Chase Adds Southwest Airlines as Ultimate Rewards Partner

Just months after becoming an American Express transfer partner, you can now use your Chase Ultimate Rewards points for travel on Southwest Airlines.

Although Southwest Airlines does not appeal to me due to their lack of an international route network, they undeniably offer a consistent and dependable product and for certain travelers, like intra-California business travelers, offer the largest schedule and most competitive walk-up fares.

For those unafimilar with how the Southwest Rapid Rewards program works, points vary in value depending on what type of fare you redeem your points for:

Wanna Get Away: 1.67 cents per point
Anytime: 1 cent per point
Business Select: .83 cents per point

That means a $200 “Wanna Get Away” fare will cost roughly 12,000 points.

If you are a frequent Southwest flyer, you can sign up for their Southwest Visa card, now offering a 25,000 mile sign-up bonus after spending $400 and 3,000 anniversary miles for a $69 annual fee.

I’d recommend signing up for the Chase Sapphire Preferred or Chase Ink credit cards instead, though, for reasons I outlined in a previous post on choosing the right credit cards for 2012.

Press release here.

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