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VS

Compare the Features and Benefits of Southwest® Rapid Rewards® Premier Business Credit Card and
United Gateway℠ Card

Detailed Comparison Overview

Key Facts
Annual Fee
Avg. Min. Credit Score
APR on purchases
Ongoing APR
Balance transfers fees
Best Multiplier
Avg. Point Value
(Learn More)
Bonus Offer
Rating
Review
Key features
Unique Card Benefits
Extended Warranty
Purchase Protection
Trip Protections
No Foreign Transaction Fees
Primary Car Rental CDW Waiver
Annual Statement Credits
Roadside Assistance
Free Checked Bags
Travel and Emergency Assistance Services
Does Not Report Credit Line to Personal Credit Profile
No Fees for Authorized Users
0% Intro APR on Purchases
Secondary Car Rental CDW Waiver
Concierge Services
Free Access to Credit Score
Annual Fee
$99
Avg. Min. Credit Score
670-850
APR on purchases
-
Ongoing APR
20.49%-27.49% (Variable)
Balance transfers fees
Either $5 or 5% of the amount of each transfer, whichever is greater.
Best Multiplier
3x Airfare

Earn 3X on Southwest flights booked directly; otherwise earn 1X

2x Transit
2x Hotels

Only when booked via the Rapid Rewards portal; Otherwise earn 1X.

2x Car Rentals

Only when booked via the Rapid Rewards portal; Otherwise earn 1X.

1x Everything Else
Avg. Point Value
(Learn More)
$0.014
Bonus Offer
Earn 60,000 points after you spend $3,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening.
Rating
YBCC Card Rate Stars Filled
YBCC Card Rate Stars Empty
(3.9) Our Review

Our ratings are determined by the authors and editors on our team. Each individual card feature is compared against all other cards we offer and the total score is an average of those 4 ratings.

Review

Small business owners that occasionally fly Southwest should consider getting the Southwest Premier Business Credit Card. You’ll get a solid earning rate on Southwest Airlines purchases and select travel purchases, a statement credit for two EarlyBird Check-Ins each card membership year, plus 25% back on inflight purchases.

Get onboard earlier thanks to two EarlyBird Check-In purchases annually.

In addition to the bonus points earned after account opening, cardholders earn points at a rate of 3x Rapid Rewards points on Southwest purchases, 2x points on Southwest Rapid Rewards hotel and car rental partner purchases, local transit, commuting, and ride-hailing services, and 1x Rapid Rewards points on all other purchases.

When you earn points through the Southwest Premier Business Credit Card, they count toward earning the Southwest Companion Pass. Plus you’ll earn 1,500 Tier-Qualifying Points toward A-List status for every $10,000 spent on the card in a calendar year.

You can boost your point earnings by adding employee cards at no additional cost. If you want a unique way to reward your employees, the Southwest Premier Business Card reimburses up to $500 in fees for points transfers.

Earn points that have no blackout dates on Southwest Airlines flights.

When you go to redeem points, Southwest offers a simple rewards structure. You’ll pay between 81 and 83 Rapid Rewards points per dollar of base fare on Southwest flights, valuing the points around 1.4 cents each. While there are no blackout dates, that also means there’s no way of getting more value from your Rapid Rewards points.

Although the Southwest Premier Business Card is a solid card, Southwest frequent travelers should strongly consider getting the Southwest Performance Business Credit Card instead. For a $199 annual fee, you’ll earn higher rewards in several rewards categories: 4x bonus points on Southwest purchases, 3x points on Rapid Rewards hotel and car rental partner purchases, 2x points on social media and search engine advertising, internet, cable, and phone services, and 1x on other purchases. Plus, you’ll get four Upgraded Boardings each year and a Global Entry or TSA PreCheck application fee statement credit.

Lastly, this card is great for getting 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.

Read more
Unique Card Benefits
yes
Extended Warranty
yes
Purchase Protection
yes
Trip Protections
yes
No Foreign Transaction Fees
yes
Primary Car Rental CDW Waiver
yes
Annual Statement Credits
yes
Roadside Assistance
yes
Free Checked Bags
yes
Travel and Emergency Assistance Services
yes
Does Not Report Credit Line to Personal Credit Profile
yes
No Fees for Authorized Users
yes
0% Intro APR on Purchases
no
Secondary Car Rental CDW Waiver
no
Concierge Services
no
Free Access to Credit Score
no
Annual Fee
$0
Avg. Min. Credit Score
670-850
APR on purchases
0% Intro APR (on purchases for 12 months, 20.99%-27.99% thereafter)
Ongoing APR
20.99%-27.99% (Variable)
Balance transfers fees
Either $5 or 5% of the amount of each transfer, whichever is greater.
Best Multiplier
2x Airfare

Applies only to United purchases. Otherwise, earn 1X

2x Transit
2x Gas Stations
1x Everything Else
Avg. Point Value
(Learn More)
$0.012
Bonus Offer
Earn 30,000 United MileagePlus® Miles after spending $1,000 on qualifying purchases in the first three months of opening an account, plus 0% APR on purchases within the first twelve months.
Rating
YBCC Card Rate Stars Filled
YBCC Card Rate Stars Empty
(3.75) Our Review

Our ratings are determined by the authors and editors on our team. Each individual card feature is compared against all other cards we offer and the total score is an average of those 4 ratings.

Review

The United Gateway card does a solid job of providing enough benefits to make you wonder if it will be sufficient, vs investing $95 or more on one of the other Chase United credit cards since this is the only one with no annual fee.

The answer will depend on you.

If you fly several times a year and check a bag each time, then you’ll come out ahead paying the $95 annual fee on the United℠ Explorer Card since you’ll get free checked bags (one for you and a companion on the same itinerary) every time you pay with your card on a domestic flight. You also won’t get priority boarding with the Gateway card.

However, if you are on “Team Carry-On Only,” then this card provides many of the same benefits, including the benefit that gives you access to expanded Saver economy coach availability just like a United Silver Premier member. However, unlike all of the other United cards, you won’t be entitled to upgrades on award tickets.

Additionally, you won’t have any opportunities to earn PQPs from spending on this card whereas all the other United cards do offer that benefit.

Lastly, you might do better with a card like the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card if you aren’t using the checked bag benefit or the expanded award availability benefit. That’s because you’ll have more opportunities to earn points from spend on the Sapphire Preferred, and while you can transfer those points right over to United, you can also take advantage of all of the other Chase Ultimate Rewards airline and hotel transfer partners.

united-gateway-card

In the end, it depends on you if this is a good card for you, or if another similar card might be better.

Read more
Unique Card Benefits
yes
Extended Warranty
yes
Purchase Protection
yes
Trip Protections
yes
No Foreign Transaction Fees
yes
Primary Car Rental CDW Waiver
no
Annual Statement Credits
no
Roadside Assistance
no
Free Checked Bags
no
Travel and Emergency Assistance Services
no
Does Not Report Credit Line to Personal Credit Profile
no
No Fees for Authorized Users
no
0% Intro APR on Purchases
yes
Secondary Car Rental CDW Waiver
yes
Concierge Services
yes
Free Access to Credit Score
yes

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