This blog started with a focus on miles and points and travel. It has evolved since then. Everything below deals with the hobby of collecting frequent flyer miles and points and maximizing your travel experiences. If you are not interested, you can stop here, thank you.

MILES & POINTS

So, here we go again…

Southwest came out with so many changes this week that makes our heads spin. Has there been such a transformation of an airline so fast in the history of aviation? I would argue no. It appears someone flipped a switch suddenly and management decided we are out with the old and we are going to go premium…just like every other airline. The stock price has rewarded them so far, climbing from the mid $20’s to about $40 per share. Will this succeed? Who knows, we will find out as it all plays out. Here are all the announcements straight from Southwest: Rapid Rewards^® is becoming even more rewarding in 2027. At the bottom of this page there is an extensive very good Q&A section that will likely answer any of your questions.

I mean, where to start? You can do a basic run through of all the changes in this post: RIP: Southwest Axes Companion Pass Shortcut With New Rapid Rewards Status Tiers. And can we all please rise and observe a moment of silence for the Companion Pass? The one hack that has survived for so many years is finally dead. Well, it continues to exist but the days of easily obtaining it with a credit card signup (or two) are over. There is a very brief window in the next month and a half that you can still get it but starting in 2027 you can kiss it goodbye. Unless you spend $140,000 on a Southwest credit card that is LOL.

Upgraded Points did a really good job covering all the Southwest news. For the record, this blogger was not invited to be wined and dined by Southwest in its big press event. You know, no one invites me to these things, I wonder why. Anyway, to learn more about the changes check out these posts:

Southwest Revamps Rapid Rewards Status With New Platinum Tier and Milestone Rewards

So, A-List becomes Silver elite, A-List Preferred becomes Gold elite, new Platinum elite enters the picture. Forget Companion Pass Qualifying points, they are history. Everything elite status related is going to be based on Tier Qualifying Points (TQPs) or flights: Silver at 35,000 TQPs or 25 flights, Gold at 65,000 TQPs or 50 flights, Platinum at 140,000 TQPs or 100 flights. The big change is this: As of January 1, 2027, every Southwest Rapid Rewards card will earn 1 TQP per $1 spent on eligible purchases.

These are the key benefits available for each tier:

• Silver: Free Preferred or Standard seat selection when booking, upgrades to Extra Legroom seats within 48 hours of departure (subject to availability), Group 1 boarding, 1 free checked bag, and 40% bonus points on qualifying flights
• Gold: Free selection of any seat at the time of booking (including Extra Legroom), boarding before Group 1, 2 free checked bags, 60% bonus points, and 2 complimentary premium drinks per flight
• Platinum: Unlimited Companion Pass trips, boarding before Gold members, 3 free checked bags, 120% bonus points, and the same seat and drink benefits available to Gold members

What stands out is Platinums getting unlimited Companion Pass trips.

Southwest is also adding Milestone Rewards at 20,000 TQPs or 15 flights (2,000 points or 2 preferred seat certs) and at 95,000 TQPs or 75 flights (Three Companion Passes).

There is more: More Ways To Use Southwest Coming in 2027: Partner Flights, Seat Selection, and Rental Cars.

The thought of using Southwest points to fly internationally was a fantasy before this airline transformation began. Well, starting in 2027 we can burn Southwest points to fly on Icelandair, China Airlines and Etihad! Just typing this made me shake my head, wow. Of course, no celebrations because we have no idea what the award rates will be. We can also use points on rental cars (don’t do that) and seat selections.

Wait, there is more: Southwest Reveals New Icon Lounge and Design Details.

Southwest lounges now have a name: Icon. You know, I like this name. And they look good…in pictures. The first four lounges are under construction and expected to open in late 2027 in Austin AUS, Baltimore BWI, Honolulu HNL and Nashville BNA. Seven more lounges will follow. That is 11 lounges from 0! All the lounges will have a golden-hour inspired bar. Just the thought of Southwest passengers lining up around those poles before boarding to sipping champagne in full service bars is shocking. And brace yourselves for the new premium Southwest Rapid Rewards Icon card soon to come that will grant you lounge access I am sure. Maybe you can use my links to get it? #Hint. Any predictions on what the annual fee will be? I am going for $499.

Finally, Southwest is expected to be the first airline to roll out Starlink in all its flights by late 2027.

Got all that? This space is never boring!

United came out with the new rules how to achieve elite status for 2027 and the trend towards universal revenue based earning mode is pretty much complete now: United Is Changing How You Earn Elite Status in 2027. I think it is also becoming easier to understand by taking at least one of them three letter acronyms out completely. And of course it kept the minimum 4 United or United express flights requirement to qualify for any Premier elite status level. If you had elite status this year you will get a leg up on next year’s with United crediting your account at 5% of the requirement. Anyway, it has become even harder to qualify for United’s top 1k elite level going forward.

The airline is getting rid of Premier Qualifying Flights (PQFs) as a way to earn status. Going forward, elite status will be based on Premier Qualifying Points (PQPs) only. That means how many flights you take will no longer help lower the PQP requirement.

This may apply to you. If it does, this is very helpful: How to get free checked bags on United flights that are booked with partner miles.

I eat out a lot. And I always try to hit some restaurants that earn me some miles. Especially if I need to keep some miles from expiring, being close to hitting a level for a particular award or sometimes there are decent promotions. Such as one I am doing now for my daughter’s American Airlines miles account being close to 40,000 miles and doing a promo to hit 3 restaurants to earn 600 bonus miles (on top of the regular miles earned per dine). Hey, I am going to eat somewhere so might as well feed my miles addiction as well lol. So, this is a good reference to be aware of: Eat out, earn more: Guide to card-linked dining programs for airlines, hotels & more.

As blogged about recently, Hyatt is phasing out its partnership with American Airlines. And it is linking up with Air Canada Aeroplan (with Delta Skymiles coming in 2027). If you have not done so yet, you can link your World of Hyatt account to your Air Canada Aeroplan account HERE. After you link the two accounts, you can then REGISTER to earn 1.5 Aeroplan miles per $1 USD spent in Hyatt stays through February 14, 2027. No catch, we are talking FREE miles for doing something you were going to do. Free miles are the best miles lol. In addition, Air Canada Aeroplan announced a status challenge for World of Hyatt Globalist and Explorist elite members. Which I am passing like most of you.  But it is still good to see the two companies partnering more…

Register for the latest Hilton Honors promotion HERE: Register now and earn 3,000 Bonus Points each time you stay at one of Hilton’s 1,000+ luxury, lifestyle, resort, or all-inclusive hotels. Plus, earn 1,000 Bonus Points on every other stay in the Hilton portfolio. Register and stay between October 15 and December 31 to earn.

If you have been here for a while, you know that I like to make fun of Delta’s marketing speak. I mean, take a look at this press release: Feel like the only one: The next era of Delta One is here. I have never seen such a collection of pompous fake BS in one web page, just wow. While you shake your head when you see stuff like this below, remember that the actual seats in these routes are the absolute worst. Like they are contemporary with the dinosaur age. Delta, you never fail to make me grab a shovel…Notice that no one puts an actual name behind this, it is written by a “Staff Writer” lol. Ok, just the opening paragraph to get a feel of what comes next in the press release:

Today, Delta unveils the next era of Delta One — an investment that elevates dining, hospitality and rest. Informed by two decades of customer insights and backed by the airline’s largest investment to-date — building upon more than $1 billion invested in fleet — the refined Delta One was meticulously designed, spanning thousands of touchpoints and delivering an unmatched journey.

Sometimes I come across a place that just leaves such an impression on me that I gotta have stay in it. And I think this Hilton in Crete, Greece is it: Inside the New Hilton Chania Old Town Resort & Spa in Crete, Greece. Wow, looks amazing. In-room sauna? Check. Private plunge pool? Check. Huge balcony with amazing view? I am picturing myself waking up and drinking my coffee there already.

Rove just continues adding transfer partners, next one up is JetBlue and the transfer ratio is 1:1. And it comes with a 20% transfer bonus through November 14, 2026. So, for full disclosure, I am still waiting for some Rove miles since my online purchase on July 15. And a blog reader recently used my link, he got his miles and I sure haven’t (yet?). So, keep these in mind and if you still want to get started with Rove, please use my Rove Referral Link, thank you.

Hyatt finally gets its members to share points online instead of emailing a PDF form and…waiting. And it is very straight forward, here is how it works on its website and the app. Interestingly, there is now a cap both ways of 525,000 points transferred per calendar year. Be aware that both accounts must be open for at least 60 days. Transfers can be done once per month and up to only six times per year. It is all handled by Points.com, which is strange. Finally, any member can buy up to 55,000 World of Hyatt points in a calendar year for themselves and up to another 55,000 for other members collectively.