Southwest Airlines is one of the most preferred airlines because of its customer-friendly travel policies, strong route network, family-friendly seating policy, easy-to-use Rapid Rewards frequent flyer program and their reputation for going above and beyond for their passengers. They offer two free checked bags both for local or international flights and Companion Pass.
Southwest Airlines have credit cards for different categories of flyers to make flying with airline easier and more affordable. Making the right credit card choice depends on how frequent you fly with the airline and another important thing to consider when choosing the right Southwest Airlines Credit Cards is if the card’s value is enough to make up for it’s annual fee. All Southwest Credit Cards are issued by Chase Bank.
Best Southwest Credit Cards
- Southwest Rapid Rewards® Priority Credit Card
- Southwest Rapid Rewards® Premier Credit Card
- Southwest Rapid Rewards® Plus Credit Card
- Southwest® Rapid Rewards® Premier Business Credit Card
- Southwest® Rapid Rewards® Performance Business Credit Card
- Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card
Southwest Rapid Rewards® Priority Credit Card
Best for Frequent Southwest Flyers
This is the best Southwest Airlines credit card for frequent Southwest flyers. Unlike other airlines credit cards that have an annual fee of over $500, the Southwest Rapid Rewards® Priority Credit Card is only $149 yearly. If you are a frequent traveler that love flying with Southwest Airlines then this best card for you. It comes with lots of perks that compensates for the annual fee. It is one of the most rewarding personal Southwest credit cards.
Annual fee: $149
Intro offer: 50,000 points
Rewards rates: 2 – 3x points
Recommended credit: 670 Good, 850 Excellent
Benefits of Southwest Rapid Rewards® Priority Credit Card
You will earn 50,000 bonus points after you spend $1,000 on purchases within the first 3 months.
It offers 7,000 anniversary points every year which according to TPG it’s worth $112.50.
You’ll earn 3X points on Southwest® purchases and 2X points on both local transit and commuting including rideshare.
You’ll earn 2X points on phone services, cable, internet and select streaming.
It offers $75 Southwest travel credit every year
It offers 4 Upgraded Boarding each year when available
There are no international transaction fees
Advantages
• It offers 25% discount on inflight foods, drinks and WiFi
• Every year, cardholders get $75 Southwest travel credit
• 7,500 anniversary points for cardmember each year
• You can earn A-List status faster by spending on the card
• It has travel and purchase protection through Chase.
Disadvantages
• It has $149 yearly fee.
Southwest Rapid Rewards® Premier Credit Card
Best for Southwest Casual Flyer
This is one of the best cards for regular Southwest flyers with lost of perks specifically designed for the airline. It comes with a lower annual fee compared to the Priority Credit Card. It is also regarded as a good option to other travel credit cards because of its benefits.
This Southwest Rapid Rewards® Premier Credit Card offers it’s users better earning rates and more flexible redemption options.
Annual fee: $99
Intro offer: 50,000 points
Rewards rates: 2x points
Recommended credit: 670 Good, 850 Excellent
Benefits of Southwest Rapid Rewards® Premier Credit Card
It offers 50,000 bonus points after you spend $1,000 on purchases in the first 3 months
It offers 6,000 anniversary points every year worth $90 according to TPG calculations
You’ll earn 3X points on Southwest purchases
You’ll earn 2X points on both local transit and commuting including rideshare.
You’ll earn 2X points on select streaming, internet, phone services and cable
It offers 2 EarlyBird Check-In every year
Companion Pass for all points earned
There are no international transaction fees.
Advantages
• It offers 6,000 points on every cardmember anniversary
• It offers travel and purchase protection through Chase
Disadvantage
• It has an annual fee of $99
Southwest Rapid Rewards® Plus Credit Card
Best for Lower Annual Fees
This card is designed for travelers loyal to Southwest Airlines. It has the lowest annual fee compared to any Southwest credit card, and offers solid points earning rates and minimal benefits.
Annual Fee: $69
Intro offer: 50,000 points
Rewards rates: 1 – 2x points
Recommended credit: 670 Good, 850 Excellent
Benefits of Southwest Rapid Rewards® Plus Credit Card
It offers 50,000 bonus points when you spend $1,000 on purchases within the first 3 months
You’ll get 3,000 anniversary points every year
You’ll earn 2X points on local transit and commuting and rideshare
You’ll earn 2X points on Southwest purchases
You’ll earn 2X points on phone services, select streaming, internet and cable.
You’ll get 2 EarlyBird Check-In every year
You’ll earn 1 point per dollar on all other purchases
All the points earned count towards Companion Pass
It offers travel accident insurance through Visa Signature
It offers insurance for baggage delay
Insurance for car rental and collision damage waiver
You’d get about 3,000 reimbursement for lost luggage
Advantages
• Cardholders earn 3,000 points every year after your cardmember anniversary
• You’d get roadside dispatch
• It offers extended warranty and purchase protection.
Disadvantage
• It has an annual fee of $69
• Flight redemption is limited to the US, Central American destinations and Caribbean.
Southwest® Rapid Rewards® Premier Business Credit Card
Best for Businesses that needs Lower Annual Fees
This is Southwest lower-tier business credit card. It is a fair choice for small business owners because of its lower annual fee and it’s mouthwatering bonus categories that allows cardholders to earn points on almost all of their expenses.
The current welcome offer on this card can be strategically used towards earning the coveted Southwest Companion Pass.
Annual fee: $99
Intro offer: 60,000 points
Rewards rates: 1 – 3x points
Recommended credit: 740 Good, 850 Excellent
Benefits of Southwest® Rapid Rewards® Premier Business Credit Card
You’ll earn 60,000 points after spending $3,000 on purchases within the first 3 months of your account opening
You’d get 6,000 bonus points after your cardmember anniversary each year
It offers 3X points on Southwest Airlines purchases and 2X points on Rapid Rewards Hotel and car partners
You’ll earn 2X points on rideshare
1 point on every 1 dollar spent on all other purchases
2 EarlyBird Check-In every year
You’d earn unlimited tier qualifying points towards A-List status.
Advantages
• It has trip protection and lost luggage benefits
• It offers 6,000 bonus Southwest points Each card anniversary
• It offers car rentals insurance
• There are no international transaction fees
Disadvantages
• It’s limited to redeeming for Southwest
• The annual fee of $99 is not for everyone.
Southwest® Rapid Rewards® Performance Business Credit Card
Best for Small-Business Owners.
This is Southwest’s top-tier business credit card designed for business travelers and loyal Southwest flyers. With this card business owners can get extensive bonus earning categories which will allow them earn bonus points on everyday expenses.
With the card’s welcome offer and strategic spending, new cardholders can earn enough points to qualify for coveted Southwest Companion Pass within few months.
Annual fee: $199
Intro offer: 80,000 points
Rewards rates: 1 – 4x points
Recommended credit: 670 Good, 850 Excellent
Benefits of Southwest® Rapid Rewards® Performance Business Credit Card
You’ll earn 80,000 bonus after spending $5,000 on purchases within the first 3 months of opening your account.
You’d get 9,000 bonus points each year of Cardmember anniversary
You’ll earn 4X points on Rapid Rewards hotel and car partners
You’ll earn 4X points on Southwest purchases
It offers 2X points on rideshare and 2X points on phone services, social media, cable, internet and search engine advertising. And 1X points on all other purchases
It offers Global Entry or TSA PreCheck Free Credit.
You’ll get 4 Upgraded Boarding each year when available
Advantages
• Cardholders get 9,000 points on every cardmember anniversary
• It offers up to $100 Global Entry/TSA PreCheck credit
• It offers Upgraded Boarding each year
Disadvantage
• The annual fee of $199 benefits only Southwest flyers.
Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card
Best All Round Travel Card
We are adding Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card to the list of best Southwest Airlines Credit Cards because it is the most popular travel rewards credit card on the market. It offers mouthwatering return on dining and travel purchases and lots of value that compensates it’s $95 annual fee.
This is one of the best travel credit cards because of how flexible it is. With this card, you can redeem points at 1.25 cents for every travel booked through Chase, you can also transfer points to one of Chase’s 14 valuable airline and hotel partners.
Annual fee: $95
Intro offer: 60,000 points
Rewards rates: 2 – 5x
Recommended credit: 670 Good, 850 Excellent
Benefits of Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card
You’d earn 60,000 bonus points after spending $4,000 on purchases within the first 3 months you open the account. When you redeem through Chase Ultimate Rewards it’s $750
It offers $50 annual Ultimate Rewards Hotel Credit, 5x on travel purchases, 3x on dining and 2x on all other travel purchases and lots more.
It offers 25% value when you redeem for hotels, airfare, car rentals and cruises via Chase Ultimate Rewards
It offers insurance for trip cancellation/interruption, lost luggage etc,
It also offers Auto Rental Collision Damage Waiver
You’ll get complimentary access to DashPass which unlocks $0 delivery fees as well as lower service fees for a minimum of one year depending on when you activate your card.
Advantages
• Earn 5 points on every dollar spent on travel purchases through Chase Travel, 3 points on every dollar spent on dining, online grocery store purchases and select streaming services.
• You’ll earn 2 points on every dollar spent on all other travel and 1 point on every dollar spent on everything else.
• It offers premium travel protection benefits which includes insurance for trip cancellation, lost luggage and primary car rental.
Disadvantage
• It costs $95 yearly.
Southwest credit card Companion Pass
A Southwest Companion Pass allows a passholder to designate someone to fly with them for free (excluding fees and taxes). Couples, families or individual considering Southwest credit card should utilize this feature by earning so you’d qualify for it.
It works like buy-one, get-one free. To qualify for the Southwest Companion Pass, you’d need to earn 125,000 Southwest Rapid Rewards points or take 100 qualifying one-way Southwest flights in a year.
However not all Rapid Rewards Points counts towards earning the Companion Pass. For instance purchased points and transfers from The Chase Ultimate Rewards program to Southwest Rapid Rewards do not count towards the Companion Pass.
The points that count towards Southwest Companion Pass are the signup bonus points and the points earned from daily spending on the five Southwest cobranded credit cards as well as some regular Southwest travel within a year.
How To Choose The Most Favorable Southwest Credit Card
To choose the most favorable Southwest credit card you have to take note of some key factor because the credit cards have lots of similarities. To decide, ask yourself these questions;
Do I need a business card or a personal card? This question will help you narrow down your options because there are two choices for business cards and there choices for personal cards
How much is the annual fee? All the Southwest’s cards come with annual fee but at different prices.
Do you have plans on flying abroad? If you do then you do not need cards with international transaction fees such as Southwest Rapid Rewards Plus.
Benefits of Southwest Credit Cards
The appealing thing about all Southwest credit cards is that they come with perks and features, these are some of the highlights of the benefits that comes with Southwest Airlines credit cards
Signup Bonus: You’d earn a generous point bonus with all Southwest credit card
Earn rewards points: You will earn 2x points on purchases, 1x points on everything else you buy with all Southwest credit card except Southwest Rapid Rewards® Performance Business Credit Card.
Lost luggage reimbursement: You’d get a reimbursement of about $3,000 if anything happens to your checked bags, whether lost or damaged by the carrier.
First and second checked bags for free: You’d get your first and second checked bags for free but if you bring additional bass you’d be charged
Insurance for baggage delay: If your bags are delayed for over six hours by your carrier, you’d reimburse with about $100 a day for three days for toiletries and clothing purchases.
Companion Certificate: You can earn Southwest Companion Pass by earning 110,000 qualifying points in a year or taking 100 one-way flights.
How To Earn Rapid Rewards Points
To earn Rapid Rewards Points is by using Southwest credit card to make purchases and paying for stays at partner hotels, and car rentals from partner companies.
How To Redeem Southwest Rapid Rewards Points
Firstly find the flight on Southwest website, then find out how many miles you need to redeem and how much it costs in cash.
Then, divide the cash amount with the miles for example, $180/15,000 = 0.12 cent per mile.
The higher the number, the higher the value for your miles.
Conclusion
If you fly frequently with Southwest Airlines, then having a Southwest credit card is an excellent idea. With personal card you’d earn the same signup bonus and reward points with the appealing perks to go with it.
