Time for a little churning history lesson with @SouthFayetteFan!
If you didn't already know this, I am a bit of a churning historian. I love the game, I've been playing it a long time, and I remember a lot of key events in the history of this great churn we all partake in!
First off I need to give proper credit to
@Ngwira for sharing this gem of a blog with me today:
https://www.dansdeals.com/points-tr...west-plays-dirty-pool-companion-pass-changes/
Apparently Mr. Danny Deal Guru feels like this deceptive practice rises to the level of a DoT complaint...I read through his blog, and the comments, and I'm just not seeing this one like he does. I think it's a good thing, and I will continue to think this is a good thing. At any rate, he references
the great Southwest CP rule change of 2017 where hotel transfers no longer counted. For those that weren't around then you might find this one interesting.
The announcement that came out on January 1 with NO notice was as follows:
We’re working to protect the integrity and value of Southwest’s industry-unique Rapid Rewards® Companion Pass by closing a loophole that previously allowed Members to transfer mileage and points from other partner loyalty programs toward qualification for a Companion Pass. As we closed this loophole, we also updated our terms and conditions which now clarifies that points converted from hotel and car loyalty programs, and e-Rewards, e-Miles, Valued Opinions and Diners Club will no longer count toward qualification for a Companion Pass. Members will continue to earn Companion Pass benefits through paid flights flown on Southwest, points earned through spend with Southwest Airlines Rapid Rewards credit cards, and base points earned through transactions with Rapid Rewards partners.
I remember personally feeling pretty upset at SW for the timing of the 2017 change. With that change occurring right on Jan 1st with no notice, it just felt wrong. I had no skin in the game at the time because I was in the midst of the 2nd year of 2 CPs I believe (me and wife), but it still didn't feel like what I had come to expect from my favorite airline.
So within a few days the public backlash was SO great that they issued this statement:
As we began the New Year on January 1, we took the opportunity to close a loophole in our Rapid Rewards Companion Pass terms and conditions related to transferred points from our Partners. This was an effort intended to clarify qualification requirements for Companion Pass, one of the best benefits in travel, as well as to protect the integrity and value of the Rapid Rewards program.
In doing so, we updated our terms and conditions which now clearly state that points transferred from hotel and car loyalty programs, and e-Rewards, e-Miles, Valued Opinions and Diners Club will no longer count toward qualification for a Companion Pass. Members will continue to earn toward Companion Pass benefits through paid flights flown on Southwest, Points earned through spend with Southwest Airlines Rapid Rewards credit cards, and base points earned through transactions with Rapid Rewards partners.
Many of you have reached out to us since then, and we greatly appreciate your honest and candid feedback. Because we are a Company that values our Customers and believes in doing the right thing, we are offering a limited window for Customers to earn toward Companion Pass by transferring their loyalty points from these Partners.
To that end, points converted from the above mentioned programs will count towards a Companion Pass until March 31, 2017. This is a hard deadline and we will not be able to make any exceptions beyond March 31. If you have points with these Partners that you wanted to transfer, please do not wait. Make the transfer before the deadline.
We appreciate all of our Customers and look forward to seeing you onboard very soon!
I'm fairly certain that this grace period had nothing to do with Danny and his DoT campaign, but either way, they made it right!
Hopefully you guys enjoyed today's history lesson, lol! I don't see SW backing off on this one, but we'll see what happens! Hopefully everybody is able to earn their CP via 2 Biz cards as we've discussing a lot lately!