With all this crazy inflation over the past few years and a growing family, I knew I needed to figure out a way to still be able to travel and get cheap flights. I don’t have as much “fun” money as I used to, but I don’t want to give up traveling either. Enter….travel hacking!
I’m still learning about this, and will share more as I go, but I literally started only 3 months ago and I’ve already earned enough points to fly my family of 5 to Florida this summer for only $56 total AND get BOGO flights on Southwest for the rest of this year and next year!
It’s so good and so easy to do that I HAD to share! Seriously, who doesn’t want free/cheap flights?!
Here’s how I did it:
Step 1: Apply for a Southwest personal credit card & open a Rapid Rewards account
Apply for a personal Southwest card. You’ll get assigned a Rapid Rewards number when applying. If you already have one, enter it in during the application process. Click here to apply!
Step 2: Meet the minimum spend requirement & earn your sign up bonus
Once you’re approved and receive your new card, use it for your everyday spending. Once you reach your minimum spend requirement and your statement closes, the sign up bonus points will automatically post to your Rapid Rewards account, along with the points you’ve earned for what you’ve spent. Make sure to reach the spend requirement within 3 months or you won’t get that bonus. If you’re getting close to the deadline and haven’t quite reached the spend requirement yet, you could always buy a gift card to a store you frequent to make up the difference.
IMPORTANT: If you don’t think you can hit the minimum spend requirement within the allotted time, then this is not for you. Know your budget and your spending patterns before getting into something like this or it could really hurt you.
Step 3: Wait at least 30 days from when you were approved for the personal card.
Banks will typically not approve credit cards unless you wait AT LEAST 30 days between each approval. So if it’s been 30 days and you’ve hit your minimum spend for your personal card, move on to Step 4.
Step 4: Apply for a Southwest business card
Even if you don’t have a “typical” business with a Tax ID or registered business license, you can still apply for a business card as a sole proprietor. So if you babysit, sell stuff on Facebook marketplace, perform, freelance, drive Uber, etc. you can still apply for a business card. Click here for the application.
Make sure to put your Rapid Rewards number (from your personal card) in on your application.
Here’s how you’ll answer the application questions.
Business name: Your exact legal name. Like what’s on your driver’s license. Don’t add a business name or anything else. Just. Your. Name. Period.
Business Revenue: The amount of revenue this activity brings in per year. This can be projected too if you’re just starting out.
Tax ID #: Your social security number
Business Address: Your home address
Time in Business: How long you have been doing said activity
Type of Business: Sole Proprietor
Business Industry: Just pick something close enough to what you do
Role: Owner
If you do have a registered business, use the Tax ID and the business name.
Step 5: Meet the minimum spend requirement & earn your sign up bonus
Start spending! These don’t need to be business expenses. You can use this card for whatever. Just don’t report them as business expenses on your taxes and you’ll be fine. Once you meet the spend requirement and your statement closes, the points will automatically post to your Rapid Rewards account.
Again, see Step 2 for more details.
Step 6: Book your flights!
This is the fun part! With the 2 sign up bonuses, and the points you’ve earned by meeting your minimum spend requirements on both cards, you should have a pretty good chunk of points. Look on Southwest.com for flights you’re interested in. Click on the points option on the top right of the search box to see how many points your flight will cost. You can play around with this until you find some cheap flights and something that works with your points budget. Once you’ve found your flight, use your points to reserve it and pay the taxes (usually about $5-$6 each way per person) with one of your Southwest cards. Easy peasy!
Optional Step: Earn the Companion Pass
If throughout the process of earning your signup bonuses and spending on your new cards, you’ve hit 135,000 points, you’ll automatically earn a companion pass! That means that you’ll get to bring a companion FOR FREE (minus the taxes) on any Southwest flight you’re on for the rest of this year and all of next year! What a deal! You can even change your named companion up to 3 times a year.
I earned my companion pass before I booked my tickets to Florida for my family, so I used my points to “buy” tickets for myself and the kids and then since my husband is my named companion, he was free!
Frequently Asked Questions
Won’t this destroy my credit score?
Nope! This is a total myth. As long as you are paying off your card EVERY time and not missing a single payment, it will not negatively affect your credit score. In fact, my credit score has gone up since I started this travel hacking journey.
Won’t I need to spend more money to make this happen?
No. If you are regularly spending at least $1000 a month anyway, it will make no difference whether you put the spending on these cards vs paying cash or using other cards. I seriously spend $1000+ a month just on groceries and gas alone! If you’re not spending $1000 a month, then this is probably not a good idea for you.
Won’t I get in trouble for having a business card if I don’t have a legit business?
No! If you have any sort of side hustle, even if it’s selling stuff on Facebook Marketplace, babysitting, driving Uber, freelancing, etc., it will count. Just make sure to follow the directions in Step 3 when applying.
What if I get denied for a card when I apply?
Don’t worry! Call Chase and ask them to reconsider your application. I had to do this when I applied for the personal card. Simply call and tell them your application was denied for ________ card and you’d like to ask that it be reconsidered. You can tell them things like, “I’m really interested in this card. I have a goal to travel more with my family, and I’m realizing that using this card for my everyday spending can help me reach my goals. As you can see I have a great credit score, I have never missed a payment, and I can be trusted with credit.” Be polite and kind, and more often than not they’ll approve your application. You can also do this via secure message on the Chase website. Try at least 3 times before giving up.
What if I don’t want to pay an annual fee?
Since the annual fee is so minimal, it’s worth it based on how much you’re getting in return. For example, I paid $169 in fees, but I got 5 round-trip flights for that plus I still have points left over and a companion pass for nearly 2 years. That’s a way better value than just paying for the 5 flights. Plus, you can always cancel your card after a year if you don’t find it’s worth it to keep them. (And I recommend that you do cancel after a couple years, so you can do it all over and get the sign up bonuses and companion pass again!)
Don’t wait! Sign up today and get free/cheap flights THIS YEAR!
In short: Southwest personal card + Southwest business card = free flights!
There are a few different types of personal cards and business cards, so pick the one that best suits your spending levels and needs. They’ll have different spend requirements, sign up bonuses, annual fees, and credit limits. There’s really one for everyone! Click here to see a comparison of all the cards.
See? It’s easy! Don’t miss your chance to travel more with your family for less. Southwest makes it so easy to do this, you’ll wish you’d done it sooner! Where will you be going with your free flights?
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Thanks for the travel tips! So helpful!
You’re welcome!