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The Southwest® Rapid Rewards® Premier Business Credit Card is a terrific rewards business card for business owners who fly Southwest, with a reasonable $99 annual fee, good earning rates, and strong benefits.
Now the card is even more appealing with the launch of a record-high welcome bonus offer. Through August 28, 2023, you can earn 60,000 points after you spend $3,000 on purchases in the first three months your account is open.
The minimum spending requirement to earn the full 120,000 points is substantial, but if you can meet it, you'll have at least 135,000 points — and that's enough to qualify for the lucrative Southwest Companion Pass.
Because this is a small-business credit card, you'll need a business to be eligible. But you may qualify for a small-business card even if you have a side gig like driving for Uber, shopping for Instacart, or reselling on eBay.
Here's what to know about the new limited-time offer on the Southwest® Rapid Rewards® Premier Business Credit Card to help you decide if you should apply.
We're focused here on the rewards and perks that come with each card. These cards won't be worth it if you're paying interest or late fees. When using a credit card, it's important to pay your balance in full each month, make payments on time, and only spend what you can afford to pay.
Earn 1-3 points per dollar on purchases.
$99
N/A
21.49% - 28.49% Variable
Earn 60,000 points
Good to Excellent
The welcome bonus offer on the Southwest® Rapid Rewards® Premier Business Credit Card is split into two tiers: 60,000 points after you spend $3,000 on purchases in the first three months your account is open.
Insider pegs Southwest points value at 1.4 cents apiece, on average, making the full bonus worth about $840 in flights. That's an excellent return from a single credit card welcome bonus offer.
Cardholders also earn 3x points on Southwest Airlines purchases, 2x points on Rapid Rewards hotel and car partners, 2x points on local transit and commuting (including rideshare), and 1 point per dollar on all other purchases.
Aside from the bonus and earning rates, this card is worth keeping if you fly Southwest, even a few times a year. It offers a wide range of benefits, including solid travel insurance and purchase protection. Cardholders receive:
Plus, each year on your card anniversary, you'll receive a bonus of 6,000 Southwest points (worth around $84 in travel), which nearly offsets the card's entire $99 annual fee.
The Southwest® Rapid Rewards® Premier Business Credit Card is subject to the Chase 5/24 rule, which means if you've opened five or more credit cards in the past 24 months (except certain business cards), you aren't eligible to apply.
The Southwest Companion Pass is one of the best travel deals around. Once you qualify for it, a designated companion can fly with you on paid and award flights for just the cost of taxes and fees for as long as the pass is valid.
To earn the Southwest Companion Pass, you'll either have to earn 135,000 qualifying points or fly 100 eligible one-way flights in a calendar year. Points earned from welcome bonuses and spending on Southwest credit cards count toward this requirement — plus, when you have a Southwest card, you'll get a 10,000-point "boost" toward earning the pass (effectively reducing the requirement to 125,000 qualifying points in a calendar year).
Between the full 120,000-point welcome bonus and points earned from meeting the minimum spending requirement on the Southwest® Rapid Rewards® Premier Business Credit Card, you'll have at least 135,000 points in your account and qualify for the Companion Pass. But you'll have to time your spending correctly.
Even though you have nine months to spend the $15,000 that unlocks the full bonus, you'll want to complete the spending requirement sooner. To earn the Companion Pass, you must earn all of the qualifying points in a single calendar year. That means you'll want to spend $15,000 before your card's December 2023 statement closes; otherwise, the last half of the bonus won't credit to your Southwest account until 2024, and you won't qualify for the Companion Pass.
Your Companion Pass will be valid as soon as you earn it and for the rest of the year, and for the entire year that follows. For instance, if you earn the Companion Pass in November 2023, it will expire at the end of December 2024.
Be sure to read our guide to earning and redeeming Southwest points to learn more ways to maximize the welcome bonus on the Southwest® Rapid Rewards® Premier Business Credit Card. And be sure to apply before August 28, 2023, because the offer is only available until then.
Editorial Note: Any opinions, analyses, reviews or recommendations expressed in this article are those of the author’s alone, and have not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by any card issuer. Read our editorial standards.
Please note: While the offers mentioned above are accurate at the time of publication, they're subject to change at any time and may have changed, or may no longer be available.
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