Want a bunch of Southwest points and a big discount on some Southwest flights this summer or fall – or next year? You're in luck.
Chase and Southwest just rolled out a unique new offer on all three of their personal Rapids Rewards credit cards: You can now earn 60,000 Rapid Rewards points and a 30% off promo code for travel with Southwest Airlines after you spend $3,000 within the first three months. You've got a month to mull things over: These limited-time offers are set to expire on June 26.
Those aren't the biggest points bonuses we've seen from Southwest – we've seen them go as high as 75,000 points in the past. But a promo code for 30% off Southwest flights is brand new … and while it's a one-time discount, you can typically use Southwest promo codes for up to eight travelers. If you can use this promo code for a big group trip on Southwest over the next year or so, it could easily make this latest Southwest credit card offer the best yet.
You should get that discount code within eight weeks of meeting the spending requirement, though it could process much faster. It's good for a 30% discount on any one-way or roundtrip Southwest booking, whether you book the cheapest Wanna Get Away fare or a top-tier Business Select fare. It's unclear if award tickets booked with Southwest Rapid Rewards you'll have all the way until Oct. 31, 2024, to use it.
No matter which Southwest card you choose, this welcome bonus and promo code is on the table. While many travelers have understandably soured on Southwest after its historic holiday meltdown, this offer is worth considering.
Keep reading for everything you need to know about these Southwest credit card offers.
The Southwest Rapid Rewards Plus Credit Card
- Earn 60,000 points and a 30% off promo code for travel via Southwest Airlines after you spend $3,000 on purchases in the first three months of card membership.
- Anniversary Bonus: Each year on your cardmember anniversary, you will receive 3,000 Rapid Rewards points.
- Earn 2x Rapid Rewards Points per dollar spent on purchases with Southwest Airlines and its hotel and rental car partners.
- Earn 2x Rapid Rewards Points per dollar spent on local transit and commuting purchases, including rideshares like Uber and Lyft. You’ll also earn 2x points per dollar spent on internet/cable, phone services, and select streaming purchases.
- Earn 1x Rapid Rewards Points per dollar on all other spending on the card.
- Get 2 Early Bird check-ins each year.
- Chase 5/24 Rule: The card will be subject to the Chase 5/24 rule, so you may not be approved for the card depending on how many credit cards you’ve opened in the last two years.
- Annual Fee: The card has an annual fee of $69, which is not waived for the first year of card membership.
Click Here to get more details on the Southwest Plus Credit Card.
The Southwest Rapid Rewards Premier Credit Card
- Earn 60,000 Rapid Rewards points and a 30% off promo code for travel via Southwest Airlines after you spend $3,000 on purchases in the first three months of card membership.
- Anniversary Bonus: Each year on your cardmember anniversary, you will receive 6,000 Rapid Rewards points.
- Earn 3x Rapid Rewards Points per dollar spent on purchases with Southwest Airlines.
- Earn 2x Rapid Rewards Points per dollar spent on local transit and commuting purchases, including rideshares like Uber and Lyft. You’ll also earn 2x points per dollar spent on internet/cable, phone services, and select streaming purchases.
- Earn 1x Rapid Rewards Points per dollar on all other spending on the card.
- 25% Back on In-Flight Purchases: Receive 25% back via statement credits for in-flight purchases. This can be used for drinks, movies, and purchasing Wi-Fi and messaging.
- Get 2 Early Bird check-ins each year.
- No foreign transaction fees
- Chase 5/24 Rule: The card will be subject to the Chase 5/24 rule, so you may not be approved for the card depending on how many credit cards you’ve opened in the last two years.
- Annual Fee: The card has an annual fee of $99, which is not waived for the first year of card membership.
Click Here to get more details on the Southwest Premier Credit Card.
The Southwest Rapid Rewards Priority Credit Card
- Earn 60,000 Rapid Rewards points and a 30% off promo code for travel via Southwest Airlines after you spend $3,000 on purchases in the first three months of card membership.
- Anniversary Bonus: Each year on your cardmember anniversary, you will receive 7,500 Rapid Rewards points.
- Priority Boarding: Each year on your cardmember anniversary, you will receive four upgraded boarding positions. Simply purchase an upgrade on the day of your travel with the Priority card. You’ll receive a boarding number between A1 and A15, and be reimbursed via statement credit within eight weeks.
- Annual Travel Credit: Receive an annual travel credit of $75 to use on Southwest Airlines flights.
- 25% Back on In-Flight Purchases: Receive 25% back via statement credits for in-flight purchases. This can be used for drinks, movies, and purchasing Wi-Fi and messaging.
- Earn 3x Rapid Rewards Points per dollar spent on purchases with Southwest Airlines.
- Earn 2x Rapid Rewards Points per dollar spent on local transit and commuting purchases, including rideshares like Uber and Lyft. You’ll also earn 2x points per dollar spent on internet/cable, phone services, and select streaming purchases.
- Earn 1x Rapid Rewards Points per dollar on all other spending on the card.
- Unlimited Tier Qualifying Points can be earned towards A-List status each year.
- Chase 5/24 Rule: The card will be subject to the Chase 5/24 rule, so you may not be approved for the card depending on how many credit cards you’ve opened in the last two years.
- Annual Fee: The card has an annual fee of $149, which is not waived for the first year of card membership.
Click Here to learn more about the Southwest Priority Credit Card.
Just How Good is This Offer?
This offer is unlike any other we've ever seen – not just on Southwest credit cards, but from any major airline. And it has the potential to be quite lucrative for Southwest flyers.
Southwest's Rapid Rewards program may not get you a business class seat on an international flight, but the points are some of the easiest to use and can be especially valuable for families. How many points you need is tied directly to the cash price: The lower the cost, the fewer points you'll need – it's that simple. And that means there are no blackout dates – you can always use your points.
That means you shouldn't have a hard time putting this Southwest bonus to use. But this new 30% off promo code might be even better.
Just how much the promo code will save you depends on how expensive of a flight you book, of course. But assuming you can use it to book for four, six, or eight passengers, it could be incredibly lucrative.
Let's use a family of four flying from Omaha (OMA) to Orlando (MCO) as an example: Cash prices on this route are $436 per passenger. The promo code only applies to the base fare – not taxes and fees.
Once we remove the taxes and fees, you're left with a price of roughly $378 per passenger. Factor in this 30% off promo code for all four passengers, our hypothetical family of four could save more than $450 on these flights. Not bad!
When you combine the savings from this promo code with the value of the points, it adds up to be a welcome offer that could easily be worth $1,200 or much more. That's a pretty significant offer and one that's definitely worth your attention if flying Southwest is in your future.
Read more: Our Complete Guide to Southwest Airlines
What to Know Before You Apply
There are some considerations to work through before you apply. And the first comes down to whether you're even eligible to open one of these Chase Southwest cards.
Chase only lets you hold one Southwest personal credit card at a time. That means if you already have one Southwest credit card open, you will not be approved for a second card. On top of that, these welcome bonuses are not available if you have earned a welcome bonus on any of the three Southwest Airlines personal credit cards in the past 24 months (or two years).
And of course, these cards are also subjected to the dreaded Chase 5/24 rule, so getting approved for one of these cards may be difficult depending on how many credit cards (from any bank, not just Chase) you’ve opened in the last 24 months. If you've opened five or more five credit cards with any bank in that time span, you will not be approved for Chase credit cards, regardless of your credit score or history with Chase bank.
But if you are eligible, these Southwest credit cards are easily among the best credit cards you can get if you are under the Chase 5/24 rule. That’s especially true with this new offer to earn a Companion Pass for the first year.
Open a card, meet the minimum spending requirement, and voila – you've got 60,000 Southwest Rapid Rewards points and a 30% off promo code for travel via Southwest Airlines. Keep in mind, though: Credit cards are serious business. If you can't afford to charge and immediately pay off $1,000 within three months, it isn't worth digging yourself into debt.
Read more: The Master Guide to the Southwest Companion Pass
Pair with a Chase Sapphire Preferred or Sapphire Reserve
All three of these Southwest credit cards make great companions to either the Chase Sapphire Reserve® or the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card. That’s because Chase Ultimate Rewards points can be transferred to your Southwest Rapid Rewards account on a 1:1 basis, meaning 1,000 Chase points get you 1,000 Southwest Rapid Reward points. And those transfers are instant.
You can even transfer these points to Southwest to book one ticket to use with your Companion pass, paying just the taxes and fees on both tickets. It’s a great deal.
Click Here to learn more about the Chase Sapphire Preferred Card.
Click Here to learn more about the Chase Sapphire Reserve.
Bottom Line
Chase and Southwest are out with an offer to earn 60,000 Rapid Rewards points and a 30% off promo code for travel on Southwest Airlines after you spend $3,000 in the first three months of card membership on any of the Southwest personal credit cards. While a big stash of Southwest points never hurts – especially since they count toward earning a Companion pass – the real value here is the one-time 30% discount code.
Use that wisely and you can come out way, way ahead.
Does the point transfer go the other way? Can the points in Southwest credit card be transferred to Chase Sapphire? Thanks
They can not. Transfers are only one way
Great deal, I just wish Southwest had more (direct) flights out of MSP to destinations I am interested in.
Do I actually have to spend the $5,000 by March 10 to qualify?
No, you’d simply have to apply while the offer is still available and then spend $5,000 within three months of being approved for the card.
My husband and I both have personal Chase SW cards and have had them more than 2 yrs, Could one of us cxl a personal card and reapply in a couple weeks to attain this bonus? Or would it trigger something negative with Chase?
Hi Kim. That absolutely should work. I would give it 30 days from when you close the card to reapply. And I would also suggest applying for a different version than you currently have.
FYI, Your article shows 2 different annual fees for the Chase Card where you earn the companion bonus.
Also, if you spend $5k in the first month you have the card how soon would I be able to use the companion benefit? Since it is only good until next February I want to maximize it this spring too.
Lastly, can I use it to fly others with companions or do I always have to be one of the ticket holders?
Hi Rayne. There are three cards all offering this right now and each of them has a different annual fee.
Regarding how quickly you would receive the Companion pass, generally, you would receive it within a few days after your card statement closes in which you met the spending requirement.
Anyone know how to get the Companion Pass added the quickest way? I got the card Feb 16th, it arrived in ~ 5 days. I charged over $5000 within 3 weeks, I went online to pay the bill early and now hoping I can at least get the Companion Pass to use ASAP. I can wait on the 30,000 bonus points, but really want the CP!
Thanks
It should be available as soon as your card statement closes.
My first statement closed Feb 25th, but I was only 1/2 way there, so I have to wait until Mar 25th now? Hoping to esclate it somehow 🙂
Correct. After the statement closes in which you meet the spending requirement.
Just had another idea or thought….my first due date is April 2nd, but what if I change my due date going foward to the 6th, so I could pay the remaining balance by April 6th instead of waiting for May 2nd? I’m guessing these questions center around the Chase Card provider rather than the SW Rewards provider?
Yes. You will need to work with Chase on this.
Closing up this discussion for reference to others. I contacted Chase and was unable to change closing date to be earlier. Seems you can only do this for future closing dates which doesn’t help me.
Do you know how long this most recent bonus offer will last? I’ve gotten 2 chase cards in the last 30 days so I think I need to wait, but scared to miss it!
Unfortunately, we don’t. Chase hasn’t yet listed an end date for the offer.
So, I applied for both the personal and business cards. I was called about the business card but received notification that the personal card was declined “due to already having that card”. I called and was told that I can only have one version of the Southwest card. I explained that I wanted to keep my personal and business charges separate but earn the points on all my charges. I asked to be reconsidered but they said that department was closed due to the holiday. I called the next day and went through the same procedure and waited on hold for an hour before hanging up and calling back. I explained everything again and was told that it would be under consideration, and I would hear in 1 to 2 weeks.
My husband is an authorized user on my Southwest card. Would he be able to apply for his own card since a person can only hold one Southwest personal card?
Hi Diane. Yes, he should be able to.