Best Times to Sign Up for a Southwest Credit Card

You’re most likely acquainted with Southwest, the favored airline well-known for its free checked baggage and laissez-faire strategy to seating. With 1000’s of flights per day and a sturdy route community, Southwest is a robust competitor within the U.S. airspace — which makes the airline’s co-branded bank cards an interesting choice for vacationers.

However when is the most effective time to join a Southwest bank card? Not all timelines are as sensible as others, and determining when to use for a Southwest bank card is a strategic selection all by itself. Here is what to consider as you coordinate the timing of making use of for a brand new Southwest bank card.

Top-of-the-line causes to get a journey rewards bank card is to assist clean the way in which on your future journey. Completely different playing cards supply completely different perks, and Southwest’s bank cards aren’t any exception. With three completely different client choices and even a enterprise card, you’ll discover a wide range of Southwest Airways bank card advantages obtainable to you.

When you’ve got future journey plans and need to benefit from these perks, you’ll need to ensure you apply on your card earlier than you e book.

After all, we will’t speak in regards to the timing of making use of for these playing cards with out speaking in regards to the sign-up bonuses. For the unfamiliar, sign-up bonuses supply a one-time lump sum reward of factors after assembly a sure spend threshold.

In case you’re seeking to journey with the Fast Rewards factors you’ll earn as a cardholder, be aware that it takes time to each earn these factors and have them deposited into your account. We advocate getting the cardboard a minimum of 5 months prematurely of your journey to make sure that your factors submit.

As we talked about above, you’ll solely obtain your welcome supply after spending a sure amount of cash in your card. Take the Southwest Fast Rewards® Precedence Credit score Card, for instance. It comes with this welcome bonus: Earn 40,000 bonus factors after spending $1,000 on purchases within the first 3 months your account is open.

Not all of your bills may be placed on a bank card, and assembly the edge could also be troublesome for you for those who don’t repeatedly spend some huge cash. That is one purpose why you’ll need to time your bank card utility appropriately. Do you might have a house renovation developing, or possibly a cost for property taxes?

These massive, one-time purchases may be a simple approach to meet your spend aim with out incurring extra bills.

Each Southwest bank card comes with a sign-up bonus, however these bonuses truly fluctuate all year long. Card issuers can — and do — present limited-time elevated provides a number of instances annually.

Elevated charges can differ, however it could supply as many as 50,000 factors greater than typical sign-up provides — which is important. In case you’re not determined to accumulate a Southwest card, ready for considered one of these elevated provides can generate way more factors than a normal bonus.

Even for those who’re a frequent flyer, the Southwest Companion Move could not have come up in your radar — however it ought to. The Southwest Companion Move is among the most beneficiant perks passengers can earn.

The Companion Move permits you to deliver alongside a designated particular person with you, for almost free, on all of your flights. That is true whether or not it’s a paid ticket otherwise you’re utilizing award factors; they’ll be capable to come alongside for simply the taxes and charges.

Nerdy tip: You may change your designated journey companion as much as thrice per calendar 12 months. 

So as to get a Companion Move, you’ll have to have both taken 100 qualifying flights or earned 125,000 qualifying Southwest factors in a calendar 12 months. Since 100 flights is so much, 125,000 factors is usually a way more achievable aim.

Incomes these factors may be achieved by means of a wide range of strategies, together with flying, eating, staying at motels and spending on bank cards. Nevertheless, it is not simply the spend in your bank cards that qualifies you for a Companion Move — the welcome supply in your card counts in direction of these 125,000 factors as nicely.

Because of this pairing your card utility with an elevated supply can get you many of the means towards a Companion Move with out ever stepping on a aircraft.

Lastly, the Companion Move is legitimate for the remainder of the calendar 12 months through which you earned it, plus the 12 months after. What does this imply in practicality? Let’s say that you just signed up for a Southwest bank card in November 2022. You’ll have three months from the time you open the cardboard to satisfy the minimal spend aim, which implies your deadline might be someday in February 2023.

Remember, you received’t need to earn your bonus throughout November or December, since which means your spend will qualify for the calendar 12 months that’s about to finish. As a substitute, you’ll need to full your minimal spend throughout the brand new calendar 12 months. Relying on how excessive the welcome supply is, this may get you many of the means towards incomes a Companion Move.

Now, let’s say you had been in a position to earn all 125,000 of these required factors by February 2023. Because of this, you’ll internet your self the Companion Move for the rest of 2023 and all of 2024 — which implies almost two years of (virtually) free flying for a companion.

Timing is a vital consideration once you’re deciding on when to open up a Southwest bank card. Determining the most effective time for you to join a Southwest bank card goes to differ based mostly on a number of components, together with your upcoming journey plans, any main bills you might have, the cardboard’s welcome supply and your want to earn a Companion Move. Whereas not all of those could apply to you, you should definitely consider your scenario earlier than making a decision to use.

You desire a journey bank card that prioritizes what’s necessary to you. Listed below are our picks for the finest journey bank cards of 2021, together with these finest for: