Rapid rewards not fair.

[jan8776]

I spent $280,000 on my Southwest Rapid rewards card and only got A List status.  I am dropping this card as I can do better with one of the other airline reward programs.  When I called to ask about this I was told that the credit card only gives you a certain amount of spending towards status.  I would have thought a credit card would give top status to a large spender.

[SWDigits]

You should have earned a Companion Pass, is that not the case?

The Southwest Priority Credit Card allows you to earn up to 15,000 tier qualifying points per year, so that helps with A-List status but spend alone won't get you all of the way to A-List or A-List Preferred.

There is no points cap for credit card spend for Companion Pass qualification.

Here is the link to the Chase page with additional detail for the Southwest Priority credit card: https://creditcards.chase.com/southwest/priority-credit-card

[chgoflyer · Accepted solution]

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@jan8776 wrote:

I spent $280,000 on my Southwest Rapid rewards card and only got A List status.  I am dropping this card as I can do better with one of the other airline reward programs.  When I called to ask about this I was told that the credit card only gives you a certain amount of spending towards status.  I would have thought a credit card would give top status to a large spender.

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If you spent $280k on a Chase Rapid Rewards credit card, you received at least 280,000 RR points, worth approx $4000 in free travel on Southwest. You also received Companion Pass, allowing you to designate a companion for free travel for the balance of the year earned and all of the following one. There is currently no airline perk offered by any other carrier on par with Southwest's Companion Pass. You may have also received additional credit card perks (airfare credit, free Upgraded Boarding, free wifi, etc.), depending on the specific card you have.

Southwest's A-List and A-List Preferred tiers require "butt in seat" -- actual travel on paid flights. (With the exception of some limited points earning from certain credit cards as mentioned above.) Your A-List status earned you priority boarding, free same-day standby, and a 25% earnings bonus on paid flights. A-List Preferred bumps the earning bonus to 100% on paid flights and offers free wifi, but otherwise the perks are the same as A-List.

Weather or not one considers that "fair," it is how the program works. Perfunctory research into the credit card terms and loyalty program prior to application would have made that clear.

I'm not sure if you mean you spent $280k in the last calendar year, or if you are referring to some other timeline, but if you do mean calendar year, then there are many other ways for you to optimize total earnings. For example, once you reach 125k and have attained/re-qualified for Companion Pass, it's probably a good idea to shift purchases to some other card that offers greater return (since you've essentially "maxed-out" the benefits of the RR card, except for basic points earning).

There are many, many forums and blogs online that discuss ways to maximize earnings from credit card spending that you might find helpful, so that you don't find yourself in this situation again, disappointed, based on incorrect beliefs regarding what your credit card actually offers.

Research is your friend. Good luck!

[jan8776]

Thank you overmuch for your response.  This is why I LOVE SWA.  You take the time as no one has done thus far to explain in detail what I must not have understood when I read the terms.  I appreciate your benefits and will stay with SWA.

[Kgmflyer5884]

Darn! I thought all points earned with the Priority Card qualified to earn A-list status. I wish I had taken a screenshot of the perks so I could remind myself of the benefits. Seems like perhaps they change with different offers. 

[TheMiddleSeat]

@Kgmflyer5884

As @chgoflyer points out, Southwest requires most A-List qualifying points to be earned by actually flying. The Priority card does allow you to earn some tier qualifying points (TQP). Here are the terms and conditions:

"You’ll earn 1,500 for each $10,000 in purchases up to $100,000 in purchases annually which equal 15,000 TQP."

--TheMiddleSeat

[Kgmflyer5884]

Thanks! I didn’t realize that till I read that post. At least it will help. I typically earn my A-list by flight segments, but points never hurt (even if they won’t get me to A-list on their own)

[rkatz1949]

If someone gives SW and Chase the kind of business that is required to attain Companion Status, I think that SW and Chase should be giving all available perks including A-List. It's insulting not being taken as a valuable customer by modern day marketing.

[DancingDavidE]

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@rkatz1949 wrote:

If someone gives SW and Chase the kind of business that is required to attain Companion Status, I think that SW and Chase should be giving all available perks including A-List. It's insulting not being taken as a valuable customer by modern day marketing.

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Southwest offers A-list to customers that fly the most. The two aren’t mutually exclusive, many people who fly frequently do earn both. 

I’m not sure what is insulting about the best perk out there.

[TheMiddleSeat]

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@rkatz1949 wrote:

I think that SW and Chase should be giving all available perks including A-List. 

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Buy one ticket, get one free isn't a good enough perk? Seems pretty generous to me. 

--TheMiddleSeat