The record-high welcome bonus on 3 Southwest credit cards is ending in a matter of days

Crystal Cox/Business Insider

The Priority card is a great option for frequent Southwest flyers, and it's offering its best-ever welcome bonus.

• Southwest's three consumer credit cards are currently offering their highest-ever welcome bonus of up to 75,000 Rapid Rewards points: 40,000 points after you spend $1,000 in the first three months, and another 35,000 points after you spend $5,000 in the first six months.
• This sign-up bonus is available on the Southwest Rapid Rewards Plus Credit Card ($69 annual fee), the Southwest Rapid Rewards Premier Credit Card ($99 annual fee), and the Southwest Rapid Rewards Priority Credit Card ($149).
• This offers on this page are only available for a few more days - they end on February 10.
• Beyond earning you valuable points for booking award flights, this 75,000-point bonus gets you more than halfway toward qualifying for the Companion Pass, which essentially lets you bring a loved one along for free on your Southwest flights.
• See Business Insider's list of the best airline credit cards »

If you fly Southwest and you need some extra Rapid Rewards points to book upcoming flights, the three consumer Southwest credit cards are currently worth an extra-close look. The Southwest Plus, Southwest Premier, and Southwest Priority cards are all offering new cardholders up to 75,000 points - 40,000 points after spending $1,000 in the first three months, and an additional 35,000 points after spending $5,000 in the first six months.

Not only can 75,000 points go a long way toward booking award flights for an upcoming family vacation, but that sum also gets you more than halfway toward qualifying for Southwest's much-loved Companion Pass benefit, which lets you designate one person to travel with you on all Southwest flights. They'll only have to pay the minimal cost of taxes and fees.

We knew this was a limited-time bonus, but the news just dropped that the offers on this page will only be available until February 10. That only gives you a few more days to apply and earn up to 75,000 Rapid Rewards points.

Keep in mind that we're focusing on the rewards and perks that make these credit cards great options, not things like interest rates and late fees, which will far outweigh the value of any points or miles. It's important to practice financial discipline when using credit cards by paying your balances in full each month, making payments on time, and only spending what you can afford to pay back.

Southwest consumer card details

Here's how the annual fees and main benefits for these three cards break down:

• Southwest Rapid Rewards Plus Credit Card - $69 annual fee; earn 3,000 points after each cardmember anniversary
• Southwest Rapid Rewards Premier Credit Card - $99 annual fee; earn 6,000 points after each cardmember anniversary, no foreign transaction fees, earn Tier-Qualifying Points (TQPs) toward Southwest's A-List status
• Southwest Rapid Rewards Priority Credit Card - $149 annual fee; earn 7,500 points after each cardmember anniversary, no foreign transaction fees, earn Tier-Qualifying Points (TQPs) toward Southwest's A-List status, $75 annual travel credit, four upgraded boardings per year

If you're a frequent Southwest flyer, the Southwest Priority card could pay for itself with benefits like the annual Southwest travel credit and upgraded boardings. For more details on the differences between each option, see our comparison of Southwest's credit cards.

Earning the Companion Pass

The Companion Pass lets you designate one person to travel with you on all your Southwest flights (both paid and booked with points) for just the cost of taxes and fees.

To earn the Companion Pass, you need to accrue 125,000 qualifying points in a calendar year. That means the current offer of up to 75,000 points gets you more than halfway there - by meeting the minimum spending requirement to earn the full 75,000 points, you'll end up with at least 80,000 points (or more if you make any Southwest purchases, which earn 2 points per dollar).

To earn the remaining 45,000 points, you can book flights through Southwest, earn points through spending on your card, or, if you qualify for a small-business credit card, open one of the following two cards and earn its welcome bonus:

• Southwest Rapid Rewards Premier Business Credit Card - $99 annual fee; earn 60,000 points after you spend $3,000 in the first three months
• Southwest Rapid Rewards Performance Business Credit Card - $199 annual fee; earn 70,000 points after you spend $5,000 in the first three months

If you're planning to pay your taxes with a credit card, doing so with your new Southwest card could be a good way to work toward the Companion Pass as well.

Keep in mind that the sooner you meet the qualifications for the Companion Pass, the longer you'll get to enjoy 2-for-1 travel; you get the pass for the rest of the year in which you qualify, plus the entire following calendar year. So if you were able to meet the spending requirements within the next few months, you could enjoy the benefit for nearly two years.

Whether you want 75,000 points to book award flights, to earn the Companion Pass, or both, keep the date of February 10 in mind, because that's when the offers on this page will expire. You only have a few more days to apply, so don't wait.

$69 annual fee: Click here to learn more about the Southwest Plus card »

$99 annual fee: Click here to learn more about the Southwest Premier card »

$149 annual fee: Click here to learn more about the Southwest Priority card »

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Please note: While the offers mentioned above are accurate at the time of publication, they're subject to change at any time and may have changed, or may no longer be available.

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