Post all SW questions concerns, etc. here...

[EACarlson]

Tigger is.checking 2-4 bags for 5 pax. The credit card holder would pay for his ticket and 3 others. Use the points to pay for the 5th, on a separate reservation. I don't know how using cash and points to buy tickets works. It might be another option.

The current Chase preferred 100K bonus might be a better deal BUT the minimum spend is higher.

Points and cash is not a good option, it gives a flat 1 cent per point.
The CSP also has a higher annual fee than the SW card. For OP's use case, the SW card is probably the best option. It's a $69 AF for a $140-$280 ROI for the free bags.

 

[Lewisc]

Points and cash is not a good option, it gives a flat 1 cent per point.

Tigger won't be flying SW again for years.i don't know the rules, burning off any leftover points at 1 cent per point may be better then letting them sit.

If you're a few points short check the list of RR partners. Years ago I was a few points short. I ordered something ( I think think from Walgreens) online for a store pickup.

 

[EACarlson]

Tigger won't be flying SW again for years.i don't know the rules, burning off any leftover points at 1 cent per point may be better then letting them sit.

If you're a few points short check the list of RR partners. Years ago I was a few points short. I ordered something ( I think think from Walgreens) online for a store pickup.

You're twisting yourself to create what might be a slightly better deal, but increases the complexity exponentially. As well as the probable cash outlay. RR points don't expire, at least currently. If PP acquires the SW CC, they will have enough for at least one flight, if not more. While they would get more points on the CSP that can be transferred to SW, they would still need to pay cash for the bags.

 

[Lewisc]

You're twisting yourself to create what might be a slightly better deal, but increases the complexity exponentially

Just explaing it poorly..Use the points to buy a ticket. Then book the rest of the group cash and points, burning the rest of the points. Or is there a point minimum?

Edited to add You're probably right. Points and cash may not work the way I thought.

 

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

Just to speak to the CC talk when speaking about an airline branded CC you should weigh your travel needs and expectations against that.

We got the Delta Skymiles CC for our honeymoon but have only used the Delta points (which took YEARS to accumulate enough) to buy 1 ticket to go to Hawaii (which took all the points essentially). That said we still have the Delta card and now use it for the hotel perk (1 free hotel night) because again we do travel. Had we known that Delta wasn't going to be used often we would not have gotten the CC really (which saved us back then $300 on airfare to St. Lucia plus the one luggage per person). However, that was in 2013 and a lot has changed on CCs meaning there's so many more reward ones and variety of ones that someone can figure out what works best for them.

If you don't use an airline much then just getting a CC for a once in a great blue moon trip is probably not the best usage of your credit score and number of open accounts as opposed to looking at a card that might be more helpful overall either because you travel or you can use the points/rewards for at-home usage (like money back, fueling, grocery, etc).

If my husband and I had to go back again we would have branched out on CC's much sooner than we did. We relied primarily on the SWA Premier card but a few years back got the Chase Sapphire Reserve card and it has afforded us so much opportunities in terms of travel especially as at least presently Hyatt is their partner and Hyatt has the best by far point redemption value for hotels especially international ones. If we didn't fly SWA much paying for luggage every so many years would far outweigh getting a SWA branded CC over a more general CC.

 

[FreeTime]

I have both the Delta Amex Reserve and the SW card and I am in the camp that getting a miles or point card is not the way to go for a blue moon traveler. As others have said. The hit to your credit score, the time to open, the fee you have to pay, the spend requirement, the time to let the card sit on your file before closing, a bit of effort. It goes back to what is your time worth? Might be better just to budget the luggage fee in your flight purchase. Doing this will also allow you to have more flight options? Consider if you get the SW card and then find a cheaper flight on another airline. You may be stuck paying more.

 

[Lsdolphin]

I’m just happy my Sept flight has dropped 3x purchased for over 13,000 points and has dropped to 5,520 points!

 

[TheOneWithTheTriplets]

We'll be purchasing our tickets later this year for a May trip.
Credit isn't an issue.
We will go ahead and apply for the SW credit card.
Thank you for your reply.

Make sure you don't apply for the card until you are within 12 months of travel so that you still have it in May 2026 for your flights.

As others have said, probably worthwhile to hit that spend so that you can potentially use the 50,000 bonus for some part of your flights. Perhaps, if you need 4 bags, then that means booking those 4 on cash with the credit card holder and then booking a solo traveler on points in both directions knowing that's the person who won't check a bag.

Personally, I think there are better cards you could look at if your goal is to save about $280. But, if SW is the path you want to take, we want to make sure you do it in a way that maximizes your benefit.

 

[Lewisc]

More business seem to offer cash discounts or impose credit card surcharge. Years ago I paid my kids tuition with cards. I think schools now charge credit card fees.

Don't get a card which requires a minimum spend you won't be able to easily meet.

 

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

More business seem to offer cash discounts or impose credit card surcharge. Years ago I paid my kids tuition with cards. I think schools now charge credit card fees.

Don't get a card which requires a minimum spend you won't be able to easily meet.

This is kinda going off track here: places can charge a convenience fee for both a credit and debit card (state law dependent) while not a "surcharge" it functions just the same. My DMV has for many years for vehicle tags charged both a physical check fee, a convenience fee for paying by cc or debit card, an e-check fee and an in-person fee (on top of the payment method fee) plus a processing fee to pay online so pick your poison there and in the grand scheme it's not worth worrying about it when considering if someone should get a CC (it's a once a year payment). And in my particular case looking at my receipt from last month it was $1.66 to pay by my CC for my car tags when an e-check would have cost me $2; both methods come with a $2.00 processing fee. If I had done it in person it would have been $5 in addition to those fees though the processing fee wouldn't have been attached. Mailing a check would have cost $2 plus postage. So ultimately I'm saving very minimal amounts by going the more worrisome route of sending a physical check in the mail if I had done that.

Most people are not going to just pay cash to avoid that especially as there are a lot of places that don't want to deal with cash or don't deal in non-exact amounts.

Cash discounts are IME extremely location dependent meaning it's concentrated on a very precise area rather than wide-spread and often is more mom and pop style places that tend to have a larger burden by the fees financial institutions charge. A common example of cash discounts for gasoline. It is not available in my area in most gas stations but once you get further and further out of my metro something you might see. But again it's really not something I would even consider in terms of getting a CC or not.

But I would agree with not choosing a card you cannot realistically meet the minimum spend amount in the required time if you're banking on the bonus.

 

[Lewisc]

You're not going to meet minimum spend or earn a lot of points (miles) with DMV and gas charges.

Many locally operated restaurants have a lower cash price. Colleges seem to charge more for credit card payments. Most of the companies I use around the house including sprinklers, landscaping, painting, carpentry and fuel oil etc charge less if you pay with cash.

 

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

You're not going to meet minimum spend or earn a lot of points (miles) with DMV and gas charges.

Many locally operated restaurants have a lower cash price. Colleges seem to charge more for credit card payments. Most of the companies I use around the house including sprinklers, landscaping, painting, carpentry and fuel oil etc charge less if you pay with cash.

You're being obtuse here. I never said nor implied what you are stating. I gave examples pertaining to your discussion about surcharges (locally owned FWIW is often synonymous with mom and pop which I commented on).

I agreed with you about choosing the card that you can meet the minimums if you are going for the bonus (not everyone is going for that). In no way did I say anything about what purchases someone makes to get to the minimum spend, that's their own business and can be comprised of a wide variety of things but it is important to choose a card that you can realistically meet that if you're going for the bonus.

 

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

I have both the Delta Amex Reserve and the SW card and I am in the camp that getting a miles or point card is not the way to go for a blue moon traveler. As others have said. The hit to your credit score, the time to open, the fee you have to pay, the spend requirement, the time to let the card sit on your file before closing, a bit of effort. It goes back to what is your time worth? Might be better just to budget the luggage fee in your flight purchase. Doing this will also allow you to have more flight options? Consider if you get the SW card and then find a cheaper flight on another airline. You may be stuck paying more.

One thing to say is that it's not exactly as beneficial to stick with one airline anymore as we've seen the loyalty and status adjustments over the years from the various carriers (Delta had one of the biggest adjustments with Medallion status for example) and most recently SWA, that would also influence whether an airline branded card is the better option. Even us existing SWA CC holders don't know of all the changes SWA may hold for us with their changes.

The poster who initially asked the question flies every 3 to 4 years with SWA a very infrequent flyer and within that timeframe credit card stipulations can change and adjust.

 

[eticketplease]

This is kinda going off track here: places can charge a convenience fee for both a credit and debit card (state law dependent) while not a "surcharge" it functions just the same. My DMV has for many years for vehicle tags charged both a physical check fee, a convenience fee for paying by cc or debit card, an e-check fee and an in-person fee (on top of the payment method fee) plus a processing fee to pay online so pick your poison there and in the grand scheme it's not worth worrying about it when considering if someone should get a CC (it's a once a year payment). And in my particular case looking at my receipt from last month it was $1.66 to pay by my CC for my car tags when an e-check would have cost me $2; both methods come with a $2.00 processing fee. If I had done it in person it would have been $5 in addition to those fees though the processing fee wouldn't have been attached. Mailing a check would have cost $2 plus postage. So ultimately I'm saving very minimal amounts by going the more worrisome route of sending a physical check in the mail if I had done that.

Is it just me or is your DMV really disguised as TicketMaster?

That was all I could think about with Fee after Fee

 

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

Is it just me or is your DMV really disguised as TicketMaster?

That was all I could think about with Fee after Fee

it sure feels like it sometimes. I didn't even mention the $4 "modernization fee" we've been paying for since 2009 though that is assessed to everyone regardless of how you pay.

My actual property tax on my car is $24 (the lowest the state can charge, my car is 23 yrs old), my bill before I pay is $66.25 so that tells you how much are random other fees and then the bill with the payment fees included was $69.91.

The plus I will say is I normally get my tags in 2 to 3 days after paying when I do it online so at least it's expedient

 

[mamamary]

Are Southwest points and credits two different things? In other words if I use points (which I have a lot of) to book a flight and I need to reschedule or cancel do the points just go back in my account? I’m just getting confused with that and getting a credit for changing or canceling my flight. Hope I’m making sense.

 

[eticketplease]

Are Southwest points and credits two different things? In other words if I use points (which I have a lot of) to book a flight and I need to reschedule or cancel do the points just go back in my account? I’m just getting confused with that and getting a credit for changing or canceling my flight. Hope I’m making sense.

Yes & Yes.

Points are earned through various methods with the most widely used is Flying and CC spend on SW CC. Points are then redeemable for flights and if you cancel the points are credited back to your account.

Flight Credits happen after a flight is booked with cash and you receive a credit either for cancelling or modifying a flight that was not a refundable fare.
You can then use that credit to use towards purchasing your next flight. Credits received before 5/28 do not expire. If you receive one after that it would expire in 12 months for the top 3 fare classes and the bottom fare class it expires in 6 months.

 

[barb969]

eticketplease explained it better than I did. I depleted my post.

 

[Lewisc]

Credit expiration date is from the date you make the reservation. It expires if you haven't flown NOT JUSTED BOOKED a ticket prior to the expiration date.

 

[eticketplease]

Credit expiration date is from the date you make the reservation. It expires if you haven't flown NOT JUSTED BOOKED a ticket prior to the expiration date.

I can't find that info anywhere on SW. What you said certainly aligns with other carriers and since SW is trying to shift their biz model in their direction I'm sure you are right but I just can't find it.