Southwest Airlines Is Getting Rid Of Another Perk For Passengers

The same day that Southwest Airlines' new policy ends the Dallas carrier's practice of providing two free checked bags, another beloved perk is going away.

Employees of Southwest Airlines check passengers in at Philadelphia International Airport September 2, 2022 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Alex Wong/Getty Images

Starting next month, flight credits, the travel funds customers receive when a flight is canceled or a fare is downgraded, will now have expiration dates. Previously, Southwest fliers didn't have a rush to use flight credits, but now that the airline is adopting policies similar to competitors, travelers will need to use up the credit in one year or less, depending on the fare purchased.

The policy switch is slated to go into effect for flight credits created from reservations booked or changed on or after May 28. But if you manage to secure flight credits by the day before, on May 27, Southwest will honor the former policy of never having those expire, according to the airline's help center.

And don’t expect to find a sneaky way around the new policy for yourself or a friend. Southwest notes that if you apply the flight credit toward a new reservation booked and ticketed or changed on or after May 28 and later cancel the reservation, any flight credit or transferable flight credit will have a specified expiration date.

When first announcing the move to expire flight credits, along with other changes, Southwest CEO Bob Jordan said, "We have tremendous opportunity to meet current and future customer needs, attract new customer segments we don’t compete for today, and return to the levels of profitability that both we and our shareholders expect."

Still, some of Southwest's adjustments have been met with criticism that the airline is dropping policies that once made it stand out. Along with the more noticeable changes to baggage and flight credits, other alterations affecting smaller sectors of customers have been made. The latest involved the carrier’s loyalty program, known as Southwest Rapid Rewards, which introduced variable redemption rates last month. Under those rates, Southwest says flights with lower demand will have lower redemption rates than they did while flights with high peak demand may have higher redemption rates than they formerly did.

Of course, the biggest change for many happened last summer, when Southwest said it would end its open seating policy. At the time, Southwest cited a change in consumer preferences as its motive for the change, yet some loyalists signed petitions begging for open seating to remain. Still, Southwest is pushing ahead on it, with plans to begin offering booking for assigned and premium seating in the second half of this year and operating with assigned seating in 2026.

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Delta Will No Longer Allow Customers Who Book Basic Economy Tickets To Use Airport Lounges And Other Restrictions.

Delta Air Lines is changing how customers can gain entry into its Sky Club and earn elite frequent flyer status with the Atlanta-based airline in 2025.

Instead of the current unlimited visits, starting Feb. 1, 2025, American Express Platinum and Platinum Business cardholders will get six visits a year, unless they spend $75,000 on the card in a calendar year.

Delta SkyMiles Reserve and Reserve Business cardholders will get 10 Sky Club visits a year unless they spend a minimum of $75,000 in a year on their card.

Delta’s SkyMiles Platinum and Platinum Business American Express cards will no longer get club access unless the customer buys a club membership or if they have elite status with Delta that allows them to pick a club membership as a perk.

A yearly membership for Delta’s lounges is $695.

Some restrictions will start as soon as January 1, 2024, with the airline announcing that customers who book a basic economy ticket will no longer be allowed in Delta’s lounges, regardless if they carry a Platinum Card or any other premium credit card.

The news comes as the airline struggled to handle overcrowding at popular lounges at Delta’s major hubs like JFK Airport or Atlanta.

Along with the lounge cutbacks, Delta is also making it increasingly more difficult for its customers to qualify for status on its SkyMiles program.

Passengers will no longer earn status based on the number of miles they fly with Delta but instead will earn status based exclusively on the amount of money they spend with the airline.

Delta SkyMiles Reserve and Reserve Business American Express card members earn 1 Medallion Qualifying Dollar (MQD) for every $10 spent on the card, while Delta SkyMiles Platinum and Platinum Business American Express Card Members earn 1 MQD for every $20 spent.

The new status requirements are:

Silver Medallion – 6,000 MQDs

Gold Medallion – 12,000 MQDs

Platinum Medallion – 18,000 MQDs

Diamond Medallion – 35,000 MQDs

By Sarah Rumpf-Whitten, Fox Business

Travelore Tips: Southwest Airlines Launches Limited-Time Companion Pass Offer

Southwest Airlines Co. today launches a special promotional Companion Pass® offer for Rapid Rewards® Members ready to take flight with a family member, friend, or loved one. Qualifying Customers can designate their Companion and travel with the Companion Pass which is valid for unlimited usage from January 8 through March 8, 2024.

To qualify, Rapid Rewards Members must:

Register for the promotion and purchase a Southwest® revenue flight (one round trip or two one-ways), starting today through August 30, 2023; Travel by September 30, 2023; and Designate a Companion to fly for free (does not include taxes and fees from $5.60 one-way) with them from January 8 through March 8, 2024

The Companion Pass allows Rapid Rewards Members to designate one person to fly with them, free of airline charges (does not include taxes and fees from $5.60 one-way) every time the Customer purchases or redeems points for a flight.

"The Companion Pass is one of the most coveted airline perks in the industry, rewarding Customers for being part of our Rapid Rewards loyalty program," said Jonathan Clarkson, Vice President Marketing at Southwest Airlines®. "As the airline with Heart, we want our Customers to feel appreciated for flying with Southwest, and what better way to do that than to offer the opportunity to travel and share experiences with a Companion."

Visit Southwest.com for the full list of terms and conditions.

The Incredible Airline Perk You Need To Get Right Now From Southwest

© Proehl Studios/Corbis

If you fly Southwest Airlines and don't have the Companion Pass, you could be losing thousands of dollars a year.

In On Points, Brian Kelly, founder of The Points Guy, shares his strategies for getting the most out of your points and miles.

Southwest Airlines is…different. It’s the only U.S. airline that still gives passengers two free checked bags on all fares, and doesn’t charge fees for flight changes or cancellations. But the biggest difference may be its loyalty program, Rapid Rewards. It’s typical in a lot of ways—as with JetBlue and Virgin America, you can redeem points for any flight. Like United and Delta, Southwest gives you points depending on how much you spend.

But Southwest also offers one of the most powerful perks in existence, if you know how to get it and use it: the Companion Pass.

Why the Companion Pass is Special

This isn’t your typical companion pass, which can be redeemed once for a “free” ticket (usually with additional fees and scant seat availability). It is much, much more valuable. Southwest’s Companion Pass is a semi-elite status. When you fly 100 flights OR accrue 110,000 Companion Pass Qualifying Points (more on that in a minute) in a calendar year, you achieve Companion Pass Status. You don’t have to trade in the miles for status—you get it in addition to those points.

That means you can take a designated companion with you whenever you buy or use points for a Southwest ticket, paying only nominal government fees. And get this—the status is good for the whole year that you qualify and the following year. So the earlier you get your Companion Pass in a calendar year, the more time you have to maximize it. For example, if you qualify on February 15, 2016, it will be valid until December 31, 2017.

You Can Get It Without Even Flying

Amazingly, you don’t need to set foot on a plane to earn those 110,000 Companion Pass Qualifying Points: you can do it by signing up for a Southwest credit card from Chase.

The sign-up bonus (which is currently 50,000 points) counts towards pass status. And if you have a small business, you can also get the business version of the card; after you spend $2,000 on each card to get your bonus, you end up at 104,000 points. You need to charge $6,000 more to get the Companion Pass, since every dollar spent on the credit card earns 1 qualifying point.

Earn Southwest Qualifying Points with Hotel Rewards

You can also reach companion pass status by transferring hotel points to Southwest. You usually don’t get a great exchange rate when transferring hotel points to airlines, but in this case there is an amazing option. With Marriott’s Hotel + Air packages, you can redeem hotel points for seven nights at a hotel, bundled with airline miles from carriers that include Southwest. The Southwest packages start at just 270,000 Marriott points for a week at a category 1-5 hotel and 120,000 Southwest points, which is more than enough for Companion Pass status! Once you complete this redemption by calling Marriott and the points hit your Southwest account, you’ll get Companion Pass status. It is that easy. I did it several years ago when I stayed at the JW Marriott in Cannes during the annual film festival, which was one of my best redemptions ever.

More Ways to Earn Your Companion Pass

There are other ways to earn those qualifying points:

• Shop though Southwest’s online portal—and you don’t need the credit card to do so.
• Rent cars from companies including Hertz, Dollar, Alamo.
• Enroll in Rapid Rewards Dining and go out to eat.

What Else You Should Know

• You can add your companion on to any ticket, even if your company purchases it.
• Companions can be added on to all Southwest-operated flights, including their new international routes to places like Aruba and Costa Rica.
• Companions don’t have to fly with you on every part of your journey—if you’re flying roundtrip and need to leave on a business trip, your companion doesn’t have to return with you. However, they do have to fly with you to get the flight for free. You can’t book a flight for you and a companion and then cancel your ticket.
• You can change your companion up to three times during the validity of your Companion Pass. But no double-dipping! Each time you add a new companion, all existing reservations with your old companion will be invalidated.

by Brian Kelly , www.travelandleasure.com