As we wrote about not too long ago, Southwest was interested in creating a new business credit card. It looks like those rumors were right, and we have the new Southwest Business Performance card.
Card Summary
First and foremost, we have to talk about the huge 80,000 point sign up bonus because it’s frankly a HUGE sign up bonus. If we value the points as being worth 1.5 cents per point (TPG), that 80,000 point sign up bonus is worth $1200. Of course that’s before you consider the points would bring you pretty close to a companion pass, but we’ll cover that in the next section.
The card comes with a $199 annual fee that is not waived in the first year. For that annual fee, you will be earning in these categories:
- 3x points: Southwest or partner purchases
- 2x points: Social media and search engine advertising and telecommunication purchases (internet, phone, and tv)
- 1x: everywhere else
In addition to earning points, there are other benefits included in owning an airline credit card. Cardholders will get four upgraded boarding per anniversary year, 365 WiFi credits of $8 dollars each, and 9,000 anniversary points each year. The card also includes a TSA Precheck/Global Entry Credit.
Companion Pass Consideration
Now, when it comes to Southwest, the Companion Pass is a pretty lucrative benefit; it is wildly different from any other companion fare. If you are able to earn 110,000 Southwest points within a year, Southwest will give you a Companion Pass. The pass is good for the remainder of the calendar year that you earned it (the rest of 2019) and the entire next year (until December 31st). The Companion Pass allows you to get a free flight (not including taxes and fees) for your companion any single time you book a flight as long as you have the pass.
As you can see, earring 80,000 points from this card would bring you most of the way towards earning the Companion Pass. If you are able to pick up this card, and another personal Southwest card, you would have more than 110,000 points needed for the pass. Of course, the ideal time to earn these 110,000 is towards the beginning of the year, to really maximize the amount of time you have with the pass.
Final Thoughts
If your business travels on Southwest a lot, this card is really an advantageous one to get. The sign up bonus on this card is higher than we’ve seen from a Southwest card, and it really brings you close to the companion pass. Of course, if you really want to maximize the time you have with the companion pass, you’ll want to earn the points as early in the year as possible, but if you wanted to grab it as soon as possible, this is the way to go.
What do you think about the new business Southwest card? Let us know what you think about the WiFi credits too!
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