Southwest is offering companion pass through February 2027 as part of the sign-up bonuses on its personal cards for a limited time. This is both the first time I remember companion pass being offered for a full year as part of a Southwest card sign-up bonus and this update is notable because the bonus for the higher tier cards now includes more miles. (Historically, the bonus has been the same across all of the personal cards.)
Here are the current Southwest credit card sign-up bonuses:
The best Southwest credit card sign-up bonuses
 Southwest Rapid Rewards® Plus Credit Card Annual fee: $99 | Sign-up bonus: Earn Companion Pass® through 2/28/27 and 20,000 bonus points
after you spend $3,000 in the first 3 months from account opening. Learn how to apply. Offers the lowest-cost way to get a 10,000 qualifying point boost toward Companion Pass® each year and the lowest-cost way to get a free checked bag on Southwest when Southwest changes its free checked bag policy. |
 Southwest Rapid Rewards® Premier Credit Card Annual fee: $149 | Sign-up bonus: Earn Companion Pass® through 2/28/27 and 30,000 bonus points after you spend $4,000 in the first 3 months from account opening. Learn how to apply. The lowest-cost card offering both tier-qualifying points and an annual Companion Pass® boost. All information about the Southwest Rapid Rewards® Premier Credit Card has been collected independently by cardsandpoints.com. |
 Southwest Rapid Rewards® Priority Credit Card Annual fee: $229 | Sign-up bonus: Earn Companion Pass® through 2/28/27 and 40,000 bonus points after you spend $5,000 in the first 3 months from account opening. Learn how to apply. The best value card for Southwest flyers thanks to its $75 annual Southwest travel credit and 7,500 bonus Rapid Rewards points each year. |
 Southwest® Rapid Rewards® Premier Business Credit Card Annual fee: $149 | Sign-up bonus: Earn 60,000 points after you spend $3,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening. Learn how to apply. A lower-cost option for small business owners who wouldn’t get value out of the Performance Business card’s wifi credits. |
 Southwest® Rapid Rewards® Performance Business Credit Card Annual fee: $299 | Sign-up bonus: Earn 80,000 points after you spend $5,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening. Learn how to apply. The best card for small business owners who frequently use Southwest’s in-flight wifi. |
My take: Great deal if you want companion pass
Those who will get value out of the Southwest companion pass (and haven’t already earned it for 2027) probably think that the current limited-time Southwest cards offers are the best ever. And, for that case, I’d generally agree.
For anyone else, however, now is a terrible time to apply for a Southwest personal card. If you’t not going to get value out of the companion pass, then you’re only getting fewer miles for more spend than you used to.
These new bonuses also change the calculus when it comes to applying for the personal cards. For the first time ever (at least since I’ve been tracking) the bonus offered on the higher-tier cards offers more points. Is an additional 10,000 points enough to upgrade a card tier? Is 20k more points enough to upgrade two tiers? If you value Southwest points, probably.
I do wonder if this will be the practice going forward—and if it is, I would welcome the change. Increased bonuses on the higher-tier cards make them much more appealing in the first year.
Are you eligible to earn a Southwest Rapid Rewards bonus?
If you currently hold or have received a new cardmember bonus of any Southwest Rapid Rewards personal credit card within the previous 24 months, Chase’s terms state that you not only won’t be eligible for the bonus, but you won’t be eligible to get the card.
Here’s the exact wording, which is common across the offer terms on all of the personal cards:
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.
Southwest Rapid Rewards® Priority Credit Card offer terms
On the small business side of the house, you won’t receive the bonus if you either hold or have received a new cardmember bonus within 24 months on the exact same product. My interpretation of this is that you can receive a bonus on both small business variants of the Southwest credit card, without waiting 24 months.
Here’s the exact wording from the terms and conditions on the business cards:
This new Cardmember bonus offer is not available to either (i) current Cardmembers of this business credit card, or (ii) previous Cardmembers of this business credit card who received a new Cardmember bonus for this business credit card within the last 24 months.
Southwest Rapid Rewards® Premier Business Credit Card offer terms
Holding or receiving a welcome bonus on the business cards does not impact your ability to receive a bonus on the personal cards, and vice-versa.
More on the Southwest cards
If you’re looking to dig in and figure out which is the best Southwest card for you, see our complete guide to the Southwest Airlines credit cards.
