Southwest Credit Card Welcome Bonus: When Am I Eligible Again?

Both the Southwest Personal cards and the Southwest Business cards have a 24 month period where you’re ineligible for another welcome bonus. To be more specific, it’s going to be 24 months from when you received the last welcome bonus, not just from when you opened the card. But there are two important distinctions I’d like to point out. 

Southwest Personal Cards

The three personal cards are the Southwest Rapid Rewards® Plus Credit Card, Southwest Rapid Rewards® Premier Credit Card, and Southwest Rapid Rewards® Priority Credit Card.

The first thing to note is that you can only hold one personal Southwest credit card at a time. If you’d like another one, you’ll have to cancel your current card, wait at least 30 days from the last statement date, and reapply. This is the general recommended wait time after canceling a card and reapplying.

The second important thing to note about Southwest personal credit cards is that you are ineligible for a welcome bonus from ANY of the three cards if you’ve received a welcome bonus from a Southwest personal card within the last 24 months. For example, if I signed up for the Southwest Rapid Rewards® Priority Credit Card and got the welcome bonus this year, I can’t get the welcome bonus for the Southwest Rapid Rewards® Plus Credit Card or the Southwest Rapid Rewards® Premier Credit Card for another 24 months. 

Southwest Business Cards

The two business cards are the Southwest Rapid Rewards® Performance Business Credit Card and the Southwest Rapid Rewards® Premier Business Credit Card. The important thing here is that if you got a welcome bonus for one business card, you’re still eligible for the welcome bonus from the other card. You’re just ineligible for the welcome bonus on the same card within a 24 month period. 

Why Is This Important

For those who are trying to get the Southwest Companion Pass, these two distinctions can make it or break it in terms of getting the Companion Pass. With the 24 month cool down, it’s usually best practice to have your partner (if applicable) go for the Companion Pass while you’re in the 24 month cool down period.

If you’re trying to get another welcome bonus for these cards, it’s good to know and keep track of your last welcome bonus so you don’t make a mistake of signing up for a card while being ineligible for another bonus. 

Note: Both Southwest personal and business cards are subject to the 5/24 rule.