Hotel status, Credit Cards, Car Rentals, Bonus Points, etc... what's been "worth" it to you?

[purbeast0]

A couple things that stood out:
1) While the initial 65k points gifted is nice, the subsequent points you earn - 1 per $1 spent, don't seem all that worthwhile. For example, on the SWA website, it costs 13.4k points or $202 for a 1-way trip to CHI. If I spent $13,400 (amount needed to earn those 13.4k points), that would've netted me $268 with my 2% credit card instead which would have paid for the flight and a few bucks extra. Am I missing something? Are these only worth it if you qualify for bonuses, because 1pt for $1 spent seems unworthy.

2) It takes either 100 flights or 125k points to earn a companion pass. Am I mistaken or is that needing to spend $125k in a calendar year? We don't even spend half that on our CCs. EDIT> I suppose you use the 65k bonus to get it closer to 125k points, but still, that's a lot of money to spend on a CC in a year, especially because mortgages don't qualify.

Yeah that's why you open 2 as I mentioned and @s0me0nesmind1 said. You can get the sign on bonuses twice, once for each card.

I always just start spending in January of the year because then I get the $3k/$4k/$5k worth of points + the bonus points in that year and typically with 2 cards, it puts you over the number needed for the companion pass.

 

[rh71]

Companion Pass
A Member who earns 125,000 Companion Pass qualifying points or who flies 100 qualifying one-way flights booked through Southwest® per calendar year will qualify for Companion Pass. Companion Pass qualifying points are earned from revenue flights booked through Southwest, points earned on Southwest Rapid Rewards® Credit Cards, and base points earned from Rapid Rewards® partners. Points earned during a billing cycle on a Southwest Rapid Rewards Credit Card from Chase are not available for redemption or qualification for Companion Pass status until they are posted on your billing statement and posted to your Rapid Rewards account. Only points posted on your billing statements and posted to your Rapid Rewards account during the same calendar year are available for qualification for Companion Pass status. The following do not count as Companion Pass qualifying points: purchased points; points transferred between Members; points converted from hotel and car loyalty programs, e-Rewards®, Valued Opinions, and Diners Club®; points earned from Rapid Rewards program enrollment; tier bonus points; flight bonus points; and partner bonus points (with the exception of the Rapid Rewards Credit Cards from Chase). No points or Companion Pass qualifying points will be awarded for flights taken by the Companion using the Companion Pass.

source: https://www.southwest.com/faq/rapid...and-conditions?question=rules_and_regulations

1) Not sure if I missed it in print, but they automatically add both cards together to determine if you have 125k points? Both cards enrolled would be 1 account to qualify?
2) The bolded appears to mean they won't count the enrollment points (80k + 40k) towards that 125k requirement? Or perhaps they don't consider a qualifying purchase amount (ie. $5k to earn 80k pts) as "points earned from Rapid Rewards program enrollment"?

 

[s0me0nesmind1]

source: https://www.southwest.com/faq/rapid...and-conditions?question=rules_and_regulations

1) Not sure if I missed it in print, but they automatically add both cards together to determine if you have 125k points? Both cards enrolled would be 1 account to qualify?
2) The bolded appears to mean they won't count the enrollment points (80k + 40k) towards that 125k requirement? Or perhaps they don't consider a qualifying purchase amount (ie. $5k to earn 80k pts) as "points earned from Rapid Rewards program enrollment"?

1) Yes, similar to the same miles you get for flying, when you get awarded the sign-up bonus', they count towards companion pass. When you sign up for the cards - both the personal one and business one asks for your rapid rewards number.

2) "points earned from Rapid Rewards program enrollment" I BELIEVE sounds like a general statement of say "Sign up for Rapid Rewards and take your first flight and get 5,000 extra miles" type of bonus. I only say that because I don't see any mention of "Credit Card".

Regardless, it worked for me when I last did it ~4 years ago - and sounds like it's still currently working for purbeast0 (and plenty of others on other travel forums that talk about this stuff like it's their constant hobby).

I mean heck, if you want a companion pass, I think the Alaska Airlines card from Bank of America comes with a companion pass as part of the card perks. So if you're near their main hub in Seattle that can work for you as well - since they fly to hawaii and stuff.



I do pretty similar for Marriott - I get credited with 15 nights stayed towards status for my personal - and 15 towards my status with my business card. All in all has worked out nicely, I'm currently at lifetime silver status with them and not far from lifetime gold.

 

[purbeast0]

You aren't getting bonus points for enrolling in Rapid Rewards program. You are getting bonus points for spending $X in Y months on a credit card.

And the cards are "linked" with your Rapid Rewards number that you list with each card.

 

[rh71]

Thx for the clarification.

Sorry for the handholding questions. Business card requires a Business Name for the purposes of verification... did you guys just use your name just the same? Does the total gross annual income amount affect anything tax-wise?

 

[purbeast0]

Thx for the clarification.

Sorry for the handholding questions. Business card requires a Business Name for the purposes of verification... did you guys just use your name just the same? Does the total gross annual income amount affect anything tax-wise?

I think I just used my name I don't even remember. Then used SSN for the other field.

And nah it has nothing to do with taxes or anything. It's just for credit card application.

 

[Lost_in_the_HTTP]

Pulled in so far this year:

CitiBank Custom Cash Card .... sign up bonus .. $200
Chase Freedom Flex card .... sign up bonus .. $200

End of '21 ... Fidelity Savings .... sign up bonus .. $100

Pending:

Fifth Third Bank .... sign up bonus .. $375 (Have to wait for a Direct Deposit to hit in September.)

Another regional bank does a $400 sign up bonus several times a year. Just missed the one in June, so I'll have to watch closer.

These take virtually no effort. Just a few clicks to sign up, get approved immediately and make purchases or do other tasks as normal.

Anybody know anything about Aspiration? They have an offer too, but my spidey sense is tingling.

 

[Exterous]

Anybody know anything about Aspiration? They have an offer too, but my spidey sense is tingling.

I haven't but my focus is more on travel than cash back over the past 10 months.

Pulled so far this year:
Capital One Venture X - 100,000 points + $500 travel & AirBnB credits
Chase Southwest Performance + Chase Southwest Priority (Dec): Companion Pass and 130,000 points
Chase Aeroplan: 110,000 points
Chase United Explorer: 70,000 and access to XN and JN award space
Chase Marriott Boundless: (5) 50,000 point certificates
(Pending) Barclays Business Aviator - 80,000 miles

 

[purbeast0]

Got the email last week while in Roatan (flight booked with points) that I have earned another companion pass and have like 153k points in SW on top of that.