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Just getting started in the world of points and miles? The Chase Sapphire Preferred is the best card for you to start with.
With a bonus of 60,000 points after $4,000 spend in the first 3 months, 5x points on travel booked through the Chase Travel℠ and 3x points on restaurants, streaming services, and online groceries (excluding Target, Walmart, and wholesale clubs), this card truly cannot be beat for getting started!
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A Question for the Travel Master….: I have excellent credit (790 score). I currently have both of these cards (biz/personal 50Kpts) and have had one for 18 months and the other for 10 months. If I was to cancel both cards and then try to apply for the same two cards (to try to get the 100K pts) a week or two later would that get approved by Chase?
There are four cards. Figure out whether you have Plus or Premier and apply for the ones you don’t have.
I have two premier cards. Is it better to cancel those or try to get approved for all four? What’s a good justification (if they ask) for adding two more cards to one account?
The reports I have seen have not specified whether the other cards were cancelled first. But I can’t think of a reason to hold all four at once.
Awesome. If I cancel the two premier cards, wait a week and then apply for the two plus cards. Any estimate of how many points that would lower my credit score by? I.e. would it be more than 30 points?
The cancellation will not affect your credit score according to the factors on FICO’s site. I won’t hazard a guess about your credit score, but I would expect mine to drop 3-5 points per app.
Any idea how long this offer will last? My last Chase application was in late november so I’m hoping it will last until late Feb/early March.
No idea. Last time I did know the date, but not this time.
Let’s hope it lasts, I’m switching to your strategy of applying for multiple cards at once on the same day from different banks rather than one card a month from a different bank each month.
I got the premiere personal card in mid-November and was just approved for the plus. I had to move around some of my credit since I have an absurd amount of Chase credit, but it took 5 min on the phone.
If my mom were to get the credit cards and gift me the points, would I be able to use those points to qualify for a companion pass? (I would not be eligible for 2 cards with my income).
She can’t gift you the points. (She could transfer them at a very high possibly.) But in any case, one person needs to get 110k by himself.
If you already have a Premier card, the 6,000 point annual bonus (that you earn when you pay the annual fee) counts toward CP. In my case, by sheer luck, my bonus posts in early January – another way to help get to the required 110,000.
Great tip. Thanks!
Sweet. Just got approved for the Plus personal card. I got the Premier personal in November and was rejected for the business card. I hit my spend on that card this month and the bonus posted almost immediately.
Was worried I wouldn’t be able to get to the companion pass, but now super stoked and can’t wait for the card to arrive. I should hit that bonus by March at the latest. I will use the ever living crap out of the companion pass and Southwest flies on all of my currently planned travel. I can’t wait for those international routes to roll out too.
Enjoy, Ray! If only Southwest starts to fly to Hawaii, y’all can come visit.
Thanks for posting your success! I applied for Premier and Business Oct 30 and was approved Pemier and also denied business. I am intending to apply for the Plus but not sure how long to wait after my biz denial. May I ask how many accounts you have with Chase? I have 4 personal and Ink Business.
If you don’t have a business, could you apply to both personal cards? Is it harder to get both? I don’t want to end up getting one application accepted and one denied. thanks!
Ray got both, but not at the same time.
i just managed to get both personal cards at the same time. I had to call because of security reasons (multiple applications) but they approved both.
Incredible. Thanks for the report!
Is there anyway to get your southwest points early, before the 1st statement is due? Can you pre-pay and get the points or do you have to wait until you get your statement? Thanks!
Not that I know of.
Do I understand correctly that the only difference between the Plus and the Premier is the anniversary bonus (3k vs. 6k points, and $69 vs. $99 annual fee, respectively)? What do you think of the added value of the Premier, given the higher annual fee.
Thanks–I’m a new reader and appreciate all the great info.
The Premier is better if you plan to hold more than 24 months.
[…] There are four Southwest cards that are currently offering 50k bonus Rapid Rewards after spending $2k in the first three months. Here’s an article explaining the four cards, and how to use them to get a Southwest Companion … […]
I have a plus card that I have had awhile, (over 2 years). I was told by a chase customer service rep today that I would not qualify for the 50K bonus if I applied for a premier card because I had already gotten a bonus when I was approved for the plus card a few years back. Anyone experienced this issue or no how to get around it? Thanks
I called SWA and asked the agent if I could get the companion pass if I signed up for both cards and she said those points would not count toward the companion pass. I called Chase and they told me the same thing. Do you think this rule count be new since this article was written?
No, I don’t think it’s a new rule. I think they say that but that the points do count. YMMV because at some point I do expect things to change.
[…] you get a Southwest personal and business card at the same time with 50,000 point sign up bonuses, you can get a Companion Pass with Southwest that allows your companion to travel with you for only $5.60 one way whenever you […]
[…] The fact that you can get the Southwest Companion Pass, one of the best deals in travel, from two credit card sign ups and a little bit of spending is unreal. […]