Rapid Rewards Priority Card upgrade boarding?

[mrrick747]

"New to the Card!"

I'm planning a trip with the family and hoping to use the card (and points) to buy as many tickets as I can for myself and others (possible right?).  With this card I get 4 uprade boardings per year, so I can use them all on one roundtrip for 4 passengers? Of course this only applies if there is room in the A1-A15  Catagory (purchased at the gate and refunded back to the card later). Do I need to puchase the early boarding for those 4 (or anytime I fly with an available upgrade), just in case theres no room in the A group? Would I get refunded the early boarding fee if I get the upgrade?

It would seem kinda silly to be put in the back of the line if theres no room in the A group and I can't get a refundable early boarding assignment.

Can anyone clarify all of this??

Thanks, Rick

[DancingDavidE]

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@mrrick747 wrote:

"New to the Card!"

I'm planning a trip with the family and hoping to use the card (and points) to buy as many tickets as I can for myself and others (possible right?). 

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You can always buy someone else's tickets - you get points for your own flight, one point for all purchases, and 1x bonus point for purchases on Southwest.com specifically.

The passengers will each earn points for their own ticketed flight.

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@mrrick747 wrote:

With this card I get 4 uprade boardings per year, so I can use them all on one roundtrip for 4 passengers? Of course this only applies if there is room in the A1-A15  Catagory (purchased at the gate and refunded back to the card later). Do I need to puchase the early boarding for those 4 (or anytime I fly with an available upgrade), just in case theres no room in the A group? Would I get refunded the early boarding fee if I get the upgrade?

It would seem kinda silly to be put in the back of the line if theres no room in the A group and I can't get a refundable early boarding assignment.

Can anyone clarify all of this??

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This part is more complicated. I don't believe the EBCI is refunded when a passenger purchases the upgraded boarding at the gate. If it was desirable to have that as a backup, I think you'd have to add it and see what you get (maybe it would be good enough for you?)

This card is new so I'd have to review the terms to see whether you can use the upgraded position for multiple passengers on one flight, or if it is only for the cardholder.

[chgoflyer · Accepted solution]

EBCI is non-refundable. (The only exception is when Southwest cancels the flight, or otherwise causes you to not get the EBCI benefit.)

The first four Upgraded Boarding purchases made on the card will be reimbursed, regardless of which passenger uses them.

Hope this helps.

[mrrick747]

Hmmmm...interesting!

Thanks for you responses..

Can early boarding be puchased at the gate if upgraded boarding is full in the A list?

It wouldnt be as early as if I had puchased it before the flight but might be early enough to keep a group together-ish.

Also, is the "upgrade" on the Credit Card a one time- one way (one stop) thing or is it for all the legs of a round trip?

Rick

[DancingDavidE]

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@mrrick747 wrote:

Hmmmm...interesting!

Thanks for you responses..

Can early boarding be puchased at the gate if upgraded boarding is full in the A list?

It wouldnt be as early as if I had puchased it before the flight but might be early enough to keep a group together-ish.

Also, is the "upgrade" on the Credit Card a one time- one way (one stop) thing or is it for all the legs of a round trip?

Rick

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No, once the positions through A15 are taken there won't be any additional offer of upgraded boarding. They can't sell A16 and up since these positions are already given out to people who have checked in.

Pretty sure as before it is per flight leg with the A1-A15 upgrade. Actually if you had a connecting flight, I'm not sure if would transfer to that either, I think it is literally for the one upcoming time you get onto the plane.

This is just what I've heard though, I've never purchased it myself so someone else can jump in, maybe @chgoflyer if you are up on this topic whether upgraded boarding can carry through the day of connections.

[chgoflyer · Accepted solution]

That's correct.

If A1-15 are full, they can't sell any more Upgraded Boardings.

EarlyBird Check-In can't be bought at the gate. EBCI checks the passenger in at 36 hours before departure, ahead of regular (manual) check-in at t-24 hours. By the time someone is at the gate, boarding positions have already been assigned.

Upgraded Boarding applies only to that particular flight. (No connecting flights.)

[DancingDavidE]

I didn't think that all of the way through, how could it apply, that other flight would have its own Business Select passengers and upgraders so there could be many potential conflicts by continuing it to connecting flights. That makes sense...sorry for suggesting it as a possibilty!

[Jkndll85]

you can purchase A1-15 at the gate. I did that one time and I was given A7. But 2 or 3 other people also had A7. I thought that was rather interesting.

[notyou]

I have the same card and was trying to figure this out from the T&Cs.

When I purchase the upgraded boardings at the gate on my Southwest card, are they automatically reimbursed the statement, similar to the $75 credit or do I need to wait until the anniversary of the card to get the reimbursement?

[SWDigits]

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@notyou wrote:

When I purchase the upgraded boardings at the gate on my Southwest card, are they automatically reimbursed the statement, similar to the $75 credit

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^ ^ ^ This ^ ^ ^ Yes you are correct, they post as a statement credit.

The wording from the T&C (bold emphasis added by me):
"Statement credit and purchase of Upgraded Boardings may not post on the same statement; please allow up to 8 weeks for the statement credit(s) to post to your account. You may purchase all 4 Upgraded Boardings at one time or on separate flights; you will only be reimbursed via statement credit for the first four Upgraded Boardings you purchase during your anniversary year. Account must be open and not in default at the time the statement credit is posted to your account."

This is the click path to get to the source:
https://creditcards.chase.com/southwest/priority-credit-card
--> Scroll to the bottom
--> Click "Terms & Conditions" to launch the pop up window.