Compare the Features and Benefits of Southwest Rapid Rewards® Premier Credit Card and
Capital One Quicksilver Student Cash Rewards Credit Card

The Southwest Premier credit card is Southwest’s mid-tier personal card. It balances offering some perks while still charging less than a $100 annual fee.

Cardholders will be reimbursed for up to two EarlyBird Check-In purchases each year, get 25% back on inflight purchases on Southwest Airlines, plus get 6,000 bonus points each card anniversary.

The Southwest Premier Card offers some of the broadest spending bonus categories of any card with an annual fee under $100. Cardholders will earn 3x points on Southwest purchases and 2x points on Southwest Rapid Rewards hotel and car partners; local transit, commuting, rideshare; internet, cable, phone services, and select streaming services.

Points earned count toward earning the Southwest Companion Pass. Plus, primary cardholders earn 1,500 Tier Qualifying Points toward A-List Preferred Status for every $10,000 spent on the card each year.

The Southwest Premier Card doesn’t charge foreign transaction fees, unlike the Southwest Plus Card. Add in the higher earning rate on Southwest purchases, higher anniversary bonus, and ability to earn Tier Qualifying Points toward A-List Preferred Status, and the Premier Card easily justifies its $30 higher annual fee.

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

As far as student credit cards go, the Capital One Quicksilver Student Cash Rewards Credit Card is an easy choice since no student card offers a flat cash back rate that is higher.

With 1.5% cash back on everything, you’re both building your credit (so you can step up to credit cards with richer rewards after you graduate, and earning a nice return on your credit card spend.

Plus, you’ll get a small cash bonus when you meet the terms of the Early Spend Bonus with your new Quicksilver Student card.

Importantly, there’s no annual fee and this is not a secured credit card.

And you do have the opportunity to earn 5% cash back on hotels and rental card booked via Capital One Travel.

All around, it’s a pretty solid student credit card!