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Rapid Rewards

Earning on every flight? That's the point!

Join Rapid Rewards ® to earn points you can use for any seat, any time. There are no blackout dates and points don't expire.

Benefits of Rapid Rewards

As a Rapid Rewards Member, you earn points by flying or spending with our partners. Use them how and when you want. Plus, if you’re short on points, you can always purchase more to get that reward you’ve been eyeing.

Redeem for flights and more.

Rapid Rewards Members can redeem their points for flights through Southwest ® , and for gift cards, merchandise, hotel stays, rental cars, and exclusive Cardmember experiences through the Southwest More Rewards program . The sky really is the limit! With Cash + Points, Rapid Rewards Members can combine Points and other eligible forms of payment to purchase flights. Cash + Points bookings will not earn Rapid Rewards points, tier qualifying points for A-List or A-List Preferred status or Companion Pass qualifying points. For more information click here .

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No blackout dates means your choices and possibilities for travel are wide open.

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Earning points for travel and shopping is easy..

Rapid Rewards makes it easy to earn points you can use for reward flights to go anywhere that we fly. Not only will you earn points on flights, you can also earn points on everyday purchases with a Rapid Rewards Credit Card 1 and with our partners.

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Every point you earn also points you toward companion pass®..

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Important information

1 Southwest Rapid Rewards™ Credit Cards are issued by JPMorgan Chase Bank, N.A. Member FDIC.

All Rapid Rewards rules and regulations apply and can be found at Southwest.com/rrterms .

How to redeem your points with the Southwest Rapid Rewards program

Editor's Note

Southwest Airlines is known for its generous policies on ticket changes and cancellations, complimentary checked bags and unique boarding process. However, Southwest Rapid Rewards is yet another enticing feature for frequent travelers.

One notable advantage is the program's lack of blackout dates for award redemptions. Moreover, it offers an incredible Companion Pass benefit , allowing you to bring a companion on paid and award flights for just the cost of taxes and fees.

If you are new to Southwest or want to learn more about using points on Southwest, this guide will take you through what you need to know about redeeming your Rapid Rewards points. Fortunately, it is relatively straightforward, but there are a few peculiarities you should be aware of.

You can also redeem your Southwest points for gift cards, merchandise, hotels, experiences and Rapid Rewards Events, but Southwest flights almost always provide the best return on your hard-earned points.

Redeem points on Southwest flights

Redeeming Southwest Rapid Rewards points on Southwest flights is simple. The program pegs the number of points required to the cost of paid airfares. The more a paid seat costs, the more points you must redeem. Southwest promises no blackout dates on any redemptions, so you can use your Rapid Rewards points to book any Southwest Airlines ticket for sale. If the flight has one open seat, you should be able to book it with points (but be prepared to pay up).

TPG values Southwest points at 1.35 cents each, and it's easy to consistently get that value whether you're booking domestic or international flights. Unfortunately, Southwest has shared plans to devalue Rapid Rewards points by 4% on Jan. 1, 2024 , so now is the time to book award travel.

The booking process is simple. Fire up southwest.com and enter your flight search parameters. Be sure to check the "Points" button at the top right to see the results for award flights.

The results page will then display all of the available flights using points. Select the one you want, log in to your account (if you haven't already) and follow the on-screen steps to complete your award.

You can also reserve Wanna Get Away Plus, Anytime and Business Select fares using Rapid Rewards points, but your redemption value tends to be lower for limited benefits. Business Select fares, for example, include priority boarding and security, a free premium drink on flights over 176 miles and more flexible same-day changes. As a result, we recommend sticking to redeeming for Wanna Get Away fares whenever possible.

You can also redeem your Chase Ultimate Rewards points for Southwest flights on the Chase portal .

Free award ticket changes and cancellations

Another thing that makes Rapid Rewards points so popular is Southwest's flexible change and cancellation policies .

You can change your Southwest flights for free and are only responsible for paying the difference between your original and new flights. If the cost of an award flight you've booked goes down, you can rebook your trip at the lower rate, and you'll receive a refund (in the form of travel credit for Wanna Get Away and Wanna Get Away Plus fares).

If your plans change and you cannot make a flight, you can cancel your flight for free. Your points will be refunded to your account without penalty (even on Wanna Get Away fares). You can even opt for the taxes paid to go back to the credit card you used to book the reservation.

There's one thing to remember: You can't no-show for the flight and get your points back. You must cancel at least 10 minutes before the scheduled departure, which is still pretty lenient.

Related: How to re-price a Southwest flight when the fare decreases

The Companion Pass doubles the value of your Southwest points

One of the ways to maximize the value of your Rapid Rewards points is by earning the Southwest Companion Pass . With this perk, you can choose a companion to fly with you on all your Southwest flights while your pass is valid. Your companion will only need to pay the taxes and fees for their ticket, regardless of whether you used cash or points for your ticket. As long as the flight has available seats, you can use your pass. This essentially doubles the value of your Rapid Rewards flights when traveling with your designated companion.

To earn the Companion Pass , you must earn either 135,000 qualifying points or complete 100 qualifying flights on Southwest within a calendar year. Once achieved, you will have the Companion Pass for the remainder of the current year and the entire following year.

Qualifying points for the Companion Pass can be earned by flying paid Southwest flights, spending on a Southwest credit card, shopping through the Southwest shopping portal and utilizing Southwest's partnerships. However, points transfers from Chase Ultimate Rewards and Marriott Bonvoy do not count toward the Companion Pass.

Here's a look at some of the current Southwest card offers :

• Southwest Rapid Rewards® Plus Credit Card : Earn 50,000 bonus points after spending $1,000 on purchases in the first three months from account opening.
• Southwest Rapid Rewards® Premier Credit Card : Earn 50,000 bonus points after spending $1,000 on purchases in the first three months from account opening.
• Southwest Rapid Rewards® Priority Credit Card : Earn 50,000 bonus points after spending $1,000 on purchases in the first three months from account opening.
• Southwest Rapid Rewards® Premier Business Credit Card : 60,000 points after you spend $3,000 on purchases in the first three months from account opening.
• Southwest Rapid Rewards® Performance Business Credit Card : 80,000 points after you spend $5,000 on purchases in the first three months from account opening.

With these generous welcome offers, earning the Companion Pass becomes relatively easy. By meeting the minimum spending requirement on the Performance Business Card , you can earn at least 85,000 points, leaving you with only 50,000 points to earn the pass. You can achieve this by spending more on your new card, flying with Southwest, earning points through partners or combining these methods.

The information for the Southwest Rapid Rewards Premier has been collected independently by The Points Guy. The card details on this page have not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer.

Related: 15 lessons from 15 years of having the Southwest Companion Pass

Southwest Rapid Rewards FAQ

Have questions about Southwest Rapid Rewards? Let's address them.

How do I join Southwest Rapid Rewards?

You can join the Southwest Rapid Rewards program for free on Southwest's website . Look at the top of the page and click the "Create account" link.

Now, fill out the requested information and click the yellow "Create account" button at the bottom of the screen. Your account will be created immediately, and you can earn and redeem Rapid Rewards points.

When do Southwest Rapid Rewards points expire?

Southwest Rapid Rewards points don't expire so long as your account is open.

Can I transfer points to Southwest?

You can transfer Chase Ultimate Rewards points to Southwest Rapid Rewards at a 1:1 transfer ratio. This means that 10,000 Chase points are equal to 10,000 Southwest Rapid Rewards points. These transfers generally process instantly.

For example, you may want to book Southwest flights through Chase if you have the Chase Sapphire Reserve . You can redeem Ultimate Rewards points from this card at 1.5 cents per point through the Chase travel portal and still earn Rapid Rewards points on your flight. And now, Southwest flights appear directly on the Chase travel portal .

Further, you can transfer Marriott Bonvoy points to Southwest Rapid Rewards at a 3:1 transfer ratio. Five thousand bonus Rapid Rewards are awarded for every 60,000 Marriott points transferred, so 60,000 Marriott points are worth 25,000 Southwest points.

Related: What it's really like flying Southwest Airlines all the way to Hawaii

Bottom line

Southwest Rapid Rewards points are an excellent choice if you are a traveler seeking flexibility in booking flights within a wide domestic network. With the added benefit of fee-free changes and cancellations, along with the inclusion of two free checked bags for every passenger, Southwest is a preferred option for many travelers. Moreover, the Companion Pass allows you to double the value of your points when traveling with a friend or family member.

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Southwest Introduces Cash + Points Bookings for Flights and Hotels

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Southwest Introduces Cash + Points Bookings

Southwest Airlines has launched a new redemption option for Rapid Rewards members. You can now use a mix of points and cash to book Southwest flights, and even hotel stays. The redemption value is not great, with a best case scenario of 1 cent per points. But it goes as low as 0.6 cpp.

All Southwest Rapid Rewards members can use a combination of points (starting with as few as 1,000 points) and other eligible forms of payment to purchase Southwest flights on Southwest.com/cashpluspoints. This option is also available for Southwest Business customers through swabiz.com.

Southwest Airlines is also offering its Rapid Rewards Members the ability to use their Rapid Rewards points for hotel stays on hotels.redeemrapidrewards.com powered by Rocket Travel by Agoda. Members booking travel with points can choose to pay for hotel bookings using only points, or a combination of cash and points. Redemption value seems to be 1 cpp at best.

“We launched several enhancements to our award-winning program last year that made it easier to earn more points and achieve tier status, said Southwest’s vice president Jonathan Clarkson. “This year, we’re continuing our commitment to lean into Customer preferences by giving them extra flexibility to make points go further by offering new ways to use their points.”

While these new options do add some flexibility for Rapid Rewards members, the value is not there.

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Southwest Weighing Changes to Boarding and Seating Procedures

Southwest adds more flights to vegas for football fans, southwest airlines to pay $140 million fine for 2022 meltdown, book southwest flights through chase travel portal.

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I need to request points for a past flight, or I am missing points

You may request Rapid Rewards® points for travel completed in the last 12 months in your account . In the section called “Request past flight points,” enter your confirmation number from your reservation and click “Get points.” After verification of your flight information (up to 5 days), points will be deposited into your account.

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What are the perks of a Southwest, American Airlines credit card?

If you’re a frequent flyer, you may want to consider a credit card with your favorite airline.

According to NerdWallet, credit cards with airlines can quickly be justified with their annual fees if you take advantage. Some perks include bonus miles that can be redeemed for free travel, free luggage and more. Some cards also grant access to airport lounges usually only given to those with elite frequent flyer status or taking international trips.

The redemption value of points and miles varies between airlines and can change at any time.

Here’s what Southwest , American , Delta and United all offer for their credit cards.

Southwest Airlines

Southwest offers its Rapid Rewards credit cards in four different kinds: plus ($69 annual fee), premier ($99 annual fee), priority ($149 annual fee) and a business card. Every credit card earns a certain number of points on the owner’s anniversary.

Currently, there’s a promotion to earn 50,000 points after you spend $1,000 in the first 3 months from account opening. There are no foreign transaction fees and each card earns one point per $1 spent. Cardholders can also earn two points for every $1 spent on Southwest purchases.

The Southwest credit card is a Chase Visa card.

American Airlines

American offers four AAdvantage credit cards : Platinum Select World Elite ($99 annual fee), MileUp (no annual fee), Executive World Elite ($595 annual fee) and Business World Elite ($99 annual fee).

American also offers a promotion for bonus miles earned after a certain number of purchases on each card. The Platinum Select World Elite card offers 50,000 bonus miles after $2,500 in purchases are made within three months of opening. Cardholders also earn miles with every purchase.

The AAdvantage credit cards are Citi Bank Mastercards.

United Airlines

United Airlines offers four Mileage Plus credit cards: United Gateway (no annual fee), United Explorer ($95 annual fee), United Quest ($250 annual fee) and United Club Infinite ($525 annual fee). There are also business and business club cards marketed toward small-business owners.

United currently has a promotion for bonus miles on each card, depending on the card you get. The United Gateway card, for example, offers 20,000 bonus miles for an introductory offer.

The United Airlines Mileage Plus cards are Chase Visa cards.

Delta Air Lines

Delta Air Lines offers three SkyMiles credit cards : the Delta SkyMiles Gold ($150 annual fee), the Delta SkyMiles Platinum ($350 annual fee) and the Delta SkyMiles Blue (no annual fee).

All three cards offer bonus miles when you open them, depending on purchases within the first six months of owning the card. For example, the Delta SkyMiles Blue card offers 10,000 bonus miles after $1,000 in purchases within the first six months.

The Delta SkyMiles cards are American Express credit cards.

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Southwest Will Now Have Discounted Flights Every Wednesday — What to Know

Travelers can visit the airline's website on Wednesday mornings to see the new inventory of discounted fares.

Stephen M. Keller/Courtesy of Southwest Airlines

Wednesday may now be the cheapest day to book flights on Southwest. This week the airline introduced a new promotion, “Wanna Go Wednesdays” , which provides weekly discounted fares between popular markets.  For example, sample fares from the program’s launch this past Wednesday included discounts of $69 one-way fares between Las Vegas and Long Beach, California, and $89 one-way fares between Denver and Phoenix.  The promotion also recently featured discount fares of $109 between Dallas’ Love Field and New Orleans, as well as between Atlanta and Orlando.  Southwest described the promotion as a way to make Wednesdays “a little more fun” and helpful for passengers looking to score a last-minute deal.  “Customers have a whole new reason to look forward to the weekdays. We think this is a great way to highlight some spontaneous travel destinations at low fares for our Customers,” Southwest Airlines said in a blog post promoting the launch.   In order to find the fares, travelers can visit Southwest.com on Wednesday mornings to see the new inventory of discounted fares.

There has long been a debate on if there is a cheapest day of the week to purchase airline tickets. A recent industry report shared that Tuesdays and Wednesdays are some of the cheaper days to purchase tickets, but the savings may be marginal.  For passengers with definitive plans and those who can't wait until Wednesday, Southwest Airlines recently opened up the availability to book flights through March 5, 2025. This expansion of flights may be helpful for travelers looking to plan holiday season, or New Year's travel plans between 2024 and 2025.  The airline also recently hinted that overnight, or "red-eye", flights will soon be introduced to the schedule, including from Las Vegas and Hawaii.

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If you have a Southwest Rapid Rewards membership , you can use Southwest’s partners to not only earn more points, but also to redeem points you already have.

Southwest has a robust list of travel partners across popular hotel brands like Hyatt and Marriott, with major rental car companies, and even tons of restaurants and online shopping outlets. These Southwest partnerships allow you to rack up more Rapid Rewards points for purchases you’re already making with those other companies. And some partnerships — especially those with online shopping partners, like Harry & David or Home Chef, can earn you roughly 50% (and sometimes closer to 100%) back on what you spend in the form of Rapid Rewards points.

On the flip side, perhaps you have more Southwest points than you know what to do with. While they’re almost always the most valuable when redeemed for Southwest flights, you might find yourself in a situation where transferring them makes more sense.

Here’s what you need to know about earning, redeeming and transferring Rapid Rewards points with Southwest partners.

Southwest’s hotel partnerships allow you to earn Southwest points for your hotel stays. Inversely, you can transfer hotel points to Southwest. But unless you desperately need points in one currency versus the other, we don’t recommend mixing hotel loyalty points with Southwest.

Earning Southwest Rapid Rewards points through Southwest travel partners

You can earn Rapid Rewards points for staying with Southwest’s hotel partners. The catch: You usually can't earn both hotel points and Rapid Rewards points, so choose what currency you’d rather earn. Here’s how much you’ll earn as Southwest Rapid Rewards points from your hotel stays.

Marriott Bonvoy: Rapid Rewards members who are also members of Marriott Bonvoy can earn 600 Rapid Rewards points for every qualifying stay at most Marriott properties.

World of Hyatt: Rapid Rewards members who are also World of Hyatt members can earn 600 Rapid Rewards points, courtesy of Hyatt, for every qualifying stay booked directly through Hyatt. To receive Rapid Rewards points, you must select Rapid Rewards points as your currency of choice, and you should be prepared to provide your Rapid Rewards number and World of Hyatt membership upon check-in at the hotel.

Typically, you’ll get more value out of choosing the hotel’s currency, so you should almost always skip earning them as Rapid Reward points.

However, if you’re staying in, say, a Hyatt once and never again (maybe it’s the only hotel in the obscure city your cousin chose to have their wedding in), then it probably makes sense to opt for the Southwest points instead.

Transferring hotel points to Southwest Rapid Rewards

You can convert hotel points to Southwest, but more often than not, this tends to be a bad deal, as tons of value typically gets lost in the exchange. Remember, we value a Southwest point at about 1.5 cents each. We only recommend transferring points in and out of other travel loyalty programs elsewhere if you don’t anticipate using those points again or you really need a few more points to top off an account balance.

Here are some of the biggest transfer partners, and the currencies you can swap with.

Best Western Hotels & Resorts: Rapid Rewards Members who are also Best Western Rewards members can redeem 5,000 Best Western Rewards points for 1,200 Rapid Rewards points. It's not the worst redemption, but it’s still diminishes their value by half considering we value one Best Western point at 0.7 cent each.

Choice Hotels: Rapid Rewards Members who are also Choice Privileges members can redeem 6,000 Choice Privileges points for 1,800 Rapid Rewards points.

Marriott Bonvoy: Marriott Bonvoy points convert at a 3:1 ratio, so 9,000 Marriott Bonvoy points equals 3,000 Rapid Rewards points. This is one of the better redemptions ( we value one Marriott Bonvoy point at 0.8 cent , but we still recommend keeping your Bonvoy points with Bonvoy, assuming you’ll use them on a Marriott hotel.

World of Hyatt: Rapid Rewards Members who are also World of Hyatt members can redeem 5,000 World of Hyatt points for 2,400 Rapid Rewards points. Not a great redemption, considering we value a Hyatt point at 2.3 cents apiece.

Southwest routes are fairly limited, and you may find yourself needing to fly with another airline. After all, Southwest doesn’t fly to Asia, Europe or Africa — but you might still want to fly there.

If you're a Rapid Rewards credit card holder, the Southwest More Rewards program gives you access to a shopping portal where you can spend your points on items including designer handbags, gift cards and, yes, international flights. You can book flights on other major airlines including Air France, American Airlines, British Airways, Delta Air Lines, United Airlines and more — all using Southwest points.

But we don’t recommend this. Using our airline miles valuations , which peg a Rapid Rewards point at 1.5 cents , we found that, on average, international flights are marked up by 51%. Only go this route if you don’t see yourself using your points for actual Southwest flights again.

You'd be better off using the Rapid Rewards points that you earn from Southwest credit cards for booking Southwest flights, since Wanna Get Away fares are fairly affordable and the airline's Companion Pass makes it easy to travel with another person.

on Chase's website

Earn 50,000 bonus points after spending $1,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening.

Earn 60,000 points after you spend $3,000 on purchases in the first 3 months your account is open.

Can you transfer Southwest points to airline partners?

No. Southwest is one of the few major airlines that doesn’t have any airline partners and isn't part of any airline alliance. That also means it’s not possible to earn Rapid Rewards points when booking with another airline.

Rental cars

Renting a car can help you top off your Rapid Rewards points bank when you book with one of Southwest’s rental car partners, which are:

Points earning rates vary between partners, but typically expect to earn at least 600 Rapid Rewards points after returning your rental car. While it’s better than nothing, temper your expectations as to what 600 points is really worth. After all, we value one Southwest point at about 1.5 cents each.

Watch out for the surcharges for opting to claim your car rental points as Southwest points. Many companies, such as Avis, charge a frequent flyer surcharge (Avis charges up to $1 per day). For a week rental, that surcharge could wipe out the actual value of any points you receive.

Shopping and dining

General partners.

Southwest has a few other partnerships with online shopping retailers. And unlike many of the partnerships above that turn out to be just meh, Southwest’s shopping and dining partners can be quite lucrative.

Partners and awards vary throughout the year, but here are among the best partners:

1-800-Flowers: Earn 1,000 Rapid Rewards points for each order of $29.99 or more through Dec. 31, 2022. You must mention promotion code RR22 and your Rapid Rewards account number. Especially if you’re sending a lower-priced bouquet, this is an incredible deal, as you can get roughly half of the $30 you spent back in the form of Southwest points.

Harry & David: Earn 1,000 Rapid Rewards points for each order of $29.99 or more through Dec. 31, 2022. You must enter promotion code SW44 and your Rapid Rewards account number at checkout. You can do this up to 12 times per calendar year. If you’re a Rapid Rewards fiend, you just might end up giving everyone on your holiday list a box of fancy pears this year.

Home Chef: If you’re into the meal kit delivery scene, look to Home Chef as a way to quickly rack up Southwest points. You’ll earn 1,200 bonus points on each of your first five boxes (for a total of 6,000 points), plus you get 10% off your first Home Chef order. Depending on your order, you could potentially earn back nearly the entire cost of those deliveries in the form of Southwest points.

Rapid Rewards Shopping

Rapid Rewards Shopping is a portal that allows Rapid Reward members to earn points on online purchases from over 800 popular brands, like Groupon, Macy’s and Staples.

You’ll have to bookmark the shopping portal and start your online shopping from there to get access to the points deals. Rapid Rewards members who use Chrome as a browser can also download Southwest’s dedicated extension, the Button , to more easily activate points earnings opportunities for online shopping.

Once you make a purchase, you’ll get a percentage back of what you spend as Southwest points. Percents vary by retailer and remember that you can double dip and also earn credit card points for your purchases.

Rapid Rewards Dining

The Rapid Rewards Dining program is a little tricky, but once you get it set up, you unlock potential earnings of three points per $1 spent at participating restaurants.

First, visit rapidrewardsdining.com to find participating restaurants in your area. Then, register your credit card (you can register up to 12 cards). As long as you use one of those registered cards to pay your restaurant bill, you’ll earn points. It’s 3 points per $1 spent if you remain opted in to Rapid Rewards Dining emails. If you opt out, you’ll earn 1 point per $2 spent.

Assuming you opt in to the emails, that’s roughly 4% back from your restaurant bill in the form of Southwest points. Plus, you can stack this with your usual credit card earnings to rack up even more points.

Southwest also frequently offers new member bonus point offers, plus additional point opportunities for things like writing restaurant reviews.

» Learn more: Guide to earning Southwest Airlines Rapid Rewards points

Friends and family

You can transfer Rapid Rewards points from your account to another member’s account. But we don’t recommend this, as Southwest charges a hefty fee that amounts to $5 for every 500 points transferred. Considering we value 500 Southwest points at just about $7, you’re losing a huge amount of value to that transfer fee.

Given that you can use your Southwest points to book a reservation for someone else, we recommend you skip the formal transfer where you’d let your buddy book their own flight. Instead, just book their flight for them using your points.

If you want to transfer Southwest Rapid Rewards points

Making purchases with Southwest’s partners — whether it’s hotel rooms, rental cars or a basket of fancy pears — can be an easy way to rack up more Rapid Reward points.

On the flip side, you may want to transfer your Southwest Rapid Rewards points to another currency, such as hotel points. This might make more sense if you’re no longer flying Southwest (perhaps you’ve moved to a city not served by Southwest), or if you desperately need to top off a points balance in a loyalty program of one of Southwest’s partners to book, say, a hotel room on points.

Don’t overlook the earning and redeeming power of Southwest points with not just flights and Southwest credit cards , but through its partners, too.

How to maximize your rewards

You want a travel credit card that prioritizes what’s important to you. Here are our picks for the best travel credit cards of 2024 , including those best for:

Flexibility, point transfers and a large bonus: Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card

No annual fee: Bank of America® Travel Rewards credit card

Flat-rate travel rewards: Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card

Bonus travel rewards and high-end perks: Chase Sapphire Reserve®

Luxury perks: The Platinum Card® from American Express

Business travelers: Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card

1x-5x 5x on travel purchased through Chase Travel℠, 3x on dining, select streaming services and online groceries, 2x on all other travel purchases, 1x on all other purchases.

75,000 Earn 75,000 bonus points after you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening. That's over $900 when you redeem through Chase Travel℠.

1.5%-5% Enjoy 5% cash back on travel purchased through Chase Travel, 3% cash back on drugstore purchases and dining at restaurants, including takeout and eligible delivery service, and unlimited 1.5% cash back on all other purchases.

Up to $300 Earn an additional 1.5% cash back on everything you buy (on up to $20,000 spent in the first year) - worth up to $300 cash back!

on Capital One's website

2x-5x Earn unlimited 2X miles on every purchase, every day. Earn 5X miles on hotels and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel, where you'll get Capital One's best prices on thousands of trip options.

75,000 Enjoy a one-time bonus of 75,000 miles once you spend $4,000 on purchases within 3 months from account opening, equal to $750 in travel.