Chase’s personal Southwest Rapid Rewards cards just got their biggest welcome offers in a while: up to 90,000 points, according to NerdWallet and The Points Guy. The timing isn’t an accident. The old Companion Pass rules end on December 31, and these offers look like the last easy way to use a card bonus to get there.
The new offers (as of October 2026)
- Southwest Rapid Rewards Plus ($99 annual fee): 80,000 points after $1,000 in purchases in the first 3 months. The old offer was 50,000.
- Southwest Rapid Rewards Premier ($149): 85,000 points after $2,000 in 3 months. Previously 55,000 after $1,500.
- Southwest Rapid Rewards Priority ($229): 90,000 points after $3,000 in 3 months. Previously 60,000 after $2,000.
- Offer end date: December 2, 2026, per NerdWallet.
The business cards aren’t part of this boost. The Points Guy lists the Performance Business at 80,000 points after $5,000 (which it calls the standard offer) and the Premier Business at 60,000 after $3,000.
One heads-up: when we checked Chase’s Southwest card page, it still showed the older 50,000, 55,000 and 60,000 offers. The new ones may still be rolling out, so make sure the offer you see on the application page matches before you apply.
Why the Companion Pass is the real story
Under today’s rules, you earn the Companion Pass with 135,000 qualifying points or 100 qualifying one-way flights in a calendar year. It’s good for the rest of that year and all of the next, so a pass earned in 2026 runs through December 31, 2027. Card welcome bonuses have always counted toward the 135,000, which is why the pass was so popular with card applicants.
That ends soon. Southwest’s 2027 page says “Companion Pass qualifying points are being retired December 31, 2026.” From 2027, Companion Pass trips come from Tier Qualifying Points or flights: three trips at 95,000 TQPs (or 75 flights), and unlimited trips with the new Platinum tier at 140,000 TQPs (or 100 flights). Cardmembers earn 1 TQP per dollar spent starting January 1, 2027. Southwest doesn’t say welcome bonuses will count, and the outlets covering this don’t expect them to.
Several outlets, including The Points Guy, NerdWallet and Traveling for Miles, report that if you’re approved by December 2, the welcome bonus still counts toward a 2026 Companion Pass even if you finish the spending in early 2027. We haven’t seen that in Chase’s own terms, so treat it as reported, not guaranteed.
Run the math before you apply
Here’s the catch: even the 90,000-point Priority offer doesn’t get you there on its own. Add roughly 3,000 points from the $3,000 of required spending and you’re at about 93,000. That leaves around 42,000 qualifying points to earn from Southwest flights or more card spending by December 31. Some people close the gap with a business card bonus, if they have a business and qualify. Chase sets its own eligibility rules for these cards, including limits for people who already have one or earned a bonus recently, so read the terms first.
If you just want Southwest points to book trips and don’t care about the pass, there’s another route: Chase Ultimate Rewards points transfer to Rapid Rewards at 1:1. Transferred points historically haven’t counted toward the Companion Pass, though, so don’t count on them to close that gap.
Prefer flexible points you can send to Southwest and other airlines? Take a look at the Chase Sapphire cards through our Chase referral link.
Disclosure: This is our personal Chase referral link. If you’re approved through it, we may earn a referral bonus, at no extra cost to you. You can always apply directly on Chase’s website. See our Advertising & Referral Disclosure.
Our take
This is a strong offer, but it’s only a great one if you can actually finish the Companion Pass in 2026.
If you already have a decent pile of qualifying points this year, or a business card bonus you can stack, a Priority or Premier card approved before December 2 could get you a pass for all of 2027. That’s a lot of value if you fly Southwest with the same person a few times a year. We’d jump on it in that case. And even without the pass, 80,000 points on the $99 Plus card is a big jump from 50,000 for the same $1,000 in spending.
We’d skip it if you’re starting from zero, don’t have a realistic way to earn the other 40,000-plus points by New Year’s Eve, or would have to overspend to hit the minimum. The bonus also depends on Chase’s terms and on reports about how it counts during the transition, so double-check both before you apply. Don’t carry a balance chasing points. Interest wipes out the value fast.
Source: NerdWallet, The Points Guy, Traveling for Miles and Southwest Rapid Rewards 2027.
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