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Earn 50,000 bonus points after spending $1,000 on purchases in the first 3 months. Earn 60,000 bonus points after you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening. That's $750 when you redeem through Chase Ultimate Rewards®. Credit Score Needed 720 - 850 720 - 850 Annual Fee $149 $95 Best Southwest credit card overall (co-branded)Southwest flyers Southwest Rapid Rewards® Priority Credit CardSign Up Bonus Earn 50,000 bonus points after spending $1,000 on purchases in the first 3 months. APR 18.24% - 25.24% Variable Anniversary Bonus: 7,500 Southwest points The Southwest Rapid Rewards® Priority Credit Card is packed with more than enough Southwest perks to offset the $149 annual fee. Here are some of the highlights: Pros
Cons
The Southwest Rapid Rewards® Priority Credit Card is our favorite card for frequent Southwest flyers. The card offers a suite of perks that can more than justify the card’s $149 annual fee. Cardholders get a 7,500-point bonus each cardmember anniversary, a $75 Southwest annual travel credit and four upgraded boardings. The 7,500-point bonus is the highest offered on a Southwest card and offsets 75% of the card's $150 annual fee. Best Southwest credit card overall (general travel)General travel Chase Sapphire Preferred® CardSign Up Bonus Earn 60,000 bonus points after you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening. That's $750 when you redeem through Chase Ultimate Rewards®. APR 18.24% - 25.24% Variable Earns Chase Ultimate Rewards® In addition to solid point-earning rates, the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card also shines when it comes to the card’s benefits. Here are some of its highlights: Pros
Cons
If you’re looking to earn Southwest Rapid Rewards points, you aren’t limited to just Southwest co-branded credit cards. That’s because Chase Ultimate Rewards®, transfers to Southwest Rapid Rewards at a 1:1 ratio. And our favorite Ultimate Rewards-earning credit card happens to be one of our favorite all-around travel cards: The Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card. This card offers a solid points earning rate and excellent travel and purchase protections. If plans change, you have the option of redeeming Ultimate Rewards points for plenty of options besides Southwest points. Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card cardholders earn Ultimate Rewards points: 5x on travel purchased through Chase Ultimate Rewards®, 3x on dining and 2x on all other travel purchases The Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card This earning rate of 2X on travel matches the 2X earning rate on most Southwest cards for Southwest purchases. However, if you favor flexibility, take note that the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card bonus category goes well beyond Southwest purchases to include all travel purchases, as well as dining. That means the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card is a much better option for earning points from purchases than most Southwest co-branded cards. Best Southwest credit card with a low annual fee (co-branded)Low annual fee Southwest Rapid Rewards® Plus Credit CardSign Up Bonus Earn 50,000 bonus points after spending $1,000 on purchases in the first 3 months. APR 18.24% - 25.24% Variable Anniversary Bonus: 3,000 Southwest points As the Chase Rapid Rewards card with the lowest annual fee, the Southwest Rapid Rewards® Plus Credit Card doesn’t offer any Southwest perks besides earning points on purchases and the card’s anniversary bonus. However, as stated above, the card provides travel benefits through Visa, including: Pros
Cons
The Southwest Rapid Rewards® Plus Credit Card offers the lowest annual fee of Southwest’s three personal credit cards. Understandably, that means the perks of the card are less than what you’d find on the other Southwest cards. Still, the Southwest Rapid Rewards® Plus Credit Card does offer a solid earning rate and an anniversary points bonus that helps offset the card’s $69 annual fee. Use the two annual EarlyBird Check-In®s that come with this card to get earlier seat selection and boarding position. Best Southwest credit card with a mid-range annual fee (co-branded)Mid-range Southwest Rapid Rewards® Premier Credit CardSign Up Bonus Earn 50,000 bonus points after spending $1,000 on purchases in the first 3 months. APR 18.24% - 25.24% Variable Anniversary Bonus: 6,000 Southwest points In addition to all of the travel protection benefits available on all Southwest cards, Southwest Rapid Rewards® Premier Credit Card holders get the following perks: Pros
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If the annual fee on the Southwest Rapid Rewards® Priority Credit Card is too pricey and the perks on the Southwest Rapid Rewards® Plus Credit Card too limited, the Southwest Rapid Rewards® Premier Credit Card may be your Goldilocks card. Cardholders get a 6,000-point bonus each cardmember anniversary and $0 foreign transaction fees. Plus, spending on the card will help boost you toward A-List elite status. This card also comes with two EarlyBird Check-In®s each year, which provide earlier boarding position and seat selection. Best Southwest credit card for business (co-branded)Business Southwest® Rapid Rewards® Performance Business Credit CardSign Up Bonus Earn 80,000 points after you spend $5,000 on purchases in the first 3 months. APR 18.24% - 25.24% Variable Anniversary Bonus: 9,000 Southwest points In addition to the valuable anniversary bonus and strong earning rates, the Southwest® Rapid Rewards® Performance Business Credit Card offers plenty of other valuable benefits: Pros
Cons
The Southwest® Rapid Rewards® Performance Business Credit Card is easily our favorite Southwest card for small businesses. It charges a hefty $199 annual fee, but the perks are incredible. Cardholders get a 9,000-point anniversary bonus, a reimbursement for Global Entry or TSA PreCheck® application fees, four upgraded boardings each year and up to 365 in-flight Wi-Fi credits. The 4 points per $1 spent on Southwest® purchases is the highest earning rate offered by a Southwest credit card. Best Southwest credit card for business with a low annual fee (co-branded)Low annual fee business Southwest® Rapid Rewards® Premier Business Credit CardSign Up Bonus Earn 60,000 points after you spend $3,000 on purchases in the first 3 months your account is open. APR 18.24% - 25.24% Variable Anniversary Bonus: 6,000 Southwest points The Southwest® Rapid Rewards® Premier Business Credit Card doesn’t offer the suite of benefits that the Southwest® Rapid Rewards® Performance Business Credit Card offers — still, the good news is that it doesn’t charge foreign transaction or employee card fees: Pros
Cons
If you can’t justify the $199 annual fee of the Southwest® Rapid Rewards® Performance Business Credit Card, perhaps the $99 annual fee on the Southwest® Rapid Rewards® Premier Business Credit Card may be a better fit for your small business. It comes with a lower earning rate and lacks airline perks like in-flight Wi-Fi credits. However, it still offers decent point earnings, including 3X points on Southwest purchases and 6,000 points each year on your card anniversary. Want to consolidate debt without restricting your travel? This card doubles as a balance transfer card and cardholders will earn 1 point per dollar on the first $15,000 in balance transfers in the first 90 days from opening a Southwest® Rapid Rewards® Premier Business Credit Card. Runner-up: best credit card for Southwest (general travel)general travel runner-up Capital One Venture Rewards Credit CardSign Up Bonus Enjoy a one-time bonus of 75,000 miles once you spend $4,000 on purchases within 3 months from account opening, equal to $750 in travel APR 18.99% - 26.99% (Variable) Earns Capital One Travel rewards Pros
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If you don’t want to deal with bonus categories or transferring points, the Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card is our favorite option for travel minimalists. You earn the same rewards on every purchase, and your Capital One miles are simple to redeem: You can redeem them as statement credits at a value of 1 cent each to "erase" any travel purchase (including Southwest airfare). The Capital One miles earned with this card are more flexible: you can redeem them for any kind of travel purchase and transfer them to a variety of loyalty programs. However these miles are less valuable than Southwest points (worth only 1 cent each). Best Southwest Credit Card for studentsStudents Chase Freedom® Student credit cardSign Up Bonus $50 Bonus after first purchase made within the first 3 months from account opening Pros
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The Chase Freedom® Student credit card is a solid option for students with limited credit histories. You can redeem its Ultimate Rewards points for cash back. Or you can save up your points and eventually transfer them to a premium Chase card — like the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card — once you're able to qualify. From there you can transfer points to Southwest Rapid Rewards. How much are Southwest points worth?Southwest Rapid Rewards points are worth around 1.4 cents per point when redeemed for Southwest reward flights. However, the Southwest points value varies due to taxes and fees. Most flight redemptions provide between 1.4 and 1.6 cents per point in value. The number of Rapid Rewards points required for a flight varies depending on the base fare of the flight and the type of fare, but it typically hovers around 78 points per dollar of base fare. Example: Let’s take a flight from Los Angeles (LAX) to Las Vegas (LAS) on June 3, 2022 that costs $78.98. After subtracting $19.09 in taxes and fees, the base fare is $59.89: To book this flight with points, you’ll need to pay 4,971 Rapid Rewards points (83 points per $1 of base fare) plus $5.60 of taxes/fees. After factoring in the taxes/fees on the reward flight, booking a reward flight saves you $65.49 of out-of-pocket cost. That’s a savings of $0.79 cents per point. To calculate the value of your Rapid Rewards points, use this simple equation: Point value for fare = Cash price (minus taxes and fees) / Number of points needed for fare {"backgroundColor":"ice","content":"\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp\u003ETo calculate the value of your Rapid Rewards points, use this simple equation:\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"ShortcodeAlign--root ShortcodeAlign--center\"\u003E\n \u003Cdiv class=\"ShortcodeAlign--container\"\u003E \n \u003Cdiv class=\"ShortcodePullquote--root\"\u003E\n \u003Cp class=\"ShortcodePullquote--text ShortcodePullquote--black\"\u003E\n Point value for fare = Cash price (minus taxes and fees) \/ Number of points needed for fare\n \u003C\/p\u003E\n\u003C\/div\u003E\n \u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp\u003E","padding":"double"} How to choose the best Southwest credit cardThe best Southwest card is the one that provides you the best value by matching your travel preferences and spending patterns, with benefits that you can actually use. The Southwest Companion Pass lets you choose a designated companion to fly with you nearly for free for up to two years. To earn the pass, you must collect 125,000 qualifying Rapid Rewards points or fly 100 qualifying one-way flights with Southwest in a calendar year. You’ll want to opt to earn points on a Southwest credit card instead of a Chase Sapphire card if earning Companion Pass points is your goal. All Southwest co-branded cards earn Companion Pass-eligible points, which includes both points earned through purchases and those earned through a credit card sign-up bonus. This makes Southwest credit cards an indispensable way to help you earn one of the most valuable perks in travel. Chase Ultimate Rewards® points transfer to Rapid Rewards points, but these transferred points do not qualify as Companion Pass-eligible points. All Southwest co-branded credit cards offer an anniversary bonus benefit. In each case, this anniversary bonus can offset a substantial amount of the card’s annual fee. Both the Southwest Rapid Rewards® Premier Credit Card and the Southwest® Rapid Rewards® Premier Business Credit Card offer a 6,000-point bonus each cardmember anniversary. With Southwest points valued at around 1.4 cents per point, that’s a perk worth $84 each year — that offsets almost all of the $99 annual fee on these cards. The three other Southwest cards also offer anniversary bonuses that offset a substantial portion of the card’s annual fee: A-List is Southwest’s elite status program. If you fly Southwest enough to potentially earn A-List status, you should consider getting a Southwest credit card to help you toward qualifying. The two levels of A-List status are:
Four Southwest credit cards offer cardholders a way to earn Tier Qualifying Points through spending. Cardholders earn 1,500 TQP for every $10,000 in purchases made on the following cards, with no cap on the amount of TQPs earned: You can earn a total of 15,000 TQP through credit card spending — but that doesn’t even get you halfway to A-List status. So, you should only consider this way of earning Tier Qualifying Points if you plan to earn plenty of TQP through flying Southwest. Forgot to check-in for your Southwest flight 24 hours before departure? If you don’t want to get stuck with a category B or C boarding position, you can pay to be one of the first passengers to board. Southwest charges $30, $40 or $50 per flight for Upgraded Boarding, depending on the itinerary. If this is a fee that you’d consider paying, there are two Southwest credit cards that you’ll want to consider. Both the Southwest Rapid Rewards® Priority Credit Card and the Southwest® Rapid Rewards® Performance Business Credit Card Card reimburse up to four Upgraded Boarding purchases each anniversary year. That’s up to $200 in savings from just this one card benefit. All Southwest credit cards offer solid travel protections through Visa. These include:
You’ll find even better travel protections on the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card. In addition to these benefits, the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card provides Trip Cancellation/Interruption Insurance and Trip Delay Reimbursement, not to mention a primary Auto Rental Collision Damage Waiver. If you’re making purchases overseas, foreign transaction fees can really add to the total cost of your trip. Thankfully, there are plenty of cards that don’t charge foreign transaction fees, including almost all of the Southwest co-branded credit cards. Only the Southwest Rapid Rewards® Plus Credit Card charges a 3% of each transaction in U.S. dollars foreign transaction fee, so you’ll want to avoid this option if you plan to use your Southwest points-earning card for overseas purchases.
Compare Southwest credit card benefits
How many Southwest points are needed for a flight?The number of Southwest Rapid Rewards required for a reward flight varies greatly and is a factor of the base fare of that flight. Here are some examples of Southwest award prices for June 3, 2022:
How to use your Southwest credit cardSouthwest lets flyers save credit card information in their Rapid Rewards account for ease in purchasing flights. Chase credit cards can be added to mobile wallets such as Google Pay, Apple Pay or Samsung Pay. This is a great way to still use your Southwest credit card even if you happen to forget your purse or wallet. This may seem obvious, but it’s important to keep in mind that credit card perks are only valuable when used. The Southwest® Rapid Rewards® Performance Business Credit Card may offer up to $2,920 in reimbursements for in-flight Wi-Fi purchases, but if you rarely use this perk, it’s not worth much to you. Is a co-branded Southwest credit card right for you?ValuePenguin recommends considering a general travel card before applying for a co-branded Southwest card. While a Southwest credit card is a good option for getting Southwest perks (including the Southwest Companion Pass), you may be better served by a more flexible travel card that lets you redeem points on any airline. Co-branded card: Get the Southwest Rapid Rewards® Priority Credit Card for the best perks for the annual fee paid. The Southwest Rapid Rewards® Plus Credit Card is best if you have less wiggle room in your budget and value a low annual fee over fast-tracking status. The Southwest Rapid Rewards® Premier Credit Card is good if you can't justify the highest annual fee but will find value in accumulating a larger anniversary bonus. Co-branded card perks include:
General travel card: General travel cards can be more valuable than a co-branded Southwest card — for example, the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card is more valuable than the Southwest Rapid Rewards® Premier Credit Card because of its earning rate and sign-up bonus. General travel card perks include:
Southwest credit card FAQsA Southwest credit card may be worth it if any of the following statements are true: You want to earn Southwest points when using your card. You want to earn Tier Qualifying Points towards A-List status through credit card spending (this is available on all Southwest cards except the Southwest Rapid Rewards® Plus Credit Card). You can get value from the card’s perks — such as Upgraded Boardings, annual travel credits or reimbursed Global Entry or TSA PreCheck® fees. You want to earn points that qualify toward the Southwest Companion pass. Southwest credit cards require an Excellent/Good credit score, which means you need a credit score of at least 680 to qualify for a card. You can only have one personal Southwest card at once. Chase won’t approve you for a new personal Southwest credit card if you are a current cardholder of a personal Southwest card, or a previous cardholder who’s received a new bonus in the last 24 months. Chase will approve dual ownership of a Southwest business and consumer card. Southwest business cards have different policies. Although you may not be eligible to get a sign-up bonus, Chase won’t restrict you from getting a Southwest business card if you’re a current Southwest business cardholder. So, it’s possible to have multiple Southwest business cards plus up to one personal Southwest card. Chase cites a typical wait period of 10 to 14 days upon approval of your new card. You can use your Southwest credit card anywhere Visa is accepted. However, note that the Southwest Rapid Rewards® Plus Credit Card charges foreign transaction fees — so while you could use the Southwest Rapid Rewards® Plus Credit Card when traveling internationally, you’ll incur foreign transaction fees when doing so. All Southwest credit cards that are currently available to new cardholders offer car rental insurance in the form of an auto rental collision damage waiver benefit. To use this benefit, decline the rental company’s collision insurance and charge the entire car rental to your card. As with other Chase credit cards, you could potentially be approved for a Southwest credit card as quickly as within a minute of submitting your application. However, in some cases, Chase may need more time to evaluate and approve your application. You could also be required to provide additional information to get approved. Mail-in applications typically take longer than online and in-person applications, due to manual review. Note — credit card issuers are required to respond to your application within 30 days. The best time to apply for a Southwest credit card is when Chase and Southwest are offering an elevated sign-up bonus. These limited-time offers may pop up any time of the year. Another great time to consider applying is in the last three months of the year, as earning the sign-up bonus on a Southwest credit card (or two) can give you a huge boost toward earning the Southwest Companion Pass. If you’re hoping to use this method to shortcut your way to earning a Southwest Companion Pass, you’ll want to apply for one or more Southwest cards in October, November or December. Then, wait until after your December statement closes to reach the minimum spending requirements for the bonus. That way, the bonus points will be posted to your Rapid Rewards account in January of the next calendar year, which will give you a boost toward earning the Companion Pass in that year. For more about this strategy, see our article on Southwest Companion Pass tricks. You can earn 2X-3X points on some travel and transit purchases depending on the card and 1 point per dollar on other purchases. Check the paperwork you received with your card. You can activate your card online through the card’s activation page, or you can call the 1-800 number provided with the card to activate it by phone. Alternatively, you can call Chase’s technical support hotline for help: 800-935-9935. While you’re at it, make sure the card is linked to your Rapid Rewards account. To pay your Southwest credit card, you can log in to your account to schedule a payment, mail in a check or call Chase directly to pay by phone (see our list of Chase phone numbers and mailing addresses). You can also set up automatic payments for your Southwest card via your online account. Southwest offers free drink coupons as a perk to frequent flyers. To receive a coupon, you need to complete 10 revenue flights (flights booked with cash rather than points). You’ll also need to join the Rapid Rewards program, since coupons are mailed to the address on your Rapid Rewards account. A Southwest gift card is only redeemable for travel on Southwest airlines. Furthermore, purchasing Rapid Rewards generally costs more than what they’re worth in travel, so buying points with a gift card should be avoided. One of the best perks of flying with Southwest is that you can check your luggage for free. Southwest allows each customer to check two bags at no cost (weight and size restrictions apply) and, similar to other airlines, allows one carry-on and personal item per customer. To get Wi-Fi on Southwest, you need to connect to Southwest’s Wi-Fi network using a Wi-Fi enabled device (you’ll also need to download the Southwest app to access some of the content). You can access TV, movies and messaging (via iMessage and WhatsApp) for free. To get internet access — including browsing the web and checking email — you’ll need to pay an $8 fee. Note, the Southwest® Rapid Rewards® Performance Business Credit Card gives you 365 Wi-Fi credits, allowing you to access the internet without paying a fee. Recap of the best Southwest credit cards for 2022MethodologyTo make choosing the right card easier, we've looked at credit cards reviewed on ValuePenguin as well as cards on major issuer sites to compile a list of the best rewards credit cards available right now. Our recommendations are based on the additional value you can earn with the cards — including the rewards value, cost of ownership and value of benefits such as travel and purchase protections, lounge membership and airline companion passes. Our choices are not influenced by our advertisers. Learn more on how we calculate rewards. Is it worth it to upgrade to Southwest Priority Card?Is the Southwest Priority Card Worth the Higher Annual Fee? The simple answer is yes. For an extra $50 in annual fees more than the Chase Southwest Rapid Rewards Premier card, each year you will receive: 1,500 additional anniversary points.
What does priority mean on Southwest card?Priority perks
Upgraded boardings. The card credits you for up to four "upgraded boardings" a year, which can save you $30 to $50 each time. Southwest doesn't have assigned seating. Instead, it has a designated boarding order, and you pick your seat once you get on the plane.
Do Southwest credit card holders get priority boarding?If you're new to flying Southwest, you may not be familiar with its boarding procedures and no assigned seats. But Southwest Rapid Rewards® Priority Credit Cardholders get up to four upgraded boardings per year for free.
Does Southwest Priority Card cover TSA PreCheck?You'll also get up to $100 as a statement credit for Global Entry or TSA PreCheck every 4 years, 25% back as a statement credit on in-flight purchases, a first free checked bag perk, priority boarding and access to expanded award availability.
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