If you enjoy flying with Southwest airlines and want to get the most from the airline’s loyalty program, you may have considered a Southwest credit card.
There are three personal and two business co-branded card options, but which one is right for you? Here we’ll delve into these cards in more detail to help you make an informed decision.
Southwest Rapid Rewards Plus
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This card is a great starter option with a modest annual fee. In addition to a nice welcome bonus with a reasonable spend requirement, the card has a two tier reward structure with Southwest purchases, local transit, internet and phone services included in the top tier.
The card offers an annual points bonus each year after your card anniversary, two EarlyBird check ins each year and a variety of travel insurances including baggage delay insurance, lost luggage insurance and rental car insurance. There is also purchase protection, extended warranties and roadside dispatch included in your benefits package.
Southwest Rapid Rewards Priority
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This top tier card offers some generous benefits despite having a reasonable annual fee. You’ll get the largest points bonus on your cardmember anniversary and additional perks over and above what you get with the Plus card.
These include annual Southwest travel credit, discount on inflight purchases, four upgraded boardings each year and the ability to earn A List status more quickly with your card spending.
Southwest Rapid Rewards Premier
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This is the mid tier Southwest credit card, yet it has a decent variety of perks. You’ll get a higher points bonus on your account anniversary and the reward structure is three tiered, weighted towards Southwest purchases.
All of the points you accumulate will count towards earning a companion pass and you’ll also get two EarlyBird Check-ins each year.
Southwest Rapid Rewards Performance Business
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0% Intro
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This card has a modest annual fee and a three tiered reward structure weighted towards Southwest and partner purchases.
You’ll get the same annual points bonus as with the personal credit card, along with rental car insurance, lost luggage and trip protection. You can also add employee cards to your account with no additional cost.
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Requirements For Southwest Credit Cards
As with any credit card, there are some requirements you’ll need to meet to qualify for these cards. These include:
- Good to Excellent Credit: Despite the cards offering varying benefits and perks, you’ll need good to excellent credit to qualify for any of them. This means you need a FICO score of at least 670 to be considered.
- Sufficient Income: You will also need to demonstrate that you have sufficient income to support the card spending requirements.
- The 5/24 Rule: Since all of these cards are Chase co-branded cards, you will need to make sure that you adhere to the 5/24 rule to qualify for the card. This means that you cannot have opened five or more new credit card accounts with any issuer in the past 24 months.
Pros and Cons of Southwest Cards
There are both pros and cons of Southwest cards that you need to be aware of before deciding if one is the right choice for you.
Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
Free Travel Insurance | Southwest Specific Benefits |
Airport Perks | Airline Card |
Reasonable Annual Fees | Good to Excellent Credit Required |
Generous Welcome Bonuses |
- Free Travel Insurances
While this is not unique to Southwest credit cards, it is a nice perk that offers value to potentially offset the card’s annual fee.
- Airport Perks
Depending on the card, you can get upgraded boardings, or EarlyBird check ins, which can enhance your airport experience.
- Reasonable Annual Fees
Despite these cards offering some great perks, even the top of the line cards don’t have a massive annual fee.
The highest annual fee is still less than $200, which is far less than you would pay with a premium travel card.
- Earn Southwest Qualifying Points
All Southwest cards execpt Southwest Rewards Plus earn Earn Southwest Qualifying Points (TQP) that can help you to buy your way to Southwest elite status.
- Southwest Specific Benefits
As you would expect with a co-branded credit card, there are very few benefits that are not tied to Southwest. You do get some purchase protections and insurances, but these are mostly due to the Visa collection.
So, if you are not completely brand loyal to Southwest, you’ll find these cards a little frustrating.
- Airline Caes
This follows on, but you need to bear in mind that the highest reward tiers are always for Southwest purchases since it's a co-branded airline card.
This means that if you want to use the card for everyday purchases and the occasional travel purchase, you’ll not be able to accumulate as many rewards as you may have liked.
- Good to Excellent Credit Required
If you don’t have a credit score of 670 or more, you’re going to struggle to qualify for any of the Southwest credit cards.
This means that those with average or fair credit have little to no chance of getting this type of card.
How to Choose a Southwest Credit Card?
Since there are a few Southwest credit cards to choose from with similar credit score requirements, you may find yourself having difficulty choosing the right airline card for you.
Fortunately, there are some factors to consider that will help you:
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The Cost of the Annual Fee
This is one of the most obvious areas of comparison, but even though the annual fees on Southwest cards are reasonable, you need to be comfortable with the cost.
If you don’t travel all that regularly, you may prefer a card that has a lower fee, but frequent travelers may prefer the additional benefits offered with a higher annual fee.
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Which Benefits You’ll Use
While a long list of credit card benefits may look appealing, they are usually scaled with the annual fee. This means that higher annual fees typically offer the most benefits.
So, you need to think about which benefits you’ll actually use and choose a card accordingly. There is no point in paying a higher annual fee for benefits you won’t use.
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Spending Requirements
You also need to check the spending requirements for each card to ensure that you can access all of the perks. This includes the welcome bonus, which typically has a three month period to make the spending requirement after you open the account.
Although a large welcome bonus is great, you don’t want to miss out because you’re a few dollars short on your spending.
How the Southwest Loyalty Program Works
Rapid Rewards is the Southwest loyalty program, allowing you to earn points, which you can accumulate for flights, hotel stays, car rentals and gift cards. The points have an average value of 1.5 cents each, depending on how you redeem them, which we’ll discuss in more detail later.
The loyalty program has four membership tiers, with each tier offering additional perks. The Basic tier is the lowest level and it increases the number of points that you earn when you purchase Southwest airfares. Additionally, you’ll get free checked bags when you fly with Southwest.
The next tier, A List, adds priority boarding and seating, along with expedited security, while A List Preferred also offers free inflight WiFi and a dedicated helpline.
The highest tier is Companion Pass. This status allows you to bring a travel companion with you when you fly for free. You’ll simply have to pay the appropriate taxes and fees for the second ticket.
Each point you earn will help you to work towards achieving the next tier of membership status. This includes the points you earn with your Southwest credit card. So, by having a Southwest credit card, you can enjoy access to some great perks without needing to fly very frequently.
Redemption Options
As with many airline loyalty programs, there are a number of ways to redeem your rewards. These include:
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Flights
This is the most obvious way to use your rewards and you’re likely to get the best redemption rates. You can search for flights on the Southwest website and click “points” to look for award flights. You’ll get a typical redemption rate of 1.5 cents per point, but some flight deals offer far better value.
If you have flexible travel dates, you can check the Southwest Low Fare calendar, which can make it easier to search for the best deals. You can also use your points for Wanna Get Away, Wanna Get Away Plus, Anytime or Business Select fares.
Business Select tends to cost the most in either dollars or points, but they do have some included benefits such as preferred boarding, which can offset the additional cost.
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Travel Partners
You can also use your Rapid Rewards points with Southwest travel partners. This includes Best Western, Marriott Bonvoy, World of Hyatt and Choice hotels. There are also rental car partners including Avis, Dollar and Budget. This means that you can use your points to create a vacation package with the minimum of costs and fees.
The specific redemption values vary according to the program, but you can search for deals via the Southwest platform. Just check your redemption values carefully against the cash prices, as the redemption values can be a little hit and miss.
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Other Redemption Options
If you’re not interested in traveling at the moment, but want to redeem some of your points there are some other redemption options. These include:
- Gift Cards: These don’t offer the best redemption value, as you’re looking at an average of less than 1 cent per point. However, the list of gift card options is impressive and includes popular brands such as Macy’s Olive Garden, PetSmart and Staples.
- Physical Products: You can also use your Southwest credit card and your loyalty points to purchase physical items such as electronics, fashion items and garden tools. You’ll find a products catalog on the More Rewards platform, which is available to Southwest credit cardholders. However, the redemption rates are a little poor, so be sure to compare cash prices before using your points.
- Charity Donations: You can also use your points to make a donation to a list of charities on the platform. You can browse the donation page and choose your preferred charity.
FAQs
Which Southwest credit card is best?
There is no easy answer to this as the best card will depend on your requirements and circumstances. If you’re looking for the most card perks and are happy to pay a higher annual fee, the Rapid Rewards Priority card is the top tier option.
How do you cancel a Southwest credit card?
If you want to cancel your Southwest credit card, you should call the customer support line. A Chase representative will guide you through the cancelation process.
How do you upgrade a Southwest credit card?
You can call the Chase customer support line and ask whether you qualify for an upgrade. The representative will assess your account and let you know if an upgrade is possible.
What credit score is needed for a Southwest credit card?
You’ll need good to excellent credit for any of the Southwest credit cards, which means a FICO score of at least 670.
How do you apply for a Southwest credit card?
You can apply for a Southwest credit card on the Chase website or click through from the Southwest website.
Can you use a Southwest credit card for other purchases?
Yes, you can use your Southwest credit card for any purchases, but you’re likely to get the lowest possible rewards on your purchase.
How do you link a Southwest credit card to Rapid Rewards?
If your Rapid Rewards membership is not automatically linked to your new Southwest credit card, you’ll need to reach out to the Chase customer support line, who will be able to help you.
Can I get pre approved for a Southwest credit card?
Unfortunately, Chase does not offer pre-approval for Southwest credit cards on its website, so the only way to get pre-approval is to receive a mailer.
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