Best Southwest Credit Cards of February 2023 (Updated Monthly)
Best Southwest Credit Cards of February 2023 (Updated Monthly)
The Southwest Rapid Rewards® Priority Credit Card is the best co-branded Southwest credit card, offering $300+ in Southwest perks per year.
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Southwest Rapid Rewards® Priority Credit Card
Southwest Rapid Rewards® Plus Credit Card
Southwest Rapid Rewards® Premier Credit Card
Southwest is a favorite airline of many travelers thanks to its flyer-friendly change and cancellation policies and its extensive domestic route map. One of the best ways to earn Southwest Rapid Rewards points is by applying for and spending money on the various Chase Southwest credit cards. There are three personal and two business Southwest credit cards — each with its own array of benefits and perks.
The Southwest credit cards generally offer a hefty sign-up bonus, the ability to earn Rapid Rewards points on an ongoing basis and anniversary bonus points each year you hold the card. Signing up and being approved for one or more Southwest credit cards can be a great way to earn the points you need for the valuable Southwest Companion Pass. To find the best Southwest credit card, you should consider the value of the sign-up bonus, annual bonus, ongoing rewards earnings, and perks that you're likely to use and compare them to the annual fee.
Compare best Southwest credit cards of 2023
Welcome Offer | Credit Needed ?
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| Annual Fee | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
Southwest Rapid Rewards® Priority Credit Card 
| Limited-time offer: earn Companion Pass® good through 2/28/24 plus 30,000 points after you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening. | 720 - 850 | $149 | Apply Now
On Chase's Secure Website |
Southwest Rapid Rewards® Plus Credit Card 
| Limited-time offer: earn Companion Pass® good through 2/28/24 plus 30,000 points after you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening. | 660 - 850 | $69 | Apply Now
On Chase's Secure Website |
Southwest Rapid Rewards® Premier Credit Card 
| Limited-time offer: earn Companion Pass® through 2/28/24 plus 30,000 points after you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening. | 720 - 850 | $99 | Apply Now
On Chase's Secure Website |
View more cards
Best Southwest credit card overall
Southwest Rapid Rewards® Priority Credit Card
Limited-time offer: earn Companion Pass® good through 2/28/24 plus 30,000 points after you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening.
$149
20.24% - 27.24% Variable
720 - 850
- Limited-time offer: earn Companion Pass® good through 2/28/24 plus 30,000 points after you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening.
- 7,500 anniversary points each year.
- Earn 3X points on Southwest® purchases.
- Earn 2X points on local transit and commuting, including rideshare.
- Earn 2X points on internet, cable, and phone services, and select streaming.
- $75 Southwest® travel credit each year.
- 4 Upgraded Boardings per year when available.
- No foreign transaction fees.
- First year value: $1,230 ?
- Second year value: $180 ?
- 7,500 anniversary points each year
- $75 Southwest annual travel credit each year
- Four upgraded Boardings every year (when available)
- Earn 1,500 tier qualifying points (TQPs) toward A-List status for every $10,000 spent in purchases each year
- 25% back on in-flight purchases
The Southwest Rapid Rewards® Priority Credit Card is our favorite card for frequent Southwest flyers. The card offers a suite of perks that can more than justify the card’s $149 annual fee. Cardholders get a 7,500-point bonus each cardmember anniversary, a $75 Southwest annual travel credit and four upgraded boardings.
The 7,500-point bonus is the highest offered on a Southwest card and offsets 75% of the card's $149 annual fee.
Best Southwest credit card with a low annual fee
Southwest Rapid Rewards® Plus Credit Card
Limited-time offer: earn Companion Pass® good through 2/28/24 plus 30,000 points after you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening.
$69
20.24% - 27.24% Variable
660 - 850
- Limited-time offer: earn Companion Pass®good through 2/28/24 plus 30,000 points after you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening.
- 3,000 anniversary points each year.
- Earn 2X points on Southwest® purchases.
- Earn 2X points on local transit and commuting, including rideshare.
- Earn 2X points on internet, cable, and phone services, and select streaming.
- 2 EarlyBird Check-In® each year.
- Earn 1 point for every $1 spent on all other purchases.
- All points earned count towards Companion Pass®.
- First year value: $1,200 ?
- Second year value: $150 ?
- 3,000 anniversary points each year
- Two Early Bird Check-Ins per year
- 25% back on inflight purchases
The Southwest Rapid Rewards® Plus Credit Card offers the lowest annual fee of Southwest’s three personal credit cards. Understandably, that means the perks of the card are less than what you’d find on the other Southwest cards. Still, the Southwest Rapid Rewards® Plus Credit Card does offer a solid earning rate and an anniversary points bonus that helps offset the card’s $69 annual fee.
Use the two annual EarlyBird Check-In®s that come with this card to get earlier seat selection and boarding position.
Best Southwest credit card with a mid-range annual fee
Southwest Rapid Rewards® Premier Credit Card
Limited-time offer: earn Companion Pass® through 2/28/24 plus 30,000 points after you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening.
$99
20.24% - 27.24% Variable
720 - 850
- Limited-time offer: earn Companion Pass® good through 2/28/24 plus 30,000 points after you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening.
- 6,000 anniversary points each year.
- Earn 3X points on Southwest® purchases.
- Earn 2X points on local transit and commuting, including rideshare.
- Earn 2X points on internet, cable, and phone services, and select streaming.
- 2 EarlyBird Check-In® each year.
- All points earned count towards Companion Pass®.
- No foreign transaction fees.
- First year value: $1,207 ?
- Second year value: $157 ?
- 6,000 anniversary points each year
- Two Early Bird Check-Ins per year
- Earn 1,500 tier qualifying points (TQPs) toward A-List status for every $10,000 spent in purchases each year
- 25% back on in-flight purchases
If the annual fee on the Southwest Rapid Rewards® Priority Credit Card is too pricey and the perks on the Southwest Rapid Rewards® Plus Credit Card too limited, the Southwest Rapid Rewards® Premier Credit Card may be your Goldilocks card. Cardholders get a 6,000-point bonus each cardmember anniversary and $0 foreign transaction fees. Plus, spending on the card will help boost you toward A-List elite status.
This card also comes with two EarlyBird Check-In®s each year, which provide earlier boarding positions and seat selection.
Best Southwest credit card for business
Southwest® Rapid Rewards® Performance Business Credit Card
Earn 80,000 points after you spend $5,000 on purchases in the first 3 months.
$199
20.24% - 27.24% Variable
720 - 850
- Earn 80,000 points after you spend $5,000 on purchases in the first 3 months.
- 9,000 bonus points after your Cardmember anniversary.
- Earn 4X points on Southwest® purchases.
- Earn 3X points on Rapid Rewards® hotel and car partners.
- Earn 2X points on rideshare.
- Earn 2X points on social media and search engine advertising, internet, cable, and phone services and 1X points on all other purchases.
- 4 Upgraded Boardings per year when available.
- Global Entry or TSA PreCheck® Fee Credit.
- First year value: $1,220 ?
- Second year value: $100 ?
- 9,000 anniversary points each year
- Four upgraded boardings every year (when available)
- Earn 1,500 tier qualifying points (TQPs) toward A-List status for every $10,000 spent in purchases each year
- Up to $500 per year in fee reimbursements when you transfer Southwest points to another person
- 365 credits per year (up to $8) for Wi-Fi on Southwest flights
- 25% back on in-flight purchases
The Southwest® Rapid Rewards® Performance Business Credit Card is easily our favorite Southwest card for small businesses. It charges a hefty $199 annual fee, but the perks are incredible. Cardholders get a 9,000-point anniversary bonus, a reimbursement for Global Entry or TSA PreCheck application fees, four upgraded boardings each year and up to 365 in-flight Wi-Fi credits.
The 4 points per $1 spent on Southwest® purchases is the highest earning rate offered by a Southwest credit card.
Best Southwest credit card for business with a low annual fee
Southwest® Rapid Rewards® Premier Business Credit Card
Earn 60,000 points after you spend $3,000 on purchases in the first 3 months your account is open.
$99
20.24% - 27.24% Variable
720 - 850
- Earn 60,000 points after you spend $3,000 on purchases in the first 3 months your account is open.
- 6,000 bonus points after your Cardmember anniversary.
- Earn 3X points on Southwest Airlines® purchases.
- Earn 2X points on Rapid Rewards® hotel and car partners.
- Earn 2X points on rideshare.
- 1 point per $1 spent on all other purchases.
- 2 EarlyBird Check-In® each year.
- Earn unlimited tier qualifying points towards A-List status.
- First year value: $997 ?
- Second year value: $157 ?
- 6,000 anniversary points each year
- Two Early Bird Check-Ins per year
- Earn 1,500 tier qualifying points (TQPs) toward A-List status for every $10,000 spent in purchases each year
- Up to $500 per year in fee reimbursements when you transfer Southwest points to another person
- 25% back on in-flight purchases
If you can’t justify the $199 annual fee of the Southwest® Rapid Rewards® Performance Business Credit Card, perhaps the $99 annual fee on the Southwest® Rapid Rewards® Premier Business Credit Card may be a better fit for your small business. It comes with a lower earning rate and lacks airline perks like in-flight Wi-Fi credits. However, it still offers decent point earnings, including 3X points on Southwest purchases and 6,000 points each year on your card anniversary.
Want to consolidate debt without restricting your travel? This card doubles as a balance transfer card and cardholders will earn 1 point per dollar on the first $15,000 in balance transfers in the first 90 days from opening a Southwest® Rapid Rewards® Premier Business Credit Card.
Alternative credit card recommendation: The Chase Trifecta
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- First year value: $2,740 ?
- Second year value: $740 ?
If your goal is to maximize the number of Southwest points that you have, you could also consider signing up for the Chase trifecta. The Chase Trifecta consists of three Chase Ultimate Rewards® cards: the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card or the Chase Sapphire Reserve®, Chase Freedom Flex℠ and Chase Freedom Unlimited®. These three cards offer better earning rates in more categories and a much better set of travel benefits. With the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card or the Chase Sapphire Reserve®, you can transfer your points 1:1 to Southwest Airlines if you want, or you can use one of Chase's other hotel or airline transfer partners. This can net you a much higher average value for your points (around 2 cents per point by our estimates) as well as the ability to redeem points for premium cabins and international travel.
You can sign up for all three of these Chase cards in the same year to earn all the sign-up bonuses and benefits at once.
Is a Southwest credit card worth it?
The Southwest credit cards can be worth their annual fees if you travel on Southwest at least a few times a year. However, there are other travel credit cards that can offer better travel perks. There are two main reasons to consider applying for a Chase Southwest card:
1. Earning a Southwest sign-up bonus
The Southwest credit cards often offer large sign-up bonuses, which can be a good incentive to sign up. Note that the bonuses on these cards frequently fluctuate, so you'll want to monitor and time your application for when the bonuses are elevated.
What is Chase 5/24? The 5/24 rule is an unwritten but well-documented rule from Chase that says that if you have applied for five or more credit cards (from any issuer) in the past 24 months, you're unlikely to be approved for a Chase credit card. So if you're looking to apply for a Southwest credit card, you'll want to pay attention to how many credit cards you've opened recently.
2. Earning the Southwest Companion Pass
One of the best perks of flying Southwest is the Southwest Companion Pass. The Companion Pass allows you to designate a travel companion who can fly with you for free (only paying taxes and fees) on any Southwest flight for up to two years. In 2023, you can earn the Companion Pass by flying 100 one-way qualifying flights or earning 135,000 points. The points you earn from the Southwest credit cards (including the sign-up bonus) count as qualifying points for the Companion Pass. So signing up for a Southwest credit card can get you a good way toward the points you'll need to earn the Southwest Companion Pass.
Most of the personal Southwest credit cards have a restriction where you can't earn the sign-up bonus if you're a current cardholder of ANY of the personal Southwest credit cards. However you can sign up for both a personal and a business Southwest credit card in the same year and earn both cards' sign-up bonuses. This may give you all the points you need to earn the Southwest Companion Pass.
Southwest credit cards vs. general travel cards
While a Southwest credit card may be the right option for frequent Southwest flyers or travelers looking to earn the valuable Southwest Companion Pass, a general travel card may be the best option for most travelers. General travel cards (such as the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card) often offer higher earnings rates in more categories, better perks and more flexibility in redeeming rewards. As you can see from the comparison below, the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card might be able to provide you a higher rewards value and better benefits. If you're not focused on earning the Southwest Companion Pass, you may want to look at another rewards credit card.
|  | |
|---|---|---|
| Earning rate | Receive 6,000 anniversary points each year. Enjoy benefits including 3X points on Southwest® purchases, 2X points on local transit and commuting, including rideshare, 2X points on internet, cable, and phone services, and select streaming, 2 EarlyBird Check-In® each year, and more. | 5x on travel purchased through Chase Ultimate Rewards®, 3x on dining and 2x on all other travel purchases |
| Annual bonus | 6,000 | N/A |
| Points earned on $2,000 Southwest flights | 6,000 | 4,000 |
| Points earned on $2,000 dining | 2,000 | 6,000 |
| Points earned on $14,000 other purchases | 14,000 | 14,000 |
| Total points earned | 28,000 | 24,000 |
| Redemption options | Southwest airfare | Chase Ultimate Rewards® travel for 25% more value, cash back for 1 cent per point, transfer to 13 travel partners, including Southwest |
| Average point value | 1.4 cents | 2 cents |
| Value of rewards | $392 | $480 |
| Annual fee | $99 | $95 |
| Rewards value | $293 | $385 |
| Other benefits |
|
|
Other good cards for Southwest Airlines
Which Southwest credit card should you choose?
If you're looking to earn Southwest Rapid Rewards points, you might be wondering which Southwest credit card you should choose. Since the sign-up bonuses on the three consumer cards are the same, it mainly comes down to point earnings and a few key benefits in picking the best consumer card. In most cases, the Southwest Rapid Rewards® Priority Credit Card offers the best value.
As you can see from the chart below, the increased annual benefits will offset the higher annual fee. However, depending on how much you value the EarlyBird Check-Ins, upgraded boarding and Southwest points, you may find a different Southwest card is right for you.
Southwest credit card benefits vs. annual fee
| Benefits |
|
|
|
| Value of benefits | $72 | $120 | $300 |
| Annual fee | $69 | $99 | $149 |
| Value minus annual fee | $2 | $21 | $151 |
How to choose a Southwest credit card
Since the sign-up bonus is often the same across all of the Southwest consumer cards, the choice usually comes down to comparing a few key benefits:
One of the things you'll want to look at is considering which perks, including the annual bonus, you are likely to use. If you assign a dollar amount to each benefit, you can easily compare the total value of the benefits you'll receive against the annual fee. The chart above shows one sample benefit valuation, which you can adjust based on your own preferences. In our sample valuation, the Southwest Rapid Rewards® Priority Credit Card came out as the best consumer card option when comparing the perks to each card's annual fee.
Another factor to consider is how many Rapid Rewards points you will earn from your everyday spending. The Southwest Rapid Rewards® Premier Credit Card and Southwest Rapid Rewards® Priority Credit Card have the highest earning rates on Southwest purchases, which make them a better choice for buying flights. Another factor is that the two Southwest business cards have additional bonus categories. Look at the earning categories on the different cards and compare that to your own spending patterns to find which card will earn you the most points.
A-List is Southwest’s elite status program. If you fly Southwest enough to potentially earn A-List status, you should consider getting a Southwest credit card to help you toward qualifying. The two levels of A-List status are:
- A-List: 25 one-way flights or 35,000 Tier Qualifying Points (TQP)
- A-List Preferred: 50 one-way flights or 70,000 Tier Qualifying Points (TQP)
Four Southwest credit cards offer cardholders a way to earn Tier Qualifying Points through spending. Cardholders earn 1,500 TQP for every $10,000 in purchases made on the following cards, with no cap on the amount of TQPs earned:
You can earn a total of 15,000 TQP through credit card spending — but that doesn’t even get you halfway to A-List status. So, you should only consider this way of earning Tier Qualifying Points if you plan to earn plenty of TQP through flying Southwest.
If you’re making purchases overseas, foreign transaction fees can really add to the total cost of your trip. Thankfully, there are plenty of cards that don’t charge foreign transaction fees, including almost all of the Southwest co-branded credit cards.
Only the Southwest Rapid Rewards® Plus Credit Card charges a 3% of each transaction in U.S. dollars foreign transaction fee, so you’ll want to avoid this option if you plan to use your Southwest points-earning card for overseas purchases.
All Southwest credit cards offer solid travel protections through Visa. These include:
- Auto Rental Collision Damage Waiver (personal cards): Secondary in the U.S., primary in international destinations
- Auto Rental Collision Damage Waiver (business cards): Primary for business-related purposes
- Roadside dispatch
- Lost luggage replacement
- Baggage delay insurance
- Travel accident insurance
You’ll find even better travel protections on the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card. In addition to these benefits, the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card provides Trip Cancellation/Interruption Insurance and Trip Delay Reimbursement, not to mention a primary Auto Rental Collision Damage Waiver.
How much are Southwest points worth?
Southwest Rapid Rewards points are worth around 1.4 cents per point when redeemed for Southwest reward flights.
However, the Southwest points value varies due to taxes and fees. Most flight redemptions provide between 1.4 and 1.6 cents per point in value.
The number of Rapid Rewards points required for a flight varies depending on the base fare of the flight and the type of fare, but it typically hovers around 83 points per dollar of base fare.
Example: Let’s take a flight from Los Angeles (LAX) to Las Vegas (LAS) on June 3, 2023 that costs $118.98. After subtracting $21.88 in taxes and fees, the base fare is $97.10:
To book this flight with points, you’ll need to pay 8,060 Rapid Rewards points (83 points per $1 of base fare) plus $5.60 of taxes/fees.
After factoring in the taxes/fees on the reward flight, booking a reward flight saves you $113.38 of out-of-pocket cost. That’s a value of $1.41 cents per point for this redemption.
To calculate the value of your Rapid Rewards points, use this simple equation:
Point value for fare = Cash price (minus taxes and fees) / Number of points needed for fare
How to use a Southwest credit card
Southwest lets flyers save credit card information in their Rapid Rewards account for ease in purchasing flights.
Chase credit cards can be added to mobile wallets such as Google Pay, Apple Pay or Samsung Pay. This is a great way to still use your Southwest credit card even if you happen to forget your purse or wallet.
This may seem obvious, but it’s important to keep in mind that credit card perks are only valuable when used. The Southwest® Rapid Rewards® Performance Business Credit Card may offer up to $2,920 in reimbursements for in-flight Wi-Fi purchases, but if you rarely use this perk, it’s not worth much to you.
Frequently asked questions
Southwest credit cards require an Excellent/Good credit score, which means you need a credit score of at least 680 to qualify for a card.
You can only have one personal Southwest card at once. Chase won’t approve you for a new personal Southwest credit card if you are a current cardholder of a personal Southwest card, or a previous cardholder who’s received a new bonus in the last 24 months. Chase will approve dual ownership of a Southwest business and consumer card.
The easiest way to cancel a Southwest credit card is by calling the customer service number on the back of your credit card. The good news is that you won't lose your Southwest Rapid Rewards points if you cancel your Southwest credit card. Those points will still be in your Southwest account, even if you call Chase to cancel your Southwest credit card.
While Chase does not typically give you your card number upon a successful application, you may still be able to use your Southwest card before it arrives. Chase does have a program called Spend Instantly, where you can add a Chase credit card to a digital payment network (like Apple Pay or Google Pay). You can set that up in the Chase mobile app.
There is not a way to upgrade a Southwest credit card online. Instead, you will need to call the customer service number on the back of your credit card. Keep in mind that in most instances you will not get any bonus points or sign-up bonus for upgrading a card. It may be better to cancel your current Southwest credit card and apply for a new one directly instead.
You can earn 2X-3X points on some travel and transit purchases depending on the card and 1 point per dollar on other purchases.
You have a few different options when you are trying to apply for a credit card. One option is to apply for a card using the links on this page. You can also apply directly on Chase's website. No matter how you apply, make sure that you are getting the best offer currently available before you apply.
You can use your Southwest credit card anywhere Visa is accepted. However, note that the Southwest Rapid Rewards® Plus Credit Card charges foreign transaction fees — so while you could use the Southwest Rapid Rewards® Plus Credit Card when traveling internationally, you’ll incur foreign transaction fees when doing so.
All of the Southwest credit cards are issued by Chase, and Chase typically does not use only one credit bureau. Depending on your location and any number of other factors, you may have your credit pulled from any of the major credit bureaus when you apply for a Southwest credit card.
The Southwest® Rapid Rewards® Performance Business Credit Card is the only Southwest credit card that pays for Global Entry. If you have the Southwest® Rapid Rewards® Performance Business Credit Card, you'll get a statement credit of up to $100 every four years as a reimbursement for the application fee for Global Entry, TSA PreCheck or NEXUS. The other Southwest credit cards do not offer this reimbursement for Global Entry or TSA Pre.
Recap: Best Southwest credit cards
- Winner: Southwest Rapid Rewards® Priority Credit Card
- Low annual fee: Southwest Rapid Rewards® Plus Credit Card
- Mid-range annual fee (co-branded): Southwest Rapid Rewards® Premier Credit Card
- Business: Southwest® Rapid Rewards® Performance Business Credit Card
- Business low annual fee: Southwest® Rapid Rewards® Premier Business Credit Card
Methodology: How we chose the best Southwest credit cards
To make choosing the right card easier, we've looked at credit cards reviewed on ValuePenguin as well as cards on major issuer sites to compile a list of the best rewards credit cards available right now. Our recommendations are based on the additional value you can earn with the cards — including the rewards value, cost of ownership and value of benefits such as travel and purchase protections, lounge membership and airline companion passes. Our choices are not influenced by our advertisers. Learn more on how we calculate rewards.
The information related to Southwest Rapid Rewards® Priority Credit Card, Southwest Rapid Rewards® Plus Credit Card and Southwest Rapid Rewards® Premier Credit Card has been independently collected by ValuePenguin and has not been reviewed or provided by the issuer of this card prior to publication.
These responses are not provided or commissioned by the bank advertiser. Responses have not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by the bank advertiser. It is not the bank advertiser's responsibility to ensure all posts and/or questions are answered.
Advertiser Disclosure: The products that appear on this site may be from companies from which ValuePenguin receives compensation. This compensation may impact how and where products appear on this site (including, for example, the order in which they appear). ValuePenguin does not include all financial institutions or all products offered available in the marketplace.
How We Calculate Rewards: ValuePenguin calculates the value of rewards by estimating the dollar value of any points, miles or bonuses earned using the card less any associated annual fees. These estimates here are ValuePenguin's alone, not those of the card issuer, and have not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by the credit card issuer.
Example of how we calculate the rewards rates: When redeemed for travel through Ultimate Rewards, Chase Sapphire Preferred points are worth $0.0125 each. The card awards 2 points on travel and dining and 1 point on everything else. Therefore, we say the card has a 2.5% rewards rate on dining and travel (2 x $0.0125) and a 1.25% rewards rate on everything else (1 x $0.0125).