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LendingTree is compensated by companies on this site and this compensation may impact how and where offers appear on this site (such as the order). LendingTree does not include all lenders, savings products, or loan options available in the marketplace.
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Southwest® Rapid Rewards® Performance Business Credit Card Review

Southwest® Rapid Rewards® Performance Business Credit Card Review

Sign-Up Bonus
Earn 80,000 points after you spend $5,000 on purchases in the first 3 months.
Rewards Rate
Earn 4 points per $1 spent on Southwest® purchases. Earn 3 points per $1 spent on Rapid Rewards® hotel and car rental partners. Earn 2 points per $1 spent on local transit and commuting, including rideshare. Earn 2 points per $1 spent on social media and search engine advertising, internet, cable, and phone services. Earn 1 point per $1 spent on all other purchases.
Bonus Perks
9,000 bonus points after your Cardmember anniversary
Editorial Note: The content of this article is based on the author’s opinions and recommendations alone. It may not have been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by the credit card issuer. This site may be compensated through a credit card issuer partnership.

Who is the Southwest® Rapid Rewards® Performance Business Credit Card best for?

If you are a business owner who frequently travels to locations serviced by Southwest Airlines, the Southwest® Rapid Rewards® Performance Business Credit Card should be on your radar.

Along with providing a generous sign-up bonus, the Southwest® Rapid Rewards® Performance Business Credit Card offers accelerated rewards earning in popular business spending categories, such as internet, cable and phone services.

We breakdown the pros and cons of the Southwest® Rapid Rewards® Performance Business Credit Card, as well as show how it compares with Southwest Airlines’ other business rewards card.

Southwest® Rapid Rewards® Performance Business Credit Card overview

    • Earn 80,000 points after you spend $5,000 on purchases in the first 3 months.
    • 9,000 bonus points after your Cardmember anniversary.
    • Earn 4X points on Southwest® purchases.
    • Earn 3X points on Rapid Rewards® hotel and car partners.
    • Earn 2X points on rideshare.
    • Earn 2X points on social media and search engine advertising, internet, cable, and phone services and 1X points on all other purchases.
    • 4 Upgraded Boardings per year when available.
    • Global Entry or TSA PreCheck® Fee Credit.
    720 850
    Excellent
  • Earn 1,500 tier qualifying points toward A-List status per $10,000 spent
  • 4 upgraded boardings per year when available
  • In-flight Wi-Fi credits
  • Global Entry or TSA Precheck fee credit
  • Fee credit of up to $500 per year for transferring points to another Rapid Rewards member
  • No additional cost for employee cards
  • Earn points on employee spending

Intro Purchase APR

N/A

Regular Purchase APR

20.49% - 27.49% Variable

Intro BT APR

N/A

Regular BT APR

20.49% - 27.49% Variable

Annual Fee

$199

Cash Advance Fee

Either $15 or 5% of the amount of each transaction, whichever is greater.

Foreign Transaction Fee

$0

Balance Transfer Fee

Either $5 or 5% of the amount of each balance transfer, whichever is greater.

Pros and cons

Pros

  • Sign-up bonus
  • Rewards rate
  • Annual bonus
  • Southwest Companion Pass

Cons

  • Annual fee
  • Spend threshold required to earn bonus
  • Limited flight locations

What we like about the Southwest® Rapid Rewards® Performance Business Credit Card

  • Sign-up bonus

    The Southwest® Rapid Rewards® Performance Business Credit Card currently offers a very generous sign-up bonus. Earn 80,000 points after you spend $5,000 on purchases in the first 3 months.

  • Rewards rate

    Along with the sign-up bonus, the Southwest® Rapid Rewards® Performance Business Credit Card offers rewards on everything you buy: Earn 4 points per $1 spent on Southwest® purchases. Earn 3 points per $1 spent on Rapid Rewards® hotel and car rental partners. Earn 2 points per $1 spent on local transit and commuting, including rideshare. Earn 2 points per $1 spent on social media and search engine advertising, internet, cable, and phone services. Earn 1 point per $1 spent on all other purchases.

  • Anniversary bonus

    Cardholders receive 9,000 bonus points each year on their cardmember anniversary.

  • Southwest Companion Pass

    The points earned from your Southwest® Rapid Rewards® Performance Business Credit Card count toward the coveted Southwest Companion Pass, which allows a designated person to fly with you for free (except taxes and fees) each time you purchase or redeem points for a Southwest flight for up to two years. To qualify for the Companion Pass, you must earn 125,000 points or take 100 one-way flights in a calendar year.

What to watch out for with the Southwest® Rapid Rewards® Performance Business Credit Card

  • Annual fee

    At $199, the Southwest® Rapid Rewards® Performance Business Credit Card’s annual fee is on the high side — especially when compared with the annual fees of the other consumer Southwest Rapid Rewards cards (which currently range from $69 to $149 per year). However, when compared to the annual fees of some premium business credit cards — which can be as high as $595 — this card’s fee appears much more reasonable.

  • Spend threshold required to earn bonus

    The Southwest® Rapid Rewards® Performance Business Credit Card’s generous sign-up bonus comes at a high price. Cardholders will have to spend an average of $1,667 in charges each month for three months to meet the required spend for the bulk of the bonus or $5,000 a month for six months to meet the spending requirement to get the full bonus.

  • Limited flight locations

    Because Southwest Airlines flies to a limited number of destinations, it may not be the most convenient airline for your travel needs. But keep in mind that Southwest adds new flight destinations from time to time. For example, it added select destinations to Hawaii in March 2019. To see where Southwest Airlines flies, visit their route search tool here.

Alternate Southwest card

Compare it to the Southwest® Rapid Rewards® Premier Business Credit Card

Along with the Southwest® Rapid Rewards® Performance Business Credit Card, Southwest’s business card portfolio includes the Southwest® Rapid Rewards® Premier Business Credit Card.

Both cards offer bonus points on Southwest Airlines purchases, however,  the Southwest® Rapid Rewards® Premier Business Credit Card has a lower annual fee ($99), anniversary bonus (6,000 miles) and sign-up bonus — earn 60,000 points after you spend $3,000 on purchases in the first 3 months your account is open.

Keep in mind, though, that you will be required to spend much less in the first three months to earn the Southwest® Rapid Rewards® Premier Business Credit Card‘s sign-up bonus.

For ongoing rewards, the Southwest® Rapid Rewards® Premier Business Credit Card offers the following: Earn 3 points per $1 spent on Southwest® purchases. Earn 2 points per $1 spent on Rapid Rewards® hotel and car partners. Earn 2 points per $1 spent on local transit and commuting, including rideshare. Earn 1 point per $1 spent on all other purchases.

Compare the Southwest® Rapid Rewards® Performance Business Credit Card to similar cards

Comparison of four different credit cards
Southwest<sup>®</sup> Rapid Rewards<sup>®</sup> Performance Business Credit Card Southwest<sup>®</sup> Rapid Rewards<sup>®</sup> Premier Business Credit Card Ink Business Preferred<sup>®</sup> Credit Card
Southwest® Rapid Rewards® Performance Business Credit Card Southwest® Rapid Rewards® Premier Business Credit Card Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card
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Welcome Offer
Earn 80,000 points after you spend $5,000 on purchases in the first 3 months. Earn 60,000 points after you spend $3,000 on purchases in the first 3 months your account is open. Earn 100,000 bonus points after you spend $15,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening. N/A
Annual Fee
$199 $99 $95 N/A
Rewards Rate
Earn 4 points per $1 spent on Southwest® purchases. Earn 3 points per $1 spent on Rapid Rewards® hotel and car rental partners. Earn 2 points per $1 spent on local transit and commuting, including rideshare. Earn 2 points per $1 spent on social media and search engine advertising, internet, cable, and phone services. Earn 1 point per $1 spent on all other purchases. Earn 3 points per $1 spent on Southwest® purchases. Earn 2 points per $1 spent on Rapid Rewards® hotel and car partners. Earn 2 points per $1 spent on local transit and commuting, including rideshare. Earn 1 point per $1 spent on all other purchases. Earn 3 points per $1 on the first $150,000 spent in combined purchases on travel, shipping purchases, Internet, cable and phone services, advertising purchases made with social media sites and search engines each account anniversary year. Earn 1 point per $1 on all other purchases—with no limit to the amount you can earn. N/A
Regular APR
20.49% - 27.49% Variable 20.74% - 27.74% Variable 20.99% to 25.99% Variable N/A
Recommended Credit
Excellent Excellent Excellent N/A
Card Details
Southwest® Rapid Rewards® Performance Business Credit Card Southwest® Rapid Rewards® Premier Business Credit Card Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card Additional card details unavailable

Is the Southwest® Rapid Rewards® Performance Business Credit Card right for you?

If you’re a Southwest Rapid Rewards loyalist who wants to earn the most amount of points in a short period of time and your business is able to meet the required minimum spending to earn the signup bonus, the Southwest® Rapid Rewards® Performance Business Credit Card is the best choice. But if your goal is to get a Southwest business card but spend less money upfront, the Southwest Airlines Rapid Rewards Premier Business Credit Card could be a better fit.

The information related to Ink Business Preferred® Credit Cardhas been collected by LendingTree and has not been reviewed or provided by the issuer of this card prior to publication. Terms apply.

The information related to the Southwest® Rapid Rewards® Performance Business Credit Card has been independently collected by LendingTree and has not been reviewed or provided by the issuer of this card prior to publication.