Southwest Priority Card Review: Pay More, Get More
The Bottom Line
3.9
If you're a hardcore Southwest flyer, this may be the best choice among the airline's three consumer cards, despite its higher fee. But if you spread your business around to multiple airlines, consider a general travel card instead.
Rates, fees and offers
Rates, fees and offers
Annual fee
$229
Rewards rate
1x-4x
Bonus offer
Limited Time Offer: Our best points offer this year, earn 100,000 bonus points after spending $4,000 on purchases in the first 5 months from account opening.
Intro APR
N/A
Ongoing APR
APR: 19.99%-28.49% Variable APR
Cash Advance APR: 29.24%, Variable
Penalty APR: Up to 29.99%
Balance transfer fee
Either $5 or 5% of the amount of each balance transfer, whichever is greater.
Foreign transaction fee
$0
More details from Chase
More details from Chase
- Limited Time Offer: Our best points offer this year, earn 100,000 bonus points after spending $4,000 on purchases in the first 5 months from account opening.
- 7,500 anniversary points each year.
- Earn 4 points per $1 spent on Southwest Airlines® purchases, including flights, inflight, and Southwest gift cards.
- Earn 2 points for every $1 you spend at gas stations and restaurants
- First checked bag free for Cardmembers and up to 8 additional passengers in the same reservation.
- Select a Preferred seat at booking, at no additional charge, when available.*
- Cardmembers and up to 8 passengers in the same reservation will board with Group 5 giving them earlier access to overhead bins.*
- No foreign transaction fees.
- Member FDIC
Pros and Cons
Pros
Anniversary perk
No reward caps
Cons
High annual fee
Rewards have limited flexibility
Detailed Review
The Southwest Rapid Rewards® Priority Credit Card is the most expensive of Southwest Airlines' consumer credit cards, but its significantly higher annual fee doesn't get you significantly better rewards or a bigger welcome bonus. Instead, it unlocks a few valuable benefits that other Southwest cards don't offer, potentially making it the best option of the bunch for hardcore Southwest travelers.
Unlike with other airlines' top-of-the-line cards, though, you won't get airport lounge access, TSA PreCheck or Global Entry credit, or other high-end travel perks. Still, if Southwest is your preferred airline, the Southwest Rapid Rewards® Priority Credit Card offers valuable benefits that can make up for the cost of carrying it.
In July 2025, the entire portfolio of Southwest credit cards underwent significant changes to a variety of features, including their annual fees, bonus categories and perks. See our story for more information.
Southwest Rapid Rewards® Priority Credit Card: Basics
Card type: Airline.
Annual fee: $229.
Sign-up bonus: Limited Time Offer: Our best points offer this year, earn 100,000 bonus points after spending $4,000 on purchases in the first 5 months from account opening.
Rewards:
4 points per dollar spent on Southwest purchases.
2 points per dollar at gas stations and restaurants with no annual cap.
2 points per dollar spent on Rapid Rewards hotel and car rental partner purchases.
2 points per dollar spent on local transit and commuting, including rideshare.
2 points per dollar spent on internet, cable, phone services and select streaming.
1 point per dollar spent on all other purchases.
Note: After Dec. 31, 2025, all of the Southwest personal credit cards will no longer earn 2x points on Southwest Cruises, Rapid Rewards Hotels and car rental partners, internet, cable, phone, select streaming, and local transit and commuting.
NerdWallet values Southwest points at 1.3 cents each. This is a baseline value, drawn from real-world data on hundreds of economy routes, not a maximized value. In other words, you should aim for award redemptions that offer 1.3 cents or more in value from your Southwest points.
Elite status booster: Earn 2,500 tier qualifying points for each $5,000 in purchases, with no limit to the amount you can earn.
Interest rate: The ongoing APR is 19.99%-28.49% Variable APR.
Foreign transaction fees: None.
Perks and benefits:
7,500 points every anniversary.
10,000 Companion Pass-qualifying points boost per calendar year.
25% discount on in-flight purchases.
Through 2025, one $75 Southwest travel credit per year.
Through 2025, four upgraded boardings per year.
Free checked bag for cardholder and up to eight additional passengers on the same reservation.
When available, Standard or Preferred seat selection within 48 hours prior to departure for the cardholder and up to eight passengers on the same reservation for flights operating in 2026.
When available, unlimited upgrades to Extra Legroom seats within 48 hours prior to departure for the cardholder and up to eight additional passengers on the same reservation.
Group 5 boarding for the cardholder and up to eight additional passengers on the same reservation.
Travel protections: Baggage delay insurance, lost luggage reimbursement.
Shopping protections: Extended warranty protection, purchase protection.
On March 11, 2025, Southwest announced that two bags will no longer fly free for flights booked on or after May 28, 2025, ending a longstanding and popular policy that had defined the airline. The first checked bag will cost $35, and the second checked bag will cost $45. However, select Southwest flyers — including those with elite status, Business Select flyers and Rapid Rewards credit cardholders — will still get at least one free bag. The airline also announced a host of additional changes, including plans to begin operating flights with seat assignments and extra-legroom seats in 2026, ending its open-seating policy. Read NerdWallet's story on Southwest's changes for details.
Compare to Other Cards
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Benefits and Perks
Solid welcome bonus
Limited Time Offer: Our best points offer this year, earn 100,000 bonus points after spending $4,000 on purchases in the first 5 months from account opening. Note that this is the same welcome bonus as offered by other, cheaper Southwest consumer cards. But the Southwest Rapid Rewards® Priority Credit Card justifies its higher fee in ways besides its welcome offer.
Anniversary bonus
You get an automatic 7,500-point bonus every year you remain a cardholder. You don't have to meet any spending requirement to receive it. Based on NerdWallet's point valuations, the anniversary bonus alone can go a good way toward covering part of this card's annual fee.
Priority perks
A handful of additional perks set the Southwest Rapid Rewards® Priority Credit Card apart from the lower-fee cards in the Southwest portfolio.
Seat upgrades.
Elite status boost. You'll get 2,500 tier qualifying points (TQPs) for each $5,000 in purchases, which is the most generous TQP offer among Southwest's three consumer credit cards. TQPs help you earn status with the airline. (More on that below.)
$75 Southwest travel credit per year. This perk is going away in 2026, but for now, it's still a valuable perk that can help offset the card's annual fee.
Free checked bags and seat selection
The Priority card grants its cardholders and up to eight other passengers one free checked bag, and standard or preferred seat selection within 48 hours before departure.
It’s worth noting, though, that Southwest eliminated its "bags fly free" perk earlier in 2025, as well as its open-seating policy effective Jan. 27, 2026. Therefore, the only way to get once-free benefits is to have one of the Southwest credit cards, all of which charge an annual fee.
No foreign transaction fees
The Southwest Rapid Rewards® Priority Credit Card makes a fine companion for international travel as it doesn't impose a surcharge on purchases overseas. Southwest flies mostly domestic routes, but it does offer service to Mexico, Central America and the Caribbean. For other international destinations, you can redeem points to book flights with partner airlines through the Southwest More Rewards platform. Regardless of how you get abroad, this card is a fine choice to use once you're there.
Head start on Companion Pass and A-List status
The Southwest Rapid Rewards® Priority Credit Card gives you a boost toward earning Southwest's popular loyalty benefits:
Companion Pass: This pass lets one companion fly with you for free (except for taxes or fees) whenever you purchase or redeem points for a trip. You can get it by earning 135,000 qualifying points in a year. All points earned with the Southwest Rapid Rewards® Priority Credit Card, including welcome and anniversary bonuses, count toward the pass.
A-List status: This gets you priority check-in, free same-day standby if you want to fly out earlier on the day of your scheduled flight, a 25% points bonus when purchasing eligible Southwest flights, and other benefits. You can qualify for the status by earning 35,000 "tier-qualifying points" in a calendar year. Ordinarily, the only way to earn tier-qualifying points is by actually flying Southwest. But the Southwest Rapid Rewards® Priority Credit Card gives you 2,500 of these points for every $5,000 you spend, with no limit.
A-List Preferred status: This gets you A-List perks, free in-flight Wi-Fi on equipped planes and a 100% points bonus when purchasing eligible Southwest flights (rather than just a 25% bonus). You can qualify for A-List Preferred by earning 70,000 tier-qualifying points in a calendar year; the tier-qualifying points you earn with the Southwest Rapid Rewards® Priority Credit Card apply to this status, too.
Once you earn the Companion Pass and A-List/A-List Preferred status, they're good for the rest of the calendar year and the whole next year.
Drawbacks and Considerations
First year's annual fee isn’t waived
Co-branded airline credit cards sometimes waive the annual fee during the first year, but that’s not the case with the Southwest Rapid Rewards® Priority Credit Card. And as noted, it's Southwest's most expensive consumer credit card.
No luxury benefits
The Southwest Rapid Rewards® Priority Credit Card is the most feature-laden of the Southwest Airlines credit cards, but Southwest is still Southwest — no frills. If you want airport lounge access or credit for a Global Entry or TSA PreCheck application fee, you'll have to look elsewhere.
Limited, inflexible spending rewards
The points you earn with the Southwest Rapid Rewards® Priority Credit Card can't be transferred to other airlines or travel partners. If you frequently fly with multiple airlines besides Southwest, consider a general travel rewards card that will offer more redemption flexibility.
Possible alternatives
Southwest Rapid Rewards® Plus Credit Card
If you're a Southwest loyalist but don’t want to pay such a large annual fee, the Southwest Rapid Rewards® Plus Credit Card could be an option. Its perks are less generous, but you may find its annual fee of $99 more palatable. It can help you earn Rapid Rewards points, but it doesn't earn tier qualifying points.
There's also a third Southwest card — the Southwest Rapid Rewards® Premier Credit Card — that splits the difference.
Here's a look at how all three of the Southwest consumer cards compare:
| Empty Table Header | Southwest Rapid Rewards® Priority Credit Card | Southwest Rapid Rewards® Premier Credit Card | Southwest Rapid Rewards® Plus Credit Card |
|---|---|---|---|
Annual fee | $229. | $149. | $99. |
Rewards on Southwest purchases | 4 points per $1 spent. | 3 points per $1 spent. | 2 points per $1 spent. |
Rewards on other spending |
Through Dec. 31, 2025:
|
Through Dec. 31, 2025:
|
Through Dec. 31, 2025:
|
Sign-up bonus | Limited Time Offer: Our best points offer this year, earn 100,000 bonus points after spending $4,000 on purchases in the first 5 months from account opening. | Limited Time Offer: Our best points offer this year, earn 100,000 bonus points after spending $4,000 on purchases in the first 5 months from account opening. | Our best points offer this year, earn 100,000 bonus points after spending $4,000 on purchases in the first 5 months from account opening. |
Anniversary bonus | Earn 7,500 points automatically after your cardholder anniversary each year. | Earn 6,000 points automatically after your cardholder anniversary each year. | Earn 3,000 points automatically after your cardholder anniversary each year. |
Earns tier qualifying points? | Yes (unlimited). | Yes (unlimited). | No. |
Foreign transaction fees | None. | None. | None. |
Travel perks |
|
|
|
Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card
Perhaps you like Southwest, but you want a card that offers more flexible rewards. The Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card allows you to transfer your rewards points to multiple hotels and airline partners — one of which happens to be Southwest. You'll earn at least 2 Chase Ultimate Rewards® points per dollar spent on travel, as well as 3 points back on dining, among other bonus categories. The card has an annual fee of $95, but it offers a hefty welcome bonus: Earn 75,000 bonus points after you spend $5,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening.
Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card
The Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card may be a better fit for your wallet if you love a good bargain on airfare and hotels and aren’t wedded to Southwest. The card earns 2 miles per $1 spent on purchases, and you can redeem miles for statement credit against any travel purchase. The card also offers an application fee credit for Global Entry or TSA PreCheck programs. It comes with a nice bonus offer, too.
How To Decide If It's Right For You
If you travel frequently with Southwest, the Southwest Rapid Rewards® Priority Credit Card could earn you a pile of valuable rewards and save you some money. And its perks, while not as fancy as those found on other travel cards, can still help defray its annual fee.
But if you're not devoted to the airline or you have multiple options when it comes to flying, other co-branded airline credit cards can offer richer ongoing rewards structures, better perks and cheaper annual fees.
And if you're seeking more rewards flexibility, you're better off with a general travel credit card that offers more freedom in how and where you redeem your points.
Earn bonus rewards in categories like travel and at restaurants. Those points are potentially worth more when you redeem them for travel through Chase's portal, and you can also transfer points to partner airlines, including Southwest. Annual fee: $95.
Looking For Something Else?
Methodology
NerdWallet reviews credit cards with an eye toward both the quantitative and qualitative features of a card. Quantitative features are those that boil down to dollars and cents, such as fees, interest rates, rewards (including earning rates and redemption values) and the cash value of benefits and perks. Qualitative factors are those that affect how easy or difficult it is for a typical cardholder to get good value from the card. They include such things as the ease of application, simplicity of the rewards structure, the likelihood of using certain features, and whether a card is well-suited to everyday use or is best reserved for specific purchases. Our star ratings serve as a general gauge of how each card compares with others in its class, but star ratings are intended to be just one consideration when a consumer is choosing a credit card. Learn how NerdWallet rates credit cards.
About the author
Melissa Lambarena
Senior Writer & Content Strategist
