removed

[Zamboni]

The companion pass is ripe for applications again . . . current offers expire Oct 16th.

[Longwaytogo]

If anyone's signing up soon I'd love to share a referral code. I'm around 85-90,000 now and should get to around 100,000 with our spending.

One referral (10,000 bonus) would get me a companion pass for 2020!

[Zamboni]

I applied yesterday, LWTG, but I hope someone takes you up on your offer!

[Zamboni]

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!

[Longwaytogo]

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!

[Zamboni]

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?

[Longwaytogo]

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.

[dandarc]

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.

[Zamboni]

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.

[dandarc]

Last time I did have to close the cards so I wasn't a current cardmember when I applied in the last 24 months, however didn't have to close the cards 2 years in advance.

Language on the offer is:

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.

[Zamboni]

^Thank you for clarifying that!

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. ;-)

[PVkcin]

@Zamboni  I sent you a PM with a referral to my SW card.

[PVkcin]

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?

[Longwaytogo]

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.

[Longwaytogo]

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.

[Zamboni]

For whatever reason SW airlines seems to struggle during holiday weather. I hope no one on this board got stranded!

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. . . 

[Turtle]

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.

[dandarc]

So the "tried to take a plane from Jacksonville to Chicago in late December 2022":

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.

[dandarc]

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.

[Zamboni]

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.

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.

[dandarc]

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.

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.

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.

[Turtle]

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.

[dandarc]

Update: sw reimbursement for over $2000 happened for us. Pleasant surprise on Friday. So the claims process worked plenty well for me personally.