Buzz
Southwest has recently lifted the expiration date on its Rapid Rewards points, and now, its co-branded Chase credit card offers the chance to accumulate an enormous number of points that never expire and can be used whenever you want.
New Southwest Rapid Rewards cardholders can unlock this two-part signup bonus:
Earn 40,000 points by spending $1,000 on purchases within the first three months of getting the card
Earn 35,000 points after spending $5,000 within the first six months of opening the card.
In total, that's 75,000 points—enough to fly round-trip from New York City to Los Angeles, with some points still left to spare.
The Rapid Rewards card comes in three versions: the ‘Plus’ card with a $69 annual fee, the ‘Premier’ card at $99 per year, and the ‘Priority’ card, which carries a $149 annual fee.
If you've already claimed a signup bonus for a Southwest Rapid Rewards card within the past two years, you're not eligible to receive the bonus again. Additionally, if you currently hold any level of Rapid Rewards credit card, you can't take advantage of this offer.
The signup bonus is currently one of the best available. Although it requires a $5,000 spend within six months, this extended period is one of the longest for any signup bonus. Most bonuses tend to have a shorter window of three or four months, which can sometimes lead to overspending if you don’t already make frequent credit card purchases.
For those with major travel plans, you might want to consider using your signup bonus for a Companion Pass. In the past, you could earn a free seat for a companion after accumulating 110,000 Rapid Rewards points in one year. However, starting January 1, this threshold increased to 125,000 points.
Even with the new signup bonus, you’ll still need to earn an additional 50,000 points to achieve the highly sought-after friends-fly-free status. Since the most you can earn with the Southwest card is two points per dollar spent on airfare and partner travel purchases, careful planning is essential to either spend or travel enough to close the gap. Plus, you’ll want to make sure you can afford to fly with your companion during the 12 months of Companion Pass benefits. If you're looking for tips on managing your new card, check out our guide to credit surfing.
If you're already a Southwest credit cardholder and feeling a bit of FOMO, there’s a way to rack up more points. You can refer up to five friends to sign up for the card and earn 10,000 points for each successful referral. Everyone wins—your friends get the card, you earn points, and you all get to escape to a warm destination together.
Are you planning to grab this signup bonus? Let us know in the comments—I’d love to hear about your approach to hitting the spending minimum.
