Compare the Features and Benefits of Southwest® Rapid Rewards® Performance Business Credit Card and
Marriott Bonvoy Bevy™ American Express® 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.

If you’re on the hunt for a Marriott credit card, the Marriott Bonvoy Bevy American Express Card is a relatively newcomer to the family of Marriott cards. Issued by American Express, this card debuted in 2022 and offers a middle ground for Marriott loyalists who are looking for solid perks without paying up an annual fee as high as $700, as with some other premium cards.

Instead, the Marriott Bonvoy Bevy card comes with a $250 annual fee. And with that, you’ll get automatic Gold elite status just by being a cardholder. Normally requiring 25 elite nights per night, carrying the Marriott Bonvoy Bevy card is one of the ways to bypass this threshold. As such, you’ll get 2 p.m. late checkout (based on availability), 25% bonus points at Marriott properties, and enhanced room upgrades upon availability. However, even Gold elite status leaves a bit to be desired, as it doesn’t come with complimentary breakfast, suite upgrades, or a guaranteed late checkout benefit.

Outside of elite status, the Bevy card offers 1,000 bonus points per paid eligible stay at properties participating in Marriott Bonvoy and earns 6x bonus points per dollar on eligible Marriott Bonvoy hotels. You can also earn 4x bonus points per dollar on restaurants worldwide (including takeout and delivery in the U.S.) and U.S. supermarkets, on up to the first $15,000 spent per year combined. That’s a potential of earning 60,000 bonus points on those two bonus categories alone, and you’ll earn 2x points after this limit and all other eligible purchases.

Another incentive to keep the card and pay the ongoing annual fees is the potential to earn a free night award, with a redemption value of up to 50,000 points. This certificate is actually much better than the one that comes on the Marriott Bonvoy Boundless Credit Card, as its redemption value is capped at 35,000 points per night. Unfortunately, the major downside is that you have to spend at least $15,000 on the card per year to earn it, which breaks down to $1,250 in monthly spending.

In estimated monetary value, we calculate that Marriott Bonvoy points are worth about 0.6 cents each. That means you can achieve around $300 in value from the Bevy free night award if you can meet the spending requirements, which can easily wipe out the $250 annual fee before considering all the other perks.

Lastly, the Marriott Bonvoy Bevy American Express card makes for a solid travel card with no foreign transaction fees (see rates & fees), trip delay reimbursement, baggage insurance and more. However, you may want to look for a credit card with primary rental car insurance, as the Bevy only provides secondary coverage for theft and damage.

Rates and fees for the Marriott Bonvoy Bevy™ American Express® Card