Today only, June 11th, Southwest Rapid Rewards credit card holders will have the opportunity to earn 50 points per dollar spent on all Southwest purchases. This includes booking Southwest flights, the taxes paid on Southwest award travel or purchasing a Southwest gift card. While you are capped at earning the bonus points on just $100 spent, maximizing this promotion will earn you a total of 5,000 Rapid Reward points.
Best of all, the terms of the promotion state that even the bonus points earned count as qualifying points for those looking to earn the Southwest Companion Pass.
Chase also said that you’re able to earn the up to 5,000 points per Southwest credit card, so if you have multiple cards within the Southwest suite, that could allow you to earn even more points towards a free flight as well as qualifying points for the Companion Pass.
My strategy
I personally have four Southwest credit cards — three personal and one business. Even though Chase now only allows you to have one personal card open at a time, I applied for these cards prior to the rules changing. This means, I can spend up to $100 on all four cards and earn up to 20,000 points in total. This also means that I can earn 20,000 points towards the Companion Pass.
I’ve been a Companion Pass holder for approximately 13 years and my current pass is expiring this December. While I am hoping that Southwest extends the pass for those that earned it in 2020, due to the pandemic, I am not counting on it. If I earn the pass now, this will ensure I have the pass through Dec. 31, 2022.
Since Southwest gift card purchases qualify — when purchased directly through Southwest — my plan is to purchase four $100 gift cards. I can then use those gift cards on future travel purchases when I am looking to book a flight or on the taxes paid for a Southwest flight booked with points.
Of course, there’s always the opportunity to book a reward flight for as far as the schedule allows — Jan 3, 2022 starting tomorrow — and use my Southwest credit card to pay for the taxes. The taxes on international flights can easily add up to $100. And since Southwest allows you to cancel a flight for no fee, the points go back into your account and the taxes paid go back onto the credit card used. The only concern is if the points are clawed back, so tread with caution.
What is your strategy for earning the 50 points per dollar spent?
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THANKS!!