New limited-time offer. The Bank of America Unlimited Cash Rewards Card is the most simple, straightforward, no-annual-fee credit card in the Bank of America line-up. If you are a Preferred Rewards client, you can increase the cash back earned by 25% to 75%. Right, they are also offering a special offer during the first year. Here are the highlights:

• New customers: $200 cash rewards bonus after $1,000 in purchases in the first 90 days.
• 2% cash back on purchases for the first year from account opening. After that, the standard structure is unlimited 1.5% cash back on all purchases. Redeem as a statement credit, deposit to BofA bank account, or deposit to Merrill brokerage account (including 529).
• Bank of America Preferred Rewards® members earn 25%-75% more cash back on every purchase. However, Preferred Rewards bonuses are not applied to the 0.5% first-year bonus. Details below.
• 0% Introductory APR offer. See link for details.
• 3% foreign transaction fee.
• No annual fee.

During the current limited-time offer, the cash back rewards are boosted to 2% for the first year. The 75% Preferred Rewards bonus for Platinum members does not apply to the extra 0.5%, so the net cash back during the first year for Platinum members would be 1.5% * 1.75 + 0.5% = 3.125% cash back on everything during the first year. I wonder if this is in response the recent US Bank Smartly card changes… now that new applicants can’t get a similar deal at 4% cash back, this might be the best deal in town again.

Preferred Rewards bonus basics. The Preferred Rewards program is designed to rewards clients with multiple account and higher assets located at Bank of America banking, Merrill Edge online brokerage, and Merrill Lynch investment accounts. Here is a partial table taken from their comparison chart (click to enlarge):

Let’s consider the options. Bank of America’s interest rates on cash accounts tend to be lower than highest-available outside banks (read: nearly zero), so moving cash over to qualify may result in earning less interest on your cash deposits. Merrill Lynch advisory accounts also usually come with management fees. The sweet spot is therefore the Merrill Edge self-directed brokerage, where you can move over your existing brokerage assets like stocks, mutual funds, and ETFs held elsewhere (Vanguard, Fidelity, Schwab, etc).

In the past, moving over to Merrill Edge at the Platinum and Platinum Plus levels also led to 30 to 100 free online stock trades every month. Fast forward to now, and nearly all major online brokers offer commission-free trades anyway.

Personally, I moved over $100k of brokerage assets from Vanguard to Merrill Edge to qualify for Platinum Honors. You should ask Merrill Edge if they will cover any ACAT transfer fees involved. I realize not everyone will have this level of assets to move around, but if you do then it is worth considering. Keep in mind that it will take a while for your “3-month average combined balance” to reach the $100k level and officially qualify for Platinum Honors. (In certain cases, when you open a new Merrill Edge account and new BofA Checking with a asset transfer bonus offer, you may be eligible to “fast track” to a higher tier.) You might become Gold first, then Platinum, and so on. After that, the 25%-75% rewards bonus on credit card rewards kick in. Once you reach a certain tier, BofA guarantees that you will stay there for a year no matter what, even if your balance fluctuates.

Boosted cash back percentages with Preferred Rewards. The standard structure is a flat 1.5% cash back on all purchases. Here’s how the numbers work out after you reach each tier:

• Platinum Honors: 2.625% cash back on all purchases (75% bonus).
• Platinum: 2.25% cash back on all purchases (50% bonus).
• Gold: 1.875% cash back on all purchases (25% bonus).

I consider the bar set at 2% cash back to be considered a “great” rewards card. The Platinum and Platinum Honors levels allow you to surpass that bar. Again, not everyone will have this level of assets to move around, and so this offer is not available to everyone. BofA is willing to pay such high cash back on the credit card because they hope to make it back through their other products (banking, brokerage, loans).

Their plan worked on me because Bank of America has managed to convince me to go from only having a checking account with them to now also having a Merrill Edge brokerage account and a Bank of America credit card.

Comparison against other BofA credit cards. Not all Bank of America consumer credit cards qualify for Preferred Rewards. Other cards of interest that do qualify are:

• Bank of America Travel Rewards Card
• Bank of America Premium Rewards Card
• Bank of America Customized Cash Rewards Card

Honestly, these are all solid cards if you qualify for Preferred Rewards. I can see any one of them being a good choice for those that want relatively simple rewards after setting up a “relationship” with BofA.

My slight personal favorite is the Travel Rewards credit card. The rewards structure on the Travel Rewards is similar to the Unlimited Cash Rewards card including the 1.5% back (up to 2.62% with Preferred Rewards) earning rate and no annual fee, except that the rewards can only be used to offset past travel and dining purchases made on the card in the past 12 months. I have redeemed thousands of dollars in statement credits and never run out of travel/dining purchases to offset. Their redemption process is quick and easy. One difference is that the Travel Rewards has no foreign transaction fee, while this Unlimited Cash Rewards card has a 3% foreign transaction fee. Together, this makes the Travel Rewards card a great “catch-all” card that I always have in my wallet. You may prefer the Unlimited Cash Rewards card if you have very little travel/dining charges.

The Premium Rewards card may be better if you can reliably utilize the $100 annual Airline Incidentals credit (seat upgrades, baggage fees, lounge fees) to offset the $95 annual fee, as then the increased cash back on travel/dining is all net profit. The Customized Cash Rewards cards with its 3/2/1 structure is also tempting as a companion to the Travel/Unlimited Cash, but you may prefer other rewards card for specific categories.

Bottom line. The Bank of America Unlimited Cash Rewards Credit Card is an “okay” cash back rewards card with a 1.5% cash back on everything structure, but turns into an “excellent” 2.62% cash back rewards card if you can take full advantage of their Preferred Rewards program. If you transfer $100,000 of existing brokerage assets (could be ETFs or mutual funds) over to Merrill Edge, you can qualify for the highest Platinum Honors tier. This won’t be a good option for everyone, but something to be aware of if you can swing it.

During the current limited-time offer, the cash back rewards are boosted to 2% for the first year. The 75% Preferred Rewards bonus for Platinum members does not apply to the extra 0.5%, so the net cash back during the first year for Platinum members would be 1.5% * 1.75 + 0.5% = 3.12% cash back on everything during the first year.

Negative changes to lounge access starting February 2026. The card_name is the newest entry into the ultra-premium business card category, with features similar to the Capital One Venture X Rewards credit card for consumers (you can have both at the same time). It has a large new-cardholder bonus, loads of perks, and a hefty annual fee. Right now, there is a limited-time offer targeting those with large annual expenses. Let’s take a look at what it offers:

• 150,000 Bonus Miles once you spend $30,000 in the first 3 months from account opening 150,000 Miles can be redeemed for $1,500 towards travel! (including airfare and hotel stays).
• Redeem your miles on flights, hotels and more. Plus, transfer your miles to any of the 15+ travel loyalty programs.
• $300 Annual Travel Credit. Get up to $300 in annual statement credits when booking through Capital One’s travel booking site. Book your choice of flights, hotel nights, or car rentals. You can redeem these in partial amounts over the course of the year.
• 10,000 bonus miles (equal to $100 towards travel) every year, starting on your first anniversary.
• Up to a $120 credit for Global Entry or TSA PreCheck(R).
• Airport lounge access. Enjoy access to 1,300+ airport lounges worldwide, including Capital One Lounge locations and Priority Pass(TM) lounges, after enrollment.
• $100 experience credit and other premium benefits with every hotel and vacation rental booked from the Premier Collection.
• This card has no preset spending limit, so you get purchasing power that adapts to your spending needs.
• Empower your teams to make business purchases while earning rewards on their transactions, with free employee and virtual cards. Plus, automatically sync your transaction data with your accounting software and pay your vendors with ease.
• This is a pay-in-full card, so your balance is due in full every month.
• Annual fee is $395. Free employee cards.

Here is the rewards structure on purchases:

• 10 Miles per dollar spent on hotels and rental cars booked through Capital One’s travel booking site, where you’ll get Capital One’s best prices on thousands of trip options. They offer a Price Match Guarantee.
• 5 Miles per dollar on flights and vacation rentals booked through Capital One’s travel booking site.
• 2 Miles per dollar on every purchase, every day.
• Redeem miles for any airline, any hotel, rental cars, and more.
• Transfer your miles to your choice of 15+ travel loyalty programs.

Redemption towards travel, including airline and hotel purchases. Capital One “miles” can be redeemed directly for a cash statement credit on a 1 mile = $0.01 basis when offsetting any travel purchase made on the card within the past 90 days. In other words, 100,000 miles = $1,000 toward travel. That means you can fly on any airline or stay at any hotel, pay with this card, and then “erase” that purchase using your miles balance later. This even includes AirBNB vacation rentals, car rentals, and Uber rides.

This means that earning 2 miles on on every $1 in purchases essentially makes this a 2% back card when applied towards travel. Earn even higher rewards of 5 miles per $1 spent on on flights booked through Capital One’s travel booking site, and 10 miles per $1 spent on on hotels and rental cars booked through Capital One’s travel booking site.

Capital One’s travel booking site offers price matching: if you find a better price on another website within 24 hours of booking, they will refund you the difference.

Miles transfer options. Capital One now allows you to transfer your “miles” into select airline miles programs as well. Here are the airline transfer partners:

• Aeromexico
• Air France/KLM
• Air Canada Aeroplan
• Cathay Pacific Asia Miles
• Avianca Lifemiles
• British Airways Avios
• Emirates Skywards
• Etihad
• EVA
• Finnair
• Qantas
• Singapore Airlines Krisflyer
• TAP Air Portugal
• Turkish Airlines
• Virgin Red

Hotel partners

• Accor Live Limitless
• Choice Hotels

If you know how to leverage one of these international airline miles programs, this can be a very valuable option. Otherwise, it’s nice to know you can always get a certain level of value by redeeming against any travel purchase.

Airport lounge access details. Capital One is creating their own lounges within select airports (currently in Washington DC’s Dulles Airport and Dallas/Forth Worth). Venture X Business cardholders get unlimited access and can bring 2 free guests per visit. Employee cards do not get lounge access benefits.

You also get Priority Pass membership, which includes access to 1,300+ participating VIP lounges and even included credits to spend at some restaurants, in more than 600 cities and more than 148 countries.

(UPDATE: Starting February 1, 2026, authorized users will no longer receive complimentary access and will need to pay $125 per year for each additional cardholder to retain lounge access. Primary cardholders still receive two complimentary guests to Priority Pass lounges, and additional cardholders who get lounge access get two complimentary guests (after, $35 per guest). Guest access for Capital One lounges and Landings will cost $25 to $45.)

Many people aren’t aware of the fact that they can apply for business credit cards, even if they are not a corporation or LLC. The business type is called a sole proprietorship, and these days many people are full-time or part-time consultants, freelancers, eBay/Amazon/Etsy sellers, Uber/Lyft drivers, or other one-person business owners. This is the simplest business entity, but it is fully legit and recognized by the IRS. On a business credit card application, you should use your own legal name as the business name, and your Social Security Number as the Tax ID.

This card should not show up on your personal credit reports, so your outstanding balance, credit limit, and closure states won’t affect your credit score. You’ll still see a credit check on your personal credit report from the initial application.

Bottom line. The card_name is an ultra-premium business rewards card that earns a minimum of 2 Miles per dollar on all purchases, which you can either redeem against any travel purchase or transfer to one of their airline/hotel partners. There is a generous new-customer offer. If you can take advantage of the $300 annual travel credit, TSA PreCheck(R)/Global Entry fee credit, and add the 10,000 miles on every anniversary, then you’ve effectively offset the $395 annual fee in all future years. To top it all off, the airport lounge access is very nice.

Due to the $1,500+ first-year value, I will be adding this to my Top 10 Best Small Business Card Bonus Offers.

American Express is celebrating their 175th birthday (!) with a “Member Week” from March 17-21. They are touting various special offers. I honestly don’t know if they will be awesome or disappointing, but I figure that it’s worth logging into your AmEx account/app and checking your AmEx Offer. Here is the press release and the official Member Week page.

Besides a chance at tickets to see Gracie Abrams and a free martini at “participating restaurants in New York, Washington D.C., Miami, Atlanta and Chicago”, here’s their teaser on the retail offers:

In honor of its 175th year, American Express will introduce new, limited-time Amex Offers for eligible U.S. Consumer and Business Card Members. Eligible Consumer Card Members can access more than $290 in statement credits when they make qualifying purchases from brands like Kiehl’s, Levi’s, barnesandnoble.com, Brooks Brothers and Shiseido; eligible Business Card Members can access more than $500 in statement credits on qualifying purchases from HP, Lowe’s and more. More information about Amex Offers and redemption deadlines can be found here (terms apply).

The big news in travel is that Southwest Airlines has basically given up their unique “We are different!” corporate identity and become just another commodity airline that tries to look as cheap as possible upfront (only $200!) while adding multiple fees on the backend for all the things that used to be included (want to sit next to each other? checked bags? decent legroom? ok sure it’s really $500). As educated consumers, our job is to understand the changes to their value proposition and adjust accordingly. Here’s a list of the new Southwest realities:

• Basic Economy has arrived to Southwest. The cheapest fare tier is now called “Basic”, not “Wanna Get Away”. You can no longer make free changes; you only get a non-transferrable credit that expires after only 6 months. Earns only 2X points, down from 6X points (elite status-holders get a little more). They are stripping everything possible because Southwest believes that people just pick the lowest fare regardless of features when listed on a comparison site like Google Flights or Expedia.
• No more free bags. Starting 5/29, on most fares you’ll no longer get two free bags included and they’ll start charging you like everyone else. Business Select fares and A-List Preferred elites will get 2 free checked bags. A-List elites and co-branded credit cardholders will get 1 free checked bag.
• No more open seating. Must pay for seat choice. Southwest is moving to assigned seats as well, which means Basic fares will have to pay up to pick their seats or be stuck in the worst middle seats or in the back.
• No more reasonable legroom for everyone. Southwest used to be known for decent seat width and legroom in all its seats. Southwest is now adding “premium” extra-legroom seats if you pay extra $$$. This usually means the rest of Economy loses a few inches in return (right now it looks like seat pitch will go down to 31″ from 32″, similar to Basic Economy for other major airlines).
• Changes to Rapid Rewards points redemptions. When redeeming Rapid Rewards points for flights, it will not longer be directly linked to the current cash fare. Basically, they want to be able to charge whatever amount they want, and limit the number of award tickets available on certain flights.

I wouldn’t actually read this Southwest press release because it has so much PR-spin that it is quite trifficult to understand what they are actually doing, but this attached graphic is useful:

It’s almost funny because you can still look up their old talking points and interviews on why open seating is better, why keeping free checked bags is better, why the fact that Southwest treats everyone well is important, but now it’s just the exact opposite. Your unique brand was around for 50 years, but now you’ve traded it all for a temporary bump in share price.

Well, Southwest, if you want us to just judge you on price, that’s fine with me. Selling a commodity product is usually a tough business, though. Prediction: The next step is to be merged away with another major airline soon.

In the meantime, I’m not sure if this makes their co-branded credit card more desirable or not. The card has basically added a free checked bag benefit that can be valuable, and some of them offer seating choice perks, but if you were a loyal Southwest flier, these new changes may cause you to not fly them as much anymore and now try out other airlines.

Updated with limited-time offers. The Wyndham Rewards Earner credit cards currently all have increased bonuses of up to 90,000 points. While these are not the highest amounts offered ever, they are above the normal bonuses. This hotel-chain co-branded card earns rewards that redeemable towards the Wyndham chain of hotels and Vacasa-managed vacation home rentals.

Wyndham Rewards Earner Card highlights:

• 60,000 bonus points after $2,000 in purchases in the first 90 days.
• 5X points per $1 spent on Hotels by Wyndham and qualifying gas purchases.
• 2X points per $1 spent on dining and grocery store purchases (excluding Target® and Walmart®).
• 1 point per $1 spent on all other purchases (excluding Wyndham Timeshare resort down payments).
• Automatic upgrade to Wyndham Rewards Gold status.
• 10% fewer Wyndham Rewards points required for go free® awards.
• 7,500 bonus points each anniversary year if you spend $15,000 on eligible purchases.
• No annual fee.

Wyndham Rewards Earner Plus Card highlights:

• 90,000 bonus points after $2,000 in purchases in the first 90 days.
• 6X points per $1 spent on Hotels by Wyndham and gas purchasess.
• 4X points per $1 spent on dining and grocery store purchases (excluding Target and Walmart).
• 1 point per $1 spent on all other purchases (excluding Wyndham Timeshare resort down payments).
• Automatic upgrade to Wyndham Rewards Platinum status.
• 10% fewer Wyndham Rewards points required for go free® awards.
• 7,500 bonus points each anniversary year after annual fee renewal.
• $75 annual fee.

Wyndham Rewards Earner Business Card highlights:

• 75,000 bonus points total. 50,000 bonus points after spending $4,000 on purchases and paying the annual fee in full, both within the first 90 days. Also, earn 25,000 bonus points after spending $12,000 on purchases within the first 365 days.
• 8X points per $1 spent on Hotels by Wyndham and gas purchasess.
• 5X points per $1 spent on eligible marketing, advertising, and utilities purchases.
• 1 point per $1 spent on all other purchases (excluding Wyndham Timeshare resort down payments).
• Automatic upgrade to Wyndham Rewards Diamond status.
• 10% fewer Wyndham Rewards points required for go free® awards.
• 15,000 bonus points each anniversary year after annual fee renewal.
• $95 annual fee.

Wyndham hotels have a relatively simple system that charges 7,500, 15,000, or 30,000 points for a “Go Free” award hotel night with no blackout dates (as long as a standard room is available for cash, you can book it with points). You can also redeem toward a discounted “Go Fast” cash and points rate. Resort fees may apply and cannot be paid with points. Note that when you have one of these credit cards, you get a 10% discount, so for example the 15,000 points tier would be actually be reduced down to 13,500 points.

You can also use the points for Vacasa vacation home rentals (like Airbnb or VRBO). Starting 3/26/24, it will cost 15,000 points *per bedroom* per night if the cash cost (including all taxes and fees!) is up to $250 *per bedroom* per night, or 30,000 points per bedroom per night if the cash cost is up to $500 per bedroom per night. More details at here and here.

That means your family likes to stay at Airbnbs, then 90,000 points can get you 3 nights at a 1-bedroom Vacasa-managed property that would otherwise cost up to $500 per night when including all taxes and fees, or at a 2-bedroom Vacasa property that would otherwise cost up to $250 *per bedroom* per night when including all taxes and fees. You can browse Vacasa properties here and book by calling 800-441-1034.

Wyndham points expiration – Important!

• Wyndham Rewards points will expire if you have no activity on your account for a period of 18 months.
• In addition, all Wyndham Rewards points expire 4 years after being earned — regardless of account activity.

From the official Terms & Conditions:

Except as may otherwise be required under applicable law, Wyndham Rewards points expire four (4) years after the checkout date of the stay for which the applicable points are posted to the Member’s account (the “Four Year Rule”), unless the points are forfeited or cancelled earlier due to membership inactivity (as more particularly described below), or otherwise in accordance with these Terms and Conditions. All accrued points in a Member’s Wyndham Rewards account may be cancelled or forfeited if the Member has no Account Activity (as defined below) for a period of approximately, but never less than, eighteen (18) consecutive months. For purposes of these Terms and Conditions, “Account Activity” means any (i) point earning, (ii) stay posted to a Member’s Wyndham Rewards account, regardless of whether or not such stay earns Wyndham Rewards points, and (iii) redemption or transfer activity involving a change in the Member’s Wyndham Rewards point balance, in each case, conducted in accordance with these Terms and Conditions.

For example, earning points via this credit card will only reset the 18-month inactivity clock. Look for the exact date in your online account page.

Wyndham Rewards includes over 9,000 hotels worldwide – from Days Inn motels to Wyndham Grand hotels. You can use this link to filter locations easily by country, state, and/or point level. Participating hotel chains include:

• AmericInn by Wyndham®
• Dolce Hotels and Resorts® by Wyndham
• Hawthorn Suites by Wyndham®
• Howard Johnson by Wyndham®
• La Quinta by Wyndham®
• Ramada by Wyndham®
• Days Inn by Wyndham®
• Super 8 by Wyndham®
• Travelodge by Wyndham®
• Wingate by Wyndham®
• Wyndham Grand®
• Wyndham Hotels and Resorts®
• Wyndham Garden®

Depending on the hotel, you might get over 1 cent per point value (i.e. $300 cash hotel night for 30,000 points), but you might also get closer to 0.5 cent per point value (i.e. a $75 hotel night might require 15,000 points).

Bottom line. The Wyndham Rewards Earner credit cards earns rewards that can get you free nights at Wyndham hotels and Vacasa vacation home rentals. However, know that you must redeem the points within 4 years at the longest, even with regular account activity. This is somewhat of a niche card, but if you’ve got all the popular ones, there is still good potential value here if you put in some legwork.

Also see: Top 10 Best Credit Card Bonus Offers and Top 10 Best Business Card Offers.

Update March 2025. Southwest has made some big changes to how they run, and it’s not entire clear how it will affect their credit cards. The “Wanna Get Away” fare is going away later this year, to be replaced by “Basic”. I will try to update things as well as I can.

For now, Southwest still offers their unique Companion Pass, which lets you fly with a companion for free when you book both paid AND award flights on Southwest. Once you qualify by earning 135,000 points in a calendar year, you earn the Companion Pass for both the rest of the year in which you earn it AND all of the next year (ex. rest of 2025 + all of 2026). Importantly, all points earned from credit cards count toward the requirement, and each card also offers a 10,000 point boost toward the Companion Pass requirement.

New limited-time offer: Right now if you apply by 3/31/25, you have an opportunity to earn a “Promo” Companion Pass much more easily with a reasonable spending hurdle. See details below. This promotional Companion Pass doesn’t last through the end of 2026, but it does last until 2/28/26.

Southwest Rapid Rewards® Plus Credit Card

• 50,000 points after you spend $1,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening.
• Receive 3,000 anniversary points each year.
• 10,000 Companion Pass® qualifying points boost each year.
• 2X points on Southwest(R) purchases.
• 2X points on local transit and commuting, including rideshare.
• 2X points on internet, cable, and phone services, and select streaming.
• 1 point per $1 spent on all other purchases.
• 2 EarlyBird Check-In(R) each year
• 25% back on inflight purchases
• All points earned count towards Companion Pass(R).
• $69 annual fee.

Southwest Rapid Rewards® Priority Credit Card

• 50,000 points after you spend $1,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening.
• Receive 7,500 anniversary points and a $75 Southwest® travel credit each year.
• 10,000 Companion Pass® qualifying points boost each year.
• 3X points on Southwest purchases.
• 2X points on local transit and commuting, including rideshare.
• 2X points on internet, cable, and phone services, and select streaming.
• 1 point per $1 spent on all other purchases.
• 2 EarlyBird Check-In(R) each year
• 25% back on inflight purchases
• 1,500 TQPs toward A-List status for every $5,000 spent in purchases annually (no limit on TQP earned).
• 4 Upgraded Boardings per year when available.
• $149 annual fee.

The following are business credit cards:

Southwest Rapid Rewards® Performance Business Credit Card

• 80,000 bonus points after spending $5,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening.
• 9,000 bonus points after each Cardmember anniversary.
• NEW: 4X points on Southwest(R) purchases.
• 3X points on Rapid Rewards® hotel and car rental partners.
• NEW: 2X points on rideshare.
• 2X points on social media and search engine advertising, Internet, cable and phone services and 1 point per $1 spent on all other purchases.
• 4 Upgraded Boardings per year when available.
• Inflight WiFi Credits (up to 365 x $8 credits per year).
• Up to $120 Global Entry, TSA PreCheck® or NEXUS fee credit. Receive a statement credit of up to $120 every 4 years as reimbursement for the application fee for Global Entry, TSA PreCheck® or NEXUS.
• $199 annual fee.

Southwest Rapid Rewards® Premier Business Credit Card

• 60,000 bonus points after spending $3,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening.
• 6,000 bonus points after each Cardmember anniversary.
• 3X points on Southwest(R) purchases.
• 2X points and Rapid Rewards® hotel and car rental partners.
• 2X points on local transit and commuting, including rideshare.
• 1 point per $1 spent on all other purchases.
• 2 EarlyBird Check-In(R) each year
• $99 annual fee.

Value of Rapid Rewards points. Redeeming Southwest points for flights varies in a narrow range, but a very reasonable approximation from my experience is 1.3 cents in Wanna Get Away airfare in per point. That works out to $650+ in Wanna Get Away airfare for every 50,000 points or $1,300+ in Wanna Get Away airfare from 100,000 points (you are still liable for taxes and fees from $5.60 one-way). This valuation may change when they switch to “Basic”.

Now, if you manage to qualify for the the Companion Pass on every trip that you book with those points, that doubles the potential value of each award redemption. In other words, 125,000 Rapid Rewards, would usually get you $1,850 in Wanna Get Away airfare, but with the Companion Pass you’d get an extra companion ticket for every flight booked.

There may be other options like gift cards, but the redemption value is less than half the value you could get from redeeming for flights.

Southwest points expiration policy, per Southwest.com:

Do the points I earn expire?

No, your Rapid Rewards points do not expire. However, if you choose to close your account, the points in your account will be terminated.

Card restrictions. All of these Southwest credit cards are subject to “5/24” restrictions, which means that your application will be automatically denied if you have opened 5 or more credit cards in the last 24 months (check your credit reports). Our household strategy is to have one person only apply for Chase 5/24 cards, and the other person applies for everything else. There is also this language on the consumer card:

This product is available to you if you do not have a current Southwest Rapid Rewards® Credit Card and have not received a new Cardmember bonus within the last 24 months. This does not apply to Business Card and Employee Credit Card products.

Basically, you can get one sign-up bonus from a Southwest consumer card once every 24 months. You can also get one sign-up bonus from a Southwest business card once every 24 months.

Stack your Companion Pass with Chase Ultimate Rewards points. If you have the Chase Sapphire Preferred or Chase Sapphire Reserve, you can transfer Ultimate Rewards points to Southwest points on a 1:1 basis. If you book an award flight with those Southwest points while you have the Companion Pass, you can double the value of your Ultimate Rewards points as well.

Bottom line. Southwest credit cards offer new cardholders the opportunity to earn hundreds of dollars worth of Wanna Get Away airfare, but if you time things right and maybe combine the welcome offers from a personal and business card, you can also grab the Southwest Companion pass, which provides a free companion ticket on every flight bought with cash OR points booked both during the rest of the year in which you earned it, AND the full next calendar year.

Also see: Top 10 Best Credit Card Bonus Offers and the Top 10 Best Business Card Offers.

The information for the Southwest Rapid Rewards Cards has been collected independently by My Money Blog. The card details on this page have not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer.

The Aven Credit Card is a new-ish credit card with 2% cash back that uses your home equity (HELOC) to get lower interest rates. Right now they have a new Costco offer, but you have to read the fine print. The offer includes a free 1-Year Executive Membership, which is issued as a one-time $135 credit on your Aven card within the first statement cycle. It’s not clear if you have to actually charge the membership to your card, as they are not closely affiliated with Costco.

However, they also advertise “4% cash back at Costco”, but that’s really just their standard 2% cash back plus Costco’s annual 2% membership reward certificate for Executive Members. They don’t actually pay 4% cash back on Costco purchases. That really reduces the potential draw of this card, as all we have left is the $135 one-time credit. I might have forgiven them if they actually covered my Costco membership every single year. Not worth a hard credit check.

Here’s their language on how the credit card works:

Aven combines the convenience of a credit card with the savings of a home equity line of credit (HELOC). It works like any other credit card where you can make everyday purchases and earn unlimited 2% cash back.1

You can either get a fixed Cash Out (ex. $10,000 cash transferred into your bank account) and get a fixed monthly payment for 5 or 10 years (2.5% transfer fee), or you can just use it like a credit card and build up a balance. In that case, the monthly payments are calculated as 1% of the principal balance, plus monthly interest, plus any fees.

No annual, sign-up, or pre-payment fees. There is a 2.5% fee on Cash Outs and Balance Transfers and a $29 late fee if you don’t make the minimum payment.