You can get free flights for one year with 1 purchase. Sounds like a great deal right? Nope. Because you can get a better offer for two years of free flights. Keep reading to find why how you can get two years of free flights.
Update: This offer has ended. The new offer on the personal card is 50,000 points after spending $1,000 on purchases in the first 3 months of account opening and 60,000 points after spending $3,000 on purchases in the first 3 months of opening the business card. Check our credit card page for the latest offers.
How to Get Free Flights for a Year With 1 Purchase
Photo courtesy: Southwest Airlines
Who wouldn’t want to get free flights for a year? Nobody.
You can get free flights for one year with 1 purchase when you get a Southwest credit card through November 30, 2017. This offer is valid for the Southwest Rapid Rewards® Premier Credit Card and the Southwest® Rapid Rewards® Premier Business Credit Card.
Update: This offer has ended. The new offer on the personal card is 50,000 points after spending $1,000 on purchases in the first 3 months of account opening and 60,000 points after spending $3,000 on purchases in the first 3 months of opening the business card. Check our credit card page for the latest offers.
After paying for 1 thing with your new Southwest credit card you’ll earn the Southwest Companion Pass. The Companion Pass lets someone travel with you for free (not including airport taxes up to $10).
Normally you need to earn 135,000 points in a calendar year to earn a Southwest Companion Pass. With this offer, you shortcut the system and earn the pass after one purchase. Even if that means buying a $1 item. So 1 point can earn you a Southwest Companion Pass.
You’ll also get 50,000 Southwest points after spending $1,000 on the Southwest Rapid Rewards® Premier Credit Card within three months of opening your account. With the Southwest Rapid Rewards® Premier Business Credit Card, you’ll get 60,000 points after spending $3,000 in the first three months of having your card.
This offer is only valid for California residents. So if you don’t live in California you’re out of luck.
Update: This offer has ended. The new offer for the Southwest Rapid Rewards® Premier Credit Card is 50,000 points. The offer for the Southwest® Rapid Rewards® Premier Business Credit Card is 60,000 points. Check our credit card page for the latest offers.
I love the Southwest Companion Pass. Because with the Companion Pass you can get up to two years of free flights. But you can double down on this offer and get it extended for two years!
What You Should Know About This Offer
1. One Year Companion Pass
Normally when you earn a Southwest Companion Pass a companion flies free with you for the year you earned the pass and the following year. So you can get up to two years of free flights with the Southwest Companion Pass. Especially if you wait until January to earn the pass.
With this shortcut to the Companion Pass, you can only get 1 year to 14 months of free flights. 🙁 Because your pass will expire December 31, 2018. And that’s a very bad thing.
But you can extend it to two years of free flights. IF you wait until January to make your purchase. Keep reading to find out more.
2. Chase 5/24 Rule
If you’ve gotten 5 credit cards in the past 24 months, you could be denied a credit card from Chase because of the Chase 5/24 rule. This includes cards issued by Chase and cards issued by other banks. So you have to be strategic about applying for credit cards.
By applying for the shortcut Companion Pass offer you’re using up a valuable spot for a so-so offer. Because the longest your Pass will be valid for is 14 months. But there’s a way to get two years of free flights.
Still intrigued by the Southwest Companion Pass? Here’s how you can get two years of free flights.
How to Get Two Years of Free Flights
You can get two years of free flights from the Southwest credit card after earning 135,000 points in a calendar year. By doing so you earn the Southwest Companion Pass which lets someone fly with you for free for up to two years.
The fastest way to get 135,000 points is through credit card bonuses:
- Southwest Rapid Rewards® Premier Credit Card – see current offer
- Southwest® Rapid Rewards® Premier Business Credit Card – see current offer
- Southwest Rapid Rewards® Plus Credit Card – see current offer
You can earn 114,000 points when you get the Southwest Rapid Rewards® Premier Credit Card and the Southwest® Rapid Rewards® Premier Business Credit Card after spending $3,000 on the Southwest Rapid Rewards® Premier Credit Card and $3,000 on the Southwest® Rapid Rewards® Premier Business Credit Card in the first 3 months of opening these cards.
The remaining 6,000 points can come from dining out, shopping, or countless other things to earn Southwest points. The holidays are coming so watch for bonus offers from the shopping portal.
Read the Ultimate Guide on How to Earn Miles and Points Without a Credit Card.
Pro-tip: Time your spending so that the points post in January. Because your Companion Pass is valid for the year you earned it and the following year, when your points post in January, this gives you two years of free flights.
If you do the shortcut Companion Pass offer, DO NOT make a purchase until January. That way the points you earn will post in 2018. If you earn 110,000 points in 2018, your companion pass will be extended to December 31, 2019.
Conclusion
Being able to get free flights for a year by earning the Southwest Companion Pass sounds like a great deal. But it’s not.
You’re shortcutting the system and shortchanging yourself of two years of free flights. Because the Companion Pass shortcut offer only lets you earn the Pass through December 31, 2018.
But if you earn the Southwest Companion Pass from the regular offer on the Southwest Rapid Rewards® Premier Credit Card, Southwest Rapid Rewards® Priority Credit Card, or Southwest Rapid Rewards® Plus Credit Card, your pass could be valid through December 31, 2019. Or if you earn 135,000 points in 2018 your pass will be extended to 2019.
Are you doing the shortcut offer? If so, why?
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