Southwest Rapid Rewards Card-Upgrades

[Orange Socks]

When DD was a freshman(6 yrs ago), I decided to get a Southwest Airlines Rapid Reward Card so I could earn points for Summer Travel. I basically put all of my expenses on the card and make 2 payments each month to pay off the balance. The plan worked pretty good. We were able to get free flights every summer for me, DD and wife if she could go. I burned a lot of points to get a kid to the TCS tourney in Atlanta. She was not going to go because of costs. It was nice to be able to do that for her and she really did well that tourney.

Now that DD is in college, we chose to drive to her games where it made sense last season. We drove to Dallas, Kerrville, San Antonio, Shreveport and back to Houston. I have piled up a bunch of points this year, and last month I got a notice that I have achieved A-List Status. Okay that's cool. But over the weekend, I got an email telling me that I have qualified for the coveted Companion Pass for a year! Now this is very Cool!

Based on DD's Spring schedule, we can fly 6 or 7 times instead of driving. I use my points and wife flies for FREE!!!! Flights are very cheap right now too. The only downside is I won't have a vehicle, but Uber will work just fine. We usually bring our own chairs, but I told my wife we can store them in DD's apartment for the season. It is pretty fun to start planning the spring season. First game is only a month away!

 

[Tatonka]

That's a great story and a fine example of how to maximize the bennies! For us an added benefit of flying Southwest is the extra baggage allowance and the liberal change policy. I'm jealous of being able to plan around schedule for the upcoming season as we are still waiting to know if there will be a season in the Mid West Conf and if the college will even allow students on campus for the entire Spring semester (as this goes to press it's not looking good).

 

[Westwind]

Depending where you are, Uber works great for college softball trips! I was pretty skeptical of not renting a car but it has worked out great for us more than once, especially in places where the field is walking distance from the hotel.

A guy I work with has companion pass. He has a dd and a son in different cities both served by Southwest. They go visit monthly.