I love credit cards so much! v4.0 - 2021 (see first page for add'l details)

[becauseimnew]

@SouthFayetteFan in your expert SW opinion when do you think SW will end their extremely amazing free change windows?

 

[iujen94]

From the ever-popular Fireside Chat With @SouthFayetteFan series comes the latest installment: Why is Southwest Airlines (SW) a favorite of many on the I Love Credit Cards thread!

I'm not even sure where to start here - there's basically a million directions I could go with this... but I'm going to give it a go! And while we're at it - let's make it fun and add some Mean Girls GIFs!

Popular and Easy to understand points system that provides a good value:

SW is popular with some people because it uses a revenue based rewards system. Rapid Rewards are earned based on the cost of a flight (although most here are earning through CCs) and when you redeem them, they are tied to the cost of the flight. (More expensive flight = more points; Less expensive flight = less points!) This makes it easy to understand! They also have no blackout dates - if ONE seat is available on a flight, you can use points to snag it! It's also worth noting that points are worth roughly 1.5cpp (it's usually slightly less than that actually) making these a valuable currency!

Endless Flexibility in booking, changing, and canceling flights:

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That's right - there is NO limit to how many changes you can make to a Southwest Flight!! And it virtually feels like there's no limit to their flexibility. Many people already understand that there are no change fees on Southwest. When you book a flight and pay cash, you can change that flight to any other flight, pretty much at any time, and only pay the fare difference. Even better, if the fare is lower, you actually can keep the price difference in the form of a credit. This credit is tied to that person specifically and expires one year from when the flight was originally booked (except in some circumstances when combining credits you received previously it can actually inherit an even earlier expiration date). This also works if you need to cancel, you would keep the entire cost of that flight in a future credit with the same rules.

Now when you add points into the mix this flexibility grows EXPONENTIALLY! Suddenly, when you need to change or cancel a flight, instead of receiving a future flight credit tied to a person with an expiration date... you get your points back! Yes... all of them! AND you even get the $5.60 in taxes back. It feels nuts how flexible it is! If you have a large stash of SW points and even remotely think you might take a trip you can go ahead and book that flight and sit on it while you figure you plans out. As long as you cancel before departure... you will get your points back. (Honestly you can even let it go, not cancel and you might get your points back but don't be a jerk, lol!)

Now one rule to remember when booking flights and using this flexibility to your advantage is DO NOT book flights on the same day. (For example if you aren't sure if you want to take the 9am or the 2pm flight, do not book both until you figure it out... SW's system can pick up on that and they will cancel one, and it might be the one you wanted more).

What's this about the "Free Change Window"?
I thought the rules said you had to pay the fare difference?

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Yep that's right, during certain times (typically 2-4 months before your flight) the "change rules" as we know them might get suspended if you see a red banner on your flight. This is a loophole that we assume will go away eventually yet somehow has been around for 2 years now. I found it back in early 2019 when playing around with some things. I initially was scared to fully exploit it (when I realized just how powerful it could be) but I finally tested it out a few times and then shared it with this group. I really think we were using this before it became mainstream in most churning groups - and boy did we run with it! It was initially tied to the MAX planes that were removed from service, and now is being used to consolidate flights due to varying demand levels with COVID in play.

You should consult our other posts on this loophole, but just understand that this makes the flexibility I shared EVEN BETTER. Now, instead of paying the fare difference when making a change, inside this window and within 30 days on either side of the window, you can change a flight with NO fare difference. You can even book a new flight inside the change window and then change it as necessary.

Why is everybody so obsessed with the Companion Pass?

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So I obviously have a fireside chat specifically for the Companion Pass but I'll give a high level mention of that here.
The CP allows you to choose one person to fly with you, free of charge (except for the $5.60 fee) every time you purchase or redeem points for a flight and you can qualify by either (a) fly 100 qualifying one-way flights or (b) earn 125,000 qualifying points in a calendar year. Once you qualify for the CP, you will have it for the remainder of that calendar year and ALL of the following calendar year. And most people earn the CP via one or more SW credit cards which help them attain the 125k point requirement. (Also of note in 2021 this requirement is only 100k IF you had a SW Rapid Rewards frequent flyer account active on 12/31/20 because SW gifted everybody 25k points in their ticker).

I always like to say that the value of the CP is both nothing and infinite… “Huh??” … What I mean is that if you never use it, it will be worth nothing to you. And if you used it every day it would have an insane value. It’s hard to put a number on it, but if you aren’t planning to fly Southwest multiple times while holding your CP, it’s possible that it’s not even a good strategy for you. It only saves you money (or points) if you use it!

Last note on this - be aware that not all points earned qualify towards a companion pass. Namely, transfers from hotel programs or Ultimate Rewards.

What other benefits does Southwest have - what about this "open seating" thing?

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You can't sit with us??? Well, that is sort of true - when you board a Southwest Plane - you can pick any seat you want! There is no assigned seat... and if you're lucky enough (we've all experienced it), you'll see some seat saving going on! Many people enjoy the open seating, some hate it - but it is definitely a part of flying Southwest.

Certain SW credit cards offer a benefit of 4 upgraded boardings per year so you can be the first on the plane. Many choose to buy Early Bird Check-in (EBCI) to secure a good boarding position. And others just chance it and try to check-in right at that 24 hour mark (t-24) to secure a good seat. IF sitting next to each other is important to you you highly want to consider family boarding! If you have children 6 or under you can utilize family boarding which is after the A group and generally will get you seated beside each other unless some strange circumstances occur.

Southwest also charges no bag fees - again making it popular with families traveling to WDW and other locations who can't possibly think of doing a carry-on only trip with children! Southwest also has free entertainment on board most of their flights and other amenities you might expect from a major airline these days. And I've personally found their flight attendants are super friendly, and will bring you extra snacks or refills if you're nice!

What is this deal with the Southwest "release day"? Why do I care?

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So now that you understand Southwest's amazing flexibility - if you have a healthy stash of Southwest Points - release day is your friend! Anecdotally, you might find that flights are least expensive upon their initial release. When you book with points, you can monitor those flights and rebook if the price (and points required) drops so there is NO risk to booking on release day. If you're paying cash then you can also rebook but you'll have to deal with those a travel credit if you change or cancel your flight later so be careful there!

Again, I will say that any answer to the question "Is Southwest cheapest on release day" is PURELY ANENCDOTAL. Factors such as your city pairings, day of the week, time of day preference, etc will all factor in there. And just because somebody else says their flight was cheapest at time of release does NOT mean yours will be (and vice versa).

Southwest has always had a somewhat predictable pattern to their release timing dating back to 2017 and even prior (I've only kept good records since 2017). For example, their big holiday release (covering Thanksgiving, Christmas & New Years) typically occurs right around the end of May and most of their extensions added a few months of flight "inventory" at a time. Other airlines will often be MUCH further out than Southwest with their flight inventory so you might have to wait to book your Southwest flight - but for fans of SW this is often worth it (due to all of the reasons detailed here).

The reason SW has operated this way historically was because they RARELY would adjust their schedule after it had been released. Consumers and business travelers liked this because they could depend on that schedule to get them to their destination at their desired time vs the other major airlines which often changed their flight times much more frequently. Of course the 737-Max and COVID environment has completely thrown that out the window and now they will change and tweak their schedule after release more than ever before. I know we all want things to get back to normal on so many levels, but hopefully one of those "back to normal" things is Southwest getting their schedule process under control so that releases occur in a timely fashion and schedule changes once again become a rarity!

Lastly, what all cards should I be considering if I want to build a Southwest "stash"?

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Easy answer... ALL of them! Ok... so I push Southwest Cards on people, but it's only because I LOVE SW and they are truly amazing in many ways! If Southwest does not provide good options from your airport, then they're probably not for you - so keep that in mind and check before you start clicking apply!

That said, Southwest offers 3 personal cards and 2 business cards. I'm not going to go into details in this post on which cards you should get and why - that's a huge topic in and of itself. BUT if you play your cards right (pun INTENDED) you can possibly get 4 of those 5 cards in a 2 year span. Because of this, it's easy to earn LOTS of Southwest points!

Also of note, Ultimate Rewards transfer to Southwest 1:1 and there are also hotel currencies that transfer too (although not always at a preferred transfer rate). So cards like the Chase Freedom, Sapphire and Ink lines can help pad that Southwest stash BUT be careful to only transfer to Southwest if that's your final decision. Once you transfer there, you cannot send them back to URs!

So now you hopefully know a lot more about Southwest... If you have more questions after reading this, jump in on the thread as we have a ton of Southwest experts!

Ok... I'm hungry

For those who are loyal to United or Delta but still read this far...

And to those of you who learned something today just remember...

Your meme game is A++++++++++++++. And then some.

 

[SouthFayetteFan]

@SouthFayetteFan in your expert SW opinion when do you think SW will end their extremely amazing free change windows?

Well - I’m no expert... but my best guess: it’s a function of demand for air travel and their ability to maximize revenue and the use of their fleet. It seems that the whole reason behind free change windows is that SW releases a schedule, then assesses demand, and uses this date to piece together a puzzle that provides the most efficient use of their people and assets.

When they feel that it is no long necessary (because demand has stabilized and/or returned to more normal levels) I think they’ll stop.

The free change window saga is actually quite intriguing when you think of it this way:
- It started because SW had to remove planes from service and so they had to consolidate their flights to best utilize their fleet despite demand that perhaps exceeded their capacity.
- It pivoted to a way to remove flights from the schedule to most efficiently move their limited passengers when COVID and related restrictions destroyed air travel.

As demand for air travel continues to grow, I’m guessing that the free change window’s days are numbered... but could it hang around for a few more months... or even the end of the year? It’s just hard to say. If you asked me a year ago (pre-COVID) it it would still be around in 2021, I’d have said no way!

 

[Hoosier John]

Your meme game is A++++++++++++++. And then some.

Yes, he plays a mean, Mean Girls, meme game

 

[trstno1]

Thanks for the reply! I had to look up MDD, but I still don't understand. What is that?

I'm sure others will respond, but MDD refers to modified double dip. It is most commonly used to signup for two flavors of Sapphire cards or two flavors of Southwest cards when Chase would prefer you only had one. We talk about the MDD on this board, but we tend to reserve specific details to our reddit group.

Don't worry that you missed it. We all missed something when we started out, and you can't change anything by looking back. This group will definitely help you find new strategies as you go forward.

 

[trstno1]

Hello all! I posted elsewhere and it was recommended to also post here. I really do love credit cards lol. I have a great credit score and pay my balances in full. I'm definitely interested in maximizing points, cash back, etc. I would say we put about $2,000 on credit cards/month.

In the last 24 months,

I have opened the AMEX hilton surpass and Chase Southwest Rapid Rewards.

I also just got approved for the Chase Sapphire Preferred!

We are visiting Orlando in November.

The plan is to use my Ultimate Rewards to book a room at Loews Royal Pacific so we can get 2 days worth of express passes.

Then 2 nights at cabana bay. How should I pay for this portion?

We will then spend 3 nights at the doubletree disney springs using my hilton surpass points.
Yes, we are staying at 3 hotels!

I have disney gift cards to pay for the tickets. What is the best way to pay for the universal tickets?

I am also slightly interested in the citi premiere. Someone suggested to open that one too, but I'm worried about too many AFs. How bad is it to open, use rewards, and cancel cards?

 

[SouthFayetteFan]

I can't even believe I am asking this LOL, but do AA cardholders still get reduced points on UseAAMiles and the AA vacations pages?

...Triggered... Okay - honestly I don't even know the answer, lol!

 

[SouthFayetteFan]

Me... when I wander off to other threads on the DIS:

 

[ten6mom]

The recent memes from @SouthFayetteFan reminded me that I took this photo a couple days ago at the new independent coffee shop near me ( I took it specifically to share with you all here)

 

[IFlossU]

The recent memes from @SouthFayetteFan reminded me that I took this photo a couple days ago at the new independent coffee shop near me ( I took it specifically to share with you all here)

View attachment 559318

I read this as: You can CIP with us

 

[GBRforWDW]

I love the Fireside chat with @SouthFayetteFan. Any chance you have a thread going with links to all past and current fireside chats? Perhaps a youtube channel?

For starting out with Southwest cards, is there a particular rewards card I should apply for first? Or just go with the one with highest rewards possible?

I got a Delta Amex cards a couple years ago when we took our first Disney trip. Then signed my wife up when they had a great offer. This year, we got 2 of 3 free flights to Orlando for Disney trip in January, 3 of 3 free flights to Nashville, and 2 of 3 free flights to Hawaii. We're now out of Delta points, so I need to start saving up for next year and the year after, lol. Delta and Southwest are our 2 main airlines, so no issues with changing it up.

 

[softballpooh]

I love the Fireside chat with @SouthFayetteFan. Any chance you have a thread going with links to all past and current fireside chats?

If you use the search feature and include @SouthFayetteFan w/ Fireside, you'll quickly be able to find other chats. Here is a link to his chat from earlier this year that I found to be very helpful!

https://www.disboards.com/threads/i...or-addl-details.3821593/page-14#post-62569247

 

[Judique]

I love the Fireside chat with @SouthFayetteFan. Any chance you have a thread going with links to all past and current fireside chats? Perhaps a youtube channel?

For starting out with Southwest cards, is there a particular rewards card I should apply for first? Or just go with the one with highest rewards possible?

I got a Delta Amex cards a couple years ago when we took our first Disney trip. Then signed my wife up when they had a great offer. This year, we got 2 of 3 free flights to Orlando for Disney trip in January, 3 of 3 free flights to Nashville, and 2 of 3 free flights to Hawaii. We're now out of Delta points, so I need to start saving up for next year and the year after, lol. Delta and Southwest are our 2 main airlines, so no issues with changing it up.

Actually there is a spot where you can find some of SFF's info. But, first you have to wait until after nine ish for him to get up. And have his pop tart.

I'm sure once @SouthFayetteFan sees your message he will respond with an invitation.

(for some reason I'm craving poptarts this morning.)

 

[striker1064]

P2 auto-approved for CSP this morning.

...And I'm an idiot, because MDD should be done during the week. Some quick Googling shows hours for Chase recon on Saturday and Sunday so hopefully it's not an issue. Plus P2 has an open Chase checking for a bonus, so fingers crossed for the CSR tomorrow.

It's been too long since I've churned Chase.

 

[palhockeymomof2]

P2 auto-approved for CSP this morning.

...And I'm an idiot, because MDD should be done during the week. Some quick Googling shows hours for Chase recon on Saturday and Sunday so hopefully it's not an issue. Plus P2 has an open Chase checking for a bonus, so fingers crossed for the CSR tomorrow.

It's been too long since I've churned Chase.

Congrats Andfor an auto approval tomorrow

 

[hsmamato2]

The Hyatt 50x swipe promo for 5k points...anyone know when I'll see the bonus in my acct? right now I see 51 points added to my acct as of the 2/19.....

 

[Alexle2007]

Note to self: If you are missing a CC, check DH’s wallet first. I thought I was going to be out $15 wireless credit but the missing Bonvoy Biz was located.

 

[Disney Kidd]

Is there a way to use points to stay onsite at Walt Disney World (excluding Swan and Dolphin)?

 

[GBRforWDW]

If you use the search feature and include @SouthFayetteFan w/ Fireside, you'll quickly be able to find other chats. Here is a link to his chat from earlier this year that I found to be very helpful!

https://www.disboards.com/threads/i...or-addl-details.3821593/page-14#post-62569247

So easy a caveman can do it! Lol don't know why I didn't think of that. Haha. Thanks!

 

[smallsy]

We just now realized that the CSP has the Doordash credit too . We used it last month on my CSR but we each have a CSP, so how do we use those too? Do we have to make 3 different accounts?