Which Southwest Credit Card is Right for You?

Yesterday, Chase and Southwest Airlines shared big news about a brand new credit card offering: the Southwest Rapid Rewards Priority Credit Card. Southwest and Chase have partnered for a long time to offer two personal consumer credit cards: the Southwest Rapid Rewards Premier Credit Card and the Southwest Rapid Rewards Plus Credit Card. Even with this new Southwest credit card on the market, those two other cards are not going away – at least not yet.

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My husband and I have had a Southwest credit card or two in our wallets for the better part of a decade. We have used the benefits for a lot of free travel. So, with three Southwest personal credit card choices now available, which one should you get if you are in the market for a new travel rewards credit card?

Here are my best tips for selecting the right Southwest credit card for you, so you can fly free on Southwest with your kids (or without!) on your next travel adventure.

Should You Get Any Southwest Credit Card?

Before we get to the breakdown of the individual card offerings, it’s always smart to talk about who should – and shouldn’t – be looking at Southwest credit cards at all.

Don’t Get a Southwest Card If….

If you don’t live near an airport served by Southwest, chances are probably good that a card won’t be a fit for you. Southwest’s coverage map has expanded considerably in the past few years, however, so take a peek to see if airports have been added that you didn’t know about.

If you fly mostly overseas, Southwest probably isn’t going to be a major draw for you either. Many travelers still don’t know that Southwest does now fly internationally. These flights, however, are mostly to the Caribbean, Mexico, and Central American destinations. There’s simply no way to get to Europe or Asia or even Canada yet with your Southwest Rapid Rewards points.

Finally, don’t get a Southwest credit card if you aren’t paying your credit card balances in full each and every month. Travel rewards cards of any type are not good fits for anyone who carries a balance – the rewards are cancelled out (and then some) by the high interest rates. Don’t go further into debt over a few airline miles.

Do Consider a Southwest Card If…

If you travel a few times a year domestically and have the usual limitations that most regular folks with jobs and kids in school do, chances are a Southwest card is right for you.

In fact, I think Southwest points are some of the most valuable currencies for traveling families and real people. Why? Their flexibility. So many other airlines have serious capacity controls on their award seats. When you are looking for three or four or more seats to fly to see grandma at Christmas time, it’s not likely a family can use miles for what they want.

On Southwest, however, there are no blackouts on award seats. If there is a seat on the plane available, it can be purchased with Rapid Rewards points. Of course, you’ll pay more in points for more expensive fares. But using your points on Southwest is imminently doable the vast majority of the time with a little pre-planning.

Additionally, if you aren’t a big spender but want a travel rewards card with a solid signup bonus, I think Southwest cards are an excellent choice. A lot of regular people aren’t comfortable spending $3000-$5000 in 3 months required to get many credit card sign up bonuses. All the Southwest cards currently have a minimum spend of only $1000 in 3 months. That is much more within reach for many families without irresponsible overspending.

Finally, for those of you just looking to build up your Southwest Rapid Rewards point balance in anticipation of Southwest flying to Hawaii, a new credit card is surely the quickest way to get to that mai tai quicker. Priorities, people!

Comparing the Three Current Southwest Credit Cards

So, on to the three specific card offerings to choose from.

Southwest Rapid Rewards Priority Credit Card

The brand new Southwest Rapid Rewards Priority Credit Card is the closest to a premium card that Southwest and Chase have ever offered. The card has a higher annual fee but comes with more perks that may more than cancel that fee out for folks who fly Southwest even occasionally.

The salient points about the Southwest Rapid Rewards Priority Credit Card to keep in mind:

$149 annual fee
Signup bonus:
- Earn 40,000 points for spending spend $1,000 in the first 3 months from account opening.
- Earn an additional 25,000 points for spending spend a total of $15,000 within the first year from account opening.
- (Current Southwest credit card holders OR anyone who has received a signup bonus for any Southwest personal credit card in the last 24 months are not eligible)
Earning for spending:
- Earn 2 points per $1 spent on Southwest and Rapid Rewards hotel and car rental partner purchases.
- Earn 1 point per $1 spent on all other purchases.
Annual renewal: Earn 7,500 anniversary points each year.
$75 Southwest annual travel credit.
Four Upgraded Boardings per year.
20% back on in-flight purchases (drinks, WiFi, movies)
No foreign transaction fees.
Earn tier qualifying points towards A-list Status.

Southwest Rapid Rewards Premier Credit Card

Key points to keep in mind for the Southwest Rapid Rewards Premier Credit Card card:

$99 annual fee
Signup bonus:
- Earn 40,000 points for spending spend $1,000 in the first 3 months from account opening.
- (Current Southwest credit card holders OR anyone who has received a signup bonus for any Southwest personal credit card in the last 24 months are not eligible)
Earning for spending:
- Earn 2 points per $1 spent on Southwest and Rapid Rewards hotel and car rental partner purchases.
- Earn 1 point per $1 spent on all other purchases.
Annual renewal: Earn 6,000 anniversary points each year.
No foreign transaction fees.
Earn tier qualifying points towards A-list Status.

Southwest Rapid Rewards Plus Credit Card

And finally the Southwest Rapid Rewards Plus Credit Card card:

$69 annual fee
Signup bonus:
- Earn 40,000 points for spending spend $1,000 in the first 3 months from account opening.
- (Current Southwest credit card holders OR anyone who has received a signup bonus for any Southwest personal credit card in the last 24 months are not eligible)
Earning for spending:
- Earn 2 points per $1 spent on Southwest and Rapid Rewards hotel and car rental partner purchases.
- Earn 1 point per $1 spent on all other purchases.
Annual renewal: Earn 3,000 anniversary points each year.

Priority vs. Premier vs. Plus

That’s a lot to digest, so I – of course – made a handy chart so you can compare the benefits of all three Southwest cards side-by-side.

Which Southwest Card Do I Recommend for New Customers?

What’s my advice? If I had never had a Southwest credit card at this very moment, I would undoubtedly choose the new Southwest Rapid Rewards Priority Credit Card. But that’s based on my family’s travel patterns. We fly Southwest at least every other month, so we can make use of the Southwest travel credit and upgraded boardings. I also routinely purchase WiFi on all those flights, so the 20% savings add up.

If you are a family who is simply looking to add to your points balance in anticipation of a single big trip, however, those benefits might not be as valuable. In that case, I’d probably recommend the card with the lowest annual fee – the Southwest Rapid Rewards Plus Credit Card. (Use my refer-a-friend link for the Plus here while it lasts…)

I can’t really make a case for the Southwest Rapid Rewards Premier Credit Card any more for new signups. It’s simply too close in price to the Priority card ($149 vs. $99). Assuming you can use only the Priority card’s $75 Southwest travel credit and no other benefits, you come out ahead with the Priority. I wouldn’t be surprised if the Premier card goes away in awhile if the Priority card proves to be a success.

Is it Worth Upgrading an Existing Card to the Southwest Rapid Rewards Priority Credit Card?

If you are like me and are a regular Southwest flyer, chances are pretty good that you already have a Southwest credit card of some type. I currently hold the Plus card (in addition to a Business Premier card). My husband had the personal version of the Premier up until recently.

Because I’m a currently a cardholder, I’m not eligible for the new Priority card signup bonus. Luckily, it looks like Chase is going to make many current cardholders an upgrade offer. Reports are already coming in of emails to existing cardholders offering 5000 Rapid Rewards points to make the switch. There may be more such offers coming. It also never hurts to give Chase a call to see if they are willing to make an upgrade offer over the phone, even if you were not targeted.

Assuming I can get one of these offers, I’m about 95% sure I’ll upgrade to the new Priority card. I received my last Southwest signup bonus from Southwest this January, so it is another 18 months until I’d be eligible again. There’s no reason to hold out that long for a better card just for a signup bonus.

If you are getting close to the 24 month mark since you’ve last received a Southwest credit card signup bonus, however, I’d recommend not upgrading your current card. Wait until you are eligible again. Keep an eye on the signup bonuses which do change fairly regularly to make sure you get the best offer (the current signup bonus for the Priority card is only available until August 23, 2018).

What About the Southwest Business Card?

All the cards mentioned so far in this post are personal consumer credit cards. Southwest’s business credit card offering is unchanged. There is still a Southwest Rapid Rewards Premier Business card out there for those of you who – like me – own a business of your own. The offer and terms are currently quite similar to the personal Premier card offer so I’d give this one a look if you are in the market for a business card.

And remember – if you are eligible for a business card as well as a personal card, getting both is a pretty easy path to qualifying for a Southwest Companion pass.

Disclosure: I’m a paid #SouthwestStorytellers ambassador for Southwest Airlines in 2018. This particular post, however, is not written in conjunction with that partnership and is not endorsed or approved by Southwest Airlines.

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Which Southwest Credit Card is Right for You?