The Southwest Rapid Rewards® Premier Credit Card offers 40,000 bonus points after you spend $1,000 on purchases in the first 3 months of opening your account. Plus earn 20,000 points after you spend $12,000 within your first year. The points conversion is approximately 1.3 cents per point, thus you can earn up to $520 in Rapid Rewards!
In addition, you’ll earn 2X points per $1 spent on Southwest® purchases and Rapid Rewards® Hotel and Car Rental Partner purchases AND 1X point per $1 spent on all other purchases! And your points do not expire as long as your card account is open!
You’ll also receive 6,000 bonus points every year after your Cardmember Anniversary, which can be redeemed for $78 and can help offset your $99 annual fee. Start planning your trip to one of the 90+ destinations Southwest Airlines serves. Exclusive Cardmember benefits can be redeemed for international travel to over 800 destinations on 50+ global carriers; stays at over 70,000 hotels worldwide; car rentals from major brands; gift cards to all your favorite stores; and amazing getaways, including resorts, cruises, and theme parks!
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Table of Contents
- 1 Southwest Rapid Rewards Cards Compared
- 2 Southwest Rapid Rewards Premier Summary
- 3 Editor’s Alternate Pick
- 4 Southwest Rapid Rewards Premier 40,000 Bonus Points
- 5 What Are Southwest Rapid Rewards Points Worth?
- 6 Southwest Rapid Rewards Premier Credit Card Top Features
- 7 Bottom Line
- 8 What’s the Competition?
Southwest Rapid Rewards Cards Compared
| Card Name | Bonus | Main Perks | Annual Fee |
| Southwest Rapid Rewards Plus Credit Card | 40,000 bonus points after spending $1,000 in first 3 months.
3,000 anniversary bonus points. |
2 points for every $1 on Southwest Airlines purchases and at participating Rapid Rewards Hotel and Rental Car partners. Free 1st & 2nd checked bags. No change fee. *Has foreign transaction fees. |
$69 |
| Southwest Rapid Rewards Premier Credit Card | 40,000 bonus points after spending $1,000 in first 3 months.
6,000 anniversary bonus points. |
2 points for every $1 on Southwest Airlines purchases and at participating Rapid Rewards Hotel and Rental Car partners. Free 1st & 2nd checked bags. No change fee. No foreign transaction fees. |
$99 |
| Southwest Rapid Rewards Priority Credit Card | 40,000 bonus point after spending $1,000 in first 3 months.
7,500 anniversary bonus points. |
2 points for every $1 on Southwest Airlines purchases and at participating Rapid Rewards Hotel and Rental Car partners. Free 1st & 2nd checked bags. No change fee. No foreign transaction fees. $75 Southwest annual travel credit. Four Upgraded Boardings per year when available ($30-$50 value each). |
$149 |
| Southwest Rapid Rewards Premier Business Credit Card | 60,000 bonus points after spending $3,000 in first 3 months.
6,000 anniversary bonus points. |
2 points for every $1 on Southwest Airlines purchases and at participating Rapid Rewards Hotel and Rental Car partners. Free 1st & 2nd checked bags. No change fee. No foreign transaction fees. |
$99 |
| Southwest Rapid Rewards Performance Business Credit Card | 80,000 bonus points after spending $5,000 in first 3 months.
9,000 anniversary bonus points. |
3 points for every $1 on Southwest Airlines. 2 points for every $1 on social media and search engine advertising, internet, cable and phone services. Four Upgraded Boardings per year when available ($30-$50 value each). Global Entry or TSA Pre? Fee credit. Free 1st & 2nd checked bags. No change fee. No foreign transaction fees. |
$199 |
Southwest Rapid Rewards Premier Summary
| Bonus Available | Earn 40,000 bonus points after you make at least $1,000 in purchases within the first 3 months of account opening. |
| *Bonus Value | $600 |
| Travel Credit | No travel credit |
| Ongoing Rewards/Benefits | 2 points for every $1 spent on Southwest Airlines and Rapid Rewards hotel and car rental partner purchases. 1 point for every $1 spent on all other purchases.
Receive 6,000 bonus points after every cardmember anniversary. Free 1st and 2nd checked bags and no change fees. |
| Foreign Transaction Fees | No |
| Airport Lounge Access | N/A |
| Annual Fee | $99 |
Recommended Free Credit Score (Get Free Score) 720 – 850 (Good – Excellent)
PROS
- Welcome bonus
- Anniversary bonus
- Free 1st & 2nd checked bags
- No change fees
CONS
- Has an annual fee
- Excellent credit needed to qualify
- No luxury perks
- Can’t transfer points
Editor’s Alternate Pick
 The Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card offers 60,000 bonus points after you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening. That's $750 toward travel when you redeem through Chase Ultimate Rewards®! You'll earn 2X points on travel and dining at restaurants worldwide; 1 point per dollar spent on all other purchases. And when you redeem your points for airfare, hotels, car rentals and cruises through Chase Ultimate Rewards, you'll get 25% more value! |
Southwest Rapid Rewards Premier 40,000 Bonus Points
Take advantage of the Southwest Rapid Rewards Premier card’s 40,000 Bonus Points offer now. The bonus points is worth around $600. This makes it a great bonus for this annual fee requirement.
To qualify for this offer, you must charge at least $1,000 to your card within the first 3 months of opening your account.
Here are some ideas on meeting the spending requirement:
| • Plastiq - Using Plastiq allows you to pay for your personal expenses such as rent, tuition, mortgage, auto lease etc. Although they charge a 2.5% processing fee for using your credit card, this will contribute to the card bonus that you will receive. There is also a referral program that allows you to earn "Free-Free Dollars" that goes towards processing fees as well. |
| • Funding Checking Accounts - When it comes to funding a checking account, opening your initial deposit with a credit card is the usual way to go about it. However, if you want to have more opportunities, you should open a checking account that offers a sign-up bonus. This allows you to work towards bonuses from not one but two different sources instead. Banks like Chase, Huntington Bank, TD Bank and BBVA offers credit card funding, and for your opening deposit, you can often fund anywhere from $50-$1000 with a credit card, depending on the bank. |
| • Gift Card Purchases With Using a Credit Card - Another way to acquire the bonus is using your credit card to purchase gift cards. Buying a a gift card or an individual merchant card typically do not require a purchase fee and are used towards leisure, so gift cards are ideal. However, gift cards such as a Visa or American Express do incur purchase fees because they can be spent anywhere, but gift cards that are specifically for a certain online shopping site such as Amazon or eBay don't. |
| As for a Citi Credit Card, you should call customer service and ask them to lower your Cash Advance limit to $0 before making any purchases because Citi tends to read gift card purchases as a Cash Advance. Ideally, you should do this with any card just to be safe. Lastly, there is such thing as a discounted gift card which can be purchased on Raise or eBay. If you use a credit card often for everyday purchases, it can build your credit score that will contribute towards paying for things such as bills and taxes. |
| |
What Are Southwest Rapid Rewards Points Worth?
Like with other airline branded credit cards, the value of your points may vary! But with this card, you can get the most value by redeeming your points for Southwest Flights.
Each Rapid Rewards point is valued around $0.0015, with this valuation the sign up bonus would worth around $600. The value will depend on your flight details like the flight time, destination, and more! Plus there are no blackout dates and no seat restrictions!
You can redeem your points for:
- Flights
- Hotel stays
- Car rentals
- Gift cards
- Access to events
- Merchandise
It’s important to know that if you use your Rapid Rewards towards anything other than Southwest flights, you won’t get the best value since these typically bring your points below $0.01.
Southwest Rapid Rewards Premier Credit Card Top Features
Travel with Transfarency. A term invented by Southwest, Transfarency is a philosophy that the airline lives by: to treat its customers honestly and fairly. That means $0 for your first and second checked bags (weight and size limits apply) and $0 change fee (fare differences may apply).
Tier qualifying points (TQPs). Earn 1,500 TQPs for every $10,000 you spend in a calendar year, for up to 15,000 points annually. These points count towards A-List and A-List Preferred elite status.
A-List benefits include:
- Priority boarding
- 25% earning bonus on every qualifying flight
- Free same-day standby
- Priority check-in and security lane access
- Dedicated A-List member phone line
A-List Preferred benefits include:
- All standard A-List benefits
- 100% earning bonus on every qualifying flight
- Free inflight WiFi
Every year, on your card anniversary, you’ll receive 6,000 Rapid Rewards bonus points. That’s worth approximately $90, nearly covering the annual fee.
Make purchases abroad without worrying about foreign transaction fees with the Southwest Rapid Rewards Premier Credit Card.
Bottom Line
While Rapid Rewards members previously earned flight credits towards round-trip award tickets when available, they now earn points that apply to the cost of any seat on any flight. Because of this, the Southwest credit card offers the easiest to use rewards among any airline.
Definitely consider the Southwest Rapid Rewards® Premier Credit Card from Chase if you often fly with Southwest and are looking for a card that gives your points for your everyday spending.
With Southwest serving 70+ destinations, you should plan your trip today! Do keep in mind that this card is most beneficial if you fly with Southwest frequently! See more credit card bonuses from our list!
(Visit Chase for more details)
What’s the Competition?
The Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card offers 60,000 bonus points after you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening. That's $750 toward travel when you redeem through Chase Ultimate Rewards®! You'll earn 2X points on travel and dining at restaurants worldwide; 1 point per dollar spent on all other purchases. And when you redeem your points for airfare, hotels, car rentals and cruises through Chase Ultimate Rewards, you'll get 25% more value! |
 The Capital One® Venture® Rewards Credit Card offers a one-time bonus of 50,000 miles once you spend $3,000 on purchases within 3 months from account opening (equal to $500 in travel). Named ‘The Best Travel Card' by CNBC, 2018. You're able to earn 2X miles on every purchase, every day. Plus earn 10X miles on thousands of hotels, through January 2020; learn more at hotels.com/venture. This card does come with a $95 annual fee, however, there is a $0 intro annual fee for the first year. Enjoy no foreign transaction fees and receive up to $100 application fee credit for Global Entry or TSA Pre?®. |
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| Chase Total Checking® + Chase SavingsSM | $350 Cash | Review |
| Chase Total Business Checking® | $200 Cash | Review |
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| Huntington Bank Unlimited Plus Business Checking | $500 Cash | Review |
| Huntington Bank Unlimited Business Checking | $400 Cash | Review |
| Huntington Bank Business Checking 100 | $200 Cash | Review |
This is a great credit card for domestic travel. 50,000 points are worth
a lot for short trips inside the United States.