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Expired: Earn a Companion Pass & 30K Points with New Southwest Credit Card Offers

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Last month, Chase rolled out one of the best limited-time offers we've ever seen on its portfolio of Southwest co-branded credit cards. With the current offers, you can earn a free year of the Southwest Companion Pass and 30,000 Rapid Rewards points after you spend $4,000 in the first three months of card membership.

If adding one of these Southwest cards has been on your to-do list, time is running out: These offers expire on Monday, March 11! 

The Southwest Companion Pass is easily one of the best deals in the world of travel, unlocking unlimited buy-one-get-one flights – whether you pay in cash or redeem Southwest Rapid Rewards points – with no blackout dates and no questions asked. While the Companion Pass you’ll get from these credit card offers won’t last as long as earning it the old-fashioned way, this is a far easier path to earning a year of BOGO travel.

With this new offer, it's clear that the Companion Pass is the star of the show, but 30,000 Rapid Rewards points make for a pretty strong supporting character. Even after the airline devalued its points at the start of the year, those points are still worth north of $300 and can easily be enough for two roundtrips to many of Southwest's destinations. And if you get in on one of Southwest's frequent sales, you can stretch them even further.

Just remember: Credit cards are serious business. Whether it's a year of BOGO free travel or a big pool points, none of it is worth digging yourself into debt for. If you can't afford to pay off every dime you charge to your new card, these exciting new offers should be a hard pass.

Read on for everything you need to know about these new limited-time Southwest credit card offers and the benefits available on each of them.

 

The Southwest Rapid Rewards® Plus Credit Card

  • *sw plus bonus*.
  • Anniversary Bonus: Each year on your cardmember anniversary, you will receive 3,000 Rapid Rewards points.
  • Earn 2x Rapid Rewards Points per dollar spent on purchases with Southwest Airlines and its hotel and rental car partners.
  • Earn 2x Rapid Rewards Points per dollar spent on local transit and commuting purchases, including rideshares like Uber and Lyft. You’ll also earn 2x points per dollar spent on internet/cable, phone services, and select streaming purchases.
  • Earn 1x Rapid Rewards Points per dollar on all other spending on the card.
  • Get 2 Early Bird check-ins each year.
  • Chase 5/24 Rule: The card will be subject to the Chase 5/24 rule, so you may not be approved for the card depending on how many credit cards you’ve opened in the last two years.
  • Annual Fee: The card has an annual fee of $69, which is not waived for the first year of card membership.

 

*sw plus*

 

Learn more about the *sw plus*.

 

The Southwest Rapid Rewards® Premier Credit Card

  • *sw premier bonus*.
  • Anniversary Bonus: Each year on your cardmember anniversary, you will receive 6,000 Rapid Rewards points.
  • Earn 3x Rapid Rewards Points per dollar spent on purchases with Southwest Airlines.
  • Earn 2x Rapid Rewards Points per dollar spent on local transit and commuting purchases, including rideshares like Uber and Lyft. You’ll also earn 2x points per dollar spent on internet/cable, phone services, and select streaming purchases.
  • Earn 1x Rapid Rewards Points per dollar on all other spending on the card.
  • 25% Back on In-Flight Purchases: Receive 25% back via statement credits for in-flight purchases. This can be used for drinks, movies, and purchasing Wi-Fi and messaging.
  • Get 2 Early Bird check-ins each year.
  • No foreign transaction fees
  • Chase 5/24 Rule: The card will be subject to the Chase 5/24 rule, so you may not be approved for the card depending on how many credit cards you’ve opened in the last two years.
  • Annual Fee: The card has an annual fee of $99, which is not waived for the first year of card membership.

 

*sw premier*

 

Learn more about the *sw premier*.

 

The Southwest Rapid Rewards® Priority Credit Card

  • *sw priority bonus*.
  • Anniversary Bonus: Each year on your cardmember anniversary, you will receive 7,500 Rapid Rewards points.
  • Priority Boarding: Each year on your cardmember anniversary, you will receive four upgraded boarding positions. Simply purchase an upgrade on the day of your travel with the Priority card. You’ll receive a boarding number between A1 and A15, and be reimbursed via statement credit within eight weeks.
  • Annual Travel Credit: Receive an annual travel credit of $75 to use on Southwest Airlines flights.
  • 25% Back on In-Flight Purchases: Receive 25% back via statement credits for in-flight purchases. This can be used for drinks, movies, and purchasing Wi-Fi and messaging.
  • Earn 3x Rapid Rewards Points per dollar spent on purchases with Southwest Airlines.
  • Earn 2x Rapid Rewards Points per dollar spent on local transit and commuting purchases, including rideshares like Uber and Lyft. You’ll also earn 2x points per dollar spent on internet/cable, phone services, and select streaming purchases.
  • Earn 1x Rapid Rewards Points per dollar on all other spending on the card.
  • Unlimited Tier Qualifying Points can be earned towards A-List status each year.
  • Chase 5/24 Rule: The card will be subject to the Chase 5/24 rule, so you may not be approved for the card depending on how many credit cards you’ve opened in the last two years.
  • Annual Fee: The card has an annual fee of $149, which is not waived for the first year of card membership.

 

*sw priority*

 

Learn more about the *sw priority*.

 

Get a Companion Pass For Nearly a Full Year

Southwest points may have gotten less valuable in the New Year, but it's the Companion Pass that travelers should really care about. And the math for that incredible perk isn't changing at all.

You won't find a better deal in the world of travel than the Southwest Companion Pass: an unlimited buy-one, get-one flight pass. Even after Southwest (slightly) increased the points needed to qualify for the Companion Pass, we're still singing its praises.

Once you meet your card's minimum spending requirement, you get your Companion Pass for the rest 2024 and all the way through Feb. 28, 2025.

 

southwest status

 

Typically, the Southwest Companion Pass requires you to earn 135,000 qualifying Southwest Rapid Rewards points … or fly 100 one-way revenue flights in a calendar year.

Points earned from new card welcome offers do count towards that total but we've never seen a personal Southwest Card welcome offer go that high. This means you'd traditionally have to open both a personal Southwest Card and a business card, like the *SW Performance Biz*, in order to earn the companion pass through welcome offers alone. Otherwise you'd need to earn the remaining points the harder way: Spending on your card or simply flying with Southwest.

No matter how you look at it, being able to earn the Southwest Companion pass and 30,000 Rapid Rewards points with this new card offer is a fantastic deal and one that most travelers should take a good hard look at.

 

What to Know Before You Apply

There are some considerations to work through before you apply. And the first comes down to whether you're even eligible to open one of these Chase Southwest cards.

Chase only lets you hold one Southwest personal credit card at a time. That means if you already have one Southwest credit card open, you will not be approved for a second card. On top of that, these welcome bonuses are not available if you have earned a welcome bonus on any of the three Southwest Airlines personal credit cards in the past 24 months (or two years).

 

An airplane that is flying in the air

 

And of course, these cards are also subjected to the dreaded Chase 5/24 rule, so getting approved for one of these cards may be difficult depending on how many credit cards (from any bank, not just Chase) you’ve opened in the last 24 months. If you've opened five or more five credit cards with any bank in that time span, you will not be approved for Chase credit cards, regardless of your credit score or history with Chase bank.

But if you are eligible, these Southwest credit cards are easily among the best credit cards you can get if you are under the Chase 5/24 rule. That’s especially true with this new offer to earn a Companion Pass through Feb. 28, 2025.

Read more: The Master Guide to the Southwest Companion Pass

 

Pair with a Chase Sapphire Preferred or Sapphire Reserve

All three of these Southwest credit cards make great companions to either the *csr* or the *csp*. That’s because Chase Ultimate Rewards points can be transferred to your Southwest Rapid Rewards account on a 1:1 basis, meaning 1,000 Chase points get you 1,000 Southwest Rapid Reward points. And those transfers are instant.

You can even transfer these points to Southwest to book one ticket to use with your Companion pass, paying just the taxes and fees on both tickets. It’s a great deal.

 

*csp*

 

Learn more about the *csp*.

 

*csr*

 

Learn more about the *csr*.

 

Bottom Line

Chase and Southwest are out with a new limited-time offer to earn a free year of the Southwest Companion Pass and 30,000 Rapid Rewards points after you spend $4,000 in the first three months of card membership on any of the Southwest personal credit cards.

This limited-time offer ends on Monday, March 11!

 

Editorial Disclaimer: Opinions expressed here are the author’s alone, not those of any bank, credit card issuer, airlines or hotel chain, and have not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by any of these entities.

Disclaimer: The responses below are not provided or commissioned by the bank advertiser. Responses have not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by the bank advertiser. It is not the bank advertiser’s responsibility to ensure all posts and/or questions are answered.

24 Responses

  • Does the point transfer go the other way? Can the points in Southwest credit card be transferred to Chase Sapphire? Thanks

  • Great deal, I just wish Southwest had more (direct) flights out of MSP to destinations I am interested in.

    • No, you’d simply have to apply while the offer is still available and then spend $5,000 within three months of being approved for the card.

  • My husband and I both have personal Chase SW cards and have had them more than 2 yrs, Could one of us cxl a personal card and reapply in a couple weeks to attain this bonus? Or would it trigger something negative with Chase?

    • Hi Kim. That absolutely should work. I would give it 30 days from when you close the card to reapply. And I would also suggest applying for a different version than you currently have.

  • FYI, Your article shows 2 different annual fees for the Chase Card where you earn the companion bonus.
    Also, if you spend $5k in the first month you have the card how soon would I be able to use the companion benefit? Since it is only good until next February I want to maximize it this spring too.
    Lastly, can I use it to fly others with companions or do I always have to be one of the ticket holders?

    • Hi Rayne. There are three cards all offering this right now and each of them has a different annual fee.

      Regarding how quickly you would receive the Companion pass, generally, you would receive it within a few days after your card statement closes in which you met the spending requirement.

  • Anyone know how to get the Companion Pass added the quickest way? I got the card Feb 16th, it arrived in ~ 5 days. I charged over $5000 within 3 weeks, I went online to pay the bill early and now hoping I can at least get the Companion Pass to use ASAP. I can wait on the 30,000 bonus points, but really want the CP!

    Thanks

      • My first statement closed Feb 25th, but I was only 1/2 way there, so I have to wait until Mar 25th now? Hoping to esclate it somehow 🙂

          • Just had another idea or thought….my first due date is April 2nd, but what if I change my due date going foward to the 6th, so I could pay the remaining balance by April 6th instead of waiting for May 2nd? I’m guessing these questions center around the Chase Card provider rather than the SW Rewards provider?

  • Closing up this discussion for reference to others. I contacted Chase and was unable to change closing date to be earlier. Seems you can only do this for future closing dates which doesn’t help me.

  • Do you know how long this most recent bonus offer will last? I’ve gotten 2 chase cards in the last 30 days so I think I need to wait, but scared to miss it!

  • So, I applied for both the personal and business cards. I was called about the business card but received notification that the personal card was declined “due to already having that card”. I called and was told that I can only have one version of the Southwest card. I explained that I wanted to keep my personal and business charges separate but earn the points on all my charges. I asked to be reconsidered but they said that department was closed due to the holiday. I called the next day and went through the same procedure and waited on hold for an hour before hanging up and calling back. I explained everything again and was told that it would be under consideration, and I would hear in 1 to 2 weeks.

  • My husband is an authorized user on my Southwest card. Would he be able to apply for his own card since a person can only hold one Southwest personal card?

  • If I were to transfer 50,000 Chase Ultimate Reward points over to Southwest miles added to the 75,000 sign in bonus plus 10,000 companion pass bonus allow me to reach 135,000 to qualify for the companion pass?

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