Originally Posted by
pinniped
Worth it? Yes, 100% yes, given that you're talking about the credit card signup route.
Only question to ask yourself is timing. When I got CP's in the past, I tried to time them ahead of a year when I knew I'd have a lot of U.S. domestic travel. I've gone both the credit card and hotel point route. Now the hotel point route has been closed, and credit card signup bonuses are throttled over time. (e.g., You can't unlimited-churn new bonuses every two years.)
In other words, if you've never had Chase WN cards, then yes you should totally do it. The only question is: if you get the points to land in January 2019, are you ready to make 2019 and 2020 pretty heavy travel years in Southwest's (rather limited) route map?
My current CP expires Dec 2018, and my 2019 personal plans are already mostly booked for Europe and Asia. It won't be a big U.S. travel year for me. 2020 might be more, so I may make a run at a CP then. I held the Chase WN Visa many years ago but have not churned Chase products in a long time. I'd have to research what I'm eligible for now.
Companion pass is likely to change in the coming year(s) be it more than 110K points needed, only good the year you earn it or even that credit card sign up bonuses no longer count.
Come 2020 ( or even 2019) rules could change and given the changes we have seen from Chase, Barclay and Amex the past year or so I would bet CP becomes more difficult to attain via credit cards
Even if you don't have much travel planned for 2019 you still get the points and also restart the clock ( 24 months) towards your next SU bonus.
You could have CP for 2019/20 , grab 103K WN points and then get CP again for 2021/22 if the rules don't change. Another way is have your wife or SO get CP , my wife and I change off who gets CP every 2 years. One of us also goes card free for 2 years while the other gets as many cards as possible so when the need for CP comes up one of us is under 5/24