Is Southwest Rapid Rewards Priority Credit Card Worth the Annual Fee?

The Southwest Rapid Rewards® Priority Credit Card is now offering the following sign-up bonus: Earn 50,000 bonus points after spending $1,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening.

High value perks of the Southwest Rapid Rewards® Priority Credit Card

Let’s take a look at the benefits and point-earning ability of the Southwest Rapid Rewards® Priority Credit Card to help you evaluate whether the annual fee is worth it:

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3x points on flights

If you fly Southwest regularly because it services your home airport, the Southwest Rapid Rewards® Priority Credit Card may be worth keeping. You get 3 points per $1 spent on Southwest purchases.

The card also offers 2 points per dollar local transit and commuting (including rideshares), internet, cable, phone services, and select streaming, plus 1 point per dollar on everything else.

7,500 anniversary points

Cardholders receive 7,500 points every anniversary. If you’ve already got a good stash of Rapid Reward points, this is a nice chunk to add to it. It could be just what you need to book that vacation you’ve been eyeing.

$75 annual travel credit

The Southwest Rapid Rewards® Priority Credit Card also comes with an annual $75 credit toward Southwest purchases.

So figure that perk into your calculations. Between this credit and the anniversary points, the card practically pays for itself, provided you use both benefits.

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Four upgraded boardings

If you fly Southwest enough, you know that the airline does not give out seat assignments in advance. However, Southwest does offer early boarding, which can be purchased for $30-$50. With the Southwest Rapid Rewards® Priority Credit Card, you get four upgraded boardings every year, allowing you to board in group A1-A15.

Earn tier qualifying points towards A-list status

Cardholders earn 1,500 points toward elite status for every $10,000 spent on the card. That benefit is capped at 15,000 tier qualifying points per year.

The Companion Pass

This benefit alone could make the annual fee worth it because the points you earn through the sign-up bonus count towards the Companion Pass.

You have to earn 135,000 Rapid Rewards or fly 100 qualifying one-way flights in a calendar year to earn the Companion Pass (when it's not already included with the card's sign-up bonus). So, this will save you time and money earning the pass and save you money on flights with a travel buddy for the next year.