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WN Needs Rapid Reward Lifetime Status

SSTEX
Explorer C

As a longtime Southwest Rapid Reward customer, A-List Preferred and Companion Pass member, I would like to see Southwest create a new level of loyalty for their longtime customers such as Million Points Lifetime A-List, Two Million Points Lifetime A-List Preferred, Three Million Points Lifetime Companion Pass. This would fall in line with other airlines and would further reward loyal customers.

11 REPLIES 11

Re: WN Needs Rapid Reward Lifetime Status

boomer6954
Explorer A

Sounds like a great idea.  I hit Marriott Lifetime Platinum recently and would love to strive for sometihng with WN.

Re: WN Needs Rapid Reward Lifetime Status

hgmckinney
Explorer A

Keep in mind that many companies have these types of things, but they are quiet about them.  They are kinda like that "animal style" on the in-n-out burger menu.  You have to find out about it another way. Smiley Tongue

Re: WN Needs Rapid Reward Lifetime Status

DancingDavidE
Aviator A

One obstacle for this will be that Southwest previously didn't use points, it used to be flights that counted directly towards rewards. I assume that A-list and A-list preferred, and Companion Pass, were solely based on number of flights at that time also?

 

Anyway - point being that "million point club" might not catch some long-time customers. It might have to be the 500 and 1,000 flight club or something instead?

Home airport MDW, frequent visitor to MCO to see the mouse.

Re: WN Needs Rapid Reward Lifetime Status

chgoflyer
Aviator A

@DancingDavidE wrote:

One obstacle for this will be that Southwest previously didn't use points, it used to be flights that counted directly towards rewards. I assume that A-list and A-list preferred, and Companion Pass, were solely based on number of flights at that time also?

 

Anyway - point being that "million point club" might not catch some long-time customers. It might have to be the 500 and 1,000 flight club or something instead?


 

Way back in the beginning, the frequent flyer program was called The Company Club, and one flight earned one paper stamp. 16 stamps equaled one free Award flight, and 100 stamps in a year equaled Companion Pass, valid for the next 365 days.

 

Eventually, they did away with the paper stamps, and in 1996 Rapid Rewards was launched. Flights were now tracked electronically, but the 16 = 1 free & 100 = CP formula essentially remained in place until March 1, 2011. For a while double credit was offered for booking online. With the Southwest Visa card, $1000 in purchases earned 1 flight credit. This was later raised to $1200.

 

A bit off topic, but... customers used to receive drink coupon books every time they earned a free Award flight (after earning 16 flight credits). These coupons had no expiration date. For people using the credit card frequently, this was often -- especially combined with promos like double credits for booking online. This, over time, led to a huge surplus of drink coupons being held among Rapid Rewards members. These had to be carried as a liability on their financial statements, so this, in turn, caused Southwest to declare, controversially and to the disappointment of many customers, all existing drink coupons that were issued without an expiration date null and void as of 2011. It was great while it lasted anyway. Drink coupons are now awarded after every 10 one-way paid flights, and they expire after one year.

 

A-List was introduced in 2007. Customers who flew 32 one-way flights in a year received status for the next 365 days. That status got you priority boarding, and in 2008 Fly By Lanes for bag check and security were added.

 

A-List Preferred was added as part of the Rapid Rewards "2.0" introduction in 2011, when the program switched from being only flight-based to primarily revenue/points-based.

Re: WN Needs Rapid Reward Lifetime Status

DancingDavidE
Aviator A

Thanks for the background @chgoflyer I've only been flying Southwest since probably 2008 or so, I recall that A-list was already in place and it was thet tail end of the flight awards before changing to revenue basis.

Home airport MDW, frequent visitor to MCO to see the mouse.

Re: WN Needs Rapid Reward Lifetime Status

luvmygirls
Explorer C

I like that idea. It would give me incentive to always use Southwest instead of an airline that has a direct flight to the location of my clients.

Re: WN Needs Rapid Reward Lifetime Status

ZachLUVSWN
Explorer C

Absolutely agree!!!! Let’s do it SWA

Re: WN Needs Rapid Reward Lifetime Status

malones1
Explorer C

I completely agree that Southwest would benefit from having Lifetime RR Status!!  Hopefully they come out with something in the next few years.

Re: WN Needs Rapid Reward Lifetime Status

tszukala
Explorer C

I agree!