Ending Soon! Increased Offers on the Southwest Rapid Rewards® Personal Cards
Last Chance! The welcome offers on all three personal Southwest cards end 7/2/26 at 7am ET.
The Southwest increased the welcome offers across all three of its personal credit cards. If Southwest is your preferred airline, these are some of the strongest personal card offers we’ve seen. Here’s exactly what each card is offering right now:
- Southwest Rapid Rewards® Plus Credit Card: 80,000 points after $1,000 spend in 3 months ($99 annual fee)
- Southwest Rapid Rewards® Premier Credit Card: 85,000 points after $2,000 spend in 3 months ($149 annual fee)
- Southwest Rapid Rewards® Priority Credit Card: 90,000 points after $3,000 spend in 3 months ($229 annual fee)
Rapid Rewards® remains one of our favorite programs for booking free travel. It’s easy to use, there are no cancellation fees on points bookings, and it’s one of the most flexible, travel-friendly programs out there. So when the offers go up like this, we pay attention. Let’s break down what’s on the table and who these cards are right for.
A Closer Look at the Three Cards
All three Southwest personal cards earn the same Rapid Rewards® points, but they differ in annual fee, spending requirement, and ongoing perks.
We typically point beginners toward the Plus or Priority cards. The Plus keeps the annual fee low while still earning a big bonus, and the Priority is the pick if you fly Southwest often enough to use its richer perks. The Premier sits in the middle, so it tends to make sense only if its specific earning categories and perks line up with how you spend.
All three cards include:
- A Companion Pass qualifying boost, plus bonus points on each cardmember anniversary
- 25% back on in-flight purchases
- One free checked bag for the cardholder and up to 8 additional passengers on the same reservation
The higher-tier cards add incremental value:
- Priority Card: 4X points on Southwest purchases, upgraded boarding, A-List status boost opportunities, and 2X at gas stations and restaurants
- Premier Card: 3X points on Southwest purchases, A-List status boost opportunities, and 2X at grocery stores and restaurants on the first $8,000 in combined purchases per year
- Plus Card: 2X on Southwest, groceries, and gas on the first $5,000 in combined purchases per anniversary year, now with no foreign transaction fees (just like the other two cards)
What Makes These Offers Worth a Look
1) The Bonuses Are Above the Usual
Southwest’s personal cards have historically offered welcome bonuses around 50,000 points. These come in higher, at 80,000 to 90,000 points depending on the card. That’s enough points for a real chunk of free travel, and on its own makes this one of the better windows we’ve seen to pick up a Southwest personal card.
2) Rapid Rewards® Is Simple to Use
If you’re newer to points and miles, Southwest is an approachable place to start. There are no complicated award charts or transfer partners to learn. You earn points, you book flights, and there are no cancellation fees if your plans change. For beginners who want a straightforward win, that simplicity is a real advantage.
3) A Step Toward the Companion Pass
For many travelers, the big draw of Southwest is the Companion Pass, which lets a designated companion fly with you for just taxes and fees. A welcome bonus this size moves you toward earning it, though it won’t get you there on its own. Earning the pass takes a bit of planning, and we walk through exactly how in our Southwest Companion Pass strategy guide. If the pass is your goal, start there.
Who Should Skip These Offers?
These offers are strong, but they aren’t for everyone.
If you rarely fly Southwest, you’re probably better off with a different travel card. The value here is tied to actually flying the airline, so the points won’t do much for you if Southwest isn’t part of your travel plans.
And if you prefer flexible, transferable points, a card like the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card may serve you better. It earns Chase Ultimate Rewards®, which you can redeem across multiple airlines and hotels, and you can even use those points toward Southwest flights if that’s where you want to fly.
Eligibility Rules
There are a few rules for earning this bonus. The easiest way to check is your Travel Freely CardGenie® dashboard, which knows these rules and will only show the cards you’re eligible for. In short:
- You can’t currently hold any Southwest personal credit card
- You can’t have earned a Southwest personal card bonus in the last 24 months (all three cards count as one family for this rule)
- You can’t be at 5/24 or above (Chase won’t approve you for new cards if you’ve opened 5 or more personal cards in the past 24 months)
Our Take
Southwest Rapid Rewards® points are some of our favorites here at Travel Freely, especially for families and couples who appreciate stress-free domestic travel. With these increased bonuses, now is one of the better times we’ve seen to add a Southwest personal card if the airline fits your travel.
As always, the strategy only works if you pay your balance in full and on time. The points are the reward for spending you were already going to do, not a reason to spend more.
👉 Check your CardGenie® to see if you’re eligible for a Southwest card. Your dashboard will show which cards you can apply for today, and whether they fall under your 5/24 limit.
Travel Freely may receive a commission when you use our links to apply for a card, at no cost to you. We always share the best available offers, even when they don’t earn us anything.
