SW Credit Card?

You also get 3000 points on your anniversary and double or sometimes even triple points when purchasing from SW partners.

I have had this card for quite a few years and was very happy with it until SW changed the system. Unless you fly a lot it takes longer to get free flites. I have great credit and always pay my balance every month. I called them about the fees and they would not waive them even when I said I was going to cancel it. They said go ahead and cancel it. Southwest is going after the business flyer and not the vacation flyer. My card is coming up again for renewal in feb and I'm undecided whether to renew it or not.

I don't have a southwest card but a Aeroplan Visa which has a yearly fee. My mate & I have flown to

Arizona the past 8 years every Oct/Nov. & used either his points or mine for the flights. 25,000 points per

seat. If we had to pay full fare without a seat sale it would cost us in the neighbourhood of $1,000.00

each. As it is the first year we paid an extra $34.80 and then each year it has gone up because of

security. It is still way cheaper to pay the yearly fee for us and use our card for most purchases. We get

1 1/2 air miles at large chain grocery stores, chain drug stores, and purchases of gasoline. All those points

really do add up. For us it is worth it and we make sure to pay off the card each month so no interest is

ever paid.


Diane

I have one and it is worth the free flights for me. I bought a new car this year and charged the $5000 down payment, which i paid right when the bill was due. I tend to use the SW card instead of department store cards. Either way, I always pay it off each month, so I might as well build points.

We live in the Chicago area, and we would much rather fly out of Midway than O'Hare, another -plus for SW.

Joy

The southwest card is one of the better value plays available right now. Just cancel after first year. The following thread from Flyertalk has the current best frequent flyer mile card opportunities available today.

The very first post is updated regularly and anyone with good credit can take advantage of many of these at one time.

https://www.flyertalk.com/forum/milesbuzz/1177334-special-credit-card-offers-master-thread.html

In the same month they charge you the $69.00 renewel fee, they will credit your rapid rewards account with 3000 points, which they say equals $50.00. This make the renewel fee actually cost $19.00.

You don't "GET" 2 free airline tickets. You have to do something to earn them. Read the offer carefully to find out what it takes to earn a free trip. Ususally your first year is easier. They give you a whole bunch of introductory points just to start using the card. After that it is based on the dollar amount of your purchases. If you don't use the card much, you will not earn any airline tickets. You will simply pay the fee for nothing.

SW now has a new system. I had a SW card under the old system for a couple of years. You got 1 point for every $1,200 in purchases and you needed 12 points for a free ticket. You do the math. You also get 1 point for each SW ticket you purchase as a club member. With a SW credit card they double this to 2 points. You also get points for balance transfers, but there is a transfer fee.

The interest rates are not good, so if you can't pay it off each month, figure the interest charge as part of your "price" for the "free" ticket.

SW is by no means the only or the best airline credit card. Check to see which airline serves the routes you take most frequently. Many offer the first year free. A good way to check it out.

Yes you do have to do something, and that is to make a first purchase of anything, be it a soda in a convenience store.

Then that will give you the amount of points needed on your card that will equal to 2 free trips.


Rick

I got the SWA card last year and did receive two "promo" free roundtrips, these are not the same as a free reward flight. They have been impossible for me to use with the last three trips I've taken and they aren't transferable. They expire soon and I really doubt I'll be able to find a use for them.

So, it is your experience that the 50000 initial points are treated differently from earned points when booking a flight? Has this been the experience with others of you that have received the promo points?

If so, how are they treated differently?