Southwest Airlines Credit Cards

Some offers mentioned on this page may be outdated. To confirm offers and credit card details, check the issuer’s website.

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Southwest is often rated as one of the best airlines in the United States in customer satisfaction. At a time when most airlines aren’t doing well in pleasing customers, that means a lot. Southwest also stands out from other airlines because it works to keep fees to a minimum and doesn’t charge change fees. 

If you’re a regular flyer of this popular airline, Southwest offers a variety of credit cards that may be worth applying for, including both personal and business cards. Each of these cards offer important perks. For example, all personal cards include a 40,000 Rapid Rewards introductory bonus point offer for account holders who spend $1,000 on their card within the first three months of starting an account. 

While the introductory signup bonus holds steady across the board for Southwest-branded personal credit cards, there are several cards to choose from with differences in important areas including the annual fee, foreign transaction fees, and other factors. This Southwest Airlines credit card review will help you find the best card for you.

On this page:

• How Does Each Southwest Credit Card Compare?
• Southwest Credit Cards

How Does Each Southwest Credit Card Compare?

The information for this card is outdated. For more accurate information, visit the issuer’s website.

	Southwest Rapid Rewards Plus Credit Card	Southwest Rapid Rewards Premier Credit Card	Southwest Rapid Rewards Priority Credit Card	Southwest Rapid Rewards Premier Business Credit Card
Sign-Up Bonus	Up to 60,000 points	40,000 points	Up to 60,000 points	60,000 points (after spending $3,000 in 3 months)
Rewards Rate	2 points per $1 spent on Southwest, 1 point on everything else	2 points per $1 spent on Southwest, 1 point on everything else	2 points per $1 spent on Southwest, 1 point on everything else	2 points per $1 spent on Southwest, 1 point on everything else
Anniversary Points	3,000	6,000	7,500	6,000
Earns Tier Qualifying Points	No	Yes	Yes	Yes
Intro APR	None	None	None	None
Foreign Transaction Fees	3%	0%	0%	0%
Recommended Credit	Excellent	Excellent	Excellent	Excellent
Annual Fee	$69	$99	$149	$99

Southwest Credit Cards to Consider

Introductory offers for opening a new credit card are one of the top reasons people choose one card over another similar product. With Southwest cards, all of the introductory sign-up bonuses are the same for the three personal cards so this isn’t the best way to differentiate between them However, the sign-up bonus is generous, which is why people are drawn to Southwest-branded cards in the first place.

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Southwest Rapid Rewards® Priority Credit Card

The information for this card is outdated. For more accurate information, visit the issuer’s website.

Highlights

• Sign-Up Bonus: Up to 60,000 points within the first year
• Rewards Rate: 2 points per $1 spent on Southwest and Rapid Rewards hotel and car rental partner purchases and one point per $1 spent on all other purchases 
• APR: 18.24% to 25.24% on purchases and balance transfers
• Balance Transfer Fee: 5% of the transferred amount
• Annual Fee: $149
• Recommended Credit Score: Excellent

Benefits

There’s a lot to like about this particular Southwest card. The Southwest Rapid Rewards Priority Credit Card offers two points for every $1 spent on Southwest Airlines flights as well as for spending on hotel and car rental partners. The card also offers one point for every $1 spent on all other purchases. Cardholders get 7,500 bonus anniversary points on their cardmember anniversary.

The card also allows four upgraded boardings every year and provides 20% back on purchases made inflight on Southwest flights. There’s a $75 yearly Southwest travel credit as well.

The Southwest Rapid Rewards Priority Credit Card allows you to earn priority status more quickly than other cards. Cardholders can use their card to earn up to 15,000 points towards earning A-List Status with Southwest. A-list status requires 35,000 qualifying points from spending on your card or taking flights. It entitles you to priority boarding and check-in, 25% more Rapid Rewards Points earned for each flight, free same-day standby and access to a dedicated member phone line. 

Downsides

One of the primary downsides of this Southwest Chase card is the annual fee. At $149, it’s high compared to other Southwest cards. However, if you compare it to other co-branded airline cards with generous rewards and perks, it’s fairly similar. The annual travel credit that comes with this card also helps balance out the annual fee and make it more reasonable. 

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Southwest Rapid Rewards^®Premier Business Credit Card

The information for this card is outdated. For more accurate information, visit the issuer’s website.

 Highlights

• Sign-up Bonus: 60,000 bonus points after spending $3,000 within three months of opening an account. 
• Rewards Rate: Earn two points per $1 spent on Southwest purchases and one point for every $1 spent on other purchases 
• APR: 18.24% to 25.24%
• Balance Transfer Fee: Either $5 or 5% of the amount the transfer, whichever is greater
• Annual Fee: $99
• Recommended Credit Score: Excellent 

Benefits

The Southwest Rapid Rewards Premier Business Card is a good option for someone who needs a card for business spending and flies Southwest at least a few times a year. 

The Southwest Rapid Rewards business card offers new cardmembers 60,000 bonus points, although the spending requirement is higher than the other cards. You’ll have to spend $3,000 within three months to earn the bonus.  

Cardholders get 6,000 bonus points after their cardmember anniversary and points don’t expire as long as the account is open. There are unlimited reward seats and no blackout dates, as well as no limits on earning points. Travel perks with the business card include free first and second checked bags, no change fee, and no foreign transaction fees. 

Employee cards are available at no additional cost and employers can set individual spending limits for each employee card. 

This card is great for someone who wants to earn the Southwest Companion Pass, and many of the perks of the card are similar to the Priority card from Southwest, but with a lower annual fee.

Downsides

One of the downsides of this Southwest card is the $99 annual fee. However, most top business credit cards have annual fees.

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Southwest Rapid Rewards® Premier Credit Card

The information for this card is outdated. For more accurate information, visit the issuer’s website.

Highlights

• Sign-Up Bonus: Earn up to 40,000 points within the first year
• Rewards Rate: Earn two points per $1 spent on Southwest purchases and one point for every $1 spent on all other purchases
• APR: 18.24% to 25.24%
• Balance Transfer Fee: Either $5 or 5% of the amount of the transfer, whichever is greater
• Annual Fee: $99
• Recommended Credit Score: Excellent

Benefits

The Southwest Rapid Rewards Premier Credit Card offers many of the same benefits as other Southwest Visa cards. 

Cardholders also earn 6,000 anniversary points every year, and points are unlimited and don’t expire as long as the account is open. There is no fee for the first and second checked bags on a flight and no change fees. There are also no foreign transaction fees, and cardmembers receive travel and purchase protections.

Cardholders can also earn up to 15,000 tier Qualifying Points each year at a rate of 1,500 for each $10,000 spent. 

Downsides

While the Southwest Rapid Rewards Premier card has a lower annual fee than the Priority card, it also lacks some of the perks that make the Priority card such a good Southwest card. For example, there is no annual travel credit with the Premier card, while the Priority card offers a $75 yearly Southwest travel credit. The anniversary point bonus is also lower with the Premier card than the Priority Card. 

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Southwest Rapid Rewards® Plus Credit Card

The information for this card is outdated. For more accurate information, visit the issuer’s website.

Highlights

• Sign-Up Bonus: Earn up to 60,000 points within the first year
• Rewards Rate: Earn double points for every $1 spent on Southwest Airlines purchases and one point for every $1 spent on other purchases 
• APR: 18.24% to 25.24%
• Balance Transfer Fee: Either $5 or 5% of the amount of the transfer, whichever is greater
• Annual Fee: $69
• Recommended Credit Score: Excellent 

Benefits

The Rapid Rewards Plus Credit card has some of the same perks of the other individual Southwest cards including the sign-up bonus and the rewards rate. One advantage this card has over other Southwest cards is the $69 annual fee, which is lower than other options such as the Priority card. 

There are no foreign transaction fees, and while lower than the other Southwest cards, new cardholders do earn 3,000 anniversary points each year. 

Cardholders also have the same flexibility as other Southwest cardholders in how they redeem points. You can redeem points for flights on Southwest, gift cards, hotel stays, car rentals, merchandise, and international flights on more than 50 global carriers that partner with Southwest.

Downsides

The Rapid Rewards Plus Card does have some things that make it less appealing than the Priority card from Southwest, despite the lower annual fee. One of those is the fact that the Priority card earns more Anniversary Points each year while the Plus card earns only 3,000 points.

The Rapid Rewards Plus Card also has a foreign transaction fee of 3%, while the priority card doesn’t have a foreign transaction fee. 

The Priority Card offers generally better features than the Plus card. And, if you account for the $75 Southwest annual travel credit it includes, the Priority card is only $5 more expensive annually than the Plus card. 

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The Takeaway

Southwest continues to be a leader among airlines in the United States, which make their credit cards particularly appealing to consumers. If you fly Southwest only a few times a year, one of their branded credit cards might make sense for you.