Compare the Features and Benefits of Southwest® Rapid Rewards® Performance Business Credit Card and
Chase Ink Business Premier℠ Credit Card

The Southwest Rapid Rewards Performance Business Credit Card should be the go-to card for Southwest frequent travelers that own a small business. Don’t let the $199 annual fee scare you off. This card comes packed with perks that can easily justify that fee.

Southwest-specific perks include four Upgraded Boardings each year, virtually unlimited inflight WiFi passes, and the ability to spend toward A-List status. Plus cardholders get premium travel perks like a Global Entry or TSA PreCheck application fee statement credit.

Cardholders earn 4x Rapid Rewards points on Southwest Airlines purchases. That’s a higher rewards earning rate on Southwest purchases than you’ll find on any other Southwest credit card. Plus you’ll earn 3x points on Rapid Rewards hotel and car rental partners.

However, this card doesn’t just reward travel purchases. Cardholders earn 2x Southwest Rapid Rewards points on a wide range of purchases, including social media and search engine advertising; internet, cable, and phone services; transit and commuting, including ride-hailing services. Earn points on all other purchases at a rate of 1 Rapid Rewards point per dollar spent.

Cardholders will earn 1,500 tier qualifying points toward A-List status for every $5,000 spent on purchases annually. While you probably don’t want to put that much spending on the card, you can conceivably spend all the way to A-List Preferred status by spending $470,000 on the card in a calendar year.

The only real downside to this card is the limited redemption options. The best way to redeem Rapid Rewards points is for Southwest flights. And since the Rapid Rewards structure is a fixed-value program, you won’t get more value from some flights than others. The good news is that means there are no blackout dates when you want to redeem points.

You can add employee cards for no additional cost, meaning you can be rewarded for employee spending. The card also offers up to a $500 statement credit for points transfers. That means you can transfer points to employees without additional cost.

Lastly, this card is great for getting more than halfway 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.

The Ink Business Premier credit card from Chase fits a specific target audience.

The businesses best suited for this card spend a very high amount monthly and want to simplify their spending. Especially if you have frequent charges over $5,000, that annual fee is paid for many times over by the extra 1/2 percent earned in cash back.

While it’s easy to get caught up in miles and points, if you are spending and earning more points than you can realistically spend, it’s not at all a bad idea.

However, if you want to earn transferable points, you would be better served by a Capital One Spark Cash Select. Alone, the Spark Cash is also just straight cash, but if you have a Venture, Venture X, or Spark Miles for Business card, you can convert the cash to miles.

If that’s not a concern, then the Chase Ink Business Premier is easily the very best business charge card out there. No other credit card or charge card will get you more cash back on purchases.

Many small business owners spend a ton on inventory monthly and could be earning huge amounts of cashback, but don’t have time to learn about miles and points. This business card is perfect for those small business owners. If purchases tend to be large purchases over $5,000 (which earn 2.5%) it becomes even better.