Southwest and Chase raised the welcome offers on all three personal Rapid Rewards credit cards today, October 27, 2026 — and the deadline matters more than the headline. The Plus card now offers 80,000 bonus points after $1,000 in spending in the first three months, the Premier offers 85,000 after $2,000, and the Priority offers 90,000 after $3,000. Every card is up 30,000 points from the offers these replace.

December 2, 2026 is the date that makes this offer different from any other card bonus. Southwest's own Companion Pass rules state that customers who apply and are approved for a Rapid Rewards credit card by December 2, 2026, and who meet the new cardmember welcome bonus requirements, will have those points count as 2026 Companion Pass qualifying points toward a pass valid through December 31, 2027 — even if the spending threshold is met in early 2027. From January 1, 2027, welcome bonuses stop counting toward the Companion Pass entirely.

Here is the catch the headline hides: no single card earns the pass on its own. A Companion Pass requires 135,000 qualifying points in 2026, and even the Priority's 90,000-point bonus leaves a 45,000-point gap before Southwest's annual 10,000-point cardmember boost. This is the last easy route to a Companion Pass, but it is a two-card play, not a one-card purchase.

Exact offer and eligibility

• Southwest Rapid Rewards Plus Credit Card: 80,000 bonus points after spending $1,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening. Annual fee $99, not waived the first year.
• Southwest Rapid Rewards Premier Credit Card: 85,000 bonus points after spending $2,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening. Annual fee $149, not waived the first year.
• Southwest Rapid Rewards Priority Credit Card: 90,000 bonus points after spending $3,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening. Annual fee $229, not waived the first year.
• Offer window: the elevated offers run through December 2, 2026. Apply and be approved by December 2 for the bonus to count as 2026 Companion Pass qualifying points.
• Companion Pass threshold: 135,000 Companion Pass qualifying points or 100 qualifying one-way flights in calendar year 2026. A pass earned in 2026 covers unlimited Companion Pass trips through December 31, 2027; the companion pays only taxes and fees, from $5.60 one-way.
• Annual cardmember boost: Southwest cardmembers also receive a 10,000-point Companion Pass qualifying boost each calendar year.
• Eligibility: new cardmembers only. Chase's 5/24 rule applies, and you generally cannot earn a bonus on a new Southwest personal card if you already hold one — holding only a Southwest business card does not block you. The annual fee does not count toward the spending requirement.
• Ongoing earning: Plus earns 2 points per dollar on Southwest purchases and on gas and grocery spending (first $5,000 combined per anniversary year); Premier earns 3 points per dollar on Southwest purchases and 2 on groceries and restaurants (first $8,000 combined per anniversary year); Priority earns 4 points per dollar on Southwest purchases and 2 on gas and restaurants. All three earn 1 point per dollar elsewhere, with no foreign transaction fees.
• Shared card perks: a free first checked bag for the cardmember and up to eight companions on the same reservation, Group 5 boarding, and seat selection when available — Standard seats within 48 hours of departure on Plus, Preferred or Standard seats within 48 hours on Premier, and Preferred or Standard seats at booking on Priority. Anniversary bonuses: 3,000 points on Plus, 6,000 on Premier, 7,500 on Priority.
• The business-card pairing: the Southwest Performance Business card currently offers 80,000 bonus points after $5,000 in spending in the first three months ($299 annual fee). A personal card plus a business card is the classic two-card path: Plus at 80,000 plus Performance Business at 80,000 totals 160,000 qualifying points, clearing the 135,000 threshold.

The math: the biggest bonus is the worst deal per dollar

At 1.25 cents per Rapid Rewards point, the bonuses are worth about $1,000 on Plus, $1,063 on Premier, and $1,125 on Priority. But divide by the spending each one demands and the ranking flips. Plus pays 80 points per dollar of required spend. Premier pays 42.5. Priority pays just 30. The Priority demands three times the spending of the Plus card for only 10,000 more points — 12.5 percent more bonus for 200 percent more spend. If the bonus is what you are after, the cheapest card is the best card.

The Companion Pass math is where the headline misleads. Priority's 90,000 points plus the 10,000-point annual boost totals 100,000 qualifying points — still 35,000 short of the 135,000 threshold. Plus's 80,000 plus the boost totals 90,000, leaving a 45,000-point gap. The remaining points have to come from somewhere real: a second card, Southwest flights, or partner spending that posts before your December statement closes. Anyone who opens one card expecting a pass will land short, and after December 2 there is no second chance — from 2027, the pass is earned through tier milestones instead, with card spending worth just 1 tier point per dollar.

There is a second, quieter limitation. These points are Southwest points, not flexible currency. They cannot be transferred to another airline or hotel program, and purchased points and points transferred between members do not count toward the Companion Pass. The bonus is worth chasing only if Southwest is an airline you actually fly.

Who benefits—and who should skip it

Apply if: you fly Southwest at least a few times a year and want a Companion Pass valid through the end of 2027; you can pair a personal card with a business card to clear 135,000 points; you are already partway to the 2026 threshold and the bonus closes your gap; or you want a low-effort 80,000-point bonus for $1,000 of spending on the Plus card.

Skip it if: you rarely fly Southwest, since these points do not transfer anywhere else; you already hold a Southwest personal card and cannot earn a new personal-card bonus; you expect one card alone to deliver the pass — it will not; or you cannot apply by December 2, after which the bonus is just points with no Companion Pass value.

Awardtrail analysis

This is a genuine deadline, not a manufactured one. The December 2 application date is written into Southwest's own Companion Pass rules, and it is the last time a card bonus will ever count toward the pass. If the pass is your goal, apply by December 2, pick the Plus unless you specifically want the Priority's Preferred seat selection and extra-legroom upgrades, and plan the second card or the remaining points before you apply — not after. If the pass is not your goal, the Plus card's 80,000 points for $1,000 of spending is still one of the cheapest airline bonuses available, while the Priority's extra 10,000 points are not worth tripling your required spend. Either way, confirm the bonus on the application page before submitting, and do not move points or spend speculatively: after December 2, this window closes for good.

Primary source: https://www.southwest.com/rapid-rewards/partners/credit-cards/consumer-cards/

Verified: October 27, 2026