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If you’re a Southwest flyer, there’s a few welcome bonuses on Southwest Airlines’ business cards you’ll want to check out.
These are some of the best bonuses of the year, with both the Southwest® Rapid Rewards® Premier Business Credit Card and the Southwest® Rapid Rewards® Performance Business Credit Card are currently offering up to 80,000 bonus points.
With the Premier Business card, you’ll earn 60,000 points after you spend $3,000 on purchases in the first three months from account opening.
Southwest® Rapid Rewards® Premier Business Credit Card
Earn 60,000 bonus points
Earn 60,000 points after you spend $3,000 on purchases in the first three months from account opening
The Southwest® Rapid Rewards® Premier Business Credit Card is the airline’s middle-tier business card and offers perks for flying Southwest, plus benefits like travel protections and no foreign transaction fees. It’s easy to maximize for those who fly Southwest just once a year, as benefits like the 6,000 anniversary points and two EarlyBird Check-In® per year more than cover the annual fee.
PROS
- Earn 60,000 bonus points after you spend $3,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening
- Earn 3X pts on Southwest® purchases, 2X pts on Rapid Rewards® hotel and car rental partners, 2X pts on local transit and commuting, including rideshare, and 1X pts on all other purchases.
- 2 EarlyBird Check-In® per year—Get automatic check-in to enjoy a better boarding position and earlier access to overhead bins.
- You’ll get 6,000 points every year after your first cardmember anniversary. Those points are worth about $80 towards Southwest flights.
- Lost luggage and trip protection benefits.
- No foreign transaction fees.
CONS
- Southwest points cannot be transferred or used with any airline partners.
- No statement credits
Annual Fee: $99 | Terms Apply | Rates & Fees
And with the Performance Business card, you’ll earn 80,000 points after you spend $5,000 on purchases in the first three months from account opening.
Those are brilliant offers if Southwest flies from your home airport. The Premier Business card has a low annual fee of just $99, while the Performance Business card has an annual fee of $199.
The value of Southwest points consistently hovers around 1.4-1.5 cents each, meaning you can expect this 80,000-point bonus to be worth between $1,120 and $1,200 for Southwest flights.
And even if you think you don’t qualify for a business card, many people are eligible for one without realizing it.
Let’s take a deeper look at the bonus on these Southwest Airlines’ business cards, as well as ongoing benefits to see if either card is the right fit for you.
Southwest® Rapid Rewards® Performance Business Credit Card
Earn up to 80,000 bonus points
Earn 80,000 points after you spend $5,000 on purchases in the first three months from account opening.
PROS
- Earn 80,000 points after you spend $5,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening.
- Earn 4X pts on Southwest® purchases, and 3X pts on Rapid Rewards® hotel and car rental partners. Earn 2X pts on local transit and commuting, including rideshare. Earn 2X pts social media and search engine advertising, internet, cable, and phone services, and earn 1X pts on all other purchases.
- Enjoy four Upgraded Boardings per year—you’ll get the earliest access to seats and overhead bins on eligible flight segments. Worth up to $30 each, or $120 total.
- You’ll get 9,000 points every year after your first cardmember anniversary. Those points are worth about $125 towards Southwest flights.
- Up to $100 Global Entry, TSA PreCheck®, or NEXUS fee credit
- Up to 365 inflight WiFi Credits per year (WiFi normally costs $8 per Southwest flight)
- $500 fee credit for points transfers per year
- Lost luggage and trip protection benefits
- No foreign transaction fees.
CONS
- Southwest points cannot be transferred or used with any airline partners.
- No statement credits.
- $199 annual fee
Annual Fee: $199 | Terms Apply | Rates & Fees
How to earn the welcome bonus
You might be surprised at how quickly you can achieve these Southwest Airlines business cards’ spending requirements—by simply putting away any other credit or debit cards you regularly use and funneling all of your spending onto your new card for a few months, you’ll have a large bucket of points at your disposal for free travel.
For example, on the Premier Business card, you’ll earn 60,000 bonus points after spending $3,000 in the first three months of account opening, which equates to $1,000 a month.
As always, you should never spend more money than you otherwise would simply to earn travel rewards. Don’t let a shiny new welcome bonus enchant you into financial irresponsibility.
How to use the welcome bonus
Southwest points work differently than most other airline miles. The value you get from them doesn’t really vary depending on the route and seat class you book. That’s because award prices are directly proportional to Southwest’s cash prices. If Southwest is having a sale, you can expect both cash and points prices to be low. This also means that there are no blackout dates, so if a seat is available to purchase, you’ll be able to use points to cover the cost.
The value of Southwest points consistently hovers around 1.4-1.5 cents each, meaning you can expect the 80,000- point bonus to be worth between $1,120 and $1,200 for Southwest flights.
Remember: Southwest points never expire, so there’s no hurry to redeem them. Even if you don’t plan on flying Southwest anytime soon and ditch this Southwest Airlines Rapid Rewards card after a year, you’ll still be able to use the bonus points towards free flights years later.
You’ll have plenty of ways to use your points as Southwest flies to over 100 destinations across the US and North America, including 11 international destinations, like Mexico, Costa Rica, Aruba, The Bahamas, Jamaica, and more.
Earning the Southwest Companion Pass
The Southwest Companion Pass is one of the most coveted benefits in the travel rewards community and allows a designated companion to fly with the pass holder for free (excluding taxes and fees) on both paid and award flights for the remainder of the year in which the pass is earned and the entire following year.
To qualify for the Southwest Companion Pass, a customer must either fly 100 qualifying one-way flights or earn 135,000 qualifying points in a calendar year (these points can be earned from the credit card)—after earning the bonus on a Southwest business card you’ll qualify for the Companion Pass for the remainder of 2024 and all of 2025.
The Companion Pass could effectively double the value of the card’s bonus—essentially, the 80,000-point bonus from the Performance Business could be worth anywhere from $2,240 to $2,400 when paired with the Companion Pass since you’re getting two flights for the price of one.
How to qualify for Southwest Airlines business cards
Business owners of any kind qualify for the card—whether you own a flower shop, an online company, or are a freelance writer, Uber driver, a dog sitter, tutor, or sell items on eBay, Etsy, etc.
A small business doesn’t even have to be your main job. As long as you’ve got a for-profit venture, you qualify for the card—though whether you’re approved will depend on additional factors like your credit score.
You also don’t need to have an EIN or be an LLC. You’ll be able to fill out a business card application with the same information as a personal credit card. When the application asks you to enter the legal business structure, you have the option to choose sole proprietorship. And when it asks for the Tax ID type, you have the option to enter your social security number.
Are Southwest Airlines business cards good for earning points after the intro bonus?
Southwest® Rapid Rewards® Premier Business Credit Card is decent at earning Southwest points for everyday spending—here’s what you’ll get:
- Earn 3X pts on Southwest® purchases.
- Earn 2X pts on Rapid Rewards® hotel and car rental partners.
- Earn 2X pts on local transit and commuting, including rideshare.
- Earn 1X pts on all other purchases.
The Southwest® Rapid Rewards® Performance Business Credit Card, which has a higher annual fee of $199, offers the following rewards on purchases:
- Earn 4X pts on Southwest® purchases.
- Earn 3X pts on Rapid Rewards® hotel and car rental partners.
- Earn 2X pts on local transit and commuting, including rideshare.
- Earn 2X pts social media and search engine advertising, internet, cable, and phone services.
- Earn 1X pts on all other purchases.
This isn’t a bad mix of bonus categories, but not necessarily outstanding. Still, these Southwest Airlines business cards are a good option if you want to earn Southwest points on an ongoing basis and pay a modest annual fee.
Ongoing benefits of Southwest Airlines business cards
The Southwest® Rapid Rewards® Premier Business Credit Card has a number of benefits you’ll receive as long as you hold the card. Here’s what you’ll get:
- 2 EarlyBird Check-In® per year—Get automatic check-in to enjoy a better boarding position and earlier access to overhead bins.
- 6,000 anniversary points—You’ll get 6,000 points every year after your first cardmember anniversary. Those points are worth about $80 towards Southwest flights.
- Lost luggage and trip protection benefits
- No foreign transaction fees
If you fly Southwest at least once a year, you shouldn’t have trouble using the two EarlyBird Check-In passes and 6,000 anniversary points. The value of those two perks more than covers the $99 annual fee.
The Southwest® Rapid Rewards® Performance Business Credit Card has a slew of perks you’ll enjoy as a cardholder. Here’s what you’ll get:
- Four Upgraded Boardings per year—You’ll get the earliest access to seats and overhead bins on eligible flight segments. Worth up to $30 each, or $120 total.
- 9,000 anniversary points—You’ll get 9,000 points every year after your first cardmember anniversary. Those points are worth about $125 towards Southwest flights.
- Up to $100 Global Entry, TSA PreCheck® or NEXUS fee credit
- Up to 365 inflight WiFi Credits per year—inflight WiFi costs $8 per flight, so this could amount to a huge savings if you fly Southwest somewhat frequently.
- $500 fee credit for points transfers per year
- Lost luggage and trip protection benefits
- No foreign transaction fees
For those who fly Southwest a few times a year, it should be easy to use the four Upgraded Boardings, the 9,000 anniversary points and the inflight WiFi credits. The value of those three perks more than covers the $199 annual fee.
Bottom line
The bonus on these Southwest Airlines business cards combined is worth at least $1,900 towards travel on Southwest and can earn you the Southwest Companion Pass, which could effectively double the value of the offer and allow you to take a friend or family member with you on every flight through the end of 2025. Plus, the card offers perks that can upgrade your experience on the airline and help cover the modest annual fee.
If you’re purely focused on the bonus, go with the Southwest® Rapid Rewards® Performance Business Credit Card since it has a lower annual fee.
And remember, it’s easier than you think to qualify for a business credit card!
Southwest® Rapid Rewards® Premier Business Credit Card
Earn 60,000 bonus points
Earn 60,000 points after you spend $3,000 on purchases in the first three months from account opening
The Southwest® Rapid Rewards® Premier Business Credit Card is the airline’s middle-tier business card and offers perks for flying Southwest, plus benefits like travel protections and no foreign transaction fees. It’s easy to maximize for those who fly Southwest just once a year, as benefits like the 6,000 anniversary points and two EarlyBird Check-In® per year more than cover the annual fee.
PROS
- Earn 60,000 bonus points after you spend $3,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening
- Earn 3X pts on Southwest® purchases, 2X pts on Rapid Rewards® hotel and car rental partners, 2X pts on local transit and commuting, including rideshare, and 1X pts on all other purchases.
- 2 EarlyBird Check-In® per year—Get automatic check-in to enjoy a better boarding position and earlier access to overhead bins.
- You’ll get 6,000 points every year after your first cardmember anniversary. Those points are worth about $80 towards Southwest flights.
- Lost luggage and trip protection benefits.
- No foreign transaction fees.
CONS
- Southwest points cannot be transferred or used with any airline partners.
- No statement credits
Annual Fee: $99 | Terms Apply | Rates & Fees
by your friends at The Daily Navigator
