You can earn the Southwest Companion Pass with 3 Chase credit card offers, and there’s less than a week left to apply

Summary List Placement Chase has launched new, limited-time offers on three Southwest personal credit cards. The bonuses include a Southwest Companion Pass valid through February 2022.  With the Companion Pass, you can bring a companion along on paid or award flights for nearly free. Read Insider’s guide to the best airline credit cards. In recent months, credit card issuers have responded to the pandemic by adding new benefits and ways to earn and redeem rewards and launching elevated welcome offers. Now that people are thinking about flying again, we’re seeing even more improved sign-up bonuses — and some are incredibly lucrative. That’s the case with the three personal Chase Southwest credit cards, which are  offering a limited-time bonus — but there’s less than a week left to apply. Until March 10, 2021, the Southwest Rapid Rewards® Plus Credit Card, Product Card 5e7428d4c485404342738492, and Product Card 5e742c75c485402c4f71b222 are offering the chance to 80,000 points (50,000 points after you spend $2,000 on purchases in the first 3 months ,and an additional 30,000 points after you spend $10,000 on purchases in the first 9 months).   Earn the Southwest Companion Pass from one sign-up bonus Earning a Southwest Companion Pass outright from a single card bonus could translate into hundreds or thousands of dollars in airfare, depending on how you use the benefit. With a Companion Pass, you designate a friend or family member to travel with you on any paid or award flight with Southwest for only the cost of taxes and fees (usually about $6 one-way on domestic tickets). Normally, you’d need to earn 125,000 qualifying points in a calendar year (or fly 100 one-way flights) to unlock the Companion Pass, and points earned from Southwest credit cards count toward the requirement. For 2021, Rapid Rewards members with active accounts as of December 31, 2020, have been credited 25,000 out of the required 125,000 points (and 25 qualifying flights) automatically — effectively reducing the Companion Pass requirement to just 100,000 points or 75 flights this year.   With the limited-time offers on the Southwest personal cards, you’ll bypass the qualifying points (or flights) requirement, and receive a Companion Pass that’s valid until February 28, 2022, once you meet the minimum spending. That’s a shorter validity period than if you earned the Companion Pass the old-fashioned way — but if you have a lot of Southwest flying planned in the next year, these offers are definitely worth considering. If you’re not quite ready to travel, you might want to wait to apply until the offers change again. While Southwest points never expire, a Companion Pass is only valuable if you can use it. Chase Southwest personal cards comparison With the Product Card 5e74285fc485402ada36c8e3, Product Card 5e7428d4c485404342738492, and Product Card 5e742c75c485402c4f71b222, you can 80,000 points (50,000 points after you spend $2,000 on purchases in the first 3 months ,and an additional 30,000 points after you spend $10,000 on purchases in the first 9 months). Other spending bonus categories and benefits vary depending on the card.   Southwest Rapid Rewards® Plus Credit Card Southwest Rapid Rewards® Premier Credit Card Southwest Rapid Rewards® Priority Credit Card Annual fee $69 $99 $149 Rewards rate 2x points on Southwest and Rapid Rewards hotel and car rental partner purchases 1 point per dollar on everything else 2x points on Southwest and Rapid Rewards hotel and car rental partner purchases 1 point per dollar on everything else   2x points on Southwest and Rapid Rewards hotel and car rental partner purchases 1 point per dollar on everything else Welcome bonus 80,000 points (50,000 points after you spend $2,000 on purchases in the first 3 months ,and an additional 30,000 points after you spend $10,000 on purchases in the first 9 months) 80,000 points (50,000 points after you spend $2,000 on purchases in the first 3 months ,and an additional 30,000 points after you spend $10,000 on purchases in the first 9 months) 80,000 points (50,000 points after you spend $2,000 on purchases in the first 3 months ,and an additional 30,000 points after you spend $10,000 on purchases in the first 9 months) Anniversary points 3,000 6,000 7,500 Travel benefits N/A Earn tier-qualifying points toward A-List elite status Earn tier-qualifying points toward A-List elite status $75 annual Southwest travel credit 4 upgraded boardings per year when available 20% back on in-flight drinks and Wi-Fi   Foreign transaction fee Yes No No   Product Card 5e74285fc485402ada36c8e3 Product Card 5e7428d4c485404342738492 Product Card 5e742c75c485402c4f71b222 Southwest Rapid Rewards Plus card Product Card 5e74285fc485402ada36c8e3 The Product Card 5e74285fc485402ada36c8e3 has the lowest annual fee ($69) of the personal Southwest cards, but it offers the same record-high bonus and spending categories as the others. That said, it also comes with the fewest benefits — for example, you won’t earn tier-qualifying points from spending on the card like the others.   You’ll earn 3,000 bonus points each account anniversary (worth about $45 in Southwest airfare, according to travel website The Points Guy), which covers much of the annual fee. Keep in mind this is the only Southwest personal card that adds foreign transaction fees, so you shouldn’t use it overseas. Southwest Rapid Rewards Premier card Product Card 5e7428d4c485404342738492 The Product Card 5e7428d4c485404342738492 is the middle-tier Southwest personal card, with a $99 annual fee. You’ll earn 6,000 Southwest bonus points each account anniversary (worth about $90 in Southwest flights), so the card almost pays for itself when you renew it.   If you’re aiming for Southwest elite status, the Product Card 5e7428d4c485404342738492 can give you a boost. You’ll earn 1,500 tier-qualifying points (TQPs) for each $10,000 in purchases you make with the card, up to $100,000 in purchases each year. To reach Southwest A-List status, you’ll need to fly 25 Southwest one-way qualifying flights or earn 35,000 tier-qualifying points per calendar year. A-List Preferred status requires 50 Southwest one-way qualifying flights or 70,000 tier-qualifying points in the same timeframe. Southwest Rapid Rewards Priority card Product Card 5e742c75c485402c4f71b222 The Product Card 5e742c75c485402c4f71b222 has a $149 annual fee, but offers the most benefits and perks of the three Southwest cards. In fact, frequent Southwest flyers can get a value from the card that far exceeds the annual cost.   Cardholders receive up to $75 in Southwest credit per year, which can be applied to any Southwest purchase except inflight purchases and upgraded boarding. The Product Card 5e742c75c485402c4f71b222 also comes with 7,500 points each account anniversary (worth about $112 in Southwest airfare), four upgraded boardings per year when available (worth up to $50 each time), and a 20% discount on inflight purchases including Wi-Fi. Like the Product Card 5e7428d4c485404342738492, the Product Card 5e742c75c485402c4f71b222 can make elite status more attainable by earning tier-qualifying points when you hit the same spending thresholds. Chase Southwest business card comparison Chase offers two Southwest credit cards for small-business owners. The Southwest Rapid Rewards® Premier Business Credit Card currently offers 60,000 points after you spend $3,000 on purchases in the first three months of account opening, and offers benefits similar to the personal version of the card. The Southwest Rapid Rewards® Performance Business Credit Card has the highest sign-up bonus of them all. You’ll earn up to 100,000 Southwest points after meeting tiered minimum spending requirements: 70,000 points after you spend $5,000 on purchases in the first three months of account opening, and an additional 30,000 points after spending $25,000 on purchases in the first six months of account opening   Southwest Rapid Rewards® Premier Business Credit Card Southwest Rapid Rewards® Performance Business Credit Card Annual fee $99 $199 Rewards rate 2x points on Southwest and Rapid Rewards hotel and car rental partner purchases 1 point per dollar on everything else 3x points on Southwest and Rapid Rewards hotel and car rental partner purchases 2x points on social media and search engine advertising 2x points on internet, cable, and phone services 1 point per dollar on everything else   Welcome bonus 60,000 points after you spend $3,000 on purchases in the first three months of account opening 70,000 points after you spend $5,000 on purchases in the first three months of account opening, and an additional 30,000 points after spending $25,000 on purchases in the first six months of account opening Anniversary points 6,000 9,000 Travel benefits Earn tier-qualifying points toward A-List elite status Earn tier-qualifying points toward A-List elite status $100 Global Entry or TSA PreCheck application fee credit 4 upgraded boardings per year when available Inflight Wi-Fi credits   Foreign transaction fee No No Review Southwest Rapid Rewards® Premier Business Credit Card Southwest Rapid Rewards® Performance Business Credit Card Southwest Rapid Rewards Premier business card Southwest Rapid Rewards® Premier Business Credit Card The Southwest Rapid Rewards® Premier Business Credit Card charges a $99 annual fee, but, like the personal version, comes with 6,000 points (worth about $90 in Southwest airfare) each card anniversary.   You’ll also have the opportunity to earn tier qualifying points toward Southwest A-List and A-List Preferred elite status, and won’t be charged any foreign transaction fees. Southwest Rapid Rewards Performance business card Southwest Rapid Rewards® Performance Business Credit Card With a whopper bonus of up to 100,000 Southwest points after meeting tiered spending requirements, the Southwest Rapid Rewards® Performance Business Credit Card is worth serious consideration for Southwest flyers, even with the $199 annual fee.   Unlike the other Southwest cards, the Southwest Rapid Rewards® Performance Business Credit Card rewards spending in bonus categories other than Southwest purchases. You’ll earn 3x points on Southwest purchases (compared to 2x with the other cards), 2x points on social media and search engine advertising, and 2x points on internet, cable, and phone services. All other purchases earn 1 Southwest point per dollar. You’ll also receive 9,000 Southwest points (worth about $135 in Southwest airfare) each card anniversary. If you fly Southwest frequently, you can even get more value, because the card comes with four upgraded boardings per year when available (worth up to $50 each) and up to 365 inflight Wi-Fi credits each year (worth $8) each.  Like many premium credit cards, the Southwest Rapid Rewards® Performance Business Credit Card also offers up to $100 in Global Entry or TSA PreCheck application fee credit every four years.  Chase Southwest card application restrictions Both the personal and small-business Chase Southwest cards are subject to the Chase 5/24 rule, which means if you’ve opened five or more cards (from any bank) in the past 24 months, you won’t be approved for the card.   While you’re allowed to have one personal and one small-business Southwest card at the same time, there are other card application restrictions to keep in mind. For the Southwest personal cards, you aren’t eligible if you currently have any personal Southwest card, or have received an intro bonus on one in the past 24 months. This doesn’t include Southwest business cards. And with the Southwest business cards, you won’t be approved if you currently hold the card, or have received a sign-up bonus for that specific card in the past 24 months.  Related Product Module: Related Product Credit CardsRelated Content Module: More Credit Card CoverageJoin the conversation about this story »
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