Which Southwest Credit Card is Best?

The information for the Southwest Rapid Rewards Premier Credit Card has been collected independently by 10XTravel.com.

Southwest Airlines is beloved by many.

With no change fees, free first and second checked bags, affordable fares and an unmatched Companion Pass offer, Southwest stands out among its counterparts.

If it’s an airline you fly more than once a year with, you may be considering the value in holding a dedicated Southwest credit card.

In this article, we break down each Southwest personal and business credit card, so you can select the one that’s best suited to your goals. We’ll also cover how Southwest cards fit into a solid Companion Pass strategy.

Best Southwest Credit Cards 2024

Here’s an overview of the best Southwest credit cards of 2024, their annual fees and who they’re best suited to.

Now, let’s take a look at each of these cards in detail.

Southwest Rapid Rewards® Plus Credit Card

If you’re looking for exclusive Southwest perks without an exorbitant annual fee, the Southwest Rapid Rewards Plus Credit Card will be your best bet.

This card earns 2X points on purchases with Southwest. That includes flight, in-flight, Southwest gift card and Southwest Vacations® package purchases. You’ll also earn 2X points on local transit and commuting purchases, internet, cable, phone services, select streaming service purchases, as well as participating Rapid Rewards hotel and rental car partners.

This gives you a wide variety of opportunities to earn points on everyday spending, as well as on travel-related purchases.

When flying Southwest, you’ll enjoy two EarlyBird check-ins every year, as well as 25% back on in-flight purchases of beverages and Wi-Fi, given as a statement credit. Since Southwest already lets first and second checked bags fly for free, there’s no additional baggage perk included with the card, as seen on other co-branded airline credit cards.

As a cardholder, you’ll receive a 3,000 bonus point boost every card anniversary year, as well as a 10,000 Companion Pass qualifying point boost every calendar year.

The Rapid Rewards Plus card also comes with a baggage delay and lost luggage insurance plan, increasing its value.

For infrequent flyers with Southwest who want access to exclusive benefits when they do fly, the Plus card is a great fit.

Pros

• 2X points on Southwest purchases
• 2X points on Rapid Rewards hotel and car rental partners
• 2X points on local transit and commuting, including rideshare
• 2X points on internet, cable and phone services, as well as select streaming service purchases
• 1X points on all other purchases
• 3,000 bonus point boost each card anniversary year
• Two EarlyBird Check-Ins® each year
• 25% back on in-flight purchases of beverages and Wi-Fi, given as a statement credit
• 10,000 Companion Pass qualifying points boost each year
• Complimentary one year DashPass membership, giving you $0 delivery fees and lower service charges. Thereafter, you’re automatically enrolled in DashPass at the current monthly rate (enroll by Dec. 31, 2024).
• Baggage delay insurance reimbursement of up to $100 a day for three days for essential item purchases, when common carrier delays exceed six hours
• Lost luggage reimbursement of up to $3,000 per passenger

Cons

• Foreign transaction fee of 3%

Southwest Rapid Rewards® Premier Credit Card

If you want to strike a balance between benefits and annual fees, the Southwest Rapid Rewards Premier Credit Card is a solid option for semi-frequent flyers with Southwest.

You’ll earn 3X points on purchases with Southwest, as well as 2X points on a range of everyday purchases, similar to the Plus card.

Likewise, just as with the Plus card, you’ll receive two EarlyBird check-ins every year, in addition to 25% back on in-flight purchases of beverages and Wi-Fi, given as a statement credit.

The annual point boost is doubled to 6,000 points per card anniversary year as a Premier cardholder. You’ll also receive 1,500 Tier Qualifying Points (TQPs) for every $5,000 spent, with no cap on your earnings, in addition to a 10,000 Companion Pass point boost at the beginning of each calendar year.

The Premier card is also free of foreign transaction fees, making it ideal for spending and earning points while abroad.

Overall, if you fly at least semi-frequently with Southwest, you’ll have little problem offsetting the annual fee of $99.

Pros

• 3X points on Southwest purchases
• 2X points on Rapid Rewards hotel and car rental partners
• 2X points on local transit and commuting, including rideshare
• 2X points on internet, cable, phone services and select streaming service purchases
• 1X points on all other purchases
• 6,000 bonus point boost each card anniversary year
• Two EarlyBird check-ins each year
• 1,500 TQPs for every $5,000 spent (with no earnings cap)
• 25% back on in-flight beverage and Wi-Fi purchases, given as a statement credit
• 10,000 Companion Pass qualifying points boost each year
• Complimentary one-year DashPass membership, giving you $0 delivery fees and lower service charges. Thereafter, you’re automatically enrolled in DashPass at the current monthly rate (enroll by Dec. 31, 2024).
• Baggage delay insurance reimbursement of up to $100 a day for three days for essential item purchases, when common carrier delays exceed six hours
• Lost luggage reimbursement of up to $3,000 per passenger
• No foreign transaction fees

Cons

• No lounge access perks, as seen on other co-branded airline credit cards in the same annual fee class

Southwest Rapid Rewards® Priority Credit Card

The Southwest Rapid Rewards Priority Credit Card offers premium benefits for frequent flyers with Southwest.

You’ll receive a $75 annual travel credit for Southwest purchases, enabling you to cut the annual fee of $149 in half.

You’ll enjoy four upgraded boardings per year (subject to availability) as well as an annual point boost of 7,500 points each card anniversary year. You’ll also receive 1,500 TQPs for every $5,000 spent with your card, putting you closer to elite status.

If you’re a frequent flyer with Southwest, offsetting the annual fee for this card by spending regularly and using the perks should be easy.

Pros

• 3X points on Southwest purchases
• 2X points on Rapid Rewards hotel and car rental partners
• 2X points on local transit and commuting, including rideshare
• 2X points on internet, cable, phone services and select streaming service purchases
• 1X points on all other purchases
• 7,500 bonus point boost each card anniversary year
• $75 Southwest annual travel credit
• Four upgraded boardings per year (subject to availability)
• 1,500 TQPs for every $5,000 spent (with no earnings cap)
• 25% back on in-flight beverage and Wi-Fi purchases, given as a statement credit
• 10,000 Companion Pass qualifying points boost each year
• Complimentary one-year DashPass membership, giving you $0 delivery fees and lower service charges. Thereafter, you’re automatically enrolled in DashPass at the current monthly rate (enroll by Dec. 31, 2024)
• Baggage delay insurance reimbursement of up to $100 a day for three days for essential item purchases, when common carrier delays exceed six hours
• Lost luggage reimbursement of up to $3,000 per passenger
• No foreign transaction fees

Cons

• No lounge access perks, as seen on other co-branded airline credit cards in the same annual fee class
• No Global Entry, Nexus or TSA PreCheck® statement credit as seen on the Performance Business card
• No guaranteed companion certificate, as seen on other co-branded airline credit cards

Southwest® Rapid Rewards® Premier Business Credit Card

The Southwest Rapid Rewards Premier Business Credit Card offers the semi-frequent Southwest flyer a range of perks for an annual fee of just $99.

Its perks and rewards rate are identical to its consumer card counterpart, including benefits such as a 6,000 bonus point boost each card anniversary year, two annual EarlyBird check-ins and more.

Additionally, you’ll have up to $500 worth of fees reimbursed as a statement credit when transferring points to another Rapid Rewards member using your Premier Business card.

However, unlike with the personal Southwest cards, you’ll need to spend $10,000 to earn 1,500 TQPs, rather than $5,000.

Overall, if you want a small business card to earn Rapid Rewards with, the Premier Business is an affordable option.

Pros

• 3X points on Southwest purchases
• 2X points on Rapid Rewards hotel and car rental partner purchases
• 2X points on local transit and commuting, including rideshare services
• 1X points on all other purchases
• 6,000 bonus point boost each card anniversary year
• Two EarlyBird check-ins each year
• 1,500 TQPs per $10,000 spent (with no earnings cap)
• 25% back on in-flight beverage and Wi-Fi purchases, given as a statement credit
• Up to $500 worth of fees reimbursed as a statement credit when transferring points to another Rapid Rewards member using your Premier Business card
• Complimentary one-year DashPass membership, giving you $0 delivery fees and lower service charges. Thereafter, you’re automatically enrolled in DashPass at the current monthly rate (enroll by Dec. 31, 2024).
• Baggage delay insurance reimbursement of up to $100 a day for three days for essential item purchases, when common carrier delays exceed six hours
• Lost luggage reimbursement of up to $3,000 per passenger
• No foreign transaction fees

Cons

• No travel statement credit perks

Southwest® Rapid Rewards® Performance Business Credit Card

If you’re a small business owner looking for premium perks when flying with Southwest, the Southwest Rapid Rewards Performance Business Credit Card will deliver.

This card earns 4X points on Southwest purchases, giving you the greatest rewards rate out of all Southwest cards. You’ll also earn 2X points on social media and search engine advertising, internet, cable and phone service purchases, making it a strong option for earning on typical business expenses.

You’ll receive an annual anniversary point boost of 9,000 points in addition to four upgraded boardings per year. You’ll also enjoy 365 in-flight Wi-Fi credits per year.

The Performance card also offers a statement credit of up to $100 every four years for a Global Entry, TSA PreCheck® or Nexus application fee, when you pay with your card through an eligible payment provider. This is a standout perk that makes offsetting the annual fee a lot easier.

For an annual fee of $199, the Performance Business card offers a solid range of perks to benefit the frequent Southwest flyer.

Pros

• 4X points on Southwest purchases
• 3X points on Rapid Rewards hotel and car rental partner purchases
• 2X points on social media and search engine advertising, internet, cable and phone service purchases
• 2X points on local transit and commuting, including rideshare services
• 1X points on all other purchases
• 9,000 bonus point boost each card anniversary year
• Up to $100 statement credit for a Global Entry, TSA PreCheck or Nexus application fee, every four years, when you pay with your card through an eligible payment provider.
• Four upgraded boardings per year (subject to availability)
• Up to 365 in-flight Wi-Fi credits per year
• 1,500 TQPs per $10,000 spent (with no earnings cap)
• Up to $500 worth of fees reimbursed as a statement credit when transferring points to another Rapid Rewards member using your Premier Business card
• Complimentary one-year DashPass membership, giving you $0 delivery fees and lower service charges. Thereafter, you’re automatically enrolled in DashPass at the current monthly rate (enroll by Dec. 31, 2024).
• Baggage delay insurance reimbursement of up to $100 a day for three days for essential item purchases, when common carrier delays exceed six hours
• Lost luggage reimbursement of up to $3,000 per passenger
• No foreign transaction fees

Cons

• No lounge access perks, as seen on other co-branded airline credit cards in the same annual fee class
• No guaranteed companion pass perk

Southwest Credit Card Welcome Bonuses

For the Southwest personal cards, the welcome bonuses tend to be similar.

Typically, you’ll earn between 30,000 and 75,000 Rapid Rewards after spending between $1,000 and $5,000 within the first three months. Occasional offers have gone as high as between 80,000 and 100,000 Rapid Rewards with minimum spending requirements up to $12,000. The Southwest Companion Pass is offered occasionally in conjunction with Rapid Rewards.

For the Southwest Premier Business Credit Card, the welcome bonus typically offers around 60,000 Rapid Rewards with a minimum spending requirement of $3,000 within the first three months. Occasional offers have gone as high as 120,000 Rapid Rewards, split into 60,000 points after spending $3,000 within the first three months and an additional 60,000 points after spending a total of $15,000 within the first nine months.

For the Southwest Performance Business Credit Card, the usual welcome bonus offer is 80,000 Rapid Rewards after spending $5,000. Occasional offers have reached 100,000 Rapid Rewards, split into 70,000 points after spending $5,000 within the first three months and an additional 30,000 points after spending $25,000 within the first six months.

Check out the current welcome offers here:

Are Southwest Credit Cards Worth It?

Southwest credit cards have a few standout differences compared to other co-branded airline credit cards.

First, there’s no $0 annual fee card. The lowest tier card has an annual fee starting at $69. That means you’ll need to be sure that you can offset the annual fee on even the lowest card through spending and perk usage.

Second, there is no premium, high-annual-fee card as with other airlines such as Delta Air Lines or United Airlines. The card with the highest annual fee is the Southwest Rapid Rewards Performance Business Credit Card, coming in at $199 per year. That means that while you won’t be required to offset hundreds of dollars in annual fees every year, you also don’t have access to such a wide scope of perks as offered on other airline credit cards.

Additionally, it’s important to consider the value you would receive from a Southwest credit card vs. a general travel rewards credit card. In certain cases, you may be better off earning points on a general travel rewards credit card which you can then transfer to your Rapid Rewards account.

For example, Chase Ultimate Rewards can be transferred to your Rapid Rewards account at a ratio of 1:1. If we use the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card as an example, you’ll receive the following rates on bonus category spending:

• 5X points on travel purchased through Chase (excluding hotel purchases that qualify for the $50 annual hotel credit)
• 2X points on other travel purchases
• 3X points on dining, including eligible delivery services, takeout and dining out
• 3X points on online grocery purchases, excluding Target, Walmart and wholesale clubs
• 3X points on select streaming service purchases
• 1X points on all other purchases

The Sapphire Preferred card has an annual fee of $95, making it comparable to the Southwest Premier card. The Sapphire Preferred has a wider range of everyday bonus spending categories, including dining and grocery shopping purchases. This makes it easier to earn points on everyday spending than with the Premier card.

Likewise, the Sapphire Preferred card earns 5X points on travel purchased through Chase (excluding hotel purchases that qualify for the $50 annual hotel credit). If you were to spend $600 on Southwest flights purchased through Chase, you’d receive 3,000 Ultimate Rewards points. You could then transfer these to your Rapid Rewards account at a ratio of 1:1, giving you 3,000 Rapid Rewards. Alternatively, that same $600 spent on flights with the Southwest Premier card would net you only 1,800 Rapid Rewards points.

A general travel rewards card also comes with the benefit of flexibility. Unless you’re a die-hard Southwest loyalist, holding a flexible rewards currency enables you to book the cheapest flight with any airline which you can transfer your rewards to, rather than with Southwest only. For Chase Sapphire Preferred cardholders, you can transfer your points to 11 airlines, as well as three hotel loyalty programs.

That said, a Southwest credit card offers benefits that certain travel rewards credit cards can’t compete with.

For example, upgraded boardings, Wi-Fi credits, in-flight purchase discounts and TQPs in exchange for spending are perks exclusive to Southwest credit cards.

Likewise, one of the main benefits of Southwest credit cards over general travel rewards credit cards is that earning their welcome bonuses can enable you to receive the much-loved Southwest Companion Pass.

This buy-one-get-one-free style companion voucher requires 135,000 Rapid Rewards points and lasts for the remainder of the year you earn it plus the following year. That means if you manage to earn it at the beginning of a calendar year, you can use it for almost two years. What’s more is that you can use it for an unlimited number of times, with your companion needing to pay $5.60 in taxes and fees only.

If you manage to earn the welcome bonus on one Southwest personal and one Southwest business card, you’ll be well on your way to earning enough points to receive the coveted Companion Pass.

How to Select the Best Southwest Credit Card

It’s crucial to select the right Southwest credit card based on your individual spending habits and travel goals. That begins with considering how much you tend to fly with Southwest.

If you only fly with Southwest a handful of times per year, you’ll be best suited to either the Plus credit card or the Premier credit card.

The differences between the two cards are not massive, but they are significant.

The Premier card offers 3X points on Southwest purchases, while the Plus card offers only 2X points. Even more significant is that the annual point boost is doubled to 6,000 points per card anniversary year on the Premier card.

Another benefit is that the Premier card charges no foreign transaction fees, making it perfect for spending and earning points while abroad.

The Premier card also offers 1,500 TQPs for every $5,000 spent. That said, this benefit provides only a small boost, as 1,500 TQPs are worth just over 4% of the 35,000 required for A-List status. That means you’d need to spend $116,667 to acquire A-List status using this card perk alone.

If you can manage to reap enough value from the Premier card to offset the slightly higher annual fee of $99, you’d be better off going for this card. If not, the Plus card will be the better option.

If you’re a more frequent traveler with Southwest, you should consider the Premier card.

You’ll receive four upgraded boardings per year (subject to availability) as well as an annual point boost of 7,500 points each card anniversary year. On top of this, you’ll receive an annual statement credit of $75 toward Southwest travel purchases. If you utilize this perk, you’ll be able to offset the annual fee by more than half.

As Chase issues all Southwest credit cards, keep in mind that the 5/24 rule applies to your card applications. That means you’ll be ineligible for a new Chase card if you’ve opened five or more cards with any card issuer within the last 24 months. You’ll want to carefully consider which Southwest card is the best match for your spending and travel habits, given that it will add to your 5/24 count.

How to Maximize Your Southwest Credit Card

Maximizing your Southwest credit card begins with timing your card application correctly.

Assuming that you’re interested in earning the Southwest Companion Pass, you’ll want to consider your Companion Pass strategy when planning your card application timeline.

Of course, it could be that the Companion Pass is not your main priority. If you’re a solo traveler, it offers little value. Likewise, if Southwest doesn’t operate the routes you’re interested in flying, then the Companion Pass will be of little value. That said, in the latter case, you probably wouldn’t be interested in applying for a Southwest credit card in the first place.

In some cases, Southwest offers its Companion Pass as part of the welcome bonus. However, this offer is occasional and subject to change.

Either way, you’ll want to time your card application so that the welcome bonus spending time frame falls at the beginning of the calendar year. This will enable you to reach the required number of Rapid Rewards necessary for the Companion Pass as early as possible in the year, giving you the maximum amount of time to use it.

Keep in mind that to earn a welcome bonus on a Southwest personal credit card, the following statements must be true:

• You’ve not earned a bonus on any Southwest personal card within the past 24 months.
• You don’t currently hold a Southwest personal credit card.

Luckily, these rules don’t apply to welcome bonuses on the Southwest business cards.

The easiest way to earn the Southwest Companion Pass is to earn the welcome bonuses on two Southwest credit cards. That can net you between 80,000 and 120,000 Rapid Rewards, leaving you to make up the difference in spending.

That means you could either apply for two Southwest business cards or one personal and one business card.

When planning your applications, make sure that you’ll be able to meet the minimum spending requirements. You may need to get creative to do this. That could mean prepaying bills and insurance as well as any upcoming vacations. Just ensure that you don’t overspend needlessly, as that will offset the value of any rewards earned in return.

Once you’ve met the minimum spending requirements for both welcome bonuses, you’ll need to ensure that you use both your cards regularly as well as utilize their perks. By doing this, you’ll be sure to offset their annual fees.

The more you spend with the card and the more you fly with Southwest, the easier it will be to maximize your card’s rewards and perks.

Lastly, you’ll want to ensure that you always pay your balance off before its due date. That way, you’ll avoid high-interest charges and late penalty fees, which could wipe out the value of your rewards.

Final Thoughts

Southwest credit cards offer exclusive perks for the frequent Southwest flyer.

Whether you want just a handful of perks, such as those offered by the Plus card, a mid-tier card balancing perks with fees, such as the Premier card, or top-of-the-range benefits as offered on the Performance card, there’s an option for every type of flyer.

And if you’re set on earning the coveted Companion Pass, Southwest credit cards will play a crucial role in your strategy for doing so.