There is a certain kind of airline credit card that does not need to win on earning rates, lounge access, or flashy premium perks. It only needs to solve one problem often enough to justify its annual fee. The free checked bag card is the classic example. These are not necessarily cards to spend on every day. They are often cards to keep because the math works at the airport, not at the grocery store.
That framing matters because bag-fee cards are easy to underestimate. In a wallet full of 5x categories, transferable points, and premium travel cards, a co-branded airline card can look underwhelming on paper. Yet a single family trip, a couple of domestic roundtrips, or regular work travel with checked luggage can make a “boring” airline card one of the most practical cards in the portfolio.
The keeper logic for bag-fee cards
A checked-bag benefit is one of the easiest airline perks to value because it replaces a direct out-of-pocket cost. When the perk is reliable, the cardholder does not need a speculative redemption or a perfect award chart sweet spot in order to come out ahead. The card either avoids baggage charges or it does not.
That is why bag-fee cards fit neatly into a “keeper card” framework. These cards do not have to be the best earners in the wallet. They simply need to pay for themselves often enough. In practice, that often means they stay open even when other cards get downgraded or canceled for annual-fee reasons.
Southwest: downgrade, don’t necessarily dump
Southwest is the easiest place to start because it illustrates how quickly the value proposition of a card can change. Southwest’s co-branded consumer cards currently advertise first checked bag free for the cardmember and up to eight additional passengers on the same reservation, provided the Rapid Rewards number is attached appropriately. All of the consumer Southwest cards participate in that benefit, not just the premium Priority version.
That is important because it means a downgrade from Southwest Priority to a lower-fee Southwest credit card can preserve the checked-bag benefit while reducing the annual fee burden. For someone who already has A-List status, that matters even more. A-List now already covers preferred or standard seat selection at booking and allows extra legroom seat selection within 48 hours when available, reducing the distinct value of the higher-end card’s travel-day perks.
In other words, Southwest is a case where the right move may be to keep the airline relationship but simplify the card. The checked-bag feature survives the downgrade, while elite status picks up much of the slack on the travel experience side.
Alaska: a classic bag-fee keeper
Alaska’s co-branded credit card remains one of the clearest examples of a bag-fee keeper card. Bank of America’s Alaska/Atmos consumer card offers a free checked bag and preferred boarding for the cardholder and up to six guests on the same reservation when the eligible Alaska or Hawaiian flight is purchased with the card. That can add up quickly for anyone traveling with companions or checking luggage even a few times per year.
This is the kind of benefit that can quietly justify the annual fee without any help from bonus categories. It does not need to compete with transferable points cards on everyday spend because its value shows up exactly when Alaska is the airline being flown. That is often the hallmark of a successful keeper card: it is not trying to be universal, only useful in the right moments.
American Airlines: not flashy, still useful
The Citi AAdvantage cards fit the same mold. Citi notes that eligible AAdvantage cardmembers receive a free first checked bag on domestic American Airlines itineraries for themselves and up to four companions traveling on the same reservation. On the Platinum Select side, Citi explicitly states that the first checked bag is free on domestic itineraries for the primary cardmember and up to four companions.
That is enough to make the AAdvantage card easy to justify for someone who flies American often enough to encounter checked-bag fees. This is not necessarily a card to use for general spending if stronger transferable-points cards are already in the wallet. But as a bag-fee tool, it is straightforward and practical.
Delta: useful benefit, awkward timing
No bag fee right!
Delta’s co-branded American Express cards offer one of the stronger versions of the first checked bag free benefit. Delta states that eligible Delta SkyMiles American Express cardmembers can check the first bag free on eligible Delta flights, with the waiver extending to up to eight travel companions on the same reservation, for a total of nine passengers. Delta specifically lists Gold, Platinum, and Reserve personal and business SkyMiles cards as eligible for the first-bag-free benefit.
On pure utility, that is appealing. On timing, it may not be. The issue is not the bag benefit itself. The issue is American Express’s bonus policy. Amex is widely known for a “once per lifetime” welcome-offer rule, under which a card’s bonus is generally available only once per person per product. That means applying for a Delta SkyMiles card just to lock in a checked-bag perk can be a poor trade if there is any chance that same product might be more valuable later when a strong welcome bonus or a different travel need comes along.
That makes Delta the odd one out in this strategy. The checked-bag benefit is real and useful, but it is not compelling enough right now to justify consuming a valuable Amex slot and potentially burning long-term bonus eligibility just for baggage savings.
How these cards fit in a sophisticated wallet
A mature points-and-miles wallet does not need every card to serve the same role. Some cards exist to earn 5x. Some exist to unlock transfers. Some exist to provide travel protections. And some exist because a checked bag costs real money and the card reliably waives that cost.
That is why bag-fee cards often survive even after more glamorous cards get downgraded. They are purpose-built. Southwest may be worth keeping in a cheaper version because A-List already covers so much of the premium card overlap while the checked-bag feature remains in the card family. Alaska remains compelling because the bag perk can extend to multiple travelers on the same reservation. Citi AAdvantage remains a useful American Airlines companion even if it is not the first choice for daily spend.
The common thread is simple: these are not cards being kept for theoretical value. They are being kept because they make travel cheaper in a direct, repeatable way. In a hobby that can sometimes overcomplicate value, that kind of simplicity is a feature, not a bug.
There is a certain point in a points-and-miles journey where the goal stops being “find the single best card” and becomes “make the cards already in the wallet work together.” That is the sweet spot here. This setup is not about starting from scratch with a beginner two-card strategy. It is about extracting outsized value from a mature portfolio of personal cards, business cards, legacy products, rotating-category cards, and a few keeper cards that continue to earn their place year after year.
At the center of the strategy are three ideas. First, the wallet leans heavily on multiple 5x and 5% opportunities, including a legacy Amex SimplyCash Business, two Discover cards, and two Chase Freedom-family cards. Second, business cards do a lot of the heavy lifting, especially where they can complement personal cards and unlock point transfers or specialized bonus categories. Third, annual fees are being treated pragmatically: cards stay when they provide real, recurring value and get downgraded when elite status or overlapping perks make the premium version unnecessary.
The 5x foundation
The biggest strength in this wallet is not one premium travel card. It is the number of ways it can generate elevated returns on ordinary spending. That begins with the legacy Amex SimplyCash Business card, which earns 5% cash back at U.S. office supply stores and on wireless telephone services purchased directly from U.S. service providers, on up to $50,000 per calendar year in combined purchases. For anyone paying a sizeable cell phone bill, that alone can make the card worth keeping, especially because few other cards still offer true 5% back on wireless service without a complicated portal or temporary promotion.
That is only part of the story. Two Discover cards create two separate 5% quarterly category caps, and that matters. Discover’s rotating categories earn 5% cash back on up to $1,500 in purchases per quarter after activation. When a quarter lines up with restaurants, that effectively creates two separate $1,500 caps to work with. For someone who reliably maximizes restaurant bonuses, that means a total of $3,000 per quarter can be pushed through Discover at 5% before the category is tapped out.
It’s not just credit card bonuses we also live for long-term 5x and stack-able cash back!
The Chase side is similarly strong. One legacy Chase Freedom card and one Freedom Flex create two additional 5x rotating-category lanes, each with its own $1,500 quarterly cap after activation. The Freedom Flex also brings permanent bonus categories such as 5% on travel booked through Chase Travel and 3% on dining and drugstores, but the more important point here is structural: having two Freedom-family cards means more room to exploit strong quarterlies when categories are useful. In practice, this kind of setup turns a routine quarterly promotion into a genuine strategy rather than a novelty.
Why the business cards matter so much
If the 5x cards are the engine, the business cards are the transmission. They determine how the rest of the wallet functions. That is especially true in the Chase ecosystem, where the distinction between a simple cash back card and a full-fledged transferable points card can come down to whether a premium Ultimate Rewards card is in the mix.
Ink Business Preferred is the most important business card in the current setup. It earns 3x on travel, shipping, internet/cable/phone services, and advertising purchases made with social media sites and search engines, on up to $150,000 in combined purchases per account year. That broad mix makes it unusually practical for a real business owner because it catches categories that are common but rarely covered well by consumer travel cards: phone service, internet, paid social, search ads, and travel spend that does not need to go through a portal.
That matters because business expenses are not hypothetical here. Travel, telecom, and digital advertising are real recurring costs. Ink Preferred can cover airfare, hotel stays that code as travel, car rentals, rideshare, tolls, parking, mobile phone service, and paid ads on platforms like Meta and Google Ads. Unlike many “business rewards” cards that mostly just reward office supply spend, Ink Preferred works well for a modern media or online business that buys traffic, depends on connectivity, and spends heavily on travel.
Ink Cash as the no-fee utility card
There is a strong case for downgrading Ink Preferred to Ink Cash and letting Sapphire Preferred carry the transferable-points burden on the personal side. Ink Business Cash has no annual fee and earns 5% cash back on the first $25,000 per account year in combined purchases at office supply stores and on internet, cable, and phone services, plus 2% at gas stations and restaurants on the first $25,000 per year in combined purchases. If the goal is to reduce fees while still maintaining strong category coverage, Ink Cash is one of the most useful downgrade targets in the Chase system.
This is where Chase’s ecosystem design becomes especially valuable. Points earned on Freedom, Freedom Flex, and Ink Cash can be combined with a premium Ultimate Rewards account, such as Sapphire Preferred or Ink Preferred, and then transferred to airline and hotel partners. That means the no-fee cards are not merely “cash back” tools. In the right setup, they are effectively 5x transferable points cards. That is the core reason business cards complement the personal cards so well: the no-fee cards do the earning, and the premium card unlocks the redemption power.
In other words, a business card like Ink Cash is not just a downgrade path. It is part of a deliberate division of labor. The business side can rack up 5x on telecom and office-related spend, while the personal side keeps the transfer capability and consumer-facing perks alive.
Sapphire Preferred versus Ink Preferred
The fee question becomes more interesting because both Sapphire Preferred and Ink Preferred carry roughly the same annual fee, but they do different jobs. Sapphire Preferred brings the $50 annual hotel credit through Chase Travel, a 10% anniversary points bonus on base points earned from spending, the ability to transfer Ultimate Rewards to partners, and useful personal travel protections. Ink Preferred brings broader 3x business categories and cell phone protection when the bill is paid with the card.
For a user whose spending skews toward business travel, phone service, internet, and advertising, Ink Preferred can easily out-earn Sapphire Preferred. For a user who values dining, streaming, the hotel credit, and personal travel benefits, Sapphire Preferred can feel richer for the same annual fee. That is why the most sensible medium-term structure may be to keep Sapphire Preferred as the premium Ultimate Rewards anchor while converting Ink Preferred into Ink Cash, at least until there is a compelling reason to reopen or newly apply for another Ink Preferred for a bonus.
The Citi side: pairing Strata and Custom Cash
The same “team game” philosophy also applies in the Citi ecosystem. Citi Strata Premier is the premium ThankYou card in the wallet, with 3x on air travel and hotels, plus 3x on restaurants and gas, alongside the ability to transfer ThankYou points to partners. Citi Custom Cash, by contrast, is a tactical card that earns 5% back on the top eligible spend category each billing cycle, on up to $500 in purchases, then 1% thereafter.
On its own, Custom Cash is a nice niche card. Paired with Strata Premier, it becomes much more interesting. That pairing allows category-specific 5x earning on the Custom Cash side while keeping access to Citi’s broader transfer ecosystem through Strata Premier. It is the Citi equivalent of using Freedom or Ink Cash to feed points into a premium Chase card. The formula is familiar because it works: cheap earners on the front end, premium transfer card on the back end.
One note of caution remains important here. Custom Cash’s “select travel” category does include hotels when they code as travel, but not every stay thought of as a hotel will actually code that way. Extended stays, boutique properties, or payments processed through rental/property-management platforms may code as real estate or rentals instead of lodging, which means they will not trigger travel bonuses on Citi or Chase travel cards. That lesson is especially relevant for anyone who books unusual or longer-term lodging arrangements.
Keeper cards and practical annual-fee logic
Not every card needs to be an earning star to deserve a place in the wallet. PenFed Pathfinder is a perfect example of a “keeper by credit” card. Its main role here is simple: it is being retained for the $100 annual travel credit. There is value in that kind of simplicity. A card does not need to win every spending category if it reliably returns more than it costs.
The same logic cuts the other direction for cards whose premium features are now redundant. Southwest is the clearest example. With A-List status already in hand, the premium Southwest Priority card loses much of its on-boarding and seat-selection distinctiveness because A-List now already provides preferred or standard seat selection at booking and access to extra legroom seats within 48 hours when available. That makes a downgrade to a lower-fee Southwest card far easier to justify.
In that situation, the choice between Southwest Plus and Southwest Premier becomes mostly a math problem centered on annual fee, anniversary points, and the value of the flight discount code rather than a question of airport experience. If A-List is already doing the heavy lifting on travel-day benefits, paying extra for overlapping card perks becomes much harder to defend.
Cell phone bills: one of the most interesting battlegrounds
One of the more revealing spending categories in this wallet is the cell phone bill because several cards compete for the same spend. The legacy American Express SimplyCash earns 5% on wireless purchased directly from U.S. service providers. Ink Preferred earns 3x on phone services and also provides cell phone protection when the bill is paid with the card. Ink Cash, if adopted via downgrade, would earn 5x on phone service with no annual fee.
That makes the “best” card for the bill surprisingly context-dependent. If the goal is raw return, SimplyCash and Ink Cash have the edge at 5% or 5x. If the goal is balancing rewards with insurance benefits, Ink Preferred has a strong argument. The real complication is T-Mobile’s autopay policy: using a regular credit card can cost the monthly autopay discount because T-Mobile limits the discount to bank account, debit card, or its own card payment methods. That turns what looks like a simple “5x versus 3x” question into a larger optimization decision involving foregone discounts, insurance value, and rewards.
A portfolio built for combination plays
The most interesting part of this wallet is not any one card. It is the interaction between them. Two Discover cards mean quarterly category depth instead of just occasional convenience. Two Freedom-family cards mean quarterly Chase bonuses can be pressed harder than they could with a single card. A premium Ultimate Rewards card makes those rotating-category points much more valuable because they can be transferred out rather than merely redeemed as cash back.
The business cards deepen that effect rather than sitting off to the side. Ink Preferred captures the kinds of business expenses that a modern digital business actually incurs. Ink Cash can be a no-fee way to keep harvesting 5x from telecom and office-related spend while preserving the ability to combine points with Sapphire Preferred. Citi Strata and Citi Custom Cash do the same thing on the ThankYou side.
This is what a mature wallet should look like: not a pile of isolated cards, but a system. The premium cards are there to unlock value. The no-fee cards and legacy cards are there to generate it. The keeper cards (such as these bag fee prevention cards) hold niche perks that still beat their cost. The downgrade candidates are the ones whose benefits have been overtaken by elite status or duplicated elsewhere. That is how a large portfolio becomes more manageable and more profitable at the same time.
Our credit card strategy has changed from travel to earning more points while not traveling during this pandemic. One thing we did while quarantined and ordering online is we collected points and miles in order to save money in the future. Our strategy has changed wanting more benefits with travel and high cash back on Gas.
That space in your wallet or purse is valuable, and you should be the one to get that value. Selected banks are offering strong perks and $500+ value for a single card during the first year to encourage you to apply and try it out. These are the top 10 credit card offers that I would personally apply for right now, if I didn’t already have most of them. Notable changes:
IHG Hotels 140k/75k – 140k still highest ever, new 75k traveler offer.
Chase Freedom Unlimited raised to $250 Bonus plus extra cashback on groceries and gas stations
AmEx Blue Cash Preferred to Add Streaming, Transit Bonus Categories
If you pay off your balances every month, then you can join me and many others in funding a huge chunk of your annual travel budget with cash credits, points, and miles. You don’t need to be a “I only fly business class” world traveler. I mostly use my rewards points on domestic economy flights, mid-class hotels, and cheap car rentals. If you have credit card debt, you should focus on paying that off first as the interest charges could offset most of the perks.
This is a companion post to my Top 5 Best Business Card Offers. Small business bonuses are on average even higher than those on consumer cards.
A top travel card is now offering 100,000 bonus points after $5,000 in spending. That’s enough for a dozen short-haul trips, lie-flat seats, or five-star stays.
✔️ 1:1 transfers to major airline and hotel programs ✔️ 5x points on travel portal, 3x on dining ✔️ $50 annual hotel credit ✔️ No foreign transaction fees
$300 in statement credits every cardmember year for bookings made through Capital One Travel; this can be applied toward any type of travel booked through Capital One Travel, including flights, hotels, rental cars, etc. 10,000 bonus Venture miles on the account anniversary every year; there’s no spending requirement to unlock this, and it’s worth a minimum of $100 toward a travel purchase, or could get you up to 10,000 airline miles (which I value at $170)
Up to 50,000 Hyatt points. 25,000 Bonus Points after $3,000 in purchases in the first 3 months. Plus an additional 25,000 Bonus Points after a total of $6,000 in purchases within the first 6 months. See link for details and rough valuation of points.
$95 annual fee, free night award upon card anniversary.
INTRO OFFER: Discover will match ALL the cash back you’ve earned at the end of your first year, automatically. There’s no signing up. And no limit to how much is matched.
Earn 5% cash back on everyday purchases at different places each quarter like grocery stores, restaurants, gas stations, select rideshares and online shopping, up to the quarterly maximum when you activate.
Plus, earn unlimited 1% cash back on all other purchases – automatically.
Redeem cash back any amount, any time. Rewards never expire.
Use your rewards at Amazon.com checkout.
Get an alert if we find your Social Security number on any of thousands of Dark Web sites.* Activate for free.
Marriott credit cards from Chase and American Express now earn an elevated 6X Marriott Bonvoy points per dollar spent on eligible grocery purchases amid coronavirus.
60,000 American Airlines miles after $3,000 in purchases in the first 3 months. See link for details.
First checked bag free on domestic AA flights ($60 value per roundtrip, per person).
$0 annual fee for the first year, then $99.
Barclays AAdvantage Aviator Red World Elite Mastercard
60,000 American Airlines miles after any purchase in the first 90 days and paying the $99 annual fee. See link for details.
$99 Companion certificate offer. Earn a certificate good for 1 guest at $99 (plus taxes and fees) after making your first purchase and paying the $99 annual fee in the first 90 days.
First checked bag free on domestic AA flights ($60 value per roundtrip, per person).
$99 annual fee.
Citi Strata Premier Card
60,000 points (worth $750 towards travel booked at ThankYou.com) after $4,000 in purchases in the first 3 months. See link for details.
3X points for every $1 spent on travel including gas stations.
Must not have gotten bonus from or closed a Citi Rewards+, ThankYou Preferred, Premier, or Prestige card in the past 24 months.
$95 annual fee.
Bank of America Premium Rewards Card
50,000 points (worth $500 towards travel) after $3,000 in purchases within the first 90 days. See link for details.
2 points for every $1 spent on travel and dining purchases and 1.5 points for every $1 spent on all other purchases.
$100 annual Airline Incidental Statement Credit.
Up to $100 credit towards TSA PreCheck or Global Entry application fee.
$95 annual fee.
Hawaiian Airlines World Elite MasterCard (Soon to be Alaska Airlines)
50,000 Hawaiian miles after $2,000 in purchases within 90 days. See link for details.
Free first checked bag for primary cardmember when using your card to purchase eligible tickets directly from Hawaiian Airlines.
Receive a one-time 50% off companion discount for roundtrip coach travel between Hawaii and The Mainland on Hawaiian Airlines.
$99 annual fee.
During this Coronavirus pandemic your credit card rewards can help you pay for groceries, food delivery and essentials. This is by using points, gift cards, or statement credits from existing cards or new ones with bonuses.
Note: Certain Chase cards have a “5/24 rule” which is an unofficial rule that they will automatically deny approval on new credit cards if you have 5 or more new credit cards from any issuer on your credit report within the past 2 years. This rule applies on a per-person basis, so if you are new, you might want to start with those Chase cards.
Chase just announced a new limited-time offers for its Southwest consumer credit cards, allowing cardholders to earn the #1 rated airline’s amazing Companion Pass plus 100,000 bonus points when they meet a minimum spending requirement.
If you frequently travel with a plus-one, the Companion Pass allows you to add them to any Southwest flight for just the cost of taxes and fees.
How to Qualify for the New Southwest Companion Pass Offer
Credit card issuers often offer increased sign-up bonuses for a limited time, and this one is no different. To qualify, you’ll need to do the following.
Imagine flying with a companion for virtually free for two whole years! Southwest Airlines is making that dream a reality with an incredible new offer on all three personal Chase Southwest credit cards. This is your chance to snag the highly coveted Southwest Companion Pass for 2026 and 2027, and potentially even for the last few months of 2025!
Here’s how to seize this fantastic opportunity:
The Generous 100,000 Point Signup Bonus
Southwest is currently offering a massive 100,000 point signup bonus when you open any of their personal Chase Southwest credit cards. To earn this bonus, you’ll need to spend $4,000 within the first five months of account opening. This extended spending window gives you plenty of time to meet the requirement at your own pace. But don’t wait too long – this limited-time offer is scheduled to end soon.
Your Path to the Companion Pass
To earn the Southwest Companion Pass, you typically need 135,000 qualifying points. However, here’s where this offer gets even better:
10,000 Point Head Start: Every year, Southwest sweetens the deal by depositing 10,000 Companion Pass qualifying points into your account by January 31st. This means you effectively only need to earn 125,000 points to secure the pass.
104,000+ Points from the Bonus: Once you meet the $4,000 spending requirement, you’ll have at least 104,000 points (100,000 bonus + 4,000 from spending), possibly more depending on your spending categories.
Bridging the Gap: You’ll only need to earn approximately 21,000 additional points to reach the 125,000 effective threshold. There are many easy ways to do this, such as everyday spending on the card, making purchases through the Southwest shopping portal, or even transferring points from partners.
Double the Fun: Two Years of Companion Pass
By hitting the 135,000 point threshold in 2026, you’ll not only enjoy the Companion Pass for the remainder of 2025 but also for the entirety of 2027 and 2028. That’s up to two full years of bringing a friend or family member along for just the cost of taxes and fees on your Southwest flights.
Don’t miss out on this incredible chance to maximize your travel and explore more with a companion by your side!
Compare Southwest Consumer Credit Cards
CREDIT CARD
ANNUAL FEE
INTRO BONUS
PERKS
LEARN MORE
Southwest Rapid Rewards Plus Credit Card
$69 (Free with benefits)
Companion Pass®SOUTHWEST RAPID REWARDS POINTS More Info
Lost luggage reimbursement Baggage delay insurance
Visit the offer page: The offer is currently not available when you visit the card landing pages on Chase’s website, so be sure to use one of the above links to apply.
Apply by the offer deadline: The limited-time offer won’t be around for more than a few weeks, so be sure to apply as soon as possible if you’re interested.
Meet the spending requirement: You’ll need to spend $4,000 in the first three months. Keep in mind that the clock starts when you open your account, not when you receive the card.
The Southwest Companion Pass could be your ticket to amazing family adventures. It lets you bring a kiddo (or any companion!) for free (just pay taxes and fees) on any Southwest flight you book. Sounds awesome, right? Remember that each Southwest credit card has its own benefits, so compare them to find the one that suits your family’s travel style.
Do your research, weigh the pros and cons, and then jet set to incredible memories with your loved ones!
Also keep in mind they do these amazing special offer via Chase Offers such as below 10% back at Panera and 10% on Jersey Mike’s and Walmart:
The Chase Sapphire Preferred Card is one of our all-time favorite travel rewards cards up there with the Venture X Card — and right now, it’s offering a welcome bonus of 100,000 Ultimate Rewards points. There’s never been a better time to apply for this ultra-well-rounded $95 annual fee card. And we’ll show you why.
Welcome Bonus: Earn 100,000 bonus points after you spend $5,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening. Go here and start earning towards summer travel!
Earn 100,000 Points With the Chase Sapphire Preferred
As a new applicant for the Sapphire Preferred, you can earn 100,000 bonus points after you spend $5,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening.
This offer is nothing short of incredible; it’s the most generous welcome bonus we’ve seen on this card in nearly four years. We highly recommend this card and this Southwest Airlines offer as our top two deals right now.
What is this Sapphire Preferred welcome offer worth?
The value of the Sapphire Preferred welcome bonus depends on how you choose to redeem your new stash of Ultimate Rewards points. But no matter how you use them, these points are worth a lot.
To get the most value, one of the best strategies is transferring your points to Chase’s 14 travel partners. On average, RewardsCards users redeem Ultimate Rewards points this way for 1.93¢ each — making the bonus worth over $1,900 toward award travel. And Chase has some excellent partners, including Marriott, World of Hyatt, IHG, Virgin Atlantic Flying Club, and United MileagePlus.
If you’d rather avoid the hassle of transferring points and searching for award space, you can redeem points earned with the Sapphire Preferred at a fixed rate of 1.25¢ each through Chase Travel.
Cardholders can also combine Ultimate Rewards points earned across their entire portfolio of Chase cards into a single account. That makes it easy to maximize card earnings and accumulate enough points toward your next redemption.
Why Should You Get the Sapphire Preferred?
It’s important to remember that the unpredictable economy could limit the availability of large bonuses like this from major banks, such as Chase. This might be the last opportunity before a potential recession or housing market downturn. Accumulate your points and choose the credit cards that will be most beneficial during difficult times, while also investing in future travel and better times.
Welcome bonus aside, the Sapphire Preferred is an incredibly well-rounded travel rewards card. It’s one we recommend to beginners and seasoned travelers alike. Here are just a few reasons why.
Lucrative earning rates
It’s easy to stock up on Ultimate Rewards points thanks to the Sapphire Preferred‘s many bonus categories. With this card, you’ll earn points as follows:
5X points on Lyft rides through March 2025
5X points on travel purchased through Chase Travel℠
3X points on dining at restaurants worldwide
3X points on eligible streaming services
3X points on online grocery purchases (excluding Target, Walmart, and wholesale clubs)
2X points on all other travel
1X point per dollar spent on all other purchases
Several useful benefits
The Sapphire Preferred has a lengthy list of practical benefits, including:
$50 annual hotel credit.
10% anniversary bonus points on the points you’ve accumulated from purchases over the past year.
Complimentary DashPass from DoorDash.
Primary collision damage waiver (CDW) insurance on car rentals worldwide.
Trip delay reimbursement of up to $500 per ticket for delays of 12+ hours.
Trip cancellation and interruption insurance up to $20k per covered trip.
Lost luggage reimbursement and baggage delay coverage.
Extended warranty and purchase protection.
No foreign transaction fees.
Reasonable annual fee
The Sapphire Preferred offers cardholders a lot of value — and you’ll get it all for just a $95 annual fee.
Who’s Eligible for This Sapphire Preferred Welcome Bonus?
Chase enforces multiple restrictions on rewards credit card applications. The first is a published application rule stating you can’t get the Sapphire Preferred if you currently hold a Sapphire card or have received a signup bonus for one in the previous 48 months.
“The product is not available to either (i) current cardmembers of any Sapphire credit card, or (ii) previous cardmembers of any Sapphire credit card who received a new cardmember bonus within the last 48 months…”
Keep in mind that you can still get this increased sign-up bonus if you’re currently an authorized user on another Sapphire Preferred account.
Chase cards are also subject to a second, unpublished rule known as the Chase 5/24 policy. If you’ve been approved for five or more personal credit cards in the previous 24 months (from any card issuer), you likely won’t be approved for this card.
$1,050 in foolproof free travel
While not the absolute highest-possible redemption value, the easiest way to use your Chase points for travel is through the Chase Travel Portal.
With the Chase Sapphire Preferred, you can redeem points for airfare, hotel stays, rental cars, and more at a rate of 1.25 cents each. The Chase Sapphire Preferred 100k bonus points offeris worth a guaranteed $1,000 in travel at the very least.
There are several benefits to redeeming your Chase points through the Chase Travel Portal:
It doesn’t require you to be familiar with the intricate aspects of awards travel, such as understanding which airline and hotel transfer partners offer the best value for specific situations.
You can book boutique hotels that don’t participate in a loyalty program.
You won’t have to worry about blackout dates and award availability.
You can also redeem your points in tandem with the Chase Sapphire Preferred annual $50 hotel credit.
The Chase Sapphire Preferred offers up to $50 in hotel credit each cardmember anniversary year. As long as you pay for a hotel through the Chase Travel Portal with your card, you’ll automatically receive a statement credit within a few days.
Bottom Line
It’s not very often we an increased offer on the Sapphire Preferred — much less one that offers 100,000 points. The offer is normally only 60,000. If you’re eligible to apply for this card and earn the welcome bonus, this is a limited-time card offer that you won’t want to miss!
AutoPay Discount with T-mobile can be lost with most credit cards.
T-Mobile Has Officially Killed the AutoPay Credit Card Loophole: Here’s Why Every “Workaround” Fails
T-Mobile is no longer the un-carrier charging “fees” for using credit cards.
For years, award travelers, credit card maximizers, and savvy consumers used a reliable “cheat code” to handle their T-Mobile bills. When T-Mobile stripped standard credit cards of AutoPay discount eligibility the community quickly found a loophole: link a valid debit card or checking account to secure the $5-per-line discount, but log into the app early to manually pay the statement with a high-yield rewards credit card. Because the balance dropped to $0 before the AutoPay date, the debit card was never charged, and consumers got to stack credit card points and mobile insurance perks while keeping their discounts.
That era is officially over. T-Mobile quieted the community with a massive system update that permanently welded that loophole shut. If you are reading online forums or talking to customer service agents who claim you can still bypass this system, you are getting outdated or flat-out wrong advice.
Here is an exhaustive, highly detailed breakdown of how T-Mobile’s modern billing engine works, why customer service representatives are leading people into costly mistakes, and the only viable strategies left.
The Core Rule: It’s the Payment Method, Not the Timing
Apple Pay and Credit Cards are ineligible for AutoPay discounts
According to T-Mobile’s official AutoPay policy, the billing system is entirely binary. The automated system no longer evaluates your eligibility based solely on what payment method is linked to your account profile; it evaluates the actual method used to pay the bill.
The moment a manual, one-time payment is processed, the system triggers a simple validation check: Is this an ineligible payment method (like a standard credit card, Apple Pay, or Google Pay)? If the answer is yes, the system retroactively strips the AutoPay discount from that specific billing cycle and sends an automated text alert warning you that your discount has been forfeited.
Debunking the Myths: 3 Representative “Tricks” That Will Cost You Money
Frontline customer support agents frequently guess how the backend billing system handles code changes. If you call in, you are highly likely to receive one of three suggestions. Every single one of them is an automated trap that will cost you your hard-earned discounts.
Myth 1: “Pay early with a credit card, then flip your AutoPay settings back to a bank account before next month.”
Why it fails: Representatives assume the system looks forward, but it actually looks backward at the current bill. Flipping your AutoPay settings back to a bank account a few days later will successfully restore your eligibility for the following month’s statement. However, it cannot retroactively undo the penalty triggered on the current statement the moment your credit card touched the system. You will lose the discount for the current month entirely.
Myth 2: “Pay the majority of the bill with your credit card, and leave a partial balance for AutoPay to pull from your debit card.”
Why it fails: People often try to leave a portion—say, $100—on the bill to let the linked debit card sweep it up, thinking the system will see the debit transaction and grant the discount. The billing code explicitly states that any manual payment made with an ineligible method on a statement cycle invalidates the discount for that entire cycle. The moment the credit card processes, the discount is stripped, your remaining balance instantly inflates by $5 per line, and your debit card is simply forced to auto-pay a higher remaining balance on the scheduled date.
Myth 3: “Just overpay the bill by the exact amount of the lost discount to beat the system.”
Why it fails: Let’s look at the math for a standard $253.63 bill that includes a $30 total AutoPay discount across multiple lines. An agent might tell you to pay $283.63 manually via credit card so that when the $30 penalty hits, the extra money covers it and you break even.
The Reality: You aren’t tricking the system; you are just voluntarily paying the penalty upfront.Starting Bill: $253.63Your CC Payment: $283.63System Reaction: Strips the $30 discount→New Bill Total: $283.63Final Balance: $0.00While your account balance successfully hits zero and avoids past-due fees, you didn’t save the discount. You physically handed T-Mobile $283.63 out of pocket instead of letting them pull $253.63 from a debit card. You effectively paid a 11.8% penalty just to use your credit card—completely wiping out any value your credit card rewards points would have provided.
What Has Been Tried (and Failed) on Reddit
If you browse historical threads on communities like r/tmobile, you will see a trail of dead workarounds that users attempted immediately after the loophole was closed:
Prepaid Visa/Mastercard Gift Cards: Savvy users tried buying prepaid debit cards at grocery or office supply stores using a rewards credit card to mask the transaction as a “debit card” payment to T-Mobile. However, as documented by reports on The Mobile Report, T-Mobile’s merchant processing gateway aggressively updates its Bank Identification Number (BIN) filters. The system now routinely flags and blocks prepaid gift cards or processes them as ineligible commercial cards, automatically dropping the discount.
Overpaying Months in Advance: Some users attempted to load massive statement credits onto their accounts via credit card before the policy went live. While this worked as a temporary shield for a couple of billing cycles, the moment that credit balance runs out and a new credit card hit occurs, the penalty rules apply instantly.
The Real Pivot Strategies: What Actually Works Now
If you want to maximize your value or protect your financial security, you have to abandon the old tricks and choose one of three realistic pathways:
1. The “Math Sacrifice” (Trading Cash for Cell Phone Insurance)
Many credit card rewards enthusiasts carry premium cards (like the Capital One Venture X or select Chase and American Express cards) that feature complimentary Cell Phone Protection Insurance if you pay your monthly wireless bill with that card.
The Calculation: If you only have 1 or 2 lines, losing your AutoPay discount means your bill increases by $5 or $10. Paying $5 to $10 a month to maintain premium device protection is significantly cheaper than buying third-party insurance or T-Mobile’s proprietary protection plans (which can cost upwards of $18 per line).
The Catch: If you have a massive family plan with a $30+ total AutoPay discount, the math flips. It becomes much cheaper to self-insure or buy AppleCare+ directly than it is to forfeit $360+ a year in cash discounts to T-Mobile.
2. The “Buffer” Checking Account Strategy
A massive concern for consumers is security. Giving a carrier direct ACH access to your primary checking account or primary debit card feels highly risky given the telecom industry’s history of data breaches.
The Fix: Open a completely isolated, free secondary checking account or digital debit card (such as a Capital One 360 checking account, a dedicated Venmo/PayPal debit profile, or a Cash App card). Link that specific isolated card to T-Mobile to lock in your AutoPay discount safely. Then, set a recurring transfer from your main bank account to pull only the exact bill amount into that buffer account 24 hours before your AutoPay processes. Your primary money remains completely safe, and you keep your discount.
3. The Branded Ecosystem Route
The absolute only credit card permitted by the billing system to unlock the AutoPay discount while earning credit card rewards is the co-branded T-Mobile Visa Credit Card. If you refuse to use checking accounts or standard debit cards but are unwilling to walk away from your monthly discounts, shifting your line of credit to their internal ecosystem is the final official avenue remaining.
Shifting Strategy: Top Credit Card Alternatives to Outsmart the Policy
If you refuse to give T-Mobile direct access to your bank account, you don’t have to let them win. For many award maximizers, the play is to pivot to a card that completely offsets the lost $5-per-line discount by offering high cash-back/point multipliers or premium Cell Phone Protection Insurance (saving you from paying $18/month for T-Mobile’s protection plans).
Here are the best credit card alternatives on the market that provide enough elite value to counteract T-Mobile’s strict rules:
1. The Official Loophole: The T-Mobile Visa Credit Card (New)
Capital One and T-Mobile partnership credit card offer but it does not include cell phone protection.
If your absolute priority is keeping that $5-per-line AutoPay discount without handing over your routing and checking account numbers, this is your only official option. Co-branded with Capital One, this card is specifically coded to bypass the credit card penalty.
Annual Fee: $0
The Math Counter-Act: Fully preserves your $5 monthly AutoPay discount (up to 8 lines, or $40/month in value).
Rewards Rate: Earns an impressive 5% back on T-Mobile devices, phones, and accessories, alongside a flat 2% back on your monthly T-Mobile statement, groceries, dining, and entertainment, and 2% on all other purchases.
The Catch: Your rewards accumulate as T-Mobile Rewards, meaning they can only be redeemed toward your T-Mobile bill or future device upgrades.
2. The Simple 2% Cash-Back Champion: Wells Fargo Active Cash Card
For those who want straightforward cash back that can be deposited straight into a real bank account, this card pairs an industry-leading flat rate with elite consumer protections.
Annual Fee: $0
The Math Counter-Act: While you will lose the T-Mobile AutoPay discount, this card provides up to $600 of cell phone protection per claim against theft or damage (with a tiny $25 deductible, max 2 claims per year).
Rewards Rate: Unlimited flat 2% cash rewards on every single purchase, every day.
The Verdict: If you have 1 or 2 lines, losing a $5 or $10 discount is completely neutralized by gaining $600 in free phone insurance and earning 2% back on the total inflated bill.
3. The No-Fee Multiplier: Chase Freedom Flex [Highly Recommended for Cell Phone Protection and Everyday Spend]
If you prefer earning flexible rewards points that stack into the Chase Ultimate Rewards ecosystem, the Freedom Flex is an absolute powerhouse for a no-annual-fee card.
Annual Fee: $0
The Math Counter-Act: Includes premium cell phone insurance covering up to $800 per claim ($1,000 max per year) against theft or damage with a $50 deductible.
Rewards Rate:5% cash back on up to $1,500 in combined purchases in quarterly rotating categories (which often include PayPal or wholesale clubs), 5% on Chase Travel, 3% on dining and drugstores, and 1% on everything else.
For high-earning travelers, this premium card makes forfeiting the AutoPay discount an easy pill to swallow by offering elite protection and a massive baseline multiplier.
Annual Fee: $395 (easily offset by a $300 annual travel credit and 10,000 anniversary bonus miles)
The Math Counter-Act: Premium cell phone protection covering up to $800 per claim (maximum 2 claims per 12-month period, $50 deductible).
Rewards Rate: Earns an unlimited 2x miles on every purchase, making it a fantastic card to put your phone bill on if you want to aggressively fund your next vacation.
But wait… The forgotten card that no one mentions is the American Express Simply Cash card that gives 5x back on cell phone purchases but you need to have a business to be qualified which can include a sole proprietorship. Earning 5x back will help pay for the Auto Pay penalty each month but the Simply Cash card does not have cell phone protection included.
The Ultimate Comparison: Forfeiting the Discount vs. Switching Cards
To help your blog readers choose their exact path, here is how the numbers stack up side-by-side:
Pro Tip: We tried to change cards from the Capital One Quicksilver card to the newly introduced TMO Visa and they said they cannot do changes to partnership cards.
Bottom Line
If you have a massive family plan (4+ lines) where losing the AutoPay discount would cost you $20–$40 a month, the T-Mobile Visa Credit Card or the “Buffer Checking Account” strategy are your most financially sound moves.
However, if you only have 1 or 2 lines, stop stressing over the lost $5 to $10. Pay the bill with a card like the Wells Fargo Active Cash or Chase Freedom Flex. You will easily recoup that value by walking away with hundreds of dollars in free cell phone insurance and highly flexible rewards points that T-Mobile can’t touch.
The Bilt Mastercard recently started accepting applications for anyone who wishes to apply after a waitlist program. This is an innovative no annual fee card that virtually anyone who pays rent in the United States should consider picking up.
Bilt June Rewards Promo Madonna Vinyl
The no annual fee Bilt Mastercard is issued by Wells Fargo. The card has lucrative bonus categories, and earns points that can be transferred to popular airline and hotel partners. But the truly unique feature of the card — and really the fundamental value proposition — involves the ability to pay rent with the card with no fee, all while earning rewards.
That’s right, you can pay your rent with no fee even if your landlord doesn’t accept credit card payments, or would otherwise charge a fee. For many people that probably sounds too good to be true.
The Bilt rewards card makes sense for anyone who pays rent and doesn’t currently earn rewards doing it. Rent for many people is the largest monthly expense. The national average or median rents are in the $1100-$1300 range per month
Finally a credit card you can pay your rent with!
Earning points with the Bilt Mastercard
The Bilt Mastercard earns the following rewards when you have at least five posted transactions per billing cycle:
3x points on dining
2x points on travel
1x points on rent payments without any transaction fees, up to a limit of 50,000 points per year
The card also has no foreign transaction fees and is a World Elite Mastercard, so has great global acceptance, and is a good card to use abroad (especially given that a lot of foreign spending is on dining and travel).
Redeeming points with the Bilt Mastercard
You” be earning 1-3x points per dollar spent with a variety of ways to redeem points (ranging from experiences to merchandise). Frequent travelers would be most interested in the ability to transfer these points to airline and hotel partners.
Bilt has the following travel transfer partners, all offering 1:1 transfers:
Air Canada Aeroplan
Air France-KLM Flying Blue
American AAdvantage (the only program that transfers to American Airlines 1:1)
These transfer partners are competitive with what you’ll find with major transferable points currencies. What some might find most exciting is the World of Hyatt partnership, as well as the American AAdvantage partnership. That’s because the former only otherwise partners with Chase Ultimate Rewards, while the latter doesn’t otherwise partner with any major transferable points currencies.
Disadvantages of the Bilt Rent Payment Card
The most intriguing aspect of the Bilt Mastercard is the ability to pay rent by credit card without fees and earn up to 50,000 points per year. This works even if your landlord doesn’t accept credit card payments, as Bilt will send a check. We assume that Bilt loses money when giving out rewards and then mailing a check to a landlord it has no relationship with. They most likely hope to get rental companies on its platform, hoping that being associated with Bilt gets more renters, and streamlines the payment process.
My two biggest cons with the card is that The Bilt Mastercard doesn’t offer any sort of a welcome bonus, some apartments do not take anything but money orders or cashier’s checks, and you have to spend a certain amount ($250) to get the cash back on your rent payment. You also have a minimum redemption of $50 which is more than most programs including Discover where you can redeem at any amount.
Is the Bilt Mastercard worth it?
Is it worth getting the Bilt Mastercard? If you’re a renter in the United States and you can’t currently pay your rent by credit card, or have to pay a fee to make such a payment by credit card, then yes, this card is absolutely worth it. You can earn valuable rewards for money you have to spend anyway, so that’s a complete no-brainer.
If you don’t pay rent and have a mortgage it may still make sense for some because of the transfer partners. Given that you can’t make fee-free payments for mortgages, HOAs, etc., could it still make sense to get the card? Earning 3x transferable points on travel and 2x transferable points on dining on a no annual fee card is still a great deal.
For someone looking to earn transferable points without an annual fee, I’d say this is an excellent option, especially if you spend a lot on dining and travel.
Bottom line
The no annual fee Bilt Mastercard is issued by Wells Fargo, and recently opened to applicants without a waitlist. This card is mostly targeted for those who rent an apartment who can pay up to $50,000 per year in rent without fees. This happens when you pay through the Bilt app, and a check will be sent to your landlord on your behalf. A fascinating way to earn money when paying rent.
The Bilt card offers 3x points on dining, 2x points on travel, and those points can be transferred to several valuable partners, ranging from American AAdvantage to World of Hyatt.
I think this card is absolutely worth it for renters, and even for non-renters this could be a great no annual fee card option, assuming you’re looking for travel rewards and spend a lot on dining and travel.
IHG (International Hotel Group) is a global hotel chain that has a hotel in most cities you travel from Holiday Inn to boutique Kimpton hotels. They also partner with Las Vegas strip hotels for perks and free nights. The IHG Rewards Club Premier Credit Card is a newish card that everyone should have because they have hotels everywhere and you get a free night each year along with elite perks. This rewards card not only has a great sign up bonus but great benefits year after year making it one of those cards where the benefits surpass the annual fee.
IHG Rewards Club Premier Credit Card
Earn 80,000 bonus points after spending $2,000 on purchases within the first three months of account opening. $89 annual fee. GO here to apply!
Top 6 Reasons We Love the IHG Rewards Premier Rewards Card:
1. Free Night Every Single Year
With this credit card you’ll receive a free night certificate with every anniversary year at eligible hotels. This perk pays for the small annual fee and then some! You just need to book the free night certificate before it expires at the end of the year. For example, you can use this free night certificate at the Z Ocean in South Beach Miami which is right on the beach and can easily go for a free $300+ a night.
2. 4th Night Free on Award Stays
When you book with your IHG points, you’ll receive your 4th night free just by being a cardmember. With many other chains, such as Marriott and Hilton, your free night doesn’t appear until the 5th night. There is no maximum number of times you can take advantage of this benefit.
3. Global Entry or TSA Precheck Fee Credit
You normally have to pay a $400+ annual fee for a credit card that gives you this perk. When you pay for your Global Entry application fee you’ll receive a $100 statement credit — ultimately giving you free Global Entry to avoid lines at airports. This also gives you TSA Precheck. If you already have Global Entry all you have to do is pay for another friend or family members application and you’ll still get the $100 statement credit. You can receive this statement credit every 4 years.
4. Platinum Elite Status
One of my favorite benefits of this card from Chase is the included IHG Platinum status, such as:
Your points will never expire. Typically IHG points expire if there is no activity in the account for a 12 month period. When you have Platinum status (even if it is just earned from having the credit card), your points will not expire even if there has not been any activity in 12 months. This is definitely one of the shorter expiration periods amongst hotel chains, so not having to remember to keep your account active is nice.
Raid the Bar Credit. Platinum status also matches to Kimpton’s “Tier 3” status which will get you a $10 Raid the Bar credit when staying at Kimpton properties. Who doesn’t love a mini-bar they can raid?
Discount at Shell Gas stations. You’ll save 6 cents per gallon at Shell Gas stations due to the Fuel Rewards partnership.
5. Chase Offers
This is a new thing going on with Chase cards that no one is really talking about. Chase has offers in the Chase App or on the Chase Pay app where you can order food and pick it up and get freebies or save in cash back at certain retailers. For example, I had a Chase offer where it saved me $10 after making 3 purchases from any of the order ahead restaurants near me using the Chase Pay app which is better than calling ahead. The other version of Chase offers may include Starbucks at 10% back or Applebee’s at 8% you just have to look in the app to see what comes up! This perk alone adds up to huge savings if you use it often.
Earn a FULL Five times back on Gas, Groceries, and Dining.
6. 20% Discount on Purchasing Points
This is yet another benefit to get more bang for your buck when it comes to booking stays at IHG ran hotels. Sometimes it may be better to book buying points than paying directly. Note this discount is not on top of any other purchasing points promotions that might be running at the time but if you need a last minute hotel it sometimes helps to go this route.
There’s More: 10,000 Extra Points a Year for Big Spending
This is a benefit many of us will not use but it’s nice to have if you use it as your only card and want a annual bonus without having to sign up for a new card. If you spend $20,000 on your card within the year, you’ll receive 10,000 bonus points. Although for everyday spending such as groceries we have other cards that we recommend with better cash back.
Southwest Airlines has a few co-branded credit cards with Chase to choose from but one sticks out for us. Of the three personal cards, our favorite one is the Southwest Rapid Rewards Priority Card.
This card offers some exceptional perks for anyone who flies Southwest frequently or a few times a year. We have to say it is the best Southwest Airlines Visa Card to have in your wallet or at least attached to your Southwest Airlines account to book flights.
50,000 Bonus Southwest Points with the Priority Card
The Southwest Priority Card is offering a welcome bonus of 50,000 Rapid Rewards points after spending $1,000 within the first three months.
Rapid Rewards is a revenue-based frequent flyer program,valued at around 1.2 cents each. So basically, the 50,000 Rapid Rewards points are worth $600+.
Earning Points With The Southwest Priority Card The Southwest Priority Card offers the following points for credit card spending:
3x points on Southwest purchases
2x points on local transit and commuting, including rideshare
2x points on internet, cable, phone services, and select streaming
Happy Baby Companion flying A-list on Southwest Airlines flight
One of the very best values in travel is the Southwest Airlines Companion Pass. With Southwest Companion Pass you can have someone travel with you for the entire year (whether on a cash ticket or award ticket), and just pay taxes and fees for them. This is such an incredible deal, and basically doubles the value you can get from flying Southwest.
Southwest Companion Pass requires earning 135,000 Rapid Rewards points in a calendar year, though you get a boost of 10,000 points toward that just for having a co-branded Southwest card.
Only certain types of points accrual qualify, including Southwest credit card spending, as well as Southwest credit card welcome bonuses. So this bonus would get you a good way toward earning Companion Pass.
Earn Southwest A-List Status
In addition to being able to earn Companion Pass through spending on the card, the Southwest Priority Card also lets you earn unlimited Tier Qualifying Points (TQPs). Specifically, you can earn 1,500 TQPs toward A-List status for every $10,000 spent on the card.
A-List is Southwest Airlines’ version of status, and offers perks like priority boarding, a 25% points bonus, same-day standby, priority check-in and security lane access, and a dedicated phone number.
A-List status requires earning 35,000 TQPs in a calendar year, so spending on a Southwest Priority Card could help you earn that. This is the only personal Southwest card that offers that feature. Whether or not that’s worth it depends on how much you’d otherwise fly with Southwest.
Major Perk: No Change fees with Southwest airlines ever!
No Foreign Transaction Fees
The Southwest Priority Card has no foreign transaction fees, so this could be a useful card for your spending abroad. This is a Visa as well, and Visas are accepted pretty widely around the globe.
Incredible Southwest Priority Card Perks
Free Drink Coupons get mailed out to Southwest airlines patrons now and then just to reach out.
The reason to get the Southwest Priority Card (beyond the welcome bonus) is because of the perks, including anniversary bonus points, upgraded boardings, a $75 annual Southwest travel credit, 25% savings on eligible inflight purchases, and more.
Let’s take a look at what you need to know about each of these perks.
On your cardmember anniversary each year you’ll receive 7,500 bonus points. For context, Southwest Rapid Rewards is a revenue-based frequent flyer program, and generally speaking you need to redeem 83 points per dollar of airfare. That means each Rapid Rewards point gets you roughly 1.2 cents toward the cost of an airline ticket.
In other words, you can get around $90 worth of Southwest airfare with those 7,500 points, and that recoups almost two-thirds of the annual fee on an ongoing basis.
Get anniversary bonus points with the card every year
Southwest Priority Card $75 Annual Credit
The Southwest Priority Card offers a $75 credit every anniversary year. While the 7,500 point anniversary bonus only kicks in after 12 months, this credit kicks in immediately.
The way this works, the first $75 in Southwest flight purchases each cardmember year will be reimbursed. The statement credit should post as soon as the eligible charge posts to your account. Assuming you spend at least $75 per year on Southwest Airlines tickets (or even taxes and fees, if redeeming points), then this should more or less be worth face value.
Between this benefit and the 7,500 point annual bonus, we’re talking about $165 worth of value, which is more than the annual fee.
Southwest Priority Card Upgraded Boardings
Just for having the Southwest Priority Card, you get four upgraded boardings per anniversary year (starting with your first year), when available. The way this works, you’ll be reimbursed for the purchase on the day of departure of up to four upgraded boardings in positions A1-15.
The upgraded boarding fees will be reimbursed within eight weeks, though in reality generally post much faster than that. Since the price of upgraded boardings varies by flight, it’s hard to put a dollar value to this benefit.
Southwest Priority Card Drink & Wi-Fi Savings
If you pay with your Southwest Priority Card you can save 25% on inflight Wi-Fi and drink purchases. You’ll receive statement credits for the 25% within two billing cycles of your purchase (though usually much faster than that).
Southwest Priority Card Travel & Purchase Protection The Southwest Priority Card offers a variety of travel & purchase protection benefits, including:
Auto rental collision damage waiver coverage; it’s secondary within the United States, and primary internationally
Baggage delay insurance, which can reimburse you up to $100 per day for three days when your bag is delayed by at least six hours
Lost luggage reimbursement, which reimburses you up to $3,000 if your bag is damaged or lost
Travel accident insurance, with the maximum coverage ranging from $250,000-500,000, depending on the situation
Extended warranty protection, which extends your United States manufacturer warranty by a year on eligible warranties of three years or less
Purchase protection, which covers you for up to 120 days for damage or theft, up to $500 per claim and $50,000 per account
The Cons of Applying for Chase Southwest Credit Cards
Chase and Southwest have some pretty strict rules when it comes to who is eligible for the card. The card is not available to anyone who currently has a Southwest Rapid Rewards personal card, or anyone who has received a welcome bonus on a Southwest Rapid Rewards personal card in the past 24 months. However, you are eligible if you have a Southwest business credit card.
This is in addition to Chase’s general application rules, including the 5/24 rule, whereby you typically won’t be approved for a Chase card if you’ve opened five or more new card accounts in the past 24 months.
Southwest Priority Card $149 Annual Fee The Southwest Priority Card has a $149 annual fee. As a point of comparison, the other personal cards have annual fees of $69 and $99, so the annual fee on this card is a bit higher. However, as I’ll explain below, the benefits justify the premium annual fee.
No Question The Southwest Priority Card Is Worth It for You and Your Family
If you’re eligible for the Southwest Priority Card and fly Southwest with any frequency, then this card is absolutely worth it. I’d argue this card is a better value all around than the two other Southwest personal cards.
Many people love flying Southwest for the ability to earn the Southwest Companion Pass, the lack of change fees and vouchers that don’t expire, and the two free checked bags. For others, Southwest a practical airline to fly on occasion, given its massive route network. Regardless, there’s lots of value in having points and benefits on Southwest.
For the card’s $149 annual fee you’re getting a 7,500 point anniversary bonus annually, a $75 Southwest credit, and much more. Let’s look at a few other things to consider regarding this card, and Southwest cards in general.
If you’re looking to complement your Southwest Priority Card with a Southwest business card, consider the incredible Southwest® Rapid Rewards® Performance Business Credit Card (review). This card has outstanding perks, including:
A welcome bonus of 80,000 Rapid Rewards points after spending $5,000 within three months
A 9,000 point anniversary bonus
Four upgraded boardings per year
Up to 365 $8 Wi-Fi credits per year on Southwest, which could get you a lot of Wi-Fi
$500 toward points transfer fees per anniversary year
A Global Entry or TSA PreCheck credit
The ability to earn A-List status or Companion Pass with spending
This card is the single best Southwest card because of the Wi-Fi credit, as far as I’m concerned.
How Do Southwest’s Personal Bonus Cards Compare?
In addition to the Priority Card, Chase and Southwest also have the $69 annual fee Southwest Rapid Rewards Plus Credit Card and the $99 annual fee Southwest Rapid Rewards Premier Credit Card. All cards have the same welcome bonuses, but the perks are significantly different.
Why do I think the $149 annual fee Priority Card is almost universally better?
Neither the Plus nor Premier offer a $75 annual Southwest credit, which should more or less be worth face value; so to do a direct comparison, that’s almost like lowering the “out of pocket” on the Priority Card from $149 to $74.
The Priority Card offers 7,500 anniversary bonus points, while the Plus offers 3,000 bonus points and the Premier offers 6,000 bonus points. Those two perks alone should show why the Priority Card is worth the annual fee by comparison, and that doesn’t even account for upgraded boardings, a better rewards structure, the ability to earn A-List status through spending, and more.
Chase has the best portfolio of credit cards overall but for everyday spending the Freedom card really stands out. Freedom cards we have talked about on our site since it first came out and they can earn Ultimate Rewards points without the annual fee.
The Freedom cards from Chase are more rewarding than ever before. Both cards are currently offering improved welcome bonuses that are among the best we’ve seen.
Chase Freedom Unlimited gets you 3x on dining, restaurants, takeout, drugstores, and more.
Both Freedom Cards are Similar but Chase Freedom Flex is Our Pick
The cards have most things in common. Identical sign-up bonuses & eligibility requirements, Both the Freedom Flex and Freedom Unlimited offer excellent bonuses for no annual fee cards, which were recently improved. Each card currently offers:
20,000 points or $200 BONUS after spending $500 on purchases within the first three months
Additionally, earn 5% cash back on grocery store purchases including Target (not Walmart purchases) on up to $12,000 spent in the first year
Furthermore, both cards have identical eligibility requirements:
Earn $250 cash back with Chase Freedom Unlimited or Chase Freedom Flex credit card.
Each card is only available to those who don’t currently have that specific card, and those who haven’t received a new cardmember bonus on that specific card in the past 24 months Both cards are subjected to Chase’s typical eligibility restrictions, including the 5/24 rule Overlapping bonus categories Both the Freedom Flex and Freedom Unlimited offer the following overlapping bonus categories on spending:
5x points on travel purchased through Chase Ultimate Rewards
3x points on dining, takeout, and eligible delivery services
3x points on drugstores
Flexibility to earn cash back or Ultimate Rewards points
Both the Freedom Flex and Freedom Unlimited accrue the same types of rewards:
Each point earned on either card can be redeemed for one cent cash back If you have either card in conjunction with the Chase Sapphire Preferred Card, Chase Sapphire Reserve Card, or Ink Business Preferred Credit Card, then points can also be transferred to the Ultimate Rewards program; Ultimate Rewards points have a value around ~1.7 cents each, so to me that increases the value of these points by 70%
Earn Ultimate Rewards points with Chase Freedom cards
Differences between Chase Freedom cards
There is one primary area where the Chase Freedom Flex and Chase Freedom Unlimited differ, and that’s one aspect of the bonus categories. Both cards offer:
5x points on travel purchased through Chase Ultimate Rewards
3x points on dining, takeout, and eligible delivery services
3x points on drugstores
But each card has one unique bonus category:
The Freedom Flex offers 5x points in rotating quarterly categories, on up to $1,500 of spending per quarter The Freedom Unlimited offers 1.5x points on everyday spending, making it one of the best cards for non-bonused categories, and beating the Freedom Flex in that regard by 50%
The Freedom Unlimited offers a better return on everyday spending
Which Chase Freedom card is better?
Deciding whether the Chase Freedom Flex or Chase Freedom Unlimited makes more sense comes down to one very simple question — would you rather earn 1.5x points on all purchases (with the Freedom Unlimited), or would you rather earn 5x points in rotating quarterly categories and 1x points on non-bonused purchases?
Everyday spending will work out differently for everyone, but here are a few general considerations:
What card do you otherwise use for non-bonused spending, and how much do you spend in categories that don’t otherwise qualify for bonus categories? If you don’t have a great card and you spend a lot in non-bonused categories, then the Freedom Unlimited is the obvious choice Do you have another great card for non-bonused spending but think you could get value from the 5x points categories on the Freedom Flex? Then the Freedom Flex is the obvious choice The good thing is that you don’t have to choose — you can get both the Freedom Flex and Freedom Unlimited, and that’s a great way to maximize your rewards, especially since neither card has an annual fee. Personally, that’s my approach, but I also get that lots of people want a simpler credit card strategy than that.
Bottom line Both the Chase Freedom Flex and Chase Freedom Unlimited are great no annual fee cards that can help you maximize the Ultimate Rewards points that you earn. For savvy consumers they’re an essential complement to a card like the Chase Sapphire Preferred.
Which Freedom card makes more sense depends on your circumstances. The Freedom Unlimited is the all-around more rewarding card, given that it offers one of the best returns of any card for non-bonused spending. But some may get more value out of the Freedom Flex’s 5x points categories.
One great thing is that you don’t have to choose, as you can always pick up both cards at the same time or upgrade from another card if you change your mind by calling Chase.
