(Increased offers!) Southwest personal card offers! Are they worth it?
Update 10/28/25: The Chase Southwest personal credit cards have a new offer! All three personal Southwest cards now have a welcome offer of 85,000 Rapid Rewards points for $3,000 spend in 3 months.
There’s a good chance you’ve already heard about some of the changes Southwest is making to both their program and credit card. However, despite these changes, Rapid Rewards points still remains as one of our favorite ways to book free travel. The program is incredibly easy to use and with no cancellation fees for points booking, it still offers one of the most flexible and travel-friendly programs.
And right now, Southwest is offering increased offers amongst all three of their personal credit cards. And if you time it right, these credit card offers will get you one step closer to earning the highly desirable Southwest Companion Pass.
Even though there’s been many changes with Southwest recently, the Companion Pass has not changed, where your companion can still fly with you for free (plus taxes/fees) an unlimited number of times throughout the life of the pass. And, if you time it right, this current offer can in fact allow you to earn the pass for 2026 and 2027. Be sure to read more on strategy below.
The three Southwest personal cards each have the same offer, but varying perks:
Southwest Rapid Rewards® Plus Credit Card ($99 annual fee)
Southwest Rapid Rewards® Premier Credit Card ($149 annual fee)
Southwest Rapid Rewards® Priority Credit Card ($229 annual fee)
We typically recommend the Plus or Priority cards. The Premier card often ends up as the awkward middle option—but that has shifted now due to new card benefits. Also note that the annual fees for these cards increased earlier this year. If you already have a Southwest credit card, the new annual fee will not take place until your cardmember anniversary date in 2026.
Changes to the Southwest Personal Credit Cards
As mentioned above, card benefits and annual fees are in the process of changing. This includes new benefits being added, and some perks being removed. We’ve recapped the changes below as this may influence which card works best for you.
New and existing credit card features:
Assigned Seating
Southwest is transitioning to an assigned seating model for flights taking off Jan. 27, 2026 and later. With this change, cardmembers will receive the following seating benefits, depending on their Southwest credit card:
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Plus: Choose Standard seats up to 48 hours before departure
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Premier and Priority: Choose Standard or Preferred seats up to 48 hours before departure
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Priority only: Choose Standard or Preferred seats at time of booking, plus enjoy unlimited complimentary extra-legroom upgrades within 48 hours of departure (pending availability)
Group 5 Boarding
Once assigned seating takes place, all three cards will offer Group 5 boarding for the cardholder and up to 8 travel companions on the same reservation.
A-List Status Boost
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Priority cardholders now earn 2,500 TQPs per $5,000 spend annually (up from 1,500; note that Premier cardholders will continue to earn the same 1,500 TQPs per $5,000 spend)
Anniversary Perks & Companion Pass Credits
You’ll continue to earn the same number of bonus points on your cardmember anniversary and annual Companion Pass qualifying points. However, a money-saving promo code has been added as a new perk for the Plus and Premier cards.
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Plus: 3,000 points + 10,000 CP points
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Premier: 6,000 points + 10,000 CP points
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Priority: 7,500 points + 10,000 CP points
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Promo codes: 10% off (Plus) and 15% off (Premier) on Southwest flights each year (excludes basic economy fares)
Enhanced Earning Categories
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Plus: 2x at gas stations & grocery stores (up to $5K/year)
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Premier: 2x at groceries & restaurants (up to $8K/year)
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Priority: 4x on Southwest; 2x on gas & restaurants (with no cap)
No Foreign Transaction Fees
- The Plus card will have no foreign transaction fees (the Premier and Priority already had this benefit, and will continue to do so)
First Checked Bag Free
- Plus, Premier and Priority cardmembers will still be able to check their first bag at no additional cost. This includes the cardmember and up to 8 additional passengers in the same reservation.
25% Back on In-flight Purchases
- Plus, Premier and Priority cardmembers will continue to receive 25% back on all in-flight purchases
Benefits Ending December 31, 2025
These perks are still active—but only until year-end:
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Plus, Premier and Priority: 2x on internet, cable and phone services and select streaming; 2x on transit and rideshares; 2x on Rapid Rewards hotel and car rental partners
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Plus and Premier: 2 EarlyBird Check-Ins per year
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Priority: 4 Upgraded Boardings per year and $75 annual flight credit
Should You Get One of These Cards?
If you’re aiming for the Companion Pass, yes—absolutely, assuming you’re eligible. (See below for application rules or check out your CardGenie.)
To lock in the pass for both 2026 and 2027, you can apply now but do not plan to meet the minimum spend requirement until January 1, 2026 or later.
The Strategy: How to Earn the Companion Pass
Option 1: Personal + Business
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Apply for a personal card.
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Don’t meet the minimum spend until on or after January 1, 2026.
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Once you are eligible for your next card, apply for a Southwest business card. (If you need to spread out your card applications, you can always wait until after the first of the year to apply, it just might mean you earn the Companion Pass a few months into 2026).
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Again, wait until 2026 to meet the minimum spend on the Southwest business card.
This combo earns enough points to unlock the Companion Pass through December 31, 2027.
Option 2: Two Business Cards
You can get both Southwest business cards (you just can’t have more than one personal).
- Southwest Rapid Rewards® Premier Business Credit Card ($149 annual fee)
- Southwest Rapid Rewards® Performance Business Credit Card ($299 annual fee)
Same rule applies as the strategy involving the personal credit card. This means you’ll want to wait until 2026 to meet the minimum spend to maximize your Companion Pass duration.
If you’re interested in the Companion Pass, here’s the lowdown on the best strategy for earning the Southwest Companion Pass. Without earning a few signup bonuses, the Southwest Companion Pass can be difficult to achieve.
Who should you skip this offer?
If you rarely fly Southwest, you’re probably better off with a different travel card.
Application Rules
There are some specific application rules for getting this bonus. Perhaps the easiest thing to do is to check out your CardGenie to see if you’re eligible for any of these cards. The rules are:
1) Cannot currently have ANY Southwest personal card.
2) Cannot have earned any Southwest personal card bonus in the last 24 months. All 3 cards are considered a family. So, if you have one, then you cannot get approved for another.
3) You cannot be at 5/24 or above. (Check your 5/24 number on your Travel Freely dashboard)
Again, the CardGenie knows these rules, so you just need to check if they are showing up in your recommendations. Note: If you currently have a SW personal card, none of the SW personal cards will show up. BUT if it’s been more than 24 months since your last SW personal card bonus, you can close it, wait at least a week (more if possible), then re-open a new SW personal card in order to earn the bonus.
Summary
Here at Travel Freely, Southwest Rapid Rewards points are some of our favorites. And earning this current bonus might be what you need to help earn the Southwest Companion Pass.
If you’re not interested in the Southwest Companion Pass, you may want to consider the Chase Sapphire Preferred or one of the Ink business cards right now. These cards earn Chase Ultimate Rewards. If Southwest Airlines is your preferred airline, you can use your Chase Ultimate Rewards points towards a Southwest flight.
