Highest Ever: Southwest 60,000 Points Bonus Returns (Expired)

Share with a friend

The holidays have come early! The highest ever Southwest 60,000 points bonus returns!

Just in time for holiday shopping, booking holiday travel, and whatever else your heart desires. Because all three personal versions of the Southwest credit card have a 60,000 point bonus!

Update: The credit card offer in this post is no longer available. The new offer is 50,000 points after spending $1,000 on purchases in the first three months of account opening. Check our credit card page for the latest offers.

Remember when Oprah said, “You get a car! You get a car!” to her entire studio audience? Today Chase is saying “You get 50,000 points! You get 50,000 points! You get 50,000 points!”

You can get a lot of free travel with 50,000 points. From flights throughout the US to Belize, Costa Rica, or the Caribbean, your points can take you there.

The Southwest cards are great for any type of travel: solo travel, couple travel, and family travel.

Southwest 50,000 Points

One of the easiest ways to get free flights and travel for free is by using big bonuses like the ones being offered on the Southwest credit cards.

All four Southwest credit cards are offering up to a 60,000 point bonus: Update: The credit card offer in this post is no longer available. The new offer is 50,000 points after spending $1,000 on purchases in the first three months of opening the personal cards. Check our credit card page for the latest offers.

• Southwest Rapid Rewards® Premier Credit Card
• Southwest® Rapid Rewards® Premier Business Credit Card
• Southwest Rapid Rewards(R) Priority Credit Card
• Southwest Rapid Rewards® Plus Credit Card

This is the highest new bonus ever offered on the Southwest cards. Chase usually rolls out this big bonus about this time of year.

Which is great news for you!

However, in the past, the high bonus wasn’t a tiered offer, this time it is.

Let’s take a look at these new offers to find the right credit card for you.

Southwest Rapid Rewards(R) Priority Credit Card 50K Points

Southwest Rapid Rewards(R) Priority Credit Card Bonus: 50,000 Southwest. You’ll earn 50,000 points after spending $1,000 on purchases within the first 3 months of opening your account.

With this card, you get:

• $75 Southwest® travel credit each year
• Free checked bags (2 per person)
• 4 upgraded boarding each year
• 7,500 points each year on your card anniversary
• 10,000 Companion Pass® qualifying points every year
• 3X points on Southwest® purchases
• 2X points on cable, internet, phone, certain streaming, rideshare, transit and commuting, Rapid Rewards® hotel and car rental partner purchases
• 1X point on all other purchases
• 1,500 tier qualifying points towards A-List and A-List Preferred status for every $10,000 spent (up to $100,000)
• 25% back on in-flight purchases
• No foreign transaction fees
• All points earned from this card count toward the Southwest Companion Pass
• $149 annual fee
• Member FDIC

Why you should get this card: if you fly Southwest often. Because you get the $75 travel credit, upgraded boarding, and can earn tier qualifying points towards A-List and A-List preferred status.

LEARN MORE ABOUT THE Southwest Rapid Rewards(R) Priority Credit Card

Southwest Rapid Rewards® Premier Credit Card 50K Points

Southwest Rapid Rewards® Premier Credit Card Bonus: 50,000 Southwest points. Earn 50,000 points after spending $1,000 on purchases in the first three months of account opening.

With the Southwest Premier Card you get:

• Free checked bags (2 per person)
• 2 free EarlyBird Check-in® each year
• 10,000 Companion Pass® qualifying points every year
• 6,000 points each year on your card anniversary
• 3X points on Southwest® purchases
• 2X points on Rapid Rewards® hotel and car rental partner purchases, rideshare, transit and commuting, cable, internet, phone, and certain streaming
• 1X point on all other purchases
• Earn up to 15,000 tier qualifying points each year
• All points earned from this card count toward the Southwest Companion Pass
• No foreign transaction fees
• $99 annual fee
• Member FDIC

Why you should get this card: you want to avoid the middle seat. Because you can earn tier qualifying points towards A-List and A-List preferred status. Which means you’re more likely to get an “A” boarding pass.
LEARN MORE ABOUT THE Southwest Rapid Rewards® Premier Credit Card

Southwest Rapid Rewards® Plus Credit Card 50K Points

Southwest Rapid Rewards® Plus Credit Card Bonus: 50,000 points. You’ll earn 50,000 points after spending $1,000 on purchases in the first three months of opening your account.

The Southwest Plus Credit Card offers:

• Free checked bags (2 per person)
• 2 Free EarlyBird Check-in® each year
• 10,000 Companion Pass® qualifying points every year
• 2X points on Southwest® purchases, Rapid Rewards® hotel and car rental partner purchases, rideshare, transit and commuting, cable, internet, phone, and certain streaming
• 1X point on all other purchases
• 3,000 points each year on your card anniversary
• All points earned from this card count toward the Southwest Companion Pass
• No foreign transaction fees
• $69 annual fee

Why you should get this card: you want to save money and don’t care where you sit on the plane.
LEARN MORE ABOUT THE Southwest Rapid Rewards® Plus Credit Card

Southwest® Rapid Rewards® Premier Business Credit Card 60K Points

Southwest® Rapid Rewards® Premier Business Credit Card Bonus: 60,000 points after spending $3,000 on purchases in the first 3 months of account opening.

With the SouthwestPremier Business Credit Card you get:

• Free checked bags (2 per person)
• 3X points on Southwest® purchases
• 2X points on rideshare, Rapid Rewards® hotel and car rental partner purchases
• 1X point on all other purchases
• 6,000 points each year on your card anniversary
• No foreign transaction fees
• $99 annual fee
• Member FDIC

Why you should get this card: you have a business and want a fast way to earn the Southwest Companion Pass

LEARN MORE ABOUT THE Southwest® Rapid Rewards® Premier Business Credit Card

The Single Reason You Should Get These Cards

If you want to fly free for two years then you should get these cards.

Because the bonus counts towards earning the Southwest Companion Pass, the higher bonuses mean you can get a Pass faster.

Southwest Companion Pass

The Companion Pass lets you bring someone for free every time you fly on Southwest. If you time it right, you can fly free for two years!

You can use your Southwest Companion Pass for unlimited flights! Yep, you read that right.

Want to fly every day? You can.

Can only fly on weekends? That’s okay.

Once you’ve earned a Companion Pass you can use it as often or as little as you like.

And the best part? You get to bring someone for FREE!

Southwest flies to 101 US cities including Hawaii and to 10 countries:

• Aruba
• Bahamas
• Belize
• Cayman Islands
• Costa Rica
• Cuba
• Dominican Republic
• Jamaica (Montego Bay)
• Mexico (Cabo San Lucas/Los Cabos, Mexico City, and Puerto Vallarta)
• Turks and Caicos

You need to earn 135,000 Southwest points to earn your Companion Pass.

Remember transferred Ultimate Rewards points from cards like the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card or the Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card do not count towards the Pass.

Fasttrack to Earn a Southwest Companion Pass

The bonus on all three personal cards is 50,000 points after spending $1,000 on purchases in the first three months of account opening and 60,000 points after spending $3,000 on purchases in the first 3 months of opening the Southwest Rapid Rewards Premier Business Card.

Previously, you could get two personal cards to earn the Southwest Companion Pass. But that changed.

There’s still hope…

You can fast track your way to earning a Companion Pass by getting one of the personal cards and the business card.

But if you want to fully maximize your Pass, you have to time it right.

Right now, the timing is perfect.

A Southwest Companion Pass is valid the year it’s earned and all of the following year. So the trick is to earn your Pass early in the year.

Here’s how…

Pro-tip: When you get a personal card and a business card you earn 114,000 points towards your Companion Pass.

But do not start or complete your minimum spending until the last few days of December. Another option is to wait until the first week of January.

Points from credit card purchases count towards the Companion Pass in the year they’re earned.

So you should earn all your points early in the year. This way your points post in the new year and your Pass is valid for two years.

If you wait until the last part of December to use your card, your points should post in 2019. And your Southwest Companion Pass will be valid for all 2019 and 2020 = two years. Be sure to check your statement close date to verify.

But with the current bonus of 30,000 points & Companion Pass, you only need to get the personal card.

Is the Tiered Bonus Worth It?

Depending on your situation, the tiered bonus may not be worth it.

All three personal cards have the same tiered bonus offer. You can earn 50,000 points after spending $2,000 on purchases in the first 3 months of opening your account. Update: The credit card offer in this post is no longer available. The new offer is 50,000 points after spending $1,000 on purchases in the first three months of account opening. 

This is the easy part.

You can meet your minimum spending with after Christmas shopping.

Remember, you want all your purchases at the end of December or the first part of January to take full advantage of two years of free flights with the Southwest Companion Pass.

The second part of the bonus, earning 50,000 points after spending a total of $12,000 could be a little harder.

Pro-tip: Remember that Chase can and does look at your purchases, especially things bought to meet minimum spending.

If You Have a Business

If you have a business you can skip the tiered offer. Because you’d save thousands of dollars.

By getting the Southwest® Rapid Rewards® Premier Business Credit Card and one of the personal cards and satisfying the spending requirement, you’d earn 114,000 points. (60,000 points + 3,000 points + 50,000 points + 1,000 points)

You’d almost earn a Companion Pass.

If you want to earn more points, the best option would be to use one of the many ways to earn a LOT of points in our ultimate guide on earning Southwest points without flying.

Pro-tip: Focus on bonus point offers like dining to earn 10,000 points faster.

If You Don’t Have a Business

If you don’t have a business, you might not qualify for the business card.

Pro-tip: You can get a 50,000 point bonus after spending $2,000 if you apply for a card while you’re on a Southwest flight.

This could be a better option for some people if you already have a Southwest flight planned. Or if you can find a cheap flight.

What You Need to Know

Eligibility

You are eligible to apply for these cards if you:

• Currently, don’t have any Southwest credit card
• Have not received a Southwest bonus within the last 24 months

Chase 5/24

All of these cards are subject to Chase’s 5/24 rule.

If you’ve opened 5 new credit cards in the last 24 months aka 5/24, it could be hard to get approved.

Conclusion

All three personal Southwest cards are offering a 50,000 point bonus after spending $1,000 on purchases in the first three months of opening your account and the Premier business card is 60,000 points after spending $3,000 on purchases in the first 3 months of account opening.

This is the highest bonus offered on these cards.

Now is the best time to apply for one of those cards.

Check our credit card page for the latest offers.

You can fast track your way to a Southwest Companion when you get a personal and business card. Because the bonus points count towards earning the Southwest Companion Pass.

Getting two cards is a quick way because Ultimate Rewards points transferred from cards like the Chase Sapphire Preferred or the Ink Business Preferred don’t count towards earning the Pass.

If you time your spending, you can fly for free for two years!

Need more ways to earn points? Read our ultimate guide on how to earn Southwest points without flying.

Where do you plan to travel with your Southwest points?

Comment, tweet, or share this post.

Get the best credit card bonuses.

Follow us on Twitter | Facebook | Pinterest | Instagram | YouTube

Got a question? Or want help, suggestions, travel tips, learn how to travel for free, find out about travel deals, and maximize your miles and points? Use the subscription box below to sign-up and get post updates by email.