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September 17, 2024: Chase and Southwest have released a new limited-time offer on the Southwest Rapid Rewards® Plus Credit Card. We do not yet have an end date for this offer, but will update this post if new information becomes available. This is the highest number of points we’ve ever seen offered on this card.
Here’s the best bonus currently available on the Southwest Rapid Rewards® Plus Credit Card:
Annual fee: annual_fees
Best sign-up bonus: bonus_miles_full
This bonus is earned as Southwest Rapid Rewards points.
In this article…
Our take: Great bonus, but not the best timing for companion pass
Since we started tracking the bonuses on the Southwest credit cards, 85,000 is the highest number of points we’ve seen offered on the Southwest credit card bonuses. The increased offer comes with an increased spending requirement ($3,000 vs $1,000) so consider that if you don’t spend at least $1,000 a month on credit cards naturally.
Companion pass: Not the best time to earn it
One of the best features of a Southwest credit card bonus is that the bonus points count toward earning a companion pass. When you earn a companion pass, you’ll earn it for the remainder of the current calendar year, plus the following calendar year. This makes January the ideal time to earn a companion pass, since you’ll get it for almost two full years.
You’ll get credit for the points you earn when they post to your Southwest account. Unless Chase runs its limited-time offer for an unusually long time, you won’t be able to earn the bonus in January. If your objective is to earn a companion pass for as long as possible through a credit card sign-up bonus, it might be best to wait.
Getting better value: If you fly Southwest, consider the Southwest Rapid Rewards® Priority Credit Card
Chase usually runs the same bonus on all of the personal Southwest credit cards. Since you’re only eligible for one personal card bonus every 24 months, it makes sense to apply for the best card for you. For most people who fly Southwest, the Southwest Rapid Rewards® Priority Credit Card offers the best value.
Yes, the annual fee is the highest among the cards (annual_fees) but you’ll easily get value in excess of that through the card’s $75 annual Southwest travel credit and 7,500 anniversary bonus points.
About the card: Southwest Rapid Rewards® Priority Credit Card at a glance
Annual fee: annual_fees
Foreign transaction fee: foreign_transaction_fee
The Southwest Rapid Rewards® Plus Credit Card offers 3,000 annual anniversary points and 2 EarlyBird Check-Ins each year. For most Southwest flyers, the Southwest Rapid Rewards® Priority Credit Card offers better value.
Sign-up bonus
Best sign-up bonus: bonus_miles_full
This bonus is earned as Southwest Rapid Rewards points.
Rewards
- 2x on Southwest purchases.
- 2x on Rapid Rewards hotel and car rental partners.
- 2x on local transit and commuting, including rideshare.
- 2x on internet, cable, and phone services, plus select streaming.
- 1x on all other purchases.
Rewards are earned as Southwest Rapid Rewards points.
Benefits
Southwest Airlines benefits
- 3,000 point cardmember anniversary bonus.
- 2 EarlyBird Check-In® each year.
- 25% back on inflight purchases.
- 10,000 Companion Pass® qualifying points boost each year.
Consumer insurance benefits
Travel insurance benefits
- Lost luggage reimbursement.
- Baggage delay insurance.
Partner benefits and statement credits
- Complimentary DashPass for one year.
After one year, you are automatically enrolled in DashPass at the current monthly rate. You must activate by 1/31/25.
Eligibility: Can you earn a new Southwest sign-up bonus?
In most cases, you should be eligible to earn a sign-up bonus on the Southwest Rapid Rewards® Plus Credit Card if it’s been more than 24 months since you last earned a Southwest credit card sign-up bonus and you do not currently have a Southwest personal credit card.
- You can only have one personal Southwest Rapid Rewards® Credit Card. Chase will not issue a new personal Southwest credit card if you already hold one.
- You can not have received a Southwest Rapid Rewards® new cardmember bonus in the past 24 months. If you have received a Southwest personal credit card bonus in the past and want to receive a welcome bonus, be sure to apply more than 24 months after you were last awarded a bonus.
- You can earn a bonus on both a business card and a personal credit card. Holding or earning a bonus on a Southwest Rapid Rewards® business credit card doesn’t impact your ability to earn a bonus on a personal credit card.
Here’s the exact language from the bonus terms and conditions:
The product is not available to either (i) current Cardmembers of any Southwest Rapid Rewards® Credit Card, or (ii) previous Cardmembers of any Southwest Rapid Rewards Credit Card who received a new Cardmember bonus within the last 24 months. This does not apply to Cardmembers of the Southwest Rapid Rewards Business Card and Employee Credit Card products.
How to use Southwest Rapid Rewards points
The Southwest Rapid Rewards points you’ll earn with the Southwest Rapid Rewards® Plus Credit Card are incredibly easy to use for flights. Here’s what we like best about Rapid Rewards points:
- You’ll get consistent value. On average, you’ll get about 1.3-1.4 cents per point of value from each of your points. (10,000 points can get you a flight with a cash price of around $130-$140.)
- Rapid Rewards points don’t expire.
- If you cancel your flight, you get your points back. Any Southwest flight can be canceled up to 10 minutes prior to departure. If the flight was booked with your Rapid Rewards points, the points will be returned to you account.
To use Southwest Rapid Rewards points for flights, simply select “Points” when booking any flight at Southwest.com. You can also toggle between seeing flights priced in dollars and flights priced in points during the booking process.
Frequently asked questions
The number of Southwest points you’ll need for a free flight varies with the cash prices of the same flights. When Southwest is running one of its frequent sales, you’ll often see tickets priced for just a few thousand miles.
Yes. The bonus points you earn with this card’s new cardmember incentive count toward companion pass.
If you fly Southwest consistently, the Southwest Rapid Rewards® Priority Credit Card will provide more value on an ongoing basis. These two cards currently have the same sign-up bonus.
Southwest points do not expire.
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Read more about the Southwest Rapid Rewards® Plus Credit Card
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Advertiser disclosure: Cards and Points has partnered with CardRatings for our coverage of credit card products. Cards and Points and CardRatings may receive a commission from card issuers. Some or all of the card offers that appear on this site are from advertisers. Compensation may affect how and where card products appear on the site. The site does not include all card companies or all available offers. Opinions, reviews, analyses & recommendations are the author’s alone, and have not been reviewed, endorsed or approved by any of these entities. Terms apply to all credit card benefits.
