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Plan on traveling this holiday season? Consider applying for a new Southwest credit card to take advantage of the new welcome offer before booking your flights.
Chase’s updated welcome offer and applies to the following Southwest Airlines credit cards:
Cardmembers can earn a $400 statement credit and 40,000 points after spending $3,000 on purchases in the first four months from account opening.
The new Southwest bonus strays from the typical points-only offering — instead, it’s a mixture of both 40,000 points and a $400 statement credit.
A statement credit is actually more flexible than points — you can use the credit for purchases other than Southwest flights. This could help cover a hotel stay or car rental, while putting the 40,000 points toward your airfare. In other words, this bonus could be more useful for covering more of your travel expenses rather than just your flights.
It’s also worth noting that the spending requirement of $3,000 is similar to past offers, but you have an additional month (four months instead of three) to meet that spend. That’s $750 monthly to earn the bonus, which is likely achievable with everyday expenses, especially during the holiday season.
It depends on your specific itinerary, including where you want to fly, where you’re flying from, and your dates. However, Southwest always offers some good deals, especially if you play around with their low-fare calendar.
For example, here’s a roundtrip flight from Los Angeles (LAX) to Honolulu (HNL) for only 13,112 points and $11.20 in taxes and fees.
Did you know that Southwest also flies internationally? In addition to routes all over the U.S., Southwest also flies to destinations like Costa Rica, Mexico, Puerto Rico, Belize, and Jamaica.
Here’s an example of a roundtrip flight from Denver (DEN) to Cancun (CUN) for 15,355 points and $118.13 in taxes and fees.
If you’re flexible with your travel plans, we see no reason why you wouldn’t be able to find two roundtrip flights for two people for 40,000 points or less. And, remember, these welcome offers also come with a $400 statement credit on top of the points.
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Rewards rate
- 2x on Southwest purchases
- 2x on Rapid Rewards hotel and car rental partners
- 2x on local transit and commuting, including rideshare
- 2x on internet, cable, and phone services; select streaming
- 1x on all other purchases
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Benefits
- 3,000 bonus points after your Cardmember anniversary
- 2 EarlyBird Check-In each year
Read our full Southwest Rapid Rewards Plus Card review
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Rewards rate
- 3x on Southwest purchases
- 2x on Rapid Rewards hotel and car rental partners
- 2x on local transit and commuting, including rideshare
- 2x on internet, cable, and phone services; select streaming
- 1x on all other purchases
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Benefits
- 7,500 bonus points after your Cardmember anniversary
- $75 Southwest travel credit each year
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Rewards rate
- 3x points on Southwest purchases
- 2x points on Rapid Rewards® hotel and car rental partners
2x points local transit and commuting, including rideshare
2x points on internet, cable, and phone services, plus select streaming
1x points on all other purchases
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Benefits
- Earn 6,000 points each year on your account anniversary, plus 10,000 Companion Pass qualifying points annually
- 2 EarlyBird check-ins each year
- Get 25% back on inflight purchases
- Earn 1,500 tier qualifying points (TQPs) toward A-List status for every $5,000 you spend on the card
Read our full Southwest Rapid Rewards Premier Card review
The three Southwest consumer credit cards share many similarities, so don’t worry if it’s slightly confusing trying to distinguish between them.
Here’s a quick overview of each card:
This article was edited by Rebecca McCracken
Editorial Disclosure: The information in this article has not been reviewed or approved by any advertiser. All opinions belong solely to Yahoo Finance and are not those of any other entity. The details on financial products, including card rates and fees, are accurate as of the publish date. All products or services are presented without warranty. Check the bank’s website for the most current information. This site doesn’t include all currently available offers. Credit score alone does not guarantee or imply approval for any financial product.