The Southwest Rapid Rewards® Priority Credit Card that easily pays for itself each year.

If you don’t mind the somewhat hefty annual fee, the Southwest Priority credit card easily justifies its cost.

Cardholders get a 7,500-point anniversary bonus (worth $105), 2,500 tier qualifying points towards A-List status for every $5,000 spent annually, and 4X points on Southwest flights.

You’ll also be able to upgrade to Extra Legroom seat within 48 hours prior to departure when available. That’s after you can select a complimentary Preferred seat at booking at no additional charge, when available.

Please note that all references to priority boarding, and preferred seats all apply starting in 2026.

In addition to the sign-up bonus earned after account opening, the Southwest Priority Credit Card earns:

• 4X Rapid Rewards points per dollar on Southwest purchases.
• 2X Rapid Rewards points per dollar at Gas stations
• 2X Rapid Rewards points per dollar at Restaurants
• 1X Southwest Rapid Rewards points on all other eligible purchases.

For the remainder of 2025:

• 2X points on hotel and car rental partner purchases, local transit, commuting, rideshare, internet, cable, phone services, and select streaming services.
• 2X points on Rapid Rewards hotel and car rental partners.

Earns bonus points for spend in the following bonus categories:

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 $229 annual fee.

Cardholders get access to (starting in 2026) boarding with group 5, preferred seats, when available, at booking and access to extra legroom seats, when available, for themselves and up to 8 travel companions on the same reservation 48 hours before the flight.

The card also offers the 1st checked bag free for the cardholder and up to 8 companions, 7,500 bonus points every cardmember anniversary (worth about $94), 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 $229 annual fee.

In addition to the sign-up bonus, cardholders earn 4x points on Southwest purchases. In addition, cardholders also earn 2x points on at gas stations and on dining. All other purchases earn 1x points.

All points earned count toward earning the Southwest Companion Pass. Plus, cardholders will earn 2,500 Tier Qualifying Points toward A-List and A-List Preferred Status for every $5,000 spent per year and there is no limit on the amount of TQPs you can earn. 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.