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Welcome affords are often among the best methods to distinguish between bank cards from the identical household. However what in regards to the Southwest Airways shopper bank cards that usually have the very same sign-up bonus?
The next three playing cards supply the identical bonus of 60,000 bonus factors plus a 30% off promo code after spending $3,000 on purchases throughout the first three months of account opening:
This bonus affords a jumpstart towards the Southwest Companion Cross profit, plus you’ll have 60,000 factors to guide award journey.
The 30% off promo code that is half of the present bonus on these playing cards is a one-time use code that may seem straight in your Southwest.com account inside eight weeks of assembly the spending requirement. It may be used (solely as soon as) on a single one-way or round-trip Wanna Get Away, Wana Get Away Plus, Anytime and Enterprise Choose fare, and is offered to be used till October 31, 2024.
Regardless of their similar-sounding names, the three playing cards have vital variations. Which one shall be finest for you is dependent upon how usually you fly Southwest and what number of of those playing cards’ respective perks you may maximize. Right here’s what you could know to decide on amongst them.
Southwest bank cards overview
| Profit | Southwest Speedy Rewards Plus Credit score Card | Southwest Speedy Rewards Premier Credit score Card | Southwest Speedy Rewards Precedence Credit score Card |
|---|---|---|---|
| Annual charge | $69. | $99. | $149. |
| Anniversary factors bonus | 3,000 Speedy Rewards factors. | 6,000 Speedy Rewards factors. | 7,500 Speedy Rewards factors. |
| Incomes charges | 2 factors per greenback on Southwest purchases.
2 factors per greenback on Speedy Rewards lodge and rental automobile accomplice purchases. 2 factors per greenback on native transit and commuting (together with ride-hailing apps). 2 factors per greenback on web, cable and telephone providers; choose streaming. 1 level per greenback on every little thing else. |
3 factors per greenback on Southwest purchases.
2 factors per greenback on Speedy Rewards lodge and rental automobile accomplice purchases. 2 factors per greenback on native transit and commuting (together with ride-hailing apps). 2 factors per greenback on web, cable and telephone providers; choose streaming. 1 level per greenback on every little thing else. |
3 factors per greenback on Southwest purchases.
2 factors per greenback on Speedy Rewards lodge and rental automobile accomplice purchases. 2 factors per greenback on native transit and commuting (together with ride-hailing apps). 2 factors per greenback on web, cable and telephone providers; choose streaming. 1 level per greenback on every little thing else. |
| Different perks | 2 EarlyBird check-ins per yr.
25% again on inflight purchases. 10,000 Companion Cross qualifying factors enhance annually. |
2 EarlyBird check-ins per yr.
25% again on inflight purchases. 10,000 Companion Cross qualifying factors enhance annually. |
$75 annual Southwest journey credit score.
25% again on inflight purchases. 10,000 Companion Cross qualifying factors enhance annually. |
| Tier qualifying factors | N/A. | Earn 1,500 TQPs towards A-Checklist standing for each $10,000 in spending per calendar yr (with no cap). | Earn 1,500 TQPs towards A-Checklist standing for each $10,000 in spending per calendar yr (with no cap). |
| Overseas transaction charge | 3%. | None. | None. |
Frequent Southwest flyer? Select the Precedence
The Southwest Speedy Rewards Precedence Credit score Card makes a really compelling case for itself.
As a frequent Southwest passenger, you’ll haven’t any bother maxing out the $75 annual Southwest journey credit score, dropping your efficient out-of-pocket value for this card from $149 to $74.
Bear in mind, each greenback (or level) you spend on Southwest tickets stretches twice as far after you have the Companion Cross. Why? Whenever you guide one ticket with both factors or money, you may deliver a companion alongside — pay simply the taxes and costs. Thus, you might argue {that a} $75 credit score is definitely value $150 for Companion Cross holders, successfully reducing the annual charge on the Southwest Precedence card right down to zero.
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Even in the event you’re unwilling to take that numerical leap, you’ll nonetheless spend much less annually with the Southwest Precedence card than in the event you opted for the mid-tier Southwest Speedy Rewards Premier Credit score Card.
With the Precedence card, you’ll obtain an annual journey credit score, and the extra bonus factors in your cardholder anniversary — 1,500 greater than the Premier card — ought to get you $22.50 in further rewards, primarily based on TPG’s valuations.
The primary argument towards the Southwest Precedence card is that you could pay the total $149 annual charge upfront. Nonetheless, if you should use the above perks, you may offset a big portion of that value.
Associated: Battle of the airways: Why I feel Southwest Airways is the perfect
Cheaper annual charge? Select the Premier, not the Plus
For those who’re on the lookout for a decrease annual charge to earn the present sign-up bonus, you may choose between the Southwest Speedy Rewards Premier Credit score Card (with a $99 annual charge) or the Southwest Speedy Rewards Plus Credit score Card (with a $69 annual charge).
What does the additional $30 a yr on the Premier card get you? For starters, your anniversary factors bonus shall be 6,000 as a substitute of three,000. TPG values these additional 3,000 factors at $45, greater than making up for the cardboard’s greater annual charge.
For those who go for the most affordable card — the Plus card — you’ll get hit with a 3% charge on international transactions. This isn’t an enormous downside contemplating that almost all of Southwest’s community is home flights, however Southwest’s low-cost fares, low charges and above-average customer support make for a terrific excuse to make a journey to a Caribbean vacation spot at an inexpensive value. Whenever you make the most of this feature, you do not wish to carry a card with international transaction charges.
Lastly, with the Premier, you may earn tier qualifying factors (TQPs) towards elite standing: 1,500 TQPs per $10,000 spent on purchases in a calendar yr (with no restrict on what number of TQPs you may earn from bank card spending). If A-Checklist or A-Checklist Most well-liked standing is of curiosity to you, go together with the Premier.
Associated: What’s Southwest elite standing value?
Eligibility for Southwest bank cards
The factor that retains most individuals from making use of for Southwest bank cards is Chase’s restrictions on bank card functions.
The Chase 5/24 rule applies to all three of those playing cards. Chase will virtually definitely reject candidates in the event that they’ve opened 5 or extra bank cards (from any and all issuers) within the final 24 months. For those who’re at (or over) your 5 slots, we suggest not losing an software on these playing cards because you’re more likely to get declined.
Along with the 5/24 rule, the phrases and situations of every of those playing cards state:
The product shouldn’t be out there to both (i) present Cardmembers of any Southwest Speedy Rewards® Credit score Card, or (ii) earlier Cardmembers of any Southwest Speedy Rewards Credit score Card who acquired a brand new Cardmember bonus throughout the final 24 months. This doesn’t apply to Cardmembers of the Southwest Speedy Rewards Enterprise Card and Worker Credit score Card merchandise
So in the event you presently maintain one in every of these Southwest private bank cards or have acquired a bonus for one within the final 24 months, you’ll not be eligible for these affords.
Observe that this solely applies to private bank cards. For those who lately opened the Southwest Speedy Rewards Premier Enterprise Credit score Card or Southwest Speedy Rewards Efficiency Enterprise Credit score Card, you may nonetheless open a private card. Likewise, these and different small-business bank cards that you’ll have opened lately usually shouldn’t depend towards Chase’s 5/24 card restrict, which means this wouldn’t have an effect on your bonus eligibility.
Learn extra: The final word information to Southwest bank card eligibility
Backside line
Southwest Airways bank cards proceed to be well-liked. Proper now, new candidates for all three playing cards can earn 60,000 bonus factors plus a 30% off promo code after spending $3,000 on purchases throughout the first three months of account opening.
Anybody who flies Southwest even only a handful of occasions per yr shouldn’t have any downside maxing out the journey advantages that include the Southwest Speedy Rewards Precedence Credit score Card. After accounting for the $75 annual Southwest journey credit score (value twice as a lot when you’ve got the Companion Cross), the upper anniversary factors bonus and different perks, that is — palms down — the cardboard that may add essentially the most worth to your pockets as an everyday Southwest flyer.
The Southwest Speedy Rewards Precedence Credit score Card‘s $149 annual charge is comparatively low-cost in right this moment’s world of hyper-expensive premium bank cards. But when that also looks like an excessive amount of, it’s additionally attainable to get an excellent return from the Premier card.
For extra particulars, try our full evaluations of the Southwest Precedence, Southwest Premier and Southwest Plus playing cards.
Official software hyperlink: Southwest Speedy Rewards Precedence Credit score Card
Official software hyperlink: Southwest Speedy Rewards Premier Credit score Card
Official software hyperlink: Southwest Speedy Rewards Plus Credit score Card
Further reporting by Emily Thompson, Ryan Wilcox, Stella Shon, Eric Rosen and Ryan Smith.
