| Last updated on July 1st, 2024
Southwest Rapid Rewards® Priority Credit Card
Southwest Rapid Rewards® Priority Credit Card
Southwest Rapid Rewards® Priority Credit Card
- 20.74% to 27.74% Variable Regular Purchase APR
- 20.74% to 27.74% Variable Balance Transfer APR
- 29.49% Variable Cash Advance APR
At a Glance
For frequent Southwest Airlines® flyers, the Southwest Rapid Rewards® Priority Credit Card is an airline card that makes it easy to reap benefits rapidly with (up to) triple points earning, travel credits, and convenient in-flight discounts.
- Best Benefits
- Rates & Fees
- Why Should You Apply?
- Earn 50,000 bonus points after spending $1,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening.
- 7,500 anniversary points each year.
- Earn 3X points on Southwest® purchases.
- Earn 2X points on local transit and commuting, including rideshare.
- Earn 2X points on internet, cable, and phone services; select streaming.
- $75 Southwest® travel credit each year.
- No foreign transaction fees.
- Member FDIC
- Regular Purchase APR: 20.74% to 27.74% Variable
- Balance Transfer APR: 20.74% to 27.74% Variable
- Balance Transfer Transaction Fee: Either $5 or 5% of the amount of each transfer, whichever is greater
- Cash Advance APR: 29.49% Variable
- Cash Advance Transaction Fee: Either $10 or 5% of the amount of each transaction, whichever is greater
- Annual Fee: $149
- You travel often, especially with Southwest Airlines®
- You're looking to use your credit card to make purchases abroad
- You make frequent in-flight purchases
In-Depth Review: Southwest Rapid Rewards® Priority Credit Card
The Southwest Rapid Rewards® Priority Credit Card is a co-branded airline credit card with robust benefits – for an equally robust $149 annual fee.
Who Can Benefit from the Southwest Rapid Rewards Priority Card?
The Southwest Priority Card is designed with the avid traveler in mind. As such, the card gives fans of Southwest everything they want (short of a Companion Pass, though there are often. welcome offers to provide that). The card gives you early check-in, upgraded boardings, free bags, bonus points, in-flight discounts, and statement credits. If you love Southwest and plan to fly a few times per year with the carrier, the Southwest Rapid Rewards Priority Card is for you.
How to Apply
Who can apply for the Rapid Rewards Priority Card? Southwest and Chase tailor their co-branded credit card products toward consumers and businesses with strong credit profiles. Because of this, you’ll need “good” or “excellent” credit to apply.
Applying for the card is straightforward. Chase requires the following information to apply for a credit card from the bank:
- Aged 18 or older
- U.S. mailing address (no PO Boxes permitted)
- SSN or ITIN
- FICO Score above 670 (good)
- Proof of income
Southwest Benefits
Thanks to its $149 annual fee, the Southwest Rapid Rewards® Priority Card offers Southwest Airlines regulars the pinnacle of travel benefits.
Annual Statement Credit
Rapid Rewards Priority cardmembers enjoy a $75 Southwest statement credit each year on their account anniversary. That travel credit can be used towards Southwest Airlines purchases. This can help you helps offset the annual fee and save you money on your travels.
Pre-Flight Benefits
The Priority Card prioritizes comfort, starting when you first get to the airport. Cardholders enjoy 2X EarlyBird Check-In® per year. EarlyBird Check-In® is a low-cost option that gives travelers the convenience of automatic check-in before Southwest’s traditional 24-hour check-in. This feature lets you check in for your flight sooner so you can find your spot (and maybe a wall outlet) to charge your phone or laptop before you fly.
Cardholders also receive four (4X) upgraded boardings per year when available on Southwest flights. That’s a great bonus that might score you some extra legroom but will definitely allow you to find space in the overhead bins for your belongings.
Finally, cardholders don’t need to worry about baggage fees, as bags fly free® with Southwest. You can check your first and second bags free of charge with Southwest’s bags fly-free service (weight and size limits apply).
In-Flight Benefits
In-flight, there’s plenty to like with the Rapid Rewards Priority Card, too. As a card member, you’ll enjoy 25% back on inflight purchases with Southwest when using the card to purchase drinks, snacks, or anything else in-flight.
Anniversary Bonuses
The card also comes with a few anniversary bonuses:
- Earn 1,500 TQPs toward A-List status for every $10,000 spent in purchases annually
- Enjoy 10,000 Companion Pass qualifying points boost each year
- Receive a 7,500 points bonus
As mentioned, Southwest Rapid Rewards® Priority cardholders also receive a 7,500-point anniversary bonus on their cardmember anniversary each year. In effect, you can earn up to 107,500 points for spending just $13,000 in the first 12 months of having an account. If you use this as your primary payment method, that’s not a difficult task to accomplish. And the rewards are quite substantial.
Earn & Spend Rapid Rewards with Ease
Cardholders earn 3X Rapid Rewards points for every dollar spent on Southwest Airlines purchases. This includes checked baggage, in-flight purchases, and more. Even if your expenses are not exclusively with Southwest – through which you’ll earn double points from things like Rapid Rewards hotel and car partners – you’ll still be rewarded with 2X for every dollar on a range of purchases, including:
- Local transit and commuting, including rideshares
- Internet, cable, phone services, and select streaming
All other purchases with the card earn 1X points per dollar spent. Rapid Rewards points never expire if the account is open and active.
Earning Points with Partners
Premier cardmembers can earn additional Rapid Rewards points with Southwest Airlines partners. Here is where you can earn 2X Rapid Rewards points:
| Type | Partners | |
|---|---|---|
| Hotel | SPG | Rocket Miles |
| Best Western | Choice | |
| Radisson | Hyatt | |
| Marriott | MGM | |
| Car rental | Alamo | Avis |
| Budget | Dollar | |
| Nationwide | Payless | |
| Thrifty | SuperShuttle Executive | |
| Other | Rapid Rewards points are also earnable when making purchases through the dedicated Southwest Rapid Rewards shopping portal, where members earn points for making purchases with hundreds of leading brands. | |
| Registering with Southwest lets Rapid Rewards members earn one point for every dollar spent when filling up their tank at Marathon gas stations. | ||
| Experiences booked with Southwest Experiences also earn Rapid Rewards points. | ||
Earn Additional Points Through Rapid Rewards Dining
Joining the Rapid Rewards Dining program allows Rapid Rewards members to earn points when they eat out. Additionally, new members receive impressive bonuses, including an additional 1,000 points after they dine out three times, an extra 500 points after earning their first 1,500 points through dining, and a thank-you bonus of 300 points after every 1,000 points they earn through the dining program.
How to Redeem Rewards
When you begin to cash in on the rewards you’ve earned with your Southwest Rapid Rewards® Priority Card, you’ll notice that you can turn your Rapid Rewards points into just about anything; flexible rewards redemption is a big draw with this program. Southwest Rapid Rewards points are redeemable for award flights with Southwest, with four distinct tiers: Wanna Get Away, Wanna Get Away Plus, Anytime, and Business Select.
Southwest teams with hotels, car rentals, and other partners to help members maximize their value for money. Other options for redeeming points include making bookings with Southwest partners. Other redemption options include gift cards, merchandise, event access, or statement credits to the Southwest Rapid Rewards Premier Business Credit Card account.
Visa Benefits
Chase’s Southwest personal credit cards also enjoy Visa Signature security protections and essential travel benefits. These features include the following:
| Zero Fraud Liability | Cardholder Inquiry Services | Emergency Card Replacement | Luxury Hotel Collection | Extended Warranty Coverage |
| Roadside Dispatch | Lost/Stolen Card Reporting | ID Navigator from Norton | Travel & Emergency Assistance |
Comparisons
Rapid Rewards Comparison
| Rapid Rewards® Priority Credit Card | Rapid Rewards® Premier Credit Card | Rapid Rewards Plus Credit Card | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Annual fee | $149 | $99 | $69 |
| Pts. on Southwest flights | 3X | 3X | 2X |
| Pts. with Southwest partners | 2X | 2X | 2X |
| Other pts. | All three southwest personal cards earn 2X on local transit, internet, cable, phone services, and select streaming; 1X on all else | ||
| Flying perks | 2 Early Bird check-ins, 4 upgrade boardings, $75 travel credit | 2 Early Bird check-ins | 2 Early Bird check-ins |
| In-flight savings | 25% back | 25% back | 25% back |
| Anniversary pts. | 7,500 | 6,000 | 3,000 |
| FTX fee | None | None | 3% |
What We Like About the Southwest Rapid Rewards® Priority Credit Card
Big On Perks
The Priority Card might not offer lounge access, but it provides an impressive suite of Southwest benefits that frequent flyers can use. From upgraded boardings to in-flight savings and early check-ins, the card provides the real benefits travelers with low-cost carriers want and need.
No Foreign Transaction Fees
The Rapid Rewards Premier and Rapid Rewards Priority charge no foreign transaction fees. That bonus is great, considering Southwest Airline’s growing footprint. The carrier operates flights to over 100 destinations in 42 states, plus Puerto Rico, Mexico, Central America, and the Caribbean.
Things to Consider Before Applying
There really isn’t much to complain about with the Southwest Rapid Rewards Priority Card. The card hits all the right notes, and even the annual fee is compensated by the dual combination of 7,500 bonus points each account anniversary and that $75 statement credit. After that, everything else with the card is a bonus.
FAQs
- No, Rapid Rewards account numbers are meant to be used only by the accountholder.
- Yes. According to Southwest, you can request past flight points for up to 12 months after your flight. To claim points for a past flight, simply log into your account, select My Account and choose the Manage tab within My Rapid Rewards. Choose Request past points in the grey bar and enter your record locator (confirmation number) from your reservation. After verification of your flight information (up to 5 days), points will be deposited into your account.
- Rapid Rewards Dining is a rewards program within the Rapid Rewards program. This features lets members earn points from dining with select Southwest restaurant partners.
Related Article: Dining Programs: How to Earn Airline Miles with Any Credit Card
JP Morgan Chase and Southwest Visa Card Ratings
How does the Chase Southwest Visa stack up? Here is a selection of expert reviews for the card, as well as an overview of JP Morgan Chase as a bank:
| BestCards | Better Business Bureau | TrustPilot |
|
4.5/5 |
3.5/5 |
2/5 |
Should You Apply for the Southwest Rapid Rewards® Priority Credit Card?
The Southwest Rapid Rewards® Priority truly shines once your cardmember anniversary rolls around, though. You’ll automatically receive an additional 7,500 points, and, depending on the purchases you’ve made, you could also be in line to get up to a $75 credit as well as a reimbursement for up to four Upgraded Boardings – and the perks don’t stop there.
If you find yourself frequently making in-flight purchases, such as beverages, Wi-Fi, or movies, you’ll also find yourself getting a 20% discount for each. However, all these benefits come at a price in the form of a $149 annual fee. It’s a steep sum to pay for a credit card, especially when others offer similar rewards for less, but it can be offset with the proper amount of savings and statement credits. So if you plan to see “Southwest Airlines” often in your credit card statement, you’ll be glad to have the Southwest Rapid Rewards® Priority card in your pocket.6,0
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