Advertiser Disclosure
We are an independent, advertising-supported comparison service. Our goal is to help you make smarter financial decisions by providing you with interactive tools and financial calculators, publishing original and objective content, by enabling you to conduct research and compare information for free – so that you can make financial decisions with confidence. The offers that appear on this site are from companies from which TheSimpleDollar.com receives compensation. This compensation may impact how and where products appear on this site including, for example, the order in which they appear. The Simple Dollar does not include all card/financial services companies or all card/financial services offers available in the marketplace. The Simple Dollar has partnerships with issuers including, but not limited to, Capital One, Chase & Discover. View our full advertiser disclosure to learn more.
Southwest Cards Get Huge Signup Bonus Increase
Chase announced an impressive signup bonus increase for the Southwest Rapid Rewards® Plus Credit Card. New cardholders can now earn 40,000 points after you spend $1,000 on purchases in the first 3 months. Plus, earn 3X points on dining, including takeout and eligible delivery services, for the first year. It’s a great upgrade to a card with a great signup bonus!
Card highlights
There’s a lot of similarities between Chase’s Southwest cards: Each has a base rate of 2X points per dollar on Southwest purchases, and 1X points per dollar on all other purchases. Additionally:
- Points don’t expire as long as your card is open.
- No blackout dates or seat restrictions when you redeem points for flights.
- First and second checked bags fly free.
- No change fees. (Fare differences may apply.)
But when it comes to points and fees, there are some differences. Here’s a quick guide:
| Southwest card comparison | Signup bonus | Annual fee | Foreign transaction fees? |
|---|---|---|---|
| Southwest Rapid Rewards® Plus Credit Card | Earn 40,000 points after you spend $1,000 on purchases in the first 3 months. Plus, earn 3X points on dining, including takeout and eligible delivery services, for the first year. | $69 | Yes: 3% of each transaction in U.S. dollars |
| Southwest Rapid Rewards® Premier Credit Card | Earn 40,000 points after you spend $1,000 on purchases in the first 3 months. Plus, earn 3X points on dining, including takeout and eligible delivery services, for the first year. | $99 | No |
Already applied?
If you’ve already applied for a Rapid Rewards® Credit Card within 90 days of the offer, and you’ve missed out on the signup bonus, don’t worry: Chase will match the higher offer on both personal and business cards. (To be eligible for matching, the offer must be a public, as opposed to an offer targeting a specific individual.)
Bonus benefit: Southwest Companion Pass
The Companion Pass is a major incentive for making Southwest your airline of choice. This members-only perk lets you designate one person to fly with you for 100% free for the following full calendar year, plus the remainder of the year in which you earned it. Earn a companion pass early enough in the year, and that’s two years’ worth of free flights for your chosen companion.
Here’s what you’ll need to qualify:
- 110,000 qualifying points in a calendar year.
- 100 qualifying one-way flights.
(Note: you don’t have to own a Southwest credit card to earn a Companion Pass; any Rapid Rewards member who meets the criteria above can earn one.)
Too long, didn’t read?
Now with the Southwest Rapid Rewards® Plus Credit Card earn 40,000 points after you spend $1,000 on purchases in the first 3 months. Plus, earn 3X points on dining, including takeout and eligible delivery services, for the first year.
Editorial Note: Compensation does not influence our recommendations. However, we may earn a commission on sales from the companies featured in this post. To view our disclosures, click here. Opinions expressed here are the author’s alone, and have not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by our advertisers. Reasonable efforts are made to present accurate info, however all information is presented without warranty. Consult our advertiser’s page for terms & conditions.
