

While en route from Portland to Phoenix, I purchased Wi-Fi onboard to make a few restaurant reservations (The Mission in Old Town Scottsdale was a hit) and put the finishing touches on our itinerary.
#Southwest airlines booking a saved flight plus
While the Premier and Plus cards don’t carry that same perk, they do come with two EarlyBird Check-Ins per year, allowing you to secure an earlier boarding position than most fellow fliers. While anyone can purchase Upgraded Boarding where available for $30 per segment, the Priority credit card comes with four Upgraded Boardings per year-a benefit worth $120, nearly the card’s entire $149 annual fee, if put to good use. Because I was within the first few people to board the flight, I was able to snag the bulkhead aisle seat, meaning I was also among the first people to exit the aircraft when we landed. I then headed to my gate, and for the first time ever, I had priority boarding, which is another perk you can access through the Southwest credit cards. Southwest allows each passenger to check up to two bags for free, pending weight and size limits-but skis, golf bags, and in some cases, even surfboards fly free, making it a great airline option for a hobby-based trip with a gear consideration. Once at the airport, I checked my rolling suitcase since my camera bag and purse ate up my carry-on allowance. Learn more about applying for the Southwest Rapid Rewards® Plus Credit Card.

Learn more about applying for the Southwest Rapid Rewards® Premier Credit Card.

Learn more about applying for the Southwest Rapid Rewards® Priority Credit Card. The 60,000 points are more than enough to cover a round-trip flight for one person to Phoenix on many dates-including prime dates in March, one of the nicest months in Arizona weather-wise-and the Companion Pass allows you to bring another designated person along on every trip for just the price of the taxes and fees on your ticket, from $5.60 one way. You can earn 60,000 points-plus a 30% off promo code-after spending $3,000 in purchases in the first three months of account opening, whether you’re eyeing the Priority, the Premier, or the Plus. And the best part: Right now, it’s possible to cover this trip for two people with a single sign-up bonus on any of the personal credit cards in Chase’s Southwest lineup. I used cash to buy round-trip flights, and if you also go that route, using a Southwest credit card can help you rack up extra bonus points on the purchase: The Southwest Rapid Rewards ® Priority Credit Card and the Southwest Rapid Rewards ® Premier Credit Card each earn three Rapid Rewards points per dollar spent on Southwest purchases, and the Southwest Rapid Rewards ® Plus Credit Card earns two points per dollar.īut if you’re looking to save money for dining out and activities, there’s plenty of availability to use Southwest Airlines Rapid Rewards points to book flights, as the airline has no blackout dates when redeeming them. The first thing I did when trip-planning (after convincing my sister, a fellow photography and national parks enthusiast, to join me) was look for non-stop flights between my home of Portland, Oregon, and Phoenix. Here’s how you can replicate the trip-or plan a trip around your own passion-using benefits that come with the Southwest Rapid Rewards® credit cards from Chase.
