Fast-track to Southwest elite status

Goooood morning, and welcome back to Daily Drop, the dirty martini of newsletters. Not only are we a classic, but we’re sure to get the party started. 🍸

Speaking of parties, let’s get this one started:

• ✈️ Fast-track to Southwest elite status

• 🍪 Tasty Travel Tidbits

• 👫🏻 Earn an EASY Southwest Companion pass valid for two months

✈️ Fast-track to Southwest elite status

This year has been unprecedented in terms of deals, card offers, transfer bonuses, and status matches.

But I think it’s fair to say that Southwest has been the belle of the ball on all fronts.

On top of everything else they’ve done this year, they are now offering a way to fast-track your way to elite status.

So, before we get to the meat of it, let me clarify a few things:

• This offer only allows you to fast-track to A-List or A-List Preferred status, not Companion Pass

• You need to register for the offer from your Southwest account

• All parts of this promotion are valid through November 30th, 2024

So, there are five different elements to this promotion. Two of them won’t apply to the vast majority of you, so let’s talk about the three aspects that do:

1. Earn double Tier Qualifying Points on paid flights

2. Rewards flights booked with points will qualify toward status

3. 2,000 bonus Tier Qualifying Points for every $5,000 spent on co-branded cards

All of these components are super useful and could really help boost you toward status.

For reference, here are the requirements for earning each tier of A-List status:

As you can imagine, having reward flights count toward the flight requirement could make it super easy to earn the lower-tier status.

But obviously, the higher tier of status (A-List Preferred) is what comes with the most meaningful benefits and perks:

Between the double-tier points on paid flights and the bonus for people who spend on co-branded cards, achieving this status is super reasonable, especially if you’ve had a good amount of Southwest activity so far this year.

So here’s the bottom line:

While it’s not as sexy as the Companion Pass (but keep reading… 😉), Southwest A-List status comes with some excellent benefits.

This offer gives you three months of boosted earning rates across multiple methods to help you get there through the end of 2025.

Again, just be sure to register for the offer before booking and taking flights in order for them to be eligible.

🍪 Tasty Travel Tidbits

🏨 Hyatt is offering 1,000 bonus points per night for stays at Unbound Collection hotels. Just click here to register for the offer and collect some extra points.

🏨 Marriott has partnered with yet another brand, adding over 10,000 new rooms to its global portfolio. It’s never a bad thing to have more hotel options with our favorite loyalty programs!

✈️ Delta has finally started launching free wifi on long-haul international flights. They’ve also laid out a detailed plan and timeline for implementing this feature on routes over the coming months.

👫🏻 Earn an EASY Southwest Companion pass valid for two months

And just like when it comes to cats, you can never have too many Southwest newsletter sections 😏

So here we are. But you better act fast because…

Southwest just launched a promo to allow members to earn the coveted Companion Pass by booking just one round-trip or two one-way flights…

The catch?

You must register for the promo and book your flights by tomorrow, September 5th 😬

To do this, log in to your account, click My Account at the top of the page, then scroll to the bottom and select Register for the Wanna bring a friend for free option.

Here are some additional details:

• You can book your flight(s) using cash, points, or Cash + Points

• Your travel must take place by November 20, 2024

• You’ll receive a limited-time Southwest Companion Pass to use between January 6 - March 6, 2025

• Only flights booked after registering will count

And if you aren’t aware, the Southwest Companion Pass allows you to bring a companion (I wonder if cats count…?) on any flight you take for just the cost of taxes and fees for that second ticket.

For domestic flights, that’s just $5.60 each way 🤯

To get this normally, you either need to earn 135,000 qualifying Rapid Reward points or fly 100 one-way flights in a year… which… is a freaking ton.

In the past, we’ve also seen it be offered as part of a welcome bonus on some of the airline’s credit cards.

But to get it for two months for just booking a round-trip or two one-way flights is pretty insane.

Obviously, the last-minute booking window is the kicker, but if you’ve been sitting on a flight you’ve been waiting to book and the travel timeframe works in your favor, this is an excellent deal 😎

Last week, Kara and Nate dropped a hot new vid on us which showed their experience flying on Turkish Airlines’ epic business class (check it out here).

In this week’s Daily Drop YouTube video, Brendan breaks down how to experience the same world-class product using points and miles.

He also covers some of the other benefits and sweet spots of the Turkish Miles & Smiles program, so check it out. 👇

That’s all for today, folks!

I love to see Southwest offer promos like these.

Obvi, the Companion Pass is great, and personally, I think A-List status is ALSO great - it’s easy to earn, easy to understand, has solid perks, and fits in perfectly with Southwest’s more simplistic approach to everything.

But I’m curious…

Take care, and see you bright and early tomorrow. 🌞

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