Best Southwest Rapid Rewards Credit Cards of July 2024

Southwest credit card benefits

Anniversary points

Anniversary points are awarded each calendar year. You don’t have to do anything to qualify for these points other than keep your account open and in good standing. The points are added to your rewards balance sometime after your cardmember anniversary, which is the date you opened your account.

Annual travel credit

The Southwest Rapid Rewards® Priority Credit Card comes with a $75 annual travel credit. You can use the credit to cover travel costs with Southwest.

Earn points towards A-list status

Both business credit cards and the Premier and Priority personal credit cards help you earn points toward an A-list status with Southwest. A-list status lets you access benefits such as priority boarding.

The cards that offer this benefit provide 1,500 tier-qualifying bonus points after you spend $10,000 each year.

Global Entry or TSA PreCheck fee credit

The Performance business credit card includes a $100 credit for TSA PreCheck or Global Entry fee. The other cards on this list don’t currently advertise this benefit.

Upgrade boarding positions

The Performance Business credit card and the Priority personal credit card include a perk that lets you upgrade boardings four times each year for free. Note that you can only do this when the option to upgrade is available, so it isn’t a perk that works for every flight.

EarlyBird Check-In credits

The cards on this list that don’t offer upgraded boarding perks offer EarlyBird Check-In credits. It’s a value of $15 to $25 per flight and helps ensure you’re one of the first to board the plane.

25% discount on in-flight drinks and Wi-Fi

The personal Southwest Rapid Rewards credit cards and the Premier Business card offer a 25% discount on in-flight purchases, including drinks and Wi-Fi. You get this discount in the form of 25% back on your statement.

Path to Companion Pass

Companion Pass is a Southwest perk that lets qualifying individuals choose a companion to fly with them at no additional airfare — but you do have to pay taxes and fees on the companion flight. To access this perk, you need 135,000 points earned in the year or 100 qualifying one-way flights.

The cards on this list offer 10,000 boost points toward the 135,000 points you need before Companion Pass is enabled.

Southwest credit card rewards

Southwest welcome offer

The personal Southwest Rapid Rewards credit cards on this list have the same welcome offer— 50,000 bonus points after spending $1,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening.

That offer changes somewhat frequently but is almost always the same on all personal cards.

▶︎  See our picks: Best credit card sign-up bonuses

Earning points

The best way to earn points with any card on this list is to use it to make purchases with Southwest.

Depending on which card you hold, you’ll earn 2 to 4 points per dollar on those purchases. Every card also provides other ways to earn 2 to 3 points per dollar, and for any purchases that don’t fall into a specific earnings category, you earn 1 point per dollar.

Redeem Rapid Rewards points

You can redeem Rapid Rewards points in a variety of ways. You’ll get the most value from points when you use them to book flights with Southwest Airlines.

You can also use points to:

• Book hotel stays
• Book car rentals
• Access curated events
• Get gift cards or merchandise
• Book flights with other carriers

Who should get a Southwest credit card?

Only consider getting a Southwest-branded credit card if you’re a loyal flyer of Southwest Airlines. These cards can easily help enhance your experience and let you rack up a significant amount of rewards when booking flights.

However, since Southwest already has certain perks like free bags available to everyone, these cards don’t have (or even need to have) that perk. Southwest also doesn’t have any airport lounges, so none of these cards come with lounge access. Overall, these aren’t as perk-heavy as many airline cards, so think about whether it’s worth it to add one to your lineup.

How to choose the best Southwest Airlines credit card

Consider your budget, rewards preferences, credit score and other factors when selecting the right Southwest Airlines card for you.

Some factors to consider include:

1. Annual fee. All cards in the Southwest suite charge an annual fee, but if you want to minimize your cost, the Plus card may be the best choice. However, always look at the value of the benefits you can definitely use with each card to see if they outweigh the annual fee.
2. Travel needs. Individuals who travel frequently and can maximize rewards value may want to opt for the Priority card.
3. Foreign transaction fee. If you like to travel overseas, it’s important to note that the Plus card has a foreign transaction fee, so it wouldn’t be the best card for international travel.
4. Spending habits. Look for a card that aligns rewards with your spending habits. For instance, a business that spends a lot on digital marketing might consider the Performance Business card, as it lets you earn 2x points on search engine and social media marketing expenses.

Apply for a Southwest Airlines credit card

You can apply for any of these airline credit cards online.

You’ll need:

• Your full name
• Your Social Security or Tax ID number
• A physical address
• Some information about your personal or business finances

The cards on this list require at least good credit. Most applicants will know if they’re approved within minutes, but some applicants may go through a longer verification process that can take a few days or weeks.

You can learn more about each of the Southwest Rapid Rewards credit cards through the links below and choose to apply if you think one would be a good fit.

• Southwest Rapid Rewards® Plus Credit Card
• Southwest Rapid Rewards® Priority Credit Card
• Southwest® Rapid Rewards® Performance Business Credit Card
• Southwest® Rapid Rewards® Premier Business Credit Card

Alternatives to Southwest credit cards

If you’re not a frequent flyer or Southwest loyalist — or it doesn’t make sense to fly Southwest given your business or home location — the Rapid Rewards credit cards aren’t a great choice for you. If it makes more sense for you to fly with Delta or United, check out our reviews of Delta Air Lines credit cards and United Airlines credit cards.

As an alternative, you could consider these other rewards credit cards:

• Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card. Earn 5x points on travel booked through Chase Ultimate Rewards and 1 to 3 points per dollar spent on various other expenses. This card also comes with a welcome offer and $200 in partner benefits each calendar year. Learn more with our Chase Sapphire Preferred review.
• Chase Sapphire Reserve®. Earn 1 to 10x points with this card, and enjoy $1,200 in value from partners. You’ll also get a $300 annual travel credit and numerous other perks. The annual fee is $550, so this card is best for those who can maximize points and perks. Learn more with our Chase Sapphire Reserve review.
• Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card. Earn 2 to 10 points per dollar spent with this card and enjoy benefits such as up to a $100 Global Entry or TSA PreCheck credit, $300 travel credit and 10,000 anniversary miles. This card’s annual fee is $395. Learn more about with our Venture X review.
• The Platinum Card® from American Express. Earn 1 to 5x points with this card, which comes with a bevy of benefits, including a $155 Walmart+ credit, up to $200 hotel credit (credits are given as statement credits; 2 night minimum stay required), up to $240 digital entertainment credit (given as statement credits) and up to $300 Equinox credit (given as statement credits). The annual fee is $695 (see rates and fees), but you can easily earn it back with credits and points value. Learn more about this card with our Amex Platinum review.

Note: The information for the Southwest Rapid Rewards Premier Credit Card has been collected independently by LA Times Compare. The card details on this page have not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer.