An Amazing Southwest Credit Card Offer that I am NOT Getting

UPDATE: This offer has expired.

I’ve been preaching about the Southwest Credit Card a lot over the past few weeks, and there is a good reason why—they’ve come out with one of the best offers we’ve seen to date. For all three of their personal cards, through February 11, 2019, you’ll be able to earn the Southwest Companion Pass for the rest of 2019 plus 30,000 points. For those new to the pass, it essentially allows someone to fly with you on the same flight for free (plus taxes and fees) an UNLIMITED number of times! With the current offer, the expiration date for having the pass is through December 31, 2019, although there are opportunities to extend the pass until 2020 as well. For those looking to fly with their family or a travel partner within the US or the Caribbean, this is a great way to save a ton of money over the course of the year. For me personally, the Companion Pass is valued at about $1,450 per year.

But I am actually not applying for this card!

I typically practice what I preach. When I talk about an amazing travel deal or credit card offer, I usually take advantage of the offer as well. With this particular offer, I’ve been writing about it so often that most readers probably assume this is an offer I am 100% taking advantage of. Hold on to your seats though, this is actually an offer I am not applying for!

But it is for a good reason! The offer will give you the companion pass through December 31, 2019. But I already have the companion pass with the same expiration date! Getting the companion pass again will not allow me to take two companions with me for free! Nor will it extend the expiration date another year. So this offer literally has no benefit to me. Yes, it does come with 30,000 points, but this is not an offer you apply for if you are only going for the Rapid Reward points. During the year when there is no companion pass bonus attached with the offer, the card usually comes with a 40,000-60,000 point offer. This real benefit is the getting the companion pass!

But my husband might apply…

Since I am now in the family travel world with my 2 and 5 year old, we are now purchasing 4 tickets every time my family travels. So while having one companion fly with us for free is great, having two companions (both our children!) fly for free would be even better. Although I already have the pass, my husband does not. If my husband gets the card, that means we would both have the pass for 2019 meaning we are literally flying for half price on all of our flights as a family for the year!

I am 50/50 on whether or not he should apply though. First off, he only has one slot left in his Chase “5/24” wallet. So applying for this card would make him ineligible for any other Chase offers that pop up. Secondly, I am not sure if I am actually going to be able to maintain earning the pass again for next year. One possible plan would be that my husband instead applies for two Southwest credit cards later this Fall, has the points post in 2020, and that would then secure us the pass for 2020 and 2021. That would then put the pass in his name and I could pass over the reign. Lastly, there are a few times when I fly alone with my two kids and my husband meets us later on due to a work trip or other work requirements. To save money on our child’s flight, my husband would actually have to fly with us, or at least with one of my kids. And then of course there are some times when just my husband and I go on vacation, so during those trips just one of us actually needs the pass. Of course him having the pass would save us some money, but I am not sure if the savings would be worth it for our particular situation.

What’s your strategy?

Will you be taking advantage of this offer? And where will you fly in 2019!?