What are the latest Southwest Airlines credit card offers? Any deals?

The best Southwest Credit card is the Southwest Rapid Rewards® Premier Credit Card because it offers a bonus of 30,000 points for spending $5,000 in the first 3 months. It also gives you 6,000 points every account anniversary. The card has a manageable annual fee of $99. And there are plenty of other worthwhile perks, including 2 free checked bags on Southwest flights.… read full answer

For bigger spenders, the Southwest Rapid Rewards® Priority Credit Card might be better. It has pretty much the same perks as the Southwest Rapid Rewards® Premier Credit Card, but its annual bonus is 7,500 points. Plus, it gives 4 upgraded boardings each year, a $75 annual Southwest travel credit and 20% back on in-flight purchases. But its annual fee is a bit higher than the Premier card’s, at $149.

The easiest airline credit cards to get approved for are the LATAM Secured Credit Card and the SKYPASS Secured Credit Card. Since they’re secured cards, you can get approved even if your credit is bad. You just have to place a security deposit, which will serve as your credit line. All other airline cards are a lot harder to get because they require at least good credit for approval.… read full answer

You don’t need an airline credit card to save on airfare, though. If you’re in college, for example, you could go for the Bank of America® Travel Rewards Credit Card for Students, which offers points. Other people with limited history could get a cash back card like the Capital One QuicksilverOne Cash Rewards Credit Card. Let’s take a look at some of the best credit cards for airline purchases in detail.

Here are the easiest airline credit cards to get approved for:

• SKYPASS Secured Credit Card

  This card, co-branded with Korean Air, accepts people with bad credit, gives 5,000 miles SKYPASS bonus miles when you make your first purchase, and rewards you with 1 mile per $1 on all purchases. You must submit a $300 deposit. There is a $50 annual fee.

• LATAM Secured Credit Card

  This card, co-branded with the Latin-American provider LATAM Airlines, accepts people with bad credit. You get 5,000 points bonus after your first purchase, and earn 1 point per $1 on all purchases. You also get a 10% discount on your first LATAM Airlines purchase ($500 or less) each year. You need to submit a $300 deposit. The annual fee is $0 1st yr, $25 after that.

• Bank of America® Travel Rewards Credit Card for Students

  If you’re a student with limited history, you can apply. If you apply online, you get 25,000 points bonus for spending $1,000 in the first 90 days. You get 1.5 points / $1 on all purchases, and 3 points / $1 at the Bank of America Travel Center. There’s no deposit, and the annual fee is $0.

You might notice that the two secured credit cards affiliated with an airline seem very similar in their terms. That’s because they’re all issued by U.S. Bank. If you’re a frequent flyer on those airlines, it might be worthwhile to apply. And if you’re a student, the Bank of America® Travel Rewards Credit Card for Students will give you the best travel value, even though it uses points rather than miles. If you want to qualify for most airline credit cards, though, you’ll have to work on getting your credit into the good or excellent range.