Southwest Credit Cards now have Increased Bonuses – wow!

Update August, 2021 – sadly, the increased bonuses have ended – but read on; these are great cards!

The offers for Chase Southwest credit cards are getting a major upgrade! Southwest Rapid Rewards is easily one of my favorite rewards programs for free travel. If you’re interested in signing up for a Southwest card, now is a great time to do so…

Southwest Airlines and Rapid Rewards Points are favorites:

• Southwest has no cancellation fees for using miles; you can cancel at any time and get your miles back immediately.
• The fares are simple and reasonably priced.
• You get up to 2 free checked bags.
• Southwest has easy cancellation/rebooking rules.
• You can earn the Southwest Companion Pass; your companion flies free, only paying the taxes ($5.60). Many people use a personal card signup bonus offer to help earn the Southwest Companion Pass.

Application Rules

There are some specific application rules for getting this bonus. The rules are:

• Cannot currently have any Southwest personal card.
• Cannot have earned any Southwest personal card bonus in the last 24 months.
• You cannot be at 5/24 or above (Chase will not approve applications if you’ve gotten 5 new credit cards from any bank in the past 24 months).
• The sign up bonus for all the personal Southwest cards can be earned by spending $2000 on the card in the first 3 months after opening.

Should You Consider One of These Southwest Credit Cards?

It’s an easy recommendation assuming you are eligible to get this card AND fall into one of the following two categories:

• You need this bonus to earn the SW Companion Pass this year.
• You don’t care about the Companion Pass, but want a great bonus from Southwest.

Most people who want the Companion Pass will apply for one of these cards early in the new year for best strategy in order to maximize the length of the Companion Pass. Without earning a few signup bonuses, the Southwest Companion Pass can be difficult to achieve.

Comparison of the 3 Southwest Credit Cards:

There are three Southwest personal cards and they all have the same limited-time signup bonus offer for the same amount of dollars spent (spend $2000 in the first 3 months – very reasonable), BUT they have varying perqs:

NB: When you sign up for a credit card through one of these links, I may earn points for referring you. (Thank you! – this enables me to continue operating this website and community for free.) See my full disclosure here.

More on the Priority card – I’ve already used my upgraded boarding twice in 2021, when I forgot to check in 24 hours early. 🙄 The upgrade fees were “erased” from my statement with statement credits – these are easily worth more than the annual fee. And, then there’s the $75 travel credit, which alone covers 1/2 of the annual fee. So, Chase and Southwest actually pay *me* for having this card!

Conclusion

These are very high sign-up offers from Southwest. Regardless of this great offer, I normally recommend that beginner travel hackers start with the Chase Sapphire Preferred card, as it’s a great way to earn transferable points – you can use your Chase Ultimate Rewards points towards Southwest, and many other, flights. Chase Sapphire Preferred card is the no-brainer choice as your first step in earning free travel. [June update: elevated sign up bonus on this card too, that will get you $1250 in free travel!] I have a complete rundown of the best credit cards for traveling, if you’d like more info.

Here at Travels With Suz, Southwest Rapid Rewards points are among our favorites. And, earning this increased bonus might be just what you need if you’re on your way to earning the Southwest Companion Pass. But, it may not be the best time to get one of these cards for everyone, based on your best strategy. If you are going to wait, consider the Chase Sapphire Preferred – it also has an elevated bonus right now.

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