Comparing the personal Southwest credit cards: Priority, Premier and Plus

Welcome offers are usually one of the best ways to differentiate between credit cards from the same family. But what about Southwest Airlines consumer credit cards, which often have the exact same sign-up bonus?

The following three cards offer the same bonus of earning 85,000 bonus points (worth $1,105, according to TPG’s June 2024 valuations) after spending $3,000 within the first three months of account opening:

These offers end June 26.

Despite their similar-sounding names, the three cards have important differences. Which one will be best for you depends on how often you fly Southwest and how many of these cards’ respective perks you can maximize. Here’s what you need to know to choose.

The information for the Southwest Rapid Rewards Premier has been collected independently by The Points Guy. The card details on this page have not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer.

Southwest credit cards overview

Benefit	Southwest Rapid Rewards Plus Credit Card	Southwest Rapid Rewards Premier Credit Card	Southwest Rapid Rewards Priority Credit Card
Annual fee	$69	$99	$149
Anniversary points bonus	3,000 Rapid Rewards points	6,000 Rapid Rewards points	7,500 Rapid Rewards points
Earning rates	2 points per dollar on Southwest purchases 2 points per dollar on Rapid Rewards hotel and rental car partner purchases 2 points per dollar on local transit and commuting (including ride-hailing apps) 2 points per dollar on internet, cable and phone services; select streaming 1 point per dollar on everything else	3 points per dollar on Southwest purchases 2 points per dollar on Rapid Rewards hotel and rental car partner purchases 2 points per dollar on local transit and commuting (including ride-hailing apps) 2 points per dollar on internet, cable and phone services; select streaming 1 point per dollar on everything else	3 points per dollar on Southwest purchases 2 points per dollar on Rapid Rewards hotel and rental car partner purchases 2 points per dollar on local transit and commuting (including ride-hailing apps) 2 points per dollar on internet, cable and phone services; select streaming 1 point per dollar on everything else
Other perks	2 EarlyBird check-ins per year 25% back on inflight purchases 10,000 Companion Pass qualifying points boost each year	2 EarlyBird check-ins per year 25% back on inflight purchases 10,000 Companion Pass qualifying points boost each year	$75 annual Southwest travel credit 25% back on inflight purchases 10,000 Companion Pass qualifying points boost each year
Tier qualifying points	N/A	Earn 1,500 TQPs toward A-List status for every $5,000 in spending per calendar year (with no cap)	Earn 1,500 TQPs toward A-List status for every $5,000 in spending per calendar year (with no cap)
Foreign transaction fee	3%	None	None

Frequent Southwest flyer? Choose the Priority

The Southwest Priority makes a very compelling case for itself.

As a frequent Southwest passenger, you’ll have no trouble maxing out the $75 annual Southwest travel credit, reducing your effective out-of-pocket cost for this card from $149 to $74.

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Remember, every dollar (or point) you spend on Southwest tickets stretches twice as far once you have the Companion Pass. Why? When you book one ticket with either points or cash, you can bring a companion along — pay just the taxes and fees. Thus, you could argue that a $75 credit is actually worth $150 for Companion Pass holders, effectively cutting the annual fee on the Southwest Priority down to zero.

Even if you’re unwilling to take that numerical leap, you’ll still spend less each year with the Southwest Priority than if you opted for the mid-tier Southwest Premier. With the Southwest Priority, you will receive additional bonus points on your cardholder anniversary — 1,500 more than the Southwest Premier — which should get you $20 in additional rewards based on TPG’s valuations.

The main argument against the Southwest Priority is that you must pay the full $149 annual fee upfront. However, if you can use the above perks, you can offset a large portion of that cost.

Cheaper annual fee? Choose the Premier, not the Plus

If you’re looking for a lower annual fee to earn the current sign-up bonus, you can pick between the Southwest Premier (with a $99 annual fee) or the Southwest Plus (with a $69 annual fee).

What does the extra $30 a year on the Southwest Premier get you? For starters, your anniversary points bonus will be 6,000 instead of 3,000. TPG values 6,000 Southwest points at $78, more than making up for the card’s higher annual fee.

If you opt for the cheapest card — the Southwest Plus — you’ll get hit with a 3% fee on foreign transactions. This isn’t a huge problem considering that most of Southwest’s network is domestic flights, but Southwest’s cheap fares, low fees and above-average customer service make for a great excuse to take a trip to a Caribbean destination at an affordable cost. When you take advantage of this option, you don’t want to carry a card with foreign transaction fees.

Finally, with the Southwest Premier, you can earn tier qualifying points (TQPs) toward elite status: 1,500 TQPs per $5,000 spent on purchases in a calendar year (with no limit on how many TQPs you can earn from credit card spending). If A-List or A-List Preferred status interests you, choose the Southwest Premier.

Eligibility for Southwest credit cards

Chase’s restrictions on credit card applications keep most people from applying for Southwest credit cards.

The issuer’s 5/24 rule applies to all three of these cards. Chase will almost certainly reject applicants if they’ve opened five or more credit cards (from any issuers) in the last 24 months. If you’re at (or over) your five slots, we recommend not wasting an application on these cards since you will likely get declined. Remember that business cards from any issuer usually don’t count toward 5/24.

In addition to the 5/24 rule, the terms and conditions for the sign-up bonus of each of these cards state:

The product is not available to either (i) current Cardmembers of any Southwest Rapid Rewards® Credit Card, or (ii) previous Cardmembers of any Southwest Rapid Rewards Credit Card who received a new Cardmember bonus within the last 24 months. This does not apply to Cardmembers of the Southwest Rapid Rewards Business Card and Employee Credit Card products.

So, if you currently hold one of these Southwest personal credit cards or have received a bonus for one in the last 24 months, you will not be eligible for these offers.