Sometimes, travel companies make changes to their programs that make it difficult for travelers to want to continue being loyal to them. That is exactly what has happened this year with Southwest Airlines and Hertz.
Southwest Airlines
Southwest Airlines was always known as the little company with the big heart whose motto was “Bags Fly Free.” But, they axed that benefit and many more in 2025.
I was pretty loyal to Southwest for the last 8 years. As a Budget Traveler, I appreciated the cost savings and free bags, and paired those perks with the benefits from one of their co-branded credit cards. The Priority card was a good value, providing enough perks to justify the $149 annual fee. Southwest also offered regular promotions that made it easy to earn miles and their Companion Pass. But they also retooled their credit cards in 2025, increasing the annual fees and removing useful perks like the annual $75 flight credit.
Sure, they added assigned seating starting in 2026. But, in addition to cutting free bags (if you don’t have the right credit card), they also raised flight prices, increased the number of points needed for an award flight, and reduced the amount of rewards you can earn from their flights. This is a lose-lose-lose for their customers.
Southwest used to offer many good Nonstop flight options, but those have really dwindled over the last several years. Still, I kept toughing out all those inconvenient plane changes until they destroyed their program. Now I can usually find direct flights with other airlines that are the same price or cheaper than Southwest.
It feels like they have no “Luv” for Loyalists anymore! I am putting them on pause and dropping their credit card this year.
Hertz
I liked Hertz. I could usually find a decent car rental rate with them. My Gold Status allowed us to pick out a car and then head straight to the checkout lane. Easy Peasy.
A few years ago, Hertz began having people arrested for not returning their cars when they actually did. The issue was in their own return process. I still kept renting with them, but was very careful to get a receipt whenever I returned a vehicle.
The new issue with Hertz involves AI. I’d like to say that there are both good and bad uses for AI. The way that Hertz is using it to scan rental cars is not going very well. Many people have written complaints about receiving $400+ bills for a teeny scratch on the rim of a tire or other minor flaws. Those hard-to-see imperfections may already have been on the car when they picked it up, but the renter missed them during their inspection. Hertz is also strong-arming people to pay these charges immediately or risk additional fees.
I don’t want to have to constantly worry that one of their processes is going to go sideways, landing me with a big bill or in jail. Sorry, Hertz, you have now made it way too sketchy to rent from you in good faith.
Final Thoughts
Changes made by both Hertz and Southwest Airlines are customer-unfriendly. The good news is I get to choose who I spend my travel money with and can move those dollars to other service providers. Bam! I am sure that losing my spending won’t rock their worlds, but it is my way of voicing my displeasure.
Never Say Never
Although I am moving away from these companies for now, I am not saying that I would never use them again. I could find a really good deal sometime that leads me to cautiously use their services again.
If enough people move away from Hertz and Southwest, maybe they will get the message. It could prompt them to rethink their actions and make some positive changes. Fingers crossed!
The World According to Dev 