Southwest Priority Card Review: Pay More, Get More
The Bottom Line
4.2
If you're a hardcore Southwest flyer, this is the best choice among the airline's three consumer cards, even with its higher fee. But if you spread your business around to multiple airlines, consider a general travel card instead.
Rates, fees and offers
Annual fee
$149
Rewards rate
1x-3x
Bonus offer
Earn a $400 statement credit and 40,000 bonus points after spending $3,000 on purchases in the first 4 months from account opening.
Intro APR
N/A
Ongoing APR
APR: 20.99%-27.99% Variable APR
Cash Advance APR: 29.74%, Variable
Penalty APR: Up to 29.99%
Balance transfer fee
Either $5 or 5% of the amount of each balance transfer, whichever is greater.
Foreign transaction fee
$0
More details from Chase
- Earn a $400 statement credit and 40,000 bonus points after spending $3,000 on purchases in the first 4 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; select streaming.
- $75 Southwest® travel credit each year.
- No foreign transaction fees.
- Member FDIC
Pros and Cons
Pros
Anniversary perk
No reward caps
Cons
High annual fee
Rewards have limited flexibility
Detailed Review
The Southwest Rapid Rewards® Priority Credit Card is the most expensive of Southwest Airlines' consumer credit cards, but its significantly higher annual fee doesn't get you significantly better rewards or a bigger sign-up bonus. Instead, it unlocks a suite of potentially valuable benefits, making it the best card of the bunch for hardcore Southwest travelers.
Unlike with other airlines' top-of-the-line cards, you won't get airport lounge access, priority boarding on every flight or other high-end travel perks. Still, if Southwest is your preferred airline, the Southwest Rapid Rewards® Priority Credit Card offers valuable benefits that can easily make up for the cost of carrying it.
Southwest Rapid Rewards® Priority Credit Card: Basics
Card type: Airline.
Annual fee: $149.
Sign-up bonus: Earn a $400 statement credit and 40,000 bonus points after spending $3,000 on purchases in the first 4 months from account opening.
Rewards:
3 points per dollar spent on Southwest purchases.
2 points per dollar spent on Rapid Rewards hotel and car rental partner purchases.
2 points per dollar spent on local transit and commuting, including rideshare.
2 points per dollar spent on internet, cable, phone services and select streaming.
1 point per dollar spent on all other purchases.
NerdWallet values Southwest points at 1.5 cents each. This is a baseline value, drawn from real-world data on hundreds of economy routes, not a maximized value. In other words, you should aim for award redemptions that offer 1.5 cents or more in value from your Southwest points.
Elite status booster: Earn 1,500 tier qualifying points for each $5,000 in purchases, with no limit to the amount you can earn.
Interest rate: The ongoing APR is 20.99%-27.99% Variable APR.
Foreign transaction fees: None.
Perks and benefits: 7,500-point annual anniversary bonus; $75 annual Southwest travel credit; credit for up to four upgraded boardings per year (based on availability); 25% back on in-flight purchases.
Travel protections: Baggage delay insurance, lost luggage reimbursement.
Shopping protections: Extended warranty protection, purchase protection.
Compare to Other Cards
Benefits and Perks
Solid sign-up bonus
Earn a $400 statement credit and 40,000 bonus points after spending $3,000 on purchases in the first 4 months from account opening. Note that this is the same sign-up bonus as offered by other, cheaper Southwest consumer cards. But the Southwest Rapid Rewards® Priority Credit Card justifies its higher fee in ways besides the sign-up bonus.
Anniversary bonus
You get an automatic 7,500-point bonus every year you remain a cardholder. You don't have to meet any spending requirement to receive it. Based on NerdWallet's point valuations, the anniversary bonus alone can go a long way toward covering this card's annual fee.
Southwest Airlines credit cards don't offer free checked bags as many airline credit cards do, but your first two checked bags already are free with Southwest.
Priority perks
A handful of additional perks set the Southwest Rapid Rewards® Priority Credit Card apart from the lower-fee cards in the Southwest portfolio.
Annual travel credit: You get $75 a year in statement credit that you can apply toward Southwest purchases, including airfare, pet carrier fees and other day-of-travel purchases. It excludes in-flight purchases and upgraded boardings.
Upgraded boardings. The card credits you for up to four "upgraded boardings" a year, which can save you $30 or more each time. Southwest doesn't have assigned seating. Instead, it has a designated boarding order, and you pick your seat once you get on the plane. The earlier you board, the better your seat selection — and the more likely you are to score overhead bin space for your carry-on. Paying for upgraded boarding lets you jump close to the front of the line (when available).
Savings on in-flight purchases. You get 25% back when you use the card to pay for drinks, Wi-Fi, messaging, movies or other qualifying in-flight services.
No foreign transaction fees
The Southwest Rapid Rewards® Priority Credit Card makes a fine companion for international travel, since it doesn't impose a surcharge on purchases overseas. Southwest flies mostly domestic routes, but it does offer service to Mexico, Central America and the Caribbean. For other international destinations, you can redeem points to book flights with partner airlines through the Southwest More Rewards platform. Regardless of how you get abroad, this card is a fine choice to use once you're there.
Head start on Companion Pass and A-List status
The Southwest Rapid Rewards® Priority Credit Card gives you a boost toward earning Southwest's popular loyalty benefits:
Companion Pass: This pass lets one companion fly with you for free (except for taxes or fees) whenever you purchase or redeem points for a trip. You can get it by earning 135,000 qualifying points in a year. All points earned with the Southwest Rapid Rewards® Priority Credit Card, including sign-up and anniversary bonuses, count toward the pass.
A-List status: This gets you priority check-in, free same-day standby if you want to fly out earlier on the day of your scheduled flight, a 25% points bonus when purchasing eligible Southwest flights, and other benefits. You can qualify for the status by earning 35,000 "tier-qualifying points" in a calendar year. Ordinarily, the only way to earn tier-qualifying points is by actually flying Southwest. But the Southwest Rapid Rewards® Priority Credit Card gives you 1,500 of these points for every $5,000 you spend, with no limit.
A-List Preferred status: This gets you A-List perks, free in-flight Wi-Fi on equipped planes and a 100% points bonus when purchasing eligible Southwest flights (rather than just a 25% bonus). You can qualify for A-List Preferred by earning 70,000 tier-qualifying points in a calendar year; the tier-qualifying points you earn with the Southwest Rapid Rewards® Priority Credit Card apply to this status, too.
With both Companion Pass and A-List/A-List Preferred status, once you earn them, they're good for the rest of the calendar year and the whole next year.
Drawbacks and Considerations
First year's annual fee isn’t waived
Co-branded airline credit cards often waive the annual fee during the first year, but that’s not the case with the Southwest Rapid Rewards® Priority Credit Card.
No luxury benefits
The Southwest Rapid Rewards® Priority Credit Card is the most feature-laden of the Southwest Airlines credit cards, but Southwest is still Southwest — no frills. If you want airport lounge access or credit for a Global Entry or TSA Precheck application fee, you'll have to look elsewhere.
Limited, inflexible spending rewards
The points you earn with the Southwest Rapid Rewards® Priority Credit Card can't be transferred to other airlines or travel partners. If you frequently fly with multiple airlines besides Southwest, consider a general travel rewards card that will offer more redemption flexibility.
Possible alternatives
Southwest Rapid Rewards® Plus Credit Card
If you're a Southwest loyalist but aren't interested in paying such a large annual fee, the Southwest Rapid Rewards® Plus Credit Card could be an option. Its perks are less generous, but it offers the same sign-up bonus and ongoing rewards as the Southwest Rapid Rewards® Priority Credit Card, and you may find its annual fee of $69 more palatable. Be aware that the card does charge a foreign transaction fee. And while it can help you earn Rapid Rewards points, it doesn't earn tier qualifying points.
There's also a third Southwest card — the Southwest Rapid Rewards® Premier Credit Card — that splits the difference.
Here's a look at how all three of the Southwest consumer cards compare:
Empty Table Header | Southwest Rapid Rewards® Priority Credit Card | Southwest Rapid Rewards® Premier Credit Card | Southwest Rapid Rewards® Plus Credit Card |
|---|---|---|---|
Annual fee | $149. | $99. | $69. |
Rewards on Southwest purchases | 3 points per $1 spent. | 3 points per $1 spent. | 2 points per $1 spent. |
Rewards on other spending |
| ||
Sign-up bonus | Earn a $400 statement credit and 40,000 bonus points after spending $3,000 on purchases in the first 4 months from account opening. | Earn a $400 statement credit and 40,000 bonus points after spending $3,000 on purchases in the first 4 months from account opening. | Earn a $400 statement credit and 40,000 bonus points after spending $3,000 on purchases in the first 4 months from account opening. |
Anniversary bonus | Earn 7,500 points automatically after your cardholder anniversary each year. | Earn 6,000 points automatically after your cardholder anniversary each year. | Earn 3,000 points automatically after your cardholder anniversary each year. |
Earns tier qualifying points? | Yes (unlimited). | Yes (unlimited). | No. |
Foreign transaction fees | None. | None. | 3%. |
Boarding perks | 4 upgraded boardings per year when available. | 2 EarlyBird check-ins per year. | 2 EarlyBird check-ins per year. |
Southwest travel credit | $75 per year. | None. | None. |
Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card
Perhaps you like Southwest, but you want a card that offers more flexible rewards. The Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card allows you to transfer your rewards points to multiple hotels and airline partners — one of which happens to be Southwest. You'll earn at least 2 Chase Ultimate Rewards® points per dollar spent on travel (you'll earn a total of 5X points on Lyft rides through March 2022), as well as 3 points back on dining, among other bonus categories. The card has an annual fee of $95, but it offers a hefty sign-up bonus: Earn 60,000 bonus points after you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening.
Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card
Unless you’re strictly loyal to Southwest, the Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card may be a better fit for your wallet if you cherish bargains on airfare and hotels. The card earns 2 miles per $1 spent on purchases, and you can redeem miles for statement credit against any travel purchase. The card also offers an application fee credit for Global Entry or TSA Precheck programs. It comes with a nice bonus offer, too.
If you're interested in seeing how these credit cards compare with the competition, visit NerdWallet's list of best credit cards.
How To Decide If It's Right For You
If you travel frequently with Southwest, the Southwest Rapid Rewards® Priority Credit Card could earn you a pile of valuable rewards and save you some serious money. And its perks, while not as fancy as those found on other travel cards, can still make up for its annual fee.
But if you're not devoted to the airline or you have multiple options when it comes to flying, other co-branded airline credit cards can offer richer ongoing rewards structures, better perks and cheaper annual fees.
And if you're seeking more rewards flexibility, you're better off with a general travel credit card that offers more freedom in how and where you redeem your points.
Earn bonus rewards in categories like travel and at restaurants. Those points are worth 25% more when you redeem them for travel through Chase's portal, and you can also transfer points to partner airlines, including Southwest. Annual fee: $95.
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Methodology
NerdWallet reviews credit cards with an eye toward both the quantitative and qualitative features of a card. Quantitative features are those that boil down to dollars and cents, such as fees, interest rates, rewards (including earning rates and redemption values) and the cash value of benefits and perks. Qualitative factors are those that affect how easy or difficult it is for a typical cardholder to get good value from the card. They include such things as the ease of application, simplicity of the rewards structure, the likelihood of using certain features, and whether a card is well-suited to everyday use or is best reserved for specific purchases. Our star ratings serve as a general gauge of how each card compares with others in its class, but star ratings are intended to be just one consideration when a consumer is choosing a credit card. Learn how NerdWallet rates credit cards.
