If you are a member of Southwest Airline's Rapid Rewards program, you have probably received a number of emails about their various “Rapid Rewards Partners.” We have been receiving emails asking us about the current Laithwaite's Wine Club deal that they are running. Is it a good deal? What's the wine like?
What is the Southwest Laithwaite's Deal?
Although subject to change, the current Laithwaite's special through Southwest is that you receive 2000 bonus Southwest Rapid Rewards points if you sign up for the “introductory wine club case” for $69.99 plus $19.99 shipping and tax. 2000 Southwest Rapid Rewards points can be purchased for $60. So you are essentially getting about $60 back for your $90 purchase.
The “introductory wine club case” contains 12 bottles of either red, white, or half and half plus an additional 3 bonus bottles of “96-Point Tuscan Red.”
If you do not cancel after the first shipment, you will receive 1000 Southwest Rapid Rewards points for each additional case shipment and those shipments will be billed at $139.99 plus $19.99 shipping and tax.
How is the Laithwaite's Wine Club?
Although it may not immediately sound familiar to you, the Laithwaite's wine club is actually almost identical to other clubs with different names. All of them are run by a company called Direct Wines and contain similar wines at the same prices and with the same perks (such as tasting notes and reorder discounts). The Laithwaites Club is also known as the 4 Seasons Wine Club, while the other almost identical clubs go under names like WSJ Wine Club and Macy's Wine Cellar.
We've previously reviewed the Laithwaites 4 Seasons Wine Club and found it to be decent, especially when you consider that the price of each bottle in the introductory offer comes out to only $6 a bottle. It's the later shipments that people tend to complain about because they do not read the fine print of their membership, forget to cancel shipments before they are processed, and do not read the emails about the 2 “seasonal cases” that will autoship if not declined.
Should I Order the Club?
I would never recommend buying something just for the credit card points, especially something that puts you on autobill. However, if after reading our Laithwaites review you are still interested in the club itself, I would recommend the company as a whole. We've had good luck with 4 Seasons, WSJ, and Macy's wines. Enjoy a variety of different wines but just be sure to pay attention to your membership emails so that you know when to expect your subsequent wine shipments.
