Southwest CC

[ZehnJahren]

How long after canceling your current SW card can you reapply and get a new bonus? Have had my card for 7 years and ready to cancel and get the bonus again if I can.

 

[lsutigers03]

if you cancel you should wait 30 days. If you product change it to a no fee Chase card you can apply 4 days after.

 

[hurt817]

24 months before you can receive the bonus again.

 

[mkb3]

I would apply for the chase sapphire Preferred and use it for SW travel as they have 1 to 1 point transfers. Higher sign on bonus (currently 80K) and you get 2x points on dining. I have kept my SW card to use when they have promotions (currently 5x points on travel charges and gas) or when booking SW travel though rare as I typically have enough points from everyday spending.

 

[DisneyHardin]

For things like the airline cards/Disney card/etc that have good bonuses, DH and I will rotate having them in our names some. So that every couple years we can take advantage of the bonus again.

 

[ZehnJahren]

24 months before you can receive the bonus again.

24 months after the first bonus, correct? That would have been 5 years ago for me.

Or are you saying 24 months after closing the current cars?

 

[ZehnJahren]

I would apply for the chase sapphire Preferred and use it for SW travel as they have 1 to 1 point transfers. Higher sign on bonus (currently 80K) and you get 2x points on dining. I have kept my SW card to use when they have promotions (currently 5x points on travel charges and gas) or when booking SW travel though rare as I typically have enough points from everyday spending.

I have it already- I was deciding between canceling southwest and canceling the Sapphire to get the bonus again, but I'm right on the 47 month mark since my last sapphire bonus so I thought southwest would be better?

 

[kathy884]

Do Sapphire points have the same flexibility as Southwest credit card points (ability to book trip for anyone - not just the card holder or card holder's immediate family) and ability at anytime to cancel that trip with points and have all points go back to your account (lock in a good value with points for early booking and ability to return the points without restrictions)?

I use the SW points a lot for 20 somethings who might change jobs and not have the flexibility to go, girlfriends or boyfriends of 20 somethings who might not have the flexibility to go, older relatives who would like to travel, but might not feel up to it due to health issues, etc. and cancel last minute. This flexibility has been so useful to me so many times and is why I prefer the SW credit card to other credit cards that may give more back in points, etc. With regular Southwest tickets bought with cash, dollars have to be used within a year of booking by the same person. Points don't have an expiration or a restriction on who uses them. Southwest is also the largest carrier at the airport where I live, so using the points is never an issue.

 

[ruadisneyfan2]

Do Sapphire points have the same flexibility as Southwest credit card points (ability to book trip for anyone - not just the card holder or card holder's immediate family) and ability at anytime to cancel that trip with points and have all points go back to your account (lock in a good value with points for early booking and ability to return the points without restrictions)?

I use the SW points a lot for 20 somethings who might change jobs and not have the flexibility to go, girlfriends or boyfriends of 20 somethings who might not have the flexibility to go, older relatives who would like to travel, but might not feel up to it due to health issues, etc. and cancel last minute. This flexibility has been so useful to me so many times and is why I prefer the SW credit card to other credit cards that may give more back in points, etc. With regular Southwest tickets bought with cash, dollars have to be used within a year of booking by the same person. Points don't have an expiration or a restriction on who uses them. Southwest is also the largest carrier at the airport where I live, so using the points is never an issue.

With the CSP card you can transfer the Chase UR pts into your SWA RR account and use them as you like for whomever you want. They transfer at 1:1 ratio so you're not losing point value by transferring them. I love the flexibility of SWA RR pts.

 

[lsutigers03]

24 months after the first bonus, correct? That would have been 5 years ago for me.

Or are you saying 24 months after closing the current cars?

24 months after you received the bonus.

 

[FreeDiningFanatic]

How long after canceling your current SW card can you reapply and get a new bonus? Have had my card for 7 years and ready to cancel and get the bonus again if I can.

In most situations, it is best to product change your card to another Chase card, with no annual fee. This allows you to keep the longevity of the card on your credit report.

You aren't eligible for a new SW bonus is you currently hold a personal Southwest card or have received a bonus in the past 24 months.

However, since the SW card is co-branded, you can only product change it to another SW card. Doing so would make you ineligible for the bonus. So, this is one of the rare situations where you should cancel the card. When canceling the card, wait 30 days for the card to clear out of Chase's system, and reapply.

As someone else mentioned, the better bang for the buck right now might be to apply for a Chase Sapphire Preferred card ($95 AF), which earns a 100k point bonus. Those points can be transferred to Southwest for 100k Southwest points, if that's how you choose to spend them. Transferring points don't count towards earning companion pass, if that is something you are interested in.