1,000 Southwest Rapid Reward points for filing with TurboTax

It's that time of year again--tax time.

I got an email from Southwest that says you can earn Rapid Rewards Points for filing your taxes with TurboTax Online. File your 2012 tax return with any TurboTax Online Federal product (even the free one!) by April 15, 2013 and earn 1,000 points. You'll need to log in to Rapid Rewards shopping and click thru to TurboTax.

According to the fine print, 2012 TurboTax Online Federal Products Qualifying for 1,000 Rapid Rewards Points are TurboTax Online Federal Free, Basic, Deluxe, Premier, and Home & Business.

Unfortunately, the free version of TurboTax doesn't cover tax schedules C, D, E, and F (required for people who own a business or have sold investments), so I probably won't take advantage of this promo since I usually file a schedule C for my freelance writing. I usually use taxact.com for free federal filing and since my state has no income taxes, I never have to worry about paying for that.

1,000 free points seems like a good deal to me if you normally do your own taxes and can take advantage of the free TurboTax product or if you normally pay for one of the more advanced TurboTax online products. However, I wouldn't pay for it specifically for the 1,000 points if that's not your typical course of action.

Get 500 Rapid Rewards points for shopping online with your Southwest credit card

I got the above offer in my email inbox yesterday from Southwest offering 500 bonus points for making a purchase through Southwest's online shopping portal with my Rapid Rewards credit card.

Here's the direct link to the offer that expires Dec. 31.

Shopping portals are a great way to earn points (over and above your typical rewards) for any online purchases that you would normally make. Typically, I use Chase's Ultimate Rewards Mall or American's AAdvantage eshopping portal for online purchases. However, 500 points is certainly enough to entice me to buy something cheap ($1!) by clicking through the Rapid Rewards portal.

And, as a general tip, I always check evreward.com before shopping online to see which portal is offering the largest bonus at that time (though sometimes their info can be off).

1,500 Rapid Rewards points for new enrollees+early Black Friday sale

If you're a miles and points collector, you probably have a Southwest Rapid Rewards account, but if you're new to the game, be sure to get in on their latest, limited-time offer for 1,500 bonus points.

Fine print: Offer is only valid for new-Member enrollment. Enrollment offer expires 12/1/2012. Automatically receive 1,000 Bonus Points for enrolling in Rapid Rewards. Opt in to receive both Rapid Rewards e-mail communications, stay subscribed for at least three months, and then 500 Bonus Points will be deposited automatically into your account. Applies to points transactions. *Points don’t expire as long as you have flight or Partner earning activity every 24 months.

And if you're shopping for flights, Southwest is offering 40 percent off its Wanna Get Away Fares today only.

Use the code EARLYDEAL to book a Tuesday or Wednesday flight between Dec. 11 and Feb. 12 for 40& off. Blackout dates include Dec. 26, Jan. 1, Jan. 2 and Jan. 22.

There are hotel, vacation package and rental car specials as well.

750 Rapid Rewards points for Southwest credit card holders...YMMV

Saw this posted on Slickdeals yesterday...not sure if it is targeted to specific credit card holders or open to anyone, but only takes a few seconds to sign up just in case.

http://www.southwest.com/cmemail/

Sign up for the Rapid Rewards E-mail Update before Nov. 30, 2012. You’ll get the inside scoop on the latest news and offers from Southwest Airlines plus a special bonus...750 points after being subscribed for 60 days.

According to the terms and conditions: *750 Bonus Point Offer is valid only for the Rapid Rewards account listed on the e-mail. This offer is not transferable. Subscription to Rapid Rewards Email Update must be for at least 60 consecutive days. Bonus points will post directly to your Rapid Rewards Account four to six weeks after 60 days subscription.

I have the Southwest credit card, but am already signed up for the E-mail Update. So I signed up for the update using a different email address. If I don't get the points, I've only wasted a few seconds out of my life signing up. This offer seems YMMV (Your mileage may vary).

Get 50,000 Rapid Rewards points with Chase Southwest Visa Offer

The 50,000-point Southwest offer is available again. Previously, this offer awarded the bonus points after the first purchase, but now you have to spend $1,000 in first three months—not too difficult as long as you can charge and pay off your regular expenses on it.

Card links

Plus

Premier

Business Plus

Business Premier

Southwest advertises the 50,000 points as being good for two free round trip flights, but since points are based on the ticket cost, it is actually worth $833. So if you book an award flight while Southwest is having a sale or are traveling short distances (i.e. cheap flights), you could potentially get about four free round trips with these points. Keep in mind, Southwest currently only provides domestic service, so there are no free trips to Europe or Asia with these points.

Card perks

You get double points (2 per $1) on Southwest and Southwest partner purchases (such as hotels and car rentals)

1 point per $1 on all other purchases

Bonus points on your card anniversary date—3,000 for Plus/6,000 for Premier

You can get a companion pass by flying 100 qualifying flights OR by accumulating 110k points. This pass, valid for a calendar year, will let your companion fly free with you. If you can sign up and get approved for both a personal and business card, you’ll only be 10,000 points away from the companion pass.

Drawbacks

The $69 Plus/$99 Premier annual fee is not waived—still a good deal considering how many flights you can potentially get out of the bonus points.

If you don’t currently have a Rapid Rewards account, sign up for 750 bonus points here before applying for the credit card(s).