Help with earning a Southwest Companion Pass

[eeyoresmom]

If we want to earn a SW CP and have it valid starting January 2018 (and getting the next year also), when should DH apply for the SW business and personal cards? Right now the offer is 60,000 points for the business card and 40,000 points for a personal. I have read on another blog that is Ok to apply for both at the same time but I will research that more. Can DH apply as early as he wants and just hold off on the minimum spend? I don't want the CP to become valid in say Nov or Dec because then we effectively lose a year. TIA

 

[Angrose]

You will need to make the minimum spends within the first 3 months to get the bonuses. You'll want the bonuses to hit in Jan 2018, so count backwards 3 months to see when you should apply for the cards. I think you would be safe applying for them beginning to mid October. Make sure the last of the min spend doesn't post until Jan and you should be good. Hope it all works out for you!

 

[JKalai]

The sign up bonuses aren't guaranteed to stay, so it will be a gamble waiting till next year. Keep in mind that the companion pass is now 110k points, so you would have to make up the extra 10k points. I just got mine in March and made up the extra 10k in e-rewards surveys, but SW just closed the loophole for point transfers to count towards CP.

Good luck!

 

[Jen and Ashwin]

The sign up bonuses aren't guaranteed to stay, so it will be a gamble waiting till next year. Keep in mind that the companion pass is now 110k points, so you would have to make up the extra 10k points. I just got mine in March and made up the extra 10k in e-rewards surveys, but SW just closed the loophole for point transfers to count towards CP.

Good luck!

The minimum spend ($2k per card) will count towards 4k of the extra 10k, so she would actually only need another 6k spend. If you go to the credit card points thread, people mention some easy ways to get the extra 6k without actually spending $6,000. But as mentioned, the bonus amounts could go lower and OP might have to make up more than just 6k spend. Magazine subscriptions and flower delivery were two ideas for increased points, I believe.

So the steps you need to take are:

1. Apply for both cards after mid-October.
2. Don't complete the minimum spend on either card until after January 1, 2018.
3. Make up the additional $6k spend some time in January.
4. Wait for your bonuses to all post.

 

[eeyoresmom]

The minimum spend ($2k per card) will count towards 4k of the extra 10k, so she would actually only need another 6k spend. If you go to the credit card points thread, people mention some easy ways to get the extra 6k without actually spending $6,000. But as mentioned, the bonus amounts could go lower and OP might have to make up more than just 6k spend. Magazine subscriptions and flower delivery were two ideas for increased points, I believe.

So the steps you need to take are:

1. Apply for both cards after mid-October.
2. Don't complete the minimum spend on either card until after January 1, 2018.
3. Make up the additional $6k spend some time in January.
4. Wait for your bonuses to all post.

Thank you everyone. Jen, why mid October?

 

[Jen and Ashwin]

Thank you everyone. Jen, why mid October?

You need to complete the minimum spend on any card within 3 months of initially applying for the card or else you lose the bonus. If you apply mid-October, then you have until mid-January to complete the spend. If you apply earlier than that, you probably won't be able to get the CP starting in 2018 and therefore won't get 2 full years of eligibility. You also want to be certain not to complete the minimum spends before January 1 because you won't get credit towards a 2018 CP. Maximizing this is all about timing.

 

[JKalai]

The minimum spend ($2k per card) will count towards 4k of the extra 10k, so she would actually only need another 6k spend. If you go to the credit card points thread, people mention some easy ways to get the extra 6k without actually spending $6,000. But as mentioned, the bonus amounts could go lower and OP might have to make up more than just 6k spend. Magazine subscriptions and flower delivery were two ideas for increased points, I believe.

Oh yeah! I forgot about those points counting as well. I believe SW also stopped the bonus points on SWRR from counting towards CP.

 

[LynnTH]

I plan on doing that this year also. But wouldn't you want to open in December? Any of the spending done before January will go into the previous years spending. So, unless they are holding off spending the $4000 until late December/January - they will have to spend more to meet to get to 110,000 points - correct? (Clear as mud). Yes the $4000 you spend goes towards the companion pass but spending that money early won't do you any good.

 

[Psychodisney]

True, any spending in 2017 will stay in 2017, but the bonus 100K points would hit in January.

 

[eeyoresmom]

You need to complete the minimum spend on any card within 3 months of initially applying for the card or else you lose the bonus. If you apply mid-October, then you have until mid-January to complete the spend. If you apply earlier than that, you probably won't be able to get the CP starting in 2018 and therefore won't get 2 full years of eligibility. You also want to be certain not to complete the minimum spends before January 1 because you won't get credit towards a 2018 CP. Maximizing this is all about timing.

Thanks again. I had in my notes to apply early October so I wanted to make sure I wasn't missing anything with the mid October suggestion.

 

[hsmamato2]

You usually have about 3 months from opening,and it's a tricky thing to make sure your purchases and points don't count for 2018 until after your december statement closes- I recommend you look on the big credit cards thread here,and also google your question. Recently rules have changed, you can't use transferred points from a hotel prgoram to count towards cp,so it's all spend. Not sure if bonus points from purchases through the portal count towards cp anymore either. In my case last year, I didn't start my spend for 2 swa cc's until late December to be safe. Then I hit the spend hard,and got the cp by February.Timing is everything ,and who knows what next years rules will be?

 

[adelaster]

Worth noting the 60k offer expires at the end of June. They do offers regularly, but 60k is super good.

 

[Fsudisney]

So I am new to this whole CP thing- I just received a bonus 50,000 pts reward from my first card. If I wanted to sign up for the premier card promo that is happening now to earn the additional 60,000, my reward would hit in approximately 3 months and then my CP would only be good the remainder of 2017 and through 2018, correct?
Can I hold off on applying and hope for a good promo in October, accruing my 110K points in January?

 

[DisMommyTX]

You have to earn the 110,000 points in a single calendar year. After Dec 31st, the 50,000+ points you have earned this year would no longer count towards the CP. The good news is that you don't have to save the points. You can spend them as soon as you earn them and still have them count towards earning the CP for the rest of this year.

 

[afan]

Couldn't you do the 60k offer now and then the other in Oct\Nov? You'd get the higher bonus and time to make up any potential points and then get the rest with the bonus on the other card?

 

[JKalai]

Couldn't you do the 60k offer now and then the other in Oct\Nov? You'd get the higher bonus and time to make up any potential points and then get the rest with the bonus on the other card?

60k offer ends at the end of June. It might go back down to 40k which is a pretty substantial difference.

 

[afan]

60k offer ends at the end of June. It might go back down to 40k which is a pretty substantial difference.

I understand that which is why I asked if you could do the card with the 60k bonus now and then the other card in the fall to get your CP in Jan. Or is there a reason it all needs to be done at once.

 

[CMNJ]

I understand that which is why I asked if you could do the card with the 60k bonus now and then the other card in the fall to get your CP in Jan. Or is there a reason it all needs to be done at once.

If you do the 60k offer now you will earn those points in 2017 not 2018. All 110,000 points must be earned in the same calendar year to qualify.
So you must earn all 110,000 in 2017 (and companion pass good until dec 31 2018) or wait and earn all 110,000 in 2018 for a companion pass that lasts until Dec 31 2019.

 

[JKalai]

I understand that which is why I asked if you could do the card with the 60k bonus now and then the other card in the fall to get your CP in Jan. Or is there a reason it all needs to be done at once.

When you reach CP, you get it for the rest of the year and the full year after that. The goal to get the most out of your CP is to hit it in the beginning of the year so you'll get 2 for 1 flights for more than 12 months.

 

[Albort]

So I am new to this whole CP thing- I just received a bonus 50,000 pts reward from my first card. If I wanted to sign up for the premier card promo that is happening now to earn the additional 60,000, my reward would hit in approximately 3 months and then my CP would only be good the remainder of 2017 and through 2018, correct?
Can I hold off on applying and hope for a good promo in October, accruing my 110K points in January?

if u applied for a new card in the last 3 months for 50k pts, you can ask Chase to match you up to 60k.