Everything You Wanted to Know About Southwest's Revamped Rapid Rewards Program

• This is a major downgrade to Rapid Rewards for frequent short-haul travelers, who probably represent most of Southwest's frequent fliers. Until now, you could spend less than $1000 for 8 cheap ("Wanna Get Away") short-distance round-trips within 2 years (I've flown several such flights recently for round-trip fares ranging from $80 to $140), and then you would get a free round trip *anywhere*. Many destinations cost $400-500 per round-trip even with the cheapest web-only fares. So you could easily spend around $1000 (potentially as little as $650) and then get a $400 trip free. Now (assuming you don't have lots of money to waste on expensive "Anytime" or Business fares), if you spend $1000, you'll get a free trip worth exactly $100. Of course, Southwest trumpets all the improvements and most reporters parrot them. I've read many news items about this, and only one, in a little Baltimore paper (http://bit.ly/fDw14q), described what I've pointed out here, which is probably the most typical actual effect of the changes. Boo Southwest. Boo reporters!

• yes I understand that it now takes more lower fare flights to get a free flight, but most people use the free flight bc they had it, it wasnt necessarily a trip they had to take. So if they dont earn a free flight as quickly, you are assuming they are going to buy more low fares to get that free flight

• extrapolate-> You mean I get a bigger prize and I get to butt in line in front of everyone else while they watch? This is just like first grade when I won the lunch patrol duty badge for a week. I could spend the extra money a violin lesson for my kid but I need to feel good about myself right now. http://www.credit.com/blog/2011/01/rewards-cards-work-for-the-card-company/

• No. I'm not paying anything to go anywhere. Southwest is making more money by giving away fewer freebies. Do you have comprehension difficulties?

• so are you saying you are going to pay $120 more per leg to get more points? If so, are you booking business trips for which you will be reimbursed or personal trips? If you pay more for the personal trip then you are in the minority

• That several hundred million is not hard to see. Cheap flights used to earn freebies just as fast as expensive (relatively) flights. Now, they don't. Just look at the math in the chart. $220 on cheap flights get less than half the points of full fare. Now, extrapolate.

• Its great that they are removing black out dates, but how does he come up with the number that they will pick up "severl hundred million" If he assuming that people will pay the higher fares to amass more points, then thats a flawed thought. We all know people will book the cheapest fare possible that is available. Its all about the here and now. People wont worry about that free flight until its time to use it.

• The vast majority of my flying are business trips to Austin and Houston. I always get the cheapest fare, and book as early as I can, to save the client costs. I always used SWA because of the convenience, and this doesn't change that. I've always been able to get to the courthouse in Houston and back in my office by early afternoon. The occasional free flight was a bonus, but the date restrictions really limited their value. I do like the fact these don't expire and there are no black out dates. In the long run, it'll be better I suppose. I checked the fine print and it looks like you still earn points for using the Chase Visa card.

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