Southwest RR.....should I?

[Stanic413]

My mother has been ranting for months about a 'family reunion' trip this 4th of July but has said tickets were too expensive due to the holiday.  I bought my daughter's summer camp plane ticket tonight through Southwest and saw the ad for the card.  I decided to search ticket prices for the 4th and they were way cheaper than she said.  I know that this card has the 50,000 point bonus, but just not sure if it's worth it.  My main questions/concerns are:

After bonus points are earned, can they be used as a statement credit for tickets I already purchased on the card?

Is it worth having another AF travel card and would it defeat the purposes of my Arrival?  I only fly maybe once or twice a year, if that, and my plan was to use Arrival rewards to cover it. 

Will I get declined?  I have 4 new TLs since March, but 4 or less INQs per report.  I've never app'd this much, so I'm hesitant.

I'm just not sure if it's worth applying for.  If I get it and rewards can't be redeemed for statement credit, I know I can use it for future flights and save my Arrival points, but I likely won't need this card much, if at all, in a year.   Suggestions/thoughts?

[B335is]

Chase will pull your EX and at 703 I think you have a chance of approval - you may end up asking for reconsideration, but that's one of Chase's "things."

The points on this card are still valuable (Wanna get away fares 70pts = $1), the sign up bonus is worth around $715.  Basically the annual fee is worth the bonus points they give you annually, so it pays for itself as a long-term card.  The nice thing is that Chase considers the Plus and Premier version 2 separate cards, so you are eligible to get the bonus on each of them.  The bonus points even count towards your Companion Pass qualifying points, but that would still force you to put quite a bit of money through the card (110,000 points is required).  The Companion Pass' value really depends on how much traveling you plan to do.

Is it worth it?  I would say yes, if only for the nice bonus, but that's just my opinion.  This is definitely one of the better FF programs left.

I do not know if you can redeem points for cash, but I wouldn't suggest using an Airline card as a cash back card.  

Without knowing your total credit picture (AAoA, Util, any negs, current limits, income, dti, etc...) I have no way of knowing if you'll be declined or approved.

[Stanic413]

Thanks for the feedback.  I didn't know anything about Companion Pass.

AAoA is 5 years, went down w/ new cards.   Util is at 27%, no baddies, total CL is $27,500, income close to $60k and DTI is less than 20% (no mortgage).  Three inquiries on EX.  My negative factors are my balances (have a BT card with high utilization) and new accounts. 

I think my biggest question is, can I use the bonus as cash back for this trip?  If so, I think I'll go for it.  If not, I'd have to figure out if I'll be traveling enough to have both SW and Arrival cards.  I don't think I travel or spend enough to have two travel cards. 

[takeshi74]

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@Stanic413 wrote:

After bonus points are earned, can they be used as a statement credit for tickets I already purchased on the card?

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Info is readily available on the respective sites.  This card earns RR points.  It does not earn its own points.  Redemption options for RR points are on Southwest's site:

http://www.southwest.com/rapidrewards/how-to-redeem

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@Stanic413 wrote:

Is it worth having another AF travel card and would it defeat the purposes of my Arrival?  I only fly maybe once or twice a year, if that, and my plan was to use Arrival rewards to cover it. 

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Worth is always a subjective matter and you have to determine for yourself if any card would be of benefit to you.  Some do find multiple travel cards useful.  Travel is very vague and redemption on the cards you're comparing are different.  Make sure you read up and understand how the two programs work so you can determine if both wold be beneficial or if they would be redundant for you.  This isn't a one-size-fits-all matter.  You also need to look at you spend and the earn rates on the two cards to determine if you would accumulate enough to make it worthwhile while also considering all other aspects of both cards.  Based on what you've said in what I've quoted I'd guess that the Arrival would be enough for you but you really need to do your own due diligence.

I find the UMPE and the CSP beneficial but that's because the UMPE keeps my United miles from expiring, includes flight benefits and comes with club passes while the CSP offers none of those.  The CSP, however, does have better earn on travel and dining (plus the earn on my Freedom and Ink).

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@Stanic413 wrote:

Will I get declined?  I have 4 new TLs since March, but 4 or less INQs per report.  I've never app'd this much, so I'm hesitant.

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We really can't make guarantees either way even with the additional info you posted in a later reply.  How did your mot recent apps go?  The only way to answer your question is to apply.  As indicated above, Chase is generally pretty good with recons.  A denial really isn't a big deal.  You'll just take one inquiry and they age and fall off relatively quickly.  How much do you need/want this card is the real question.

[Stanic413]

Thanks.  I wasn't overly concerned about getting declined, and I honestly don't think I would've been bummed out if I did get a decline.  I'm gonna pass on applying.  I just don't need or even want another one at this point and the bonus doesn't seem to be worth adding the stress of another CC to my wallet right now.  Thanks again for the input.

[montoya83]

I have this card and was approved with a 668 FICO and was approved for 5k... the card is awesome but that is if you travel a lot with SWA...

[ObieGrad]

I would not get this card solely to buy tickets for this trip.  The problem is that the points are earned when your statement cuts and then transferred to Southwest (which takes maybe an extra day).  You can only use the points once they have been transfered.  If the cost of the flight increases between now and when the first statement cuts then you'll be out of luck and might not have enough points to book all the tickets.

Tickets must be "purchased" 100% in cash or 100% in points, you cannot split points and cash.

[john398]

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@ObieGrad wrote:

I would not get this card solely to buy tickets for this trip.  The problem is that the points are earned when your statement cuts and then transferred to Southwest (which takes maybe an extra day).  You can only use the points once they have been transfered.  If the cost of the flight increases between now and when the first statement cuts then you'll be out of luck and might not have enough points to book all the tickets.

Tickets must be "purchased" 100% in cash or 100% in points, you cannot split points and cash.

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but you can split a round trip to 2 one ways and pay each one way differently