Welcome offers are usually one of the best ways to differentiate between credit cards from the same family. But what about the Southwest Airlines consumer credit cards that often have the exact same sign-up bonus?
The following three cards offer the same bonus of earning 50,000 bonus points (worth $675 according to TPG valuations) after spending $1,000 on purchases in the first three months from account opening:
- Southwest Rapid Rewards® Plus Credit Card
- Southwest Rapid Rewards® Premier Credit Card
- Southwest Rapid Rewards® Priority Credit Card
Despite their similar-sounding names, the three cards have important differences. Which one will be best for you depends on how often you fly Southwest and how many of these cards' respective perks you can maximize. Here's what you need to know to choose among them.
The information for the Southwest Rapid Rewards Premier has been collected independently by The Points Guy. The card details on this page have not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer.
Southwest credit cards overview
| Benefit | Southwest Rapid Rewards Plus Credit Card | Southwest Rapid Rewards Premier Credit Card | Southwest Rapid Rewards Priority Credit Card |
|---|---|---|---|
| Annual fee | $69 | $99 | $149 |
| Anniversary points bonus | 3,000 Rapid Rewards points | 6,000 Rapid Rewards points | 7,500 Rapid Rewards points |
| Earning rates | 2 points per dollar on Southwest purchases 2 points per dollar on Rapid Rewards hotel and rental car partner purchases 2 points per dollar on local transit and commuting (including ride-hailing apps) 2 points per dollar on internet, cable and phone services; select streaming 1 point per dollar on everything else | 3 points per dollar on Southwest purchases 2 points per dollar on Rapid Rewards hotel and rental car partner purchases 2 points per dollar on local transit and commuting (including ride-hailing apps) 2 points per dollar on internet, cable and phone services; select streaming 1 point per dollar on everything else | 3 points per dollar on Southwest purchases 2 points per dollar on Rapid Rewards hotel and rental car partner purchases 2 points per dollar on local transit and commuting (including ride-hailing apps) 2 points per dollar on internet, cable and phone services; select streaming 1 point per dollar on everything else |
| Other perks | 2 EarlyBird check-ins per year 25% back on inflight purchases 10,000 Companion Pass qualifying points boost each year | 2 EarlyBird check-ins per year 25% back on inflight purchases 10,000 Companion Pass qualifying points boost each year | $75 annual Southwest travel credit 25% back on inflight purchases 10,000 Companion Pass qualifying points boost each year |
| Tier qualifying points | N/A | Earn 1,500 TQPs toward A-List status for every $10,000 in spending per calendar year (with no cap) | Earn 1,500 TQPs toward A-List status for every $10,000 in spending per calendar year (with no cap) |
| Foreign transaction fee | 3% | None | None |
Frequent Southwest flyer? Choose the Priority
The Southwest Rapid Rewards Priority Credit Card makes a very compelling case for itself.
As a frequent Southwest passenger, you'll have no trouble maxing out the $75 annual Southwest travel credit, reducing your effective out-of-pocket cost for this card from $149 to $74.
Remember, every dollar (or point) you spend on Southwest tickets stretches twice as far once you have the Companion Pass. Why? When you book one ticket with either points or cash, you can bring a companion along — pay just the taxes and fees. Thus, you could argue that a $75 credit is actually worth $150 for Companion Pass holders, effectively cutting the annual fee on the Southwest Priority card down to zero.
Even if you're unwilling to take that numerical leap, you'll still spend less each year with the Southwest Priority card than if you opted for the mid-tier Southwest Rapid Rewards Premier Credit Card.
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With the Priority card, you will receive an annual travel credit, and the additional bonus points on your cardholder anniversary — 1,500 more than the Premier card — should get you $20 in additional rewards based on TPG's valuations.
The main argument against the Southwest Priority card is that you must pay the full $149 annual fee upfront. However, if you can use the above perks, you can offset a large portion of that cost.
Related: Battle of the airlines: Why I think Southwest Airlines is the best
Cheaper annual fee? Choose the Premier, not the Plus
If you're looking for a lower annual fee to earn the current sign-up bonus, you can pick between the Southwest Rapid Rewards Premier Credit Card (with a $99 annual fee) or the Southwest Rapid Rewards Plus Credit Card (with a $69 annual fee).
What does the extra $30 a year on the Premier card get you? For starters, your anniversary points bonus will be 6,000 instead of 3,000. TPG values those extra 3,000 points at $41, more than making up for the card's higher annual fee.
If you opt for the cheapest card — the Plus card — you'll get hit with a 3% fee on foreign transactions. This isn't a huge problem considering that most of Southwest's network is domestic flights, but Southwest's cheap fares, low fees and above-average customer service make for a great excuse to take a trip to a Caribbean destination at an affordable cost. When you take advantage of this option, you don't want to carry a card with foreign transaction fees.
Finally, with the Premier, you can earn tier qualifying points (TQPs) toward elite status: 1,500 TQPs per $10,000 spent on purchases in a calendar year (with no limit on how many TQPs you can earn from credit card spending). If A-List or A-List Preferred status is of interest to you, go with the Premier.
Related: What is Southwest elite status worth?
Eligibility for Southwest credit cards
The thing that keeps most people from applying for Southwest credit cards is Chase's restrictions on credit card applications.
The Chase 5/24 rule applies to all three of these cards. Chase will almost certainly reject applicants if they've opened five or more credit cards (from any and all issuers) in the last 24 months. If you're at (or over) your five slots, we recommend not wasting an application on these cards since you're likely to get declined.
In addition to the 5/24 rule, the terms and conditions of each of these cards state:
The product is not available to either (i) current Cardmembers of any Southwest Rapid Rewards® Credit Card, or (ii) previous Cardmembers of any Southwest Rapid Rewards Credit Card who received a new Cardmember bonus within the last 24 months. This does not apply to Cardmembers of the Southwest Rapid Rewards Business Card and Employee Credit Card products
So, if you currently hold one of these Southwest personal credit cards or have received a bonus for one in the last 24 months, you will not be eligible for these offers.
Note that this only applies to personal credit cards. If you recently opened the Southwest Rapid Rewards® Premier Business Credit Card or Southwest Rapid Rewards® Performance Business Credit Card, you can still open a personal card. Likewise, these and other small-business credit cards that you may have opened recently generally should not count toward Chase's 5/24 card limit, meaning this wouldn't affect your bonus eligibility.
Read more: The ultimate guide to Southwest credit card eligibility
Bottom line
Southwest Airlines credit cards continue to be popular. Right now, new applicants for all three cards can earn 50,000 bonus points after spending $1,000 on purchases in the first three months from account opening.
Anyone who flies Southwest even just a handful of times per year should have no problem maxing out the travel benefits that come with the Southwest Rapid Rewards Priority Credit Card. After accounting for the $75 annual Southwest travel credit (worth twice as much if you have the Companion Pass), the higher anniversary points bonus and other perks, this is — hands down — the card that will add the most value to your wallet as a regular Southwest flyer.
The Southwest Rapid Rewards Priority Credit Card's $149 annual fee is relatively cheap in today's world of hyper-expensive premium credit cards. But if that still feels like too much, it's also possible to get a good return from the Premier card.
For more details, check out our full reviews of the Southwest Priority, Southwest Premier and Southwest Plus cards.
Apply here: Southwest Rapid Rewards Priority Credit Card
Learn more: Southwest Rapid Rewards Premier Credit Card
Apply here: Southwest Rapid Rewards Plus Credit Card
Editorial disclaimer: Opinions expressed here are the author’s alone, not those of any bank, credit card issuer, airline or hotel chain, and have not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by any of these entities.
