Southwest Visa 50,000 points?

[mrudman]

How often does the SW Visa offer the 50,000 points (versus the 25,000 that I see on their site right now)? And is the $99 annual fee ever reduced?

Figure this would be a great way to save some money on airfare for my trip in March, but trying to get the most out of it.

Also, when you apply for this Visa, they apply the annual fee immediately, right? And is there any penalty for cancelling it after using the points?

Thanks,
Michelle

 

[FairestOfThemAll37]

Yes, the fee is on your first statement. There is another SW card (plus) that only has a $69 fee. One difference between the two is the number of miles you get on the anniversary, but not sure if there are other differences.

They run the 50k points online 2-3x per year. They also offer it in the airport and inflight for 50k at other times.

Remember the points don't post until the statement after you finish your spending plus up to two weeks. So you can generally plan on a minimum of 6-8weeks after getting your card until getting your points (assuming you spend the required amount before the first statement closes).

There's no penalty for canceling after you get the points, but banks generally frown on it so it's generally recommended to keep it the better part of the year and cancel closer to the renew date.

Good luck!

 

[gasman61]

Also, if you are able, a SW Companion Pass is an even bigger perk! The same one of you (you or spouse) could get 2 different SW credit cards (one with $99 annual, one with $69) - or a personal CC plus a business one.. if you get to 110,000 points in one calendar year, you get a free flight for a companion with every SW flight you purchase! This companion pass is valid for the year you qualify with 110,000 points and also the entire next calendar year. My DH and I just got our pass in June - we used some of our 110,000 points for my DH's tickets, and I got my ticket for "free" (around $6 each way for each of us.. some sort of tax that they need to charge). But $25 for 2 round-trip tickets to NYC is great!

 

[hsmamato2]

no they don't reduce the annual fee- and it's worth it to pay it.just keep looking for the offer, it pops up regularly

 

[kathy884]

Here is an article that talks about some of the card differences. See link below. Another big deal perk to me is that the card with the $99 fee doesn't have any foreign transaction fees if you do any traveling outside of the US. Most cards charge 3% for foreign charges which can really add up. // I did the math for me and I come out ahead a little with the card with the $99 vs. $69. fee. Prior to this I was using a no fee card and found that I was better off because of the perks (not even including the one time freebies) using this fee card instead.

Southwest is the largest airline carrier in our area and we do lots of Southwest trips making this a great choice for us. It's so easy to use your points, just sign on to the Southwest site and book trips with them. Other credit cards I've had make you jump though a bunch of hoops and pay travel fees, etc. (It's been a pain to redeem). And I love it that if you book a flight with points and then cancel you get all the points back immediately. One time my son had applied for an internship and if he got it he had to be in St. Louis a particular week. He was visiting my parent up in Chicago the week before. And that very same week my brother and his family invited my son to go on a houseboat trip with them on Lake Powell. I had points with Southwest and booked him two flight from Chicago both on the same day -- one to Las Vegas (gateway to Lake Powell) and one to St. Louis. And then the best of both worlds happened. He got the internship, but they had someone else who couldn't do the orientation that first week too and offered to do a special abbreviated orientation for the two of them too, so he got to go to Lake Powell. I just canceled the St. Louis flight and got all my point back. I LOVE this card for this kind of flexibility.

http://www.valuepenguin.com/southwest-airlines-credit-cards

Even though this is the credit card that I use for all my credit card purchases, I never come close to the 110,000 points needed for the companion travel pass (a great perk for those who qualify). There is the A list perk too for even more points. Even without these I really like this card. Free travel on Southwest is just such a fun perk!

 

[a742246]

Here is a southwest web site that always offer that 50,000 miles.

www.southwest.com/inflight

 

[mrudman]

Thanks for much for all the info! Definitely sounds like it would be worth it for me, even with the $99 fee. So as far as I'm understanding the site, the points that you earn on this card never expire?

Thank you also for that link above! I'm at work, but once I get home, looks like I'll be applying for this, Since I have 7 months before my trip, I should be able to make the minimum charge on it, and get the points posted to my account to hopefully still take advantage of some good flight prices/points.

Any hints on when the best prices usually come out? I've heard Tuesdays? And have also heard waiting till about 6 weeks before the trip, but I'd be scared to wait that long.

Thanks again!

 

[DebbieB]

Southwest points expire if your account is inactive for 24 months.

**Points don’t expire as long as you have flight or Partner earning activity every 24 months. Benefits apply to points transactions. All Rapid Rewards Rules and Regulations apply.

 

[crazymomof4]

Southwest points expire if your account is inactive for 24 months.

hmm what is "partner earning activity"? Using the credit card for purchases (like at grocery store etc) ? I've got 34k points left over from our 9/14 tip. Don't wanna lose them but my citi double cash card is what we use for most purchases (2% cashback)

 

[a742246]

If you charge anything with your CC it will count as activity.

 

[crazymomof4]

OK Thanks!

 

[crazymomof4]

QUESTION: Read this on the Southwest Rapid Rewards site:

• ----Marriott Rewards members also have the option to redeem their Marriott Rewards points for Rapid Rewards Points.

10,000 Marriott Rewards Points = 2,000 Rapid Rewards Points
20,000 Marriott Rewards Points = 5,000 Rapid Rewards Points
30,000 Marriott Rewards Points = 10,000 Rapid Rewards Points
70,000 Marriott Rewards Points = 25,000 Rapid Rewards Points
140,000 Marriott Rewards Points = 50,000 Rapid Rewards Points -------

I am a Marriott Rewards member. Don't have any points currently but I got an email offer for a Marriot Rewards credit card with 50k bonus points after the qualifying spending. I am assuming these Marriott sign up bonus points would be transferable to the SW Rapid Rewards as noted above, correct?

 

[DebbieB]

QUESTION: Read this on the Southwest Rapid Rewards site:

• ----Marriott Rewards members also have the option to redeem their Marriott Rewards points for Rapid Rewards Points.

10,000 Marriott Rewards Points = 2,000 Rapid Rewards Points
20,000 Marriott Rewards Points = 5,000 Rapid Rewards Points
30,000 Marriott Rewards Points = 10,000 Rapid Rewards Points
70,000 Marriott Rewards Points = 25,000 Rapid Rewards Points
140,000 Marriott Rewards Points = 50,000 Rapid Rewards Points -------

I am a Marriott Rewards member. Don't have any points currently but I got an email offer for a Marriot Rewards credit card with 50k bonus points after the qualifying spending. I am assuming these Marriott sign up bonus points would be transferable to the SW Rapid Rewards as noted above, correct?

I did that with Hyatt points, I turned them into American miles to keep my account active.