Southwest Airlines Credit Cards
Below are all five available Southwest Airlines Credit Cards, issued by Chase.
Everybody loves the Southwest Companion Pass. For as long as you hold it, you can bring a companion with you and they pay only taxes and fees for their ticket. It even works when you use Rapid Rewards points! You need 135,000 qualifying points in one calendar year to achieve this. Simply holding any Southwest credit card will give you 10,000 points towards that, leaving 125,000.
Depending on the current bonus offers, you may be able to open one business card and one personal card to achive the Southwest Companion Pass for up to 2 full years – but of course you need to do it the right way.
If you are eligible for a business card, get that first. We recommend the Performance card for its larger bonus.
Once you have met the minimum spend for the bonus, you can get a personal card. Or, you can get BOTH business cards (Performance and Premier), however you’ll have to space two Chase business card applications out by at least 31 days. This does not apply if you open a business card, then a personal card.
Since you earn the Southwest Companion Pass for all of the current year and all of the following year, it’s best to do this as early in a calendar year if Companion Pass is your goal.
Tip: You can signup for a card in the last couple of months of a calendar year and make sure not to spend enough to earn the bonus until the following January. That will get you close to two full years of Companion Pass!
The cards below are ordered by the value of the points of each card multiplied by the amount of the bonus. Pretty simple!
Advertiser Disclosure: Your Best Credit Cards has partnered with CardRatings for our coverage of credit card products. Your Best Credit Cards and CardRatings may receive a commission from card issuers. Commissions do not affect or prioritize placement within our results and not all cards displayed earn us a commission. The editorial content on this page is not provided by any of the companies mentioned, and have not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by any of these entities. Opinions expressed here are the author’s alone.
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5 Cards Available:
Southwest® Rapid Rewards® Performance Business Credit Card
Annual Fee:
$199
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This is the Estimated Value that you can expect to earn from the Bonus Offer this card. It represents an average value based on you knowing a bit about the rewards program and the best ways to use the points. The value is based on our miles and points values, explained in detail here. It is not the minimum possible value nor a guaranteed return. You can also click the calculator icon to see how the values for this card are calculated.$1,120
Annual Fee:
$199
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This is the Estimated Value that you can expect to earn from the Bonus Offer this card. It represents an average value based on you knowing a bit about the rewards program and the best ways to use the points. The value is based on our miles and points values, explained in detail here. It is not the minimum possible value nor a guaranteed return. You can also click the calculator icon to see how the values for this card are calculated.$1,120
The Southwest® Rapid Rewards® Performance Business Credit Card card is all about being half of the one-two card combo needed to earn Southwest Companion Pass for two years with just two credit cards.
The premium version of the Southwest Rapid Rewards Premier Business Credit Card, this card offers 9,000 bonus Rapid Rewards points each cardmember anniversary, has multiple spending bonus categories, and includes benefits like 4 upgraded boardings per year, in-flight Wifi credits and Global Entry / PreCheck fee credits.
Full list of features and benefits:
- 4X points on Southwest Airlines
- 2X points on social media / search engine advertising, Internet, cable and phone services.
- 2X points on local transit and commuting purchases, including rideshares (like Uber and Lyft)
- 1 point per $1 spent on all other purchases.
- 9,000 bonus points each year after your Cardmember anniversary.
- $500 fee credit each year towards Rapid Rewards transfers
- Unlimited Tier Qualifying points (TQPs) towards A-List status (previously maxed out at $100,000 in spend / 15,000 points)
- 4 Upgraded Boardings per year when available
- Inflight WiFi Credits
- Global Entry or TSA Pre✓® Fee Credit
Note: Our rewards calculator and Estimated Rewards Values assume all of your "Airfare" is on Southwest and is therefore counted at 4x points. If you also fly another carrier, you will only earn 1x points for those purchases.
Southwest® Rapid Rewards® Premier Business Credit Card
Annual Fee:
$99
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This is the Estimated Value that you can expect to earn from the Bonus Offer this card. It represents an average value based on you knowing a bit about the rewards program and the best ways to use the points. The value is based on our miles and points values, explained in detail here. It is not the minimum possible value nor a guaranteed return. You can also click the calculator icon to see how the values for this card are calculated.$840
Annual Fee:
$99
Close X
This is the Estimated Value that you can expect to earn from the Bonus Offer this card. It represents an average value based on you knowing a bit about the rewards program and the best ways to use the points. The value is based on our miles and points values, explained in detail here. It is not the minimum possible value nor a guaranteed return. You can also click the calculator icon to see how the values for this card are calculated.$840
The Southwest® Rapid Rewards® Premier Business Credit Card is useful in conjunction with a personal card bonus to get the Southwest Companion Pass, since you can get one of each bonus and exceed the required 135,000 points for Companion Pass.
Full list of features and benefits:
- 3X points on Southwest purchases
- 2X points on local transit and commuting purchases, including rideshares (like Uber and Lyft)
- $500 fee credit each year towards Rapid Rewards transfers
- 2 EarlyBird Check-Ins per year (Worth $15-$25 each)
- 6,000 bonus points on your card anniversary.
- No foreign transaction fees.
- Tier qualifying points. For every $10,000 points that you spend, you’ll receive 1,500 tier qualifying points. Up to $100,000 per year.
Note: Our rewards calculator and Estimated Rewards Values assume all of your "Airfare" is on Southwest and is therefore counted at 3x points. If you also fly another carrier, you will only earn 1x points for those purchases.
Southwest Rapid Rewards® Plus Credit Card
Annual Fee:
$69
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This is the Estimated Value that you can expect to earn from the Bonus Offer this card. It represents an average value based on you knowing a bit about the rewards program and the best ways to use the points. The value is based on our miles and points values, explained in detail here. It is not the minimum possible value nor a guaranteed return. You can also click the calculator icon to see how the values for this card are calculated.$840
Annual Fee:
$69
Close X
This is the Estimated Value that you can expect to earn from the Bonus Offer this card. It represents an average value based on you knowing a bit about the rewards program and the best ways to use the points. The value is based on our miles and points values, explained in detail here. It is not the minimum possible value nor a guaranteed return. You can also click the calculator icon to see how the values for this card are calculated.$840
The Southwest Rapid Rewards® Plus Credit Card is the entry-level Chase Southwest card and has the lowest annual fee of the three. Get 2X points on Southwest flights and 3,000 points per card anniversary in exchange for your annual fee each year, plus:
- 2X points on local transit and commuting purchases, including rideshares (like Uber and Lyft)
- 2X points on internet, cable, phone, and select streaming
- 2 EarlyBird Check-Ins per year (Worth $15-$25 each)
Note: Our rewards calculator and Estimated Rewards Values assume all of your "Airfare" is on Southwest and is therefore counted at 2x points. If you also fly another carrier, you will only earn 1x points for those purchases.
Southwest Rapid Rewards® Premier Credit Card
Annual Fee:
$99
Close X
This is the Estimated Value that you can expect to earn from the Bonus Offer this card. It represents an average value based on you knowing a bit about the rewards program and the best ways to use the points. The value is based on our miles and points values, explained in detail here. It is not the minimum possible value nor a guaranteed return. You can also click the calculator icon to see how the values for this card are calculated.$840
Annual Fee:
$99
Close X
This is the Estimated Value that you can expect to earn from the Bonus Offer this card. It represents an average value based on you knowing a bit about the rewards program and the best ways to use the points. The value is based on our miles and points values, explained in detail here. It is not the minimum possible value nor a guaranteed return. You can also click the calculator icon to see how the values for this card are calculated.$840
The Southwest Rapid Rewards® Premier Credit Card is the mid-level personal Southwest card with a modest annual fee. Get 6,000 points per card anniversary and 3x points on Southwest flights.
- 3X points on Southwest purchases (up from 2X)
- 2X points on local transit and commuting purchases, including rideshares (like Uber and Lyft)
- 2X points on internet, cable, phone, and select streaming
- 2 EarlyBird Check-Ins per year (Worth $15-$25 each)
Note: Our rewards calculator and Estimated Rewards Values assume all of your "Airfare" is on Southwest and is therefore counted at 3x points. If you also fly another carrier, you will only earn 1x points for those purchases.
Southwest Rapid Rewards® Priority Credit Card
Annual Fee:
$149
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This is the Estimated Value that you can expect to earn from the Bonus Offer this card. It represents an average value based on you knowing a bit about the rewards program and the best ways to use the points. The value is based on our miles and points values, explained in detail here. It is not the minimum possible value nor a guaranteed return. You can also click the calculator icon to see how the values for this card are calculated.$840
Annual Fee:
$149
Close X
This is the Estimated Value that you can expect to earn from the Bonus Offer this card. It represents an average value based on you knowing a bit about the rewards program and the best ways to use the points. The value is based on our miles and points values, explained in detail here. It is not the minimum possible value nor a guaranteed return. You can also click the calculator icon to see how the values for this card are calculated.$840
The Southwest Rapid Rewards® Priority Credit Card is a premium-level Southwest card comes with extra benefits for loyal Southwest flyers. Get 7,500 points, a $75 Southwest credit, and 4 upgraded boarding positions each card anniversary.
- 3X points on Southwest purchases
- 2X points on local transit and commuting purchases, including rideshares (like Uber and Lyft)
- 2X points on internet, cable, phone, and select streaming
- Unlimited Tier Qualifying points (TQPs) towards A-List status - 1,500 Tier qualifying points for every $10,000 that you spend on the card
- 7,500 Rapid Rewards points each year on your card anniversary. Based on our 1.4 cent value, those points along are worth $105 toward Southwest Airlines flights.
- A $75 annual Southwest travel credit. Just charge your Southwest flight to your credit card and Chase will automatically reimburse you. The credit renews every year after your card anniversary date.
- 4 Upgraded Boardings per year. Southwest is a first-come, first-served system for boarding. The earlier you check in, the better your boarding position. But upgraded boardings allow you to skip the cattle car process, automatically giving you an A1-A15 position. Normally, you need to pay for these boarding spots, but the card will reimburse you for the first four that you purchase.
- No foreign transaction fees. You won’t pay any foreign transaction fees when you use the card to make purchases abroad.
- 20% back on all inflight purchases. That includes WiFi, as well.
Note: Our rewards calculator and Estimated Rewards Values assume all of your "Airfare" is on Southwest and is therefore counted at 3x points. If you also fly another carrier, you will only earn 1x points for those purchases.
Chase Ink Preferred
Here’s how we calculated your Rewards Value:
Point Value X Multiplier = Rewards Value
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Here’s how we calculated your Bonus Value:
Point Value X Bonus = Bonus Value
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Meet Dave
Dave’s spent the last 15 years traveling the world in first class using his miles and points. After analyzing the unique credit card spending habits of thousands of MilesTalk readers over the years, he developed YourBestCreditCards.com.
