Southwest rant and new rewards system

Also, if you are booking a free flight using partial old credits, you will be stuck with the old system of blackout dates. Only 100% new rewards system credits will get you the "no blackout" dates.

I tried buying a flight this week with points from Las Vegas to Dallas that was $119. It said it would be 7100 points as the purchase price when I converted the grid to points from $$. I was unable to use the points at that price (7100 pts) that I get on my Rapid Rewards Visa. The website spat out a box saying that points price was unavailable and would I be interested in paying 15,000 points for the same flight. Thw $119 plus tax was a good price and I was glad to pay it but why put a points price up if they are not going to honor it?

The airlines who invented loyalty reward programs continue to make it more and more difficult to cash in their miles. They treat these programs like a liability.

Casinos are also guilty of this

Hotels who came later in the game make it easier to cash in.

Now instead of flying with one loyal airline, I now fly whatever airline that gets me from A to B the fastest and cheapest; which defeats the purpose of the loyalty program.

Conversely when I book a hotel I go to the Hilton site first because that is where I have the most points & as a result they get the bulk of my hotel business thus fulfilling the goal of the loyalty program