The Southwest Rapid Rewards® Premier Credit Card and the Southwest Rapid Rewards® Plus Credit Card are almost identical credit cards.
Although the Southwest Premier card has a higher annual fee ($99 vs $69), the extra points on Southwest Airlines (3x vs 2x) and extra point each anniversary (6,000 vs 3,000 points), make the Southwest Premier a better deal overall.
This article will cover everything you need to know about both cards to see which one you should add to your wallet.
Cards Overview
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- 6,000 Points Each Cardmember Anniversary
- 2X Points on Transit, Ridesharing, Internet, Cable, Phone, and Eligible Streaming Services
- 2 EarlyBird Check-In Per Year
- 25% Savings on In-Flight Purchases
- Lost Luggage and Baggage Delay Insurance
- $99 Annual Fee
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- 2x Points on Southwest Airlines, Ridesharing, Local Transit, Internet, Cable, Phone, and Select Streaming
- 3,000 Points Every Year on Cardmember Anniversary
- 2 EarlyBird Check-Ins Per Year
- 25% Savings on In-Flight Purchases
- Lost Luggage and Baggage Delay Insurance
- $69 Annual Fee
Welcome Bonus
The Southwest Premier Card currently offers the following welcome bonus:
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The Southwest Plus Card currently offers the following welcome bonus:
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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.
The Southwest Plus Card earns Rapid Rewards points at the following rates:
- 2 points per dollar on Southwest Airlines purchases.
- 2 points per dollar on Rapid Rewards hotel and rental car partner purchases.
- 2 points per dollar on local transit and commuting, including rideshare.
- 2 points per dollar on internet, cable, and phone services.
- 2 points per dollar on select streaming.
- 1 point per dollar on all other eligible purchases.
Winner: Southwest Premier.
The Southwest Premier offers an extra point per dollar for Southwest Airlines purchaes.
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 Plus Card offers the following benefits to its cardholders:
- 3,000 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.
Winner: Southwest Premier.
The benefits for both cards are almost identical, except the Southwest Premier earns an extra 3,000 points for each account anniversary.
Value of the Annual Fees
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 Plus Card has a $69 annual fee, which is the lowest among all Southwest credit cards (Southwest Rapid Rewards® Premier Credit Card (review) at a $99 annual fee and Southwest Rapid Rewards® Priority Credit Card (review) at a $149 annual fee).
The annual fee can be offset by 3,000 points for each cardmember anniversary, two upgraded boardings, and a 25% in-flight savings.
You can also add authorized users to the card at no extra fee.
Winner: Southwest Premier.
Although the Southwest Premier has a $30 higher annual fee than the Southwest Plus, the extra 3,000 anniversary bonus points is worth about $45 since Southwest points are generally worth about 1.5 cent per point.
Redeeming Points
Both the Southwest Premier and Southwest Plus earn Southwest Rapid Rewards points.
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.
The Verdict
The Southwest Premier Card and Southwest Plus Card are very similar credit cards, except the Premier earns an extra point per dollar on Southwest Airlines and an extra 3,000 anniversary points.
Despite its higher annual fee, the Southwest Premier is a better value than the Southwest Plus.
- bonus_miles_full
- 6,000 Points Each Cardmember Anniversary
- 2X Points on Transit, Ridesharing, Internet, Cable, Phone, and Eligible Streaming Services
- 2 EarlyBird Check-In Per Year
- 25% Savings on In-Flight Purchases
- Lost Luggage and Baggage Delay Insurance
- $99 Annual Fee
- bonus_miles_full
- 2x Points on Southwest Airlines, Ridesharing, Local Transit, Internet, Cable, Phone, and Select Streaming
- 3,000 Points Every Year on Cardmember Anniversary
- 2 EarlyBird Check-Ins Per Year
- 25% Savings on In-Flight Purchases
- Lost Luggage and Baggage Delay Insurance
- $69 Annual Fee
