Southwest Airlines Announces Updates to Rapid Rewards Program
Southwest airplane

Southwest Airlines Announces Updates to Rapid Rewards Program

Southwest Airlines is making some changes to its popular Rapid Rewards Program.

About the changes:

First, the airline plans to reduce the number of flights required to achieve A-List status. Starting January 1st, Southwest Rapid Rewards Members will only need to fly at least 20 one-way qualifying flights or earn 35,000 tier qualifying points to reach A-List. Previously, the threshold was set at 25 qualifying one-way flights. Similarly, earning A-List Preferred status will now require 40 one-way qualifying flights instead of the previous 50. Alternatively, customers can still earn 70,000 tier qualifying points to reach A-List Preferred status,

In addition to those status updates, those with Southwest Rapid Rewards co-branded credit cards from Chase will be able to earn more tier qualifying points. Starting next year, for every $5,000 Rapid Rewards Premier, Premier Business, Priority, or Performance Business cardholders spend on their cards, they’ll receive 1,500 tier qualifying points. Previously, these points were earned for every $10,000 in spending on eligible cards.

Finally, Southwest will soon give flyers more options when it comes to redeeming points for flights. Beginning in spring of 2024, Rapid Rewards Members will be able to book flights using a mix of points and cash. However, customers will need to redeem at least 1,000 points in order to use this feature.

For context:

Southwest’s loyalty program updates — including lowering the threshold for A-Tier — come on the heels of Delta controversially revamping its SkyMiles program. Not only does Delta currently plan to base its statuses on Medallion Qualifying Dollars but also hiked the requirements across the board. In response to the backlash, CEO Ed Bastian has admitted that the airline probably went too far and said that adjustments would likely be made. In the meantime, other carriers including Alaska and JetBlue have unveiled special status matching opportunities for Delta elites in a bid to woo them away from Atlanta’s airline.

What they’re saying:

In a press release, Southwest’s VP of Marketing Jonathan Clarkson stated, “We’re making our award-winning Rapid Rewards program even stronger, by adding new enhancements to our loyalty program, making it even easier for Members to earn and enjoy their benefits. By lowering the tier requirements and making credit card spend count double toward tier requirements, we’re able to deepen engagement with our brand and cobranded credit cards, while maintaining the core program values that our Customers know and love—including unlimited reward seats, no blackout dates, and points that don’t expire.”

My thoughts:

Admittedly, I don’t fly Southwest very often since they don’t service my home airport. But, as an outsider, I can’t find any drawbacks with these updates. Personally, I’m most interested in the ability to book using both points and cash — although the final verdict on that feature will depend on the value points are assigned when using a mixture of currencies.

If there is a downside to Southwest’s announcement I’d love to hear what it is. Otherwise, I’ll continue assuming these updates are an all around win.

Author

Kyle Burbank

Head Writer ~ Fioney
Kyle is the head writer for Fioney. He is a personal finance nerd, constantly looking for new apps and services to test and incorporate into his own financial game plan. In addition to his role at Fioney, he's written for other publications including Born2Invest, Lifehack, and Laughing Place, as well as his own site Money@30. He also creates personal finance and travel-related videos for Fioney's YouTube channel, which has garnered more than 2 million views. Currently, Kyle resides in Springfield, Missouri with his wife of 10 years. Together, they enjoy traveling (including visiting Disney Parks around the world), dining, and playing with their dog Rigby.

Other Articles by Kyle Burbank

Wawa credit card and app

New Wawa Mastercard Launches with FNBO as Issuer

The gas station/hoagie stop Wawa has announced a new co-branded credit card with a new issuer. About the New Wawa Mastercard: This week, Wawa and First National Bank of Omaha (FNBO) unveiled the new Wawa Mastercard. As the convience store chain notes, this updated product is meant to bring savings and perks to loyal Wawa customers — although the card will also be accepted anywhere Mastercard is. Starting with rewards...
Bilt logo and Ken Chenault and Ankur Jain

Bilt Raises $250 Million, Announces "2.0" Card Line-Up

Bilt has not only announced another mega-round but also a fresh eleven-figure valuation and new expansion details. About Bilt's Latest Funding Round: Today, Bilt announced that it had reaised $250 million in new funding. Moreover, this new round values the company at $10.75 billion. The round was led by General Catalyst and GID with United Wholesale Mortage also partcipating with a $100 million investment. This follows a $150 million venture...
using a candle to look at the electric power meter

Lessons From a First-Time Home Buyer: Navigating Our First Serious Power Outage

Last weekend, following another brief but powerful windstorm, we were left without power. Although we've had our power go out for a couple of hours here and there since moving to our house, this was the first time that we and a large section of our neighbors were left sans electricity for several hours. And while we were fortunate to have power back after about 15 hours, others in our...
The "Email" field is empty, you must enter some text to proceed.The text you entered in the "Email" field appears to be invalid, please edit it and try again
Get the Latest News Delivered to Your Inbox

2025 SoFi Checking and Savings Review

 Ever since I started taking an interest in the FinTech sector, one company whose name I’ve seen pop up over and over again is SoFi. That was later sent into overdrive as the company has not only become a household name thanks to its stadium naming rights deal but also because of the company’s continued product expansions. The most interesting development in my mind is SoFi’s acquisition of Golden Pacific...
Travelers with two Best Western Credit Cards

Best Western Debuts Two New Rewards Credit Cards

After pausing applications for their previous rewards card, the hotel chain Best Western has unveiled a new pair of rewards credit cards with a new issuer. About the Best Western cards: Best Western is partnering with First Bank & Trust and Mercury Financial to introduce two new co-branded credit cards. First up is the no-annual-fee Best Western Rewards Visa Signature Card. With this card, customers can 4x points on Best...
Marriott Bonvoy card and a woman on vacation

Marriott Bonvoy Bold Card Launches Travel Contest

Chase and Marriott Bonoy have unveiled a special contest while continuing to offer its best-ever welcome bonus. About the welcome bonus and Bold Chat Court Contest: Marriott Bonvoy and Chase have launched a special opportunity called the Bold Chat Court contest. As part of this contest, 10 lucky travelers will be awarded 500,000 Marriott Bonvoy points (for a total of 5 million) as well as $5,000. For this contest, the...
Bilt and All Reward logos

Bilt Adds 2 New Transfer Partners Including First 3:2 Transfer Rate

Bilt is once again expanding its travel transfer rewards program — and is even breaking the mold with one new partner. About the new additions to Bilt: This week, Bilt launched partnerships with two more travel brands: TAP Air Portugal and Accor. As a result, Bilt members will now be able to transfer their points to Miles&Go and ALL Reward, respectively. In total, Bilt now has 18 transfer partners including 13...
Fioney Top 10 Must-Read Personal Finance Articles Septemeber 2024

Top 10 Personal Finance Articles of the Month — September 2024

Welcome to Fioney's look at the top 10 personal finance articles of the month. On the first Friday of each new month, we look back at some of our favorite posts published in the weeks prior and highlight them right here. This includes a mix of sites that have become staples of our lists as well as many first-timers. To start things off this month, we'll look at some articles...