spending landed in 2017), and was hoping to get that companion pass on my wife's account sooner than later. I've got 51k points left over in my account that could be transferred. Or at least the minimum necessary to earn the CP.
Post by: arebelspy on January 31, 2017, 01:40:15 AM
They're still allowing the hotel rollover loophole for the next two months, if you have Chase UR points or whatever.
Post by: bigalsmith101 on February 07, 2017, 10:08:21 AM
Send me a message if you need to get started towards your companion pass :)
Post by: FIRE2022 on February 07, 2017, 11:56:16 AM
Now the long version. Just wanted to add a tip for anyone that is in the process of getting the companion pass. I got 2 southwest cards, the personal plus (Oct 2016) and the premier business card (Dec 2016). Both were offering 50k points at the time of sign up. Late in Jan 2017, I noticed that Chase had increased the sign up bonus for the business premier card to 60k points. Up until then, I was concerned about how to get my remaining $6k of spend and this would take care of it. So I called Chase and asked them to apply the 60k sign up bonus promotion to my account instead of the 50k sign up bonus. Note, I hadn't received my sign up bonus as of then, but had completed the spend requirements. The call center rep told me they would put in a request with the marketing department and that I would hear of their decision within 10 business days. I called them again after a week and got the same response. February rolled around, my statement closed and I saw that I was awarded only 50k points, instead of 60k points that I was hoping for. I also got a letter shortly after telling me I was signed up for the 50k promotion. I was pretty disappointed. Anyways, yesterday I got a letter in the mail telling me that they have issued an extra 10k miles which will post to my Southwest account when my statement closes early March. I am super excited as I won't have to manufacture spend to get my companion pass.
So advise for anyone that recently got the business premiere card under the 50k miles promotion. Call Chase and have them move you to the 60k miles promotion.
Post by: hoping2retire35 on February 10, 2017, 01:23:56 PM
Can you use it to buy things or services that are just personal? I guess I could pay the HVAC company when they do their annual maintenance and split up my insurance bill but that is, definitely note enough to hit the required spending.
Post by: arebelspy on February 11, 2017, 07:47:51 PM
I am sure in the last 14 pages this has been discussed but can you get the premier business card if you are just a landlord or something else that is pretty small and not so businessy?
Yes. You just use your SSN.
Post by: Professor Ecks on February 13, 2017, 01:26:07 PM
I am sure in the last 14 pages this has been discussed but can you get the premier business card if you are just a landlord or something else that is pretty small and not so businessy?
Can you use it to buy things or services that are just personal? I guess I could pay the HVAC company when they do their annual maintenance and split up my insurance bill but that is, definitely note enough to hit the required spending.
I suppose it's possible, but we weren't successful. Wife was approved for the Premier card, but when applying for the Business card, was denied because the business showed too little profit (we only have one rental). She was later approved for the Plus card which only had a 25k bonus available at the time, so we still ended up with the companion pass, but it was much harder than if we were approved for the Business card. Since your situation sounds similar to ours, your results might also be similar.
Post by: arebelspy on February 13, 2017, 03:55:47 PM
I am sure in the last 14 pages this has been discussed but can you get the premier business card if you are just a landlord or something else that is pretty small and not so businessy?
Can you use it to buy things or services that are just personal? I guess I could pay the HVAC company when they do their annual maintenance and split up my insurance bill but that is, definitely note enough to hit the required spending.
I suppose it's possible, but we weren't successful. Wife was approved for the Premier card, but when applying for the Business card, was denied because the business showed too little profit (we only have one rental). She was later approved for the Plus card which only had a 25k bonus available at the time, so we still ended up with the companion pass, but it was much harder than if we were approved for the Business card. Since your situation sounds similar to ours, your results might also be similar.
Both personal cards (personal premier and personal plus) have 50k bonuses right now, no need for the business one (business premier). I have referrals, as do other people up thread. PM one of us for it.
Post by: johnny847 on February 14, 2017, 11:25:18 AM
Can you use it to buy things or services that are just personal? I guess I could pay the HVAC company when they do their annual maintenance and split up my insurance bill but that is, definitely note enough to hit the required spending.
You can. But there are differences in the benefits. For example, the car rental protection provided by a business cc is generally only extended to cars rented for business use.
Post by: Lagom on February 14, 2017, 11:37:29 PM
Post by: arebelspy on February 15, 2017, 03:58:02 AM
I'm sure this must have been posted somewhere in this thread but I'm lazy. Can someone give me an idea of how long after you pass the $2000 threshold it typically takes for the points to post? The terms say 6-8 weeks, I think. Has that been everyone's experience here?
I've had it happen on both cards about two weeks after the statement close where it passed the threshold. So depends on where in the statement cycle you hit the spend.
Post by: dandarc on February 15, 2017, 08:12:49 AM
Yeah - the earlier in your statement cycle you hit the number, the better your odds of getting the bonus miles after that statement. Last one, we hit the $2K over halfway through the cycle, and it didn't post until the statement after that one.I'm sure this must have been posted somewhere in this thread but I'm lazy. Can someone give me an idea of how long after you pass the $2000 threshold it typically takes for the points to post? The terms say 6-8 weeks, I think. Has that been everyone's experience here?
I've had it happen on both cards about two weeks after the statement close where it passed the threshold. So depends on where in the statement cycle you hit the spend.
Post by: bigalsmith101 on February 27, 2017, 04:21:23 PM
Just got notified that we hit the 110k this month, so I immediately went online and added myself as the companion to my wife's account. Then canceled the ticket I had reserved with air miles on my other southwest account (whose companion pass has expired).
We're SWIMMING in miles now. It's a joke. Should make for some fun last minute travel plans!
Post by: DailyGrindFree on February 27, 2017, 04:37:02 PM
Companion pass for the win!
Just got notified that we hit the 110k this month, so I immediately went online and added myself as the companion to my wife's account. Then canceled the ticket I had reserved with air miles on my other southwest account (whose companion pass has expired).
We're SWIMMING in miles now. It's a joke. Should make for some fun last minute travel plans!
Awesome. I envy you. I am currently working on getting 100K (50K + 50K) from my PREMIER & PLUS. Will have 104K by the end of March hopefully. I still need that additional 6K. We will see how long it will take us to get there.
Congrats.
Post by: hoping2retire35 on March 01, 2017, 06:34:17 PM
so looking at travel hacking and trying to research all this I have a conundrum.
Which way can you transfer points?
like is it based off of the bank? BoA, chase, etc? That is what I would guess. But what about American Express and discover, they are their own bank and card(?like visa, mastercard etc) but they also have partners. Like the Credit union from my home town has a decent rewards with an american express, so could I transfer from that credit union amex card to other amex cards?
Post by: elaine amj on March 02, 2017, 09:30:31 AM
Hope they do this again sometime in the future, we would never use it in the next two years, or rarely at best. anywho....
so looking at travel hacking and trying to research all this I have a conundrum.
Which way can you transfer points?
like is it based off of the bank? BoA, chase, etc? That is what I would guess. But what about American Express and discover, they are their own bank and card(?like visa, mastercard etc) but they also have partners. Like the Credit union from my home town has a decent rewards with an american express, so could I transfer from that credit union amex card to other amex cards?
You have to consider what types of points each card offers. e.g foes your credit union amex offer Amex membership reward points? Or some other kinds of points? e.g. if you have 2 different Amexes that offer Amex Membership Reward points, they are pooled to your same account. But if one offers MR points and the other offers SPG points, they are not pooled. (That said - Amex MR points DO transfer to SPG points so you could transfer and consolidate).
I was working on American Airlines miles last year. So I got:
- 2 AA credit cards
- 2 SPG credit cards
- 1 Amex credit card that offered Amex MR.
My process was:
1. wait for MR to offer a bonus transfer to SPG. When the offer was available, I transferred all my MR points to SPG, scoring a small amount of bonus points.
2. waited for AA to offer a bonus for miles transferred from SPG. When the offer was available, I transferred all my SPG points to AA.
3. Ended up with a nice pile of AA miles so my brother, SIL, and niece had enough for 3 roundtrips from the UK (where they live) to the US this summer for us to vacation together.
Post by: elaine amj on March 02, 2017, 09:32:36 AM
We've been super careful about CC applications - but I really don't see how we can possibly manage only 5 apps in 24 months so no Chase cards in the foreseeable future.
Post by: hoping2retire35 on March 02, 2017, 10:32:12 AM
edit; that is a companion pass for $121.
Post by: bigalsmith101 on March 02, 2017, 12:17:15 PM
Companion pass for the win!
Just got notified that we hit the 110k this month, so I immediately went online and added myself as the companion to my wife's account. Then canceled the ticket I had reserved with air miles on my other southwest account (whose companion pass has expired).
We're SWIMMING in miles now. It's a joke. Should make for some fun last minute travel plans!
Awesome. I envy you. I am currently working on getting 100K (50K + 50K) from my PREMIER & PLUS. Will have 104K by the end of March hopefully. I still need that additional 6K. We will see how long it will take us to get there.
Congrats.
I was able to get a couple of people to sign up with my referral code, and that aided significantly towards the companion pass. I also bought several months worth of grocery store gift cards at the same time, as well as prepaid some health insurance premiums.
Post by: arebelspy on March 02, 2017, 12:21:19 PM
Now that hotel transfers are going away, has anyone figured out any alternate way to get another Companion Pass? I really miss ours! We've done it with Southwest CCs twice and once with Miles & Points from Marriott.
We've been super careful about CC applications - but I really don't see how we can possibly manage only 5 apps in 24 months so no Chase cards in the foreseeable future.
Apparently branded cards (like the SW) don't count for the 5/24 rule, so you may be able to get the CP from them (if you haven't got the bonus in the last 24 months, you're eligible again), even being over 5/24. :)
Post by: elaine amj on March 02, 2017, 01:14:10 PM
Now that hotel transfers are going away, has anyone figured out any alternate way to get another Companion Pass? I really miss ours! We've done it with Southwest CCs twice and once with Miles & Points from Marriott.
We've been super careful about CC applications - but I really don't see how we can possibly manage only 5 apps in 24 months so no Chase cards in the foreseeable future.
Apparently branded cards (like the SW) don't count for the 5/24 rule, so you may be able to get the CP from them (if you haven't got the bonus in the last 24 months, you're eligible again), even being over 5/24. :)
Oooo...this may be worth a shot. We had tried for the Chase Sapphire Reserve back when it was launch but was denied for too many apps. Knew it was a long shot, but took the chance and used up another inquiry. If there's a chance for a SW Companion Pass, we might be willing to take the risk again. I loved that Pass! Then again - we really have to consider as I am trying to figure out how we are going to get all 4 of us to Malaysia next summer.
Post by: Mr. Green on March 03, 2017, 07:24:19 AM
Post by: Longwaytogo on March 10, 2017, 10:34:46 AM
1. You just need to earn 110,000 points in the same year right? Not like actually have the 110,000 in your account at once? For example if we hit the 50,000 bonus on one of the cards I can go ahead and start using them right away right.
2. Along those same lines if I want to book 4 flights for our Family in say September (which they just released) should I just book 3 of them now while the wanna get away points required are really low and then assume/hope I can add the companion in May or June when we hit it for the fourth ticket?
When your using the companion pass it doesn't matter how expensive the flight is by then right?
Pretty sure my assumptions are correct, just wanted to confirm :)
Post by: dandarc on March 10, 2017, 10:38:20 AM
2. If you're using points, you might even book all 4. Reason being that booking with SW points is fully refundable, so should your CP not come through for some reason before you need it, you'll have all 4 tickets. When it does come through, you can then add companion and cancel the original ticket. Then keep an eye on things - you can get the points back if the fare goes down.
Post by: Mr. Green on March 10, 2017, 11:06:06 AM
Post by: dandarc on March 10, 2017, 11:23:42 AM
Post by: Longwaytogo on March 10, 2017, 07:45:50 PM
1. Yes.
2. If you're using points, you might even book all 4. Reason being that booking with SW points is fully refundable, so should your CP not come through for some reason before you need it, you'll have all 4 tickets. When it does come through, you can then add companion and cancel the original ticket. Then keep an eye on things - you can get the points back if the fare goes down.
Thanks!! That's what I figured.
Post by: Verdure on June 02, 2017, 08:40:21 AM
Post by: dandarc on October 02, 2017, 08:00:25 AM
Offers still at 60K miles for each card.
Post by: Longwaytogo on October 02, 2017, 08:23:08 AM
Got the Companion pass for this year and next (did not even have a chance to use it this year). We have a trip for all of us booked for March and I'm flying by myself in Nov using some points so they are almost all gone from the initial 110K promotion.
Anyone have a recommendation for a non Chase card bonus that I could transfer to get more points?
Ideally I'd like to do a long weekend next fall to use Companion pass one more time but don't want to pay cash for the other 3 flights.
Post by: nawhite on October 02, 2017, 08:27:22 AM
Is today too early to set up for 2018-19?
Offers still at 60K miles for each card.
Just don't have the 2000'th dollar from either card hit your account in December and get the bonus early.
Also the 60k bonus is supposedly going to end on October 4th so if you're going to get it, get it soon.
Post by: dandarc on October 02, 2017, 08:30:25 AM
Hey all you Southwest fans. We are family of 4 so even with the pass booking the other 3 goes through the points fast.Assuming it is 2 adults + 2 kids, you could have "2nd adult" get the card. Then make each kid a companion of one of the adults.
Got the Companion pass for this year and next (did not even have a chance to use it this year). We have a trip for all of us booked for March and I'm flying by myself in Nov using some points so they are almost all gone from the initial 110K promotion.
Anyone have a recommendation for a non Chase card bonus that I could transfer to get more points?
Ideally I'd like to do a long weekend next fall to use Companion pass one more time but don't want to pay cash for the other 3 flights.
Post by: dandarc on October 02, 2017, 08:34:09 AM
Bonus has always come 1-2 statements after the last dollar before. Also - it is $2,000 within 3 months to get the bonus.Is today too early to set up for 2018-19?
Offers still at 60K miles for each card.
Just don't have the 3000'th dollar from either card hit your account in December and get the bonus early.
Post by: arebelspy on October 02, 2017, 08:38:14 AM
Bonus has always come 1-2 statements after the last dollar before. Also - it is $2,000 within 3 months to get the bonus.Is today too early to set up for 2018-19?
Offers still at 60K miles for each card.
Just don't have the 3000'th dollar from either card hit your account in December and get the bonus early.
One of the 60k cards right now is 2k spend. The other is 3k spend.
It posts after the statement closes with the minimum spend hit, and then the companion pass comes a few weeks after that, typically. So as long as your 3rd statement closes in January, you're fine to do the spend in Dec in that statement (e.g. say your statement is the 8th to the 8th... you could do the spend after Dec 8, then it'll close Jan 8, and post after that, next year).
You should be good to apply now, and have any 3rd statement (since you have 3 mo for min spend) close in Jan, now that we're in Oct.
Post by: dandarc on October 02, 2017, 08:49:09 AM
Plus: https://creditcards.chase.com/a1/southwest/60KPlus?CELL=6PLT
Premier: https://creditcards.chase.com/a1/southwest/60kPremier?CELL=6PLT
Anyway - applied and was instantly approved for both.
Post by: dandarc on October 02, 2017, 09:00:53 AM
Post by: BiggerFishToFI on October 02, 2017, 09:18:17 AM
Same thing happened to me with the Sapphire Reserve (which I got).
Should I call them tomorrow or just wait it out? If I do call anything I should say to increase my chances of getting approved?
Post by: dandarc on October 02, 2017, 09:25:21 AM
Something with my wife's 2nd card happened as well - a call got it approved but I don't remember what the specific objection was. She didn't have much credit history at that time, so that may have had something to do with it.
Post by: lexde on October 02, 2017, 09:27:20 AM
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Post by: arebelspy on October 02, 2017, 09:28:20 AM
Just hit me how crazy what just happened is. A bank - a large bank - just agreed to in excess of $50K of revolving credit. And they're going to give me $1500+ worth of airfare. And the airline is going to match that. All took maybe 10 minutes of my time. And this is the third time since 2015 they've done this for our household - finally got the timing right on this deal. How is this possible?
Haha, totally. So many things about the FIRE life is like this. Getting rent checks, or dividend checks is a similar feeling. Getting paid from tradeline sales. So many "how crazy is this world we're in?" thoughts (in a good way).
If you're over the 5/24 rule, from what I've read, there's nothing that will be done - you're SOL until enough time has passed without getting any new cards from anybody.
Branded cards (like SW) may be exempt from Chase's 5/24 (only their cards, like Sapphire and Freedom definitely have that rule).
Post by: lexde on October 02, 2017, 11:25:17 AM
SW cards are subject to 5/24. The business SW card is 5/24 sensitive (i.e. You will get denied if it's over 5/24) but it does not add to your 5/24 count! Just FYI for these particular cards.
Branded cards (like SW) may be exempt from Chase's 5/24 (only their cards, like Sapphire and Freedom definitely have that rule).
Post by: dandarc on October 02, 2017, 12:36:26 PM
https://millionmilesecrets.com/2017/09/13/heads-up-earning-the-best-deal-in-travel-will-soon-become-more-difficult/?utm_source=FB&utm_medium=FB+MMS&utm_campaign=Blog&campaign_id=FB_6080518742826_6080752174026_6080752174226
Post by: CowboyAndIndian on October 02, 2017, 02:42:20 PM
In case anyone is wondering - looks like the end date for the current 60K promotion will be 10/4.
https://millionmilesecrets.com/2017/09/13/heads-up-earning-the-best-deal-in-travel-will-soon-become-more-difficult/?utm_source=FB&utm_medium=FB+MMS&utm_campaign=Blog&campaign_id=FB_6080518742826_6080752174026_6080752174226
Yikes. Oct 4th, means that you will complete the 3 months on Jan 4th. So, you have the smallest of intervals to complete the $2k/3k spend, so that you end up with the companion pass for 2018/2019.
If Oct 4th is the last day to apply, wonder if the 3 month deadline happens from the day you get the card (maybe a week or two after you apply).
Any thoughts?
Post by: dandarc on October 02, 2017, 03:06:42 PM
Plus - you only need the to post on the January statement as illustrated up thread by ARS. So if your statement ends January 15th, you'd have from Dec. 16th until then to get the spend done.
Post by: Longwaytogo on October 02, 2017, 03:16:28 PM
Hey all you Southwest fans. We are family of 4 so even with the pass booking the other 3 goes through the points fast.Assuming it is 2 adults + 2 kids, you could have "2nd adult" get the card. Then make each kid a companion of one of the adults.
Got the Companion pass for this year and next (did not even have a chance to use it this year). We have a trip for all of us booked for March and I'm flying by myself in Nov using some points so they are almost all gone from the initial 110K promotion.
Anyone have a recommendation for a non Chase card bonus that I could transfer to get more points?
Ideally I'd like to do a long weekend next fall to use Companion pass one more time but don't want to pay cash for the other 3 flights.
Can't do any Chase cards right now or that could work.
May just get Capital one freedom or Barclay with the $400 credit and use that do book 1 and part of another or something. Since there is no assigned seats on Southwest anyway shouldn't matter if it's two transactions I guess.
Post by: Inaya on October 03, 2017, 09:49:15 AM
Post by: BiggerFishToFI on October 03, 2017, 10:33:54 AM
So we applied in my wife's name and got instantly approved for both the plus and premier!!! Boom!
Post by: dandarc on October 03, 2017, 11:07:03 AM
Called the reconsideration line, l I got denied because of too many inquiries / too many open cards... they tried to shuffle credit around but couldn't get it approved.There ya go - then end of 2019, you try it again with yourself. If there's only the 2 of you, you can basically have the companion pass continuously by switching back and forth. Not to mention all the points. At least until Chase or Southwest wises up and changes the terms of the deals.
So we applied in my wife's name and got instantly approved for both the plus and premier!!! Boom!
Post by: PizzaSteve on October 03, 2017, 11:16:23 AM
I applied for Biz Premier and Personal Plus cards 9/26, have spend date of 1/22. 60k bonus points each, yay. I'm excited to get this.How did you calculate spend date BTW? Did you call cust svc?
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Post by: lexde on October 03, 2017, 12:45:19 PM
It's 115 days for Chase cards since they give you extra time for shipping of the physical card to you. That said, as a CYA measure I SM'd separately for both cards to confirm.I applied for Biz Premier and Personal Plus cards 9/26, have spend date of 1/22. 60k bonus points each, yay. I'm excited to get this.How did you calculate spend date BTW? Did you call cust svc?
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Post by: nawhite on October 03, 2017, 12:46:56 PM
I assume that even if the offer expires before they get back to me I'll still get it right? Or do I need to call them before tomorrow to force a decision? (and what's the number for consumer cards and business cards?)
Post by: lexde on October 03, 2017, 12:47:40 PM
SM them ASAP. Applying for two cards isn't against any rules and you aren't using any loopholes. Send a SM connected to the card with the wrong RR# so you have it in writing to CYA. They won't mess with the terms of the card or bonus since you aren't doing anything wrong.quick advice seeking post. Applied for business and personal on 9/29. Instantly approved. However, after applying i accidentally realized i used my wifes FF # having grabed her rapid rewards card by accident. I was worried a bit because their appears to be no way online to change the RR number of the account. Should i wait until i get the cards, not worry or call cust service now and try to correct it? i didnt want to flag that i applied for two cards and have some note on the account disrupt my reward status.Just hit me how crazy what just happened is. A bank - a large bank - just agreed to in excess of $50K of revolving credit. And they're going to give me $1500+ worth of airfare. And the airline is going to match that. All took maybe 10 minutes of my time. And this is the third time since 2015 they've done this for our household - finally got the timing right on this deal. How is this possible?
Haha, totally. So many things about the FIRE life is like this. Getting rent checks, or dividend checks is a similar feeling. Getting paid from tradeline sales. So many "how crazy is this world we're in?" thoughts (in a good way).If you're over the 5/24 rule, from what I've read, there's nothing that will be done - you're SOL until enough time has passed without getting any new cards from anybody.
Branded cards (like SW) may be exempt from Chase's 5/24 (only their cards, like Sapphire and Freedom definitely have that rule).
Any advice?
Post by: lexde on October 03, 2017, 12:49:15 PM
Applied for both the business and plus card today and got "we need more time to consider. you'll hear back in 30 days by mail."Call the automated status line to check status every day or so. If you aren't approved, you will be told 7-10 days (soft decline) or 2 weeks (soft approve). If you get 7-10 day message then you'll need to call human recon.
I assume that even if the offer expires before they get back to me I'll still get it right? Or do I need to call them before tomorrow to force a decision? (and what's the number for consumer cards and business cards?)
Google "Reddit chase reconsideration flowchart" for super specific instructions.
Post by: CowboyAndIndian on October 03, 2017, 06:03:19 PM
Now a fine balance to make the spends close to $2k/$3k by end of year so that I can go over the top in January.
Thanks for all the ideas.
Post by: Inaya on October 03, 2017, 07:12:01 PM
Would going into a branch do anything to speed this process up?
ETA: I called the automated recon and got the "2 week" message for both.
Post by: lexde on October 03, 2017, 07:13:05 PM
Got approved for the business and the Premier Card.FYI you might want to stay closer to 50% of minimum spend until January since they have been awarding point bonuses early if you're just a few hundred off
Now a fine balance to make the spends close to $2k/$3k by end of year so that I can go over the top in January.
Thanks for all the ideas.
Post by: lexde on October 03, 2017, 07:14:40 PM
30-day, by mail on Plus and Premier. Bummer, because I have some large expenses this month that would put me most of the way to both spends.See my above response. Call automated line. Google "Reddit chase approval flowchart" and follow those instructions. I got the 30-day but was approved the following day so don't worry!
Would going into a branch do anything to speed this process up?
Post by: CowboyAndIndian on October 03, 2017, 07:33:34 PM
Got approved for the business and the Premier Card.FYI you might want to stay closer to 50% of minimum spend until January since they have been awarding point bonuses early if you're just a few hundred off
Now a fine balance to make the spends close to $2k/$3k by end of year so that I can go over the top in January.
Thanks for all the ideas.
Thanks Lexde. That would be horrible, losing almost a year of companion pass.
Post by: lexde on October 03, 2017, 07:35:12 PM
Yeah, the people that got that are fighting it, but (1) it's not worth the trouble if you can delay spend; and (2) it's going to be hard fighting what Chase considers a "favor" by being lenient with the points. D: I couldn't imagine. I'm not touching my cards until December!Got approved for the business and the Premier Card.FYI you might want to stay closer to 50% of minimum spend until January since they have been awarding point bonuses early if you're just a few hundred off
Now a fine balance to make the spends close to $2k/$3k by end of year so that I can go over the top in January.
Thanks for all the ideas.
Thanks Lexde. That would be horrible, losing almost a year of companion pass.
Post by: FrugalSaver on October 03, 2017, 10:19:53 PM
Just hit me how crazy what just happened is. A bank - a large bank - just agreed to in excess of $50K of revolving credit. And they're going to give me $1500+ worth of airfare. And the airline is going to match that. All took maybe 10 minutes of my time. And this is the third time since 2015 they've done this for our household - finally got the timing right on this deal. How is this possible?
Haha, totally. So many things about the FIRE life is like this. Getting rent checks, or dividend checks is a similar feeling. Getting paid from tradeline sales. So many "how crazy is this world we're in?" thoughts (in a good way).If you're over the 5/24 rule, from what I've read, there's nothing that will be done - you're SOL until enough time has passed without getting any new cards from anybody.
Branded cards (like SW) may be exempt from Chase's 5/24 (only their cards, like Sapphire and Freedom definitely have that rule).
Are you sure about this?
I got the dreaded "we'll mail you in 30 days" message
Thank you for your request.
We need to review your request a little longer. We will let you know of our decision by U.S. mail. This could take up to 30 days.
Thank you for choosing Southwest Rapid Rewards® Plus Credit Card from Chase.
Post by: FrugalSaver on October 03, 2017, 10:22:54 PM
30-day, by mail on Plus and Premier. Bummer, because I have some large expenses this month that would put me most of the way to both spends.See my above response. Call automated line. Google "Reddit chase approval flowchart" and follow those instructions. I got the 30-day but was approved the following day so don't worry!
Would going into a branch do anything to speed this process up?
Lexde,
When you called, were you able to get both cards or just 1?
Post by: lexde on October 04, 2017, 03:20:59 AM
Followed the flow chart, didn't have to do human recon just called the robo-verification. I got Premier business first (5/24 sensitive but doesn't add to 5/24 count) then applied for and approved for personal Plus the next day and was approved. Both got 30-day notice, which means they hadn't immediately processed the app. Took a day of calling back to get the message to change.30-day, by mail on Plus and Premier. Bummer, because I have some large expenses this month that would put me most of the way to both spends.See my above response. Call automated line. Google "Reddit chase approval flowchart" and follow those instructions. I got the 30-day but was approved the following day so don't worry!
Would going into a branch do anything to speed this process up?
Lexde,
When you called, were you able to get both cards or just 1?
Walked my mom through this too. She got 30 days... then 7-10 days (soft decline) and had to call and recon both cards but ended up getting them.
Post by: lexde on October 04, 2017, 03:22:43 AM
Chase Southwest cards are 5/24 sensitive and will auto-decline. Biz cards are 5/24 sensitive but won't add to your 5/24 count.Just hit me how crazy what just happened is. A bank - a large bank - just agreed to in excess of $50K of revolving credit. And they're going to give me $1500+ worth of airfare. And the airline is going to match that. All took maybe 10 minutes of my time. And this is the third time since 2015 they've done this for our household - finally got the timing right on this deal. How is this possible?
Haha, totally. So many things about the FIRE life is like this. Getting rent checks, or dividend checks is a similar feeling. Getting paid from tradeline sales. So many "how crazy is this world we're in?" thoughts (in a good way).If you're over the 5/24 rule, from what I've read, there's nothing that will be done - you're SOL until enough time has passed without getting any new cards from anybody.
Branded cards (like SW) may be exempt from Chase's 5/24 (only their cards, like Sapphire and Freedom definitely have that rule).
Are you sure about this?
I got the dreaded "we'll mail you in 30 days" message
Thank you for your request.
We need to review your request a little longer. We will let you know of our decision by U.S. mail. This could take up to 30 days.
Thank you for choosing Southwest Rapid RewardsPlus Credit Card from Chase.
Post by: Inaya on October 04, 2017, 08:14:30 AM
Post by: lexde on October 04, 2017, 08:20:17 AM
So if I call the auto-recon and it changes to approved, does that mean I'll get the cards relatively soon? Or will it still take 30 days?They send it as soon as it's approved. 30 days is just the placeholder while they make a decision.
Post by: Inaya on October 04, 2017, 08:28:18 AM
Awesome. Thanks for the info!So if I call the auto-recon and it changes to approved, does that mean I'll get the cards relatively soon? Or will it still take 30 days?They send it as soon as it's approved. 30 days is just the placeholder while they make a decision.
Post by: Rubyvroom on October 04, 2017, 08:58:06 AM
In case anyone is wondering - looks like the end date for the current 60K promotion will be 10/4.
https://millionmilesecrets.com/2017/09/13/heads-up-earning-the-best-deal-in-travel-will-soon-become-more-difficult/?utm_source=FB&utm_medium=FB+MMS&utm_campaign=Blog&campaign_id=FB_6080518742826_6080752174026_6080752174226
PTF, and also thank you for noting this expiration! I didn't realize this was ending so soon and was able to apply and got approved on two cards today. I had been skurking in this thread for a week or so but hadn't acted on it yet, so I'm glad you posted this to get my butt in gear.
Post by: dandarc on October 04, 2017, 09:05:43 AM
What is the bonus dropping to when the 60K goes away?Seems like the baseline is 40K now. Used to be 25K and would kick up to 50K, now seems to be 40K/60K. Of course, ultimately Chase determines what bonus, if any, will be offered.
Post by: lexde on October 04, 2017, 11:18:06 AM
I did, just as a CYA. I keep everything in separate SMs and save screenshots until I'm awarded the pass. It's overkill but I'd rather be safe than sorry! Definitely wait until you have either the 7-10 or 2-week message on the automated line before proceeding. Good luck!!Done. Only the automated reply so far. Do you also recommend confirming the spend by dates via SM? I may do that after i get this issue settled, but could ask both questions.SM them ASAP. Applying for two cards isn't against any rules and you aren't using any loopholes. Send a SM connected to the card with the wrong RR# so you have it in writing to CYA. They won't mess with the terms of the card or bonus since you aren't doing anything wrong.quick advice seeking post. Applied for business and personal on 9/29. Instantly approved. However, after applying i accidentally realized i used my wifes FF # having grabed her rapid rewards card by accident. I was worried a bit because their appears to be no way online to change the RR number of the account. Should i wait until i get the cards, not worry or call cust service now and try to correct it? i didnt want to flag that i applied for two cards and have some note on the account disrupt my reward status.Just hit me how crazy what just happened is. A bank - a large bank - just agreed to in excess of $50K of revolving credit. And they're going to give me $1500+ worth of airfare. And the airline is going to match that. All took maybe 10 minutes of my time. And this is the third time since 2015 they've done this for our household - finally got the timing right on this deal. How is this possible?
Haha, totally. So many things about the FIRE life is like this. Getting rent checks, or dividend checks is a similar feeling. Getting paid from tradeline sales. So many "how crazy is this world we're in?" thoughts (in a good way).If you're over the 5/24 rule, from what I've read, there's nothing that will be done - you're SOL until enough time has passed without getting any new cards from anybody.
Branded cards (like SW) may be exempt from Chase's 5/24 (only their cards, like Sapphire and Freedom definitely have that rule).
Any advice?
Post by: SimpleCycle on October 04, 2017, 11:34:33 AM
Post by: dandarc on October 04, 2017, 11:36:46 AM
I'm pretty new to this credit card hacking thing - can you apply for a personal Plus and a personal Premier, or does one need to be a business card?I did both personals.
Post by: Rubyvroom on October 04, 2017, 11:39:33 AM
I did both personals.
Same. Did both personal cards just today.
Post by: nawhite on October 04, 2017, 11:51:51 AM
Applied for both the business and plus card today and got "we need more time to consider. you'll hear back in 30 days by mail."Call the automated status line to check status every day or so. If you aren't approved, you will be told 7-10 days (soft decline) or 2 weeks (soft approve). If you get 7-10 day message then you'll need to call human recon.
I assume that even if the offer expires before they get back to me I'll still get it right? Or do I need to call them before tomorrow to force a decision? (and what's the number for consumer cards and business cards?)
Google "Reddit chase reconsideration flowchart" for super specific instructions.
Flowchart here for anyone curious: https://imgur.com/a/oXlPW
Post by: FrugalSaver on October 04, 2017, 02:33:48 PM
Chase Southwest cards are 5/24 sensitive and will auto-decline. Biz cards are 5/24 sensitive but won't add to your 5/24 count.Just hit me how crazy what just happened is. A bank - a large bank - just agreed to in excess of $50K of revolving credit. And they're going to give me $1500+ worth of airfare. And the airline is going to match that. All took maybe 10 minutes of my time. And this is the third time since 2015 they've done this for our household - finally got the timing right on this deal. How is this possible?
Haha, totally. So many things about the FIRE life is like this. Getting rent checks, or dividend checks is a similar feeling. Getting paid from tradeline sales. So many "how crazy is this world we're in?" thoughts (in a good way).If you're over the 5/24 rule, from what I've read, there's nothing that will be done - you're SOL until enough time has passed without getting any new cards from anybody.
Branded cards (like SW) may be exempt from Chase's 5/24 (only their cards, like Sapphire and Freedom definitely have that rule).
Are you sure about this?
I got the dreaded "we'll mail you in 30 days" message
Thank you for your request.
We need to review your request a little longer. We will let you know of our decision by U.S. mail. This could take up to 30 days.
Thank you for choosing Southwest Rapid Rewards
I called and used the flow chart. Basically they took $5,000 from my amazon card and moved it to the ply application. They then told me over the phone it needed further processing and I'd hear back in a few days.
Btw, even though the offer may expire today, if you get the app in today and it's not approved for a couple of weeks, they told me the offer will still apply.
Post by: Singletrack on October 04, 2017, 09:58:42 PM
Post by: sunnyca on October 05, 2017, 07:03:01 AM
Post by: dandarc on October 05, 2017, 07:53:43 AM
i received a SM that said i only have until 12/28 to hit the min spend targets, 90 days vs the 115 i read earlier. I signed up perhaps too early by 5 days. any advice is appretiated. Should i spend on the 28th and risk early bonus or after on 1/1 and risk missing it? my first time trying this timing thing , but assume some spending and the credit will take some time to post, i hope.When is your statement date?
Post by: Inaya on October 05, 2017, 09:11:38 AM
Post by: FrugalSaver on October 05, 2017, 10:18:34 PM
Post by: Inaya on October 06, 2017, 06:50:09 AM
What is SM?Secure Message, I believe.
Post by: aetherie on October 06, 2017, 06:55:22 AM
I called a few weeks ago to cancel mine before the annual fees hit (Dec. 1). The agent offered me two statement credits if I didn't cancel: $100 on the Premier and $70 on the Plus, the idea being that now my annual fees are covered.
If you get this offer, you can certainly choose to keep the cards for another year.
However, you can also do what I did... take the credits, buy $170 in Amazon gift cards, call back next week, get a different agent, and actually cancel the cards. Free money!
Post by: lexde on October 06, 2017, 07:13:32 AM
i received a SM that said i only have until 12/28 to hit the min spend targets, 90 days vs the 115 i read earlier. I signed up perhaps too early by 5 days. any advice is appretiated. Should i spend on the 28th and risk early bonus or after on 1/1 and risk missing it? my first time trying this timing thing , but assume some spending and the credit will take some time to post, i hope.Respond and tell them that by the time you get your card it will be less than 90 days to meet spend and ask them if they're sure the calculation is correct.
Post by: lexde on October 06, 2017, 07:14:10 AM
Arg just called again today. Yesterday I had two "soft approves" (2 week message). Today, one was approved and the other was "soft declined" (7-10 day message). I'm guessing because I have too much credit for all three cards and need it moved around? Can I call recon now, or do I have to wait until I have the letter in hand? (Sorry for all the questions; my only other Chase card was insta-approved.)Call now.
Post by: Inaya on October 06, 2017, 08:00:17 AM
I just got off the phone with recon actually. They sent me to verification then put the application back in the system. Automated line is still giving me 7-10 days. I'll try again tomorrow. I also dropped the limit on my CSR by more than half before I called recon, so hopefully that'll help.Arg just called again today. Yesterday I had two "soft approves" (2 week message). Today, one was approved and the other was "soft declined" (7-10 day message). I'm guessing because I have too much credit for all three cards and need it moved around? Can I call recon now, or do I have to wait until I have the letter in hand? (Sorry for all the questions; my only other Chase card was insta-approved.)Call now. (https://s3.amazonaws.com/tapatalk-emoji/emoji846.png)
Post by: lexde on October 06, 2017, 08:01:31 AM
Weird. I'd definitely call back and just ask if there's any additional info you can provide to help them make a decision. Fingers crossed for you! You're under 5/24 with this card right?I just got off the phone with recon actually. They sent me to verification then put the application back in the system. Automated line is still giving me 7-10 days. I'll try again tomorrow. I also dropped the limit on my CSR by more than half before I called recon, so hopefully that'll help.Arg just called again today. Yesterday I had two "soft approves" (2 week message). Today, one was approved and the other was "soft declined" (7-10 day message). I'm guessing because I have too much credit for all three cards and need it moved around? Can I call recon now, or do I have to wait until I have the letter in hand? (Sorry for all the questions; my only other Chase card was insta-approved.)Call now. (https://s3.amazonaws.com/tapatalk-emoji/emoji846.png)
Post by: Inaya on October 06, 2017, 08:16:34 AM
Weird. I'd definitely call back and just ask if there's any additional info you can provide to help them make a decision. Fingers crossed for you! You're under 5/24 with this card right?I just got off the phone with recon actually. They sent me to verification then put the application back in the system. Automated line is still giving me 7-10 days. I'll try again tomorrow. I also dropped the limit on my CSR by more than half before I called recon, so hopefully that'll help.Arg just called again today. Yesterday I had two "soft approves" (2 week message). Today, one was approved and the other was "soft declined" (7-10 day message). I'm guessing because I have too much credit for all three cards and need it moved around? Can I call recon now, or do I have to wait until I have the letter in hand? (Sorry for all the questions; my only other Chase card was insta-approved.)Call now. (https://s3.amazonaws.com/tapatalk-emoji/emoji846.png)
Should be at 4/24, even if you count the approved card. Wouldn't 5/24 be an instant decline?
Post by: lexde on October 06, 2017, 08:18:58 AM
That or the 7-10 day message. I'm sure they'll approve when you call again! And since the automated line is saying 7-10 instead of 30 you can probably call back now if you don't feel like waiting!Weird. I'd definitely call back and just ask if there's any additional info you can provide to help them make a decision. Fingers crossed for you! You're under 5/24 with this card right?I just got off the phone with recon actually. They sent me to verification then put the application back in the system. Automated line is still giving me 7-10 days. I'll try again tomorrow. I also dropped the limit on my CSR by more than half before I called recon, so hopefully that'll help.Arg just called again today. Yesterday I had two "soft approves" (2 week message). Today, one was approved and the other was "soft declined" (7-10 day message). I'm guessing because I have too much credit for all three cards and need it moved around? Can I call recon now, or do I have to wait until I have the letter in hand? (Sorry for all the questions; my only other Chase card was insta-approved.)Call now. (https://s3.amazonaws.com/tapatalk-emoji/emoji846.png)
Should be at 4/24. Wouldn't 5/24 be an instant decline?
Post by: Stachless on October 06, 2017, 01:20:54 PM
Post by: dandarc on October 06, 2017, 01:57:26 PM
My offers are now showing 40k mile signup bonus vs. 60k. Anybody else still seeing 60k?Saw 40K earlier today, but I signed up a while ago. Million Mile Secrets had 10/4 as the end date for current 60K offer, but they were still at 60K yesterday.
Post by: lexde on October 06, 2017, 02:54:24 PM
My offers are now showing 40k mile signup bonus vs. 60k. Anybody else still seeing 60k?What do you mean by your offers? Offers you have already signed up for? Or advertised offers? The 60K deal ended 10/4 so if you didn't apply by then you may not be able to get 60K. If you decide to sign up with 40K please use someone's referral to share the mile-love. You may also be able to request a match by SM. Even with 2x 40k offers you end up with 84K of 110K and can make up the 16k miles using MS methods although it's a little more annoying to have to do.
Post by: Inaya on October 09, 2017, 11:00:19 AM
Anyway he put it through recon and needs "another credit specialist to look at it," so I should call back tomorrow.
Post by: CowboyAndIndian on October 09, 2017, 11:05:24 AM
I signed up on Oct 3rd and got approved immediately. I still have not got the cards.
Post by: lexde on October 09, 2017, 11:25:24 AM
Any idea on how long it takes to get the card from the time you are approved?Took me about 7 business days.
I signed up on Oct 3rd and got approved immediately. I still have not got the cards.
Post by: me1 on October 09, 2017, 12:00:54 PM
Post by: lexde on October 09, 2017, 12:39:19 PM
I was approved on plus, but denied on premier. I only have one other chase card in the past year. and one other card total (from 13 years ago), excellent credit score, and a reasonably high salary. I tried calling the recon line twice, first time was outright denied, second time they said it has to be checked by a higher ranking person, this was last week, and have not heard anything back, the automated line still says 2 weeks. I am assuming its been denied. What am I doing wrong on the recon line? What am I supposed to be telling them to actually get the card?Call back and see what they say.
Post by: DarkandStormy on October 10, 2017, 08:35:20 AM
Have SMs in to find the exact spend date needed. Opted to go the double personal route vs. Biz + Personal because we're still working on my SO's CSP min. spend and we didn't want to have $5k to spend in 3 months. $4k is hard to do as is. So now I'm at 5/24 until 5/2018, but my SO is only 2/24 so after the Southwest min. spends we'll probably work on a hotel card for her or something.
I see my statement dates are both the 12th of each month, so once we get past 12/12 (to be safe 12/14ish) I'll have at least a few weeks to spend up to $2k on each card.
Post by: DarkandStormy on October 10, 2017, 08:41:07 AM
ARRGGG. Called recon again. It was denied because "too many Chase applications." Does Chase have a separate rule for their own branded cards now? I did get the CSR in March, but other than that and these two, I haven't applied for any others. And I'm at 3/24 (an AU, an AmEx, and the CSR), so it can't be 5/24.
Anyway he put it through recon and needs "another credit specialist to look at it," so I should call back tomorrow.
I went through a similar process as you - immediately got the 30 day message on both. Called the status line and both were 2 weeks. Then within a few hours, they went 7-10 days.
Called recon. and eventually got one approved.
Then I called recon. for the other and was told they "wanted to see how I handled the first Southwest card before granting me the other" so I was declined.
Called recon. the next day and asked again and was told I had too many recent Chase inquiries because the Plus had been approved. I explained (white-lied?) that I wanted both cards to separate my work travel from my personal travel and that it'd be easier with two cards to get reimbursed at work. Service rep. asked if I wanted her to initiate the recon. process, I said sure.
Basically walked down the application again to verify everything and then asked if I'd be comfortable moving some CL over from my Sapphire. I said sure. Approved.
I was 3/24 before attempting the double dip (so now I'm 5/24), was 0/30 on apps, and ~760 FAKO score (hard pull showed 759 credit score).
My only advice if you call today is be ready with a reason why you wanted the two cards at once - you have upcoming domestic travel, some work some personal, etc. etc. something along those lines. Good luck!
Post by: Inaya on October 10, 2017, 08:48:37 AM
So you put the same card through recon twice? Can I just keep asking for recon until they get tired of me and let me have it? (Half-kidding.)ARRGGG. Called recon again. It was denied because "too many Chase applications." Does Chase have a separate rule for their own branded cards now? I did get the CSR in March, but other than that and these two, I haven't applied for any others. And I'm at 3/24 (an AU, an AmEx, and the CSR), so it can't be 5/24.
Anyway he put it through recon and needs "another credit specialist to look at it," so I should call back tomorrow.
I went through a similar process as you - immediately got the 30 day message on both. Called the status line and both were 2 weeks. Then within a few hours, they went 7-10 days.
Called recon. and eventually got one approved.
Then I called recon. for the other and was told they "wanted to see how I handled the first Southwest card before granting me the other" so I was declined.
Called recon. the next day and asked again and was told I had too many recent Chase inquiries because the Plus had been approved. I explained (white-lied?) that I wanted both cards to separate my work travel from my personal travel and that it'd be easier with two cards to get reimbursed at work. Service rep. asked if I wanted her to initiate the recon. process, I said sure.
Basically walked down the application again to verify everything and then asked if I'd be comfortable moving some CL over from my Sapphire. I said sure. Approved.
I was 3/24 before attempting the double dip (so now I'm 5/24), was 0/30 on apps, and ~760 FAKO score (hard pull showed 759 credit score).
My only advice if you call today is be ready with a reason why you wanted the two cards at once - you have upcoming domestic travel, some work some personal, etc. etc. something along those lines. Good luck!
Thanks for the advice about work vs. personal travel. I'll probably use that.
Post by: DarkandStormy on October 10, 2017, 08:51:09 AM
So you put the same card through recon twice? Can I just keep asking for recon until they get tired of me and let me have it? (Half-kidding.)ARRGGG. Called recon again. It was denied because "too many Chase applications." Does Chase have a separate rule for their own branded cards now? I did get the CSR in March, but other than that and these two, I haven't applied for any others. And I'm at 3/24 (an AU, an AmEx, and the CSR), so it can't be 5/24.
Anyway he put it through recon and needs "another credit specialist to look at it," so I should call back tomorrow.
I went through a similar process as you - immediately got the 30 day message on both. Called the status line and both were 2 weeks. Then within a few hours, they went 7-10 days.
Called recon. and eventually got one approved.
Then I called recon. for the other and was told they "wanted to see how I handled the first Southwest card before granting me the other" so I was declined.
Called recon. the next day and asked again and was told I had too many recent Chase inquiries because the Plus had been approved. I explained (white-lied?) that I wanted both cards to separate my work travel from my personal travel and that it'd be easier with two cards to get reimbursed at work. Service rep. asked if I wanted her to initiate the recon. process, I said sure.
Basically walked down the application again to verify everything and then asked if I'd be comfortable moving some CL over from my Sapphire. I said sure. Approved.
I was 3/24 before attempting the double dip (so now I'm 5/24), was 0/30 on apps, and ~760 FAKO score (hard pull showed 759 credit score).
My only advice if you call today is be ready with a reason why you wanted the two cards at once - you have upcoming domestic travel, some work some personal, etc. etc. something along those lines. Good luck!
Thanks for the advice about work vs. personal travel. I'll probably use that.
Yep. The first time I was denied. The second time I was initially denied (she didn't put it through recon, just told me it was denied because of too many recent inquiries). Then she offered to go through the recon. process again after I told her why I wanted two.
Post by: lexde on October 10, 2017, 09:08:10 AM
HUCA is the motto for credit card churning. If you don't like the rep, HUCA. If you don't get the answer you want, HUCA. When I'm doubt, HUCA.So you put the same card through recon twice? Can I just keep asking for recon until they get tired of me and let me have it? (Half-kidding.)ARRGGG. Called recon again. It was denied because "too many Chase applications." Does Chase have a separate rule for their own branded cards now? I did get the CSR in March, but other than that and these two, I haven't applied for any others. And I'm at 3/24 (an AU, an AmEx, and the CSR), so it can't be 5/24.
Anyway he put it through recon and needs "another credit specialist to look at it," so I should call back tomorrow.
I went through a similar process as you - immediately got the 30 day message on both. Called the status line and both were 2 weeks. Then within a few hours, they went 7-10 days.
Called recon. and eventually got one approved.
Then I called recon. for the other and was told they "wanted to see how I handled the first Southwest card before granting me the other" so I was declined.
Called recon. the next day and asked again and was told I had too many recent Chase inquiries because the Plus had been approved. I explained (white-lied?) that I wanted both cards to separate my work travel from my personal travel and that it'd be easier with two cards to get reimbursed at work. Service rep. asked if I wanted her to initiate the recon. process, I said sure.
Basically walked down the application again to verify everything and then asked if I'd be comfortable moving some CL over from my Sapphire. I said sure. Approved.
I was 3/24 before attempting the double dip (so now I'm 5/24), was 0/30 on apps, and ~760 FAKO score (hard pull showed 759 credit score).
My only advice if you call today is be ready with a reason why you wanted the two cards at once - you have upcoming domestic travel, some work some personal, etc. etc. something along those lines. Good luck!
Thanks for the advice about work vs. personal travel. I'll probably use that.
Yep. The first time I was denied. The second time I was initially denied (she didn't put it through recon, just told me it was denied because of too many recent inquiries). Then she offered to go through the recon. process again after I told her why I wanted two.
(Hang Up Call Again)
Also at the end of the chase flowcharts because it's so common. I'm glad everything worked out for your two cards! That was a smart response with wanting to separate expenses.
Post by: FrugalSaver on October 11, 2017, 10:05:40 AM
My PREMIER however , submitted same day, was rejected. What options do I have to get it also approved?
I have a reserve and a sapphire that have over $50,000 in credit that I'd think could be borrowed to open this account.
Any other options or am I stick with just the one?
Post by: DarkandStormy on October 11, 2017, 11:31:20 AM
I was able to get the plus approved. They borrowed $5,000 from a $10,000 limit I had on another chase card. (I had to call to make this happen)
My PREMIER however , submitted same day, was rejected. What options do I have to get it also approved?
I have a reserve and a sapphire that have over $50,000 in credit that I'd think could be borrowed to open this account.
Any other options or am I stick with just the one?
If you want them both (for the Companion Pass), you can call the recon line and explain why you want the two SW cards (to keep work separate from personal travel?) and offer to move some CL from your other cards.
Post by: Inaya on October 11, 2017, 07:18:24 PM
Any idea on how long it takes to get the card from the time you are approved?Took me about 7 business days.
I signed up on Oct 3rd and got approved immediately. I still have not got the cards.
I got mine approved on the 4th, and received the card today. Still trying to recon the other card. I might give up and get the new BofA card instead.
Post by: me1 on October 12, 2017, 06:48:15 AM
Post by: arebelspy on October 12, 2017, 09:35:39 AM
I saw an email that said CA residents can get a special offer that gets a pass for 2018, for only one card application at 40k bonus. Apparentlygo travel girl has info aboutthis on their site, if you missed out.
I went to dig this up.
It was a targeted email, if you are a SW rapid rewards member, with a CA address, you might get (or have gotten) one.
Posting to save anyone else curious time: https://www.gototravelgal.com/targeted-easier-southwest-companion-pass-offer/
Post by: dandarc on October 12, 2017, 09:50:24 AM
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/southwest-airlines-hawaii-service-2018/
Post by: JustGettingStarted1980 on October 12, 2017, 11:31:58 AM
Love this travel hacking
Post by: FrugalSaver on October 12, 2017, 08:08:47 PM
HUCA is the motto for credit card churning. If you don't like the rep, HUCA. If you don't get the answer you want, HUCA. When I'm doubt, HUCA.So you put the same card through recon twice? Can I just keep asking for recon until they get tired of me and let me have it? (Half-kidding.)ARRGGG. Called recon again. It was denied because "too many Chase applications." Does Chase have a separate rule for their own branded cards now? I did get the CSR in March, but other than that and these two, I haven't applied for any others. And I'm at 3/24 (an AU, an AmEx, and the CSR), so it can't be 5/24.
Anyway he put it through recon and needs "another credit specialist to look at it," so I should call back tomorrow.
I went through a similar process as you - immediately got the 30 day message on both. Called the status line and both were 2 weeks. Then within a few hours, they went 7-10 days.
Called recon. and eventually got one approved.
Then I called recon. for the other and was told they "wanted to see how I handled the first Southwest card before granting me the other" so I was declined.
Called recon. the next day and asked again and was told I had too many recent Chase inquiries because the Plus had been approved. I explained (white-lied?) that I wanted both cards to separate my work travel from my personal travel and that it'd be easier with two cards to get reimbursed at work. Service rep. asked if I wanted her to initiate the recon. process, I said sure.
Basically walked down the application again to verify everything and then asked if I'd be comfortable moving some CL over from my Sapphire. I said sure. Approved.
I was 3/24 before attempting the double dip (so now I'm 5/24), was 0/30 on apps, and ~760 FAKO score (hard pull showed 759 credit score).
My only advice if you call today is be ready with a reason why you wanted the two cards at once - you have upcoming domestic travel, some work some personal, etc. etc. something along those lines. Good luck!
Thanks for the advice about work vs. personal travel. I'll probably use that.
Yep. The first time I was denied. The second time I was initially denied (she didn't put it through recon, just told me it was denied because of too many recent inquiries). Then she offered to go through the recon. process again after I told her why I wanted two.
(Hang Up Call Again)
Also at the end of the chase flowcharts because it's so common. I'm glad everything worked out for your two cards! That was a smart response with wanting to separate expenses.
I called again after getting the Plus approved to try to get the Premier approved.
They said my app was still being processed (the automated portion said 7-10 days and the human said it was still processing).
I asked if I could have it reconsidered.
She said there wasn't anything to reconsider because it was still being processed but offered to pass me along to the credit dept.
I waited 10 min on hold and talked to another girl who said it was still processing but I could call that depot tomorrow (they were already closed tonight) and she gave me this number
877.470.9042
Anyone called this number or had my experience up to this point?
Post by: lexde on October 13, 2017, 06:05:17 AM
Bad answer. HUCA same human recon number. If it's still processing ask if they know how long it generally takes, then call the following day, etc. My monologue is generally, "Hello, I recently applied for XYZ card. I haven't received a response yet, is there any additional information I can provide that would help you make a decision?" Then HUCA if you don't get the answer you want as many times as you need to. The application you put in almost always is the offer you'll receive even if you're approved after offer expirationHUCA is the motto for credit card churning. If you don't like the rep, HUCA. If you don't get the answer you want, HUCA. When I'm doubt, HUCA.So you put the same card through recon twice? Can I just keep asking for recon until they get tired of me and let me have it? (Half-kidding.)ARRGGG. Called recon again. It was denied because "too many Chase applications." Does Chase have a separate rule for their own branded cards now? I did get the CSR in March, but other than that and these two, I haven't applied for any others. And I'm at 3/24 (an AU, an AmEx, and the CSR), so it can't be 5/24.
Anyway he put it through recon and needs "another credit specialist to look at it," so I should call back tomorrow.
I went through a similar process as you - immediately got the 30 day message on both. Called the status line and both were 2 weeks. Then within a few hours, they went 7-10 days.
Called recon. and eventually got one approved.
Then I called recon. for the other and was told they "wanted to see how I handled the first Southwest card before granting me the other" so I was declined.
Called recon. the next day and asked again and was told I had too many recent Chase inquiries because the Plus had been approved. I explained (white-lied?) that I wanted both cards to separate my work travel from my personal travel and that it'd be easier with two cards to get reimbursed at work. Service rep. asked if I wanted her to initiate the recon. process, I said sure.
Basically walked down the application again to verify everything and then asked if I'd be comfortable moving some CL over from my Sapphire. I said sure. Approved.
I was 3/24 before attempting the double dip (so now I'm 5/24), was 0/30 on apps, and ~760 FAKO score (hard pull showed 759 credit score).
My only advice if you call today is be ready with a reason why you wanted the two cards at once - you have upcoming domestic travel, some work some personal, etc. etc. something along those lines. Good luck!
Thanks for the advice about work vs. personal travel. I'll probably use that.
Yep. The first time I was denied. The second time I was initially denied (she didn't put it through recon, just told me it was denied because of too many recent inquiries). Then she offered to go through the recon. process again after I told her why I wanted two.
(Hang Up Call Again)
Also at the end of the chase flowcharts because it's so common. I'm glad everything worked out for your two cards! That was a smart response with wanting to separate expenses.
I called again after getting the Plus approved to try to get the Premier approved.
They said my app was still being processed (the automated portion said 7-10 days and the human said it was still processing).
I asked if I could have it reconsidered.
She said there wasn't anything to reconsider because it was still being processed but offered to pass me along to the credit dept.
I waited 10 min on hold and talked to another girl who said it was still processing but I could call that depot tomorrow (they were already closed tonight) and she gave me this number
877.470.9042
Anyone called this number or had my experience up to this point?
Post by: FrugalSaver on October 13, 2017, 05:20:09 PM
Bad answer. HUCA same human recon number. If it's still processing ask if they know how long it generally takes, then call the following day, etc. My monologue is generally, "Hello, I recently applied for XYZ card. I haven't received a response yet, is there any additional information I can provide that would help you make a decision?" Then HUCA if you don't get the answer you want as many times as you need to. The application you put in almost always is the offer you'll receive even if you're approved after offer expirationHUCA is the motto for credit card churning. If you don't like the rep, HUCA. If you don't get the answer you want, HUCA. When I'm doubt, HUCA.So you put the same card through recon twice? Can I just keep asking for recon until they get tired of me and let me have it? (Half-kidding.)ARRGGG. Called recon again. It was denied because "too many Chase applications." Does Chase have a separate rule for their own branded cards now? I did get the CSR in March, but other than that and these two, I haven't applied for any others. And I'm at 3/24 (an AU, an AmEx, and the CSR), so it can't be 5/24.
Anyway he put it through recon and needs "another credit specialist to look at it," so I should call back tomorrow.
I went through a similar process as you - immediately got the 30 day message on both. Called the status line and both were 2 weeks. Then within a few hours, they went 7-10 days.
Called recon. and eventually got one approved.
Then I called recon. for the other and was told they "wanted to see how I handled the first Southwest card before granting me the other" so I was declined.
Called recon. the next day and asked again and was told I had too many recent Chase inquiries because the Plus had been approved. I explained (white-lied?) that I wanted both cards to separate my work travel from my personal travel and that it'd be easier with two cards to get reimbursed at work. Service rep. asked if I wanted her to initiate the recon. process, I said sure.
Basically walked down the application again to verify everything and then asked if I'd be comfortable moving some CL over from my Sapphire. I said sure. Approved.
I was 3/24 before attempting the double dip (so now I'm 5/24), was 0/30 on apps, and ~760 FAKO score (hard pull showed 759 credit score).
My only advice if you call today is be ready with a reason why you wanted the two cards at once - you have upcoming domestic travel, some work some personal, etc. etc. something along those lines. Good luck!
Thanks for the advice about work vs. personal travel. I'll probably use that.
Yep. The first time I was denied. The second time I was initially denied (she didn't put it through recon, just told me it was denied because of too many recent inquiries). Then she offered to go through the recon. process again after I told her why I wanted two.
(Hang Up Call Again)
Also at the end of the chase flowcharts because it's so common. I'm glad everything worked out for your two cards! That was a smart response with wanting to separate expenses.
I called again after getting the Plus approved to try to get the Premier approved.
They said my app was still being processed (the automated portion said 7-10 days and the human said it was still processing).
I asked if I could have it reconsidered.
She said there wasn't anything to reconsider because it was still being processed but offered to pass me along to the credit dept.
I waited 10 min on hold and talked to another girl who said it was still processing but I could call that depot tomorrow (they were already closed tonight) and she gave me this number
877.470.9042
Anyone called this number or had my experience up to this point?
I called the number in my post above today. One ring and they answered. She said a letter had been sent to my home asking me to call this number.
She then texted me a number I had to read to her. They were trying to prevent identity theft according to her.
She then said in 7-14 days I'd receive mail saying whether I'd been approved or not as my application was now cleared and moving on to the next department.
I told her how for the Plus card they moved some credit around from another card and could I do that for This one? She said no
I asked if there was any other info I could prov De to help gain approval? She said no.
Any other suggestions? This is for the Premier. The Plus was approved.
Should I just HUCA or is there no point given where my app is now in the process?
Post by: lexde on October 13, 2017, 05:32:55 PM
HUCA HUCA HUCA!! Questions to ask:Bad answer. HUCA same human recon number. If it's still processing ask if they know how long it generally takes, then call the following day, etc. My monologue is generally, "Hello, I recently applied for XYZ card. I haven't received a response yet, is there any additional information I can provide that would help you make a decision?" Then HUCA if you don't get the answer you want as many times as you need to. The application you put in almost always is the offer you'll receive even if you're approved after offer expirationHUCA is the motto for credit card churning. If you don't like the rep, HUCA. If you don't get the answer you want, HUCA. When I'm doubt, HUCA.So you put the same card through recon twice? Can I just keep asking for recon until they get tired of me and let me have it? (Half-kidding.)ARRGGG. Called recon again. It was denied because "too many Chase applications." Does Chase have a separate rule for their own branded cards now? I did get the CSR in March, but other than that and these two, I haven't applied for any others. And I'm at 3/24 (an AU, an AmEx, and the CSR), so it can't be 5/24.
Anyway he put it through recon and needs "another credit specialist to look at it," so I should call back tomorrow.
I went through a similar process as you - immediately got the 30 day message on both. Called the status line and both were 2 weeks. Then within a few hours, they went 7-10 days.
Called recon. and eventually got one approved.
Then I called recon. for the other and was told they "wanted to see how I handled the first Southwest card before granting me the other" so I was declined.
Called recon. the next day and asked again and was told I had too many recent Chase inquiries because the Plus had been approved. I explained (white-lied?) that I wanted both cards to separate my work travel from my personal travel and that it'd be easier with two cards to get reimbursed at work. Service rep. asked if I wanted her to initiate the recon. process, I said sure.
Basically walked down the application again to verify everything and then asked if I'd be comfortable moving some CL over from my Sapphire. I said sure. Approved.
I was 3/24 before attempting the double dip (so now I'm 5/24), was 0/30 on apps, and ~760 FAKO score (hard pull showed 759 credit score).
My only advice if you call today is be ready with a reason why you wanted the two cards at once - you have upcoming domestic travel, some work some personal, etc. etc. something along those lines. Good luck!
Thanks for the advice about work vs. personal travel. I'll probably use that.
Yep. The first time I was denied. The second time I was initially denied (she didn't put it through recon, just told me it was denied because of too many recent inquiries). Then she offered to go through the recon. process again after I told her why I wanted two.
(Hang Up Call Again)
Also at the end of the chase flowcharts because it's so common. I'm glad everything worked out for your two cards! That was a smart response with wanting to separate expenses.
I called again after getting the Plus approved to try to get the Premier approved.
They said my app was still being processed (the automated portion said 7-10 days and the human said it was still processing).
I asked if I could have it reconsidered.
She said there wasn't anything to reconsider because it was still being processed but offered to pass me along to the credit dept.
I waited 10 min on hold and talked to another girl who said it was still processing but I could call that depot tomorrow (they were already closed tonight) and she gave me this number
877.470.9042
Anyone called this number or had my experience up to this point?
I called the number in my post above today. One ring and they answered. She said a letter had been sent to my home asking me to call this number.
She then texted me a number I had to read to her. They were trying to prevent identity theft according to her.
She then said in 7-14 days I'd receive mail saying whether I'd been approved or not as my application was now cleared and moving on to the next department.
I told her how for the Plus card they moved some credit around from another card and could I do that for This one? She said no
I asked if there was any other info I could prov De to help gain approval? She said no.
Any other suggestions? This is for the Premier. The Plus was approved.
Should I just HUCA or is there no point given where my app is now in the process?
1. I am still awaiting a decision for a card I applied for on X. Has a decision been made on this application?
2. Can I provide any information to help you make a decision?
3. If they say a decision has been mailed, what decision?
4. If denied, why? If over 5/24, you can't really do anything about it. If too much credit existing, ask if you can move it around.
5. If they are still adamant you are denied, ask for the recon line. If that's the line, then ask to escalate. Do it a few times if you need to. Explain that you have work expenses and personal expenses and you want to keep them separate, and that you love chase and want to stay loyal to their brand etc.
If all else fails, repeat. If you feel like the customer service agent is not going to cooperate, don't push it, just call back until you get a good rep. Being polite and building a little rapport over the call by being nice and making a little small talk has helped me too.
Post by: FrugalSaver on October 13, 2017, 07:52:03 PM
HUCA HUCA HUCA!! Questions to ask:Bad answer. HUCA same human recon number. If it's still processing ask if they know how long it generally takes, then call the following day, etc. My monologue is generally, "Hello, I recently applied for XYZ card. I haven't received a response yet, is there any additional information I can provide that would help you make a decision?" Then HUCA if you don't get the answer you want as many times as you need to. The application you put in almost always is the offer you'll receive even if you're approved after offer expirationHUCA is the motto for credit card churning. If you don't like the rep, HUCA. If you don't get the answer you want, HUCA. When I'm doubt, HUCA.So you put the same card through recon twice? Can I just keep asking for recon until they get tired of me and let me have it? (Half-kidding.)ARRGGG. Called recon again. It was denied because "too many Chase applications." Does Chase have a separate rule for their own branded cards now? I did get the CSR in March, but other than that and these two, I haven't applied for any others. And I'm at 3/24 (an AU, an AmEx, and the CSR), so it can't be 5/24.
Anyway he put it through recon and needs "another credit specialist to look at it," so I should call back tomorrow.
I went through a similar process as you - immediately got the 30 day message on both. Called the status line and both were 2 weeks. Then within a few hours, they went 7-10 days.
Called recon. and eventually got one approved.
Then I called recon. for the other and was told they "wanted to see how I handled the first Southwest card before granting me the other" so I was declined.
Called recon. the next day and asked again and was told I had too many recent Chase inquiries because the Plus had been approved. I explained (white-lied?) that I wanted both cards to separate my work travel from my personal travel and that it'd be easier with two cards to get reimbursed at work. Service rep. asked if I wanted her to initiate the recon. process, I said sure.
Basically walked down the application again to verify everything and then asked if I'd be comfortable moving some CL over from my Sapphire. I said sure. Approved.
I was 3/24 before attempting the double dip (so now I'm 5/24), was 0/30 on apps, and ~760 FAKO score (hard pull showed 759 credit score).
My only advice if you call today is be ready with a reason why you wanted the two cards at once - you have upcoming domestic travel, some work some personal, etc. etc. something along those lines. Good luck!
Thanks for the advice about work vs. personal travel. I'll probably use that.
Yep. The first time I was denied. The second time I was initially denied (she didn't put it through recon, just told me it was denied because of too many recent inquiries). Then she offered to go through the recon. process again after I told her why I wanted two.
(Hang Up Call Again)
Also at the end of the chase flowcharts because it's so common. I'm glad everything worked out for your two cards! That was a smart response with wanting to separate expenses.
I called again after getting the Plus approved to try to get the Premier approved.
They said my app was still being processed (the automated portion said 7-10 days and the human said it was still processing).
I asked if I could have it reconsidered.
She said there wasn't anything to reconsider because it was still being processed but offered to pass me along to the credit dept.
I waited 10 min on hold and talked to another girl who said it was still processing but I could call that depot tomorrow (they were already closed tonight) and she gave me this number
877.470.9042
Anyone called this number or had my experience up to this point?
I called the number in my post above today. One ring and they answered. She said a letter had been sent to my home asking me to call this number.
She then texted me a number I had to read to her. They were trying to prevent identity theft according to her.
She then said in 7-14 days I'd receive mail saying whether I'd been approved or not as my application was now cleared and moving on to the next department.
I told her how for the Plus card they moved some credit around from another card and could I do that for This one? She said no
I asked if there was any other info I could prov De to help gain approval? She said no.
Any other suggestions? This is for the Premier. The Plus was approved.
Should I just HUCA or is there no point given where my app is now in the process?
1. I am still awaiting a decision for a card I applied for on X. Has a decision been made on this application?
2. Can I provide any information to help you make a decision?
3. If they say a decision has been mailed, what decision?
4. If denied, why? If over 5/24, you can't really do anything about it. If too much credit existing, ask if you can move it around.
5. If they are still adamant you are denied, ask for the recon line. If that's the line, then ask to escalate. Do it a few times if you need to. Explain that you have work expenses and personal expenses and you want to keep them separate, and that you love chase and want to stay loyal to their brand etc.
If all else fails, repeat. If you feel like the customer service agent is not going to cooperate, don't push it, just call back until you get a good rep. Being polite and building a little rapport over the call by being nice and making a little small talk has helped me too.
Thanks. That's essentially what h lord me get the Plus approved. I'll keep at it.
Post by: Rubyvroom on October 14, 2017, 11:50:59 AM
I applied for and was approved for the card on 10/4. I received my card Thursday 10/12. I activated my account today 10/14. When I log into my account, I see my next payment due date is 11/28. The rep told me my cutoff date for the 3 month promotion would be 90 days after that, so 1/2.
Per the materials they sent with the card, "Points are earned at the close of each monthly billing cycle, based on the purchase made during that billing cycle, plus any bonus points posted during that billing cycle, but minus any returns or refunds."
So if I want to stretch the companion pass to 2 years, do I literally have to spend $2,000 in the first two days of January so that the 60,000 miles do not post at the end of the monthly billing cycle in December? This seems rather complicated to coordinate considering the fact that I have two cards (Plus and Premier) to juggle $4,000 combined spending on in two days, one of which is a holiday.
Edit: Or could I spend $1,900 on each card through now and December, and spend the final amount on each card on 1/1 to push it over $2,000, which means the 60,000 would be "earned" in January without needing to spend the entire $2,000 in two days?
Am I misunderstanding the dates and timing? Should I call back to confirm that the 1/2 date he gave me is correct, considering the fact that I didn't even receive the cards until 10/12? I'm wondering if he literally just added 90 days to my application date rather than looking into the account for me.
If anyone has a better grasp on these dates and how things are supposed to work, I'd appreciate any advice. This is my first time using this program so I want to be sure I understand all the fine print. Thanks!
Post by: arebelspy on October 14, 2017, 11:59:04 AM
Post by: DarkandStormy on October 14, 2017, 01:35:36 PM
You only need to spend the $2,000th dollar after your December statement. Many people have said when they've gotten to $1,900 or so Chase prematurely posts the points, so leave yourself a little wiggle room there at the end.
You could also SM to change your statement date to earlier in the month potentially.
Post by: Rubyvroom on October 14, 2017, 06:55:07 PM
Post by: FrugalSaver on October 15, 2017, 10:05:14 PM
Post by: Inaya on October 17, 2017, 08:22:10 AM
Post by: DarkandStormy on October 17, 2017, 08:39:29 AM
Haha! So I didn't get the Premier card... but I realized I have 60,000 UR points leftover from the 10k CSR bonus I got earlier this year. If I transfer them to my RR account in January when my 60k RR points from the Plus signup bonus land, that should count for the 120k for the companion pass right?
No. Ultimate Rewards transfers do not count towards Companion Pass.
Post by: Inaya on October 17, 2017, 08:42:20 AM
Haha! So I didn't get the Premier card... but I realized I have 60,000 UR points leftover from the 10k CSR bonus I got earlier this year. If I transfer them to my RR account in January when my 60k RR points from the Plus signup bonus land, that should count for the 120k for the companion pass right?
No. Ultimate Rewards transfers do not count towards Companion Pass.
Darn. Oh well, thanks for the info.
Post by: DarkandStormy on October 17, 2017, 08:52:38 AM
Haha! So I didn't get the Premier card... but I realized I have 60,000 UR points leftover from the 10k CSR bonus I got earlier this year. If I transfer them to my RR account in January when my 60k RR points from the Plus signup bonus land, that should count for the 120k for the companion pass right?
No. Ultimate Rewards transfers do not count towards Companion Pass.
Darn. Oh well, thanks for the info.
You could try for the Biz card if the 60k offer still exists in November/December time period. $3k spend needed in 3 months.
Or you could try again for the Premier if/when it bumps up to 50k. Did recon. line tell you anything? Too many recent inquiries? Not enough credit history?
Post by: Inaya on October 17, 2017, 10:14:56 AM
Haha! So I didn't get the Premier card... but I realized I have 60,000 UR points leftover from the 10k CSR bonus I got earlier this year. If I transfer them to my RR account in January when my 60k RR points from the Plus signup bonus land, that should count for the 120k for the companion pass right?
No. Ultimate Rewards transfers do not count towards Companion Pass.
Darn. Oh well, thanks for the info.
You could try for the Biz card if the 60k offer still exists in November/December time period. $3k spend needed in 3 months.
Or you could try again for the Premier if/when it bumps up to 50k. Did recon. line tell you anything? Too many recent inquiries? Not enough credit history?
Too many Chase applications. I gave up and just got the new BofA card (Premium Rewards)--now I'm 5/24. Companion Pass would have been nice, but I wouldn't really use it much so I'm not too broken up about it. My husband is 1/24, so if another super good deal pops up, I'll have him do it.
Post by: FrugalSaver on October 20, 2017, 07:28:38 PM
Post by: dandarc on October 21, 2017, 01:28:27 PM
Why would I want 2 of these cards? I have 1companion pass - 2-4-1 airfare is pretty awesome. 2 cards (when the bonuses are high), is an easy way to get enough miles to get a companion pass.
Post by: FrugalSaver on October 22, 2017, 05:55:39 PM
Post by: afuera on October 26, 2017, 08:49:01 AM
Post by: dandarc on October 26, 2017, 09:10:01 AM
Am I too late for this? We weren't really in a position to apply for new credit cards until recently but it looks like I missed the higher signup bonus.If you want, it looks like I have
You've got to do $10K in total spend to get the Companion Pass, but that's not that much.
Edit - misread the referral page. Never-mind.
Post by: DarkandStormy on October 26, 2017, 11:20:40 AM
Wanted to get some input. I called to change my account closing date to the first week of the month, since my application date was 9/28. Given I applied a bit too early (long story) getting my miles in the first week of Jan relies on going 'into overtime' by hoping they honor the 125 day promised true deadline ( spending my last $ technically after the 90 days from opening account...though getting card took a few weeks. Technically i need 4-5 extradays.
Does this seem like a good move? (changing statement closing day to the 3rd or 5th of the month, so i can spend 12/30 to 1/2 and have them post early jan...I wanted to make sure the account closed and posted the miles, ideally hitting the account before my mid Jan deadline. If the account didnt close until later in the month i feared they might hit too late for the bonus to post in time.
All that matters is you spend the 2,000th dollar after your December statement. The points will post a couple days after your January statement. So you could spend that on December 15th and be fine because the points/miles will post in January after your Jan. statement. I'm personally going to leave myself about $400 on each after my December statement just to be safe (some people say Chase posts the bonus early - if you're at $1,900, for example).
Post by: FrugalSaver on October 26, 2017, 07:16:35 PM
2) Or is it that once is trying to accumulate enough points in 1 calendar year to get to companion via the two cards and therefore having them post in January allows 12 months to make that happen instead of trying to get it all crammed in in November / December if one just signed up?
3) Lastly, i haven't seen mentioned that you could buy an Amazon card (or gift card of your choice) with your SWA card to get your dollars spent. I haven't read the fine print on the card. Would this not work?
Post by: Zamboni on October 26, 2017, 07:43:35 PM
2) Posting the bonus miles all in January means you are either all of the way or almost all of the way to the companion pass for that year . . which you will then have to use for nearly 2 years.
3) Yes, you can buy gift cards and earn miles that way.
Post by: DarkandStormy on October 27, 2017, 07:05:06 AM
My plan is to buy a Costco or Kroger gift card if we don't have enough organic spend to hit the $2k required on both. I know there are other ways to "manufacture" spend that doesn't involve gift cards -> buy a VGC (there is a $4.95 activation fee, so if you buy it at $500, 1% back = $5 so you netted $.05 I guess) and then do some sort of money order with it. I guess you could also sell it to a friend/family member/co-worker for $500 (or $499 to entice them? haha) to avoid fees and such on the MO.
Post by: lexde on October 27, 2017, 10:06:33 AM
1) What's the deal with trying to make sure the miles post in January? If they post in December, do they have to be used before the end of the year?1-2. If you earn 110k Southwest miles in a calendar year you get a companion pass which means BOGO flights. You get companion pass for the year you earned it PLUS one year. So if you earn them in December, you get the CP for 13 months. If you earn it in January, you get the CP for 23 months.
2) Or is it that once is trying to accumulate enough points in 1 calendar year to get to companion via the two cards and therefore having them post in January allows 12 months to make that happen instead of trying to get it all crammed in in November / December if one just signed up?
3) Lastly, i haven't seen mentioned that you could buy an Amazon card (or gift card of your choice) with your SWA card to get your dollars spent. I haven't read the fine print on the card. Would this not work?
3. Buying Amazon gift cards is viable spend but then you’re tying up $4-5k in Amazon gift cards.
Post by: FrugalSaver on October 27, 2017, 08:08:16 PM
1) What's the deal with trying to make sure the miles post in January? If they post in December, do they have to be used before the end of the year?1-2. If you earn 110k Southwest miles in a calendar year you get a companion pass which means BOGO flights. You get companion pass for the year you earned it PLUS one year. So if you earn them in December, you get the CP for 13 months. If you earn it in January, you get the CP for 23 months.
2) Or is it that once is trying to accumulate enough points in 1 calendar year to get to companion via the two cards and therefore having them post in January allows 12 months to make that happen instead of trying to get it all crammed in in November / December if one just signed up?
3) Lastly, i haven't seen mentioned that you could buy an Amazon card (or gift card of your choice) with your SWA card to get your dollars spent. I haven't read the fine print on the card. Would this not work?
3. Buying Amazon gift cards is viable spend but then you’re tying up $4-5k in Amazon gift cards.
re 3, agree but if someone was desperate, at this point that's a very liquid form of currency that one could easily spend over time without having to manufacture other spending on short notice.
Post by: lexde on October 30, 2017, 12:27:18 PM
If you have 4-5k that you can tie up and pre-spend then sure. They may be better off doing VGC to MO though at that point! But yes, it’s technically spend for Amazon.1) What's the deal with trying to make sure the miles post in January? If they post in December, do they have to be used before the end of the year?1-2. If you earn 110k Southwest miles in a calendar year you get a companion pass which means BOGO flights. You get companion pass for the year you earned it PLUS one year. So if you earn them in December, you get the CP for 13 months. If you earn it in January, you get the CP for 23 months.
2) Or is it that once is trying to accumulate enough points in 1 calendar year to get to companion via the two cards and therefore having them post in January allows 12 months to make that happen instead of trying to get it all crammed in in November / December if one just signed up?
3) Lastly, i haven't seen mentioned that you could buy an Amazon card (or gift card of your choice) with your SWA card to get your dollars spent. I haven't read the fine print on the card. Would this not work?
3. Buying Amazon gift cards is viable spend but then you’re tying up $4-5k in Amazon gift cards.
re 3, agree but if someone was desperate, at this point that's a very liquid form of currency that one could easily spend over time without having to manufacture other spending on short notice.
Post by: FrugalSaver on October 30, 2017, 08:39:35 PM
I was able to get the 2nd card after a couple of attempts.
UGH!!!!!
second card came in the mail today. First card is a PLUS.
So what came in the mail? Another PLUS with the exact same card number. They moved credit around, etc so I wonder what actually happened. will have to call tomorrow to find out.
Post by: bigalsmith101 on November 14, 2017, 05:45:48 AM
I know I recently missed the 60k sign up bonuses, which sucks. Are there any 50k bonuses available right now? That would make sense for me considering we have some pretty large annual purchases coming up.
THanks!
Post by: DarkandStormy on November 14, 2017, 07:08:52 AM
Can anyone tell me what the current best offering is for the SW cards? I just canceled my two year old one, and intend to sign up for new ones.
I know I recently missed the 60k sign up bonuses, which sucks. Are there any 50k bonuses available right now? That would make sense for me considering we have some pretty large annual purchases coming up.
THanks!
The two personal cards are 40k miles for $1k in spending. The biz card is 60k miles for $3k spending. Spending on all cards required is 3 months (roughly 115 days if you SM Chase).
Post by: lexde on November 14, 2017, 08:35:20 AM
Can anyone tell me what the current best offering is for the SW cards? I just canceled my two year old one, and intend to sign up for new ones.I have a 40k/$1k spend offer if you’re interested for the plus. Also have 60k/3k for the business Premier. It’s lower spend than usual for the plus I think but I haven’t seen any 50k+ offers around for plus since the 60k was killed. You can always SM them once you’re approved and request a match based on “an offer you had been given” and roll the dice there. Chase is usually good at matching. I got my CSR matched to an expired 100k offer.
I know I recently missed the 60k sign up bonuses, which sucks. Are there any 50k bonuses available right now? That would make sense for me considering we have some pretty large annual purchases coming up.
THanks!
DM me your email and I can send you the link.
Post by: DarkandStormy on November 14, 2017, 09:24:49 AM
Keep in mind the Premier has only ever dipped below 50k a few times historically. The current 40k offer is more of an exception than the rule.
https://www.creditintro.com/credit-card/chase-southwest-airlines-plus/historical-offers/
The Plus fluctuates a bit more.
Post by: bigalsmith101 on November 14, 2017, 12:41:05 PM
The two personal cards are 40k miles for $1k in spending. The biz card is 60k miles for $3k spending. Spending on all cards required is 3 months (roughly 115 days if you SM Chase).
I'm about to drop $3.3k on one purchase, and another 2k on another purchase, both purchases in the last week of December or first week of January, so I want to do this efficiently. I could definitely sign up for the business card, and get the first 60k, then a personal card at 40k, and after spending I'd be around 106k points. That would put me a few months from the companion pass, but we're still trying to use the rest of my wife's points we've cycled through.
Any better alternative than the option I just listed?
Post by: DarkandStormy on November 14, 2017, 01:26:27 PM
The two personal cards are 40k miles for $1k in spending. The biz card is 60k miles for $3k spending. Spending on all cards required is 3 months (roughly 115 days if you SM Chase).
I'm about to drop $3.3k on one purchase, and another 2k on another purchase, both purchases in the last week of December or first week of January, so I want to do this efficiently. I could definitely sign up for the business card, and get the first 60k, then a personal card at 40k, and after spending I'd be around 106k points. That would put me a few months from the companion pass, but we're still trying to use the rest of my wife's points we've cycled through.
Any better alternative than the option I just listed?
I think your best bet is signup for the biz card now and make sure you don't hit the minimum required until AFTER your December statement. Then yeah, you could also open up one of the personal ones and put the other spend on that card.
If you wanted to wait to see if the Premier jumps back up to 50k you could, but it sounds like you'll be close enough with the current offers that you wouldn't need much spend in January to hit the 110K needed.
Post by: bigalsmith101 on November 20, 2017, 11:10:58 PM
The two personal cards are 40k miles for $1k in spending. The biz card is 60k miles for $3k spending. Spending on all cards required is 3 months (roughly 115 days if you SM Chase).
I'm about to drop $3.3k on one purchase, and another 2k on another purchase, both purchases in the last week of December or first week of January, so I want to do this efficiently. I could definitely sign up for the business card, and get the first 60k, then a personal card at 40k, and after spending I'd be around 106k points. That would put me a few months from the companion pass, but we're still trying to use the rest of my wife's points we've cycled through.
Any better alternative than the option I just listed?
I think your best bet is signup for the biz card now and make sure you don't hit the minimum required until AFTER your December statement. Then yeah, you could also open up one of the personal ones and put the other spend on that card.
If you wanted to wait to see if the Premier jumps back up to 50k you could, but it sounds like you'll be close enough with the current offers that you wouldn't need much spend in January to hit the 110K needed.
Well, we'll have to see how this goes. I applied for the Business Card and got the,
"Thank you for your request.
We need to review your request a little longer. We will let you know of our decision by U.S. mail. This could take up to 30 days.
Thank you for choosing Southwest Rapid Rewards® Premier Business Credit Card from Chase."
Time will tell.
Post by: bigalsmith101 on November 20, 2017, 11:18:50 PM
Post by: Homeskillet40 on December 07, 2017, 09:55:10 AM
https://www.referyourchasecard.com/224/DPWVQZ3Z6B
Post by: CowboyAndIndian on December 07, 2017, 12:04:19 PM
Got approved for the business and the Premier Card.FYI you might want to stay closer to 50% of minimum spend until January since they have been awarding point bonuses early if you're just a few hundred off
Now a fine balance to make the spends close to $2k/$3k by end of year so that I can go over the top in January.
Thanks for all the ideas.
Thanks Lexde. That would be horrible, losing almost a year of companion pass.
Yikes, forgot about it and I am within $100 of the limits. Hoping Chase/SW are not feeling generous and give me the point bonus early.
Post by: nawhite on December 07, 2017, 12:25:15 PM
Yikes, forgot about it and I am within $100 of the limits. Hoping Chase/SW are not feeling generous and give me the point bonus early.
I did the same thing accidentally, my annual fee actually put me over the limit even, but supposedly the annual fee doesn't count towards the total so fingers crossed they don't start feeling generous!
Post by: Rubyvroom on December 13, 2017, 07:38:24 PM
It appears that you may have multiple Rapid Rewards® accounts with past activity. We wanted to make you aware of this so that you can link your accounts and be recognized for all of the points you have earned.
When your accounts are merged, all of your Rapid Rewards Points will reside in one account, making it easy for you to manage your Rapid Rewards activity. It will also ensure that all of your points count toward your reward travel and tier status.
To merge your Rapid Rewards accounts, simply click the link below to access a list of your accounts. Please do not share this link with anyone, as it is personalized for you. From the list, you will select the accounts you would like to merge and validate that the account is yours. You will also have the option to declare that an account is not yours.
Thank you for your continued loyalty and participation in the Rapid Rewards Program.
Sooooo... what the heck is this merge they are talking about? Are they on to us? I confirmed through SM that I have until 1/27/18 to spend the $2,000 on each card, and I don't plan on putting the last charges on either card to reach $2K spending until the month of January. Being new to this whole program I'm just curious if this is their way of trying to get someone to forfeit their companion pass by combining the expenditures in both accounts so you are awarded one 60,000 bonus immediately (in 2017) and the other whenever you cross the $4,000 threshold (either 2017, thus shaving a full year off companion pass, or 2018, not awarding the companion pass at all). Either way, I don't think I'll touch that link until at least February after the points have posted... I just thought I'd throw it out here for discussion since others may have gotten the same message.
Post by: CowboyAndIndian on December 14, 2017, 07:06:37 AM
Yikes, forgot about it and I am within $100 of the limits. Hoping Chase/SW are not feeling generous and give me the point bonus early.
I did the same thing accidentally, my annual fee actually put me over the limit even, but supposedly the annual fee doesn't count towards the total so fingers crossed they don't start feeling generous!
Checked last night and found out that they have not credited me the miles. Keeping my fingers crossed.
Post by: nawhite on December 14, 2017, 07:34:32 AM
I was approved for both Premier and Plus rapid rewards cards back in mid-October, when the bonuses were still 60,000 per card. I've spent to within $250 of the $2,000 on one card and once I put car insurance on the other (late December), I'm within $150 on the other. Today I received the following email:
It appears that you may have multiple Rapid Rewards® accounts with past activity. We wanted to make you aware of this so that you can link your accounts and be recognized for all of the points you have earned.
When your accounts are merged, all of your Rapid Rewards Points will reside in one account, making it easy for you to manage your Rapid Rewards activity. It will also ensure that all of your points count toward your reward travel and tier status.
To merge your Rapid Rewards accounts, simply click the link below to access a list of your accounts. Please do not share this link with anyone, as it is personalized for you. From the list, you will select the accounts you would like to merge and validate that the account is yours. You will also have the option to declare that an account is not yours.
Thank you for your continued loyalty and participation in the Rapid Rewards Program.
Sooooo... what the heck is this merge they are talking about? Are they on to us? I confirmed through SM that I have until 1/27/18 to spend the $2,000 on each card, and I don't plan on putting the last charges on either card to reach $2K spending until the month of January. Being new to this whole program I'm just curious if this is their way of trying to get someone to forfeit their companion pass by combining the expenditures in both accounts so you are awarded one 60,000 bonus immediately (in 2017) and the other whenever you cross the $4,000 threshold (either 2017, thus shaving a full year off companion pass, or 2018, not awarding the companion pass at all). Either way, I don't think I'll touch that link until at least February after the points have posted... I just thought I'd throw it out here for discussion since others may have gotten the same message.
That sounds completely unrelated to the credit cards. My guess is that you (or someone with the same name) signed up for Southwest's frequent flyer program (called Rapid Rewards) a few years ago and they just want to merge the two accounts. I can't imagine it changing your qualifying points in 2018 in a bad way.
Post by: SimpleCycle on December 21, 2017, 10:43:04 AM
I got two cards, a Plus with a $2k spend requirement, 1/25 spend date, and a statement closing date on the 2nd of the month, and a Premier with a $3k spend requirement, a 1/27 spend date, and a statement closing date on the 7th of the month.
I should be fine if I finish my spending right now, right? Bonuses will post on 1/2 and 1/7?
Post by: DarkandStormy on January 17, 2018, 07:46:44 AM
Post by: lexde on January 17, 2018, 08:33:30 AM
Met the MSRs on both the Plus & Premier and today...got all 120,000 points AND now I have the CP through 12/31/19! 23.5 months of BOGO with Southwest! Super excited.How quickly did your points post? Was that after statement close?
Post by: DarkandStormy on January 17, 2018, 08:44:52 AM
Met the MSRs on both the Plus & Premier and today...got all 120,000 points AND now I have the CP through 12/31/19! 23.5 months of BOGO with Southwest! Super excited.How quickly did your points post? Was that after statement close?
Statement day was the 12th (for both), points posted today. Not sure if it's by business days (three?) or just five days after the statement.
Post by: lexde on January 17, 2018, 08:59:04 AM
Awesome, congrats! My statements close 1/27 so I have another 2 weeks to wait. :-)Met the MSRs on both the Plus & Premier and today...got all 120,000 points AND now I have the CP through 12/31/19! 23.5 months of BOGO with Southwest! Super excited.How quickly did your points post? Was that after statement close?
Statement day was the 12th (for both), points posted today. Not sure if it's by business days (three?) or just five days after the statement.
Post by: PizzaSteve on January 17, 2018, 10:05:47 AM
Post by: dandarc on January 17, 2018, 01:39:42 PM
Got one bonus on the 5th, second one supposed to post today (they didnt change my statement date as i requested, but only cost me a few weeks). If any mustacian forum members have tips on using the pass/miles, please post them.Book as far in advance as possible. Keep an eye on prices - they will refund your miles if the price goes down and you make a "change" to your same flight.
They made a change recently - used to be you could refund your 9/11 fee back to your credit card if you cancelled a rewards ticket. Lately, I'm only presented with the travel-funds option. So not quite fully refundable like it used to be, but if you can keep track of your travel funds, this isn't that big of a deal - just apply the $5.60 to the next flight.
I usually book for the non-companion first, and leave the companion off until a few weeks before the flight. More convenient if you want to make a change - if you book the regular passenger and the companion, you have to cancel the companion ticket first to make any changes.
If a wanna-get-away fare isn't available, consider paying cash on SW or another airline - 40-50K miles for the anytime / business seats is a lot. Could be worth it in the right circumstances, but usually I prefer the value of the 2+ (often 2+++) round trip tickets you can get for that.
Post by: MishMash on January 18, 2018, 09:05:15 AM
Post by: boarder42 on January 18, 2018, 09:34:49 AM
Post by: secondcor521 on January 18, 2018, 09:52:24 AM
Also, if one has (ahem!) received the Companion pass before, how long does one have to wait, and is the time period measured from when one applied for the cards before, or when one received the miles bonus before?
Post by: nawhite on January 18, 2018, 11:05:35 AM
I'm about to pull the trigger on a bunch of apps. Anyone have an opinion on whether the Chase SW cards fall under the 5/24 rule?
Also, if one has (ahem!) received the Companion pass before, how long does one have to wait, and is the time period measured from when one applied for the cards before, or when one received the miles bonus before?
Yes they fall under the 5/24 rule.
What do you mean? As far as Southwest is concerned, all that matters is when the miles hit your RR account. They don't care about the cards one bit as they are managed by Chase, not Southwest. So lets say you had 110k points hit your RR account in January 2016, the Companion pass would last until Dec 31st 2017. Then you could have 110k points hit your RR account on January 1st 2018 and you'd get a new pass good until Dec 31st 2018. i.e. theoretically, if you timed it all absolutely perfectly (which is really hard to do given the impreciseness of points being sent to your RR account after your card statement date) you could never have a gap but most people see a gap of a couple weeks to make sure they don't have points apply too early.
Post by: secondcor521 on January 18, 2018, 02:42:49 PM
I'm about to pull the trigger on a bunch of apps. Anyone have an opinion on whether the Chase SW cards fall under the 5/24 rule?
Also, if one has (ahem!) received the Companion pass before, how long does one have to wait, and is the time period measured from when one applied for the cards before, or when one received the miles bonus before?
Yes they fall under the 5/24 rule.
What do you mean? As far as Southwest is concerned, all that matters is when the miles hit your RR account. They don't care about the cards one bit as they are managed by Chase, not Southwest. So lets say you had 110k points hit your RR account in January 2016, the Companion pass would last until Dec 31st 2017. Then you could have 110k points hit your RR account on January 1st 2018 and you'd get a new pass good until Dec 31st 2018. i.e. theoretically, if you timed it all absolutely perfectly (which is really hard to do given the impreciseness of points being sent to your RR account after your card statement date) you could never have a gap but most people see a gap of a couple weeks to make sure they don't have points apply too early.
Thanks for the answer on the first part.
On the second part, I was under the impression that, in addition to the 5/24 rule, there is also a 2-year-rule on getting the 60K (or whatever it is) bonus on the SW cards specifically. Since I got two of the Chase SW cards in about November/December of 2015 and reached the 120K miles in about January/February of 2016, if I met the 5/24 rule (which I don't, by a mile), I'd still want to be careful of the second 2-year-rule.
Post by: dandarc on January 18, 2018, 03:35:54 PM
This is a non-issue for those of us for whom the "companion" is pretty constant and also has decent credit. Just alternate who gets the cards - first person gets cards, then nearly 2 years later, 2nd person gets cards, then nearly 2 years after that, first person gets the cards again. You've got near-continuous companion pass coverage for the 2 of you without even coming close on the "once per 24 months" thing on the bonuses.
If your companion, for example, is a minor, that 24 months on the bonuses thing becomes more of an issue.
Post by: secondcor521 on January 18, 2018, 04:32:49 PM
If your companion, for example, is a minor, that 24 months on the bonuses thing becomes more of an issue.
Bingo! :-)
Post by: DarkandStormy on January 19, 2018, 07:43:26 AM
Yeah - the terms on the cards are that you cannot have received the bonus within 24 months of the new application date.
This is a non-issue for those of us for whom the "companion" is pretty constant and also has decent credit. Just alternate who gets the cards - first person gets cards, then nearly 2 years later, 2nd person gets cards, then nearly 2 years after that, first person gets the cards again. You've got near-continuous companion pass coverage for the 2 of you without even coming close on the "once per 24 months" thing on the bonuses.
If your companion, for example, is a minor, that 24 months on the bonuses thing becomes more of an issue.
Only issue is if/when the bonuses drop to 40k. Need at least 50k bonuses to make it work, imo. Thankfully, I jumped on the 60k (!!) offers this fall.
Post by: dandarc on January 19, 2018, 07:47:05 AM
I noticed they're at 50K (60K for business) right now - wonder if the 60K experiment last year will prove to be a one-off. Agree it is easier to get the $10K spend than $30K, although that's not completely outside the realm of possibility with MS techniques.Yeah - the terms on the cards are that you cannot have received the bonus within 24 months of the new application date.
This is a non-issue for those of us for whom the "companion" is pretty constant and also has decent credit. Just alternate who gets the cards - first person gets cards, then nearly 2 years later, 2nd person gets cards, then nearly 2 years after that, first person gets the cards again. You've got near-continuous companion pass coverage for the 2 of you without even coming close on the "once per 24 months" thing on the bonuses.
If your companion, for example, is a minor, that 24 months on the bonuses thing becomes more of an issue.
Only issue is if/when the bonuses drop to 40k. Need at least 50k bonuses to make it work, imo. Thankfully, I jumped on the 60k (!!) offers this fall.
Post by: Zamboni on January 22, 2018, 04:40:06 PM
Now my SO just got both cards! Whoo hoo! Two more years, baby, two more years. I'm going to push harder for the islands or Costa Rica this time. Then it will be my turn again to get the cards (if they still have this awesome deal).
Post by: lexde on January 23, 2018, 05:41:59 AM
Post by: CowboyAndIndian on January 23, 2018, 08:26:29 AM
I applied for the cards in October, one with my company (60k miles) and one personal(50k).
The company card billed on the 25th of the month, first bill in 10/25/2017 and the third on 12/25/2017. So, I get my 60k on Dec 25th, instead of January 2018 as I was planning. Spoke to chase and they did not change it.
The personal card should give me 50k miles in Jan.
Is there anything else I can do? Any ideas?
Post by: dandarc on January 23, 2018, 08:30:30 AM
Generally, they won't change it once the miles have gone over.
You still have 110000 miles, so that's like $1500 worth of airfare. or you could manufacture the remaining 60K for this year. That is a lot of spend though - might want to talk to your bank in advance, or come up with a way other than "buy visa giftcards, then buy money orders at walmart".
Post by: Zamboni on January 24, 2018, 07:11:30 AM
Post by: dandarc on January 24, 2018, 07:14:38 AM
OMG Hawaii! I forgot they just started flying to Hawaii!Well - in the works for later this year. Last flight we took, the flight attendant said something about being a Honolulu based flight crew, although probably a joke.
Post by: lexde on January 24, 2018, 07:37:13 AM
Post by: CowboyAndIndian on January 24, 2018, 05:14:50 PM
@CowboyAndIndian — you can try applying for the other personal card, if you qualify. When were the actual southwest points awarded? In 2017? It’s odd that they hit your account so quickly after the 25th even with the holidays. If you can’t apply for the other SW card, you can try to manufacture spend or, worst case, purchase miles on a sale. Even without the CP, you still have a ton of miles. You can convert them 1:1 to Amazon and basically cover your household purchases for a while, for free.
Thanks, @lexde.
I can still apply for another card, I guess. This is definitely an option.
It was odd that they immediately put the miles on my account. Called chase, but they refused to do anything.
How do I convert them to Amazon?
Post by: lexde on January 24, 2018, 05:27:10 PM
@CowboyAndIndian — you can try applying for the other personal card, if you qualify. When were the actual southwest points awarded? In 2017? It’s odd that they hit your account so quickly after the 25th even with the holidays. If you can’t apply for the other SW card, you can try to manufacture spend or, worst case, purchase miles on a sale. Even without the CP, you still have a ton of miles. You can convert them 1:1 to Amazon and basically cover your household purchases for a while, for free.
Thanks, @lexde.
I can still apply for another card, I guess. This is definitely an option.
It was odd that they immediately put the miles on my account. Called chase, but they refused to do anything.
How do I convert them to Amazon?
Here’s an article with some info. Be sure you redeem in $50.00 increments for 1:1 value.
http://www.thetruthaboutcreditcards.com/get-600-in-amazon-gift-cards-with-the-southwest-credit-card/
Post by: SimpleCycle on January 26, 2018, 10:40:03 AM
Post by: nawhite on January 29, 2018, 01:35:14 PM
Post by: Zamboni on January 30, 2018, 05:10:14 PM
Post by: Rubyvroom on February 04, 2018, 01:19:15 PM
Thanks all! What a treat spending these points is going to be :)
Post by: FrugalSaver on February 04, 2018, 02:16:12 PM
Does that mean when I book the companion pass, it will only be good for this year if the first 60,000 showed up in 2017?
Post by: aetherie on February 04, 2018, 04:14:16 PM
Looks like 60,000 transferred in 2017 and 60,000 are in the process of transferring now (2/2/18 but haven't yet shown up in my Southwest Rapid Rewards account).
Does that mean when I book the companion pass, it will only be good for this year if the first 60,000 showed up in 2017?
Unfortunately that means you won't get the companion pass. Unless you earn another 40,000 points this year. It has to be 100k in the same calendar year.
Post by: SimpleCycle on February 04, 2018, 08:25:40 PM
Post by: nara on February 10, 2018, 01:59:57 PM
Post by: dandarc on February 12, 2018, 06:55:39 AM
https://www.southwest.com/air/flight-schedules/index.html (https://www.southwest.com/air/flight-schedules/index.html)
Quote
On February 15, 2018 we will open our schedule for sale through October 1, 2018. This date is subject to change! Please check back frequently.
Post by: AK on March 03, 2018, 07:14:52 AM
My biggest challenge now is trying to convince my wife that we can travel with a toddler and baby.
Post by: medinaj2160 on March 04, 2018, 05:20:58 AM
Do I have to open a Southwest Rapid Rewards account to see my points? Do I have to link my chase accounts to the Southwest Rapid Rewards accounts? Or does that happens automatically?
Thanks.
Post by: mushroom on March 04, 2018, 08:27:14 AM
@AK : Since my son was born 3 years ago, we've only flown Southwest for domestic flights and we love love love Southwest for family flying - free checked bags to accommodate all the baby junk, family boarding before the B group, no change fees, friendly attendants, etc. Plus with their style of boarding, when my son was under 2, even when he was a lap child, most of the time if there was any room on the flight the attendants were usually fine with us bringing the carseat on board so he would get his own seat without us paying for it and he could nap while we watched free TV. Just ask when you check in (or at the gate if you don't like the first answer). We've flown at least 30 times with him and it is totally doable!
Post by: CowboyAndIndian on March 04, 2018, 10:56:39 AM
Yes, you should open a Southwest Rapid Rewards account first and then put that number in when you apply for the credit cards. Otherwise they will probably just assign you one and you would have to make sure that it was the same one for both.
...
I forgot to do this and they asked me if I want to merge both accounts.
Easy peasy.
Post by: AK on March 05, 2018, 08:51:20 AM
...
@AK : Since my son was born 3 years ago, we've only flown Southwest for domestic flights and we love love love Southwest for family flying - free checked bags to accommodate all the baby junk, family boarding before the B group, no change fees, friendly attendants, etc. Plus with their style of boarding, when my son was under 2, even when he was a lap child, most of the time if there was any room on the flight the attendants were usually fine with us bringing the carseat on board so he would get his own seat without us paying for it and he could nap while we watched free TV. Just ask when you check in (or at the gate if you don't like the first answer). We've flown at least 30 times with him and it is totally doable!
Passed your feedback along and she said well we have two kids. Overall, she makes do but would rather not travel with young ones if it can be avoided. As always, thanks for your feedback and everyone else's too!
Post by: charis on March 12, 2018, 11:16:50 AM
Post by: secondcor521 on March 12, 2018, 11:26:57 AM
This might not be the best place to post this, but we've been denied the Chase SW card due to having two many accounts open in the past two years. We've been churning pretty steadily for the past 3 years and Chase has us locked out apparently. Does anyone have experience with this? Or can you advise about how long to wait before applying again. I'm asking because if we have to wait a full two years, I won't bother with Southwest. If it's a matter of months, we'll definitely wait because we want the companion pass? Any advice?
It's a 5/24 rule, so if you've applied for (or received?) five new cards in the past 24 months, including non-Chase credit cards, you will get declined. For churners, it effectively means you have to choose between (1) Chase or (2) everyone else.
Personally I've gone with choice 2. To augment this I've tried applying for some of the Chase cards that were listed as not being affected by the 5/24 rule, but was still unsuccessful, probably for other reasons such as too many inquiries overall or enough credit with Chase already.
Since you mentioned "we", one strategy you can employ is have one person do all the other apps and then the other person do the Chase apps every 2 years. One person should be able to get two Chase SW cards every two years and thus maintain the SW companion pass deal indefinitely.
Post by: Inaya on March 12, 2018, 11:34:48 AM
Post by: secondcor521 on March 12, 2018, 11:40:16 AM
I was under 5/24 when I applied for both, and they declined one of them and specifically said it was because I had applied to too many Chase cards (I had gotten CSR earlier in the year). They seem to be tightening up their requirements above and beyond 5/24.
Right. The way I would say it is that Chase has multiple rules for which they will decline you. If you fail any one of the rules, you'll get declined. One is 5/24. They have another one about CSR and similar cards; I don't recall offhand what it is but you can google it. They, and most other CC companies, will only extend you a certain percentage of your reported income, so if you hit that and still want a card you'll have to move some existing CL from another Chase card. Obviously if you have bad credit they'll turn you down for that. There are probably other rules.
Post by: DarkandStormy on March 12, 2018, 11:58:02 AM
I was under 5/24 when I applied for both, and they declined one of them and specifically said it was because I had applied to too many Chase cards (I had gotten CSR earlier in the year). They seem to be tightening up their requirements above and beyond 5/24.
Right. The way I would say it is that Chase has multiple rules for which they will decline you. If you fail any one of the rules, you'll get declined. One is 5/24. They have another one about CSR and similar cards; I don't recall offhand what it is but you can google it. They, and most other CC companies, will only extend you a certain percentage of your reported income, so if you hit that and still want a card you'll have to move some existing CL from another Chase card. Obviously if you have bad credit they'll turn you down for that. There are probably other rules.
^This.
I applied for CSP no problem in July 2017. Then I went for the double dip on the Chase SW cards at 60k and had to haggle with their customer service reps - eventually got them to reduce the credit limit on one of my cards and moved CL over to the new SW card. I also forgot to include entire household income which you are legally allowed to use.
Post by: boarder42 on March 12, 2018, 12:04:14 PM
Post by: charis on March 12, 2018, 12:07:53 PM
Post by: DarkandStormy on March 12, 2018, 12:18:50 PM
chase is by far the toughest bank to get cards with thats why i dont even really bother trying to keep my signups under 5/24 the other cards i can get are more valuable than what i'd get waiting 2 years to signup for some chase cards.
I got 120K SW miles + BOGO for the Companion pass. So essentially 240K miles for $4k spending in 3 months.
Post by: PizzaSteve on April 05, 2018, 10:31:24 AM
Post by: nawhite on April 06, 2018, 09:14:57 AM
Points posted (1-3 days after statement closed), companion added, flight to Belize for spring break booked with wife :-)
Just got back from 8 days in Belize. Got scuba certified over the first 4 days and then went into the jungle to see some Mayan ruins and the ATM cave (which was really cool).
The question is, where to next? I've got ~80,000 SW points left with companion pass, ~40,000 American miles, and ~60,000 Chase rewards points I can apply to either (but probably are going towards Southwest because of the companion pass. Rumor has it SW is going to start flying to Hawaii soon. I just picked up an Ikon ski pass for next year, maybe I just plan a whole bunch of ski vacations?
Post by: katsiki on April 06, 2018, 09:31:45 AM
Is this the end?
Post by: nawhite on April 06, 2018, 09:43:34 AM
https://www.doctorofcredit.com/chase-southwest-cards-limit-of-one-personal-card/
Is this the end?
Quote
it’s important to note you’d be able to still get one personal and one business.
Looks like no :-) Just get a business card.
Post by: DarkandStormy on April 06, 2018, 09:50:59 AM
Some vagueness from DoC on a new card coming from SW.
Post by: Toad on April 17, 2018, 06:30:27 PM
https://www.doctorofcredit.com/chase-southwest-cards-limit-of-one-personal-card/
Is this the end?Quoteit’s important to note you’d be able to still get one personal and one business.
Looks like no :-) Just get a business card.
+1
I just applied for and got approved for a personal (with 50k bonus) and business (with 60k bonus) card. So the personal + business option is still viable.
Post by: Zamboni on July 20, 2018, 02:45:49 AM
https://creditcards.chase.com/a1/southwest/65KDual?CELL=6PLV&clk=1881000 (https://creditcards.chase.com/a1/southwest/65KDual?CELL=6PLV&clk=1881000)
65K bonus for this card (full bonus requires $1K + $15K spend) + 60K bonus for the business card gets you a companion pass.
Post by: Slow&Steady on July 20, 2018, 08:05:29 AM
It is not the right time of year to do this, obviously, as you want the bonus points to post in January or February, but here is a new card that I thought I'd pass along:
https://creditcards.chase.com/a1/southwest/65KDual?CELL=6PLV&clk=1881000 (https://creditcards.chase.com/a1/southwest/65KDual?CELL=6PLV&clk=1881000)
65K bonus for this card (full bonus requires $1K + $15K spend) + 60K bonus for the business card gets you a companion pass.
We got this offer today too. I really want to apply for it but it is the wrong time of the year to take full advantage of it. I am guess SW did that on purpose,grr.
Post by: PizzaSteve on July 24, 2018, 03:06:48 PM
Quote
The product is not available to either (i) current Cardmembers of any Southwest Rapids Rewards® Credit Card, or (ii) previous Cardmembers of any Southwest Rapid Rewards Credit Card who received a new Cardmember bonus within the last 24 months. This does not apply to Cardmembers of the Southwest Rapid Rewards Business Card and Employee Credit Card products.
Post by: Mr. Green on January 18, 2019, 07:55:00 AM
Post by: Zamboni on October 10, 2019, 07:35:45 PM
Post by: Longwaytogo on October 10, 2019, 07:53:46 PM
One referral (10,000 bonus) would get me a companion pass for 2020!
Post by: Zamboni on October 11, 2019, 05:24:52 PM
Post by: Zamboni on October 17, 2019, 08:51:27 AM
We know how important it is to experience new places with family and friends, which is why we created the unparalleled benefit of Companion Pass2. To continue offering unlimited flights for Companions3 when flying with their Companion Pass holder, we're increasing the points required to earn a Companion Pass from 110,000 to 125,000 beginning January 1, 2020.
:-( Still a travel hack, but they certainly just made it more difficult!
Post by: Longwaytogo on October 22, 2019, 06:52:34 PM
Well, I just got this in an email from SW Airlines:
We know how important it is to experience new places with family and friends, which is why we created the unparalleled benefit of Companion Pass2. To continue offering unlimited flights for Companions3 when flying with their Companion Pass holder, we're increasing the points required to earn a Companion Pass from 110,000 to 125,000 beginning January 1, 2020.
:-( Still a travel hack, but they certainly just made it more difficult!
I applied yesterday, LWTG, but I hope someone takes you up on your offer!
I saw that too, I remember way back when I got my first one it was only 100K ! Guess things change. It did motivate me EVEN MORE to try and hit it this year to have it for 2020 so I convinced my boss* to let me use our EIN number and address to do a business card. Just got approved so should have the card soon; hit the $5K spend pretty quickly and boom, 70K bonus points and a companion pass for 2020!
My wife an I are flying together in early Dec (both on SW points); doubt I could earn the pass and get the thing finalized by then but wish I could to get those points back as it was a pricey (~40K points) flight to Mexico...side note pretty cool SW is going to Mexico, hawaii, and other parts of the Caribbean now!
For 2020 we only have two flights planned where we could use companion pass; but who knows maybe we'll add a third for Fall or early winter. Either way, fun to have free flights :)
*My boss is also my Dad which as with most things with work made the convo both easier and harder!
Post by: Zamboni on January 30, 2021, 03:21:27 PM
SW's latest card offer is 50K bonus miles after first $2K spent within 90 days of card opening, then 30K bonus miles after a total of $10K spent in the first 9 months the account is open. Added to that is 25K that SWA just gave everyone who had the card at the end of last year (I opened my card in December), so that's up to 105K already just in bonus miles. I tried to get two cards at the same time using our old hack, but they denied the second card and stuck to their denial when I called . . . but now I see why they did that since it would have given me the companion pass just from bonus miles quite easily.
Then the SW Chase card activated this: 5 points per $1 spent at grocery stores, gas stations, and drugstores.
Activate this special offer by March 31, 2021, and you'll earn 5 total Rapid Rewards® points for every $1 you spend on up to $1,500 in combined purchases at grocery stores, gas stations, and drugstores from January 1 through March 31, 2021, with your Southwest® Rapid Rewards® Credit Card.
I will easily do this with just my normal spending, so that's 7500 miles by March just on that, so now I'll be up to 112500.
I don't suspect we'll be flying anywhere until later this year after hopefully the vaccine is more widespread, so really I'm hoping to have the companion pass by the Fall for use then and for all of 2022. So, I've got to earn 12,500 miles in the next 8 months to reach my goal. Should be able to do it.
Anyone else with me?
Post by: Longwaytogo on January 30, 2021, 04:01:48 PM
Well, I just got this in an email from SW Airlines:
We know how important it is to experience new places with family and friends, which is why we created the unparalleled benefit of Companion Pass2. To continue offering unlimited flights for Companions3 when flying with their Companion Pass holder, we're increasing the points required to earn a Companion Pass from 110,000 to 125,000 beginning January 1, 2020.
:-( Still a travel hack, but they certainly just made it more difficult!I applied yesterday, LWTG, but I hope someone takes you up on your offer!
I saw that too, I remember way back when I got my first one it was only 100K ! Guess things change. It did motivate me EVEN MORE to try and hit it this year to have it for 2020 so I convinced my boss* to let me use our EIN number and address to do a business card. Just got approved so should have the card soon; hit the $5K spend pretty quickly and boom, 70K bonus points and a companion pass for 2020!
My wife an I are flying together in early Dec (both on SW points); doubt I could earn the pass and get the thing finalized by then but wish I could to get those points back as it was a pricey (~40K points) flight to Mexico...side note pretty cool SW is going to Mexico, hawaii, and other parts of the Caribbean now!
For 2020 we only have two flights planned where we could use companion pass; but who knows maybe we'll add a third for Fall or early winter. Either way, fun to have free flights :)
*My boss is also my Dad which as with most things with work made the convo both easier and harder!
Oh it was a sad reminder to see this thread :(
I did indeed end up earning the companion pass in Dec 2019 making it good for remainder 2019 and all of 2020.
For 2020 we had planned:
Baltimore to Tampa mid March
Baltimore to Orlando mid July
Baltimore to Vegas Early October
Baltimore to Cancun early December
AND, of course none of that happened :( The Florida trip was the weekend after St. Patricks day when the $hit really hit the fan and was canceled like 2 days before we left.
Between our 3 southwest cards and two Marriott cards we were on the hook for close to $1,000 in annual fees for ZERO travel rewards. Kind of sucked, but most years we had been saving $2-4K per year so still well ahead of course.
May actually close two of the Southwest cards soon before more annual fees hit; probably should have done a tleast one of them last year but had other things on my mind :p
Necroposting since we might all be able to go back to air travel lifestyle:
SW's latest card offer is 50K bonus miles after first $2K spent within 90 days of card opening, then 30K bonus miles after a total of $10K spent in the first 9 months the account is open. Added to that is 25K that SWA just gave everyone who had the card at the end of last year (I opened my card in December), so that's up to 105K already just in bonus miles. I tried to get two cards at the same time using our old hack, but they denied the second card and stuck to their denial when I called . . . but now I see why they did that since it would have given me the companion pass just from bonus miles quite easily.
Then the SW Chase card activated this: 5 points per $1 spent at grocery stores, gas stations, and drugstores.
Activate this special offer by March 31, 2021, and you'll earn 5 total Rapid Rewards® points for every $1 you spend on up to $1,500 in combined purchases at grocery stores, gas stations, and drugstores from January 1 through March 31, 2021, with your Southwest® Rapid Rewards® Credit Card.
I will easily do this with just my normal spending, so that's 7500 miles by March just on that, so now I'll be up to 112500.
I don't suspect we'll be flying anywhere until later this year after hopefully the vaccine is more widespread, so really I'm hoping to have the companion pass by the Fall for use then and for all of 2022. So, I've got to earn 12,500 miles in the next 8 months to reach my goal. Should be able to do it.
Anyone else with me?
I had not heard about the bonus 25K points and just logged into check it out.
In addition to that they had previously extended the companion pass through June 31 2021 for anyone who had it in 2020 and now they have extended through Dec 31, 2021 so I've got it for the whole year now.
Sweet, maybe in Oct/Dec we can make up those vegas/Mexico trips :) Time will tell I guess.
Post by: dandarc on January 30, 2021, 04:22:57 PM
Post by: Zamboni on January 30, 2021, 06:44:59 PM
I had not heard about the bonus 25K points and just logged into check it out.
In addition to that they had previously extended the companion pass through June 31 2021 for anyone who had it in 2020 and now they have extended through Dec 31, 2021 so I've got it for the whole year now.
Sweet, maybe in Oct/Dec we can make up those vegas/Mexico trips :) Time will tell I guess.
That's great news! I'm so glad they extended your pass, and I do hope you can take those trips. SWA is a great company to work with, and I've already appreciated their customer service.
Ugh, I hear you on being bummed about cancelled trips. Of our trips that got cancelled last year, I think the two that made me saddest were the week I was going to go van camping and hiking with my beloved in the Canyonlands of Utah, and then we had to cancel my first ever trip back to Hawaii since I was born there. Boooo on you, COVID-19!
I wonder if they will end up extending your companion pass even half way into 2022? Wouldn't hurt to ask around August if you haven't heard anything.
Sorry you have been stuck paying those annual fees. I ended up cancelling my Marriott card exactly because I wasn't using it, but I kept the Hilton card since I figured I could just pick Hilton if I needed a hotel during the pandemic. . . that turned out to be a good choice as we've made some car trips for various reasons. I'm torn on whether or not to cancel my Delta card before the annual fee hits in a couple of months: they give me a single trip companion pass which normally more than offsets the fee, but will we be able to use it before it expires? I'm not sure.
Now I'm wondering if I shouldn't just do it to extend companion pass out through 12/31/2022. 200K miles already in the account, but I see I've some how gotten 34K this year already.
Lol, I think you should if you qualify to get the cards. I think you have to wait 24 months after closing the cards to get them again (if that is how you got your companion pass in the first place?) My other half also has a boatload of unused miles due to the pandemic. We are taking turns getting the cards biannually, although we took a year off when it became clear 2020 travel was going to be washed out. Unfortunately (fortunately?) I had a tipoff about that being a possibility in December 2019 due to contacts in China (and then my employer banned our travel to China around that time, which really worried me), and then @frugaldrummer started beating the drum about COVID on MMM, so I didn't even try to get the SWA cards at the end of 2019/beginning of 2020.
Post by: dandarc on January 31, 2021, 11:18:16 AM
Language on the offer is:
Quote
The product is not available to either (i) current Cardmembers of any Southwest Rapid Rewards® Credit Card, or (ii) previous Cardmembers of any Southwest Rapid Rewards Credit Card who received a new Cardmember bonus within the last 24 months.
If I recall correctly, the business card does not count against personal cards and vice-versa, and the last 24 months rule is specifically about receiving a new card member bonus. The main thing when they changed item (i) language was that you couldn't stack 2 personal cards anymore.
Post by: Zamboni on January 31, 2021, 08:13:05 PM
I've thought about getting the business card since I make between $10-20K annually on a side hustle self-employed . . . but then I never actually do it.
If anyone needs a referral on a SW card, then please feel welcome to PM me. ;-)
Post by: PVkcin on February 01, 2021, 09:36:07 AM
Post by: PVkcin on February 01, 2021, 02:12:56 PM
Post by: Longwaytogo on February 01, 2021, 02:27:50 PM
Where is everyone seeing that SW gave 25k bonus points to everybody who held a SW card last year (or at the end of last year)? My wife has two SW personal cards (plus and premier) that is has held since 2018. We don't see where they gave her 25k points for either card at any point. Or am I missing something / reading it wrong?
I don't think you actually get 25K points to use; you just get 25K points towards "status" like the A-list or companion pass.
I didn't have any extra points but my companion pass says I've earned 30K towards the 125K needed and only 5K was from my Dec/Jan spending.
At least that's the impression I got.
Doesn't really help me as I have no plans of trying to earn the pass this year anyway. I was more stoked they extend my current pass for rest of year so i can maybe squeeze a trip or two in the Fall.
Post by: Longwaytogo on February 01, 2021, 02:40:18 PM
I had not heard about the bonus 25K points and just logged into check it out.
In addition to that they had previously extended the companion pass through June 31 2021 for anyone who had it in 2020 and now they have extended through Dec 31, 2021 so I've got it for the whole year now.
Sweet, maybe in Oct/Dec we can make up those vegas/Mexico trips :) Time will tell I guess.
That's great news! I'm so glad they extended your pass, and I do hope you can take those trips. SWA is a great company to work with, and I've already appreciated their customer service.
Ugh, I hear you on being bummed about cancelled trips. Of our trips that got cancelled last year, I think the two that made me saddest were the week I was going to go van camping and hiking with my beloved in the Canyonlands of Utah, and then we had to cancel my first ever trip back to Hawaii since I was born there. Boooo on you, COVID-19!
I wonder if they will end up extending your companion pass even half way into 2022? Wouldn't hurt to ask around August if you haven't heard anything.
Sorry you have been stuck paying those annual fees. I ended up cancelling my Marriott card exactly because I wasn't using it, but I kept the Hilton card since I figured I could just pick Hilton if I needed a hotel during the pandemic. . . that turned out to be a good choice as we've made some car trips for various reasons. I'm torn on whether or not to cancel my Delta card before the annual fee hits in a couple of months: they give me a single trip companion pass which normally more than offsets the fee, but will we be able to use it before it expires? I'm not sure.
Yes SW has been great and flexible with changes/cancellations. been flying them 20+ years at this point :)
We still did a couple of road trips which I know were a bit controversial over the Summer but they went well. Camping and rented a house so no hotels or large group stuff.
Who knows on 2022, honestly don't have much trips planned. If I could use it in Oct and Dec I'd be happy enough with that!
We still have some points we'll get use out of this year; and I forgot my most expensive Black AMEx did offer $300 credits towards restaurant instead of just marriott so I did get that back.
Post by: Zamboni on December 29, 2022, 05:17:51 PM
But the rest of the year I have found them to be very accommodating, and their policies for rebooking are generous. So, we are working on earning our companion pass in early 2023.
They've changed the game a bit. Now one needs a personal card and a business card to get most of the miles. They no longer allow two personal cards to count towards the companion pass! But, Mr. Zamboni and I both have freelance side hustles that earn a significant amount of dough, so that works for us.
They've upped the miles needed to 135K, but they're also gifting 10K towards A-list and companion pass to cardholders. The first pass I earned way back in the day only needed 110K, and they used to let you count converted hotel and rental card points, so that was easy peasy. It's a little tougher, but still a super duper deal if you can manage it.
I'll update later to let you know how this attempt goes. . .
Post by: Turtle on December 30, 2022, 12:02:00 PM
Post by: dandarc on December 31, 2022, 06:48:32 PM
12/23 - scheduled to fly from JAX to MDW on southwest. Cancelled about 1 hour before flight. Rebooked for next day night - not ideal but acceptable. Book a room in Jacksonville.
12/24 - Head out to Amelia Island for lunch - during lunch notified we were cancelled and rescheduled to 12/25 - less than ideal, but a morning flight available so booked another night in Jacksonville. Go out to ocean / mill about Amelia island. Went to the UU Church there for christmas eve service and cookie exchange. At dinner, received notice flight was cancelled again and rebooked to much later on 12/25. Too late, so we threw some money at the problem and booked a direct flight on American that at least got us to where we were going before midnight.
12/25 - Go to airport, cancelled with southwest (asked for just the outgoing leg to be cancelled, but they actually cancelled everything for us). Fly on American, get to Chicago and eventually drive to our west-michigan final destination. Arrived to a text message that our southwest flight was cancelled again.
12/26 - realized the cancellation wasn't what we wanted and booked return trip on United (who runs 3 direct flights daily from O'Hare to Jacksonville).
12/30 - returned on United flight without issues.
So anyway, fortunate to have money to throw at the problem - had we hung out in Jacksonville for that SW flight only for it to be cancelled, then we'd have called the holiday trip off entirely. Was one of the better visits in recent memory with my side of the family overall. Did get in kind of late last night. Considering trying some other airline in 2023 because we don't actually live in a city that southwest serves, and 2-3 hours to get to an airport that does. Makes the whole "the flight was free" thing somewhat less valuable for us, particularly in this situation.
Post by: dandarc on December 31, 2022, 06:51:16 PM
My youngest is scheduled to fly SW for work tomorrow. Hoping their recent issues are all resolved and the flight goes without a hitch. On the plus side, it's a non-stop flight so there are fewer possibilities for problems.Did they make it? I heard SW basically rebooted their whole system and should be much better this weekend than last.
Post by: Zamboni on January 02, 2023, 12:55:03 PM
We actually went on a trip right after New Years, and with all the cancellations I decided to bail from SWA a few days before and rebook on Delta. Cost us a bit extra, but didn't want our trip ruined, and I wasn't sure SW would really be back to normal this week.
Post by: dandarc on January 02, 2023, 02:51:21 PM
Ooof, @dandarc, sounds like you made the right call rebooking with another airline. Yeah, it is lucky to have the funds to just make that call and not be super stressed about the money outlay.Yeah - because I'm a glutton for punishment, I actually saw that our original return flight was only 40 minutes late on 12/30. I have submitted alternate airfare receipts and hotel to Southwest - we'll see what happens with that. They say they're reimbursing reasonable expenses, but I'll be surprised if we get the ~$2,000 I submitted. Kind of interested to hear the nature of the problem - yes bad weather started it, but management goaded a bunch of ground agents to quit in Denver, then their software failed in a massive way.
We actually went on a trip right after New Years, and with all the cancellations I decided to bail from SWA a few days before and rebook on Delta. Cost us a bit extra, but didn't want our trip ruined, and I wasn't sure SW would really be back to normal this week.
Post by: Turtle on January 02, 2023, 07:24:13 PM
My youngest is scheduled to fly SW for work tomorrow. Hoping their recent issues are all resolved and the flight goes without a hitch. On the plus side, it's a non-stop flight so there are fewer possibilities for problems.Did they make it? I heard SW basically rebooted their whole system and should be much better this weekend than last.
Yes! Made it with no issues and no delays. Had considered changing flights but decided that since everyone else was probably trying to do that too, that it might be better to not make any changes.
Post by: dandarc on January 15, 2023, 09:07:26 AM