A Complete Guide To The Southwest Rapid Rewards credit cards 2024

by Daniel | Last Updated Aug 27th, 2024

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Are you a loyal Southwest Airlines traveler looking to earn more points, enjoy exclusive perks, and make the most of your flights?
Well, In this article, I’m going to take a deep dive into the entire lineup of Southwest Rapid Rewards credit cards from Chase. 
Whether you only fly a couple of times a year or are a frequent flyer, there’s a Southwest card tailored to your needs. 

Basically, I’ll be covering all five of the Southwest Rapid Rewards credit cards, which are: the Plus, Priority, Premier, Performance Business and the Premier Business Card.
Each of these cards offers unique benefits, from bonus points and travel credits to upgraded boarding and no foreign transaction fees. 
But which one is the best fit for your travel style and spending habits? 

Well, keep reading as I compare each of these cards side by side, breaking down their features, rewards, and potential drawbacks to help you choose the perfect card option for your situation. 
So sit back relax and lets get started!

https://youtu.be/hP3MMecEhPQ

What Is The Southwest Companion Pass?

Now before I talk you through all 5 of the different Southwest credit cards, I just wanted to cover a really valuable benefit that is available with all of these cards, which is the Southwest Companion Pass.
Essentially, the Southwest Companion Pass is one of the most coveted and valuable travel perks offered by any airline. 

Basically, It allows you to designate one person (a “companion”) to fly with you for free (excluding taxes and fees) on every Southwest flight you book, whether you pay with cash or points.

Best of all, the Companion Pass is valid for the remainder of the calendar year in which you earn it and the entire following year, making it an incredibly valuable benefit for frequent travelers.
Along with this, you are allowed to change your designated Southwest companion up to three times per calendar year, making it not only extremely valuable, but also very user friendly. 

How Can You Earn A Southwest Companion Pass?

Now in order to earn a Southwest Companion Pass, you will need to meet one of the following criteria within a calendar year:

Earn 135,000 Rapid Rewards Points

So this can be done through variety of different methods, such as spending on Southwest Rapid Rewards credit cards on the following purchases:

• Flying with Southwest Airlines
• Booking hotels, rental cars
• Or using Southwest’s dining and shopping partners

Along with this, the sign-up bonus that comes with your Southwest card of choice can also be used towards a Southwest Companion Pass.

Fly 100 One-Way Qualifying Flights

Now If you’re a frequent flyer, by taking 100 one-way flights on Southwest can also qualify you for the Companion Pass.

So How Does The Southwest Companion Pass Actually Work?

Now if and when you earn the Companion Pass, you can then designate one person to be your companion. This person can fly with you for free (plus taxes and fees) on every Southwest flight you book, whether you’re paying with cash or Rapid Rewards points.

So here’s how it works:

Booking Flights

• Book Your Flight:
  When you book a flight on Southwest (with either cash or points), you can add your companion to your reservation.
• Add Your Companion:
  After booking your flight, a prompt will allow you to add your companion to the reservation. Your companion will only pay the taxes and fees associated with the flight.

Changing Companions

Now it’s worth remember that it is possible to change your designated companion up to three times per calendar year after the initial selection. But just note that If you do change your companion, the previous one is no longer eligible to fly for free.

Companion Pass Validity

Now one of the best things about the Companion Pass is that it is valid for the rest of the year in which you earn it and the entire following calendar year.
So as an example, if you earn the pass in October of 2024, it will be valid through December 31, 2025.

So Why Is The Southwest Companion Pass So Valuable?

As I mentioned earlier, the Southwest Companion Pass is widely regarded as one of the best travel perks in the airline industry. Here’s why:

Significant Savings

The Southwest Companion Pass essentially allows you to buy one flight and get another one free. This basically leads to the ability to receive massive savings, especially if you travel frequently with a companion. Over the course of a year or more, these savings can easily add up to thousands of dollars.

Unlimited Usage

Unlike most other airline companion tickets, which are quite often limited to one-time use or have specific blackout dates, the Southwest Companion Pass has none of these restrictions. Essentailly you can use the pass as often as you like, on any Southwest flight, as long as seats are available.

Versatile Redemption

The Southwest Companion Pass also works with both cash and points bookings, which provides you with flexibility in how you use it. Basically this means you can book your flights with Rapid Rewards points, essentially flying for free, and still bring your companion along for just the cost of taxes and fees.

Extended Validity

And like I mentioned earlier, if you earn the Companion Pass early in the year, you can enjoy nearly two full years of free companion flights. This extended validity period adds massive value.

Who Are These Cards Good For?

The Southwest Rapid Rewards credit cards from Chase cater to a wide range of travelers and business owners, each offering unique benefits that suit different needs and lifestyles.
So here’s a simple breakdown of who can benefit most from each card:

Southwest Rapid Rewards Plus Credit Card

Starting first with the cheapest cards on offer is the Southwest Rapid Rewards Plus Credit Card

Occasional Travelers

This card is Ideal for those who fly Southwest a few times a year and want to start earning Rapid Rewards points without a high annual fee.

Budget-Conscious Flyers

It is great for those who want to enjoy basic travel perks and earn points without spending too much on annual fees

Everyday Spenders

You can earn points on everyday purchases with a lower annual fee, making it easy to accumulate rewards even if you’re not a frequent traveler.

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Southwest Rapid Rewards Premier Credit Card

Now the second card on this list is the Southwest Rapid Rewards Premier Credit Card.

Regular Travelers

Essentially, it is designed for those who travel regularly with Southwest and want to earn more points, with the added benefit of no foreign transaction fees.

Southwest Enthusiasts

It’s suitable for travelers who want to earn tier-qualifying points towards A-List status and appreciate benefits like 6,000 anniversary points each year.

Global Travelers

It is ideal for those who occasionally travel internationally and want to avoid foreign transaction fees while continuing to earn Rapid Rewards points.

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Southwest Rapid Rewards Priority Credit Card

So the next card on this list is the Southwest Rapid Rewards Priority Credit Card, 

Frequent Southwest Flyers

This card is  perfect for those who fly Southwest often and want enhanced perks like an annual travel credit, upgraded boardings, and more.

Value Seekers

It is ideal for travelers who want to offset the higher annual fee with substantial benefits, including a $75 annual Southwest travel credit and 7,500 anniversary points.

Loyal Southwest Customers

It’s great for those who frequently travel with Southwest and want to maximize their benefits, including priority boarding and discounts on in-flight purchases.

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Southwest Rapid Rewards Premier Business Credit Card

So the 4th card on this list is the Southwest Rapid Rewards Premier Business Credit Card

Small Business Owners

This card is Ideal for small business owners who want to earn points on everyday business expenses while enjoying the benefits of no foreign transaction fees.

Loyal Southwest Flyers

It is great for businesses that frequently book Southwest flights and want to earn points that contribute towards A-List status.

Moderate Spenders

It’s suitable for businesses that want a balance of rewards and perks without the higher annual fee of the Performance Business card.

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Southwest Rapid Rewards Performance Business Credit Card

So the last card on this list is the Southwest Rapid Rewards Performance Business Credit Card.

Frequent Business Travelers

This card is tailored for business owners who frequently travel with Southwest and want to earn points at an accelerated rate on travel and business-related expenses.

High Spenders

It is best for businesses that can take full advantage of the card’s higher earning potential and the 9,000 anniversary points.

Business Owners Seeking Perks

It’s perfect for those who want premium travel perks like four upgraded boardings per year, inflight Wi-Fi credits, and a higher sign-up bonus.

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So each of these cards is designed to enhance the travel experience for Southwest loyalists, whether you’re flying for leisure or business. By choosing the card that best fits your travel habits and spending, you can maximize your rewards and enjoy a range of benefits tailored to your needs.

Annual Fee And Sign-up Bonus 

Now from here, let’s take look at how valuable the sign-up bonus is and how much the annual fee will cost you each year for each card.
And you will see that all 5 of these cards are relatively well priced in comparison to some of other more premium airline credit cards.  

Southwest Rapid Rewards Plus Credit Card

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Southwest Rapid Rewards Premier Credit Card

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Southwest Rapid Rewards Priority Credit Card

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Southwest Rapid Rewards Premier Business Credit Card

Then to receive the additional 60,000 points, you will need to spend an additional $12,000 on the card within the first 9 months of opening the account.
So thats a total spend of $15,000 on the card to receive the full sign-up bonus of 120,000 points.
And with points being valued at around 1.4 cents per point, this sign up bonus is worth an impressive $1,680!

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Southwest Rapid Rewards Performance Business Credit Card

To receive the first 80,000 bonus points, you will need to spend $5,000 on the card within the first 3 months of opening the account.
Then to receive the remaining 40,000 bonus points, you will need to spend an additional $10,000 over the first 9 months of opening the account.
So it’s the same $15,000 spend requirement as the cheaper Premier Business, and the 120,000 bonus points are also worth around $1,680.

Which Card Has The Best Points Earning Potential?

So now we know how much each card costs on an annual basis and what they are offering as a sign-up bonus, we now need to look at the points earning ability of each card.
This is another important factor to consider, as credit cards with higher points earning potential will provide you with more value in the long run. 

Southwest Rapid Rewards Plus Credit Card

Now the highest points earning potential with this card is 2x points per dollar spent, and the categories that allow for this are as follows:

• Purchases made with Southwest
• Purchase made with Rapid Rewards hotel and car rental partners
• Local transit and rideshare services.
• Then purchases made for internet, cable, phone services and select streaming services.

All other purchases that are made on the card will earn just 1 point per dollar spent. 

Just note that this is the only Southwest credit card that has a foreign transaction fee, which is 3% of the amount of each transaction.
This means it is not really a suitable card to use whilst you are overseas.

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Southwest Rapid Rewards Premier Credit Card

The only real difference is the fact that you can earn 3x points per dollar spend on Southwest purchases.

You will then earn the same 2x points per dollar spent on the same categories:

• Rapid Rewards hotel and car rental partners
• Local transit and commuting, including rideshare
• Internet, cable, and phone services; select streaming

Then every thing else earns just 1 point per dollar spent. 

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Southwest Rapid Rewards Priority Credit Card

3x points per dollar spend on Southwest purchases.

You will then earn the same 2x points per dollar spent on the same categories:

• Rapid Rewards hotel and car rental partners
• Local transit and commuting, including rideshare
• Internet, cable, and phone services; select streaming

Then every thing else earns just 1 point per dollar spent.

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Southwest Rapid Rewards Premier Business Credit Card

3x points per dollar spend on Southwest purchases.

You will then earn the same 2x points per dollar spent on the same categories:

• Rapid Rewards hotel and car rental partners
• Local transit and commuting, including rideshare
• Internet, cable, and phone services; select streaming

Then every thing else earns just 1 point per dollar spent.

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Southwest Rapid Rewards Performance Business Credit Card

Essentially it is possible to earn 4x points on Southwest Airline purchases,
It is then possible to earn 3x points on Rapid Rewards hotel and car rental partner purchases.
Purchases made on social media, search engine advertising, internet, cable, and phone services will earn 2x points.
Local transit, commuting, including rideshare services will also earn 2x points.
Then every thing else earns just 1 point per dollar spent.

Which Card Has The Best Benefits And Perks?

So now that I’ve talked about the annual fee, sign-up bonus and points earning potential of each card, let’s take a look at the benefits that actually come with each card to see how they compare. 

Southwest Rapid Rewards Plus Credit Card

So each anniversary year you will receive 3,000 points, which are worth around $42 based on Southwest points being valued at around 1.4 cents per point.

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You will also receive 2 EarlyBird Check-In each year, which is worth at least $30.
This essentially allows you to check in and assign your boarding position 36 hours before your flight actually leaves.
It also means you will be able to access overhead bins before a majority of other passengers, meaning there will still be space for you carry on bags.

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You will then receive 25% back on inflight purchases when flying with Southwest

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Each year of card ownership you will receive 10,000 Companion Pass qualifying points.
This basically helps to bring you closer to earning a Companion Pass, which requires a total of 135,000 Rapid Rewards Points earnt in a calendar year.

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So considering this is the entry level card from Southwest, it still provides a decent amount of value from its benefits which can make your travel experience with Southwest that much better.

Southwest Rapid Rewards Premier Credit Card

You will also receive 1,500 TQPs or Tier Qualifying Points for every $5,000 that you spend on the card, and best of all, there is not limit to how many points you earn.

Essentially, TQPs can be used to count toward qualification for Rapid Rewards A-List or A-List Preferred status.
This then allows for benefits such as priority boarding, same-day standby and free inflight internet. 

Then you get the same benefits as the Plus card which are:

• 2 EarlyBird Check-In each year
• 25% back on inflight purchases
• 10,000 Companion Pass qualifying points each year

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Southwest Rapid Rewards Priority Credit Card

The first benefit that comes with this card is a $75 annual Southwest travel credit.
Along with this you will receive 7,500 points each card anniversary which is valued at around $105.

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You will then receive 4 Upgraded Boardings per year, thats twice as many as the previous 3 Southwest cards.

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Then you get the same 1,500 tier qualifying points every time you spend $5,000 on the card.

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You will receive 25% back on inflight purchases that are made on Southwest flights.

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And finally you will receive 10,000 Companion Pass qualifying points each year.

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Southwest Rapid Rewards Premier Business Credit Card

• 6,000 points each card anniversary
• 1,500 TQPs or Tier Qualifying Points for every $5,000 the you spend on the card
• 2 EarlyBird Check-In each year
• 25% back on inflight purchases

Then exclusive to this card you will then receive a $500 fee credit for point transfers.

Generally speaking, it costs $10 per 1,000 points when they are transferred to another member.
So this benefits allows you to transfer a total of 50,000 points each year free of charge. 

Unfortunately, the only benefit that doesn’t come with this card but does with the personal cards is the 10,000 Companion Pass qualifying points each year.
But to be fair, the signup bonus with the Business cards is more than twice that of the personal cards.

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Southwest Rapid Rewards Performance Business Credit Card

First of all you will receive a $100 credit that can be used for either Global Entry, TSA PreCheck or NEXUS.

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You will also receive 365 InFlight WiFi credits per year, this means you can essentially receive an all-day inflight WiFi pass for every day of the year.
And seeing that each day pass costs $8, this is a pretty valuable benefit to have access to.

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You will then receive 9,000 anniversary points each year that are worth around $126.

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Then you are allowed 4 EarlyBird Check-In each year, thats twice as many as the slightly cheaper Premier Business Credit Card.

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You will receive the same 1,500 TQPs or Tier Qualifying Points for every $5,000 the you spend on the card. 

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Then just like the Premier Business Credit Card you will not receive the 10,000 Companion points that come with the personal Southwest cards. 

Final Thoughts

Ok so that covers pretty much everything you need to know about all 5 Southwest credit cards, and I must say that it is possible to receive quite a lot of value from each card. 
Now obviously the more you pay for a specific card, the more benefit you will receive.
But this is only relevant if you know you will be able to make use of the added benefits.
So let’s just do a quick recap and go back over each section to see how the cards actually compare.

Annual Fee

In terms of the annual fee the Southwest Rapid Rewards Plus Credit Card is the cheapest card on this list with an annual fee of just $69.   
Coming in a tied second is the Southwest Rapid Rewards Premier Personal and Business Credit Card with an annual fee of $99.
Then stepping it up a little is the Southwest Rapid Rewards Priority Credit Card with an annual fee of $149.
And then in last place is the Southwest Rapid Rewards Performance Business Credit Card with an annual fee of $199.

1. Southwest Rapid Rewards Plus card
2. Tied – Southwest Rapid Rewards Premier Personal and Business card
3. Southwest Rapid Rewards Priority Credit Card
4. Southwest Rapid Rewards Performance Business Credit

Earning Points 

Now if you want to earn a ton of points, the Southwest Rapid Rewards Performance Business Credit Card has the highest points earnings potential of all five cards.
Coming in a tied second is the Southwest Rapid Rewards Priority personal and business Cards, and the Southwest Rapid Rewards Premier Credit Card.
And last but not least is the Southwest Rapid Rewards Plus Credit Card specifically because it is limited to a maximum points earning potential of just 2x points per dollar spent.

1. Southwest Rapid Rewards Performance Business Credit Card
2. Tied – Southwest Rapid Rewards Priority personal and business Cards, and the Southwest Rapid Rewards Premier Credit Card
3. Southwest Rapid Rewards Plus Credit Card

Benefits and Perks

So last but not least is benefits and perks, and at the top of the list is the Southwest Rapid Rewards Performance Business Credit Card.
Coming in second place is the Southwest Rapid Rewards Priority Credit Card.
In third place is the Southwest Rapid Rewards Premier Credit Card.
In 4th place is the Southwest Rapid Rewards Premier Business Credit Card.
And coming in last is the Southwest Rapid Rewards Plus Credit Card.

1. Southwest Rapid Rewards Performance Business Credit Card
2. Southwest Rapid Rewards Priority Credit Card
3. Southwest Rapid Rewards Premier Credit Card
4. Southwest Rapid Rewards Premier Business Credit Card
5. Southwest Rapid Rewards Plus Credit Card

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So when it comes to choosing the best Southwest credit card there are quite a few factors to consider such as:
What benefits will you actually use?
How often do you travel on Southwest?
And, how much are you comfortable spending on an annual basis just to have a credit card?
So it really depends on your own personal situation as to which card is the best card to choose.

If I had to choose one of these cards I would personally go for the Southwest Rapid Rewards Performance Business Credit Card.
And this is because I do travel a lot, so I would be able to make use of all of the benefits that comes with this card.
Considering the how valuable all of these benefits are, specifically the ability to get a Southwest companion pass, I think the annual fee of $199 is not too bad.

If you don’t travel with Southwest on a regular basis but still want the ability to earn Southwest points and have a few extra benefits, then any of the personal card are a good choice, it just depends on how much you are comfortable paying for the annual fee, and which benefits you know you will actually make use off.

Now if you want to see my pick for the best airline credit cards available today, make sure to check out my review where I compare 3 of the top airlines credit cards.