Offer extended: Earn 60,000 points plus a 30% off promo code with Southwest cards

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

Southwest Airlines has elevated bonuses on all three of its personal credit cards, which were supposed to end on June 26 but have been extended through July 10.

In addition to a large chunk of Rapid Rewards points, you’ll receive a one-time 30% discount code when meeting the minimum spending requirements. If that’s not compelling enough, those bonus points also count toward qualifying for the Companion Pass — a “buy one, get one” flight pass on Southwest Airlines.

Is this the best-ever offer on these cards? Not necessarily. But if you can maximize the value of the 30% discount by booking an expensive round-trip ticket, you can get significant value from these offers.

Let’s take a look at the current sign-up bonuses on the Southwest Airlines credit cards.

Southwest personal cards

All three personal Southwest credit cards are currently offering 60,000 bonus points plus a 30% off promo code after spending $3,000 on purchases in the first three months from account opening. This is the first time Southwest has offered a promo code as part of a sign-up bonus on a credit card. These offers end July 10.

The code will appear directly in your Southwest.com account within eight weeks of meeting the spending requirement. It can be used — only once — on a single one-way or round-trip Wanna Get Away, Wanna Get Away Plus, Anytime and Business Select fare, and is available for use until October 31, 2024.

Given it is a single-use promo code, it would be best to save this for a more expensive ticket. You’ll get the biggest savings when using the code for round-trip travel and/or during peak travel periods like the summer or the holidays.

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 60,000 bonus points and a one-time 30% off promo code after spending $3,000 on purchases in the first three months from account opening. Offer ends July 10.
Earning rates: 2 points per dollar on local transit and commuting purchases, including ride-share 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 flights, 2 points per dollar on Rapid Rewards hotel and car rental partners and 1 point per dollar on everything else.
Primary perks: 2 EarlyBird check-ins every card anniversary and 3,000 points every card anniversary.

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

Official application link: Southwest Rapid Rewards Plus Credit Card

Southwest Rapid Rewards Premier Credit Card

Best for: Regular Southwest flyers.
Annual fee: $99.
Sign-up bonus: Earn 60,000 bonus points and a one-time 30% off promo code after spending $3,000 on purchases in the first three months from account opening. Offer ends July 10.
Earning rates: 3 points per dollar on Southwest flights, 2 points per dollar on local transit and commuting purchases (including ride-share 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: 2 EarlyBird check-ins every card anniversary, 6,000-point anniversary bonus, Unlimited TQP earning: 1,500 for each $10,000 spent and no foreign transaction fees.

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

Official application link: 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 60,000 bonus points and a one-time 30% off promo code after spending $3,000 on purchases in the first three months from account opening. Offer ends July 10.
Earning rates: 3 points per dollar on Southwest flights, 2 points per dollar on local transit and commuting purchases, including ride-share 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: 1,500 for each $10,000 spent, $75 annual Southwest credit, 7,500-point anniversary bonus and no foreign transaction fees.

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

Official application link: Southwest Rapid Rewards Priority Credit Card

Southwest business cards

If you already have a personal Southwest card — or are looking for alternatives to these welcome offers — don’t forget that the airline also fields two cobranded business credit cards. Here are the details on those.

Southwest Rapid Rewards Premier Business Credit Card

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

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

Official application link: Southwest Rapid Rewards Premier Business Credit Card

Southwest Rapid Rewards Performance Business Credit Card

Best for: Business owners who are loyal Southwest flyers.
Annual fee: $199.
Sign-up bonus: Earn 80,000 bonus Rapid Rewards points after you spend $5,000 on purchases in the first three months from account opening.
Earning rate: 4 points per dollar on Southwest flights, 2 points per dollar on local transit and commuting purchases (including ride-share 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): Unlimited TQP earning: 1,500 for each $10,000 spent, $500 fee credit for Rapid Rewards points transfers to another Rapid Rewards member, 9,000-point anniversary bonus, four upgraded boardings per year, 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.

Official application link: Southwest Rapid Rewards Performance Business 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. 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 actually 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.

And if you use it wisely, the one-time 30% discount promo code you’ll get as part of the welcome bonus on any of the three personal cards can be tremendously valuable. To get the most from this bonus offer, use the code on a more expensive round-trip flight, which should be easy to find as you look at peak summer or upcoming holiday travel. If you use it on a business-select round trip ticket between New York and Honolulu this summer, for instance, you can easily save $500 with this promo code.

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).

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 really jumpstart 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.

This year, the points required to earn the Companion Pass jumped from 125,000 to 135,000. However, 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).

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

Bottom line

All three of Southwest’s personal credit cards — the Plus, Premier and Priority — have identical sign-up bonuses, all ending soon. These bonuses provide a great jumpstart toward the Companion Pass, if that’s your goal, and present a rewarding number of points to redeem for free flights. Southwest’s two business cards also have attractive bonuses right now, which you can apply for using the links below.

Official application link: Southwest Rapid Rewards Plus Credit Card
Official application link: Southwest Rapid Rewards Premier Credit Card
Official application link: Southwest Rapid Rewards Priority Credit Card
Official application link: Southwest Rapid Rewards Premier Business Credit Card
Official application link: Southwest Rapid Rewards Performance Business Credit Card

Additional reporting by Emily Thompson, Ryan Wilcox, Madison Blancaflor, Eric Rosen, Christina Ly and Ryan Smith.