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finder.com’s rating: 3.6 / 5
★★★★★
30,000
Points as welcome offer
Up to 5x
Points
$99
Annual fee
15.99% to 22.99%
Purchase APR (variable)
Annual fee | $99 |
---|---|
Welcome Offer | Earn Companion Pass® through 2/28/2022 plus 30,000 points after spending $5,000 in the first 3 months |
Rewards | 2x points on Southwest Airlines and 1x points on all other purchases |
Purchase APR | 15.99% to 22.99% variable |
Balance transfer APR | 15.99% to 22.99% variable |
Recommended minimum credit score | 670 |
Issuer | Visa |
Review by
Kevin Joey Chen is a credit cards, banking and investments writer whose work and analysis have appeared on CNN, U.S. News & World Report, Business.com, Lifehacker and CreditCards.com. He's passionate about helping you get your finances in order by expertly navigating cutting-edge financial tools — including credit cards, apps and budgeting software.
All three Southwest credit cards are identical — they all earn the same 2x points on Southwest purchases and they all come with a generous signup bonus of a Southwest companion pass valid through 2/28/2022 plus a 30,000 bonus points after spending $5,000 in the first 3 months. If earning Southwest points is all you want, whichever card you choose, you will earn roughly the same number of points.
What makes each card different is the annual fee, the number of anniversary bonus points you get each year and the additional perks. For example, the Southwest Rapid Rewards® Premier Credit Card costs just $30 more annually than the entry-level Southwest card, but you get to offset the difference with 3,000 more bonus points each year, and you’ll save money abroad with no foreign transaction fees.
This makes the Southwest Rapid Rewards® Premier Credit Card a good choice for travelers who occasionally fly Southwest and who don’t want to pay foreign transaction fees.
Southwest Rapid Rewards® Plus Credit Card | Southwest Rapid Rewards® Premier Credit Card | Southwest Rapid Rewards® Priority Credit Card | |
---|---|---|---|
Annual fee | $69 | $99 | $149 |
Signup bonus | Earn Companion Pass® through 2/28/2022 plus 30,000 points after spending $5,000 in the first 3 months. | Earn Companion Pass® through 2/28/2022 plus 30,000 points after spending $5,000 in the first 3 months. | Earn Companion Pass® through 2/28/2022 plus 30,000 points after spending $5,000 in the first 3 months. |
Rewards | 2x points on Southwest purchases; 1x points on all other purchases. | 2x points on Southwest purchases; 1x points on all other purchases. | 2x points on Southwest purchases; 1x points on all other purchases. |
Anniversary points | 3,000 points every year after your card anniversary. | 6,000 points every year after your card anniversary. | 7,500 points every year after your card anniversary. |
Annual travel credit | ![]() | ![]() | |
Upgraded boardings | ![]() | ![]() | |
20% off on in-flight drinks and Wi-Fi | ![]() | ![]() | ![]() |
You can get a lot out of 30,000 points, which are worth around $845 according to our valuation at the time of writing.
You can potentially redeem these points for a few one-way flights. Here are a few Wanna Get Away award fares you might find on the Southwest website:
Origin/Destination | Award cost for one-way flight using Wanna Get Away | Fees |
---|---|---|
Denver (DEN) to Las Vegas (LAS) | 6,864 | $5.60 |
Los Angeles (LAX) to New York (LGA) | 10,764 | $5.60 |
Ft. Lauderdale (FLL) to Seattle (SEA) | 7,332 | $5.60 |
How to earn Southwest Rapid Rewards points
The card has a $99 annual fee that’s not waived for the first year.
To break even on it with rewards, you’ll need 7,615 points according to our August 2020 valuation. That’s $3,807 spent on Southwest purchases or $7,614 spent on other purchases.
Your spending will probably be a mix of both categories. Here’s how your budget could break down to give you 7,615 points.
Category | Annual spending | Rewards rate | Points earned |
---|---|---|---|
Southwest purchases | $1,000 | 2x | 2,000 |
Other purchases | $5,615 | 1x | 5,615 |
Also, consider the value of the card’s travel and purchase protection, which could offer significant savings.
The high-end Southwest Rapid Rewards® Priority Credit Card could be a better option for travelers who want to get the best Southwest perks. This card also has the best value because its perks are enough to offset the annual fee.
As an alternative, consider either the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card or the Chase Sapphire Reserve® cards. These cards give you great reward redemption flexibility, and if you decide to fly Southwest, you can always transfer your Chase points to Southwest points in a 1:1 ratio. Check out other alternatives in the table below and see how they stack.
You can apply for the Southwest Rapid Rewards® Premier Credit Card if:
For most airline credit cards, you’ll have better approval odds with a good to excellent credit score of 670 and above. Consider following this rule of thumb for the Southwest Rapid Rewards® Premier Credit Card.
Customers are often impressed with the card’s starting credit limit and signup bonus. However, some cardmembers say they found Chase’s customer service to be poor.
JPMorgan Chase Credit Card is not accredited with the Better Business Bureau but it has an A+ rating and a composite score of 1.18 out of 5 stars based on 229 customer reviews as of October 2020. Most customer complaints revolve around poor customer service and hidden costs Chase credit cards in general. Make sure you read your card’s terms and the rewards agreement to avoid issues with your account.
As of October 2020, Chase earns a Trustpilot score of 1.3 out of 5. Most negative reviews cite slow responses to fraud complaints and less-than-helpful customer service. Positive reviews cite the bank’s great mobile app and quick resolutions to their issues. Overall, your mileage may vary with Chase customer support.
After each billing period, Chase will automatically transfer your points to your Southwest Rapid Rewards account.
Log in to your Southwest Airlines Rapid Rewards account. You can redeem Rapid Rewards points for a variety of options, such as:
Wanna Get Away flights usually offer the highest value. For these fares, points are typically worth 1.6 cents each on average according to our January 2019 valuation.
The Southwest Rapid Rewards® Premier Credit Card is very similar to Southwest’s entry-level card. Its main difference is its 6,000-point anniversary bonus, which we value at $78.
If you want more Southwest perks, you might like the Southwest Rapid Rewards® Priority Credit Card. Additionally, consider other airline credit cards for a broader range of options.
★★★★★ — Excellent
★★★★★ — Good
★★★★★ — Average
★★★★★ — Subpar
★★★★★ — Poor
We rank card types — travel, cash back, business — on a set of factors that are most relevant to that type of card. We create these rankings to help you narrow down a credit card that best suits your spending and budget.