UPDATE: This offer has expired.
The Southwest credit card keeps on going back and forth between 25,000 points and 50,000 points, but I am happy to announce that the Premier version of both the personal and business card are currently offering the higher 50,000 point offer.
There are a total of three Southwest Airlines Rapid Rewards credit cards – but as I mentioned above, only the Premier version of the card is offering the increased 50,000 point offer after spending $2,000 within the first three months.
- Southwest Airlines Rapid Rewards® Premier Card – $99/year fee, but you receive 6,000 points after year cardmember year – which is worth about $86 towards a future Southwest “Wanna Getaway” fare.
- Southwest Airlines Rapid Rewards® Premier Business Card – $99/year fee, but you receive 6,000 points after year cardmember year – which is worth about $86 towards a future Southwest “Wanna Getaway” fare.
What is 50,000 points worth?
For those who are new to Southwest, 50,000 points is currently worth about $714.29 towards a future “Wanna Getaway” fare. Although, now with their dynamic pricing, some more higher demand flights will cost slightly more points.
Now, the real benefit….
If you’ve been following this blog you know that I am a huge fan of Southwest! One of the main reasons is due to the Companion Pass where a companion can fly with you for free (plus $2.50 taxes per segment). This is not a one time companion pass, but has unlimited usage! It lasts for the year you earn the pass plus the following year. The 50,000 points per credit card offer after meeting the minimum spend requirements DO COUNT towards the companion pass. Additionally, the 2,000 points earned by meeting the minimum spend requirement also counts towards the companion pass. And, you are able to apply for more than one card, although Chase only allows you to have two Southwest Airlines credit card open at any given time. You can read more about getting the Southwest Companion pass here.
How to get the Southwest Companion Pass
You need a total of 110,000 Qualifying points and then the companion pass is yours. After apply for a card and meeting the minimum spend requirement, that will get you 52,000 points. You can earn the remaining Qualifying Points with credit card spend, Rapid Reward partners (i.e, Marriott, Avis, Hyatt), and flyingSouthwest. You cannot combine points between two accounts to count for the companion pass (for example, a husband and wife account cannot be combined!), although if you are eligible to earn the sign up bonus on two cards those points are combined. As a reminder, transferring Chase Ultimate Reward points to Southwest DO NOT count towards the companion pass, but transferring hotel points DO count. Here are the multiple ways to earn the Southwest Airlines Companion Pass. Once you accrue the necessary 110,000 points to earn companion pass status, the pass will be available for you for the entire year it was earned PLUS the entire following calendar year. So if you earn the companion pass now, it will be valid the rest of 2015 and then all of 2016. This means you could have it for potentially 16 months. With that being said, we typically see this offer come around again in October/November and if you apply then and do not meet the minimum spend requirement until January 2016, you’ll have the companion pass for all of 2016 and 2017. So really it depends on when you are looking to fly with Southwest.
If you want the companion pass for…
- 2015 & 2016: You can apply for the card now
- 2016 & 2017: I suggest waiting to apply for the card. If you apply now and approved immediately the 90 days starts the day you are approved. That means there is a good chance the 50,000 points from the sign up bonus will hit your account in December. Ideally, the best time to apply is October 1 to ensure the points hit in 2016. Although I am not sure how long this 50,000 point offer will be around, but it seems to come often enough that I wouldn’t worry!
Credit card to help earn the companion pass:
- Southwest Airlines Rapid Rewards® Premier Card – $99/year fee, but you receive 6,000 points after year cardmember year – which is worth about $86 towards a future Southwest “Wanna Getaway” fare.
- Southwest Airlines Rapid Rewards® Premier Business Card – $99/year fee, but you receive 6,000 points after year cardmember year – which is worth about $86 towards a future Southwest “Wanna Getaway” fare.
You can view all three cards and the differences in this prior blog post.
Let me know if you have any questions!
The responses below are not provided or commissioned by the bank advertiser. Responses have not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by the bank advertiser. It is not the bank advertiser's responsibility to ensure all posts and/or questions are answered.
Aggh I’m torn because I’m worried Chase will start applying that 5 credit card in 2 years limit to all their co-branded cards like this one…
Just spoke with 2 different premier card representatives and they both said these 50,000 points cannot be applied to receive the companion pass. They said they are not tiered points, but base points. Please let me know if this is true, as the companion pass was the reason I was going to apply.
@stacey – this is not correct. for close to 5 years now the representatives keep on saying this, but they unfortunately do not know how the system works.
i just applied for the biz card and received “pending” and to call M-F. I’m an S-Corp, in business 19 years with six figure sales. Any idea why i wouldn’t be automatically approved? My business only has one other corporate card – citibank that i’ve had for 19 years. thanks!
@Ed – It is pretty common for business card applications to go to a “pending” status, regardless of how qualified you are. I wouldn’t worry!
I would like to get the SW companion pass. I do not have a business. Is it possible to still be eligible for the business card? Do you know the approval criteria?
@Ruth – Do you sell anything on eBay. Can that be a business? If you send me an email I can help provide more assistance.
Southwest is currently offering a referral bonus.
“Step 1 INVITE YOUR FRIENDS. You can invite as many friends as you want before 12/15/2015.
Step 2 SHARE THE LUV®. Each friend will receive an offer for 50,000 bonus points after they spend $2,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening.”
I am a user on my husband’s card. If he refers me now, and I apply, when does my calendar year start? Does it start when I apply in December 2015 or when I get the card, likely in January 2016? I know the 50,000 points won’t appear on my account until 2016, but I would like to earn the companion pass in 2016 so I have it for the rest of that year and for 2017.
Thanks for your help!
@Anna – Your calendar year starts when you get the 110,000 points. It does not matter when you apply. So if you apply now, hold off until Jan 1 to complete the minimum spend. The 50,000 points will then count towards your companion pass status for 2016. Once you earn the remaining 60,000 required points your calendar year for the companion pass will start.
Hope this helps!
I currently have 10 refer friends for the Southwest 50,000 miles bonus if you spend 2,000 in 3. If anyone is interested, please email me @ sondog0@yahoo.com
Do you know if the 50,000 points show up automatically, or is there a step I need to do? I’ve spent over $2,000 and I’ve had the card for 2 months. Thanks!
@TW – the points show up a few days after the close of your billing cycle after you’ve spent the entire $2,000.
If anybody wants a referral for the 50,000 points for the
Southwest Rapid Rewards Premier you can email me at bluejay155 (add
@outlook.com)
This is the perfect time to apply if you want the companion pass for 2016 – 2017.
Right now Chase isn’t offering 50,000 points unless you have a
referral. These points do count towards the companion pass. The invite
must take place before 6/30/2015 and you must receive and use your new
card prior to 6/30/2016 to be eligible to receive the bonus. I will
receive 5,000 points for the referral so you will be helping me fly more
as well. THANK YOU.
I typed in the email address above to reduce the spam I will receive
for posting an email address on the internet. If you type the address
above with out spaces, put in @ instead of AT and add .com to the end,
it will work just fine.
Thanks and good luck earning the companion pass!
I have invites for the 50,000 bonus points for the Chase Southwest PREMIER credit card. Please email me at mari. king. 55@gmail. com (no spaces obviously, trying to avoid spam). Once you email me I’ll send you an invite via email. Now that I’ve sent a few I’ve received feedback that it can take up to 7 days to receive the invite link, so don’t panic if you don’t receive it right away. Don’t forget to check your junk mail!
I have referrals for the Southwest Plus Credit Card. The annual fee is $69.
Email me at
YouthIsOurFuture@yahoo.com
Forgot to mention this is with the 50K bonus.
If anyone is looking for the SouthWest Rapid Reward Premier card with 50,000 point bonus, just email me with your first name and email address. Once I send it to SW, you should receive an email in approximately 7 days. Spend 2,000 dollars in the first 3 months to get the 50,000 point bonus.
I have referrals available for the SW Premier Card with the 50,000 miles sign up bonus after spending $2,000 in the first 90 days, annual fee of $99 and an annual miles bonus of 6,000 miles. Email me to get it!
drew.bignall@yahoo.com
If anybody wants a referral for the 50,000 points for the Southwest Rapid Rewards PLUS card you can email me at bluejay155 (add @outlook.com)
This is the perfect time to apply if you want the companion pass for 2016 – 2017.
Right now Chase isn’t offering 50,000 points unless you have a referral. These points do count towards the companion pass. I will receive 5,000 points for the referral so you will be helping me fly more as well. THANK YOU.
Thanks and good luck earning the companion pass!
I have referrals for the Southwest Plus or Premier Credit Cards with the 50K bonus.
Please email me at
danbandersen2@yahoo.com
Email me your first name and email for 50,000 points Premier card referral link
at brian_2447@hotmail.com
I have Southwest Plus and Premier referrals available with the 50k Bonus
Email me at
youthisourfuture@yahoo.com
Thanks
I have only one referral left for a southwest premium or plus credit card. This 50000 offer will expire very soon. First come first serve. Email me at wolfdsny at mail.com have a good morning. Don’t pass up the opportunity the companion pass is legit if you earn the points. Spend 2000 on each card in 3 months and your practically there. Pay ahead on car insurance shop portals this is a no brainier.
I have a up to 10 premium credit card referrals for the 50,000 points. Email me at michon@wingetfamily.com if you would like one.
I have 10 referral links for the PLUS card 50,000 bonus points offer. I will need your first name, last name, and email. No, it’s not a scam, if you have any doubts, don’t bother sending me the information, I’m not trying to rip you off and would rather people who want the card to benefit from this offer the way I did. It may take a week to get the signup link from Southwest but, yes, you will get it. Again, this is for the PLUS card ($69 per year). Email mariking55@gmail (dot com).
I have referrals for BOTH the PLUS and the PREMIER but I know people are preferring the PLUS now because it’s a harder deal to find. Email me, first come first served. 50,000 bonus points for PLUS card. Again, email mariking55@gmail (dot com).
Are you looking for the SW Plus (50,000 bonus points) or SW Premier (50,000 bonus points) offer?
I have both available direct link.
Simply email me to Lcomstock07@gmail.com and I will send you the direct link within 10 minutes.
Best Regards,
Logan