Southwest

Credit Score Needed for Southwest Airlines Credit Cards

May 9, 2022 by Adam Luehrs

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Getting super-cheap flights isn’t the only reason to stay loyal to Southwest. Home to the Rapid Rewards program, this budget airline has poured a lot into its suite of personal and business credit cards. Tens of thousands of reward points are on the table right now as part of a specific limited-time offer if you have the credit score and income in place to get approved. We’ll get to the details on that in just a minute.

Southwest is one of the better rewards platforms out there to tie your sails to for a number of reasons.

First, it’s the only program that offers unlimited reward seats that are totally unfettered. You’re not dealing with things like blackout dates and expiration deadlines for your points. There’s also tons of built-in ways to save when you make Southwest your go-to airline for earning points. Just the fact alone that your bags fly free with Southwest by default means that you don’t have to worry about applying any of your hard-earned rewards to luggage when you could be scooping up choice seats instead. Southwest also doesn’t ding you with change fees. The point being made here is simply that Southwest really makes you feel like you can dig into your rewards without tons of restrictions and red tape.

✈️ Looking for a new travel credit card this year? See today’s top offers below:

Currently you have 4 Southwest Credit Card Options to choose from. Here are those offers followed by some of their features and highlights:

Southwest Rapid Rewards® Priority Credit Card (annual fee of $149)

Earn 40,000 bonus points after spending $1,000 on purchases in the first 3 months
Receive 7,500 anniversary points and a $75 Southwest® travel credit each year
3X points on Southwest purchases
2X points on local transit and commuting, including rideshare
2X points on internet, cable, phone services and select streaming

Southwest Rapid Rewards® Premier Credit Card (annual fee of $99)

Earn 40,000 bonus points after spending $1,000 on purchases in the first 3 months
Receive 6,000 anniversary points each year
3X points on Southwest® purchases
2X points on local transit and commuting, including rideshare
2X points on internet, cable, phone services and select streaming
2 EarlyBird Check-In® each year

Southwest Rapid Rewards® Plus Credit Card (annual fee of $69)

Earn 40,000 bonus points after spending $1,000 on purchases in the first 3 months
Receive 3,000 anniversary points each year
2X points on local transit and commuting, including rideshare
2X points on internet, cable, phone services and select streaming
2 EarlyBird Check-In® each year

Southwest® Rapid Rewards® Premier Business Credit Card (annual fee of $99)

Earn 60,000 points after you spend $3,000 on purchases in the first 3 months your account is open
Earn 3 points per $1 spent on Southwest® purchases
Earn 2 points per $1 spent on Rapid Rewards® hotel and car partners
Earn 2 points per $1 spent on local transit and commuting, including rideshare
Earn 1 point per $1 spent on all other purchases

How to Determine the Credit Score Needed for a Southwest Card

While Southwest doesn’t publish its formula for determining who qualifies for Southwest-branded credit cards, there are a few open secrets regarding how the company qualifies cardholders. First, you should know that there’s more scrutiny as you move up to the elite cards. If your credit is a little shaky, you may still be able to get your hands on one of the basic cards in the Southwest roster. However, you also have to be prepared to appeal for manual approval to “make your case” if you don’t get approved automatically.

Credit Range Required for Southwest Rapid Rewards Credit Cards

As a rule, Southwest only automatically approves card applicants with credit scores in the “good” range for its basic cards. That means that going in with a credit score between 700 and 850 is ideal. While there may be some wiggle room below 700 if you only need a basic card, you’ll need to hit 600 at the minimum. Once you’re going for the premium cards in the Southwest lineup, the threshold where people seem to be getting approved smoothly is around 740.

Income Needed for Southwest Rapid Rewards Credit Cards

Again, Southwest doesn’t post any requirements for income. Like most credit cards, Southwest cards use an approval process based on the CARD Act that requires credit card companies to ensure that applicants have the monthly income needed to make monthly payments without necessarily setting a specific minimum requirement for income. That means that Southwest is mostly concerned with your debt-to-income (DTI) ratio when approving you for a credit card. Your DTI is actually what any lender is looking at whenever you apply for a loan, mortgage or some type of financing product.

DTI is a percentage expressing how much of the gross monthly income that you’re taking in goes toward paying down debt. A person with a higher income can have a much higher DTI than a person with a lower income. This is why there’s no “clear” answer about income requirements. While making six figures is going to put you in a better spot to qualify for a Southwest card than someone making $50,000, your DTI can skew things away from your favor.

In the mortgage world, lenders probably aren’t going to give you a loan if your DTI is up above 43 percent. Where it gets tricky is that there’s no standard in the credit card world. While we know that credit card companies like a lower DTI, we don’t exactly know what number they use for cutting applicants off. However, we do know that the Federal Reserve’s standards see anything above 40 percent as being a sign of stress. The Federal Reserve considers a DTI of 20 percent to be good. It’s estimated that credit cards are generally happy with applicants with DTIs of 30 percent. You can figure out your own personal DTI right now by dividing your total monthly debt by your total monthly gross income.

Keep in mind that income isn’t just “wages” when you’re talking about credit card applications. In addition to personal income, you can submit information regarding gifts, allowances, Social Security benefits, trust distributions, scholarships and grants to boost your income. The income of a spouse or partner can also be included.

The Chase 5/24 Rule

Before dipping your toe into the Southwest family of credit cards, you need to know about the Chase 5/24 rule. This infamous rule that is technically “off the record” is one of the biggest determining factors regarding whether or not you’ll get a credit card. It’s known that Southwest credit cards are subject to the 5/24 rule.

The gist of the 5/24 rule is that you’ll be automatically denied for a new Chase credit card if you’ve already been approved for five credit cards within the last 24 months. That means that opening five cards or more in two years will get you cut off from new cards that come with tons of shiny perks. The reason why Chase does this is simply to knock out the “churn” problem that is so common when cards offer perks and rewards. Customers will often try to legally “scam” the system by opening tons of new credit cards with generous sign-on bonuses before closing them before the next annual fee is due. While most credit card companies don’t want to discourage people from opening multiple cards, the policy of no more than five cards every two years is in place to prevent excessive activity with opening and closing accounts. This makes searching for the right card with the right perks even more important because you don’t want to waste one of your approvals on a card that won’t serve you as well as another card.

Credit Score Needed for Southwest Rapid Rewards® Plus Credit Card

Let’s talk about what you need for a credit score for the baseline Rapid Rewards card. While this is a great card for someone who travels here and there, it is by no means a powerhouse travel credit card. It offers some great everyday perks that definitely make it worth considering. While you may be interested in this card if you’re only a light traveler, it’s also a good card to consider if you’re a heavy traveler without the credit score to qualify for a more elite card within the Southwest roster. The two points per $1 spent on Southwest purchases combined with one point for every $1 spent on everyday purchases will make this a great option for everyday purchases with a travel slant even though you’re not getting the cash back and travel credits packed into the other credit cards. Keep in mind that this card is the only one in the Southwest roster of personal cards to not waive foreign transaction fees.

Generally, you’ll need to be up over 600 with your credit score to even be considered for this card. Getting to the 650 range is better for an automatic approval. If you get denied with a credit score below 650, you can appeal to have your application manually approved if you’re convinced that your income and DTI will be enough to get you over the line.

Credit Score Needed for Southwest Rapid Rewards® Priority Credit Card

If you want 7,500 anniversary points, $75 in Southwest annual travel credits, four seat upgrades per year and 20 percent back on all in-flight drink and Wi-Fi purchases, be prepared to show up with a higher credit score. Considered the elite card in the lineup, the Priority card from Southwest typically requires a credit score of 700 and above. While there may be some leeway if you’re up near 680 or 690, be prepared to make a case with a very high income and low DTI if you appeal your denial because you’re below 700. This is a great card for someone who travels with Southwest frequently. The 20 percent back on in-flight drinks and Wi-Fi is a really good catch. This is also the only card of the three to offer upgraded boardings simply because you happen to own the card. You don’t have to reach any minimum balance to get these four free boarding upgrades. It’s also the only card of the three to give an annual travel credit. Your purchases with this card also set you up for tier-qualifying travel credits. While this card comes with an annual fee of $149, the perks built into the card will more than pay for the annual fee if you travel just a handful of times in a year.

Credit Score Needed for Southwest® Rapid Rewards® Premier Business Credit Card

A great pick if you have a small business that sees you boarding Southwest flights a few times per year, the Premier card gives you 6,000 bonus anniversary points each year on a card with an annual fee of just $99. We can see some pretty big overlaps between what this card offers and what the cards in Southwest’s personal lineup offer. The biggest similarity is that you’re getting two times the points on Southwest purchases with that consistent matching of one point for every dollar on everyday purchases.

A credit score of 700 to 850 is recommended when applying for the Southwest Rapid Rewards Premier Business Visa. Ideal for small-business owners who make frequent trips with Southwest, this card offers a smart way to earn points and perks without a big investment. It offers quite an upgrade from the already impressive Premier business card. Just keep in mind that it comes with an annual fee of $199 that’s essentially double the annual fee of its “younger sibling.”

The 9,000 anniversary points given every year really put a bow on this card. This card also brings things up to the next level from the personal cards because it allows you to earn three points for every $1 spent on Southwest purchases instead of just two. It also gives you a special category for earning two points for every $1 spent when you make purchases for social media, advertising and more using your card. That all comes on top of the one point for each $1 spent that you get for all purchases. The reason why this is a top business card for anyone who books flights frequently with Southwest is that it packs in tons of traveler perks that will only be appreciated if you actually fly with this card. Business owners who don’t fly often probably won’t appreciate these ultra-specific perks. The first notable perk is that you can earn up to 365 in-flight Wi-Fi credits per year. The second is that you get Global Entry or TSA Pre✓ credits totaling up to $100 every four years. You’re also getting four boarding upgrades per year like you get with the Priority personal credit card.

Final Thoughts

The big thing to remember is that required credit scores are only recommendations. Like all credit card brands, Southwest doesn’t publish or publicize its minimum requirements to qualify for cards. There’s no doubt that the company uses complicated formulas to identify low-risk and high-risk cardholders. However, we don’t know the specific cutting-off points used by the company when determining who can qualify. This is why you’ll see outliers discussing how they were approved for a credit card with a credit score below 600 even though it’s thought to be “impossible” to get a card with a score that low. In these cases, Southwest may be approving a person because they happen to have a very strong income.

What is the big takeaway when figuring out the credit score needed to be approved for a Southwest personal or business credit card? Generally, you won’t be approved for any cards in the Southwest roster without a credit score of at least 600. As you move up to the more elite cards, 700 becomes the assumed minimum. Southwest’s business cards also tend to prefer applicants in the range of 690 to 850.

If you get denied for a Southwest credit card when you apply online, it doesn’t have to be the end of the story. You can contact customer service to ask to have your application manually reviewed by someone. While this isn’t a guarantee that you’ll get your application approved once someone gives it a second glance, this can be an option if you have a high income with low a DTI even if your credit score is lagging just slightly.

What should you do if you want to sign up for one of these cards? First, check your credit score to see where you stand. This is going to help you avoid any unnecessary pulls that are going to be done when you apply for cards that are “out of your league.” Once you’ve decided that you definitely want to get your first Southwest card, sign up for the Rapid Rewards program if you’re not already enrolled. This is actually the program you’ll be using to redeem the travel perks and rewards you earn with your Southwest credit card.

✈️ Looking for a new travel credit card this year? See today’s top offers below:

Southwest Airlines Vacation Packages: How much can you really save?

November 3, 2021 by Lauren Graves

Are you the type of traveler who books all of your travel separately? If you do this every time you travel, you might be spending more money than you need to.

Fans of Southwest Airlines — keep reading — because we’re going to be talking about Southwest Vacation packages.

These travel packages allow passengers to book flights, hotels, rental cars, and even activities at one time. Here, we’ll talk about what a Southwest Vacation package includes, whether the advantages outweigh the disadvantages, and how to book.

✈️ Looking for a new travel credit card this year? See today’s top offers below:

What Is a Southwest Vacation Package?

A Southwest Vacation package is a travel product that includes:

✈️ air and
🚐 ground transportation as well as
🏨 hotel or resort bookings.

You can build and customize a vacation package to meet your needs and fit your budget. All flights in packages are through Southwest Airlines, but other travel accommodations are booked by Southwest on your behalf through third parties. These packages give members savings and additional perks for their trips.

You do not need to be a Southwest rewards member to book a vacation, and there is no additional fee for using this platform. However, rewards members benefit most when booking these packages. Previously, you could only earn rewards points on the flight portion of a vacation package, but now you can earn points on air travel, hotel bookings, car rentals, and even experiences. More on earning points soon.

What Does a Vacation Package Include?

Vacation packages may include flights, hotel bookings, car rentals, activities, and extras such as amusement park tickets, experiences, and travel insurance/purchase protection. You can create a package yourself or choose from all-inclusive resort packages with pre-selected flights, resort bookings, and accommodations. There are two vacation types: single destination trips and multiple destination trips.

Each package comes with exclusive perks unique to each property as well as two Southwest guarantees: no change fees and two free checked bags on flights. These Southwest benefits are included in the price of a package, but all other offers are determined by the hotel or resort.

Benefits may include:

Rate discounts
Complimentary amenities
Complimentary room upgrades
Food and beverage or experience credits
Kids stay free
And more

How Much Do Vacation Packages Cost?

After comparing many vacations through Southwest and other travel booking sites, we found that Southwest Vacations can often save you money. Sometimes the difference in price is significant and sometimes slight, but you’ll usually save when you book a vacation through Southwest even if the savings are in the form of complimentary extras.

Southwest Vacation Package – Riu Palace Costa Mujeres all-inclusive resort. Image credit: riu.com

Here’s an example where the price difference is significant. You and a partner are traveling to the Riu Palace Costa Mujeres all-inclusive resort in Cancun, Mexico, for a seven-night trip.

When you book this vacation through Southwest Vacations, you pay $1,568.75 per person or $3,137.50 total. This price includes a Junior Suite Partial Ocean View room and resort fees and a round-trip flight in Wanna Get Away class. Members earn 3,273 each. You can pay for this package in full when booking or in monthly installments of about $73 per person. Changes and cancellations are not permitted.

Booking these items separately would be quite a bit more expensive. For just the resort booking, the price would be $2,786 at the current non-refundable promotional rate. The flights would cost $869.02 total. This comes out to a total of $3,655 or $1,827.50 per person. With the exclusive discounts through Southwest, you could save up to $517.50 for the very same vacation even with the resort offering its own discount.

Southwest Vacation Package – Waikoloa Village, Hawaii. Image credit: hiltonwaikoloavillage.com

But the savings are not always this good. Here’s another example where the price difference is negligible. Let’s say you’re flying out of Chicago to Hawaii and staying at the Hilton Waikoloa Village, a beachfront resort property on Big Island. For a booking of seven consecutive nights, the price per person for the Southwest Vacations package is $3,443.79 or $6,887.58 total.

This price, which is discounted by $150, includes the hotel rate for a Palace Resort View room with one king bed and a round-trip flight. The departure trip is a Wanna Get Away flight out of Chicago with one layover in San Diego and the return flight is a Wanna Get Away flight out of KOA airport with one layover in Phoenix. Also included in the price are a $45 daily resort fee and a $30 per room, per vehicle daily valet parking fee. Members earn 7,096 points each for this vacation.

When you book through Southwest Vacations, you get a non–refundable room rate and are not permitted to change or cancel your reservation. You may pay for the trip upfront or pay over time in monthly installments of $384 at a 15% interest rate.

Now let’s say you’re booking each part of this same trip separately. Starting with the resort, you’d pay $5,866.51 total for the same room at a non-refundable (the lowest) rate including taxes and fees. You must pay for this trip in full at the time of booking. The round-trip Wanna Get Away flight would cost $515.60 per person or $1,031.20 total. The grand total for this trip would then be $6,897.71.

As you can see, this difference in price is not significant at only about $10. However, what we found is that Southwest Vacations packages tend to offer a bit more flexibility at roughly the same or a slightly better rate. In this instance, you do not need to pay for the entire Southwest vacation in total when booking and you get free Southwest perks like free checked bags.

About the monthly payments. Though both of these packages qualify, this option is not available for every trip. Only purchases over $1,200 are eligible and some destinations do not allow monthly payments. These loans are offered through Uplift and initiated through Southwest. A credit check is required.

How to Save

If saving money is your bottom line, there are a few ways to find Southwest Vacations at the best prices. First, start your search in the deals section.

Always browse promotions before booking a trip, especially if you’re not picky about which hotel or resort you stay at. This is often where you can save the most money and score freebies such as complimentary nights and food and beverage credits.

Usually, popular destinations such as Mexico and the Caribbean and Disney Parks are discounted pretty much year-round. Southwest may also choose to provide discounts for certain hotel or resort brands like MGM or destination hotels like the Bellagio in Las Vegas. Here are all the Deals categories:

Las Vegas deals
Mexico and Caribbean deals
Hawaii deals
Disney Parks deals
Ski and outdoor adventure deals
Promo code deals
Last minute deals

If you select “View all deals” at the bottom of the deals tab, you can browse all discounted trips. Then, try filtering by location and sorting by recommended, hotel rating, or hotel name.

To give you an idea of the kinds of discounts you might find, here are a few deals that stood out to us:

Dreams Aventuras Riviera Maya by AMR Collection – Up to 40% off room rates + $200 in resort coupons and kids stay free
Walt Disney World Swan – Up to 45% off room rates
Doubletree by Hilton Alana Waikiki Resort – Complimentary room upgrade (subject to availability) and 50% off resort and parking fees
Riu Santa Fe – Up to $200 in instant credits + complimentary shared roundtrip airport transfers, $35 spa credit, and kids stay free
Secrets St. James Montego Bay by AMR Collection – Up to 40% off room rates + $20 spa treatment and $200 in resort coupons

Prices for flights and bookings are always changing, so if you are able to take a bit of time hunting for the best rates, we recommend doing that. You might even get a better price in the same day if you just check back later.

If you are viewing a promotional package, be sure that the promotion code auto-populates on the search page. If it doesn’t, you should be able to find the code in the package description. Contact customer support if you have trouble applying a discount.

Another great way to save more is using a Southwest co-branded credit card. There are six types of Southwest Airlines Rapid Rewards^® Visa Credit Cards offered through Chase Bank.

If you use one of these cards to pay for your vacation, you can earn points on the entire purchase. This includes tier qualifying points that can help you qualify for elite. Plus, each card gives you travel savings. The Priority card, for example, pays you back 3x points on all Southwest purchases, 2x points on hotels bookings and car rentals, 25% back on inflight purchases, and 7,500 bonus points per year.

How to Book a Vacation Package

To book a Southwest Vacation package, start by signing into your Southwest account. Then, use the search tool to input your dates and destinations and search for Flight + Hotel packages or Flight + Care packages. Alternatively, you can select “Deals” or “Destinations” from the top of the page to browse current promotions and popular destinations such as Hawaii, Cancun, Jamaica, New Orleans, Phoenix, Las Vegas, and more.

If you start your search in the Deals or Destinations sections, select a hotel, resort, or experience to get started customizing your package.

Starting with the search tool will take you to the hotel page where search customizations are shown on the left side of the page. You can filter your search by selecting for different amenities and experiences, sorting by hotel class and price range, or showing only results within a certain distance from points of interest. You can even enter a hotel name and select “Find.” If you don’t customize the search at all, Southwest will just show you their top picks first. This will default to the lowest-priced hotel reservations, flight tickets, and car rentals.

Select a hotel to read more about the property such as included amenities, room types, and cancellation/change policies. Make note of resort fees, valet fees, and other charges in addition to the starting room rate. Select the “Rooms” tab or click “Select Rooms” in the yellow box at the top to view available rooms. To the right, the “Price Per Person” will show you the additional charge for every room type on top of the starting rate for the hotel as well as the change in points for each traveler.

After you’ve chosen your room, you will be taken to the flight page. Here, you can choose a flight with ideal departure times and stopovers and change your flight class as needed. The running total for your package will change depending on how you customize your package and which items you select. The only way to guarantee the lowest rate or base rate is to keep everything as is, meaning economy class (Wanna Get Away) and the cheapest rooms. Once you’ve picked a flight, select “Continue.”

The next page is the Cars page. You can add a car to almost any vacation package, but it is not required. To the right, you can see the overall total and per day total for each car. Select a car or navigate to the “Add Extras” page to skip. Extras are also optional, but it’s not a bad idea to check them out because some offer great deals. On the left side of the screen, you can filter for different categories such as Sightseeing and Tours or Water Activities and narrow your desired price range.

Extras might include:

vouchers for local excursions or tours
hotel ground transportation
boat trips and fishing
snorkeling or diving
unique immersive experiences such as swimming with dolphins

To book an extra, just select “View options” and choose how many people in your party will be participating. Then, add to cart. The price of your vacation will automatically adjust for the price of extras at this time.

On the checkout page, confirm your selections and make any final changes. The total package price might be a little different now if something you selected is no longer available or has increased in price since you started booking. If you don’t want to book the vacation now, you can print or email your itinerary or save your search to your Southwest Vacations account.

How to Earn Points

If you’re a Rapid Rewards member, you can earn rewards from any vacation package. Flights, hotel bookings, and car rentals are all eligible to earn points. You can see how many points a package qualifies to earn when booking, below the rates. If you are traveling with a group, each Rapid Rewards member qualifies to earn rewards.

Note that points earned via vacations do NOT count as elite tier qualifying points toward A-List or A-List Preferred status.

You can either enter everyone’s account numbers when booking the trip, online before the trip begins, or at the airport checkout counter or gate. You must request Rapid Rewards points when checking in for your flight, hotel, or car rental and provide account information to guarantee.

Just make sure that every member is checked in because you can’t always apply points retroactively to a trip. If you find that points you should have earned for a vacation are missing 30 days after the trip has concluded, you have up to twelve months to request them.

Select packages qualify to earn bonus points or higher earning rates than most. For example, travelers who book a vacation at a participating MGM Resort location in Las Vegas are eligible to earn 600 bonus Rapid Rewards points per room on stays of more than one night.

Advantages and Disadvantages

One of the primary advantages of booking a vacation through Southwest are the exclusive perks. These include private transfers from plane or car to hotel, VIP excursions such as tours and events, and complimentary room upgrades at select destinations. These are only available to Southwest travelers and vary in value, but they can definitely help you save money and travel more comfortably. And don’t forget about the free checked bags. When you book a custom vacation package, your first and second checked bag–including golf bags, fly for free and there are no change fees for modifying eligible transportation or hotel bookings.

Southwest Vacations also include 24-hour traveler assistance. While you’re traveling, you can call a dedicated customer service line to get in touch with a representative about booking issues and concerns. In some big cities and popular tourist destinations, there are even local customer service representatives you can go talk to.

You can save serious cash booking through Southwest as well. Although not every vacation is heavily discounted, you can usually save at least a little bit of money on your flight or hotel reservation or, at the very least, make things easier on yourself when traveling. Plus, Southwest offers a lowest price promise on all packages. This means that if you find an identical package elsewhere that is priced lower than theirs, Southwest will pay you the difference in future travel credit if you book with them. So always, always shop around. And don’t knock the discounts in the extras and experiences sections.

The Rapid Rewards program is a generally solid rewards program, so this is another advantage in and of itself. Not only is each point valued at 1.3 cents, which is decent, but Southwest offers flexible and rewarding redemption opportunities. This airline offers unlimited reward seats on every flight and no blackout dates on standard fare tickets booked with points. Travelers who book a Southwest Vacation package can score major savings on future flights, especially if they’re strategic about earning as many points as possible.

But even though we like that Southwest Vacations earn points, this program doesn’t let you redeem points for vacations, and this is one of the biggest disadvantages. Southwest Vacations packages are not eligible to be booked with points, and that could be disappointing especially if you’re traveling with a group of Rapid Rewards members with points to spend. You can, however, use travel funds from canceled flights to pay for part of your Vacations package by providing your confirmation number at checkout.

Likewise, you can’t use hotel rewards to book a Southwest vacation. You might be able to earn hotel points from your trip, but there is no way to easily do this and no guarantee that you’ll get those points.

Also disappointing is the fact that vacation points are not tier qualifying points, so they don’t help you qualify for elite status. Although you can earn plenty of points booking vacations, you can’t reach elite this way no matter how many trips you take.

Southwest offers a fairly expansive range of options, but this program is still somewhat limited in terms of availability. You may not find a hotel brand you’re looking for or packages available in certain destinations

Another potential disadvantage to note is that Southwest Vacations packages don’t always offer as much booking flexibility as you might be looking for. Because most hotels and resorts are at promotional rates, they are sometimes non-refundable and cannot be changed or canceled. Some properties may let you select for rooms that do qualify for refunds and changes, but you won’t be getting the low prices that make Southwest Vacations packages so attractive.

Final Thoughts

Overall, booking travel through Southwest Vacations isn’t a bad way to go. From savings to exclusive perks, these packages are often more rewarding than booking separate travel and there are more than enough destinations and experiences to choose from. We recommend checking out Southwest Vacations the next time you’re planning a trip and following the tips in this article to score the best deals.

✈️ Looking for a new travel credit card this year? See today’s top offers below:

Using the Southwest Airlines Low Fare Calendar to Book Cheap Flights

May 3, 2021 by Lauren Graves

The Southwest Airlines Low Fare Calendar is an easy-to-use widget on the Southwest site that filters your search to find the lowest fares per month for your desired trip. This helpful tool is a favorite among deal hounds, especially those that are already Rapid Rewards members (more on how to use your loyalty status to save even more later).

It’s no secret that Southwest, as one of the nation’s most popular budget airlines, offers great value on its tickets. However, this makes it that much harder to know when you’re getting the absolute lowest price available, and filtering through all search results can be a hassle.

Fortunately, the Southwest Airlines Low Fare Calendar does the work of finding the best deals for you.

Here’s how to use it to book cheap flights year-round with Southwest Airlines.

✈️ Looking for a new travel credit card this year? See today’s top offers below:

How to Use the Southwest Airlines Low Fare Calendar

Using the Southwest Airlines Low Fare Calendar is very straightforward. Simply select the bubble at the upper righthand corner of the screen for “Dollars” or “Points” to determine which unit ticket values will be shown in. You can then toggle your search to see round trips, one-way, and multi-city prices.

Choose the number of people in your party from the Passengers box and then fill in the departure and arrival destinations as you normally would. It might be worth it to try a few different locations if you are able to.

Please note that the Low Fare Calendar can only be used for groups of one to nine people. If you are traveling in a group of 10 or more, you will need to book a flight through Southwest’s Group Travel Program. This program gives group discounts and more booking flexibility on flights. For example, no upfront payment is required (except for possibly a per person deposit) and names can be changed as little as 72 hours before departure. This is a good option for business groups, but it does unfortunately mean that you can’t use the Low Fare Calendar. Contact Southwest Airlines directly if you’re interested in making a group booking.

Examples of Low Fare Deals we found (Round Trip for 1 passenger July, 2021):

Departing City	Destination	Fare
San Diego	New York City LaGuardia	as low as $264
San Jose	New York City LaGuardia	as low as $265
San Antonio	Boston	as low as $204
San Antonio	Los Cabos, Mexico	as low as $229
Chicago	Miami	as low as $78
Seattle	Chicago	as low as $166
Seattle	New Orleans	as low as $164
Denver	West Palm Beach	as low as $187
Los Angeles	Atlanta	as low as $264

Prices shown on the calendar itself reflect discounted Anytime prices per person. Some flights are available for as little as $49 a piece. Actual prices may not be exactly what is shown on the calendar, as fares are subject to change until you purchase a ticket. If all of the available flights at the calendar’s price have been snagged by other customers, you will be shown the next best prices.

If Southwest is running a sale on flights, and they are just about every week, you’ll find these prices through the Low Fare Calendar. Just keep in mind that promotions like this are often popular and many other people are likely to have the same idea.

Some frequent fliers also like to use the Low Fare Calendar to get an idea of what tickets are going for in general during a given time. Not many airlines have a tool like this, so using the calendar offered by Southwest is a good way to find out roughly what budget airlines may charge for a flight you’re looking to take even if you aren’t necessarily planning to travel with this airline.

Benefits of Using the Low Fare Calendar vs. Booking Online

While there is nothing wrong with booking travel online through the Southwest website or mobile app, the Low Fare Calendar makes it easier to book a flight if your number one priority is finding the best price. The calendar simplifies the process of saving money.

But if you do need to filter your search further and are unwilling or unable to have a little wiggle room with dates or flight types, booking online may be your only option for getting exactly what you’re looking for.

Another advantage to using the Low Fare Calendar is that Southwest flights don’t actually show up on a lot of third-party flight booking websites. So if it’s good deals you’re after, this is very likely the only way to find them at Southwest.

Can You Earn Rapid Rewards Through Low Fare Calendar Bookings?

Just as you would normally earn points for booking travel online through Southwest, flights booked through the Low Fare Calendar also qualify to earn points when you pay with cash. However, travel booked with points does not qualify to earn points.

And Southwest does have a decent loyalty program. In 2020, a WalletHub study estimated that the Rapid Rewards program awards an average member about $10 per $100 spent, putting it in the top five airline loyalty programs. Plus, points do not expire as long as you complete at least one points-earning activity (through Southwest or a partner) every 24 months.

Rapid Rewards Credit Card

Another surefire way to save more on flights is with a travel card. Here is what each Southwest Rapid Rewards credit card offers.

Priority (annual fee of $149)

Earn 40,000 bonus points after spending $1,000 on purchases in the first 3 months
Receive 7,500 anniversary points and a $75 Southwest® travel credit each year
3X points on Southwest purchases
2X points on local transit and commuting, including rideshare
2X points on internet, cable, phone services and select streaming

Southwest Rapid Rewards® Premier Credit Card (annual fee of $99)

Earn 40,000 bonus points after spending $1,000 on purchases in the first 3 months
Receive 6,000 anniversary points each year
3X points on Southwest® purchases
2X points on local transit and commuting, including rideshare
2X points on internet, cable, phone services and select streaming
2 EarlyBird Check-In® each year

Southwest Rapid Rewards® Plus Credit Card (annual fee of $69)

Earn 40,000 bonus points after spending $1,000 on purchases in the first 3 months
Receive 3,000 anniversary points each year
2X points on local transit and commuting, including rideshare
2X points on internet, cable, phone services and select streaming
2 EarlyBird Check-In® each year

For more information about the Southwest Rapid Rewards Business credit card, go here.

And of course, all Southwest credit card points can be redeemed for flights—domestic and international—as well as car rentals, hotel stays, cruises, and more with partner companies. You can also use your points to get gift cards.

What Are the Change or Cancellation Fees?

The change or cancellation fees are the same when you book through the Low Fare Calendar as when you book through the Southwest Airlines website.

Southwest Airlines does charge change or cancellation fees. You are only responsible for the difference in fare if you book a new flight that costs more than your previous one.

You can change or cancel as little as 10 minutes before your flight is scheduled to leave, even if you’ve already checked in for it. As long as you make a change to or cancel a flight 10 minutes or more before its scheduled departure, you will be eligible for a full refund to the original payment method or travel credit worth the same amount. There is no limit to how many times you can alter your itinerary.

What Flights Are Available?

The Southwest Airlines Low Fare Calendar features all discounted flights.

In addition, all three fare types—Wanna Get Away, Anytime, and Business Select—are available when you book through the calendar. Flights shown on the calendar are Anytime prices, but the next screen shows prices for each class.

The more flexible you are, the better when using the Low Fare Calendar. Cheap flights go fast, and the prices on the Low Fare Calendar are not guaranteed until you purchase a ticket. If you are alright with making more stops or you are not particular about where exactly you depart from and when, you might be more likely to fly at the price you’re looking for.

On Low Fare Calendar flights (and all other Southwest Airlines flights), you can check up to two bags for free. These must weigh no more than 50 pounds or measure more than 62 linear inches. After these two, bags cost $75 each. See our comprehensive rundown of their baggage policies for more information on excess baggage fees.

Right now, customers can book all the way through April 11, 2021, using the Southwest Low Fare Calendar.

Where Can You Fly for $49 with SouthWest

Southwest has been cutting prices across the country and throughout North America as society gets vaccinated and starts to book vacations again. Back in March of 2021 Southwest started the $49 promotional offers again. Just keep in mind these are typically for short trips and always just one way tickets. Here are the current $49 flights available on Southwest that we’ve seen so far this year:

Departing City	Arrival City	Price
Phoenix	Long Beach, CA	$49
Chicago	Nashville	$49

When to Book Southwest Tickets on the Low Fare Calendar for the Best Deals

A common misconception with booking trips on the Low Fare Calendar from Southwest is that the earlier you book, the better the price. This is not always the case as it generally is with standard airline bookings.

Southwest is one of the most notorious airlines for changing ticket prices. They do it up to several times per week. Using the Low Fare calendar you can watch prices rise and fall regularly, so be sure to monitor this often to lock an optimal price.

COVID-19 Policies

Like most other airlines, Southwest has implemented many new health and safety standards in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic. If you are interested in flying with Southwest at any time soon, you will want to know what they are doing to keep you safe and what their updated cancellation policies are.

As much as possible, the airline requires passengers to distance themselves from each other and has increased their cleaning procedures. Masks are required on all flights and in all airports.

As for the thousands of tickets customers have purchased in 2020 and not been able to use, policies have been updated to account for these too.

For all flights canceled by Southwest, customers are refunded the full cost of their ticket to the original form of payment or in the form of travel funds. For all non-refundable Wanna Get Away tickets—a popular choice for passengers of the biggest budget airline in the world—that have been voluntarily canceled by the passenger, customers are eligible to receive a travel credit worth the full value of their flight that is valid for travel until September 7, 2022.

How to Get in Touch With Customer Support

If you hit a snag in the booking process, want to know whether you’re eligible for a ticket refund, or just have a question that’s not addressed in Southwest’s FAQs section, here’s how to get a hold of someone at the airline.

You can call 1-800-435-9792 to reach the general customer service line, open 24/7. Alternatively, you can tweet @Southwestair or message the airline on Facebook messenger. You can also send a secure message right through the Southwest site, which has a guaranteed response time of 48 hours or less, or send a letter to the following address with non-urgent requests:

Southwest Airlines

P.O. Box 36447-1CR

Dallas, Texas 75235

Final Thoughts

If you are able to compromise on certain aspects of your flight such as flight class and departure date in order to score the best deal on your trip, then the Southwest Low Fare Calendar is for people like you. When paired with a Rapid Rewards account or credit card, customers are sure to save big when they use this calendar to book travel.

This tool ensures that you will always be getting the lowest prices Southwest has to offer on flights, but there is not a bottomless stash of dirt cheap tickets. To make the most of this option, try to get to the Low Fare Calendar as soon as you possibly can when booking and remember to be flexible. This tool most benefits those with wiggle room in their schedule and the foresight to book well in advance.

✈️ Looking for a new travel credit card this year? See today’s top offers below:

Southwest Airlines Baggage Policy, Fees and Exceptions

April 14, 2021 by Rosemarie Clancy

Unlike most domestic airlines, Southwest allows 2 pieces of luggage per ticketed customer for free!

Airline baggage policies can be complicated. A lot depends on which carrier you fly, the route you are taking, your status with the airline, if you carry a particular credit card and even the time of year you are flying.

As a general rule, most major airlines allow passengers to take a carry-on and a personal item on board with them for free, and most currently charge for checked bags, but that varies by airline, destination and type of seat booked.

It gets even trickier though, because all airlines have their own size and weight restrictions when it comes to carry-on and checked baggage. Further complicating the issue is what counts as a personal item and whether things like strollers or sports equipment count as part of your checked bag allowance. You might decide to leave that surfboard at home when you realize how much it is going to cost you to take it on your trip.

If you fly primarily on one airline and travel light, baggage rules may not be an issue, but if you fly multiple carriers, it’s hard to keep track of what is allowed. It’s important to check on the baggage policy requirements for the airline you are flying before you pack.

Be sure to weigh and measure the luggage you plan to check before you get to the airport so you can avoid the extra fees involved or the embarrassing situation of shifting things in your luggage at the check-in counter to avoid baggage fees.

✈️ Looking for a new travel credit card this year? See today’s top offers below:

Southwest Airlines Luggage Rules

Southwest Airlines, a low-cost airline that primarily flies throughout the US, has one of the most generous policies when it comes to checked bags. They allow two pieces of luggage per ticketed customer for free, while most major domestic carriers charge $30 or more for the first checked bag and even bigger fees for second and third bags.

Booking a seat in first, business or another premium class or having elite status with an airline will often get you a free checked bag or two. But Southwest doesn’t offer first class on its planes, and its A-List elite status program does not include any extra baggage perks.

Airline co-branded credit cards may also offer extra baggage allowance for the carrier they are affiliated with, but even though Southwest offers a number of personal and business Chase Rapid Rewards Visa credit cards, a luggage benefit is not included on any of them. There are some credit cards that will reimburse you for travel expenses like checked bags, but more on that later.

In this article, we are going to outline what you can and can’t take on board a Southwest flight, what you can check, and what size and weight those items can be. We’ll also discuss the fees for overweight, oversized and excess baggage, and tips on how to avoid paying those charges.

Carry-On Allowance

You are allowed to bring one carry-on suitcase and one personal item on board the plane with you. The carry-on should be stored in the overhead bin, and it can not be bigger than 10 x 16 x 24 inches. If it is larger than that, you will have to check it at the gate, and if you already have two checked bags, you will have to pay an excess baggage fee of $75.

You can bring your liquids, creams, gels and toothpaste in a quart-sized clear bag in your carry-on luggage as long as none are more than 3.4 ounces. You can also bring one lighter, an e-cigarette, 15 electronic devices and up to 20 batteries, but they must all be in your carry-on.

You are also allowed one personal item on board, which might be a purse, backpack, briefcase, laptop/case, camera or food containers. This item should fit under the seat in front of you, and should not be bigger than 18.5 x 8.5 x 13.5 inches.

There are some things you are allowed to bring on board that won’t count as a personal or carry-on item including your coat or jacket, food in disposable packaging, assistive or mobility devices for disabled individuals, canes and umbrellas.

Carry-On Rules for Toddlers and Children

When you travel with your family, that can mean a lot of extra gear. Let’s walk through the rules on what you can bring on board the plane or check when you have kids in tow.

You can check one stroller and one car seat or child restraint system (CRS) per child for free in addition to your free baggage allowance. You can check these curbside, at the ticket counter or at the gate.

You can also bring a safety seat for a child with a reserved seat, but booster seats with no back are not allowed nor are devices that tie the child to a parent because they cannot be used during takeoff and landing.

A CRS is recommended for any child that is under 40 pounds when flying. Southwest plane seats are 15.5-17.8 inches wide depending on the aircraft and seat assignment, so check what equipment you are flying on and measure the child seat to make sure it will fit.

If you plan to bring a harness-type restraint, only the CARES CRS is approved by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) for travel on aircraft. Also, when selecting seats, keep in mind that you cannot use a child seat in an aisle seat or one located in an emergency row exit or the row behind or in front of that exit.

If you have a lap infant that does not have a reserved seat (the child must be between two weeks and two years to qualify), you will have to include any carry-on and personal items for the baby in your allowance.

If you are breastfeeding, you can bring a bag containing a breast pump and/or breast milk in addition to your carry-on and personal item, but that’s all that is allowed in that bag. You can also bring baby formula or food in carry-on bags, but be sure to remove it for screening.

Bringing Pets Onboard

You can bring a small vaccinated dog or cat with you in the cabin on domestic flights, but you need to keep the pet in a carrier under the seat in front of you and it is counted as either a personal or carry-on item. You can check a pet crate at no charge, and it is not included in your checked bag allowance.

The carrier can contain two cats or two dogs if there are two passengers, but not one of each. And the animal/s must be able to stand in the carrier and move around in it. They are not allowed on international flights, and are not permitted as checked baggage.

Carriers should not be bigger than 18.5’’ long x 8.5” high x 13.5” wide. Both soft and hard pet carriers are fine, just make sure it’s well ventilated and doesn’t leak. If you don’t have a suitable carrier that will fit under the seat or you forget to bring it to the airport, Southwest has one that goes for $58, and it can be purchased online or at the ticket counter.

Additional Rules and Cost of Pet Fare

Pets must remain in the carrier, including head and tail, prior to boarding and during the flight. Trained service animals traveling with customers with disabilities are not subject to the same rules.

There is a $95 pet fare per animal each way, and you need to check in at the ticket counter and pay that fare even if you already have a boarding pass. Only one pet is allowed per passenger and there is a limit of six per flight. Pets are accepted on a first-come, first-served basis. You can’t book a seat in an exit row or one that does not have storage under the seat in front of it.

Fragile Items

If you’ve got items that are easily broken like camera equipment and artifacts you’re bringing home from your trip, or if you want to take a garment bag with an outfit for a special occasion like a wedding dress, then you’ll probably want to take them on the plane with you.

Artifacts and other fragile items can go in your carry-on bag, or they might also be carried as your personal item depending on size. A garment bag can count as your carry-on, and you can ask the flight attendant to hang it in a closet.

The screening equipment at the airport can damage undeveloped film, so it’s best to pack that in your carry-on luggage. If you’re toting a camcorder and a carry-on bag, then you need to count the camcorder as a personal item as long as it is not over the size limit.

Media cameras are exempt from the carry-on size restrictions, but if it is going in a seat, a ticket needs to be purchased. A media representative needs to present cameras, film, video, lighting and sound equipment for it to be allowed, and there is a fee of $75 for each piece beyond the free baggage allowance, though there are no oversized or overweight charges.

Checked Baggage Allowance

Passengers ticketed on Southwest for flights to one of the 111 destinations they serve in the US, or flights to its international destinations in the Carribean, Central America and Mexico, are allowed to check two pieces of luggage.

The bag cannot weigh more than 50 pounds or be more than 62 inches when you add the length, width and height of the suitcase together (L+W+H). If your bag weighs more and/or is bigger than what is allowed (but less than 80 inches), you will be charged $75 each way as long as it does not exceed 100 pounds.

You will only get charged one $75 fee if the bag is both overweight and oversized. If it weighs more than 100 pounds though, you need to ship it as air cargo.

Excess Baggage Fees

If you have more than two checked bags, you will pay $75 each way for each extra checked bag. Excess bags must also follow the same rules on weight and size as the first two bags outlined above.

If the third checked bag is also overweight or oversized, you will also be charged a $75 fee for that in addition to the $75 fee for a third bag. Consider using a smaller bag if luggage size is the problem, or swapping heavier items into your carry-on which doesn’t get weighed or into one of your other pieces of luggage that may be under the weight limit of 50 pounds.

Special Luggage

If you’re going camping, hunting, fishing, golfing, surfing, skiing or you are planning other activities that require equipment, you might want to bring your gear with you rather than renting at your destination.

Most sports equipment can be checked instead of a free bag, but if the item is over the size and/or weight limit you might be charged $75. You can bring most balls used for sports like baseballs, basketballs and footballs on the plane or in your checked bag, but baseball bats or golf clubs can not be brought on board and must be stowed in your checked bag.

The following items can be checked with suitable containers as one of the two free checked bags, but if they are over 50 pounds or 62 inches (L+H+W) then the $75 excess weight or size charge will apply.

Archery equipment including bow, arrows and target
Baseball/softball equipment in one bag for one passenger
Boogie board
Bowling bag, ball/s and shoes
Bicycles (single seat and no motor) with pedals and handlebars removed
Fishing rod in a case (can be up to 91 inches in length and three inches in diameter) and tackle box
Golf bag in hard-sided case including clubs, balls and shoes
Hockey and/or lacrosse sticks taped together or stowed with other equipment in a bag (two bags allowed as one bag)
Knives, sabers and swords
Parachutes are allowed in checked or carry-on baggage
Scuba equipment with empty air tanks
Skateboard may be substituted for a carry-on or checked bag
Snow ski equipment including skis or snowboards, boots, poles (two bags allowed as one bag and they are not subject to excess size charges, but there is a fee if overweight)
Surfboard when traveling on flights between the islands of Hawaii (keels and fins removed and packed in luggage; size restrictions do not apply, but there is a fee if overweight)
Tennis rackets should be carried on the plane as a carry-on or personal item
Water ski equipment including no more than one pair of water skis and one life preserver or vest (no excess size fee, but overweight charges may apply)

Additionally, the following items can be checked for $75 each:

Javelins in a single bag
Kayak with the paddles secured
Kiteboard (keels and fins removed and placed in baggage)
Life Raft (self-inflating cartridges are not allowed)
Surfboard for any flights other than flights between the islands of Hawaii
Vaulting poles in a single bag
Windsurfing board (keels removed and placed in baggage)

Hunting, Guns and Ammunition

If you plan to go hunting or you are bringing guns and ammo for security reasons, they need to go in your checked bags. Firearms must be unloaded and declared at check-in. They also need to be packed in a locked hard-sided container, though that can be packed in soft-sided luggage.

Ammunition must be securely packed in fiber, wood or a metal box and limited to 11 pounds.

Holsters can be put in your carry-on or checked luggage. The firearm/s can be counted as one of the two free pieces of baggage.

Camping

Camping gear follows similar rules to sports equipment. You can check your tent as a substitute for a free bag, or carry it on if it’s small enough. Don’t carry the pegs on though, as they will likely be confiscated. Put them in your checked bag.

To light the campfire, you can bring one book of safety matches or a lighter on your person. Strike anywhere matches, torch lighters, lighter fluid and fire starter are prohibited on the aircraft. Stoves and lanterns fueled by flammable liquids or gas can not be brought on board either, unless the equipment is brand new and still in the manufacturers packaging.

Gas-fueled equipment can be checked or carried on the plane as long as there is no fuel cylinder, which is prohibited. Sharp objects like knives and axes can be stored in checked luggage with blades protected.

Musical Instruments

Maybe you want to bring your guitar to play around the campfire. Or perhaps you have a gig and need your brass instrument to perform. If it’s not bigger in its case than 10” x 6” x 24”, you can bring it on board as your carry-on.

If it’s bigger than that and you want to carry it with you on the plane, but it won’t fit in the overhead bin or under a seat, you need to purchase a ticket for the instrument. It must fit in the seat in the first row next to the window and secured with a seatbelt. It also can’t block any signage or customers.

The ticket charge will be no greater than a child’s fare, which is $50 each way, and you do need to make a reservation. A free companion pass will not work to get that extra seat.

Or you can check it as one of your free bags, but if it’s in a soft-sided case the carrier assumes no liability. Some instruments like the double bass or cello cannot be secured in a seat so they must be checked, and the overweight or oversize fee will be charged if it’s between 62-150 inches or weighs between 51-165 pounds including the case.

If the instrument exceeds 150 inches (L+H+W) or is more than 165 pounds, it will not be accepted on the plane.

Prohibited items

Now that we’ve gone over what you can check in your luggage and bring on a Southwest flight and some things that are not allowed, let’s go over some other items that you can’t bring on board or in checked luggage either, according to Transportation and Safety Administration (TSA) rules.

Alcoholic beverages with more than 70% alcohol (140 proof) cannot be taken on the plane or checked. You can take up to 5 liters of alcohol under 70% in your checked luggage, but it must be unopened in retail packaging. Wine does not count in this limit. You can take mini-bottles of alcohol on the plane, but it must fit in the quart-sized bag that other liquids and creams are in.

These items are not allowed on board or in checked bags:

Arc, plasma and electric lighters
Butane
Cooking spray
Chlorine for pools and spas
Dynamite
Flares and flare guns
Flammable liquids and other hazardous material
Gun lighters and gunpowder
Gunpowder and primers or percussion caps
Hoverboards
Internal combustion engines
Loose ammunition or loose loaded magazines and/or clips are not allowed
Medical oxygen
Motor oils and fluids
Smart bags with non-removable lithium batteries
Wet cell batteries (except for those used in wheelchairs)

Some other items are allowed, but have restrictions. For example, aerosol insecticide not labeled as hazardous material can go in your checked bag. In general, you can’t bring anything on the plane that can be used as a weapon, but If you’re not sure about an item, you can check the TSA site or @AskTSA on Twitter or Facebook.

When to Pay for Baggage

If you follow the rules regarding size and weight of luggage and strategize what you are packing in checked luggage and what you are bringing on board, you should be able to avoid baggage fees since you get two free checked bags, a carry-on and a personal item.

It’s important to plan what you are bringing on board and what you might need to check. For example, if you have a purse, a laptop and a carry-on, you can check the carry-on if you don’t have two other pieces of luggage already, or bring a purse or backpack that is big enough to fit your laptop as long as it is not bigger than the maximum size allowed for a personal item.

Tips on How to Avoid Fees

Be sure to measure your luggage before you pack. You would be better off with two smaller suitcases since both are free, than one big oversized one that will incur a $75 fee.

If your suitcases are jam-packed with gifts/donations on the way to your destination or souvenirs and other purchases on your return fight, you might find yourself facing that same $75 fee for an overweight bag, so weigh the packed suitcase before you get to the airport. Consider getting a second bag if one is overweight, and split the contents, especially if you only have one bag to check since you get two for free.

If you have a lengthy stay and have to pack a lot of clothes and personal items, or if you are traveling with sports equipment like golf clubs or scuba equipment, musical instruments like a guitar, or you have some other reason to pack multiple bags with other equipment or items, you may need more than two checked bags.

Keep in mind that you can always have someone else on your reservation check something like your golf clubs for you if they aren’t using their two-bag allowance. And if you are traveling with your family, be sure to distribute the checked bags, carry-ons and personal items among the family members to meet requirements.

🔎 Related: Remember to check out Southwest Airlines Low Fare Calendar to get the best deals!

Credit Cards That Reimburse You For Checked Baggage Fees

Even with a generous baggage allowance policy and careful planning, you still might end up with a fee. But if you carry the right card in your wallet, you can get reimbursed for the charge.

In all of the cases outlined below, you need to charge the baggage fees on the credit card with the benefit to get it reimbursed.

There are two main ways to get the charges paid using a credit card. Some premium cards that cost from $450 to $550 a year, offer an annual travel credit that lets you pay for baggage fees, upgrades, and food and beverages. And flexible points cards let you use miles to points you have accrued through sign-up bonuses and spending to remove the airline charges from your statement.

Premium Credit Cards

The personal and business The Platinum Card® from American Express come with a $200 annual credit for airline incidentals. The Chase Sapphire Reserve® and the Chase Ritz Carlton cards each offer a $300 annual travel credit. Citi Prestige offers $250 for either tickets, checked baggage or onboard purchases. You need to charge the fee on the card and call the customer service to apply the travel credit.

✈️ Looking for a new travel credit card this year? See today’s top offers below:

Flexible Points Credit Cards

There are also flexible points credit cards like Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card or Venture Rewards cards, that allow you to use the miles earned by spending on that card to erase the baggage fees on your statement. There is a minimum redemption amount of 2,500 miles which is equal to $25, and you can use miles for a full or partial credit.

Barclays Arrival Plus World Elite Mastercard is another option that works the same way. The minimum redemption is even less at 1,000 points for $10. For both of these cards, you would need to use 7,500 points to cover a $75 fee on Southwest.

Exclusions & Waivers

There are some exceptions to the Southwest baggage rules. Military service members on active duty or those that are changing stations, can take more than two pieces of luggage as long as they don’t exceed 100 pounds and are no more than 80 inches (L+W+H). They will not be charged fees for excess, overweight and oversized baggage as long as the luggage is under the limits noted.

International travelers that have picked up liquor, perfume or other liquids in a duty-free shop, can bring those items in their carry-on luggage even if they exceed the 3.4 ounce rule as long as they are packaged securely in tamper-evident bags. They can also be put in your checked luggage if you have a connecting flight entering the US where you pick up your checked bags before boarding the next flight.

Final Thoughts

Most business and leisure travelers on Southwest can avoid baggage fees because of the airline’s generous policy of allowing two free checked bags. As long as you make sure those checked bags and your carry-on and personal items don’t exceed the limits, checking your bags should not cost you anything on Southwest Airlines.

But if you know you are going to check more than two bags, or the size or weight are going to be over the limits, then be sure to check the airline credit allowances on credit cards you carry so you can use the right card to pay the fees and get reimbursed for those charges.

Southwest Airlines Elite Status [2022 Ultimate Guide]

April 1, 2021 by Lauren Graves

Southwest may have started as a regional carrier back in the 60s, but today it’s the largest low-cost carrier in the world. It flies primarily in the US serving 111 destinations, but also has service to 10 other countries including destinations in Mexico, Central America and the Caribbean.

The carrier appeals to budget-minded leisure and business travelers, and elite status will appeal mostly to the carrier’s frequent travelers who want to take advantage of available benefits and point earning bonuses.

Because the perks of status with Southwest are not as robust as those offered by other carriers, you need to determine if you fly enough to achieve elite status and if obtaining that status is worth being loyal to Southwest.

There may be another airline that is a better fit for your travel plans depending on where you are based and where you fly. The domestic legacy carriers have better benefits, though it takes more to achieve elite status with them because Southwest has one of the lowest entry points for status seekers.

✈️ Looking for a new travel credit card this year? See today’s top offers below:

Southwest Rapid Rewards Loyalty Program

Like other major airlines, Southwest has a frequent flyer program called Rapid Rewards. It works somewhat differently than other programs, but essentially you earn points toward award travel by flying just like other airlines reward you with miles, and you redeem your points for award flights.

Unlike other airlines though, Southwest doesn’t limit award seats on flights and there are no blackout dates, so as long as there are open seats on a flight you can book award travel on it. Also, points don’t expire as they do with many other airlines, so even if you are not a frequent Southwest flyer, you should sign up for its Rapid Rewards program when traveling on the airline.

Southwest points are awarded based on the price of the ticket and the type of fare booked. You’ll get six points per dollar spent on its lowest Wanna Get Away fares. Anytime fares earn 10 points per dollar, and Business Select tickets earn 12 points per dollar.

The number of points needed for an award ticket on Southwest vary by destination, demand, fare class and other factors as the amount of points that you need to redeem is tied to the cash price of the ticket.

Southwest elite status is also different from other airlines which have multiple elite status tiers. The airline only has two elite tiers: A-List and A-List Preferred.

How to Get Elite Status

You qualify for A-list and A-List Preferred elite status by flying a particular number of flights or a set number of miles in a calendar year. You earn status the year that you qualify, and you get to keep it the next year as well.

The only other way to help you achieve A-List status on Southwest is by earning elite status points with one of the airline’s co-branded credit cards issued by Chase.

The Rapid Rewards Premier and Priority personal cards, which carry a $99 and $149 annual fee respectively, let you earn 1,500 tier-qualifying points toward Southwest elite status for every $10,000 spent, up to $100,000 for a total of 15,000 possible points per year. The Premier and Performance business cards also offer the same ability to earn tier qualifying points toward elite status. They carry a $99 and $199 fee respectively.

Status March Promotion

Southwest is also currently running a status match promotion if you have elite status with another domestic airline program. To get the match, enroll in the Southwest Rapid Rewards program if you are not already a member, and register for the match promo on this page before 12/31/21. You will be prompted to send the airline an email with proof of your status with another airline frequent flyer program.

If you fly three roundtrips within 90 days of getting approved, Southwest will extend your A-List status for an extra 12 months. The status match process takes about 12 business days, and you will only get elite benefits on flights booked after you are approved. If you are a current A-List member whose status is expiring, you are not eligible for the match.

Southwest Airlines A-List

This is the first tier of elite status with the airline. To achieve it you must fly 25 one-way revenue flights or fly 35,000 miles in a calendar year. That translates to about one round-trip flight per month if you are going by flight segments. Only segments from the origin city to the destination count, not the legs of a connecting flight. All miles flown count.

You keep your status for the year you earned it and the following year. To maintain status and benefits you need to re-qualify each subsequent calendar year. If you earn more points than you need for A-List, you are elevated to the next and highest tier.

Southwest Airlines A-List Preferred

This is the top tier of the airline’s elite status program. You have to fly 50 one-way flights or 70,000 miles in a calendar year to achieve this level. You also get the status and benefits in the year that you qualify and the following year.

This status level earns you a 100% point bonus, so you get double the points you would have earned without status. This is particularly helpful if you are trying to get a Southwest Companion Pass, a highly coveted benefit that allows you to take a spouse or companion for just the cost of taxes and fees.

Other airlines may offer a single companion pass with a credit card sign-up or companion pass certificates based on status, but the Southwest pass let’s you take someone on any flight including award flights.

Companion Pass

If you earn 125,000 points in a single year or fly 100 one-way trips, you will earn a Companion Pass. Like elite status, It is good the year it is earned as well as the following year. All points earned by using any Southwest co-branded credit card to make purchases count toward this benefit, and points earned through partner promotions also count. The points needed for this benefit do not need to be elite qualifying points.

To quickly boost your points balance to get a Companion Pass, you can apply for one or even two of the airline’s credit cards that offer a sign-up bonus. All three personal credit cards including the Southwest Rapid Rewards Plus, Premier and the premium Priority card offer a 40,000-point bonus after you spend $1,000 in the first three months after opening the card.

With Southwest Business credit cards you can earn up to 100,000 points as part of the sign-up bonus. You get 70,000 points after spending $5,000 for purchases on the card in the first three months, but you can also get an additional 30,000 points if you spend a total of $25,000 on the card in the first six months.

You can easily earn a Companion Pass if you successfully apply for a personal and business card and meet the minimum spend on each in the allotted time. If you spend the full amount needed to reach the top sign-up bonus on the business card (100,000 points), and add that to the welcome bonus on the personal card (40,000 points), that will give you 140,000 bonus points, which is more than enough to obtain the Companion Pass.

Do Sign-Up Bonus Points Count Toward Elite Status?

Sign-up bonus points will not get you elite status though, unlike some other co-branded airline cards that offer some level of status as part of the welcome package. You still have to fly on Southwest and/or earn elite qualifying points through spend on one of its co-branded cards, and that option is limited to 15,000 points per card, so at least 10,000 more are needed by flying to reach A-list status if you have only one Southwest card.

Bonus points earned by flying with status (25% with A-List status and 100% with A-List Preferred status) will count toward reaching a higher elite status and will also count toward the Companion Pass, so if you do fly the airline regularly and can achieve status, that will help you reach the number of points needed to secure a pass for your companion to fly free with you.

What are the Benefits and Perks

One of the big perks that other airlines offer elite members is the opportunity to upgrade to first class. But Southwest doesn’t offer first class on its planes as most flights are domestic, so this is not part of the A-List program. Likewise, there are no lounge benefits with this status, which is another big perk for elites in other airline programs.

Also, other airlines that charge for extra baggage offer perks like a free second checked bag. But Southwest includes two checked pieces of luggage for each passenger, so that is also not an incentive in its loyalty program.

Priority Check-in and Security Lane

What you do get is Fly By priority check-in and security lane access to get you through that queue faster. You’ll also get priority boarding for yourself and everyone on your reservation. Boarding passes can be issued 36 hours before the flight, but you still need to check-in online 24 hours prior to your flight to get your boarding pass. There’s also a dedicated phone line for A-list members.

Also, If you’re trying to get on an earlier flight, if you have A-List status you can get same-day standby if available. There are no extra airline fees to make this change, but you do have to pay any associated fees and taxes. If you change the date of the flight, you have to pay the difference in fares as well.

A-List status also helps you earn rewards faster, as you get a 25% bonus on points earned, which lets you accumulate enough points the Companion Pass sooner. If you have A-List Preferred status you earn a 100% point bonus, which is double the points per flight. This is the most valuable benefit of A-List status for many.

Obtaining Elite Status by Flying and Spending

If you fly between US cities frequently for work, then you should be able to achieve elite status with Southwest. You only need to fly 25 one-way flights to get A-List status, so that’s an average of one round-trip flight a month, which is not likely for a vacation traveler, but definitely manageable for a business traveler that lives in a city that Southwest serves and travels to the carrier’s destinations. A-List Preferred takes twice as many flights, so you would need to fly about twice a month to get to this level.

The earlier in the year that you qualify for elite status or the Companion Pass, the more valuable the benefit is because you’ll get to use those perks for the remainder of that year you qualify and the following year. If you can achieve either elite status or earn the Companion Pass in the first quarter for example, you will retain it for nearly two years.

Like elite status, you need to re-qualify for the Companion Pass each calendar year after it expires. Keep in mind that the companion must be booked on the same flight, and if the main passenger has elite status not all of the benefits are available to the companion. Early boarding is available for both passengers because they are booked on a single reservation, but your companion won’t get priority check-in and security lane access if you are an A-List elite and they won’t get free wi-fi if you are an A-List Preferred member.

Southwest Credit Cards

As previously noted, Southwest credit cards have limitations on how many qualifying tier points can be awarded to achieve elite status. How much you plan to spend on the card to achieve tier points is another consideration in whether elite status is an achievable goal.

All personal SW credit cards offer bonus spending categories where you can earn 3x per dollar on dining the first year you have the card and 2x on Southwest purchases as long as you hold the card. You earn one point per dollar for all other purchases.

Business cards earn 3x per dollar on Southwest Airlines purchases and 2x on every dollar spent on social media and search engine advertising, as well as internet, cable and phone services. But while those bonus points will count toward the Companion Pass if that is your goal, they do not count as elite qualifying points so they will not help you earn elite status.

Is it Worth It?

If you are working toward getting the Companion Pass by flying, you will get elite status on the way and that will help you achieve your goal because the earning bonus on flight purchases will help you accumulate more points.

Because all the points you earn through credit card spending don’t count toward elite status though, you need to do the math to determine if elite status is a realistic goal based on your flying and spending patterns if you have a Southwest credit card or plan to get one, as well as tabulating the points you will earn with the fare class you usually book.

If Southwest is your carrier of choice and you fly on it enough for personal and/or business travel, or you can make up the elite qualifying points needed for status with a co-branded card, then it’s worth shooting for. But if you can find comparable fares on another carrier and you fly enough to get elite status with that airline, then those perks are likely more beneficial as Southwest has limited benefits.

If you already have elite status with another carrier though, it’s a no-brainer to match it with Southwest for the perks even if you don’t fly on the airline much. Because they offer discounted fares that are lower than many other domestic carriers, you may find yourself booking a flight in the future so it’s a good idea to secure status if you qualify.

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Obtaining Elite Status by Flying and Spending

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