Southwest Rapid Reward Visa Questions

[Magical-Memories]

To answer the poster above (well hopefully above this but I'm taking so long to write this, it might be a few above).

Southwest was offering a 50,000 bonus point reward after spending $2K in the first 3 months of having the card. (I'm not sure if the offer is still going on. We just applied last week and got them, but someone posted it might have ended.)

The reward was offered on 4 different Southwest Credit cards. 2 were business cards and 2 were personal cards. I don't know too much about the details of the business cards. The 2 personal cards are different...one is a signature Visa with, I believe a $99/year fee (but you get more reward points at your anniversary..I want to say 6,000...but could be wrong..forgetting the details off the top of my head.) The other personal card is more basic and I think it has a $69/year fee with maybe 3,000 add'l points awarded at your anniversary. (If you look a few posts back someone explains this better.)

Anyhoo....we had my husband sign up for the 2 personal cards (under his name and Southwest Rapid Rewards number). If you don't have a Southwest Rapids Rewards number, no problem, just sign up for free on Southwest.com before you sign up for the credit cards (that is..if the deal is still on with the CC.)

Knowing we can easily meet the $2K spending for each card in 3 months. So we will be getting 100,000 points (50,000 + 50,000 rewards). Plus we will get another 4,000 points for spending $4K ($2K on each card) in the first 3 months. So that will leave us with 104,000 SW Reward points.

Once you reach 110,000 Reward Points with Southwest, you are eligible for a Companion Pass. So when you fly, your companion flies free. The deal is when you reach the 110,000 qualifying points, you get the companion pass for the remainder of that year and the following year. So it's a pretty cool deal if you can figure out how to do it. Especially if you can somehow manage to meet the points in the first few months of the year....then it's like having the companion pass for close to 2 years.

So because I will be short 6000 points, I *thought * I would be able to get them by about Febuary-ish...to make it 110,000 points. I was planning on doing this by charging anything and everything I normally pay by check. But what I didn't realize is that it has to be done in the same calendar year....so I think I screwed myself out of the Companion pass! (Because I've already spent a little over $2K on one of the cards, meeting the bonus requirement, but there is no way I will be able to meet all 110,000 points by the end of 2014.)

Although..it is still a decent deal, because we will probably be able to get about 4 round-trip tickets with the bonus points you get just from opening the 2 cards.

WARNING!!! This deal is only worthwhile if you are planning on paying off your balance every month. Carrying a balance defeats the whole purpose. I know this is probably obvious to everyone...but just in case ;-)

Someone can probably explain it better and I may have made mistakes on the details...I apologize in advance....but that is the gist of it

 

[jimandami]

How does the companion work with Southwest cards???

Also does anyone know when SW will offer flights to Hawaii?

The last I heard was 2016.

 

[Shelly F - Ohio]

Yes the 110K points has to be earned in the calendar year.


For those folks who are short on points SWA partners with various hotels that you can convert points to SWA points. I converted my 50K Hyatt points and earned 30K SWA points.

Same thing with car rentals. If you are a few thousand short I would rent a car to earn the points. SWA has an offer with Budget. A rental of a week you can earn up to 2400 points. Even if you are not traveling it would be worth it rent a car to reach your goal.

Other good ways to rack of the points is to check with your insurance company and see if they accept CC for payment of a year or 1/2 premium - Allstate does I charge my premium just to get the 1k in points.

 

[Small Town Princess]

I waited too long and the 50,000 mile offers are gone. Does anyone have any referral codes for these offers they would be willing to PM me? I think I am looking for both a Plus and Premier so that I can work toward the companion pass. Which ones were $69 annual fee and which were $99? Sorry I am a bit confused.

 

[KKB]

We also earned the CP this year and yes, it's great. However, it is only good until the end of 2015, not 2016, just fyi.

I got personal card & personal plus cards in May, got $2K on each card then $6K more charging everything we could so got companion by fall. Already used for college visit in oct, Vegas in nov, visit to son in TX this weekend, Disney in February (already able to book the companion pass for February) and cruise in March.

You can change your companion 3x/yr so plan ahead

End of 2015 hope to have DH do the same 4 2 more years.... SO helpful as our children head away to college

 

[sdchickie]

If I purchase gift cards with my visa will the points still count toward my companion pass? Thinking about getting Disney cards for my upcoming trips and getting the CP earlier in the year.

 

[jimandami]

If I purchase gift cards with my visa will the points still count toward my companion pass? Thinking about getting Disney cards for my upcoming trips and getting the CP earlier in the year.

I can't imagine why not? You get 1 point per dollar spent so I would think a gift card purchase would be legitimate.

 

[talulabelle]

I see on the Southwest site they are offering 50,000 points for applying for the premier card (with the $99 fee) and as long as you have not received the 50,000 offer since 2014 you are eligible. My husband and I both have separate SW cards from when they were offering 50,000 points a few years ago (it was prior to 2014) but they are the plan with the $69 fee. My question is, can we upgrade our current accounts to premier with the $99 fee and receive the bonus? Also, I remember when we did this a few years ago the points went to our separate RR accts. and we didn't get a companion pass. How do you work this to get the companion pass? can I switch the RR acct. # on his to mine and then our points and bonuses all go to my acct from both cards? That would be great if I can because when I buy tickets with our points they are spit between the two accts and I'm always trying to juggle the 2 accts to buy the points or gift points to each other to have enough which costs money. TIA for any help any one can give!

ETA - darn, now that I look at the card I realize it says "Premier" in the corner - so I guess these are still considered "premier" cards even though we have the lower fee. If I cancel them and reapply will that work? Is there a rule against that? It would be a pain as I would have to update a new card number on so many accts that I have automatic pay set up. I rather not have to do that, but with 5 kids, the only way we will be able to fly to Disney again ever is with this offer.

 

[jls886]

My question is, can we upgrade our current accounts to premier with the $99 fee and receive the bonus?

ETA - darn, now that I look at the card I realize it says "Premier" in the corner - so I guess these are still considered "premier" cards even though we have the lower fee. If I cancel them and reapply will that work? Is there a rule against that?

I am fairly sure you can cancel, reapply, and get the offer again. But, I've never done that myself so hopefully someone who has will chime in for certain. Also, I'm not aware of any Premier card having the lower annual fee, but again I'm not certain. The Premier card is a Visa Signature card, is yours that? It will say "Signature" under the Visa logo.

Also, I remember when we did this a few years ago the points went to our separate RR accts. and we didn't get a companion pass. How do you work this to get the companion pass? can I switch the RR acct. # on his to mine and then our points and bonuses all go to my acct from both cards?

The points go to the cardholder's rapid rewards account, so using yours or your husband's account number on the other's application would not work. In order to get the companion pass, one person has to apply for both cards that Southwest offers. That gets that one person 100,000 total points from the two cards combined. Then, you have to get another 10,000 companion pass-qualifying points from either credit card spend or from earning points some other way.

Two different people each with a Southwest card will always have to have the points go into each of their separate Southwest accounts. Luckily, you're at least able to use points to book anyone's airfare and not just the account holder's.

 

[taaren]

I've had and loved my Southwest card for years, have the regular $69 one which is how we paid for our 2012 trip to WDW. Since it's in H's name and he has left and is wanting to close out all joint accounts, I need to open one in my name. Does anybody know if there's any kind of referral bonus in addition to the 50K points to start?
Assume the companion pass everybody is talking about is no longer available? I'll do it just for the 50K, could potentially do both the regular and the premier requirements over the course of 3 - 4 months with just household expenses.

 

[Marie17]

My husband has received the referral offer where he would receive 5,000 points and the person doing an application would receive 50,000 points after spending $2k in 3 months.

Questions:

1. He has referral codes available to be used and I would like to know if I can utilize one of the codes to get me a card. We are in the same household and I would get the card in my name but can you get the bonus 50k points for a separate rapid rewards account and the referral 5k points for the referring members rapid rewards account if you are in the same household?

2. Would those 5k "referral" points count towards a companion pass for my husband's account?


If anyone can answer those 2 questions that would be wonderful. Thanks in advance!

 

[::danielle::]

My husband has received the referral offer where he would receive 5,000 points and the person doing an application would receive 50,000 points after spending $2k in 3 months. Questions: 1. He has referral codes available to be used and I would like to know if I can utilize one of the codes to get me a card. We are in the same household and I would get the card in my name but can you get the bonus 50k points for a separate rapid rewards account and the referral 5k points for the referring members rapid rewards account if you are in the same household? 2. Would those 5k "referral" points count towards a companion pass for my husband's account?

Please delete item #3. I was reprimanded by the admins when I posted something similar. It's a violation of the rules (which didn't occur to me either). I'd hate for you to get reprimanded too!

 

[supersnoop]

Please delete item #3. I was reprimanded by the admins when I posted something similar. It's a violation of the rules (which didn't occur to me either). I'd hate for you to get reprimanded too!

You probably shouldn't have quoted it, then.

 

[::danielle::]

You probably shouldn't have quoted it, then.

I edited the quote. Thanks for pointing it out.

 

[abitcloudy]

how did you get the referal codes? my husband has a card also and the link shows up in the online account but when i fill it out it says there are no offers... I am also trying to do the same thing referring myself to get the 50k and he would get the 5k...

 

[Justin1882]

how did you get the referal codes? my husband has a card also and the link shows up in the online account but when i fill it out it says there are no offers... I am also trying to do the same thing referring myself to get the 50k and he would get the 5k...

They just randomly send them in the mail.