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Southwest Airlines offers three personal Rapid Rewards credit cards with varying benefits and annual fees. Topping the list is the Southwest Rapid Rewards® Priority Credit Card (Rates & Fees), with the greatest array of benefits. But it comes at a price. Its $229 annual fee might sound intimidating, but we'll show how the Southwest Priority Card‘s benefits are well worth its cost.
Its benefits come in several forms, including bonus points in your account each year and even the ability to spend your way toward Southwest elite status. Taking advantage of just a portion of the card's annual perks can offset the annual fee year after year.
Let's take a closer look at this card and decide if the Southwest Rapid Rewards Priority is the right fit for you.
- Earn Companion Pass through 2/28/27 and 40,000 bonus points after spending $5,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening.
- 7,500 anniversary points each year.
- Earn 4 points per $1 spent on Southwest Airlines® purchases, including flights, inflight, and Southwest gift cards.
- Earn 2 points for every $1 you spend at gas stations and restaurants
- First checked bag free for Cardmembers and up to 8 additional passengers in the same reservation.
- Select a Preferred seat at booking, at no additional charge, when available.
- Cardmembers and up to 8 passengers in the same reservation will board with Group 5 giving them earlier access to overhead bins.
- No foreign transaction fees.
- Member FDIC
- 4X points per $1 spent on all Southwest® purchases
- 2X points per $1 spent at gas stations and restaurants
- 1X point per $1 spent on all other purchases
Page Contents
Southwest Priority Card Pros
- 7,500 anniversary points each year
- 25% back on inflight purchases
- Boost of 10,000 Companion Pass qualifying points each year
Southwest Priority Card Cons
- $229 annual fee
- Earns 1x points per dollar on non-bonused purchases
- Subject to Chase's 5/24 rule
Southwest Rapid Rewards Priority Credit Card Welcome Offer
New applicants for the Southwest Priority Card can earn a Companion Pass through 2/28/27 plus 40,000 bonus points after spending $5,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening.
How much is this bonus worth? Consider that AwardWallet users typically redeem Southwest points at 1.52¢ apiece. Thus, just the points portion of this welcome offer is worth around $608 toward award travel on Southwest. And that's before adding the uncapped value of the Companion Pass.
Southwest Rapid Rewards Priority Benefits
That Southwest Priority Card provides a few key benefits for regular Southwest fliers. These can easily make it worth holding for the long term.
7,500 anniversary Rapid Rewards points each year
Cardholders receive 7,500 Rapid Rewards points on their account anniversary each year. The Southwest Rapid Rewards program is revenue-based, and award costs are tied directly to revenue fares. However, the silver lining is that you can always use points to book flights whenever a seat is available — no blackout dates for redemptions here.
Using that same 1.52¢ per point number AwardWallet users obtain on redemptions, these bonus points are worth over $110 annually — around half of the annual fee.
Spend toward elite status
Cardholders receive 2,500 tier-qualifying points (TQPs) for every $5,000 spent on the card annually. TQPs count toward qualification for A-List and A-List Preferred status with Rapid Rewards.
Note that TQPs are calculated annually rather than by account year. So, if you acquire the card mid-year, your TQPs will be calculated until your December statement before the count resets for the new year.
Additionally, all points earned from Southwest cards count toward the Southwest Companion Pass. So, you can earn both TQPs and toward the highly valuable Companion Pass simultaneously.
Companion Pass Boost
Just for carrying the card, you'll gain a 10,000 Companion Pass qualifying points boost each year. These points are deposited into your account up to 30 days after opening and each calendar year after that.
25% back on inflight purchases
When you use the Southwest Priority Card for Southwest Airlines purchases, you’ll receive 25% back as a statement credit. This applies to in-flight purchases, such as drinks and Wi-Fi.
Priority boarding
While it doesn't offer a vast array of upgrade boarding benefits, the Rapid Rewards Priority Credit Card offers earlier boarding for the cardmember and up to eight additional passengers on the same reservation, with access to Group 5.
Seat selection benefits
All Southwest cardmembers have access to a select a Standard seat within 48 hours prior to departure, extendable to up to eight passengers on the same reservation. But the Southwest Priority Card cardholders can get additional benefits such as extra legroom seat upgrade and complimentary preferred seat selection at booking, not available to the other Southwest consumer cards.
First free checked bag
First checked bag free is also available for the cardmember and up to eight passengers on the same reservation at no additional cost, a savings of at least $70 round-trip.
Travel and purchase protections
When using your card to make purchases, you can enjoy the following protections:
- Extended warranty protection: Adds an extra year to a U.S. manufacturer's warranty of three years or less.
- Purchase protection: Protects your purchases against damage or theft for up to 90 days from purchase, up to $500 per claim and up to $50,000 per account.
- Baggage delay insurance: Reimburses you for essentials while waiting for your delayed bags, applicable after a delay of six or more hours and up to $100 per day for a maximum of three days.
- Lost luggage reimbursement: Provides reimbursement for lost or damaged luggage, up to a maximum of $3,000 per passenger.
Other benefits
In addition to the benefits listed above, the card doesn’t charge any foreign transaction fees, which can save you significant money on purchases made abroad.
Plus, cardholders can enroll for one year of complimentary DoorDash DashPass, available for enrollment through December 31, 2027. This provides waived delivery fees and reduced service fees on eligible orders.
Southwest Priority Card Earning Rates
The Southwest Priority Card‘s earning structure breaks down as follows:
- 4X points per $1 spent on all Southwest® purchases
- 2X points per $1 spent at gas stations and restaurants
- 1X point per $1 spent on all other purchases
Despite these increased earning rates, there may be better ways to earn Southwest Rapid Rewards points.
Chase Ultimate Rewards Points transfer to Rapid Rewards at a 1:1 ratio. This means you can use the Chase Sapphire Reserve® to earn the equivalent of 4x points on flights and hotels (including Southwest flights). Even better, you can earn up to 8x points on travel by booking it through the Chase Travel℠ portal. Then, you could transfer those Ultimate Rewards points to Southwest and other frequent flyer and hotel loyalty programs for future award redemptions.
- Earn 125,000 bonus points after you spend $6,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening.
- Get more than $2,700 in annual value with Sapphire Reserve.
- Earn 8x points on all purchases through Chase Travel℠, including The Edit℠ and 4x points on flights and hotels booked direct. Plus, earn 3x points on dining worldwide & 1x points on all other purchases
- $300 annual travel credit as reimbursement for travel purchases charged to your card each account anniversary year.
- Access over 1,300 airport lounges worldwide with a complimentary Priority Pass™ Select membership, plus every Chase Sapphire Lounge® by The Club with two guests. Plus, up to $120 towards Global Entry, NEXUS, or TSA PreCheck® every 4 years
- Get up to $150 in statement credits every six months for a maximum of $300 annually for dining at restaurants that are part of Sapphire Reserve Exclusive Tables.
- Count on Trip Cancellation/Interruption Insurance, Auto Rental Coverage, Lost Luggage Insurance, no foreign transaction fees, and more.
- Get complimentary Apple TV+, the exclusive streaming home of Apple Originals. Plus Apple Music - all the music you love, across all your devices. Subscriptions run through 6/22/27 - a value of $250 annually
- Member FDIC
- 8x points on all purchases through Chase Travel℠
- 4x points on flights and hotels booked directly
- 3x points on dining worldwide
- 1x points on all other purchases
That being said, spending on the Southwest Priority Card can accrue Companion Pass qualifying points as well as TQPs. So, make sure you factor this into your overall strategy when comparing it to the earning rates of other cards.
Application Restrictions and Strategy
As with all of Chase’s Southwest cards, the Southwest Priority Card is subject to Chase's 5/24 policy. This policy generally prevents applicants from getting a new Chase credit card if they've opened five or more credit card accounts (based on what's seen on your credit report) in the previous 24 months.
Also, you're ineligible for the welcome offer if you currently have another Southwest Rapid Rewards credit card. Additionally, you aren't eligible for this sign-up bonus if you have received a new card bonus on a Southwest card within the past 24 months. The application terms have the following restrictions:
“The product is not available to either (i) current Cardmembers of any Southwest Rapid Rewards® Credit Card, or (ii) previous Cardmembers of any Southwest Rapid Rewards Credit Card who received a new Cardmember bonus within the last 24 months. This does not apply to Cardmembers of the Southwest Rapid Rewards Business Card and Employee Credit Card products.”
Lastly, note that Chase generally doesn't approve anyone for more than two credit cards in a 30-day period.
Related: Understanding Rewards Credit Card Application Rules and Restrictions
Cards That Compete With The Southwest Priority Card
- If you want a Southwest card with the lowest annual fee possible, you'll find that in the Southwest Rapid Rewards® Plus Credit Card (Rates & Fees). For a $99 annual fee, you'll get 3,000 anniversary bonus points, 25% back on inflight purchases, and a welcome offer that's generally the same as that offered by the other Southwest cards.
- If you want a few more perks with Southwest, the middle option is the Southwest Rapid Rewards® Premier Credit Card. Its $149 annual fee provides perks like 6,000 anniversary bonus points and no foreign transaction fees.
- If you want a card that earns points transferrable to Southwest or other loyalty programs, the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card (Rates & Fees) could be right for you. It levies a $95 annual fee and provides up to $50 in annual hotel credits for bookings through the Chase portal. You'll earn up to 5X on travel bookings with Chase, 3X on dining, streaming services, and online grocery orders, and 2X on travel not booked with Chase. Plus, you'll earn Ultimate Rewards points that you can use with 14 airline and hotel programs, including Southwest, United, Hyatt, and more.
$99Rates & Fees
- 2X points per $1 spent on Southwest® purchases
- 2 points for every $1 you spend at gas stations and grocery stores on the first $5,000 in combined purchases per anniversary year
- 1X point per $1 spent on all other purchases
$149
- 3X points per $1 spent on all Southwest® purchases
- 2X points per $1 spent at grocery stores and restaurants on the first $8,000 in combined purchases per anniversary year
- 1X point per $1 spent on all other purchases
$95Rates & Fees
- 5X points on Lyft rides through September 2027
- 5X points on travel purchased through Chase Travel℠
- 3X points on dining at restaurants worldwide
- 3X points on eligible streaming services
- 3X points on online grocery purchases (excluding Target, Walmart, and wholesale clubs)
- 2X points on all other travel
- 1X point per dollar spent on all other purchases
The Bottom Line
The Southwest Priority Card is well worth it — even for those who only fly occasionally with Southwest Airlines. Three key card benefits — the 7,500-point anniversary bonus (worth over $110), first free checked bag, and seat selection benefits — help to make up for the card's $229 annual fee. Based on these perks alone, the card could be well worth keeping year after year.
That said, the benefits only provide value if you use them. If you'll make use of what the card offers, this could be the right Southwest card for your wallet. It's easily the best of the bunch.
- Earn Companion Pass through 2/28/27 and 40,000 bonus points after spending $5,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening.
- 7,500 anniversary points each year.
- Earn 4 points per $1 spent on Southwest Airlines® purchases, including flights, inflight, and Southwest gift cards.
- Earn 2 points for every $1 you spend at gas stations and restaurants
- First checked bag free for Cardmembers and up to 8 additional passengers in the same reservation.
- Select a Preferred seat at booking, at no additional charge, when available.
- Cardmembers and up to 8 passengers in the same reservation will board with Group 5 giving them earlier access to overhead bins.
- No foreign transaction fees.
- Member FDIC
- 4X points per $1 spent on all Southwest® purchases
- 2X points per $1 spent at gas stations and restaurants
- 1X point per $1 spent on all other purchases
For rates and fees of the cards mentioned in this post, please visit the following links: Southwest Rapid Rewards® Priority Credit Card (Rates & Fees), Chase Sapphire Reserve® (Rates & Fees), Southwest Rapid Rewards® Plus Credit Card (Rates & Fees), and Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card (Rates & Fees)
