Rewards Plan
Sign up Bonus
Our Rating
0% Intro
Annual Fee
APR
- Anniversary Points
- Travel Benefits
- Limited Bonus Categories
- Annual Fee
Rewards Plan
Sign up Bonus
Our Rating
PROS
- Anniversary Points
- Travel Benefits
CONS
- Limited Bonus Categories
- Annual Fee
APR
20.99% - 27.99% variable APR
Annual Fee
$99
0% Intro
N/A
Credit Requirements
Good - Excellent
The Southwest Rapid Rewards® Premier Credit Card is a great choice for frequent Southwest flyers. With a fair earning rate, the card allows you to accumulate Southwest Rapid Rewards points at a good pace.
The card offers 3X points on Southwest® purchases,2X on Rapid Rewards® hotel and car partners, local transit and commuting, including rideshare, internet, cable, phone services, and select streaming and 1X points on all other purchases.. All points earned using the card will also count towards earning the highly-desirable Companion Pass, which lets a friend fly with you for free for an entire year.
While the Southwest Rapid Rewards® Premier Credit Card can be a great option for frequent Southwest flyers, there are some drawbacks to consider. The card doesn't offer rewards on everyday spending and comes with an annual fee of $99. Additionally, as with other co-branded airline credit cards, the rewards can primarily be redeemed for airline benefits.
In addition to the standard benefits that come with every Southwest flight, such as free checked bags and no change fees, cardholders can enjoy unlimited tier qualifying points (TQPs), 6,000 anniversary points each year, no foreign transaction fee, and 2 EarlyBird Check-In® each year.
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In this Review
Estimating Your Rewards: A Practical Simulation
In the following table, you will find a simulation that provides an overview of the expected rewards for the Southwest Premier credit card.
This breakdown is based on both general usage and spending across various categories. By utilizing this table, you can gain a better understanding of the potential benefits that come with using this particular credit card.
It's important to note that the figures presented in this simulation are estimates, and actual rewards may vary depending on individual spending habits and other factors.
| |
|---|---|
Spend Per Category | Southwest Rapid Rewards® Premier Credit Card |
$10,000 – U.S Supermarkets | 10,000 points |
$4,000 – Restaurants
| 4,000 points |
$5,000 – Airline | 15,000 points |
$3,000 – Hotels | 6,000 points |
$4,000 – Gas | 4,000 points |
Estimated Total Annual Points | 39,000 Points |
Pros and Cons
Just like any other credit card, the Southwest Rapid Rewards Premier has some advantages and disadvantages:
Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
Rewards Program | Limited Bonus Categories |
Sign-up Bonus | Southwest Co-branded |
Anniversary Points | Annual Fee |
Travel Benefits | Lacking International Routes |
Unlimited Tier Qualifying Points (TQPs) | |
25% Back On Inflight Purchases |
- Rewards Program
Southwest Rapid Rewards® Premier card offers 3X points on Southwest® purchases,2X on Rapid Rewards® hotel and car partners, local transit and commuting, including rideshare, internet, cable, phone services, and select streaming and 1X points on all other purchases..
- Sign-up Bonus
New cardholders can earn 40,000 bonus points after spending $3,000 on purchases in the first 4 months..
- Unlimited Tier Qualifying Points (TQPs)
Cardholders earns 1,500 TQPs toward A-List status for every $10,000 spend.
- Anniversary Points
Cardholders receive 6,000 bonus points on their account anniversary.
- Travel Benefits
The card offers travel benefits, such as car rental loss and damage insurance, baggage insurance plan, and trip delay insurance.
- 25% Back On Inflight Purchases
Cardholders receive 25% back on inflight purchases.
- Limited Bonus Categories
While the card offers bonus points for Southwest purchases, it doesn't offer bonus points for popular spending categories like restaurants or gas stations.
- Southwest Co-branded
Like other Southwest cards, the Southwest Rapid Rewards Premier Credit Card is designed to provide benefits and rewards specific to Southwest Airlines.
Therefore, it is most useful for frequent Southwest flyers who can take advantage of these benefits. If you don't fly Southwest often, the card may not be as valuable to you.
- Annual Fee
The card charges an annual fee of $99.
- Lacking International Routes
Southwest Airlines offers many domestic destinations, but its international route network is more limited. This could create difficulty for some cardholders when trying to redeem their rewards.
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How To Redeem My Points?
Redeeming your Southwest Rapid Rewards points is very straightforward compared to other programs. You don't have to worry about blackout dates or award availability. You can use your points to book any available seat on any flight. The number of points you need is directly linked to the cost of the ticket.
You can use your points to book international flights on partner airlines through the Southwest More Rewards program. This online portal offers a variety of options, including flights with non-Southwest airlines.
Unlike some other airlines that use distance-based award charts, Southwest bases its redemption rate on the cash price of the fare. This means that if the fare is more expensive, you’ll need more points to book it.
Southwest doesn't have a set redemption rate for their points, but usually, you can expect a value of around 1.4 cents per point for a Wanna Get Away Fare. However, the number of points required can vary slightly based on the route and whether you're traveling during peak or off-peak periods.
