Can You Have 2 Southwest Credit Cards?

Technically, yes, but application restrictions will limit the number of cards you can get in a 24-month period.

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Updated · 2 min read
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Written by Alisha McDarris
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If you fly on Southwest Airlines more than occasionally, you may be interested in signing up for one of the several credit cards available from the airline. You may even already have one. But if you’re looking to maximize miles and score additional credit card sign-up bonuses, you may be wondering, can you have two Southwest credit cards?

We’ll explore getting approved for all the Southwest personal cards (and business cards) in this article, plus the pros and cons that may come with pursuing this strategy.

Southwest credit cards currently available

Southwest offers several choices when it comes to airline credit cards that earn Rapid Rewards points with every purchase. There are five Southwest credit cards to be precise: three personal cards and two business cards.

The cards are issued by Chase bank. Here's an overview of what you can expect with each card:

  1. Southwest Rapid Rewards® Priority Credit Card: Earn 50,000 bonus points after spending $1,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening. You’ll also get 7,500 additional points on your cardmember anniversary, earn tier qualifying points toward A-List status and receive a $75 annual Southwest travel credit, all for a $149 annual fee.

  2. Southwest Rapid Rewards® Premier Credit Card: Earn 50,000 bonus points after spending $1,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening. You’ll also get 6,000 additional points on your cardmember anniversary and earn tier qualifying points toward A-List status, all for a $99 annual fee.

  3. Southwest Rapid Rewards® Plus Credit Card: Earn 50,000 bonus points after spending $1,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening. You’ll also get 3,000 bonus points on your cardmember anniversary. The annual fee is $69.

  4. Southwest® Rapid Rewards® Performance Business Credit Card: Earn 80,000 points after you spend $5,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening. Score 9,000 points every year on your cardmember anniversary, a Global Entry or TSA PreCheck fee credit of up to $100 every four years, up to four upgraded boardings per year and the ability to earn tier qualifying points toward A-List status. You can also get additional employee cards, which are included in the $199 annual fee.

  5. Southwest® Rapid Rewards® Premier Business Credit Card: Earn 60,000 points after you spend $3,000 on purchases in the first 3 months your account is open. Get 6,000 points every year on your cardmember anniversary and enjoy the ability to earn tier qualifying points toward A-List status.

Get up to 80,000 bonus points with our favorite Southwest cards
Check out our nerdy picks for the best Southwest credit cards and find the right card for you.

Understanding Chase bank’s credit card rules

Of course, just because there are five cards available doesn’t mean you can — or should — sign up for all of them.

For starters, there’s Chase’s 5/24 rule to contend with. This policy limits the number of Chase cards that you can be approved for within a 24-month period. After you’ve applied for more than five cards during that span, you will be no longer eligible for additional Chase cards.

🤓Nerdy Tip

The 5/24 rule is no longer published outright anywhere on Chase bank's website, but the rule is well-documented on the web.

The rule applies to approved cards, including ones you were approved for but may have already canceled. Any cards where you're an authorized user may also count, though this isn’t documented anywhere on Chase’s site, either. However, business cards not connected to your personal account don’t count toward your five, so you could potentially have multiple Southwest credit cards if some are business and some personal.

You can also get approved for all of Southwest's personal cards, but you may be sacrificing sign-up bonus eligibility (more on this in the next section).

The impact on welcome bonuses

Once you’ve figured out if you're eligible to sign up for one or more Southwest cards, you probably want to know how many welcome bonuses you can receive, too.

Southwest credit card bonus rules state that if you’re a current or previous cardmember of any Southwest Rapid Rewards credit card and you received the sign-up bonus within the last 24 months, you won’t get it again.

It’s best to wait to apply for additional personal Southwest cards until you’re eligible for a bonus again.

If you’ve earned a bonus in the last 24 months for a personal Southwest card, don’t expect another bonus in that time frame on a different Southwest personal card.

That said, there are some ways around this. Other members of your household, say your spouse, could sign up for their own card and score their own welcome bonus. And if you’re a small-business owner, you might be eligible to apply for a business Southwest card and still earn the second sign-up bonus in the 24-month window.

How many Southwest cards can I have?

Technically, you can have all of Southwest’s credit cards, personal and business, if you want, but it doesn't always make sense to sign up for them all at once. Between Chase’s 5/24 rule and strict bonus eligibility, you can reasonably apply for one personal card and maybe one business card during a 24-month period.


How to maximize your rewards

You want a travel credit card that prioritizes what’s important to you. Here are some of the best travel credit cards of 2024:

Travel Cards from our Partners
Chase Sapphire Preferred Credit Card

on Chase's website

Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card
5.0
NerdWallet Rating
Rewards rate

1x-5x

5x on travel purchased through Chase Travel℠, 3x on dining, select streaming services and online groceries, 2x on all other travel purchases, 1x on all other purchases.

Points

Intro offer

60,000 Points + $300 Travel Credit

Get up to $1,050 in Chase Travel℠ value. Earn 60,000 bonus points after $4,000 in purchases in your first 3 months from account opening. That’s worth $750 when redeemed through Chase Travel. Plus, get up to $300 in statement credits on Chase Travel purchases within your first year.

Chase Freedom Unlimited Credit Card

on Chase's website

Chase Freedom Unlimited®
5.0
NerdWallet Rating
Rewards rate

1.5%-5%

Enjoy 5% cash back on travel purchased through Chase Travel℠, 3% cash back on drugstore purchases and dining at restaurants, including takeout and eligible delivery service, and unlimited 1.5% cash back on all other purchases.

Cashback

Intro offer

Up to $300

Earn an additional 1.5% cash back on everything you buy (on up to $20,000 spent in the first year) - worth up to $300 cash back!

Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card

on Capital One's website

Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card
4.7
NerdWallet Rating
Rewards rate

2x-5x

Earn unlimited 2X miles on every purchase, every day. Earn 5X miles on hotels, vacation rentals and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel, where you'll get Capital One's best prices on thousands of trip options

Miles

Intro offer

75,000

Enjoy a one-time bonus of 75,000 miles once you spend $4,000 on purchases within 3 months from account opening, equal to $750 in travel.

Miles
See more Travel cards
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