Guide
Ethan Steinberg
Contributor
Ethan's been a frequent flier for as long as he can remember, from studying abroad in Paris to moving to Shanghai after graduating college, where he served as TPG's eyes and ears for all things travel in the Asia-Pacific region. If you asked him where he wants to travel next he'd quote Anthony Bourdain and tell you "anytime I'm eating spicy noodles in a bowl, I'm happy."
June 05, 2023
•
4 min read
This post contains references to products from one or more of our advertisers. We may receive compensation when you click on links to those products. Terms apply to the offers listed on this page. For an explanation of our Advertising Policy, visit
this page.
Right now, the three personal credit cards from Southwest Airlines all have a welcome bonus that TPG values at $420 in points plus unquantifiable value for your Companion Pass use.
The Southwest Rapid Rewards Plus Credit Card, Southwest Rapid Rewards Premier Credit Card and Southwest Rapid Rewards Priority Credit Card currently offer a bonus of Companion Pass® good through 2/28/25 plus 30,000 points after you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening.
Southwest credit cards remain fan favorites — in no small part because their bonuses represent the fastest way to earn the valuable Southwest Companion Pass. So it's important to know whether you're eligible.
There are three specific rules to watch out for when eyeing a Southwest credit card. Here's what you need to know.
Related: The ultimate guide to credit card application restrictions
Which Southwest credit cards am I eligible for?
If you're looking at Southwest credit cards, you have five options: three personal and two business ones. These are the personal cards:
- Southwest Rapid Rewards Plus Credit Card
- Southwest Rapid Rewards Premier Credit Card
- Southwest Rapid Rewards Priority Credit Card
And here are the two business credit cards:
- Southwest Rapid Rewards Performance Business Credit Card
- Southwest Rapid Rewards Premier Business Credit Card
Daily Newsletter
Reward your inbox with the TPG Daily newsletter
Join over 700,000 readers for breaking news, in-depth guides and exclusive deals from TPG’s experts
Chase and Southwest have made this process relatively simple by treating all personal cards equally and enacting two simple rules for the business cards.
If you want to apply for a personal card
You are eligible to do so as long as you abide by the following criteria:
- The Chase 5/24 rule: You'll almost certainly be rejected for a Southwest credit card if you've opened five or more credit cards (from any bank) within the past 24 months — excluding most business cards.
- Card "family" restrictions: If you've already got a Southwest personal card, you can't open another until you've canceled your current card.
- Sign-up bonus rules: You can't open the card if you've earned a sign-up bonus from a Southwest personal card within the past 24 months
The important note here is that having a Southwest business credit card doesn't affect your eligibility for personal cards in any way.
If you want to apply for a business card
You are eligible to do so as long as you are under 5/24 and meet the following rules:
- You cannot currently have that particular credit card.
- You cannot have received a bonus on that particular credit card in the past 24 months.
Applying for personal Southwest credit cards has no impact on your eligibility for business cards, except for the fact that it takes up one of your 5/24 slots. More importantly, having either Southwest business credit card doesn't affect your eligibility for the other Southwest business card.
What is the best plan to apply for Southwest credit cards?
Assuming you have a 5/24 slot or two to spare, the best plan for most people would be to apply for both Southwest business credit cards. Doing so wouldn't increase your 5/24 count and would keep you eligible to apply for a personal Southwest card in the future.
So you could apply for the Performance Business first, then the Premier Business and, finally, one of the three personal cards.
Related: How to quickly earn the Southwest Companion Pass
Bottom line
It's always important to plan your credit card applications and pay attention to card and issuer-specific rules. While Chase's decision to introduce a so-called "family restriction" on the personal Southwest cards threw a wrench into many people's Companion Pass plans, the same restriction doesn't apply to the two business cards.
Remember, all three Southwest personal credit cards currently offer the Companion Pass® good through 2/28/25 plus 30,000 points after you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening.
Apply here: Southwest Premier Credit Card
Apply here: Southwest Priority Credit Card
Apply here: Southwest Premier Business Credit Card
Apply here: Southwest Performance Business Credit Card
Additional reporting by Emily Thompson, Madison Blancaflor, Joseph Hostetler and Ryan Smith.
Featured image by
ZACH GRIFF/THE POINTS GUY
Editorial disclaimer: Opinions expressed here are the author’s alone, not those of any bank, credit card issuer, airline or hotel chain, and have not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by any of these entities.
