Southwest Airlines has announced upcoming changes to its Rapid Rewards® loyalty program designed to help members reach upper tiers faster. Starting January 1, flyers can earn A-List status with a minimum of 20 one-way qualifying flights, down from 25 flights currently. Members can advance to A-List Preferred status with 40 qualifying flights instead of the 50 required today. In addition, users of the program’s cobranded credit cards will receive 1,500 tier-qualifying points for every $5,000 charged, a 50% reduction in required spending.
"By lowering the tier requirements and making credit card spend count double toward tier requirements, we're able to deepen engagement with our brand and cobranded credit cards, while maintaining the core program values that our customers know and love,” said Jonathan Clarkson, Vice President of Marketing at Southwest Airlines.
A-List Preferred members also get two complimentary premium drinks per flight added directly to their mobile boarding passes beginning November 6. This spring Southwest will give members the option to pay for flights with a combination of cash and points, starting with as few as 1,000 points.
Clarkson says popular features of the program — like unlimited seat rewards, no blackout dates, and points that never expire — will continue unchanged.
Read More on Loyalty360:
Southwest Accelerates Member Rewards
Effective Response to Customer Frustration: Learning from Southwest
United Airlines Enhances Customer Experience with New Amenities