A quick heads up to let you know about this potential change. Last week I saw DoC post which indicated that the sign-up bonus on Southwest co-branded credit cards will be reduced to 50K points tomorrow (June 29th). It’s 60K points now.
I haven’t seen any official confirmation from Chase aside from message on Facebook, so I’m not sure if this offer will be reduced as indicated. It could be nothing more than hype. I have seen some readers mention that they got targeted offers via email which had an August expiration date. So, use your own judgement on this one.
One thing I’m determined NOT to do on my blog is create a false sense of urgency. You’ll rarely find “Get it now! Ends soon!” verbiage and if you do, you know I mean it. You will not see me apologizing for nudging folks to apply for 100K points offer on Chase Sapphire Reserve (now expired), assuming they could handle minimum spending.
So, if you were planning to apply for one of Southwest cards anyway, you may want to do it today, just in case. You can find details on all three offers in my Hot Deals page (scroll to “mileage bonuses” section). Obviously, the most coveted prize is the Companion Pass which will allow you to take someone with you for free on any Southwest-operated flight. You’ll find details on it there as well. If you decide to support the site via your application link, we truly appreciate it. Be aware, all three cards are subject to Chase 5/24 rule.
Should you apply for one (or two) Southwest cards now?
It really depends on your situation. Obviously, getting 60K points is better than 50K, but then again, there are so many other good offers on the market right now. I recommend you take a look at Merrill +Visa Signature card, Wells Fargo Propel World and possibly Delta cards, in that order. Keep in mind that the bonus on The Hyatt credit card is also changing tomorrow, but it’s very much a niche offer. I absolutely would pass on it unless you have a solid plan in mind.
So, as usual, it comes down to your plans. If you are a rabid Southwest fan and you are sure that you can get huge value out of Companion Pass, by all means, consider applying for personal and business Southwest cards. As of now, the points earned from sign-up bonus count towards Companion Pass, but that may change down the road.
Rest assured, good offers come and go, and chances are, this one will come back at some point. So no, I’m not saying “Get it now! Ends soon!” Not this time.
Click here to view various credit cards and available sign-up bonuses
Author: Leana
Leana is the founder of Miles For Family. She enjoys beach vacations and visiting her family in Europe. Originally from Belarus, Leana resides in central Florida with her husband and two children.
I don’t think I’ll ever come under 5/24 so I can take advantage of SW. Oh well, off to signing up for a limited increased offer you mentioned by next week; let’s see if hubby and I can both get the cards.
@Stephanie I don’t think I’ll ever beat 5/24 rule either! But I’m not worried. Other programs will do when I run out of Southwest points. In fact, at times, Southwest isn’t the best option for us anyway. Diversity is good as long as one doesn’t go too crazy and starts hoarding millions of points.
Good luck with your apps!
@Doug Hmm, that’s a tough one! I would hate to steer you in the wrong direction. Does your mom have a business of any sort which would qualify her for Southwest business card? If so, this would be the safer route.
As you know, it’s impossible to predict the outcome on this sort of thing. Chase has been getting aggressive lately and even closing accounts of people they deem to be risky. I don’t mean to sound paranoid, and chances are, the worst thing that will happen is that your mom will get denied. I will say that if she was approved recently, it’s somewhat unlikely that they will let her have Plus version as well. Chase will see that she already has one personal Southwest card and will probably deny her.
So, the long-winded conclusion to my advice is: I don’t know. I would be inclined to skip it, personally. But feel free to go for it, and please, let me know the outcome.
Hi Leana, thanks for all of your great feedback! Unfortunately, she has nothing that can in any way count as business activity so she can’t go that route. Recognizing the many variables, I decided to give it a shot and see what happens. Her application went pending (same as her Premier application initially) – but not an automatic denial. She has an excellent credit history and only 2 other Chase cards (and only 3 total new cards in the last several years), so I’ll keep my fingers crossed it goes through. I even reduced the credit limits on her other Chase cards before applying to see if that might help. If not, maybe she can convince them on recon that she flies SW a lot and wanted both cards to separate expenses in various ways. If she ultimately gets denied, maybe I will wait until closer to the end of the year and try again. In any case, thanks as always. I’ll keep you posted!
@Doug It’s no problem, though I don’t think I was much of help! 🙂 Well, she didn’t get denied, so there is hope. I would say, sit tight and see what happens. I wouldn’t rock the boat until you hear something from Chase. Let me know how things turn out.
Hi Leana, I actually have a quick question about this. I recently signed my mom up for the SW Premier card with the increased bonus and she was approved a few days after it went pending. I was also planning to sign her up for the SW Plus so she could get the Companion Pass for next year (which will be great if it works because SW is the only airline with direct flights from where they live to Boston). Even though she just signed up for the Premier in the last week, do you think it makes sense to also sign her up for the Plus today to try and get the increased bonus. Or would I have a better chance of her getting approved if I waited to sign up for a SW card a few months from now (they wouldn’t use the Companion Pass in the next 2-3 months anyway), but was only able to get a 50k bonus on the card instead of a 60k? My inclination is to try and sign up for the Plus today to hopefully take advantage of the increased bonus, but I don’t want to increase the likelihood of a denial. Any thoughts or suggestions would be greatly appreciated!