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January 8 2025: The limited-time elevated offers on the personal Southwest Rapid Rewards cards have ended. All personal cards are back down to their regular 50,000 point offers.
We keep this page updated with best sign-up bonus for every Southwest Airlines credit card. Below, you’ll find the best public bonus available for every Southwest credit card.
The best Southwest credit card sign-up bonuses in January 2025
Here are the best available new cardmember welcome bonuses on Southwest credit cards.
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 50,000 bonus points after spending $1,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening. 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. |
Editor’s choice: Southwest Rapid Rewards® Priority Credit Card for most Southwest flyers
Chase and Southwest consistently run the same bonus on all three of the personal Southwest credit cards.
If you’re looking solely to earn points, regardless of the ongoing value of the card, go for the Southwest Rapid Rewards® Plus Credit Card. You’ll pay the lowest annual fee of any of the cards and you’ll get the same number of bonus points with the same spending requirement.
But we think that there’s a good case to be made for the Southwest Rapid Rewards® Priority Credit Card if you’re a frequent Southwest flyer. For an additional $80 in your annual fee, you’re getting a lot of value:
- An extra 4,500 bonus points at your cardmember anniversary.
- A $75 annual Southwest travel credit.
- 4 upgraded boardings, rather than 2 EarlyBird Check-Ins, each year.
Even if you fly Southwest only a handful of times a year, you’ll easily make use of all of the above perks and the $75 travel credit and 4,500 bonus points are likely to displace more than $80 of cash that you would otherwise spend on Southwest flights.
Choice for small business flyers
Small business flyers who spend money on Southwest wifi should consider the Southwest® Rapid Rewards® Performance Business Credit Card. The card will pay for itself if you use the included WiFi credits to get Wifi on 25 flights.
Reason to get the cards now: Companion pass
The sign-up bonus points you earn on the Southwest credit cards count toward the points you need to earn to get the Southwest Companion pass, so this could be a factor in your decision to get the cards not or wait.
If you earn the Southwest companion pass, it is good through the end of the year following the year in which you earn it. If you earn the pass early in the year, that means you can enjoy the benefit for almost two full years.
Reason to wait: Likely better offers in the next few months
Historically, Chase and Southwest have offered limited-time increased welcome bonus offers on the Southwest personal credit cards every few months. Currently the bonuses are sitting at their “business as usual” offers. Waiting for a few months might get you a bigger bonus.
Other ways to earn Southwest Rapid Rewards with credit card sign-up bonuses
Of course, getting a Southwest credit card isn’t the only way to get Southwest Rapid Rewards points with a credit card sign-up bonus. Since Southwest is a Chase Ultimate Rewards® transfer partner, you can earn Ultimate Rewards with a sign-up bonus and then transfer them to Southwest, provided you have a premium Ultimate Rewards credit card.
See our article on the best Chase Ultimate Rewards® sign-up bonuses for more on other credit cards that can earn you Southwest miles.
How to use the points: Easy to use for Southwest flights
We like Southwest Rapid Rewards points because of their consistent value and how easy they are to use. Here are the biggest advantages of Rapid Rewards:
- You’ll get consistent value. On average, you’ll get about 1.3-1.4 cents per point of value from each of your points. (10,000 points can get you a flight with a cash price of around $130-$140.)
- Rapid Rewards points don’t expire.
- If you cancel your flight, you get your points back. Any Southwest flight can be canceled up to 10 minutes prior to departure. If the flight was booked with your Rapid Rewards points, the points will be returned to you account.
To use Southwest Rapid Rewards points for flights, simply select “Points” when booking any flight at Southwest.com. You can also toggle between seeing flights priced in dollars and flights priced in points during the booking process.
More on the cards: Benefits and features of each card
Here’s a bit more on each of the Southwest credit cards so that you can decide which one is right for you. You can compare the benefits and features of all cards side-by-side in our guide to the Southwest credit cards.
Southwest Rapid Rewards® Plus Credit Card: Entry-level card with Early Bird check-ins.
The Southwest Rapid Rewards® Plus Credit Card is the entry-level Rapid Rewards® credit card offered by Chase and Southwest Airlines. It gives you a few perks when flying on Southwest and has an annual fee of $69.
With the Plus card, you’ll get 2 EarlyBird Check-Ins each year, 10,000 Companion Pass® qualifying points each year and a 25% back boost on inflight purchases. You’ll also receive a 3,000 point annual anniversary bonus.
See how the Rapid Rewards Plus card compares against the other Southwest credit cards in our Southwest credit card comparison.
Annual fee: annual_fees
Foreign transaction fee: foreign_transaction_fee
The Southwest Rapid Rewards® Plus Credit Card offers 3,000 annual anniversary points and 2 EarlyBird Check-Ins each year. For most Southwest flyers, the Southwest Rapid Rewards® Priority Credit Card offers better value.
Sign-up bonus
Best sign-up bonus: bonus_miles_full
This bonus is earned as Southwest Rapid Rewards points.
Rewards
- 2x on Southwest purchases.
- 2x on Rapid Rewards hotel and car rental partners.
- 2x on local transit and commuting, including rideshare.
- 2x on internet, cable, and phone services, plus select streaming.
- 1x on all other purchases.
Rewards are earned as Southwest Rapid Rewards points.
Benefits
Southwest Airlines benefits
- 3,000 point cardmember anniversary bonus.
- 2 EarlyBird Check-In® each year.
- 25% back on inflight purchases.
- 10,000 Companion Pass® qualifying points boost each year.
Consumer insurance benefits
Travel insurance benefits
- Lost luggage reimbursement.
- Baggage delay insurance.
Partner benefits and statement credits
- Complimentary DashPass for one year.
After one year, you are automatically enrolled in DashPass at the current monthly rate. You must activate by 1/31/25.
Southwest Rapid Rewards® Premier Credit Card: Mid-tier card with middling benefits
The Southwest Rapid Rewards® Premier Credit Card gives you more points when you book with Southwest. The card has an annual fee of $99.
The card offers better earnings on Southwest than the Plus card—you’ll get 3x points on Southwest purchases. If you’re an occasional Southwest flyer, you’ll enjoy 2 EarlyBird Check-Ins each year, but you probably won’t care about the ability to earn A-List tier qualifying points or the 10,000 Companion Pass® qualifying points each year. Each year on your account anniversary, you’ll also receive a 6,000 point anniversary bonus.
This card sits in an awkward spot in Southwest’s lineup. If you just want a welcome bonus, the Southwest Rapid Rewards® Plus Credit Card is a better choice. But if you fly Southwest with any sort of frequency, you’ll get more value out of the Southwest Rapid Rewards® Priority Credit Card. Compare this card against all of the Southwest credit cards for more on why.
Annual fee: $99
Foreign transaction fee: None
All information about the Southwest Rapid Rewards® Premier Credit Card has been collected independently by cardsandpoints.com.
The Southwest Rapid Rewards® Premier Credit Card is the mid-tier Southwest card, offering 3x points on Southwest and a 6,000 point anniversary bonus For most Southwest flyers, the Southwest Rapid Rewards® Priority Credit Card offers better value.
Sign-up bonus
Best sign-up bonus: Earn 50,000 bonus points after you spend $1,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening.
This bonus is earned as Southwest Rapid Rewards points.
Rewards
- 3x on Southwest purchases.
- 2x on Rapid Rewards hotel and car rental partners.
- 2x on local transit and commuting, including rideshare.
- 2x on internet, cable, and phone services, plus select streaming.
- 1x on all other purchases.
Rewards are earned as Southwest Rapid Rewards points.
Benefits
Southwest Airlines benefits
- 6,000 point cardmember anniversary bonus.
- 2 EarlyBird Check-In® each year.
- 25% back on inflight purchases.
- Earn 1,500 Tier Qualifying Points toward A-List status for every $5,000 you spend.
- 10,000 Companion Pass® qualifying points boost each year.
Consumer insurance benefits
Travel insurance benefits
- Lost luggage reimbursement.
- Baggage delay insurance.
Partner benefits and statement credits
- Complimentary DashPass for one year.
After one year, you are automatically enrolled in DashPass at the current monthly rate. You must activate by 1/31/25.
Southwest Rapid Rewards® Priority Credit Card: The best card for frequent Southwest flyers
If you fly Southwest regularly, the Southwest Rapid Rewards® Priority Credit Card is the card to get. Even flying Southwest a few times a year, you’ll get value from the card well in excess of its $149 annual fee.
Most of the value from the card comes from the $75 annual Southwest travel credit you’ll get each year and the 7,500 annual anniversary bonus points you’ll receive. These perks alone justify the card’s annual fee, but you’ll also get 4 upgraded boardings each year, earn tier-qualifying points with the card, and get 10,000 Companion Pass® qualifying points each year.
We think that this card is the best card for frequent Southwest flyers. When you compare all Southwest cards side-by-side, we’re pretty sure you’ll come to the same conclusion.
Annual fee: annual_fees
Foreign transaction fee: foreign_transaction_fee
The Southwest Rapid Rewards® Priority Credit Card offers consistent value to Southwest flyers thanks to its 7,500 point anniversary bonus and the $75 annual Southwest travel credit you’ll get for having the card.
Sign-up bonus
Best sign-up bonus: bonus_miles_full
This bonus is earned as Southwest Rapid Rewards points.
Rewards
- 3x on Southwest purchases
- 2x on Rapid Rewards hotel and car rental partner purchases.
- 2x on local transit and commuting, including rideshare.
- 2x on internet, cable, and phone services; select streaming.
- 1x on other purchases.
Rewards are earned as Southwest Rapid Rewards® points.
Benefits
Southwest Airlines benefits
- 25% back on inflight purchases on Southwest.
- 10,000 qualifying point boost toward Companion Pass each year.
- 4 Upgraded Boardings per year when available.
- $75 Southwest annual travel credit.
- Earn 1,500 tier qualifying points towards A-List status for every $5,000 spent annually.
Consumer insurance benefits
Travel insurance benefits
- Lost luggage reimbursement.
- Baggage delay insurance.
Partner benefits and statement credits
- One-year complimentary DashPass membership. After your complimentary year, you will be automatically enrolled in DashPass at the current monthly rate. Activate by 12/31/24.
Southwest® Rapid Rewards® Premier Business Credit Card
The Southwest® Rapid Rewards® Premier Business Credit Card is the entry-level small business Southwest credit card. It offers
With the Premier Business card, you’ll get 3x Rapid Rewards® points on your Southwest Airlines purchases and 2 EarlyBird Check-Ins per year. You won’t earn bonus Companion Pass® qualifying points like the personal cards, but you will earn tier-qualifying points with this card.
Picking up the Southwest® Rapid Rewards® Premier Business Credit Card Card in addition to one of the personal cards can be a great strategy to earn a Companion Pass® from new cardmember welcome bonuses. But we think that most small business owners will be more interested in the Southwest® Rapid Rewards® Performance Business Credit Card, which offers up to 365 credits toward WiFi purchases aboard Southwest. Compare the Southwest Airlines credit cards to find the best card for your small business.
Annual fee: annual_fees
Foreign transaction fee: foreign_transaction_fee
The Southwest® Rapid Rewards® Premier Business Credit Card is the lowest-tier small business Southwest Airlines credit card. But if you pay for inflight WiFi more than about a dozen times a year, check out the Southwest® Rapid Rewards® Performance Business Credit Card for its inflight WiFi credits.
Sign-up bonus
Best sign-up bonus: bonus_miles_full
This bonus is earned as Southwest Rapid Rewards points.
Rewards
- 3x on Southwest Airlines® purchases.
- 2x on Rapid Rewards hotel and car rental partner purchases.
- 2x on local transit and commuting, including rideshare services.
- 1x on everyday purchases.
Rewards are earned as Southwest Rapid Rewards points.
Benefits
Southwest Airlines benefits
- 6,000 point cardmember anniversary bonus.
- 2 EarlyBird Check-In® each year.
- 25% back on inflight purchases.
- Earn 1,500 tier-qualifying points toward A-List status for every $5,000 spent.
- Up to $500 in fee credits for points transfers.
Consumer insurance benefits
Travel insurance benefits
- Lost luggage reimbursement.
- Baggage delay insurance.
Partner benefits and statement credits
- Complimentary DashPass for one year.
After one year, you are automatically enrolled in DashPass at the current monthly rate. You must activate by 1/31/25.
Southwest® Rapid Rewards® Performance Business Credit Card
The Southwest® Rapid Rewards® Performance Business Credit Card offers the most value for small business owners who fly Southwest Airlines and frequently purchase WiFi in-flight.
Between the card’s 9,000 annual anniversary point bonus and the up to 365 inflight WiFi credits each year, you’re likely to get more value than you give up by paying the card’s $199 annual fee. Depending on how you value the Rapid Rewards points, the break-even point on this card is about a dozen wifi sessions each year. And if you use WiFi about Southwest more often than that, this card is a must get.
The Southwest® Rapid Rewards® Performance Business Credit Card is a clear winner for small business owners who use WiFi, but if you don’t use WiFi, you might do better with the personal Southwest Rapid Rewards® Priority Credit Card. Learn why in our head-to-head comparison of the Southwest Airlines credit cards.
Annual fee: annual_fees
Foreign transaction fee: foreign_transaction_fee
The Southwest® Rapid Rewards® Performance Business Credit Card is the card to get if you frequently purchase WiFi access onboard Southwest Airlines flights.
Sign-up bonus
Best sign-up bonus: bonus_miles_full
This bonus is earned as Southwest Rapid Rewards points.
Rewards
- 4x on Southwest Airlines® purchases.
- 3x on Rapid Rewards hotel and car rental partner purchases.
- 2x on social media and search engine advertising.
- 2x on internet, cable, and phone services.
- 2x on local transit and commuting, including rideshare services.
- 1x on everyday purchases.
Rewards are earned as Southwest Rapid Rewards points.
Benefits
Southwest Airlines benefits
- 9,000 point cardmember anniversary bonus.
- 4 upgraded boardings per year, when available.
- Up to 365 InFlight WiFi credits per year.
- 25% back on inflight purchases.
- Earn 1,500 tier-qualifying points toward A-List status for every $5,000 spent.
- Up to $500 in fee credits for points transfers.
Consumer insurance benefits
Travel insurance benefits
- Lost luggage reimbursement.
- Baggage delay insurance.
Partner benefits and statement credits
- Complimentary DashPass for one year.
After one year, you are automatically enrolled in DashPass at the current monthly rate. You must activate by 1/31/25. - Global Entry, TSA PreCheck, or NEXUS fee credit up to $100 every 4 years.
Frequently asked questions
Which Southwest card is best?
The Southwest Rapid Rewards® Priority Credit Card offers the most value for Southwest flyers. You’ll get 7,500 points on your cardmember anniversary and a $75 Southwest annual travel credit. These perks alone can provide more value than the card’s $149 annual fee. Plus, you’ll earn more points on Southwest than any other personal card and get tier qualifying points toward A-List status.
How do I earn a Southwest companion pass?
You can earn a Southwest Companion Pass by earning 135,000 points per year. Points earned from credit card welcome bonuses count toward the companion pass. Points transferred from transfer partners do not count.
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.
