Published 5:26 a.m. UTC May 30, 2024
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Unlock the coveted Companion Pass and other perks with Southwest credit cards
From anniversary bonus points to complimentary EarlyBird check-in’s and more, the benefits offered by Southwest credit cards escalate in value along with the cost of the annual fees. But know that even the lowest-annual-fee Southwest card still packs a punch with an array of perks and protections that make it a perfect travel companion for regular Southwest flyers.
Southwest credit card overview
Southwest, in conjunction with Chase, offers three consumer cards and two business cards. Here’s a summary of each one:
- Southwest Rapid Rewards® Plus Credit Card
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The information for the Southwest Rapid Rewards® Plus Credit Card has been collected independently by Blueprint. The card details on this page have not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer.
: For an annual fee of $69, it earns 2 points per $1 on Southwest purchases, on Rapid Rewards hotel and car rental partner purchases, local transit and commuting (including rideshare), internet, cable, phone services and select streaming and 1 point per $1 on all other purchases. - Southwest Rapid Rewards® Premier Credit Card
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The information for the Southwest Rapid Rewards® Premier Credit Card has been collected independently by Blueprint. The card details on this page have not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer.
: For an annual fee of $99, it earns 3 points per $1 on Southwest purchases, 2 points per $1 on local transit and commuting (including rideshare), internet, cable, phone services and select streaming and Rapid Rewards hotel and car rental purchases and 1 point per $1 on all other purchases. - Southwest Rapid Rewards® Priority Credit Card
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The information for the Southwest Rapid Rewards® Priority Credit Card has been collected independently by Blueprint. The card details on this page have not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer.
: For an annual fee of $149, it earns 3 points per $1 on Southwest purchases, 2 points per $1 on Rapid Rewards hotel and car rental purchases, local transit and commuting (including rideshare), internet, cable, phone services and select streaming and 1 point per $1 on all other purchases. - Southwest® Rapid Rewards® Premier Business Credit Card
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The information for the Southwest® Rapid Rewards® Premier Business Credit Card has been collected independently by Blueprint. The card details on this page have not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer.
: For an annual fee of $99, it earns 3 points per $1 at Southwest, 2 points per $1 on Rapid Rewards hotel and car rental purchases, local transit and commuting and 1 point per $1 on all other purchases. - Southwest® Rapid Rewards® Performance Business Credit Card
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The information for the Southwest® Rapid Rewards® Performance Business Credit Card has been collected independently by Blueprint. The card details on this page have not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer.
: For an annual fee of $199, it earns 4 points per $1 at Southwest, 3 points per $1 on Rapid Rewards hotel and car rental partners, 2 points per $1 on local transit including rideshares and commuting, social media, search engine advertising, internet, cable and phone services. Earn 1 point per $1 on all other purchases.
Major Southwest credit card benefits
Here are the major benefits of the three Southwest consumer credit cards and the two Southwest business cards:
Southwest Rapid Rewards® Plus Credit Card
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The information for the Southwest Rapid Rewards® Plus Credit Card has been collected independently by Blueprint. The card details on this page have not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer.
- Earn 50,000 points after spending $1,000 on purchases in the first three months of account opening.
- Get two EarlyBird check-ins every year.
- 3,000 bonus points on your account anniversary every year.
- Earn a 10,000 Companion Pass qualifying points boost annually.
Southwest Rapid Rewards® Premier Credit Card
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The information for the Southwest Rapid Rewards® Premier Credit Card has been collected independently by Blueprint. The card details on this page have not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer.
- Earn 50,000 points after spending $1,000 on purchases in the first three months of account opening.
- Get two EarlyBird check-ins each year.
- 6,000 points every account anniversary.
- Get 10,000 Companion Pass qualifying points annually.
- Earn 1,500 Tier Qualifying Points (TQPs) toward A-List status each time you spend $5,000 on the card.
Southwest Rapid Rewards® Priority Credit Card
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The information for the Southwest Rapid Rewards® Priority Credit Card has been collected independently by Blueprint. The card details on this page have not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer.
- Earn 50,000 points after spending $1,000 on purchases in the first three months of account opening.
- Four upgraded boardings (A1-A15) annually, when available.
- Earn 7,500 points every account anniversary.
- 10,000 Companion Pass qualifying points awarded annually.
- Get a $75 Southwest annual travel credit every year.
- Earn 1,500 TQPs towards A-List status every time you spend 5,000 on the card.
Southwest® Rapid Rewards® Premier Business Credit Card
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The information for the Southwest® Rapid Rewards® Premier Business Credit Card has been collected independently by Blueprint. The card details on this page have not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer.
- Earn 60,000 points after spending $3,000 on purchases in the first three months of account opening.
- Two Early-Bird check-ins every year.
- Receive 6,000 points every account anniversary.
- Earn 1,500 TQPs toward A-List status for every $5,000 spent on the card.
Southwest® Rapid Rewards® Performance Business Credit Card
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The information for the Southwest® Rapid Rewards® Performance Business Credit Card has been collected independently by Blueprint. The card details on this page have not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer.
- Earn 80,000 points after spending $5,000 on purchases in the first three months of account opening.
- Four upgraded boardings (A1-A15) annually, when available.
- Get 9,000 anniversary points each year.
- Earn 1,500 TQPs towards A-List status for every $5,000 spent on purchases annually.
- Up to 365 $8 inflight WiFi credits annually.
- $100 statement credit every four years for either Global Entry, TSA PreCheck or NEXUS applications.
Additional benefits worth noting
No foreign transaction fees
All Southwest credit cards, except for the Southwest Rapid Rewards® Plus Credit Card
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The information for the Southwest Rapid Rewards® Plus Credit Card has been collected independently by Blueprint. The card details on this page have not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer.
, waive foreign transaction fees on purchases made abroad.
Lost luggage reimbursement and baggage delay insurance
All Southwest cardholders are protected for up to $3,000 in lost luggage insurance as well as up to $100 a day for three days for delayed bags.
Extended warranty and purchase protection
Each Southwest card offers extended warranty coverage for an extra year on eligible warranties of three years or less, plus purchase protection for 120 days if an item is damaged or stolen for up to $10,000 per claim and $50,000 per account.
Complimentary DoorDash membership
New Southwest cardholders are offered a free one-year membership to DashPass when activated by Dec. 31, 2024, which includes DoorDash and Caviar, with unlimited deliveries, no delivery fees and lower service fees on eligible orders.
$500 fee credit when transferring points to other Rapid Rewards members
While this benefit is limited to just the two Southwest business cards, it allows you to save on fees when transferring points to another Rapid Rewards member, up to $500 in statement credits every anniversary year.
25% back on in-flight purchases
With the exception of the Southwest® Rapid Rewards® Performance Business Credit Card
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The information for the Southwest® Rapid Rewards® Performance Business Credit Card has been collected independently by Blueprint. The card details on this page have not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer.
, cardholders will receive 25% off inflight purchases made with Southwest cards.
Our favorite Southwest credit cards
Since all of the Southwest credit cards come with somewhat modest annual fees compared to some other travel rewards cards, you can easily select the card that fits best with your budget.
All of the consumer Southwest cards are currently offering the same welcome bonus, but offer different levels of anniversary points and TQPs that are tied to the escalating annual fees. If you’re looking to earn a high welcome bonus, you’d be better off looking at the business cards.
Since all Southwest passengers get two free checked bags automatically, you may want to check out other airline credit cards that do offer a free checked bag benefit to save on paying those fees.
Frequently asked questions (FAQs)
Southwest has an open seating policy with no pre-assigned seats. Passengers select where they sit on a first-come, first-served basis. So, while all Southwest cardholders don’t get priority boarding, those who have achieved A-List or A-List Preferred do. Some Southwest cards, however, do offer upgraded boarding opportunities when available for A1 to A15 seats.
Yes, your Southwest card will work abroad. All of the Southwest consumer and business cards, except the Southwest Rapid Rewards Plus, also don’t charge foreign transaction fees for purchases made overseas.
Both the Southwest Rapid Rewards Performance Business Credit Card and the Southwest Rapid Rewards Premier Business Credit Card require a good-to-excellent credit score for approval.
To get the Southwest Companion Pass, you must either fly 100 qualifying one-way flights or earn 135,000 qualifying points in a year.
While point valuations can vary depending on the type of fare you choose and the routes and dates you travel on the airline, Southwest points generally average about 1.4 cents cents per point.
*The information for the Southwest Rapid Rewards® Plus Credit Card, Southwest Rapid Rewards® Premier Credit Card, Southwest Rapid Rewards® Priority Credit Card, Southwest® Rapid Rewards® Performance Business Credit Card and Southwest® Rapid Rewards® Premier Business Credit Card has been collected independently by Blueprint.
The card details on this page have not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer.
Blueprint is an independent publisher and comparison service, not an investment advisor. The information provided is for educational purposes only and we encourage you to seek personalized advice from qualified professionals regarding specific financial decisions. Past performance is not indicative of future results.
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