CapitalOne, also.
1 Like
And the Amex Delta Platinum and reserve cards. I got my TSA precheck during covid (they had booths set up in Staples stores) and they (the cr cards) pay for precheck everyā¦ maybe 4.5 years and/or GE every 4? I forget exactly. But we got GE this past January, so I just paid for it, since itās only been 3 years, and the TSA starts over with the GE. I just assumed the card (which I upgraded to the reserve) wouldnāt pay for itā¦ Maybe Iāll call and double checkā¦.
1 Like
Is there a fee to renew an expired Global Entry card? Another interview?
Yes you have to pay again. Itās still $100 for 5 years.
No Interview if you renew before expiration. Not sure if they have one if you try to renew after expiration (my wife is in that situation but still awaiting next steps, so donāt know).
1 Like
Update: As I suspected even though I upgraded my card, I still have to wait another year before the card will pay for GE (and I just got it this year so wonāt be renewing any time soon). But she looked at my $$$$$$ spending and said sheād send a message to the back office to see if they can courtesy gift me any miles. I think I already got whatever bonus offer they gave, but maybe there is a current retention offer?? She said I could add a new user but DH is already on and not adding anyone else!
Southwest is scrapping its no assigned seat policyā¦ 
4 Likes
When my kids and I were chatting about this earlier this morning, I was kind of sad. I will miss setting an alarm for 24 hours before flight time to check in. It was a game to see what my boarding placement was! I also had a strategy on picking a seat when boarding.
I will miss my game with SWA.
1 Like
Open seating is actually why I switched from SWA to AA.
6 Likes
Shoot, I already bought SWA tickets for flying down to Austin at Christmas. I paid extra for automatic check in.
I wonder what it will mean for us.
We did the same. I currently have 3 trips where I paid the extra for both ways, for me and my husband.
1 Like
I liked the open seating; happy to take a layover from DCA to OAK, because of it.
Me thinks, Iāll be flying direct to SFO in the future.
Seat reservations wonāt start until the new year.
1 Like
Did you find a date SW is going to change over? I couldnāt find one.
Thanks
āIt isnāt clear when flying with assigned seats and premium rows will start, but Southwest said bookings for them are expected to begin next year. The exact timing of the changes depends on the airline gaining regulatory approval and retrofitting its planes.
The company expects to share more details at an investor presentation in late September. Southwest also plans to operate red-eye flights for the first time starting next year.ā
Note that up to one third of seats will also have extra legroom (which presumably means shifting the seats to give more room towards the front and less at the back, not taking seats out).
1 Like
Southwest currently has about 1" more legroom than other major airlinesā economy seats. So they could add 2" to a third of the seats and subtract 1" from two thirds of the seats to give a premium economy section while the downgraded regular economy would be no worse than on other airlines.
1 Like
That is scary. So glad my flying-coach days are behind me. 
Just saved hundreds of dollars using code supplied by @jpga13 for car rental in Hawaii through enterprise. Rate was cheaper than Costco. Thanks!
6 Likes
For those of us who travel and utilize loyalty programs, this sounds like good news.
āAccording to the DOT, it will investigate four aspects of frequent flyer programs:
- Devaluation of earned rewards ā how airlines can reduce or eliminate accrued value after travelers earn their points or miles.
- Hidden and dynamic pricing ā how airlines price award flights in a way that can mask or change the purported dollar value of a point or mile.
- Extra fees ā the practice of airlines charging cash to maintain, redeem or transfer points, which the DOT says can effectively reduce the value of a point or mile.
- Reduction in competition and choice ā how frequent flyer programs are combined during airline mergers and how the value of points or miles is affected as a result.ā
3 Likes
This is great news, in the āits about timeā department! That said, just yesterday (literally) I used an obscene # of FF miles I have been banking and banking to book a fight to the far east (will have a second itinerary to the final destinations from/back to Seoul). Delta has been devaluing their miles, but with their AmEx branded cr card (to pay the tax and other fees), it reduced the # of miles needed by 15%, so maybe it sorta balances out?
3 Likes