The greatest deal for US vacationers remains to be the Southwest Airlines Companion Pass. For simply two extra days (by way of December seventh, 2021) it stays simple to attain. This is the one journey bank card my spouse has utilized for this yr.
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Southwest Airlines Companion Pass Is Still The Best Deal In Travel
I’ve mentioned the Southwest Airlines Companion Pass prior to now calling it the perfect deal in journey for US vacationers. That stays the case right now. Companion Pass is accessible to Rapid Rewards members accruing 125,000 factors (by way of sure channels) in a calendar yr. Once achieved, the Companion Pass offers holders the power so as to add a companion to any Southwest flight no matter whether or not that ticket was bought with money or factors redemption.
Here are the specifics of the Companion Pass:
- Valid for the remainder of the yr through which it’s earned and all the subsequent yr
- Companion may be added to any flight for which at the very least one seat is accessible
- Companion may be modified thrice per calendar yr
Companion Pass qualifiers:
- Earning 125,000 qualifying Rapid Rewards factors
- Bonus factors from bank cards rely
- Rapid Reward factors from spending on bank cards rely
- Rapid Rewards factors from flying rely (as accrued)
- Rapid Rewards factors earned by way of purchasing portals and commerce companions rely
- Points transferred from Chase Ultimate Rewards don’t rely towards Companion Pass
- Points from lodge transfers don’t rely towards Companion Pass
- Purchased Rapid Rewards factors don’t rely towards Companion Pass
For my household of three, having the ability to offset the price of one in all our vacationers is a big worth, however when our daughter was a on-lap toddler, we have been all flying for the value (in money or factors) of only one particular person.
Soon Expiring Southwest Airlines Credit Card Offers Make Companion Pass Easy To Obtain
Chase has quite a few Southwest Airlines bank cards which have substantial bonuses for the following few days making the Companion Pass simple to acquire. These new promotions began months in the past and finish on December seventh, 2021 at 11:59 PM.
First, the non-public playing cards must be in contrast. All three playing cards supply the potential for 100,000 bonus factors after spending $12,000 within the first 12 months. However, it must be famous that this bonus is break up, awarding 50,000 Southwest Rapid Rewards factors after spending $2,000 on the cardboard inside the first three months after which one other 50,000 extra bonus factors when one other $10,000 is spent inside 12 months of opening the cardboard.
The annual charges on all of Southwest’s bank cards are cheap, $69 for Plus, $99 for Premier, $149 for Priority. All three playing cards earn 2x factors per greenback spent on:
- Local transit, commuting and rideshare apps (Uber, Lyft, and so on.)
- Internet, cable, cellphone, and choose streaming companies
- Hotels and automotive leases made by way of Southwest
- Southwest flights – although now the Premier and Priority get a 3rd Rapid Reward level per greenback spent on Southwest flights
All three playing cards get 25% again on in-flight purchases, whether or not it’s grownup drinks, wifi, or anything. Southwest Plus and Southwest Premier cardholders get two early hen checkins yearly, whereas Priority cardholders get (4) upgraded boardings per yr (when accessible), and a $75 Southwest annual journey credit score. Premier and Priority cardholders additionally 1,500 tier-qualifying factors towards A-list standing for each $10,000 in spend yearly (which each would obtain if incomes the total bonus with this supply) and people two cardholder teams will not be topic to worldwide overseas transaction charges. All playing cards earn (1) Rapid Reward level per greenback spent on all the things exterior of those listed classes.
Southwest bank cards additionally include an annual retention bonus of three,000, 6,000, or 7,500 Rapid Rewards factors on the cardholder’s anniversary with the product for Plus, Premier, and Priority playing cards respectively.
Business Credit Cards
The Southwest Rapid Rewards Performance Business Credit Card has one of the vital distinctive options I’ve seen on an airline bank card and could be cause alone to snag it. The Performance model of the cardboard comes with 365 free in-flight wifi classes. The regular $8 cost is made to the cardboard after which a credit score is issued inside 1-2 weeks of the cost being made. I don’t know of one other card within the business that gives free wifi and for small enterprise vacationers or consultants, that alone could possibly be an enormous benefit.
The present bonus for the Southwest Rapid Rewards Performance Business Credit Card is 80,000 factors (as an alternative of 100,000 for the others) however requires simply $5,000 spent within the first three months to obtain it.
The remainder of the advantages intently align with the Southwest Priority bank card with a few notable additions:
- $100 Global Entry or TSA PreCheck payment reimbursement each 4 years
- 4x factors for Southwest flights booked with the cardboard (as an alternative of 3x on Priority)
- $500 in waived switch charges (to maneuver factors to workers); and
- 9,000 bonus factors on the cardholder anniversary versus 7,500.
Some small enterprise homeowners might qualify for the Southwest Performance by way of their enterprise outright, others who’re constructing their companies or haven’t but established themselves as giant sufficient companies to warrant its personal credit score rating might must make the most of their private credit score rating on their enterprise purposes. Generally talking, FICO scores of 700 or greater are thought of secure territory for each enterprise and private playing cards.
Business homeowners that do not need the non-public Southwest playing cards can apply for each variations in the identical month as long as they’ve fewer than 5 purposes for brand spanking new bank cards within the final 24 months. Doing so would apply each bonuses and guarantee Companion Pass is achieved even at simply $7,000 in spend within the first three months ($2,000 for private playing cards AND $5,000 for the enterprise card.)
The Only Travel Credit Card My Wife Has Added All Year
There have been some nice bank card presents out this yr. LiveAndLetsFly makes use of and refers our readers to nice presents when they’re accessible, however make it some extent to not publish about them extensively. In truth, this yr I’ve written a card advice simply twice previous to this one. The actuality is that the majority of our readership and all the authors right here at LALF use journey rewards bank cards usually so discussing them every now and then is sensible.
This Southwest private bank card supply is the one one my spouse has added all yr. The causes are easy, it’s the one one which was too good to go up for the next logic.
It’s A Lot of Points
It’s not simply the enroll bonus we consider, however the complete factors as soon as the bonus is acquired. Let me clarify that additional. In order to attain the 100,000 bonus we would like from the cardboard, we should spend at the very least $12,000 on the cardboard. That will add not solely the bonus but additionally a minimal of 12,000 factors to our complete steadiness giving her at the very least 112,000 factors.
However, if we use the cardboard to purchase Southwest tickets, we are going to earn 3x factors on these purchases, let’s name that expenditure $1,000. That will give her 115,000 factors if the remainder of the spending is at a 1x charge. By shifting a few of streaming bills, cellphone and web payments and rideshare bills, we are going to speed up our incomes towards companion go but additionally towards a really giant amount of redeemable Rapid Rewards factors. When we fly these reservations, we will even earn the factors from these journeys, closing the hole to our 125,000 level purpose even quicker.
Companion Pass is Valuable to Us
When taking a look at a minimal of 125,000 factors earned, that’s an terrible lot of flights with the provider after we are able to redeem. At a charge of 1.4¢/level, it’s value extra $1,750 – a considerable enroll bonus. When factoring within the free companion that can fly on these flights with my spouse, it doubles in worth to $3,500.
Possessing that many Rapid Rewards factors (along with her present steadiness) opens up the liberty of touring on a whim in a manner we would not with different loyalty program balances. We select to make use of different currencies for various flights like lengthy haul enterprise class abroad. Burning Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan miles for a fast journey to Seattle would possibly appear to be a good suggestion, however I’d relatively save these 25,000 miles to place towards a trans-Pacific enterprise class flight on Cathay Pacific to Hong Kong for 50,000 as an alternative. With the power to halve our prices through the use of Southwest Rapid Rewards factors, a getaway to Seattle remains to be doable, and inexpensive with out sacrificing factors used higher elsewhere.
We additionally like the choice to change the named companion as much as thrice yearly (six occasions over the lifetime of the go.) This makes it doable for simply my spouse and daughter to move to grandma’s utilizing the go to save cash or factors, then giving the 2 of us an choice to make use of the identical nice supply to fly to Aruba for a weekend getaway.
The Cards Pay For Themselves
The shortcut to Companion Pass is a big cause why these playing cards pay for themselves. I’m frankly shocked that they provide the identical bonus throughout the board, even on the $69 annual payment stage. The Southwest Rapid Rewards Priority bank card, nonetheless, actually makes probably the most headway.
Ignoring the bonus and further earnings, the $75 credit score for Southwest flights prices the price of the annual payment from $149 to $74 web, aligning it simply barely above the least costly card, the Southwest Rapid Rewards Plus bank card, however giving many extra advantages. If I used to be flying for enterprise extra proper now, the enterprise card may additionally make sense given the web rebates – an enormous win for enterprise vacationers definitely.
Conclusion
We don’t typically suggest particular bank cards on this weblog, however with simply a few days left on substantial bonuses, it will be a disservice not to take action. We discover super worth within the Southwest Companion Pass and these bonus presents make them extremely attainable. Signing up for the cardboard proper now can be the very best time, not only for the bonuses, but additionally for the way early within the yr Companion Pass may be earned. If Christmas spending have been to take a buyer above $12,000 on their first billing cycle, these 112,000 factors can be acquired in January. If the overall required quantity (125,000 Rapid Rewards factors) have been to hit in that very same month, then cardholders would have the prospect to carry the Companion Pass for near 24 months.
What do you assume? Are you going for the Southwest Companion Pass?