Good afternoon everyone, there are a few questions regarding the new Southwest Airlines devaluation (Travel Summary post). The questions that come to mind are: why now?; what exactly is changing?; and how will this affect my traveling plans? I’m sorry, I don’t have answers to any of those questions, but I have a tip on how to make the devaluation less painful.
Before I go on, a friend of mine created this Facebook Page: Where’s the LUV? to protest the devaluation. Southwest Airlines gave us no explanation for why the devaluation is occurring or what is changing. If enough of us like this Facebook page, maybe Southwest Airlines will start answering some of our questions.
Last week, I wrote about retention offers / spending bonuses available for Citi: 1 Call to Citi to Inquire about 5 Credit Card Retention Offers. I live by this rule: if you don’t ask, you won’t get anything. It never hurts to ask. With that said, I would not go crazy with HUCA calling Chase several times. For more retention tips, please read this Doctor of Credit post.
Anyway, if you have any of the following Chase credit cards…
- Chase Southwest Airlines Plus
- Chase Southwest Airlines Premier
- Chase Southwest Airlines Plus Business
- Chase Southwest Airlines Premier Business
…you should be able to get a retention offer of 3,000 bonus Southwest Airlines Rapid Reward Points for keeping the credit card open. Last July, I got a 3,000 bonus point retention offer on my Chase Southwest Airlines Premier Credit Card, along with the usual 6,000 anniversary bonus points. The bonus points posted in 2 separate statements.
With that said, I called Chase a few days ago and asked if there were any retention offers available for my Chase Southwest Airlines Plus and Premier credit cards. After a few minutes on the phone, the Chase rep was able to offer me 3,000 bonus points to keep both of my credit cards open, even though my annual fees aren’t until June (Plus) and July (Premier). I was told that the bonus points would show up on my next 1-2 statements. I got 6,000 bonus Southwest Airlines points for a 10 minute phone call. Not bad!
If you have any questions, please leave a comment below. Have a great day everyone!
Glad that you were able to get some bonus points…you can still cancel the cards after your annual fee hits….
My annual fee just hit and I called and canceled. I have one question…Since the fee has posted to my account, am I supposed to pay it first and then ask for a refund? Or will it be taken off automatically now that my account is closed? Thanks
The annual fee should be removed from your closed credit card after a few weeks. You won’t have to pay anything.
Thanks for spreading the word, Grant. The Facebook page went from just a handful of members to 30 in just a couple hours. As the community grows there will be a bigger picture to follow, but we need a lot more people interested before that can happen.
Let’s keep it rolling folks!
Will do, it will take time, but hopefully the number of likes will continue to steadily increase.
I liked the facebook page, but with only 24 of us so far I’m not too confident we’ll get their attention.
Jake,
You’re right, 24 members will get the attention of no one. Just remember that the page is in its infancy. It has only been up for two days. And just now being mentioned on a couple blogs.
What is needed is people like yourself to spread the word. If each person gets just a few people to join the community, and those people repeat the process, then we’ll be getting somewhere. Numbers in the four figure range, or more, is certainly possible. But it will take action from everyone.
As the community grows be on the lookout for simple, unified action steps to get the attention of Southwest and media outlets.
You can also follow Where’s the LUV on Twitter at wheres_theluv.
Thanks for your interest and participation.
True, but we have to start somewhere. A journey of a thousand miles begins with a singel step :)
I just got my retention bonus a few months ago when I kept my card opened. Do you think they’ll still give me a retention offer now? (yes, I know I could just ask and find out, but I figured maybe you’d know the answer and then I won’t have to ask yet :) ).
It really depends on your account history with Chase. If you say something about the Southwest Airlines devaluation and that you are reconsidering whether or not to keep this card, you might get another retention offer from Chase.
ok, I usually just ask upfront if there was a retention offer and get a yes/no answer. Maybe the devaluation would give me more leverage. Thanks.
It is a good idea to give the rep some information as to why you are asking for a retention offer. Let me know how it goes for you.
I just got a 6,000 point retention offer just by asking! (Took her a bit to understand what I was asking but once she realized it was offered right away.)
Excellent, glad you got some bonus Southwest Airlines points just for calling :)
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