Southwest Airlines offers three personal credit cards and two business cards to its flyers.
The Southwest Rapid Rewards® Premier Card (review) is its mid-tier option with a $99 annual fee, with benefits such as 6,000 anniversary points and two annual EarlyBird check-ins.
The Southwest Rapid Rewards® Priority Card (review) is the top-tier option designed for travelers who fly at least 3 times per year on Southwest. It has a $149 annual fee, with benefits such as a $75 annual travel credit, 7,500 anniversary points, and 4 Upgraded Boardings each year.
This post will tell you everything you need to know about both cards and compare each of them.
Full Reviews: Southwest Rapid Rewards® Priority Card and Southwest Rapid Rewards® Premier Card.
Card Overviews
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- $75 Annual Southwest Travel Credit
- 7,500 Points on Every Cardmember Anniversary
- 3X Points on Southwest Purchases
- 2X Points on Ridesharing, Local Transit, Internet, Cable, Phone, and Select Streaming
- 4 Upgraded Boardings Per Year
- 25% Savings on In-Flight Purchases
- $149 Annual Fee
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- $75 Annual Southwest Travel Credit
- 7,500 Points on Every Cardmember Anniversary
- 3X Points on Southwest Purchases
- 2X Points on Ridesharing, Local Transit, Internet, Cable, Phone, and Select Streaming
- 4 Upgraded Boardings Per Year
- 25% Savings on In-Flight Purchases
- $149 Annual Fee
Welcome Bonus
The Southwest Premier Card currently offers the following welcome bonus:
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The Southwest Priority Card currently offers the following welcome bonus:
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Winner: Tie. Both offer the same welcome bonus.
Southwest Bonus Eligibility:
One thing to remember is that you are not eligible for a Southwest welcome bonus if (1) you currently have a Southwest personal credit card OR (2) you received a bonus on any Southwest personal card in the last 24 months (business cards don’t count toward this limit).
If you’ve recently canceled your Southwest card and it’s been at least 24 months since your last welcome bonus, you are able to eligible for a new bonus.
Earning Points
The Southwest Premier Card allows you to earn Southwest Rapid Rewards points at the following rates:
- 3 points per dollar on Southwest Airlines purchases.
- 2 points per dollar on Rapid Rewards hotel and car rental partners.
- 2 points per dollar on local transit and commuting, including rideshare.
- 2 points per dollar on internet, cable, phone services, and select streaming.
- 1 point per dollar on all other eligible purchases.
With the Southwest Priority Card, you can earn the following:
- 3 points per dollar on Southwest purchases.
- 2 points per dollar spent with Rapid Rewards hotel and car rental partners.
- 2 points per dollar on local transit and commuting, including rideshare apps.
- 2 points per dollar on internet, cable, and phone services;
- 2 points per dollar on select streaming.
- 1 point per dollar on all other purchases.
Winner: Tie. Both earn the same points.
Card Benefits
The Southwest Premier Card offers the following benefits to its cardholders:
- 6,000 points each cardmember anniversary.
- Two EarlyBird check-ins each account anniversary.
- 25% Back on In-Flight Purchases.
- Boost of 10,000 Companion Pass qualifying points every year.
- Secondary car rental insurance
- Baggage delay insurance (up to $100 a day for three days)
- Lost luggage reimbursement (up to $3,000 per passenger)
- Extended warranty (up to $10,000 per item and up to $50,000 per cardholder)
- Purchase protection for 120 days (up to $500 per claim and up to $50,000 per cardholder)
- No foreign transaction fees
The Southwest Priority Card offers the following benefits to its cardholders:
- 7,500 points each cardmember anniversary.
- $75 Southwest annual travel credit each year.
- 4 Upgraded Boardings every year when available.
- 25% Back on In-Flight Purchases.
- Boost of 10,000 Companion Pass qualifying points every year.
- Earn 1,500 TQPs toward A-List status for every $10,000 in spending per calendar year (with no cap).
- Secondary car rental insurance
- Baggage delay insurance (up to $100 a day for three days)
- Lost luggage reimbursement (up to $3,000 per passenger)
- Extended warranty (up to $10,000 per item and up to $50,000 per cardholder)
- Purchase protection for 120 days (up to $500 per claim and up to $50,000 per cardholder)
- No foreign transaction fees
Winner: Southwest Priority.
The Southwest Priority Card offers several advantages over the Southwest Premier Card, making it an attractive choice for frequent flyers.
First, the Southwest Priority Card offers an annual $75 Southwest travel credit and 7,500-anniversary points, while the Premier Card only provides 6,000 anniversary points and lacks any travel credit.
Moreover, the Priority Card comes with 4 Upgraded Boardings per year (when available). Upgraded Boardings get you in position A1-A15.
The Southwest Premier card offers two “EarlyBird” check-ins, which in my experience, gets at the front of B group.
But the Upgraded Boardings are much more valuable because you have a better shot at grabbing the coveted exit row with extra legroom or a seat in the first few rows for an easy exit.
Annual Fee
The Southwest Premier Card has a $99 annual fee, which is offset by 6,000-anniversary bonus points, two EarlyBird check-ins, and a 25% in-flight savings.
You can also add authorized users to it for no additional fee.
The Southwest Priority Card has a $149 annual fee, which can be offset by a $75 annual travel credit, 7,500 points for each cardmember anniversary, four upgraded boardings, 25% in-flight savings, and travel protections.
Winner: Southwest Priority (if you factor in the travel credit).
Although the Southwest Premier has a $99 annual fee, the Southwest Priority’s $149 is dropped to $74 when you use the $75 travel credit.
Redeeming Points
Both cards earn Southwest Rapid Rewards points, which you can redeem for free flights.
One of the best things about redeeming Southwest Rapid Rewards points is the simplicity of the process.
The cost of your award ticket is directly tied to the cash price of the flight. The higher the cash price, the more points are required.
Rapid Rewards points are worth 1.5 cents per point on average, but it’s not a fixed rate for all flights. You may get 1.6 cents per point on some routes, but only 1.4 cents per point on others.
Plus, there are no blackout dates, and you can use Rapid Rewards points to book any Southwest Airlines ticket for sale.
Another cool feature is that if the price of the flight goes down, you can just rebook your Southwest flight and the difference in points will go back to your account.
Winner: Tie.
The Verdict
I would recommend the Southwest Rapid Rewards® Priority Card (review) over the Southwest Rapid Rewards® Premier Card (review) if you fly at least 3 times per year.
Although the Priority card has a higher annual fee, its $75 travel credit, 7,500 anniversary points, and 4 Upgraded Boardings per year make it a better value.
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- $75 Annual Southwest Travel Credit
- 7,500 Points on Every Cardmember Anniversary
- 3X Points on Southwest Purchases
- 2X Points on Ridesharing, Local Transit, Internet, Cable, Phone, and Select Streaming
- 4 Upgraded Boardings Per Year
- 25% Savings on In-Flight Purchases
- $149 Annual Fee
