The Southwest Airlines credit cards are some of my very favorites! I have gotten so much value out of the points I have earned on them. My favorite was probably taking my whole family to Maui. What makes these cards even better is that by opening a personal and business card, you can earn the Southwest Companion Pass, which allows you to fly someone with you for free! Make sure to check out this post about the Southwest Companion Pass if you want to learn more about it.

I love Southwest Airlines for families, especially families with young children like mine. Not only have I flown my family to Hawaii, but we have also made multiple trips to California, and we also have an upcoming trip to Phoenix. I can’t stress enough how good Southwest has been for my family…low price fares, generous return and price change policy, and free bags! Listen to this episode of our PODCAST to learn even more about why Southwest is perfect for families!

 

Things To Know About the Southwest Airlines Credit Cards

1. Southwest cards are issued by Chase, so they will be subject to the Chase 5/24 rule. Remember, Chase business cards won’t count towards your 5/24, but if you are at or over 5/24, you won’t be approved for one.
2. You can only hold one personal Southwest card at a time
3. You can earn the welcome offer on a Southwest personal card again as long as it has been more than 24 months since your last welcome offer on any Southwest personal card
4.  It is important to wait 30 days after canceling before applying for the exact same card
5. You can hold both business cards at the same time
6. You can earn the welcome offer on a business card again as long as it’s been 24 months since you last earned a welcome offer on that specific business card and you no longer have it.

 

Southwest Rapid Rewards Credit Cards

All five (yes, five!) of the Southwest Rapid Rewards credit cards recently got some new benefits. I love the two EarlyBird Check-in benefits! What’s great is these additional benefits didn’t result in higher annual fees…which usually isn’t the case. You can read about each card below. If you decide to apply for one, we would be so grateful if you use our affiliate links by clicking on the name of the card you’d like to apply for.

 

 

Southwest Personal Credit Cards

 

• $69 annual fee
• 3,000 points on your cardmember anniversary each year
• 2 points per $1 spent on Southwest purchases, local commuting, transit, rideshare, internet, cable, phone services, and select streaming services
• 1 point per $1 spent on all other purchases
• 25% back on inflight purchases
• 2 EarlyBird Check-Ins per year

 

 

 

Southwest Business Credit Cards

 

• $99 annual fee
• 6,000 points on your cardmember anniversary each year
• No foreign transaction fees
• 3 points per $1 spent on Southwest purchases
• 2 points per $1 spent on local commuting, transit, and rideshare
• 1 point per $1 spent on all other purchases
• 25% back on inflight purchases
• 2 EarlyBird Check-Ins per year
• $500 fee credit for points transfers per year

 

• $199 annual fee
• 9,000 points on your cardmember anniversary each year
• No foreign transaction fees
• 4 points per $1 spent on Southwest purchases
• 2 points per $1 spent on local commuting, transit, rideshare, social media and search engine advertising, internet, cable, and phone services
• 1 point per $1 spent on all other purchases
• 4 Upgraded Boardings per year
• Inflight WiFi credits
• Up to $100 Global Entry/PreCheck/NEXUS fee credit every 4 years
• $500 fee credit for points transfers per year

 

Bottom Line

The Southwest Airlines credit cards are a huge part of my credit card strategy. Thanks to the welcome offers on these cards, we have been able to score a lot of nearly free flights.