Benefits We Wish Came With the Southwest Rapid Rewards Premier Business Credit Card

There are a lot of benefits to having the Southwest Rapid Rewards® Premier Business Credit Card, particularly if you are a frequent Southwest Airlines flyer. The welcome bonus (worth about $840 based on our valuations) is already more than enough to justify the $99 annual fee: Earn 60,000 points after you spend $3,000 on purchases in the first 3 months your account is open.
On top of that, you will receive an additional 6,000 bonus points (worth $84) every card anniversary, which helps to cover almost the entire annual fee.
In addition to receiving a welcome bonus and annual renewal points, you will earn 2 points for every $1 spent on Southwest Airlines purchases, as well as with Rapid Rewards rental car and hotel partners. All other purchases earn 1 point per $1 spent.
Cardholders also receive baggage delay insurance and lost luggage reimbursement for airfare purchase with your card.
Even though it already has some great features, here are some of the benefits that I wish came with the Southwest Rapid Rewards® Premier Business Credit Card.
Priority boarding
When looking at any airline credit card, my hope is always that the card will come with priority boarding. Unfortunately, the Southwest Rapid Rewards® Premier Business Credit Card does not currently have priority boarding as a benefit, meaning you will have to pay to board early if it is important to you.
Another Southwest credit card, the Southwest Rapid Rewards® Priority Credit Card, does come with four upgraded boardings per year — we think a perk like this belongs on a business card too.
Lower (or no) annual fee
The card’s annual fee of $99 is in line with comparable business credit cards like the Delta SkyMiles® Gold Business American Express Card, CitiBusiness® / AAdvantage® Platinum Select® Mastercard® and United℠ Business Card.
However, all of those cards offer additional benefits that the Southwest Rapid Rewards® Premier Business Credit Card lacks. Those other cards offer free checked bags, while all Southwest Airlines passengers already receive two free checked bags.
The Delta Air Lines, American Airlines and United Airlines business cards all come with priority boarding, which the Southwest Rapid Rewards® Premier Business Credit Card does not currently include.
Because the Southwest Rapid Rewards® Premier Business Credit Card does not include any additional free checked luggage benefit or priority boarding, I wish it had a lower annual fee.
» Learn more: United Business Card: Rewards, perks make up for fee
Bonus spending categories
In addition to the 2 points for $1 spent on eligible Southwest Airlines flights, it would be great if the Southwest Rapid Rewards® Premier Business Credit Card offered other category bonuses.
For example, travelers with the CitiBusiness® / AAdvantage® Platinum Select® Mastercard® earn 2 AAdvantage miles per $1 spent on purchases at telecommunications merchants, cable and satellite providers, car rental merchants, gas stations and American Airlines purchases.
» Learn more: Chase 5/24 rule explained
Discounted food and drink purchases
To be more competitive with comparable cards, I also wish the Southwest Rapid Rewards® Premier Business Credit Card came with 20% - 25% back on in-flight purchases.
This would not only help to offset the card’s annual fee but would also make flying as a cardholder more enjoyable, since it would make it cheaper to buy drinks that aren’t complimentary.
How to Maximize Your Rewards
You want a travel credit card that prioritizes what’s important to you. Here are our picks for the best travel credit cards of 2021, including those best for:
Airline miles and a large bonus: Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card
No annual fee: Wells Fargo Propel American Express® card
Flat-rate rewards with no annual fee: Bank of America® Travel Rewards credit card
Premium travel rewards: Chase Sapphire Reserve®
Luxury perks: The Platinum Card® from American Express
Business travelers: Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card
Planning a trip? Check out these articles for more inspiration and advice: Southwest Rapid Rewards program: The complete guide Guide to earning Southwest Airlines Rapid Rewards points Find the best travel credit card for you