If there's a specific time of year that Southwest's promotions hit just right, it's right in the middle of summer and these promotions are for their loyal members who are already spending significant amounts of time with their Southwest co-branded cards. Eligible cardholders will receive up to 30% bonus Rapid Rewards points on all purchases made with a Southwest credit card, as long as they spend at least $3,000 during the 30-day promotional period.

Registration is required to take advantage of this offer and is not available to all Southwest cardholders this is a targeted promotion. However, it's important to know what the bonus offers and how it can be integrated into a larger strategy of Companion Pass or points.

The Actual Benefits of the Promotion

It's simple: If you spend a minimum of $3,000 on your eligible Southwest co-branded credit card between July 1 and Sept. 30, 2026, you'll earn 30% bonus points on top of your original points. The bonus has a maximum of 20,000 when the total amount spent to earn the bonus comes up to a certain threshold, further purchases will not earn further bonus points.

If the minimum is $3,000, then one might expect about 900 bonus points (900 x 1.3 cents apiece = about $11.70). It's a pretty reasonable amount of money, though, when you add the promotional points to the mix especially for those seeking to get or keep a Companion Pass.

One feature that this promotion has that made it better than several other promotions from Southwest has been that the 30% bonus is given on all purchases during the promotion, not spending on certain categories. No categorizing rotating merchants, no question of eligibility. All eligible spending during the window receives the higher rate for each dollar of spending.

Registration Is Required Including for Past Purchases

You must register for the offer first before you can post the promotional points. Registration will open on September 30th, 2026, at 11:59 PM CT, providing you with the entire promotional period to register. Most importantly, anybody who purchases prior to enrollment but still during the July 1 September 30 period will be counted retroactively when they log in. If you've already spent money on your Southwest card since July 1, you might have just heard about this offer and want to register now, so you'll be credited for what you've already paid.

Here is a quick note on the most important terms and conditions of this promotion:

• The minimum spend is $3,000 on eligible purchases made with Southwest credit card 1 July to 30 September 2026.
• Bonus rate: 30% above the amount earned by your card's normal rates.
• Maximum bonus: 20,000 points
• Bonus points towards Companion Pass: Yes
• Bonus points toward Southwest elite status: No bonus points are not used to help qualify for Southwest elite status.
• The registration deadline is September 30, 2026 at 11:59 PM (CT).
• Bonus points posting time: 8 weeks from promotion end date.

Which Card is acceptable?

It's promoted across all of Southwest's co-branded Chase credit cards, both personal and business. The personal cards are the Rapid Rewards Plus, Premier and Priority. On the business front, the Rapid Rewards Premier Business and the Performance Business are the eligible cards. All of these cards accrue Southwest Rapid Rewards points on purchases and all are eligible for the 30% bonus for this promotion.

Looking up the offer in your Southwest account is the quickest method to confirm if your particular card is eligible, though if it is, you will see it in your account.

Who This Promotion is Ideal For

This $3,000 spend is averaged out to $1,000 per month during the 3-month promotion period. If, however, that's a normal amount of spending on the Southwest card, because it was put on for groceries, gas, subscriptions, meals, etc., then the person does not need to change their behavior to reach that limit. The bonus points just turn up as part of the bonus reward, when you're spending money you already planned to spend!

This offer is really strategic for two groups. The first are those who are currently seeking to attain the Southwest Companion Pass, which is earned by accumulating 135,000 qualifying points in a year. Each little point you add to your total score over the course of the qualification window is important and one of the best ways to get closer to the Companion Pass without having to book extra flights is to take advantage of bonus points on a spending promotion that add points to your score and count toward your Companion Pass.

The second group consists of newer Southwest cardholders who are still completing a spendable welcome bonus program though that isn't often as strict as a welcome bonus spend, and as such may be less common. If your welcome bonus period overlaps with this promotion and you intend to make a lot of money anyway, this promotion will be added to that base earning.

A Note on Value and Realistic Expectations

There is a definite need to understand clearly the total dollar value of this promotion. The nine hundred bonus points at 1.3 cents apiece equals a bit under $12 in redemption value on a minimum spend. At best, you'll only be getting about $260 worth of Rapid Rewards points, which is a decent number, but only if you're spending a lot more than $3,000 per year.

For most cardholders, the more intriguing context would be the Companion Pass context. By far, one of the best things about the Southwest Companion Pass is that it lets you bring a designated companion with you for no additional cost (plus taxes), on any award flight you book during the calendar year. Those points have more value than their cash redemption value, since they are helping them get closer to a reward that could be in the hundreds or thousands of dollars of free airfare.

Through September 30, the 30% bonus on all purchases is a nice incentive for cardholders who are hoping to sign up for a Companion Pass, and is worth the two minutes to register.

The Bottom Line

If you spend $3,000 or more with a Southwest credit card between July 1 and Sept. 30, 2026, Southwest will double the points you earn, up to a maximum of 300,000 points. The promotion is targeted and is for people who have to register to take part, but if someone registers before the date of the promotion, they can also benefit from the past purchases executed since July 1. 

The bonus is limited to 20,000 points, and will also help earn points toward the Companion Pass which makes it most useful for travelers who are striving to reach that goal. For those with a card who already qualify for spending, it's easy to claim additional points on spending that you would be doing anyway.