On this page, you can see all of the substantive aspects of Southwest Airlines credit cards laid out in simple charts, along with our quick take on each set of benefits. This page can help you compare and find the right Southwest credit card for you.
In this article
Benefits when flying on Southwest: Bonus points, better seating, and qualifying points
In most cases, you should think of paying for a Southwest Airlines credit card as buying a set of benefits when flying on Southwest. Here’s what you’ll get when flying on Southwest with each card:
 |  |  |  |  |
| Southwest Rapid Rewards® Plus Credit Card Annual fee: $99 | Southwest Rapid Rewards® Premier Credit Card Annual fee: $149 | Southwest Rapid Rewards® Priority Credit Card Annual fee: $229 | Southwest® Rapid Rewards® Premier Business Credit Card Annual fee: $149 | Southwest® Rapid Rewards® Performance Business Credit Card Annual fee: $299 |
| First checked bag free when flying on Southwest Airlines. For cardmember and up to 8 additional passengers on the same reservation. | ||||
| Complimentary seat selection | ||||
| Standard seat 48 hours prior to departure | Preferred seat 48 hours prior to departure | Preferred seat at booking | Preferred seat 48 hours prior to departure | Preferred seat at booking |
| – | – | Extra legroom seat 48 hours prior to departure | – | Extra legroom seat 48 hours prior to departure |
| Annual anniversary bonus points. Received each year on the anniversary of your account open date. | ||||
| 3,000 | 6,000 | 7,500 | 6,000 | 9,000 |
| Group 5 boarding. | ||||
| Early-bird check-in and Upgraded boardings. Awarded each year. This benefit ends in December 31, 2025. | ||||
| (2) | (2) | (4) | (2) | (4) |
| Earn A-list tier qualifying points. Number of points shown is tier-qualifying points for every $5,000 spent. | ||||
| – | 1,500 | 2,500 | 2,000 | 2,500 |
| 10,000 Companion Pass® qualifying points boost each year. | ||||
| Up to $500 in fee credits each year for point transfers. Received as statement credits. This benefit ends in December 31, 2025. | ||||
| – | – | – | ||
| Flight Discount. Get a promo code each year on your cardmember anniversary. Excludes Basic fares. | ||||
| 10% discount | 15% discount | – | 15% discount | – |
| 25% back in inflight purchases. Received as a statement credit. | ||||
With the July 2025 refresh, Southwest eliminated the $75 Southwest® Annual Travel Credit on the Southwest Rapid Rewards® Priority Credit Card. Additionally, the wifi statement credits on the Southwest® Rapid Rewards® Performance Business Credit Card are also slated to end on December 31, 2025.
Our recommendation: Consider what buying each card’s set of benefits when flying on Southwest is worth to you. On the Southwest Rapid Rewards® Plus Credit Card, the substantive benefits are a free checked bag, 3,000 anniversary points, and standard selection 48 hours prior to departure. Is that worth the annual fee? ($99) If yes, then that card may be worth it to you. Also consider the marginal benefits of each upgrade.
Rewards: Earn Southwest points for purchases
All of the Southwest Airlines credit cards earn Southwest Rapid Rewards® points, which can be used to book Southwest flights at Southwest.com. Here’s what each card earns:
| | | | |
| Southwest Rapid Rewards® Plus Credit Card | Southwest Rapid Rewards® Premier Credit Card | Southwest Rapid Rewards® Priority Credit Card | Southwest® Rapid Rewards® Premier Business Credit Card | Southwest® Rapid Rewards® Performance Business Credit Card |
| Southwest purchases | ||||
| 2x | 3x | 4x | 3x | 4x |
| Gas stations up to the category limit, each anniversary year | ||||
| 2x (Limit: $5,000, combined with grocery stores) | – | 2x | 2x (Limit: $8,000, combined with restaurants) | 2x |
| Grocery stores up to the category limit, each anniversary year | ||||
| 2x (Limit: $5,000, combined with gas stations) | 2x (Limit: $8,000, combined with restaurants) | – | – | – |
| Hotel accommodations booked directly with the hotel | ||||
| – | – | – | – | 2x |
| Local transit and commuting, including rideshare | ||||
| – | – | – | – | 2x |
| Restaurants up to the category limit, each anniversary year | ||||
| – | 2x (Limit: $8,000, combined with grocery stores) | 2x | 2x (Limit: $8,000, combined with gas stations) | 2x |
| All other purchases | ||||
| 1x | 1x | 1x | 1x | 1x |
Our recommendation: In general, the Southwest Airlines credit cards offer poor rewards for spending and we wouldn’t recommend using them for spending, unless you are spending to earn point toward companion pass.
You can pretty easily get 2% cash back everywhere with no annual fee and there are better cards for every category where the Southwest Airlines cards offers category bonuses.
Other travel benefits: Travel insurance and more
All of the Southwest credit cards offer a standard set of travel benefits that includes lost luggage reimbursement, baggage delay insurance, extended warranty protection and purchase protection, making them a good choice to use for travel. Here are the other travel benefits offered on Southwest credit cards.
| | | | |
| Southwest Rapid Rewards® Plus Credit Card | Southwest Rapid Rewards® Premier Credit Card | Southwest Rapid Rewards® Priority Credit Card | Southwest® Rapid Rewards® Premier Business Credit Card | Southwest® Rapid Rewards® Performance Business Credit Card |
| Lost luggage reimbursement | ||||
| Baggage delay insurance | ||||
| $120 Global Entry, TSA PreCheck, or NEXUS fee credit | ||||
| – | – | – | – | |
| No foreign transaction fees | ||||
| – | ||||
Consumer insurance benefits: Protection for the things you buy
Consumer insurance benefits like extended warranty and purchase protection cover the things you buy with the card. Here’s what’s offered with each Southwest credit card:
| | | | |
| Southwest Rapid Rewards® Plus Credit Card | Southwest Rapid Rewards® Premier Credit Card | Southwest Rapid Rewards® Priority Credit Card | Southwest® Rapid Rewards® Premier Business Credit Card | Southwest® Rapid Rewards® Performance Business Credit Card |
| Purchase protection | ||||
| Extended warranty protection | ||||
Partner benefits
The personal Southwest credit cards also offer a handful of benefits from Doordash.
| | | | |
| Southwest Rapid Rewards® Plus Credit Card | Southwest Rapid Rewards® Premier Credit Card | Southwest Rapid Rewards® Priority Credit Card | Southwest® Rapid Rewards® Premier Business Credit Card | Southwest® Rapid Rewards® Performance Business Credit Card |
| One-year complimentary DashPass. After complimentary year, you are automatically enrolled in DashPass at the current monthly rate. | ||||
| – | – | |||
| $10 off quarterly on non-restaurant DoorDash orders through Dec 31, 2027 | ||||
| – | – | |||
Sign-up bonuses: Earn Rapid Rewards® points when getting a new card
We cover all of the current Southwest Airlines credit card welcome bonuses in a dedicated article, but here’s a quick summary of the welcome bonuses that are currently available.
Southwest Rapid Rewards® Plus Credit Card Annual fee: $99 | Sign-up bonus: Earn 85,000 bonus points after you spend $3,000 in the first 3 months from account opening. Learn how to apply. Offers the lowest-cost way to get a 10,000 qualifying point boost toward Companion Pass® each year and the lowest-cost way to get a free checked bag on Southwest when Southwest changes its free checked bag policy. |
Southwest Rapid Rewards® Premier Credit Card Annual fee: $149 | Sign-up bonus: Earn 85,000 bonus points after you spend $3,000 in the first 3 months from account opening. Learn how to apply. The lowest-cost card offering both tier-qualifying points and an annual Companion Pass® boost. All information about the Southwest Rapid Rewards® Premier Credit Card has been collected independently by cardsandpoints.com. |
Southwest Rapid Rewards® Priority Credit Card Annual fee: $229 | Sign-up bonus: Earn 85,000 bonus points after you spend $3,000 in the first 3 months from account opening. Learn how to apply. The best value card for Southwest flyers thanks to its $75 annual Southwest travel credit and 7,500 bonus Rapid Rewards points each year. |
Southwest® Rapid Rewards® Premier Business Credit Card Annual fee: $149 | Sign-up bonus: Earn 60,000 points after you spend $3,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening. Learn how to apply. A lower-cost option for small business owners who wouldn’t get value out of the Performance Business card’s wifi credits. |
Southwest® Rapid Rewards® Performance Business Credit Card Annual fee: $299 | Sign-up bonus: Earn 80,000 points after you spend $5,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening. Learn how to apply. The best card for small business owners who frequently use Southwest’s in-flight wifi. |
