Compare the Features and Benefits of Citi Prestige and
Southwest Rapid Rewards® Priority Credit Card

Although it has a hefty $495 annual fee, power users can find good rewards.

Citi Prestige Benefits

• Get the 4th night free on hotel bookings of 4 or more consecutive nights made through the Citi travel center – capped at 2x per calendar. Note that all bookings must be made online and will not qualify for most hotel loyalty program’s elite benefits or points earning. The Citi portal is now powered by Booking.com
• You will also get a $250 travel credit every calendar year (super easy to use and automatically applied against all travel charges) and Priority Pass airport lounge access, with full access to Priority Pass Experiences like airport dining.
• Cell phone protection: The Citi Prestige offers up to $1,000 per claim with up to 2 claims per year. Max is $1,500 in a 12-month period with a $50 deductible per claim.

Because of the high annual fee, if you won’t take advantage of the 4th night free benefit, the Citi Premier card is likely a better card for you if your goal is to earn Citi ThankYou points.

This card is no longer available to new applicants. There is not currently a replacement but one is rumored. 

Although the Southwest Priority Card charges the highest annual fee of any of the personal Southwest credit cards, we argue that it should be the go-to card for frequent Southwest flyers. That’s because the perks of this Southwest credit card easily justify the $149 annual fee.

Cardholders get four Upgraded Boardings each year, a $75 Southwest annual travel credit, 7,500 bonus points every cardmember anniversary (worth $105), and 25% back on inflight purchases. If you fly Southwest just a couple of times per year, these perks should easily save more than the $149 annual fee.

In addition to the sign-up bonus, cardholders earn 3x points on Southwest purchases and 2x points on Rapid Rewards hotel and car rental partner purchases, local transit, commuting, and rideshare. In addition to those travel purchases, cardholders also earn 2x points on internet, cable, phone services, and select streaming services. All other purchases earn 1x points.

All points earned count toward earning the Southwest Companion Pass. Plus, cardholders will earn 1,500 Tier Qualifying Points toward A-List and A-List Preferred Status for every $5,000 spent per year. And you don’t need to worry about foreign transaction fees with the Southwest Priority Card.

The only downside to Southwest Airlines credit cards is that Rapid Rewards points are only valuable for flying Southwest. If you want to earn flexible points, consider a credit card that earns Chase Ultimate Rewards points, such as the Chase Sapphire Preferred Card. Chase Ultimate Rewards points transfer to the Southwest Rapid Rewards program, so you’ll still be able to top off your Rapid Rewards account when you need points for your next redemption, but you can also transfer them to any of Chase’s other airline or hotel transfer partners.

Lastly, this card is great for getting a good chunk of the way to a Southwest Companion Pass with the bonus offer. Read our guide on earning a Southwest Companion Pass for up to two years via new account bonuses.