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Hawaii Residents: Opportunity to Earn BIG Southwest Points Abruptly Ended [UPDATE]

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NEW disappointing update from the Southwest PR team!

Southwest recently announced a terrific offer for residents of Hawaii. If you live in the Aloha State, you can earn 5,000 Southwest points just by enrolling in Southwest’s frequent flyer program called Rapids Rewards. 

But they have now told me that in fact they DID “change” the end date that was initially announced of July 31, 2019 to May 31, 2019 without sending any notice of this.

When I reached out to them last week, they confirmed that July 31, 2019 was still the end date, but now they say they miscommunicated and that was the date by which all those who were having their Hawaii residency confirmed should submit proof of residency. 

Here was that email communication on June 7:

Me: “Some of my readers are reporting that they are being told that this promo, which says it runs through July 31 below, has been changed to have ended May 31. Could you let me know?”

Them: “Hello Lyn – Thank you for reaching out. I am confirming the date is July 31, 2019.”

Do you see another way to have understood that? I do not :(.

So… basically they changed the end date to this promotion to May 31 without letting anyone know (including me). I am very disappointed about this. Southwest is always known for their customer service and this is poor service. I don’t see what it would hurt to go ahead and give Hawaii residents a free 5,000 points.

Here was my full communication June 18 and June 19 from the Southwest PR person:

Hello Lyn: Thanks for reaching out again. I think there’s a misunderstanding via email, please allow be to clarify: July 31st is the date for those who signed up before or on May 31st. The July 31st date is how long it may take to verify the account. 
 
Again, May 31st was the last day anyone was able to sign up for the promotion and they have to be a current Hawaii resident. 
 
So Because of the overwhelming response, the new date was moved to May 31, so we may verify each Member as a Hawaii resident, the process may take up to 4 weeks. 
 
If a person has not heard back in a week or two, we’d suggest checking in with Customer Relations before then to ensure your request is not on hold due to additional information request.
So… bottom line… the below promotion ended as of May 31.

How Hawaii Residents Can Enroll in Southwest Rapid Rewards (Easy as 1,2,3!)

Southwest Hawaii

  • Visit Southwest.com.
  • Click on the Enroll button at the top right of the web page.
  • Fill out the form with your name and contact information.

Originally, Southwest said it would take no more than 72 hours for the 5,000 points to post. Now, however, in reaching out to them after many Go to Travel Gal readers were reporting they DID NOT get their points in that time period, the Southwest spokesperson said it now can take up to 4 weeks before your points post.

Road to Hana

Credit Hawaii Tourism Authority, Tor Johnson

The Southwest spokesperson said they have had an “overwhelming respose” and that they’ve “detected some anomalies in membership applications and put protocols in place to help verify these bonuses go only to those who meet the requirements” (ie those who actually live IN Hawaii).

The spokesperson went on to say:

“As a result, some Members had the enrollment bonus removed from their accounts. Anyone that was affected should contact our Customer Relations Department at [email protected]  by July 31, 2019, so we may take a moment to determine if bonus points may be reinstated.

“Those looking to be reinstated should send an email containing an image of a recent utility bill showing their residency in Hawaii. The subject line of the email must include “Hawaii 5K Enrollment” and their Rapid Rewards account number. Following a successful verification, 5,000 bonus points, good for travel on Southwest, will be awarded within four weeks.”

Other Things You Need to Know

Southwest Airlines Hawaii

Credit Southwest Airlines

Keep in mind these are “bonus” points, and “bonus” points, unfortunately do not qualify for Southwest elite status (A-List or A-List Preferred) and they do not qualify for the Southwest Companion Pass, which lets one person fly free with you for the life of the pass after you earn 110,000 qualifying Southwest points.

If you’d like to learn more about the Southwest Companion Pass, which is hands-down the BEST deal in travel, download my free cheat sheet, “10 Things You Must KNOW to Earn the Southwest Companion Pass” below:

Download Your FREE Guide & Start Flying FREE on Southwest!


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Southwest began flying to Hawaii and between Hawaiian islands earlier this year, so Hawaii residents could use their points to fly to other islands or back to the mainland.

Here’s 11 Things You Need to Know About Southwest Hawaii Flights.

Southwest flights Hawaii

Credit Southwest Airlines

Want to know what you could do with 5,000 Southwest points?

It only takes ~3,800 Southwest points to redeem a $49 Wanna Get Away one-way fare. Keep in mind that when you book with points, you’ll still need to pay the mandatory government security fee of $5.60 per way.

Lyn says she’s even seen flights as low as 800 points per way during a sale! So 5,000 points could take you quite far, especially if you hold the Southwest Companion Pass and could bring a friend or loved one FREE!
 
Do you live in Hawaii? Will you take advantage of this offer? Did you get your points?

Note: This information was provided via a Southwest Airlines press release.

 
______________________________________________

Want points to book free flights on Southwest?

Check out the Chase Southwest Rapid Rewards Visa cards, which allow you to earn tens of thousands of points after meeting a low minimum spend to book free flights on Southwest!

They include:

These points also qualify for the 110,000 points you need to earn the Southwest Companion Pass, so one person can fly free with you for up to two years. 

Keep in mind you can only hold ONE personal card at a time, though you can hold two business cards.

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Comments

  2. aaron says

    It’s odd. Some folks got their points instantly while others have gone 24 hours and nothing… 72 hours sounds fishy

    Reply

  3. Kaipo says

    This article says you have until July 31,2019 to enroll and get the points. But I tried yesterday and got zero points. Googled it and another page says that this deal expired!!

    Reply

    • Camilla A Sauder says

      It can take up to 72 hours for the points to show up. You have to make sure that you didn’t already have a Rapid Rewards account because if you’ve ever enrolled, you are not eligible.
      I would give it the 72 hours and see if they have shown up. If not, I would call Southwest.

      Reply

    • Lyn Mettler says

      The press release I received definitely states July 31 as the end date. I’ll forward it to you! :)Definitely give it 72 hours to credit, though, as well.

      Reply

  4. Shannon says

    Could you please send me the press release. Is it till July 31, 2019 this promo for 5,000 miles is good? Thank you.

    Reply

      • Cheryl says

        HI, thank you for the information. I was able to get the bonus points after sending proof of residency. My husband and I both signed up on 5/31 but this is the response he got:

        Thank you for reaching out to us about our Hawaii Exclusive Rapid Rewards Offer.

        From time to time, we offer exclusive promotional opportunities in specific markets or to targeted Members. This promotion was offered to new Members with a valid United States Postal Service Hawaii mailing address who enrolled between April 26, 2019 and May 31, 2019. While it does not appear that your account is eligible for this promotion, I encourage you to check out the Rapid Rewards Promotions page to view the current promotions available to you.

        We are honored to have you as a Rapid Reward Member, and we thank you for your patronage. We look forward to seeing you onboard again soon to any of the many cities that we serve!

        Sincerely,

        Mary, Southwest Airlines

        I got a different letter asking for proof of residency – so weird. I would like to email them but would like to see the press release stating the offer ends on July 31st. Could you kindly forward it to me. I would greatly appreciate it!

        Reply

        • Lyn Mettler says

          Hi Mary, can you share if this response came via email? I want to send it on to my Southwest contact. They reaffirmed directly with me on June 7 that is IS July 31 as an end date. They said to reach out to customer relations if you have any issues, but that it can now take up to 4 weeks instead of the original 72 days they had said.

          Reply

  6. Jennifer Phillips says

    I’d love the press release info… We did enroll, and never go the bonus points, and we all enrolled individually!

    Reply

  8. Clarissa says

    I just enrolled on Monday June 3rd, and had to contact Southwest through their Facebook page and they added on my points immediately. However my boyfriend just enrolled today June 5th and contacted their Facebook page and they said the promotion ended May 31. Can someone please send me the press release that shows the end date of July? Mahalo!

    Reply

  9. Kelli says

    Hi Lyn! Can you please send me a copy of press release stating the promo is extended to July 31st pls.

    Thanks!

    Reply

  12. Jarren says

    Hi, I recently tried and was told this:
    “Hey there, Jarren! We’re excited to have you as a new Rapid Rewards Member. Regrettably, this promotion ended on May 31, so we are unable to added those Points to your account. Apologies for any confusion, but we sincerely look forward to welcoming you onboard soon. -Alyssa”

    Could you forward the email, thank you!

    Reply

    • Lyn Mettler says

      I had another reader told the exact same thing via Facebook. Try calling customer service and see what they say. If not, let me know and reach back out to my PR contact who says the promotion absolutely runs through July 31. Can you let me know where you reached out to them that gave you this response so I can alert them?

      Reply

      • Kea says

        Hi, i had the same thing from Alyssa from Facebook messenger. Lyn, please forward the press release to me. Thank you
        “Any and all press releases you are referring to were all sent out by third parties and not endorsed by Southwest. Although all of our terms and conditions for any promotion are subject to change, this promotion was specifically targeted to Click ‘N Save email subscribers. To due to popularity of the promotion, we were happy to extend it throughout Hawaii, and I’m sorry if you were unable to take advantage of this promotion during its validity. That said, we truly regret that we are unable to honor a promotion that is not longer active-Alyssa”

        Reply

  14. Nannette says

    Aloha~ I was just told by SWA rep that the date was moved up to 5/31. I just now emailed them with a copy of my Hawaii drivers license to see if they will award me 5K. Should I have done anything more? Thank you!

    Reply

  15. Trisha says

    Can you please send the press release? Customer service said they reviewed everything regarding the promotion and it expired on May 31st.

    Reply

  16. Jarren says

    Hi, could you send me the press release? I keep getting told that it expired on May 31st. Thank you!

    Reply

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