Are you planning to book a trip in 2024? Well, here are the flights to your next destination with Southwest Airlines. a bit It’s more expensive, at least if you use Southwest Rapid Rewards points.
If you’re a Southwest Rapid Rewards member, you can casually skim (or skip entirely) every word of your Rapid Rewards account statement.
as First reported by Frequent Miler As this TPG writer checked on Nov. 10 when he checked the bottom of his Rapid Rewards account statement email, Southwest recently issued the following notice:
Starting January 1, 2024, the number of Rapid Rewards points required per dollar of base fare will increase by approximately 4% for flights purchased using Rapid Rewards points.
So what does this mean for travelers?
Related: Southwest revamps Rapid Rewards with lower status thresholds
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Southwest Rapid Rewards points will lose value in 2024
“We recently notified Rapid Rewards® members that starting January 1, 2024, there will be a slight increase in the number of Rapid Rewards points per dollar of base fare required to redeem Wanna Get Away®, Wanna Get Away Plus®. , Anytime, and Business Select® fares,” a Southwest Airlines spokesperson told TPG in a statement. “We remain focused on improving the customer experience and remain committed to delivering non-stop Southwest hospitality. We are making this change as part of our normal business operations to adapt to the current environment and increasing cost pressures. going.”
Although Southwest Airlines has given customers plenty of notice about the change, it’s not the first time the airline has reduced the value of a points program that already ties the number of points required to a cash price. In 2021, loyalty programs reduced the value of Rapid Rewards points by 6%.
Related: Best Southwest Airlines Credit Cards
conclusion
While a 4% increase in the number of points required to book award tickets is not a huge loss, it is interesting to see an already revenue-based program see such a drop in ratings. However, with the current pattern, I wouldn’t be surprised if the same thing happens again with Rapid Rewards in a few years.