✈️ Southwest Cards Refresh: 100k Welcome Bonus, New Perks, Higher Fees, and Shortcut to Companion Pass

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All information about Southwest Cards has been collected independently by Chris Hutchins. The card details on this page have not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer.

Southwest just rolled out a major refresh of their entire Chase credit card lineup. The changes bring increased welcome bonuses, some new travel perks, new everyday bonus categories, and unfortunately, higher annual fees. Here's everything you need to know and how to use these cards to score the Southwest Companion Pass for nearly two full years.

✈️ Increased Welcome Offers: 100k Bonus 

For a limited time, the three personal Southwest cards are offering 100,000 Rapid Rewards points after you spend $4,000 in the first 5 months. That’s one of the biggest offers we’ve ever seen on these cards.

• Southwest Rapid Rewards® Plus Credit Card
• Southwest Rapid Rewards® Priority Credit Card
• Southwest Rapid Rewards® Premier Credit Card

I personally value Southwest points at ~1.3¢, which means these bonuses are worth at least ~$1,300, but likely even more because the points for these bonuses count toward the Companion Pass (more on the strategy below). As has been true in the past, bonuses are available to new cardholders or previous cardholders who haven't received a bonus in the past 24 months. If you’ve been on the fence, this is a good time to do it.

💸 Higher Annual Fees

With the refresh, all Southwest cards are seeing annual fee increases, including the business versions. The fee changes take effect on 7/24, but existing cardholders won’t see the new fees until their 2026 anniversary date.

🤩 Benefits and Perks

The refresh introduces several new benefits designed to enhance the travel experience and offer more ways to earn points on everyday spending.

• First Checked Bag Free: Card members and up to 8 additional passengers on the same reservation can check their first bag at no extra cost. For a group of 4, this could save up to $280 roundtrip.
• Group 5 Boarding: Card members and up to 8 passengers in the same reservation will board with Group 5, providing earlier access to overhead bins.
• 10,000 Companion Pass Qualifying Points Boost: All consumer and business cards continue to offer a 10,000 Companion Pass qualifying points boost each year.
• 25% Back on Inflight Purchases: This benefit remains for all cards.

Card-Specific New Perks

Several existing benefits will be phased out or altered, particularly those tied to Southwest's previous open seating model.

Benefits ending after 12/31/25

• EarlyBird Check-In: The 2 EarlyBird Check-Ins per year on the Plus, Premier, and Premier Business cards, and for 2025 flights on Priority and Performance Business cards, will no longer be offered.
• Upgraded Boardings: The 4 upgraded boardings per year on the Priority and Performance Business cards will cease.
• $75 Southwest® Annual Travel Credit: This popular perk on the Priority Card is being removed.
• Bonus Categories: Several existing bonus categories will no longer earn bonus points after 12/31/25:
  • Rapid Rewards hotel and car rental partner.
  • Internet, cable, and phone services, and select streaming.
  • Local transit and commuting, including rideshare.
  • Social media and search engine advertising.

🧑‍🤝‍🧑 How to Earn a 2-Year Companion Pass with These Offers

The coveted Southwest Companion Pass lets you bring a companion on any Southwest flight, whether booked with cash or points, for just the cost of taxes and fees. Companion Pass holders can also switch their designated companion up to three times per calendar year, making the pass incredibly flexible. So if you had two kids, both parents could get a new card, spend their way to Companion Pass, and both kids could travel free.

The usual way to earn a Companion Pass is to fly 100 qualifying one-way flights or accumulate 135,000 qualifying Southwest points in a calendar year. When you hit that milestone, you get Companion Pass for the rest of that calendar year and the following year. As a Southwest cardholder, you get a 10,000 point head start, and even better, points earned through credit cards and their welcome bonuses count towards it. So if you take advantage of the current 100k welcome offer on Chase’s Southwest consumer cards, it offers a great chance to earn the Companion Pass through the end of 2026 or 2027, but timing is everything.

You can earn 100,000 points from the bonus, at least 4,000 from meeting the $4,000 spend, and get a 10,000-point Companion Pass boost, putting you at 114,000 total. That leaves just 21,000 more points to hit the required 135,000.

To make it count for two full years, you’ll need those points to post in 2026. The current 100k offer is valid through 9/17/25, so I would try to apply in early September and delay any spending until early 2026 (making sure to complete the $4,000 spend within 5 months of account opening). Then I'd make sure to fly or spend enough to earn the remaining ~21,000 points I need to hit Companion Pass in 2026, which would be valid through the end of 2027.

That said, if you have a lot of Southwest travel in the rest of 2025, it might actually make sense to get going right now and have Companion Pass through the end of 2026.

Just keep in mind that points transferred from Chase Ultimate Rewards do not count towards Companion Pass requirements.

✍️ My Thoughts

Overall I think the card changes are a bit of a downgrade for frequent Southwest travelers who have A-List or A-List Preferred, because most of the new perks and benefits are already included in their status. That said if you only fly Southwest a few times a year and check bags, I think the savings on bag fees can make up for the annual fee. I'd also love to be able to select preferred seats in advance for free. 

That said, with the limited-time 100K welcome offers and a lucrative Companion Pass strategy, now’s a great time to take a fresh look at the Chase Southwest card lineup, especially if you'd like to fly with a companion for free for the next two years.

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