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Offers for the Southwest Rapid Rewards® Premier Credit Card are not available through this site. Some offers may have expired. Please see our card marketplace for available offers
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 60,000 bonus points after spending $2,000 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 60,000 bonus points after spending $2,000 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 $900 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 similar to 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 60,000 bonus points after spending $2,000 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)
Dan and Ian,
You have the ability to purchase the upgrades (1-15) online after checking in within 24 hours before so don’t need to request it at the airport. Of course with their new upcoming assigned seating plan, not sure what they are going to do with the upgraded boarding benefit.
Already have the swa priority card have shifted spend onto this card with the 5% bonus for spend on dining,grocery, and Amazon. Hopefully they revive the quarterly spend on gas
Nice! Yeah, that’s a great temporary bonus that they’re offering.
So if I upgrade to this card from Premier to the Priority and then decide it is not worth having can I downgrade back to the Premier card?
Hey, Chase doesn’t guarantee the ability to move back and forth between products, but historically that has been possible. You may need to wait a year after making the initial upgrade before you can downgrade.
I’m unclear on the terms of the companion pass. Do you get one companion ticket free (except for taxes) for anyone you choose to accompany you every time you buy or redeem points for a ticket or do you specify one person who must always be the companion all year long?
You can change companion up to 3 times per calendar year following your initial selection, so essentially you can have up to 4 companions. The companion must be selected in advance and will have a physical pass mailed out that you will need to have on hand when traveling.
what is exactly 5/24?
Does the 8/22/18 cut off mean I wouldnt get the extra 25,000 points by spending 15k in first 12 months?
Dave, you can read about 5/24 here: https://awardwallet.com/credit-cards/chase-5-24-rule/
The 8/22 cutoff is when the larger bonus was available. It is currently no longer available.
I’m thinking of turning in (canceling) my old standard SWA card for this and then perhaps getting a business SWA card as well so as to get the companion pass plus the 7500 miles per year. Any reason to keep my old card?
Gotta do the math. This new card has a nice set of benefits and if you’ve got a small business to pair the business card with, this is a great way to earn the companion pass!
Interesting way to quickly attain CP …and buy a car?
I love Southwest but will wait til late in the year to try to get CP for next year.
wow. that’s a big spend to get the max bonus pts.
While I certainly wouldn’t call it a premium card, I do think this is a strong card from a loyalty program.
Bonus looks great!
I haven’t flown SW yet so that could be why I am not a big fan of them. One day I will and we’ll see how it goes.
This sounds great for people who do fly them a lot. I love the idea of the anniversary miles. I wish other carriers did that!
Like most people, I do focus on my UR cards. I’ve only transferred to United currently, since I’m earning towards another trip.
Here’s my issue with Chase. I was trying to get my balance down on my account so I went 3 months without making a charge and Chase closed my account due to no activity. No warning, just closed it and didn’t even notify me. I have never heard of this. I called and they said I had to re-apply to open an account. And I still have a balance owed. And I’ve been making monthly payments. Bizarre.
That is surprising — I’ve never heard of that happening in such a short amount of time.
Thanks for the info.
Not a card I would waste 5/24 on
agreed
I think this is one of the better credit cards to get. However if you are looking for business class or first class seating, this is not the credit card for you.
Really disappointed that they didn’t add any additional 2x categories like the AA, UA, and DL cards have done. I LUV Southwest but have mostly shifted my spending away from my Southwest Premier and Plus cards because I can earn 2x or 3x on everyday spend elsewhere.
Thank you for the break down.
It really looks worthwhile to me, except the 5/24 kills it.
Aw. A premium card without Global Entry.
haha, kinda nice, right?
As another reader pointed out, the benefits make up for the annual fee. So for those that enjoy the Southwest Experience, this could be a great card. I have never been a fan of their operation (Though there is no doubt that the employees are friendly) so I will continue to focus my spend on flexible points cards. I definitely don’t want to waste a 5/24 application when I could get another UR earning card instead.
I didn’t realize about the August cutoff for signing up. I was going to apply for this as part of an effort to get the companion pass next January.
Yes, the cutoff date nugget is certainly valuable info. August 22, 2018, is right around the corner, so adjust plans accordingly.
What do you mean the cut off time is August? Is that to get the companion pass? I thought you had till the end of the year
Comment dates from July 2018 when the card was running a different welcome offer.
The 7,500 anniversary points and annual $75 travel credit more than cover the annual fee, all the other benefits are just the icing on the cake.
a big fan of southwest and its card
I like the sign up bonuses, indeed, this card sounds very attractive..
many thanks.
Yet another opportunity comes our way. Let’s seize the day! Thank you for the information.
great bonus!! Thanks!!!
Chase is getting tougher and tougher with its application restrictions!
Too bad this card is subject to 5/24…sigh.
It’s definitely worth doing for most people who fly SW at least a few times a year.
So interesting how in the credit card world there seems to be another product coming around the next corner every so often. And, that is a good thing.l
Seems like some good sign up bonuses with this card, many thanks.
I’m luke warm on this one. I initially thought this card was the way to go. But the $15k spend for the additional 25k points is turning me off.
Think about how close it gets you to a companion pass though:
65k bonus + $15k spend = 80k RR — Fly a bit, spend a bit, and you’re there.