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, the Chase business cards won’t count towards your 5/24, but if you are 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 get the bonus on a Southwest personal card again as long as it has been more than 24 months since your last bonus 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 get the bonus on a business card again as long as it’s been 24 months since you last got a bonus on that specific business card and you no longer have it.

 

Southwest Rapid Rewards Credit Cards

All five (yes, five!) of the Southwest Rapid Reward credit cards have seen some new benefits added to them. 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
• 2x on Southwest purchases, Rapid Rewards hotel and car rental bookings, local commuting, transit, rideshare, internet, cable, phone services, and select streaming services
• 1x 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
• No foreign transaction fees
• 3x on Southwest purchases
• 2x on Rapid Rewards hotel and car rental bookings, local commuting, transit, and rideshare
• 1x on all other purchases
• 25% back on inflight purchases
• 2 Earlybird Check-Ins per year
• 1,500 tier qualifying points towards A-List status for every $10,000 spent

 

• $199 annual fee
• 9,000 points on your cardmember anniversary
• No foreign transaction fees
• 4x on Southwest purchases
• 3x on Rapid Rewards hotel and car rental bookings
• 2x on Local commuting, transit, rideshare, social media and search engine advertising, internet, cable, and phone services
• 1x on all other purchases
• 4 Upgraded Boardings per year
• Inflight WiFi credits
• Up to $100 Global Entry/PreCheck/NEXUS fee credit every 4 years
• 1,500 tier qualifying points towards A-List status for every $10,000 spent

 

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.