Update: DEAD!
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Limited time card signup bonuses
For a limited time, you can earn a higher signup bonus on Southwest cards. Note that you can only have one open Southwest consumer card at a time, though you can have more than one business card open at a time.
- TheĀ Chase Southwest Business PremierĀ cardĀ has a signup bonus of 60K Southwest points for spending $3,000 in 3 months.
- The card offersĀ 6,000 points every card anniversary, and has no foreign transaction fees.Ā $99 annual fee.
- TheĀ Chase Southwest Consumer Priority card has a signup bonus of 60K Southwest points for spending $2,000 in 3 months.
- The card offers some amazing benefits for Southwest loyalists including 4 annual A1-A15 boarding upgrade certificates, $75 in annual Southwest travel credit, 7.5K Southwest points upon every card anniversary, 20% off in-flight purchases, and the ability to earn tier points towards A-List status. $149 annual fee.
- TheĀ Chase Southwest Consumer Premier card has a signup bonus of 60K Southwest points for spending $2,000 in 3 months.
- TheĀ ChaseĀ Southwest Consumer Plus card has a signup bonus of 60K Southwest points for spending $2,000 in 3 months.
- TheĀ Ink Business CashĀ® Credit Card business card has a signup bonus of 50K Ultimate Rewards points for spending $3,000 in 3 months.
- You can earnĀ 5 Ultimate Rewards pointsĀ per dollar spentĀ by buying Southwest gift cards on Staples.com or at an office supply store.
Comparison chart
Card | Southwest Consumer Priority | Southwest Consumer Plus | Southwest Consumer Premier | Southwest Business Premier | Ink Business CashĀ® Credit Card Business |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Signup bonus | 60K Southwest points for spending $2K in 3 months. | 60K Southwest points for spending $2K in 3 months. | 60K Southwest points for spending $2K in 3 months. | 60K Southwest points for spending $3K in 3 months | 50K Chase points for spending $3K in 3 months |
Annual Fee | $149 | $69 | $99 | $99 | $0 |
Anniversary Bonus | 7.5K Southwest points | 3K Southwest points | 6K Southwest points | 6K Southwest points | None |
Annual Southwest travel credit | $75 | None | None | None | None |
Annual Southwest A1-A15 boarding upgrade certificates | 4 | None | None | None | None |
Points per dollar spent on Southwest | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 5 if you buy Southwest gift cards on Staples.com or in office supply stores |
Points per dollar spend elsewhere | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 5 on telecom, office supplies, and gift cards from office supply stores, 2 on gas and dining, 1 elsewhere |
Cash back on Southwest in-flight drinks, WiFi, messaging, and movies. | 20% | None | None | None | None |
Points count towards companion pass | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No |
Foreign transaction fees | 0% | 3% | 0% | 0% | 3% |
Tier qualifying points towards A-list Status | 1.5K tier points for every $10K spent, up to $100K annually | None | None | None | None |
Visa Savings Edge cash back | None | None | None | Yes | Yes |
Value of Southwest points
The value of Southwest points is variable based on the paid fare.
If you’ll redeem points for an average of 1.65 cents each, that makes aĀ 60K signup bonus worth $990. If you qualify for a companion pass that number can double to a whopping $1,980 signup bonus.
For example:
- A one-way Honolulu-Maui nonstop flight on 7/9 is $28.80 with tax. It can also be bought for 1,379 points plus $5.60 tax. So 1,379 points gets you a value of $23.20 ($138.60 airfare less the $5.60 tax on the points ticket), imputing a value of 1.68 cents (23.20/1,379) per point.
- A one-way Long Beach-Las Vegas nonstop flight on 8/4 is $43.98 with tax. It can also be bought for 2,154 points plus $5.60 tax. So 2,154 points gets you a value of $38.38 ($43.98 airfare less the $5.60 tax on the points ticket), imputing a value of 1.78 cents (38.38/2,154) per point.
- A one-way Los Angeles-San FranciscoĀ nonstop flight on 8/27 is $48.98 with tax. It can also be bought for 2,517 points plus $5.60 tax. So 2,517 points gets you a value of $43.38 ($48.98 airfare less the $5.60 tax on the points ticket), imputing a value of 1.72 cents (43.38/2,517) per point.
- A one-way LaGuardia-Chicago nonstop flight on 5/29 is $66.98 with tax. It can also be bought for 3,773 points plus $5.60 tax. So 3,773 points gets you a value of $61.38 ($66.98 airfare less the $5.60 tax on the points ticket), imputing a value of 1.63 cents (61.38/3,773) per point.
- A one-way Phiuladelphia-Ft. Lauderdale nonstop flight on 6/4 is $78.98 with tax. It can also be bought for 4,694 points plus $5.60 tax. So 4,694 points gets you a value of $45.38 ($73.98 airfare less the $5.60 tax on the points ticket), imputing a value of 1.56 cents (73.38/2,669) per point.
- A one-way LaGuardia-Fort Lauderdale nonstop flight on 6/2 is $98.98 with tax. It can also be bought for 6,145 points plus $5.60 tax. So 6,145 points gets you a value of $93.38 ($98.98 airfare less the $5.60 tax on the points ticket), imputing a value of 1.52 cents (93.38/6,145) per point.
- A one-way LaGuardia-Denver nonstop flight on 1/13 is $122.98 with tax. It can also be bought for 7,886 points plus $5.60 tax. So 7,886 points gets you a value of $117.38 ($122.98 airfare less the $5.60 tax on the points ticket), imputing a value of 1.49 cents (117.38/7,886) per point.
Annual travel credit
If you have the Priority card you’ll getĀ reimbursed for $75 in annual spending on Southwest flights! Between the Priority card’s annual 7.5K point bonus and the annual travel credit, you’ll get about $200 of Southwest travel every year, more than covering the card’s annual fee.
Upgraded boarding certificates
If you have the Priority card you’ll get reimbursed for 4 annual purchases of upgraded A1-A15 boarding positions so that you can get some of the best seats on the plane. Southwest is increasing these fees so that thsy cost $15-$25 per leg, so this is a benefit worth up to $100 per year.
20% cash back on in-flight purchases
If you have the Priority card you’ll getĀ 20% cash back on top of points for purchases of drinks, messaging, movies, and Wi-Fi on Southwest flights!
Free changes and cancellations. Lock in low fares with no penalty
While other mileage currencies charge up to $200 to cancel an award ticket, Southwest continues to allow you to cancel an award flight and redeposit the points in your account for future use without any penalties.
Coupled with 2 free carry-ons and 2 free checked bags per person, thatās a lot of added value. A family of 4 needing to cancel award tickets on another airline would set you back $400-$800 versus it being a free change on Southwest. A family of 4 checking 2 bags each would run $560 round-trip on another airline versus paying nothing on Southwest.
Thinking of taking a trip but not 100% sure about it? With Southwest points you can lock in a good rate and just cancel the trip free of charge at any point before the flight if you canāt make it!
You can use the points for yourself or book award tickets for anyone else you want to give a ticket to.
Southwest allows you to redeem points for any seat on any flight. There are no blackout dates or capacity controls.
When Southwest has a fare sale the amount of points go on sale as well as it tracks to the price of the ticket. Best of all Southwest will refund your points if the price of your award ticket falls!Ā Just rebook your trip online for the same dates or give them a call for the credit.
Southwest points will never expire as long as you earn points every 24 months.
Donāt fly? Redeem for gift cards!
You can also use 60,000 points to get $600 worth of gift cards to places like Alamo, Amazon, Avis, Bed Bath & Beyond, Best Buy, Bloomingdales, Brooks Brothers, Budget, Carnival Cruises, Express, Fairmont, Gap, Hertz, Kohlās, Loweās, Macyās, National, Nike, Saks, Sea World, Shutterfly, Staples, Starbucks, Target, The Children’s Place, TJMaxx, Walmart, Zappos and more.
Companion pass and A-List Status
You can get a free companion pass if you earn 110,000 points in a year from select sources, including earnings from credit card signups and credit card spending! If you earn 110,000 Southwest points in 2019 the pass will be good until 12/31/20. The pass allows you to bring a companion with you for free whenever you fly Southwest, including Hawaii, even if you are flying on a free ticket! That effectively doubles the value of your Southwest points. There is no limit to the number of free companion flights that you can take.
You can designate a companion and change that companion up to 3 times in a calendar year, soĀ you can name up to 4 companions over the course of a year.
While Chase no longer allows you to signup for a consumer Southwest card if you already have one, you can signup for a business Southwest card even if you have a consumer Southwest card open.
Or, you can always put items like federal taxes on a Southwest card to help hit the spending you would need to hit 110K points earned in a year. You’ll pay a 1.87% processing fee, but if you take advantage of the points earned from spending and the companion pass free travel that can be worthwhile.
The Southwest Priority card also earns 1,500 tier points towards A-List status for every $10,000 spent. You can earn a maximum of 15,000 tier points annually. You can learn more about A-List status here.
Transfer Chase Points To Southwest to maximize the value of your CompanionĀ Pass
You can transfer points from the following Chase cards to Southwest at a 1:1 ratio. You can redeem those Southwest points and bring a companion with you for free, doubling the value of your points!
ChaseĀ premiumĀ cards with transferableĀ points:
- Chase Chase Sapphire PreferredĀ® CardĀ® Card
- $95 annual fee, 60K points signup bonus, earn 2 points per dollar on dining/travel, 25% bonus value on using points for paid travel redemptions.
- Chase Ink Business Preferred
- $95 annual fee, 80K points signup bonus, earn 3 points per dollar on select business spending and travel, 25% bonus value on using points for paid travel redemptions.
- Chase Sapphire ReserveĀ®
- $450 annual fee, $300 in annual travel credit, 50K points signup bonus, earn 3 points per dollar on dining/travel, 50% bonus value on using points for paid travel redemptions, Global Entry/Pre-check, Priority Pass lounge access.
ChaseĀ no annual feeĀ cards with transferableĀ points if you, a spouse, or an additional user have one of the premium cards above:
- Chase Freedom Card
- No annual fee, 15KĀ points signup bonus, earn 5 points per dollar in rotating categories.
- Chase Freedom UnlimitedĀ® Card
- No annual fee, earn 3 points per dollar everywhere on up to $20K in spending during your first year, then earn 1.5 points per dollar everywhere.
- Chase Ink Business Unlimited Card
- No annual fee, 50KĀ points signup bonus, earn 1.5 points per dollar everywhere.
- Chase Ink Business Cash Card
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- No annual fee, 50KĀ points signup bonus, earn up to 5 points per dollar.
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Cash back on top of points
Chase business cards in the chart above are eligible for additional cash back viaĀ Visa Savings Edge.Ā That means you can get points plus 2% cash back at Chevron, Sheetz, AutoZone, or Texaco. Youāll earn points plus 3% cash back at Boost Mobile. Youāll earn points plus 4% cash back at Alamo, National, and MGM hotels. Youāll earn points plus 5% cash back at Lenovo and Wyndham hotels.
Business cardĀ information, benefits, and 5/24
2 of the cards in the chart above are business cards,Ā but you may already have a business that needs a card to keep track of expenses. For example if your name is Joe Smith and you sell items online, or if you have any other side business and want a credit card to better keep track of business expenditures you can open a business credit card for āJoe Smithā as the business. You donāt need to file any messy government paperwork to be allowed to do that. Just be sure to select āSole Proprietorshipā as the business type and just use your social security number in the Tax Identification Number field.
Itās important to just write your own name as the business nameĀ if you are just applying for your own small business as aĀ Sole Proprietorship that doesnāt have any business paperwork.
All of the cards in this post are subject to 5/24 restrictions,Ā read more about that here.
However, itās important to note that business cards from most banks, including Chase business cards,Ā do not get added to your 5/24 count of recently opened cards. Thatās becauseĀ business cards from most banks donāt show up on your personal credit report and the 5/24 count is based off of your personal credit report.
Another benefit of business cards not reporting on your personal credit report is that your credit score wonāt be hurt when you spend money on your cards. When you spendĀ money on personal cards your score will be hurt even if you pay your bill on time. Thatās because a whopping 30% of your credit score is based on credit utilization, so you lose lots of points even if you pay your bills before the statement due date. You can pay off your credit card bill before your statement close date to avoid that, but that takes effort and laying out money well before you have to. Additionally itās good to have the statement close with a coupleĀ dollars to show the card is active and being paid every month.Ā On business cards from banks like AMEX and Chase the spending is not reported on your personal credit report, so you can wait until the money is due without it having a negative effect on your score. That also means if you close the card, it wonāt have an effect on your credit score.
As always, Southwest benefits include:
- 2 free checked bags per passenger.
- No change fees to switch your flight. Whether you are on a paid or an award flight you can change without penalty!
- No cancellation fee to cancel your flight (you will get Southwest credit for the full amount paid, even on non-refundable wanna get away fares) or to cancel and redeposit your award flight.
- A refund of the fare or point difference if the price of your flight goes down after you buy it, just call to get the credit at any time before your flight!
Will you signup for any Southwest cards?
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26 Comments On "Limited Time Offer: Earn 60,000 Southwest Points On 4 Southwest Cards; How To Earn A Companion Pass Valid Through 12/31/2020!"
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If I had a consumer plus card and canceled 2 years ago can I sign up for any consumer south west card now ?
Do you get the companion pass immediately upon earning 110,000 points or do you have to wait until 2019 is over?
Right after earning it.
Thank you
When you get the credit card does the initial points you get count toward the 110,000, meaning you only need another 50,000 points?
It does.
I can only vouch for my experience, but I signed up for 2 southwest business cards (1 LLC, 1 sole proprietorship) during the last round of 60k bonuses earlier in the year. First time ever having any southwest business cards, and I met both spending thresholds. I was only awarded 60k, not 120k points and was told 1 rapid rewards account can only earn 1 bonus in 24 months form business cards, even with different businesses. Unless I got unlucky, this is a new rule that will make it harder to get the companion pass if you already have a consumer card.
Ouch. Thanks for the data point.
From their offer details:
Bonus Points
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.
That has not been traditionally enforced. And its still not enforced on Ink cards.
Dan, Was there an offer of a Companion Pass with one card alone, or only with two cards?
Only with the consumer cards.
Yup. Learned this the hard way. Met spending threshold, and was denied the second set of bonus points. š
Thanks for the save. I was just about to do that
I tried to HUCA and received the same response from multiple reps… if anyone has experienced differently, let me know!
Basic question: if I currently have one of the consumer cards and want the new signup bonus, how would I do that, assuming I want to stick to the consumer cards? Can I just apply for the other consumer card? Or is the only way by getting a business card?
Just to clarify: I have 1 consumer card from Feb 2018, and a business from Feb 2019. According to their rules I won’t qualify for the bonus of a new consumer card since I got one within 24 months.
Dan are you saying they don’t enforce that?
They do now.
If I have a the premier card to day, cancel and then sign up for the plus card, will I be approved?
When did you get the bonus on it?
When do you anticipate this offer will expire? Also, if I want to know my 5/24 status, will chase tell me if I ask them?
If you transfer regular chase points to SW does that add towards the 110?
For the 24 months from last bonus rule, does that calculate from when I opened the card or from when the bonus points hit my account a few months later?
Can you apply for 2 consumer cards or 1 business and 1 consumer card to reach the 110 threshold?
Can I open 2 business cards and get the companion bonus?
Can I transfer chase points to southwest in order to go towards the 110,000 points to earn a companion?