Free Giveaway: $49 Southwest Gift Card
January 9, 2015
Longtime reader Cave Man is offering one lucky reader a $49 Southwest gift card.
Southwest gift cards are fully transferable and don't expire. There are two ways to enter, and you can enter both ways.
Rapid Rewards,Avios,Award Booking
Another Reason Miles Are Better than Cash: Free Cancellations
January 6, 2015
Using miles to book trips instead of using cash has tons of advantages:
Easier access to First Class and flat beds: An international First Class ticket can cost $10k or the amount of miles you can get from opening a pair of credit cards.
Better open jaw and stopover rules: Few revenue tickets allow you to stopover without increasing in price.
Companion Pass,MileValue,Rapid Rewards
Powerpoint Slides from Chicago Seminars about Southwest Companion Pass
December 12, 2014
In October, I had the pleasure of speaking at the Chicago Seminars.
Free Giveaway: $51 Southwest Gift Card
December 12, 2014
Longtime reader Cave Man is offering one lucky reader a $51 Southwest gift card.
Southwest gift cards are fully transferable and don't expire. There are two ways to enter, and you can enter both ways.
Free Giveaway: Two Southwest Drink Passes
December 9, 2014
Chris won the drink passes. Stay tuned for more giveaways.
Generous reader Virginia wants to give away her two Southwest drink passes that expire December 31, 2014.
If you can use them between December 16 and 31 of this year, leave a comment.
How to Exploit the Southwest-Airtran Merger
October 13, 2014
Deal originally posted April 22, 2012. Deal ends November 1, 2014. Post updated 10/13/14:
Southwest Airlines and Airtran Airways' three-year merger is almost complete. For over two years, transfers have been allowed between Southwest's Rapid Rewards loyalty program and Airtran's A+ loyalty program.
These transfers present an arbitrage opportunity that caps roundtrip award flights at 19,200 Southwest points (the normal cost of a $274 award.)
This is a cool trick that can save you major Rapid Rewards.
Rapid Rewards,Virgin America,JetBlue,Free First Class Next Month
Free First Class 2014: Basics of Southwest, JetBlue, and Virgin America Points
August 12, 2014
This is the nineteenth post in a monthlong series that started here. Each post will take about two minutes to read and may include an action item that takes the reader another two minutes to complete. I am writing this for an audience of people who know nothing about frequent flyer miles, and my goal is that by the end, you know enough to fly for free anywhere you want to go.
I've covered how to earn miles and the redemption options for miles.
Southwest 40% Bonus on Purchased Points, Worth It?
July 25, 2014
Until July 31, 2014, you get a 40% bonus when purchasing Southwest Rapid Rewards points.
You can buy points here and the bonus is automatically coded into the purchase.
With the 40% bonus, the all in price is 1.96 cents per point, and you can buy in increments of 1,400 points.
Is buying Southwest Rapid Rewards for 1.96 cents each a good deal?
There are very few circumstances in which I would buy Southwest Rapid Rewards for 1.96 cents each.
Southwest points can be redeemed for any Wanna Get Away?
50,000 Rapid Rewards + $50 Statement Credit
July 21, 2014
Commenters are not having success with calling in. Writing a Secure Message is still untested. If you want a 50k offer, just wait a few months. They pop up every few months.
I got an email from Southwest over the weekend with the subject "Get 2 Roundtrip Flights along with a $50 statement credit for EarlyBird Check-In" that advertised the best Southwest credit card offer I've ever seen.
The offer is for 50,000 Rapid Rewards (worth over $700 in free Southwest flights) after spending $2,000 in the first three months after opening the account.
750 Free Southwest Rapid Rewards for 20 Seconds of Work
July 7, 2014
Three weeks ago I got an email from AirTran A+ Rewards with the subject "Get 750 Rapid Rewards Bonus Points."
The email explains that Rapid Rewards and A+ Rewards, Southwest's and AirTran's loyalty programs will merge on November 2, 2014. (Southwest acquired AirTran in May 2011.)
If you verify your A+ and Rapid Rewards accounts to make that combination easier on the airline, you can get a quick 750 Rapid Rewards, worth about $11 in free flights.