Southwest Personal Card Reviews
Many view the Chase Southwest credit cards as a means to get the Southwest Companion Pass. But once you get the Companion Pass, are any of the Southwest personal cards worth holding in the long run? In this Southwest personal card review we will break down the offer, earning structure, card perks, and give our thoughts on these cards:
- Southwest Rapid Rewards® Priority Credit Card
- Southwest Rapid Rewards® Premier Credit Card
- Southwest Rapid Rewards® Plus Credit Card
Current Southwest Personal Card Welcome Offers
The Southwest Rapid Rewards® Priority has the following welcome offer:
- Earn 60,000 bonus points after spending $2,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening.
- The annual fee of $229 is NOT waived.
Southwest Rapid Rewards® Premier has the following welcome offer:
- Earn 55,000 bonus points after spending $1,500 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening.
- The annual fee of $149 is NOT waived.
The Southwest Rapid Rewards® Plus has the following welcome offer:
- Earn 50,000 bonus points after spending $1,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening.
- The annual fee of $99 is NOT waived.
Southwest Personal Card Reviews: Application Rules
As with any other Chase card, you cannot qualify for either card if you have opened more than 5 credit cards with any bank in the last 24 months. In addition, you cannot open a new Southwest personal card if you already hold a personal Southwest card. If you have a Southwest personal card, you must close it before applying for a new personal card. This rule applies across the different Southwest personal cards. This is different than Southwest's business cards, which you can have more than one.
As for the welcome offer, you will not qualify for a bonus if you have received a welcome offer from any Southwest personal card within the last 24 months. This does not include the Southwest business cards.
Southwest Personal Card Earning Rates
Here is a breakdown of each card. You will notice many similarities in the two cards with higher annual fees.
| Southwest Priority Card | Southwest Premier Card | Southwest Plus Card |
| 4x on Southwest Airlines purchases | 3x on Southwest Airlines purchases | 2x on Southwest Airlines purchases |
| 2x on Rapid Rewards hotel and car rental partners | 2x on Rapid Rewards hotel and car rental partners | 2x on Rapid Rewards hotel and car rental partners |
| 2x on local transit and commuting, including rideshare | 2x on local transit and commuting, including rideshare | 2x on local transit and commuting, including rideshare |
| 2x on internet, cable, and phone services, and select streaming | 2x on internet, cable, and phone services, and select streaming | 2x on internet, cable, and phone services, and select streaming |
| 2x points at gas stations and restaurants, with no annual cap | 2x points on first $8,000 in combined spend at grocery stores and restaurants each anniversary year | 2x points on first $5,000 in combined spend at gas stations and grocery stores each anniversary year |
| 1x on all other eligible purchases | 1x on all other eligible purchases | 1x on all other eligible purchases |
Like the Southwest business cards, these personal cards are not great for earning points. For Southwest purchases, you would be better off earning transferable points currencies like Ultimate Rewards, ThankYou Points, or Membership Rewards versus earning Southwest Rapid Rewards. The lone exception would be if you were chasing status or a Southwest Companion Pass.
Southwest Personal Card Reviews: Card Benefits
Benefits and perks across the three cards differ based on each card's annual fee. The Southwest Rapid Rewards® Priority has more robust perks than either the Southwest Rapid Rewards® Premier or the Southwest Rapid Rewards® Plus card.
| Southwest Priority Card | Southwest Premier Card | Southwest Plus Card | |
| Points earned every year on your cardmember anniversary | 7,500 | 6,000 | 3,000 |
| Seating Choices (plus for up to 8 additional passengers on same reservation) | – Standard or Preferred seat selection at booking – Extra Legroom seats within 48 hours prior to departure (when available) | Standard or Preferred seat selection within 48 hours prior to departure (when available) | Standard seat selection within 48 hours prior to departure (when available) |
| Board with group 5 (plus for up to 8 additional passengers on same reservation) | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ |
| First checked back free (plus for up to 8 additional passengers on same reservation) | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ |
| 25% back on inflight purchases | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ |
| No foreign transaction fees | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ |
| Earn tier qualifying points toward A-List status for every $5,000 spent | 2,500 | 1,500 | – |
| One promotional code for a flight discount each anniversary year (except Basic fare) | – | 15% | 10% |
| 10,000 Companion Pass points boost each year | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ |
It's worth noting that the Priority and the Premier cards can help earn Southwest status through spend. Earning 2,500 tier qualifying points toward A-List status for every $5,000 in spend can be help those near A-List or A-List Preferred status at the end of the year. That said, those earning status solely through spend is usually not a good deal with these cards. At this rate, cardholders would have to spend over $70,000 dollars in one year to achieve A-List. A-List Preferred requires twice as much!
ToP Analysis For The Southwest Personal Cards
Here are our thoughts on each card:
Southwest Priority Card
The Southwest Rapid Rewards® Priority is may be a keeper for regular Southwest flyers, as the card's perks may more than make up for its $229 annual fee. The 7,500 points on every anniversary are worth around $100 towards flights, dropping the annual fee to around $130. The free bags and immediate seat selection (plus more premium options) may make the card a worthy long term keeper for Southwest loyalists.
Southwest Premier Card
The Southwest Rapid Rewards® Premier's middle ground $149 annual fee also means fewer benefits. This is the odd man out in terms of the Southwest credit cards. It doesn't offer enough perks to justify the increase over the cost of the Plus card.
Southwest Plus Card
Lastly, the Southwest Rapid Rewards® Plus card offers similar perks as the Premier, but comes in at a $50 lower annual fee. The main difference between the cards is getting 6,000 anniversary points with the Premier instead of 3,000 with the Plus card. If you value 3,000 Southwest points at more than $50 then you can go the Premier route. I think most would rather keep the $50 in their pocket.
ToP Thoughts
When you do the math, the Southwest Rapid Rewards® Priority still seems to be the best option for frequent Southwest flyers. It gives you the ability to choose a seat at the time of booking, with an outside shot at a premium seat 48 hours from flying. The Plus card is the best option for semi infrequent Southwest flyers that care about free bags and would like the chance to snag a free seat before boarding. The Premier doesn't really make sense for anyone.
Normally, if you are chasing the Companion Pass it is usually best to wait until the end of the year to grab these cards. Then earning the welcome offer in the following year. That maximizes the time you get to use your Companion Pass. Although, with all of these recent changes to the Southwest program we are not sure what the future holds for the Companion Pass.
What do you think of the Southwest personal cards? How do these cards fit within your Companion Pass strategy? Come join the discussion in our Facebook group!
