Ending soon: Best-ever bonus of 120,000 points with a Southwest business card

Editor’s note: This is a recurring post, regularly updated with new information and offers.

For Southwest loyalists, a cobranded Southwest credit card is a great way to earn points toward travel.

There are elevated offers on the carrier’s two business cards — Southwest® Rapid Rewards® Premier Business Credit Card and Southwest® Rapid Rewards® Performance Business Credit Card. You can earn up to 120,000 bonus points by hitting the tiered spending requirement.

These are the best offers we’ve seen on these cards.

It’s not often we see such high sign-up offers for Southwest credit cards, so jump on if you’ve been considering getting a new business card. The offers will end on Sept. 17 at 9 a.m. EDT.

Let’s look at the current sign-up bonuses on the Southwest Airlines business and personal credit cards.

Southwest business cards

Southwest Rapid Rewards Premier Business Credit Card

Best for: Business owners who fly Southwest regularly
Annual fee: $99
Sign-up bonus: Earn up to 120,000 points: 60,000 points after you spend $3,000 on purchases in the first three months from account opening and an additional 60,000 points when you spend $15,000 in nine months. Offer ends on Sept. 17 at 9 a.m. EDT.
Earning rates: 3 points per dollar on Southwest purchases, 2 points per dollar on local transit and commuting purchases (including ride-hailing services), 2 points per dollar on Rapid Rewards hotel and car rental partners and 1 point per dollar on everything else
Primary perks: Two EarlyBird check-ins every card anniversary, earn tier-qualifying points toward A-List elite status, $500 fee credit for Rapid Rewards points transfers to another Rapid Rewards member, a 6,000-point anniversary bonus and no foreign transaction fees

For more details, check out our full review of the Southwest Rapid Rewards Premier Business card.

Apply here: Southwest Rapid Rewards Premier Business Credit Card

A southwest plane about to take off at an airport — ZACH GRIFF/THE POINTS GUY

Southwest Rapid Rewards Performance Business Credit Card

Best for: Business owners who are loyal Southwest flyers
Annual fee: $199
Sign-up bonus: Earn up to 120,000 points: 80,000 points after you spend $5,000 on purchases in the first three months from account opening and an additional 40,000 points when you spend $15,000 in nine months. Offer ends on Sept. 17 at 9 a.m. EDT.
Earning rate: 4 points per dollar on Southwest purchases, 2 points per dollar on local transit and commuting purchases (including ride-hailing services), 3 points per dollar on Rapid Rewards hotel and car rental partners, 2 points per dollar on social media and paid search advertising, internet, cable and phone services, 1 point per dollar on everything else
Primary perk(s): Four upgraded boardings per year, earn tier-qualifying points toward A-List elite status, $500 fee credit for Rapid Rewards points transfers to another Rapid Rewards member, a 9,000-point anniversary bonus, up-to-$100 Global Entry/TSA PreCheck credit, up to 365 inflight Wi-Fi credits per year and no foreign transaction fees.

For more details, check out our full review of the Southwest Rapid Rewards Performance Business card.

Apply here: Southwest Rapid Rewards Performance Business Credit Card

Southwest personal cards

hands hold multiple Southwest Airlines credit cards — THE POINTS GUY

Southwest Rapid Rewards Plus Credit Card

Best for: Beginners and infrequent travelers
Annual fee: $69
Sign-up bonus: Earn 50,000 bonus points after spending $1,000 on your card in the first three months from account opening.
Earning rates: 2 points per dollar on local transit and commuting purchases, including ride-hailing services like Uber and Lyft; 2 points per dollar on internet, cable, phone services, and select streaming service purchases; 2 points per dollar on Southwest purchases; 2 points per dollar on Rapid Rewards hotel and car rental partners and 1 point per dollar on everything else
Primary perks: Two EarlyBird check-ins and 3,000 points every card anniversary

For more details, check out our full review of the Southwest Rapid Rewards® Plus Credit Card.

Apply here: Southwest Rapid Rewards Plus Credit Card

Southwest Rapid Rewards Premier Credit Card

Best for: Regular Southwest flyers
Annual fee: $99
Sign-up bonus: Earn 50,000 bonus points after spending $1,000 on your card in the first three months from account opening.
Earning rates: 3 points per dollar on Southwest purchases, 2 points per dollar on local transit and commuting purchases (including ride-hailing services), 2 points per dollar on internet, cable, phone services, and select streaming service purchases, 2 points per dollar on Rapid Rewards hotel and car rental partners and 1 point per dollar on everything else
Primary perks: Two EarlyBird check-ins every card anniversary, a 6,000-point anniversary bonus, unlimited Tier Qualifying Points earning of 1,500 for each $5,000 spent and no foreign transaction fees

The information for the Southwest Rapid Rewards Premier has been collected independently by The Points Guy. The card details on this page have not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer.

Learn more: Southwest Rapid Rewards® Premier Credit Card

Southwest Rapid Rewards Priority Credit Card

Best for: Southwest loyalists who can take advantage of day-of-travel perks
Annual fee: $149
Sign-up bonus: Earn 50,000 bonus points after spending $1,000 on your card in the first three months from account opening.
Earning rates: 3 points per dollar on Southwest purchases, 2 points per dollar on local transit and commuting purchases, including ride-hailing services, 2 points per dollar on internet, cable, phone services, and select streaming service purchases, 2 points per dollar on Rapid Rewards hotel and car rental partners and 1 point per dollar on everything else
Primary perks: Unlimited TQP earning of 1,500 for each $5,000 spent, a $75 annual Southwest credit, a 7,500-point anniversary bonus and no foreign transaction fees

TPG named this card the Best Airline Cobranded Credit Card at the 2023 TPG Awards.

For more details, check out our full review of the Southwest Rapid Rewards® Priority Credit Card.

Apply here: Southwest Rapid Rewards Priority Credit Card

Should you apply for a Southwest credit card now?

Southwest has many fans who love the airline’s personality and the fact that all passengers get two free checked bags (although that may change soon.)

The carrier’s Rapid Rewards program is also popular thanks to its simplicity. The number of Southwest Rapid Rewards points required to book a flight is directly tied to the flight’s current fare, and you often get good deals if you know when and where to look for redemptions.

Furthermore, because of Southwest’s policy of no cancellation or change fees on its flights, you can re-price a Southwest flight if you book a trip and then find the same itinerary at a lower price before departure. In addition, Southwest points never expire, so you don’t need to worry about earning points and then not getting a chance to use them.

a flight attendant closes overhead bins while a plane full of passengers wait in their seats — JAMES D. MORGAN/GETTY IMAGES

However, you can get even more value from your Southwest points if you can earn a Companion Pass. This perk allows you to bring along a designated travel companion on all of your Southwest flights — both paid and award tickets (but you must pay taxes and fees).

Normally, to get a Companion Pass, you must earn 135,000 qualifying points or take 100 qualifying, one-way flights in a calendar year. But credit card welcome bonuses and points earned from card spending count toward qualification, so the current offers on these cards can jump-start you toward earning your Companion Pass.

You can receive nearly two years of buy-one-get-one flights by opening a personal and business Southwest credit card and timing your spending to earn the bonuses near the beginning of any given year. That’s because the standard Companion Pass is valid for the year it’s earned and the entire following year.

Southwest cardholders get a 10,000-point boost at the beginning of the year (for existing cardholders) or within 30 days of opening an account (for new members).

Bottom line

If you’re looking for a new Southwest card, you can choose from some of the great current welcome offers to earn a healthy amount of bonus points. Southwest sometimes offers a combination of bonus points and a Companion Pass for new cardholders throughout the year; however, if you’re more interested in boosting your Rapid Rewards account with bonus points, this is your chance to apply.

Apply here: Southwest Rapid Rewards Plus Credit Card
Apply here: Southwest Rapid Rewards Priority Credit Card
Apply here: Southwest Rapid Rewards Premier Business Credit Card
Apply here: Southwest Rapid Rewards Performance Business Credit Card