All three of the Southwest co-brand credit cards from Chase are currently offering an increased sign-up bonus of 75,000 Rapid Rewards points. You have to spend $5,000 in the first three months of account opening to earn the bonus. This is an increase from the 40,000 points previously offered. To put the bonus in perspective, this is the highest offer we’ve seen since January 2020.
If you decide that you want to sign up for any of the Southwest credit cards, we’d appreciate it if you use our link. We receive Southwest points for each referral, and that helps us keep Your Mileage May Vary HQ going strong.
While you’ll see many websites saying the reason to get this offer is that the 75,000 points (or actually 80,000 points, since you’ll earn at least 5,000 points for the spending needed to earn the bonus) will put you close to getting the Southwest Companion Pass.
But what if you’re not interested in a Companion Pass? Are the cards still worth getting for the increased sign up bonus?
Here are the cards that are offering the increased 75,000 point sign-up bonuses:
- Southwest Plus Credit Card ($69 Annual Fee)
- Southwest Premier Credit Card ($99 Annual Fee)
- Southwest Priority Credit Card ($149 Annual Fee)
The links are to our reviews of the cards, if available.
What’s the sign-up bonus worth?
A Southwest point is worth approximately 1.3 cents each. How many points it takes to pay for a ticket depends on how much it costs. That means you’re able to stretch the value as much as you can if you book inexpensive flights, or you’d be able to pay for a more expensive flight because you wouldn’t be paying out of pocket for the ticket.
75,000 points are worth $975. That’s a solid sign-up bonus and there’s no worrying about whether or not you’re going to be able to find a flight that has award space.
Which card should you sign up for?
The main decision you have to make is which card to get since they all offer the same sign-up bonus. I’d think this depends on whether you’re planning on keeping the card for the long term or if you’re thinking of getting rid of it in a year.
If you fly Southwest on even a semi-regular basis, the Priority card is by far the best choice. For the $149 annual fee, you’ll get 7,500 points after your account anniversary date (which is worth $97), a $75 annual Southwest travel credit, four upgraded boardings (where available), and 20% back for purchases of in-flight Wi-Fi and drinks. That’s way more value than the $149 fee and this is one card I think is a no-brainer to keep long term.
On the other hand, if you just want to get the bonus and don’t want to worry about the upgraded boarding or travel credit, you might be best off getting the Southwest Plus card since it has the lowest annual fee.
Do Southwest points expire?
Southwest has changed its policy and Southwest Rapid Rewards points no longer expire.
Are there any other restrictions?
To receive this bonus, Chase puts the following restrictions on applications.
This product is available to you if you do not have a current Southwest Rapid Rewards Credit Card and have not received a new Cardmember bonus within the last 24 months. This does not apply to Business Card and Employee Credit Card products.
This card is also subject to Chase’s 5/24 rule.
Is it worth it to try for a companion pass?
If the companion pass is worth it is a Your Mileage May Vary decision. I go over what the companion pass is and how to get one in this article. Even after getting the 75,000 bonus, you’ll be 40,000 points short. If you’re able, you could get a Southwest Business credit card, giving you enough points.
If you fly solo or are only going to have limited opportunity to use the pass, then it might not make sense to make an effort to acquire one. After having one, I felt it limited our travel choices to places we could go with Southwest, so I haven’t worried about getting one.
Southwest has also offered limited-time Companion Passes with flight promotions and as a credit card sign-up bonus, so there are other ways to get one besides earning 125,000 Rapid Rewards points.
Final Thoughts
These increased sign-up offers for the personal Southwest co-brand credit cards are only available thru July 11th.
Once again, If you decide that you want to sign up for any of the Southwest credit cards, we’d appreciate it if you use our link.
If you fly Southwest at least once a year and plan on keeping the card, I’d consider the Priority card. If you’re only going to get the card for the bonus and don’t plan on flying with Southwest after using up the points, the Plus card would be your best choice. As for the Premier card, I can’t see who this card is for since it’s only $50 less than the Priority card which has a $75 yearly travel credit.
Since so much of the talk about the offers focus on the Companion Pass, I wanted to highlight that it’s still worthwhile to get one of the cards for the sign-up bonus, even if you’re not interested in getting a pass.
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