Advertiser disclosure: Cards and Points has partnered with CardRatings for our coverage of credit card products. Cards and Points and CardRatings may receive a commission from card issuers. Some or all of the card offers that appear on this site are from advertisers. Compensation may affect how and where card products appear on the site. The site does not include all card companies or all available offers. Opinions, reviews, analyses & recommendations are the author’s alone, and have not been reviewed, endorsed or approved by any of these entities. Terms apply to all credit card benefits.
February 17, 2024: We’ve refreshed our guide to the Southwest Airlines credit cards.
Southwest Airlines offers five credit cards in partnership with Chase. Each of these offers benefits for flying on Southwest, but two stand out above the rest for most Southwest flyers. Here’s everything you need to know to compare all of the Southwest credit cards and choose the right one for you.
All information about the Southwest Rapid Rewards® Premier Credit Card has been collected independently by cardsandpoints.com.
In this article
Our recommendations: Find the best Southwest credit card for you
Which Southwest Airlines credit card or credit cards you should get depends on your objective, but there are a few clear winners in our view.
 Southwest Rapid Rewards® Priority Credit Card Annual fee: annual_fees | You are a (at least somewhat) frequent Southwest Airlines flyer. Although it is the highest-priced Southwest credit card, the Southwest Rapid Rewards® Priority Credit Card really does offer the best value for Southwest flyers. If you’re spending at least $75 on Southwest annually anyway, then the card’s $75 annual Southwest credit effectively pays for half of the card’s annual fee. Between that and the 7,500 annual anniversary bonus points, you’re going to get more value per dollar with this card than any other card. Sign-up bonus: bonus_miles_full Learn how to apply. |
 Southwest® Rapid Rewards® Performance Business Credit Card Annual fee: annual_fees | You frequently pay for WiFi on Southwest Airlines flights. The only card offering Southwest WiFi credits is the Southwest® Rapid Rewards® Performance Business Credit Card. You’ll break even on WiFi credits if you use 25 or more sessions during the year. Sign-up bonus: bonus_miles_full Learn how to apply. |
 Southwest Rapid Rewards® Plus Credit Card Annual fee: annual_fees +  Southwest® Rapid Rewards® Premier Business Credit Card Annual fee: annual_fees | You want to earn the Southwest Companion Pass through sign-up bonuses. Normally, the best way to do this is to get the Southwest Rapid Rewards® Plus Credit Card and the Southwest Rapid Rewards® Premier Credit Card early in the year and earn a sign-up bonus on both. In many cases, this will get you the 135,000 qualifying points you need for the Companion Pass, while minimizing annual fees. With the current limited-time offers, you can earn the Companion Pass with either of these cards, again both which are the lowest-annual-fee personal and small business options, respectively. Southwest Rapid Rewards® Plus Credit Card Sign-up bonus: bonus_miles_full Learn how to apply. Southwest® Rapid Rewards® Premier Business Credit Card Sign-up bonus: bonus_miles_full Learn how to apply. |
What to look for in an airline credit card
When you get an airline credit card, you’re essentially buying a subscription to a suite of benefits, most of which are related to flying on the airline. With most other airlines’ credit cards, this means free bags and seat selection, but the value proposition with Southwest credit cards is slightly different. Here’s the bulk of what you’re buying with a Southwest credit card:
- Annual anniversary bonus points.
- Annual Southwest travel credit.
- WiFi credits.
- Additional Companion Pass qualifying credits
Don’t use an airline card for spending.
Airline credit cards typically offer lower rewards for spending than other cards, making airline cards a poor choice to use for most purchases. Even if you want to spend on your Southwest card to earn Rapid Rewards® points toward your Companion Pass, those purchases have an opportunity cost—you usually could be earning more rewards with another card.
As an example, the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card has a annual_fees annual fee, but its earnings are much more generous than the Southwest cards.
- 5x Ultimate Rewards® points on travel booked through Chase Travel℠ versus 2x Rapid Rewards booked through travel partners.
- 3x Ultimate Rewards® on dining versus 1x Rapid Rewards with the Southwest credit cards.
- 2x Ultimate Rewards® on a wide variety of travel purchases, vs 2x on local transit and commuting with the Southwest cards.
- 3x Ultimate Rewards® points on select streaming services, vs 2x Rapid Rewards on select streaming services.
And since Chase Ultimate Rewards® can transfer to Southwest Rapid Rewards, you’ll earn points that can either become Rapid Rewards (through a points transfer) or be redeemed for cash—and there is value in that additional flexibility. Add a no-annual-fee Chase Freedom Unlimited® and you’ll earn 50% more points in your non-category purchases as well.
Benefits when flying on Southwest: Bonus points, better seating, and qualifying points
Most people will pick up a Southwest credit card for the benefits you’ll get when flying on Southwest. Here are the details:
|  | | | |
| Southwest Rapid Rewards® Plus Credit Card | Southwest Rapid Rewards® Premier Credit Card | Southwest Rapid Rewards® Priority Credit Card | Southwest® Rapid Rewards® Premier Business Credit Card | Southwest® Rapid Rewards® Performance Business Credit Card |
| Annual anniversary bonus points Received each year on the anniversary of your account open date. | ||||
| 3,000 | 6,000 | 7,500 | 6,000 | 9,000 |
| Early-bird check-in and Upgraded boardings Awarded each year. | ||||
| (2) | (2) | (4) | (2) | (4) |
| Earn 1,500 tier qualifying points for every $5,000 spent. | ||||
| – | ||||
| 10,000 Companion Pass® qualifying points boost each year. | ||||
| – | – | |||
| Up to $500 in fee credits each year for point transfers Received as statement credits. | ||||
| – | – | – | ||
| 25% back in inflight purchases Received as a statement credit. | ||||
Additional unique Southwest Airlines benefits
In addition to the benefits above, some of the Southwest credit cards offer unique benefits, specific to that card:
- Southwest Rapid Rewards® Priority Credit Card offers a $75 Southwest® Annual Travel Credit, awarded as a statement credit when you use your card for purchases of travel on Southwest Airlines.
- Southwest® Rapid Rewards® Performance Business Credit Card will give you a statement credit of $8, up to 365 times per year, when you purchase in-flight WiFi on Southwest using the card.
Rewards: Earn Southwest points for purchases
All of the Southwest Airlines credit cards earn Southwest Rapid Rewards® points, which can be used to book Southwest flights at Southwest.com. Here’s what each card earns:
| | | | |
| Southwest Rapid Rewards® Plus Credit Card | Southwest Rapid Rewards® Premier Credit Card | Southwest Rapid Rewards® Priority Credit Card | Southwest® Rapid Rewards® Premier Business Credit Card | Southwest® Rapid Rewards® Performance Business Credit Card |
| Southwest purchases | ||||
| 2x | 3x | 3x | 3x | 4x |
| Rapid Rewards® hotel and car rental partners | ||||
| 2x | 2x | 2x | 2x | 3x |
| Local transit and commuting, including rideshare | ||||
| 2x | 2x | 2x | 2x | 2x |
| Internet, cable, and phone services | ||||
| 2x | 2x | 2x | – | 2x |
| Select streaming services | ||||
| 2x | 2x | 2x | – | – |
| Social media and search engine advertising | ||||
| – | – | – | – | 2x |
| All other purchases | ||||
| 1x | 1x | 1x | 1x | 1x |
Other travel benefits: Travel insurance and more
All of the Southwest credit cards offer a standard set of travel benefits that includes lost luggage reimbursement, baggage delay insurance, extended warranty protection and purchase protection, making them a good choice to use for travel. Here are the other travel benefits offered on Southwest credit cards.
| | | | |
| Southwest Rapid Rewards® Plus Credit Card | Southwest Rapid Rewards® Premier Credit Card | Southwest Rapid Rewards® Priority Credit Card | Southwest® Rapid Rewards® Premier Business Credit Card | Southwest® Rapid Rewards® Performance Business Credit Card |
| Lost luggage reimbursement | ||||
| Baggage delay insurance | ||||
| $120 Global Entry, TSA PreCheck, or NEXUS fee credit | ||||
| – | – | – | – | |
| No foreign transaction fees | ||||
| – | ||||
Consumer insurance benefits: Protection for the things you buy
Consumer insurance benefits like extended warranty and purchase protection cover the things you buy with the card. Here’s what’s offered with each Southwest credit card:
| | | | |
| Southwest Rapid Rewards® Plus Credit Card | Southwest Rapid Rewards® Premier Credit Card | Southwest Rapid Rewards® Priority Credit Card | Southwest® Rapid Rewards® Premier Business Credit Card | Southwest® Rapid Rewards® Performance Business Credit Card |
| Purchase protection | ||||
| Extended warranty protection | ||||
Sign-up bonuses: Earn Rapid Rewards® points when getting a new card
We cover all of the current Southwest Airlines credit card welcome bonuses in a dedicated article, but here’s a quick summary of the welcome bonuses that are currently available.
Southwest Rapid Rewards® Plus Credit Card Annual fee: annual_fees | Sign-up bonus: bonus_miles_full Learn how to apply. Offers the lowest-cost way to get a 10,000 qualifying point boost toward Companion Pass® each year. |
Southwest Rapid Rewards® Premier Credit Card Annual fee: $99 | Sign-up bonus: Earn Companion Pass® through 2/28/26 plus 30,000 bonus points after you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening. Offer ends 3/23/25. Learn how to apply. The lowest-cost card offering both tier-qualifying points and an annual Companion Pass® boost. All information about the Southwest Rapid Rewards® Premier Credit Card has been collected independently by cardsandpoints.com. |
Southwest Rapid Rewards® Priority Credit Card Annual fee: annual_fees | Sign-up bonus: bonus_miles_full Learn how to apply. The best value card for Southwest flyers thanks to its $75 annual Southwest travel credit and 7,500 bonus Rapid Rewards points each year. |
Southwest® Rapid Rewards® Premier Business Credit Card Annual fee: annual_fees | Sign-up bonus: bonus_miles_full Learn how to apply. A lower-cost option for small business owners who wouldn’t get value out of the Performance Business card’s wifi credits. |
Southwest® Rapid Rewards® Performance Business Credit Card Annual fee: annual_fees | Sign-up bonus: bonus_miles_full Learn how to apply. The best card for small business owners who frequently use Southwest’s in-flight wifi. |
Bottom line: You’re buying points and statement credits
The Southwest credit cards are a bit different than most other airline credit cards because, frankly, Southwest is a little bit different. The cards’ most useful benefits include annual bonus miles, and statement credits for various Southwest purchases. For most Southwest flyers, the Southwest Rapid Rewards® Priority Credit Card is the best card to have on an ongoing basis.
Advertiser disclosure: Cards and Points has partnered with CardRatings for our coverage of credit card products. Cards and Points and CardRatings may receive a commission from card issuers. Some or all of the card offers that appear on this site are from advertisers. Compensation may affect how and where card products appear on the site. The site does not include all card companies or all available offers. Opinions, reviews, analyses & recommendations are the author’s alone, and have not been reviewed, endorsed or approved by any of these entities. Terms apply to all credit card benefits.
