Never Pay for Flights:
Strategies to Maximise Credit Card Benefits to Fly Nearly Free
Strategies to Maximise Credit Card Benefits to Fly Nearly Free
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Full Transparency: We are not monetizing any of our content at this time. Opinions and product recommendations on this site are not those of the credit card companies suggested, being ours alone Guide to Flying Free on Southwest Airlines through Chase Credit Cards If your travel goals are within the Americas and you are loyal to Southwest Airlines, this credit card strategy can get you well over 250,000 miles in Southwest Rapid Rewards Points per person in the first two years. This is a supplement approach to our favorite credit card strategy. A more detailed description of why and how to fly free with Chase credit cards is available by clicking here. Southwest Airlines is our favorite airline for flying to the West Coast, Mountain States, and Central America. Like many people, our first thought on how to earn points for Southwest Airlines was to get one of the three Rapid Rewards Cards by Chase. However, despite the very attractive bonus offers noted below, using the Chase Trifecta as your first and primary means of earning points on Southwest, both in the first 2 years and afterwards will almost always result in more point.
This does not, however mean you should not get the Rapid Rewards cards. In fact, if you are loyal to Southwest for most of your flying, I would suggest all three at some point in the first 4 years of this strategy, dependent on how often you fly. Done right, this will result in roughly the following rewards for someone who spends at least the averages for Americans according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics: Year 1: 131,000 Points/Per Person 131,000Chase:0Southwest Year 2: 111,000 Points/Per Person 70,000Chase:41,000 Southwest Year 3: 81,000 Points/Per Person 40,000Chase:41,000 Southwest Year 4: 81,000 Points/Per Person 40,000Chase:41,000 Southwest Total for 4 years: 404,000 Points/Per Person 281,000Chase:123,000 Southwest Southwest points can be very valuable, especially when Southwest is having a sale. This is because Southwest allow you to use your points at a rate of 1.5 cents to 1 point off of their current pricing. In fact, their fares can sometimes be as low as 5500 points each way. This can lead to dozens of nearly free short flights or several longer, round trips. Therefore, we tend to keep our Chase rewards separated for flexibility and only transfer then to Southwest when we need more than we already have or in the first two years when we are primarily earning Chase Points. Below, we will cover the schedule of how to best use this strategy to earn the most possible points over a 4-year period for an individual and for a couple below that. For the specifics on the Chase Trifecta, which will be the cards you get and use over the first 12 months, please see our more detailed blog here. Click Below to Learn More About How You Can Earn Over 400,000 Points with Chase Credit CardsIndividual Strategy for the Chase Trifecta with the Southwest Airlines Priorit
5. 12 months after you receive your Southwest Rapid Rewards Plus card, Apply for the Rapid rewards Premier card. Do not upgrade, as this will limit your bonus! When you get the new card, transfer your points from the Plus card and cancel the Plus card, since there is no need to have both Southwest cards. You will get the following upgrades
6. 12 months after you receive your Southwest Rapid Rewards Premier card, Apply for the Rapid rewards Priority card. Do not upgrade, as this will limit your bonus! When you get the new card, transfer your points from the Premier card and cancel the Premier card, since there is no need to have both Southwest cards. You will also get the following upgrades:
This will take you to the 4 year point and max out your ability to use credit card bonuses to increase you points earnings on Southwest Airlines, unless they add further cards to their line or you start a business and move on to the Southwest Business cards. The years following, you can either consider adding other airline cards, the American Express Trifecta or just enjoying the 40,000 estimated annual miles you will earn by using the Chase Trifecta for all your purchases, if you spend in accordance with the U.S. BLS average spending for Americans. Couples Strategy for the Chase Trifecta with the Southwest Airlines Priority (Roughly double the points of the individual strategy due to double bonuses and more money spent) 1. ASAP: Both people should apply for the Chase Freedom Unlimited card and charge everything possible on this for the first 3 months. This will be your Grocery Store card for the first year and the card you will use most all 4 years covered here . 2. Three months from receiving the Freedom Unlimited, person 1 should apply for the Chase Sapphire Preferred card, and charge $4000 in the first 3 months. Thereafter, only use this card to charge Travel expenses for the protections and to transfer points. 3. Three months later, person 2 should apply for the Chase Sapphire Preferred card, and charge $4000 in the first 3 months. Thereafter, only use this card to charge Travel expenses for the protections and to transfer points. 4. 12 months after receiving the Freedom Unlimited, both people should apply for the Chase Freedom Flex. This will be your grocery card for the second year, and you will want to use it for the 5% categories from now on. 5. 6 months later, person 1 should apply for the Southwest Rapid Rewards Plus card. This will get you free bags and extra points on Southwest purchases, as well as:
6. Six months later, person 2 should apply for the Southwest Rapid Rewards Plus card. 2. Six months later, person 1 should apply for the Rapid rewards Premier card. Do not upgrade, as this will limit your bonus! When you get the new card, transfer your points from the Plus card and cancel the Plus card, since there is no need to have both Southwest cards. You will get the following upgrades
8. Six months later, person 2 should apply for the Rapid rewards Premier card. Do not upgrade, as this will limit your bonus! When you get the new card, transfer your points from the Plus card and cancel the Plus card, since there is no need to have both Southwest cards. 2. Six months later, person 1 should apply for the Rapid rewards Priority card. Do not upgrade, as this will limit your bonus! When you get the new card, transfer your points from the Premier card and cancel the Premier card, since there is no need to have both Southwest cards. You will also get the following upgrades:
10. Six months later, person 2 should apply for the Rapid rewards Priority card. Do not upgrade, as this will limit your bonus! When you get the new card, transfer your points from the Premier card and cancel the Premier card, since there is no need to have both Southwest cards. This should earn the couple anywhere from 750,000 – 1,000,000 points in less than 5 years. If they have a family it should be much more due to increased expenditures.
This will take you to the 4 ½ year point and max out your ability to use credit card bonuses to increase you points earnings on Southwest Airlines, unless they add further cards to their line or you start a business and move on to the Southwest Business cards. The years following, you can either consider adding other airline cards, the American Express Trifecta or just enjoying the 80,000 estimated annual miles you will earn by using the Chase Trifecta for all your purchases, if you spend in accordance with the U.S. BLS average spending for Americans. We are writing similar strategies for all of the other Chase Transfer Partners, if you prefer these carriers and will link them below as they are completed.
Please use the embedded links where possible. We receive a small commission on many of the products we promote which helps us educated travelers on how to travel better for less. Also, if this is helpful for you share it and consider sponsoring us on Patreon. Sponsorships start at $3/month, which is less than 1% of what you will earn by using this guide to make money for your travels. Important: The instructions in this guide are based on current credit card incentives. We will periodically update them to keep them accurate, but there is no way to guarantee that the particular costs and incentives will be available at the time you choose to enroll in the services we suggest here. They could be better or worse. We are doing this as a service to you and may be compensated from other organizations for referring you to their services. Always read all credit card agreements and terms carefully before signing up, and remember to spend responsibly to avoid interest and fines. These strategies can be a great tool to enrich your life and can improve your credit when used correctly, but irresponsible spending on credit cards can do just the opposite. We attempt to influence people towards what we think is the best strategy for them, but we are not experts or professional financial advisors. Please monitor your credit and spending. We suggest you adjust these schedules as needed to keep or advance your credit at the level you are targeting. We keep ours in the mid to high 700s at all times and find that easy to do through paying off all credit card debt every month, and never paying any creditors late. You should too. Please leave us any questions below or contact us on our Facebook or Instagram accounts @oldsolestravel . We do our best to help you save money, travel more, and “Find Yourself on the Journey”.
1 Comment
Koskutim
5/31/2022 02:49:36 pm
Hi guys! Great info! My question is doesn't applying for so many credit cards in such short time will destroy your credit score? Thanks!
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Author,Turtle and Bear love to travel and do so, far and wide, on Park Ranger salaries which can be quite a challenge. Here we teach you to leverage credit card benefits to save a lot of money and travel better, more often, and for much less $$$$ than you think. ArchivesCategories |