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

June 19, 2019 by Cami Sauder 47 Comments

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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!)

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.

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

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!

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.

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.

______________________________________________

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

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Cami Sauder