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Southwest's seismic shift, a huge Delta sweet spot, downgrading premium cards, and more (Week in Review)
Frequent Miler • • business
Key Points:
- The FrequentMiler team is attending the Chicago Points Travel Festival, engaging with readers and discussing topics like casino and cruise matching and recent challenges.
- Southwest Airlines announced major loyalty program changes effective in 2027, including making the Companion Pass an elite status benefit requiring significant tier qualifying points, new elite tiers, and awards on partner airlines.
- Greg identified a valuable Delta SkyMiles award sweet spot for travel between Europe/Africa and Australia/New Zealand, highlighting routes involving Vietnam Airlines with potential layovers for sightseeing.
- FrequentMiler team members shared insights on credit card downgrades to reduce annual fees, with plans to continue trimming their card collections.
- Hyatt now allows online point transfers between members with an annual cap, and Alaska Airlines updated its Atmos Rewards program with new elite status options and community features, prompting an updated complete guide.
