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The Southwest Rapid Rewards® Priority Credit Card is our top pick — it offers a solid rewards rate and a generous anniversary bonus.
Southwest Airlines is one of the most prolific airlines when it comes to credit cards, with three personal and two business Southwest credit cards. And while there are some overlapping benefits, each Southwest card comes with its own set of perks.
| Credit Cards | Our Ratings | Annual Fee | Rewards Rate | Welcome Offer | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Southwest Rapid Rewards® Priority Credit Card
Apply Now
on Chase's secure site Rates & Fees |
Best Southwest credit card overall
|
$229 | 2X - 4X points
| 100,000 points
Limited Time Offer: Our best points offer this year, earn 100,000 bonus points after spending $4,000 on purchases in the first 5 months from account opening.
|
Apply Now
on Chase's secure site Rates & Fees |
Southwest Rapid Rewards® Plus Credit Card
Apply Now
on Chase's secure site Rates & Fees |
Low annual fee
|
$99 | 2X points
| 100,000 points
Limited Time Offer: Our best points offer this year, earn 100,000 bonus points after spending $4,000 on purchases in the first 5 months from account opening.
|
Apply Now
on Chase's secure site Rates & Fees |
Southwest Rapid Rewards® Premier Credit Card*
|
Mid-range annual fee
|
$149 | 2X - 3X points
| 50,000 points
Earn 50,000 bonus points
after you spend $1,000 in the first 3 months from account opening.
| |
Southwest® Rapid Rewards® Performance Business Credit Card
Apply Now
on Chase's secure site Rates & Fees |
Business
|
$299 | 1X - 4X points
| 80,000 points
Earn 80,000 points after you spend $5,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening.
|
Apply Now
on Chase's secure site Rates & Fees |
Southwest® Rapid Rewards® Premier Business Credit Card
Apply Now
on Chase's secure site Rates & Fees |
Business with low annual fee
|
$149 | 3X points
| 60,000 points
Earn 60,000 points after you spend $3,000 on purchases in the first 3 months your account is open.
|
Apply Now
on Chase's secure site Rates & Fees |
Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card
Apply Now
on Chase's secure site Rates & Fees |
General travel
|
$95 | 1X - 5X points
| 75,000 points
Earn 75,000 bonus points after you spend $5,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening.
|
Apply Now
on Chase's secure site Rates & Fees |
Chase Sapphire Reserve®
Apply Now
on Chase's secure site Rates & Fees |
Best luxury travel credit card for Southwest
|
$795 | 1X - 8X points
| 100,000 points
Earn 100,000 bonus points + $500 Chase Travel℠ promo credit after you spend $5,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening.
|
Apply Now
on Chase's secure site Rates & Fees |
Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card
Apply Now
on Chase's secure site Rates & Fees |
Best business travel credit card for Southwest
|
$95 | 1X - 3X points
| 90,000 points
Earn 90,000 bonus points after you spend $8,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening.
|
Apply Now
on Chase's secure site Rates & Fees |
To make choosing the right card easier, we’ve looked at credit cards reviewed on LendingTree 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 about how we calculate rewards.
How LendingTree Rates Credit Cards?
Our experts rate credit cards based on several factors including card benefits, bonus offers and independent research. Credit card issuers do not influence or have a say in our card ratings. Read our credit card methodology here. Apply Now
Welcome offer: 100,000 points
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 its $229 annual fee. Cardholders get a 7,500-point bonus each cardmember anniversary.
How LendingTree Rates Credit Cards?
Our experts rate credit cards based on several factors including card benefits, bonus offers and independent research. Credit card issuers do not influence or have a say in our card ratings. Read our credit card methodology here. Apply Now
Welcome offer: 100,000 points
The Southwest Rapid Rewards® Plus Credit Card offers the lowest annual fee of Southwest’s three personal credit cards. Understandably, that means there are fewer perks on this card than 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 $99 annual fee.
How LendingTree Rates Credit Cards?
Our experts rate credit cards based on several factors including card benefits, bonus offers and independent research. Credit card issuers do not influence or have a say in our card ratings. Read our credit card methodology here.Welcome offer: 50,000 points
If the Southwest Rapid Rewards® Priority Credit Card’s annual fee is too high and the Southwest Rapid Rewards® Plus Credit Card’s perks are too limited, the Southwest Rapid Rewards® Premier Credit Card may be just right. Cardholders get a 6,000-point bonus each cardmember anniversary — plus, spending on the card helps boost you toward A-List elite status.
How LendingTree Rates Credit Cards?
Our experts rate credit cards based on several factors including card benefits, bonus offers and independent research. Credit card issuers do not influence or have a say in our card ratings. Read our credit card methodology here. Apply Now
Welcome offer: 80,000 points
The Southwest® Rapid Rewards® Performance Business Credit Card is easily our favorite Southwest card for small businesses. It charges a hefty $299 annual fee but comes with some solid perks, including a 9,000-point anniversary bonus and a fee credit for Global Entry or TSA PreCheck.
How LendingTree Rates Credit Cards?
Our experts rate credit cards based on several factors including card benefits, bonus offers and independent research. Credit card issuers do not influence or have a say in our card ratings. Read our credit card methodology here. Apply Now
Welcome offer: 60,000 points
If you can’t justify the $299 annual fee of the Southwest® Rapid Rewards® Performance Business Credit Card, the Southwest® Rapid Rewards® Premier Business Credit Card may be a better fit. It does have a lower earning rate and lacks some airline perks, like a TSA PreCheck/Global Entry fee credit. However, it still offers decent point earnings, including 3X points on Southwest purchases and 6,000 points each year on your card anniversary.
How LendingTree Rates Credit Cards?
Our experts rate credit cards based on several factors including card benefits, bonus offers and independent research. Credit card issuers do not influence or have a say in our card ratings. Read our credit card methodology here. Apply Now
Welcome offer: 75,000 points
The Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card is a great option if you’re looking for a general travel credit card that can be used on both Southwest and other travel purchases. This card has extremely flexible points that are worth up to 75% more when redeemed through the Chase TravelSM portal. You’ll also get travel benefits like an annual hotel credit, travel insurance and purchase protections.
How LendingTree Rates Credit Cards?
Our experts rate credit cards based on several factors including card benefits, bonus offers and independent research. Credit card issuers do not influence or have a say in our card ratings. Read our credit card methodology here. Apply Now
Welcome offer: 100,000 points
The Chase Sapphire Reserve® comes with a hefty annual fee — but it also packs a ton of useful luxury perks, like a $300 annual travel credit and Priority Pass lounge access. In addition, the Chase Sapphire Reserve travel benefits are some of the best available from a credit card.
How LendingTree Rates Credit Cards?
Our experts rate credit cards based on several factors including card benefits, bonus offers and independent research. Credit card issuers do not influence or have a say in our card ratings. Read our credit card methodology here. Apply Now
Welcome offer: 90,000 points
The Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card is a great option for small business owners that frequently fly Southwest. Cardholders can receive travel and purchase protections, while earning rewards on common business purchases. Earning and redeeming flexible Ultimate Rewards points can help you offset the card’s $95 annual fee.
The Southwest Rapid Rewards program is different from some other domestic airline frequent flier programs, since the cost of a given ticket in Rapid Rewards points is directly tied to its cash cost. As the cost of a cash ticket goes up, the number of Rapid Rewards points you’ll need to book that ticket also goes up, and vice versa.
While this can provide a floor to the value of a Rapid Rewards point, it also means that it’s hard to get an outsized value. In most cases, you’ll be able to redeem your Southwest Rapid Rewards points for between 1.3 and 1.7 cents per point.
The Southwest points value will vary due to taxes and fees — still, as stated above, most flight redemptions provide between $0.013 and $0.017 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, though it’ll typically hover around 83 points per dollar of base fare.
Example: Let’s take a flight from Los Angeles (LAX) to Las Vegas (LAS) on Feb. 1, 2025 that costs $134. After subtracting $23.39 in taxes and fees, the base fare is $110.59.
To book this flight and pay with points, you’ll need to pay 9,179 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 $128.40 of out-of-pocket cost — that’s a value of 1.4 cents per point for this redemption. The differing amount of taxes and fees on different Southwest flights means that the exact cents per point value of a Rapid Rewards flights can vary, although the average redemption value is 1.4 cents per point.
One of the best perks of flying Southwest is the Southwest Companion Pass. This benefit allows you to designate a travel companion who can fly with you for free (paying only taxes and fees) on any Southwest flight. You can earn the Companion Pass by flying 100 one-way qualifying flights or earning 135,000 qualifying points. Once you earn the Companion Pass, you’ll have it for the rest of that calendar year and the entire calendar year after that.
The points you earn from the Southwest credit cards (including the sign-up bonus) count as qualifying points for the Companion Pass. As such, signing up for a Southwest credit card can get you a good way toward the points you’ll need to earn the Southwest Companion Pass. Certain Southwest cards also give an annual Companion Pass points boost, making it easier to earn the Companion Pass.
One of the best reasons to sign up for a personal or business Southwest credit card is the large sign-up bonuses they frequently offer. However, it’s important to note that the bonuses on these cards frequently fluctuate. As such, since you generally can’t earn the bonus on a card more often than once every 24 months, you’ll want to monitor and time your application for when the bonuses are elevated.
While Southwest credit cards often offer perks and benefits specific to Southwest airlines, general travel credit cards may be the best option for many travelers. As you can see from the comparison below, the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card benefits and rewards might be a better choice for some travelers.
| Feature | Southwest Rapid Rewards® Premier Credit Card | Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card |
|---|---|---|
| Earning rate | Get 3X points on Southwest® purchases, 2X points on local transit and commuting, including rideshare, 2X points on internet, cable, and phone services; select streaming and 1X points on other purchases. | Enjoy benefits such as 5x on travel purchased through Chase Travel℠, 3x on dining, select streaming services and online groceries, 2x on all other travel purchases, 1x on all other purchases. |
| Annual bonus | 6,000 | 2,840 (10% of total purchases made the year before) |
| Points earned on $400 Southwest flights | 1,200 | 800 |
| Points on on $2,000 other travel purchases | 2,000 | 4,000 |
| Points earned on $3,000 dining | 3,000 | 9,000 |
| Points earned on $14,600 other purchases | 14,600 | 14,600 |
| Total points earned | 26,800 | 31,240 |
| Redemption option | Southwest airfare (~1.4 cent per point on average) | Transfer to airline partners (~2 cents per point on average) |
| Value of rewards | $375.20 | $624.80 |
| Annual fee | $149 | $95 |
| Value of rewards minus annual fee | $276.20 | $529.80 |
| Other benefits | Foreign transaction fee: $0, Auto rental collision damage waiver (secondary), lost luggage reimbursement, baggage delay insurance, two EarlyBird Check-Ins® per year | $50 annual hotel credit, foreign transaction fee: $0, Auto rental collision damage waiver (primary), trip cancellation/interruption insurance, baggage delay insurance, trip delay reimbursement |
If you’re looking to earn Southwest Rapid Rewards points, you might be wondering which Southwest credit card you should choose. Since the sign-up bonus values on the three consumer cards are often similar or even the same, picking the best consumer card mainly comes down to point earnings and a few key benefits. In many cases, the Southwest Rapid Rewards® Priority Credit Card offers the best value.
As you can see from the chart below, the increased annual benefits will offset the higher annual fee. However, depending on how much you value the EarlyBird Check-Ins, upgraded boarding and Southwest points, you may find that a different Southwest card is right for you. For example, if you prefer a card with a lower annual fee, the Southwest Rapid Rewards® Premier Credit Card could be the right option.
| Benefits and fees | Southwest Rapid Rewards® Plus Credit Card | Southwest Rapid Rewards® Premier Credit Card | Southwest Rapid Rewards® Priority Credit Card |
|---|---|---|---|
| Benefits |
|
|
|
| Value of benefits | $322 | $114 | $505 |
| Annual fee | $99 | $149 | $229 |
| Value minus annual fee | $223 | $15 | $276 |
One of the things you’ll want to look at is which airline card perks, including the annual bonus, you’re likely to use. If you assign a dollar amount to each benefit, you can easily compare the total value of the benefits you’ll receive against the annual fee. The chart above shows one sample benefit valuation, which you can adjust based on your own preferences. In our sample valuation, the Southwest Rapid Rewards® Priority Credit Card came out as the best consumer card option when comparing the perks to each card’s annual fee.
Another factor to consider is how many Rapid Rewards points you’ll earn from your everyday spending. The Southwest Rapid Rewards® Premier Credit Card and Southwest Rapid Rewards® Priority Credit Card have the highest earning rates on Southwest purchases, which make them a better choice for buying flights. You should also keep in mind that the two Southwest business cards have additional bonus categories. Look at the earning categories on the different cards and compare that to your own spending patterns to see which card will earn you the most points.
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:
A-List: 20 one-way flights or 35,000 Tier Qualifying Points (TQP)
A-List Preferred: 40 one-way flights or 70,000 Tier Qualifying Points (TQP)
Four of the available Southwest credit cards offer cardholders a way to earn Tier Qualifying Points through spending. Cardholders earn 1,500 TQP for every $5,000 in purchases made on the following cards, with no cap on the amount of TQPs earned:
You’ll earn TQPs when flying based on the number of regular points you earn while flying. You can also earn 1,500 TQPs for every $5,000 spent on eligible purchases on eligible co-branded Chase Southwest credit cards.
If you’re making purchases overseas, foreign transaction fees can really add to the total cost of your trip. Thankfully, there are plenty of credit cards with no foreign transaction fees, including almost all of the Southwest co-branded credit cards.
You’ll want to consider what travel insurance benefits you may need. 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 and Chase Sapphire Reserve®. In addition to these benefits, these two cards provide Trip Cancellation/Interruption Insurance and Trip Delay Reimbursement, not to mention Auto Rental Coverage.
There are a number of different ways you can use your Southwest credit card:
We recommend you have at least a good credit score before applying for a Southwest credit card, which means a credit score of at least 660 before applying 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’re a current cardholder of a personal Southwest card, or a previous cardholder who’s received a new bonus in the last 24 months. However, Chase will generally allow you to have both a Southwest business and personal card.
The easiest way to cancel a Southwest credit card is by calling the customer service number on the back of your credit card. The good news is that you won’t lose any points that have been transferred to your Southwest Rapid Rewards account if you cancel your Southwest credit card. Those points will still be in your Southwest account, even if your Southwest credit card is canceled. However, you should transfer points to your Rapid Rewards account before closing the card.
It can be very difficult for Southwest credit card holders to use their card before it arrives. Chase does have a program called Spend Instantly, where you can add a Chase credit card to a digital payment network (like Apple Pay or Google Pay). You can set that up in the Chase mobile app— just keep in mind that some customers have reported issues using the Spend Instantly feature.
You have a few different options when you’re trying to apply for a credit card. One option is to apply for a card using the links on this page. You can also apply directly on Chase’s website. No matter how you apply, make sure that you’re getting the best offer currently available before you apply.
You can use your Southwest credit card anywhere Visa is accepted. All of the Southwest cards don’t charge foreign transaction fees.
The Southwest® Rapid Rewards® Performance Business Credit Card is the only Southwest credit card that pays for Global Entry. If you have the Southwest® Rapid Rewards® Performance Business Credit Card, you’ll get a statement credit of up to $120 every four years as a reimbursement for the application fee for Global Entry, TSA PreCheck or NEXUS. This reimbursement isn’t offered on the other Southwest credit cards.
The information related to the Southwest Rapid Rewards® Premier Credit Card has been independently collected by LendingTree and has not been reviewed or provided by the issuer of this card prior to publication. Terms apply.
The content above is not provided by any issuer. Any opinions expressed are those of LendingTree alone and have not been reviewed, approved, or otherwise endorsed by any issuer. The offers and/or promotions mentioned above may have changed, expired, or are no longer available. Check the issuer's website for more details.
