60K Southwest Rapid Rewards sign up offers on all 3 Southwest credit cards

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Chase has increased the offers on all three Southwest Airlines Rapid Rewards Credit Cards, with each offering a sign-up bonus of 60,000 points after minimum spend. This means it is possible for those under 5/24 to open two cards, meet the spend, and receive a Southwest Companion Pass. As a reminder, a Companion Pass is awarded after earning 110,000 Rapid Rewards points in a calendar year. Not all kinds of points count — see our Complete Guide to the Southwest Companion Pass for more information on this valuable benefit. More information about each offer follows. Find links to these offers and more on our Best Offers page.

The Offers

Chase Southwest Airlines Rapid Rewards Plus

a close-up of a number

The Offer
  • 60,000 Southwest Rapid Rewards points after $2,000 in purchases in the first 3 months
Key details
  • $69 annual fee is not waived the first year (charged on 1st statement)
  • 2X on Southwest purchases and Rapid Rewards Hotel and Car Rental Partners
  • 1X everywhere else
  • 3,000 points on your cardmember anniversary

Chase Southwest Airlines Rapid Rewards Premier (personal)

a credit card on a beach

The Offer
  • 60,000 Southwest Rapid Rewards points after $2,000 in purchases in the first 3 months
Key Details
  • $99 annual fee is not waived the first year (charged on 1st statement)
  • 2X on Southwest purchases and Rapid Rewards Hotel and Car Rental Partners
  • 1X everywhere else
  • 6,000 points on your cardmember anniversary

Chase Southwest Rapid Rewards Premier Business

a credit card with a credit card on it

The Offer
  • 60,000 Southwest Rapid Rewards points after $3,000 in purchases in the first 3 months
Key Details
  • $99 annual fee is not waived the first year (charged on 1st statement)
  • 2X on Southwest purchases and Rapid Rewards Hotel and Car Rental Partners
  • 1X everywhere else
  • 6,000 points on your cardmember anniversary

 

Final Thoughts

These signup bonuses are excellent and it is exciting to be able to get a Southwest Companion Pass fairly easily once again. Remember that the Companion Pass is valid for the remainder of the year in which it is earned and the entire next year. This means that if you were to earn your points in the next three months, your Companion Pass would be valid for the remainder of 2017 and all of 2018 (until December 31, 2018). While it’s obviously ideal to earn a Companion Pass as early in the year as possible, you’ll still have ~16 months of validity (give or take when you meet the spend and your statements cut), which is a great deal. The 60,000 points on each card buys more than $800 worth of Wanna Get Away airfares. If you have the Companion Pass, you can sort of imagine those points being doubly valuable if you will always travel with a partner. Remember that you can also change your companion up to three times each calendar year, so you are not limited to a single companion for the entire ~16 or so months.

All that said, these cards aren’t the most rewarding for everyday spend. As they only earn 1 Southwest point per dollar and each point is worth around 1.5 cents, the return is more similar to a 1.5% cash back card. There are more rewarding options on the market for everyday spend. Still, Southwest points are very flexible and these offers are excellent sign-up offers for each card. I’ve been a Southwest Companion Pass holder for several years and will continue to be through at least December 2018. In my opinion, it’s the best deal in domestic travel.

Those who already have a Southwest Companion Pass may still be interested in these offers as the flexibility of Southwest points adds to their value. Flights can be changed or cancelled up until shortly before the flight (I’ve cancelled the day of departure) and the points are simply returned to your account with no penalty or expiration. In my opinion, that stretches the value of these points a bit and as a result of the flexibility I prefer to reserve with points over cash whenever possible.

Keep in mind that these cards are known to be subject to the Chase 5/24 rule. If you have opened 5 or more new accounts in the past 24 months, you are extremely unlikely to be approved. However, if you are under 5/24 and have a need for Southwest points, these can be a great deal. Again, see the links above each image for more information on each card or see our Best Offers page as well.

H/T: IAD Gr8 on Twitter

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