Nov 15: Adjust Your Statement Close Date
It’s essential to understand when your statement closes. Some people like to use a more advanced technique in order to force their points to post earlier, which in turn gets them their Companion Pass earlier. Even if you don't follow this step, it's essential to know your statement closing dates!
This lesson has now been fully updated to reflect the new 2027 changes.
“Statement Closing” - defined
Statement close date is the date when the bank ends your billing cycle. All cleared credit card charges up to that point will be added to the statement.
With Chase, any earned points will post to your Southwest account within 1-2 days of your statement closing.
It's not when you pay your bill, it's not when you meet your spending -- it is when your statement closes.
You can check your statement close date in the Chase app. When a card is new, it won't necessarily show a closing date in the first month.
But after a billing cycle, you will see the statement close date.
Why you might want to change it
Because your statement close date determines when you will get your points, you can change the date in order to have more control as to when your Southwest points post to your Rapid Rewards account.
December 31, 2026 is the last day that you can use a credit card welcome offer to help you earn a Companion Pass.
If you applied for a card in mid-October, you need to finish your spending before your December statement closes.
If your statement closes early in December, you might want to try to change it to later to give yourself more time to complete the minimum spending requirement.
How to change your statement close date
You have to do this indirectly by changing your DUE date. Typically, the time period from your statement close to your due date is 27-28 days. Whenever your due date is, your statement will close about 28 days before that. This can vary and I recommend picking your dates with some wiggle room.
The best way to do this is actually to call the number on the back of your card and ask to change your due date. They will then be able to tell you for any given payment due date what statement close date that will give you.
