New Southwest Business Card Application Rules
Southwest Companion Pass season is nearly upon us. But is this year's season about to come screeching to a halt for some? Back on September 11, the ToP blog covered some concerning new language in a co-branded business card offer link. It was first spotted by an eagle-eyed ToP Facebook group member. The language is similar to what we've seen on some other Chase business cards: “The offer may not be available to you if you have ever had this card.” Today, an elevated offer launched on one of the Southwest business cards. Some links for that new offer do carry that concerning language. However, ToP's affiliate link currently does not. We are updating this article to take another look at the terms … and what they might mean for a Companion Pass strategy. 9/30/26 Update: We have independently confirmed with Chase that the “lifetime language” in some application links was a mistake. That language was removed. FWIW, our affiliate links never had the lifetime language, as noted below.
What is the Southwest Companion Pass?
The Southwest Companion Pass has long been one of the most generous—and coveted—perks in award travel. You can add a companion to your reservation for free (other than taxes) on unlimited flights for as long as you hold the pass. There are occasionally limited-time promos that allow you to earn a mini version for a shorter period. But if you want the full pass, you must earn 135,000 Rapid Rewards points or fly 100 qualifying one-way flights in the same calendar year. Once you earn it, it's valid until December 31 of the next year. Earn it in January 2027, and it will be valid until December 31, 2028—nearly two years. While Southwest has recently had a massive culture shift that has diminished its popularity among longtime fans, this perk continues to be valuable. New Southwest business card application rules could derail a path there for some.
What Some New Offer Terms Say
Chase's rules for Southwest credit cards have generally been consistent over the years. The bank will not approve you if you have opened 5 or more personal credit cards (and certain business cards) in the last 24 months. You can't hold more than one Southwest personal card at a time, and you will not qualify for a welcome offer for a Southwest personal card if you've earned a welcome offer from any Southwest personal card within the past 24 months. You can have more than one Southwest business credit card, but you can't open one if you already have that same card. And you will not qualify for a welcome offer for a Southwest business card if you've earned a welcome offer from that particular card within the past 24 months.
Earlier this month, one of our Facebook group members flagged some possible new Southwest business card application rules. In the public offers for the business cards, the Offer Details document said: “The new cardmember bonus may not be available to you if you have ever had this card. We may also consider factors pertinent to your business in determining your bonus eligibility.” The new Southwest® Rapid Rewards® Premier Business offer that launched today also carries that language on some offer links, as shown below:
What Does ToP's Link Say?
As of today, ToP's affiliate link for the card says: “This product is available to you if you do not have a current Southwest Rapid Rewards Credit Card and have not received a new Cardmember bonus within the last 24 months. This does not apply to Business Card and Employee Credit Card products.” Depending on how you read this, it could mean that the card offer is not available if you currently have a Southwest personal card. If so, that might derail the personal and business card application combo that many people like to use to get the Companion Pass. But then the last line also says, “This does not apply to Business Card” products, which may mean that the rule does not affect eligibility for business cards. We may not know how this will play out until we start seeing actual application DPs for this card.
Could This Impact Card Strategy?
There are several strategies you can use to work toward the Companion Pass. Two of the most obvious options—flying 100 qualifying one-way flights or putting enough spending on a Southwest co-branded personal or business credit card to earn 135,000 Rapid Rewards—can be a slow and expensive crawl. The easiest path is through credit card welcome offers. A carefully timed application in the fall can perfectly position you to reach the required threshold early in the following year. The welcome offer amounts change every year. But you'll often need to meet two sign-up bonuses to surpass the 135,000-point mark. Chase does not allow customers to have more than one Southwest personal card. Opening one business and one personal card is usually the best combination. See our full guide to Companion Pass timing and strategy here.
Business Card Strategy May Change Overall
Chase has been tightening business card approvals for more than a year and may have recently implemented a 3/24 rule for some of them. If these changes materialize, applying for Southwest business cards may no longer be the best strategy overall anymore. You may not want a Southwest business card to take a spot that could be filled by a transferable currency card like a Chase Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card, Ink Business Cash® Credit Card, Ink Business Unlimited® Credit Card or Sapphire Reserve For Business℠ card. And there are other valuable co-branded cards you could miss out on, too, like the World of Hyatt Business Credit Card or United℠ Business Card. Each person will have to evaluate their priorities. If you're determined to plot a Companion Pass path, it may also be best to wait and see if any elevated offers materialize on the Southwest personal cards.
New Southwest Business Card Application Rules: ToP Thoughts
We have reached out to the bank for additional clarification. In the meantime, it's important to remember that there's a lot we don't yet know. We don't why the language differs depending on which link you click, and we don't know if the rules will apply differently depending which link you click. In fact, we don't know if or how any new rules will be enforced at all. And we still don't know how a possible new 3/24 rule may come into play when applying for Southwest business cards. As with the terms for some other Chase business cards, the key language here is “may not be available to you.” This is not definitive. In practice, application results for cards with this language have been highly YMMV. We don't yet have data points, and once we do, they will likely vary with every case. TL;DR: It's not time to panic. Don't rethink your Companion Pass strategy—yet. What are your thoughts? Come tell us in the ToP Facebook group.
