Approval Rules SW Pers 1/24
You're not eligible for a new card bonus if you have received a bonus from a personal Southwest card within the last 24 months
Deep Dive into the SW Pers 1/24 Rule
You're not eligible for a new card bonus if you have received a bonus from any personal Southwest card within the last 24 months. Southwest Business cards have a similar rule (that is a separate rule from this one). This rule makes getting the 135,000 points needed for a companion pass nearly impossible without either having a business or considerable flying and/or spending.
Fortunately, it seems that since they have launched this rule, they are offering personal cards with a 1-year companion pass included in late February into March. They have not done this every year - they’ve recently done it every other year - 2019, 2021, 2023, and 2025.
Important to know:
Southwest has three personal cards backed by Chase, so any card you get is also subject to Chase’s credit card rules.
The three personal cards offered by Southwest are:
- Southwest Rapid Rewards Plus
- Southwest Rapid Rewards Premier
- Southwest Rapid Rewards Priority
The 1/24 rule applies to all three of the above personal cards and explicitly states that the product is not available to anyone who has received a new signup bonus from any of the personal cards in the last 24 months. This is from the Rapid Rewards Plus card:
As you can see, it also states that this does not apply to either of the business cards, so you can have a business and personal card at the same time and receive the signup bonus for each. The business cards do have a 24 month restriction on bonuses, but it is not a family rule like this one with the personal cards. The two business cards are included in the 24 from Bonus rule. That means you are eligible to receive the signup bonus on BOTH business cards without having to wait 24 months. You only have to wait 24 months to earn the signup bonus again on each card.
Related Rules
How Does This Affect Your Credit Card Strategy?
The biggest way this will affect your card strategy is if you are trying for the coveted Southwest Companion Pass. The Companion Pass is something you can earn from Southwest that allows a companion to fly for free with the person who owns the pass. The pass is then good for two calendar years - the year you earn the pass and the year after. So if you earn the pass early in the year, it can be good for nearly two full years. This pass is earned by collecting 135,000 Southwest points in a calendar year, either by flying or with credit card reward points.
Important to know:
None of the following will work if you have already earned a signup bonus on a personal Southwest card within the last 24 months. Because you can only earn a signup bonus on one personal card, you will need to also open a business card to earn the Companion Pass by signup bonuses alone.
The key is timing it all correctly so you can maximize how long the pass is good for. If you earn the pass in January or February, then it’s good for the rest of that calendar year and the following year. If you earn the pass in November, the same rules apply - it’s good for the rest of that calendar year and the following year. So you could lose out on 9-10 months of the pass if you don’t earn it until the end of a calendar year.
Starting around October, you’ll start noticing websites and influencers in the points and miles world start ramping up their Companion Pass content. That’s because this is when you want to plan your strategy of how to earn the pass as early into the following year as possible, thus maximizing that two year window the pass is good for.
Tips for earning the Companion Pass for the maximum amount of time:
- Apply for the Southwest Business card in early November. Get the one offering the highest signup bonus at that time (it's usually the Southwest Rapid Rewards Performance Business card)
- It’s important NOT meet the minimum spend on this card until you after receive your December statement
- Once you receive your December statement, any points you earn through spending or through a signup bonus won’t post until January, which is what you want
- Apply for the personal card offering the highest signup bonus a week or two before you will meet your minimum spend on the business card
- Once you complete your spending requirements on both cards, you will have earned enough points, from signup bonuses and the annual anniversary boost, to earn your Companion Pass
- If you time everything right, you will have the Companion Pass for up to 22 months
Importance of this Rule
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When a rule only impacts a small number of cards like this one, we usually don’t place much importance on it. But because of the value of the Southwest Companion Pass, this rule is an important one. If you plan on getting the Companion Pass, then this rule becomes crucial. It’s essential to know that you cannot open a second personal Southwest credit card if you’ve already earned a signup bonus on any other personal Southwest card in the last 24 months. Because this rule does not prevent you from opening each of the two Southwest Business cards, you could open both to earn the pass.
Cards Subject to This Rule
FAQs
Are there exceptions to this rule?
No. The language is clear for the three personal Southwest cards. If you earn the bonus from one you are ineligible to earn the bonus from the other two until 24 months have passed.
How do I check my status?
If you use the Points Navigator, not only will we keep track of all your cards, when you opened each, and when you have an annual fee due, but we will also alert you of any application rules you may trip.
Do business cards count for this rule?
Yes and no. You cannot earn a signup bonus from the same business card within a 24 month period, but you can earn the signup bonus on the both business cards separately. This means the two business cards are included in the 24 from Bonus rule. The rules are different for the three personal cards as you can only get one bonus from any of the three cards in 24 months, not all three.
Do product changes on existing cards count for this rule?
As long as you have not received a signup bonus within 24 months, a product change will not impact this rule.
About Approval Rules
Collecting credit card points is largely driven by understanding and abiding by bank rules regarding approval (or disapproval) of cards. So here's what you need to know:
- Approval rules are rarely fully publicized by the banks
- We use our own research and data points from other users in creating the rules listing
- Our goal in sharing/using the rule listings is to provide you guidance to avoid getting declined
- There can sometimes be exceptions to the rules, but we try to take a more cautious approach in advising you.