We have an affinity for Southwest Airlines. Why? So many reasons! We have flown for nearly FREE for the last two years on this airline because of certain credit card points! We are pretty brand loyal because Denver, Colorado is a hub for Southwest Airlines and pretty much flies anywhere we want to go (domestically) with a few international destinations in there as well!
Over the last two years we have visited the following cities via Southwest Airlines:
- Palm Springs, CA
- Orlando, FL
- Chicago, IL (both airports)
- Baltimore, MD
- Boston, MA
- San Diego, CA
- Phoenix, AZ
- Salt Lake City, UT
- El Paso, TX
- Bozeman, MT
- Seattle, WA
- Dallas, TX
- Sacramento, CA
- Fresno, CA
- San Francisco, CA
As you can see, there are a lot of cities they service (plus many more). Another amazing part of Southwest Airlines is the Companion Pass…it is an AMAZING travel perk of hitting 135,000 tier-qualifying points! And besides flying a whole bunch, the other way to get this gem of a pass is by signing up for a Southwest Rapid Rewards® Credit Card during a time when they have an increased welcome offer! By hitting the minimum spend on the card, earn anywhere from 50K-85K (depending on the current sign up offer) of Southwest Airlines points. This gets you a good chunk of the way to earning your Companion Pass and buy one get one flights!
Which credit card should I open you ask? There are perks to all of them really, but the key is finding one that makes the most sense for you and your spending goals. The Southwest Rapid Rewards® Plus Credit Card is a great starter card for a $69 annual fee. The Southwest® Rapid Rewards® Performance Business Credit Card is also a great card for those that own a business or do side work and gets a few more annual benefits for the higher annual fee.
Whichever card you choose, you can’t go wrong, because once again, getting points to spend on Southwest Airlines and getting free flights is a no brainer. Take it a step further and keep spending on the card, to hit that 135,000 point threshold for the Companion Pass, and you will secure the ultimate travel dream of BOGO flights for a year with your companion (think spouse, best friend, sister, etc!).
The other option of earning Southwest Points is through what we call “flexible points” and this is a great option as well if you just want free flights all around! This wouldn’t be applicable for the Companion Pass but Southwest Airlines is what we call a “transfer partner” from one of the major banks! If this sounds like more of your thing, we would consider the following credit cards to help make those dreams a reality:
The Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card is one of the best starter travel cards out there on the market and it’s welcome offer would allow you several free flights on Southwest Airlines (or many other partners for that matter!).
Again, if you are a business owner and looking for a sweet business card, then the Chase Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card is for you! An amazing business card at only $95/year, it has bonus spending categories for things like travel, advertising, and more!
We hope this article inspire you to get out and travel, whether you are a Southwest Airlines loyalist like we are, or just want to get free flights out of the deal!
MC Exploring 