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Southwest Rapid Rewards Priority Credit Card – Full Review [2022]

Name: Southwest Rapid Rewards Priority Credit Card – Full Review [2022]
Item: Southwest Rapid Rewards Priority Credit Card
Rating: 4.25
Author: Jarrod West

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"Earn Southwest Rapid Rewards points on flights, hotels, and car rental purchases!"

This card focuses on the Southwest traveler with anniversary points, travel credit, upgrades, and money back on inflight purchases.

Learn More (at Chase's secure site)

Jarrod West

- UPDATED: May 10, 2022

The Southwest Rapid Rewards® Priority Credit Card is the most premium personal Southwest card offering from Chase. When you peel back the curtain, it is easy to see why.

Not only does the card offer multiple bonus categories to help you earn more Southwest Rapid Rewards points, but it is also loaded with benefits that are sure to offer quite a bit of value to Southwest flyers.

Here is a full overview of the card to help you decide if it is a good fit for your wallet.

Pros

3x points per $1 on Southwest purchases
2x points per $1 on Rapid Rewards hotel and car rental partners
2x points per $1 on local transit and commuting, including rideshare purchases
2x points per $1 on internet, cable, phone services, and select streaming purchases
1x point per $1 on all other purchases
7,500 points each year on your cardmember anniversary
$75 annual Southwest travel credit
4 Upgraded Boardings per year
25% back on inflight purchases
1,500 tier qualifying points towards elite status for every $10,000 spent
Travel and purchase protection

Cons

$149 annual fee
Does not earn transferable points

Southwest Priority Card — Snapshot

Welcome Bonus & Info (Partner Content)
- Earn 40,000 bonus points after spending $1,000 on purchases in the first 3 months.
- 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, phone services, and select streaming.
- $75 Southwest® travel credit each year.
- 4 Upgraded Boardings per year when available.
- No foreign transaction fees.
Card Categories:
- Credit Card Reviews
- Airline Credit Cards
Rewards Center
Southwest Rapid Rewards Frequent Flyer Program
Customer Service Number
800-935-9935 (Available 24/7)
Login Link
https://www.chase.com/
Related Articles

Great Card If

You’re a frequent Southwest flyer
You want to enhance your Southwest flights with upgraded boarding positions and discounts on inflight purchases
You want a card that earns Southwest Rapid Rewards points on your daily purchases

Don't Get If

You rarely ever fly with Southwest
You want a card that earns transferable rewards
You don’t want a card that charges an annual fee

Southwest Priority Card — Fees

Annual Fee
- $149
Foreign Transaction Fees
$0
Interest Rates
- 16.24% - 23.24% Variable
Late fees
- Penalty APR: Up to 29.99%
Balance Transfers
- 16.24% - 23.24% Variable
- Fee: Either $5 or 5% of the amount of each balance transfer, whichever is greater.
Cash Advance APR
- 25.24% Variable
- Fee: Either $10 or 5% of the amount of each transaction, whichever is greater.

Southwest Priority Card - Is It Worth It?

Southwest man luggage — Image Credit: Southwest

When deciding if the Southwest Priority card is worth it to you, you should first consider how often you fly with Southwest. If that answer is relatively often, then adding a Southwest credit card to your wallet might make sense for you.

Next, you’d need to consider whether or not you think you’ll get enough value out of the card to justify the $149 annual fee that you’d pay.

For most cardholders, this should be relatively easy, as you’ll receive a $75 annual Southwest credit and 7,500 bonus points each year. The 7,500 bonus points should get you about $97.50 worth of Southwest flights — meaning these 2 benefits alone would offer you $172.50 in Southwest flights each year, easily offsetting the $149 annual fee.

Then, when you factor in the card’s other benefits like the Upgraded Boarding certificates, point-earning, card protections, and discount on inflight purchases, it is easy to see why this card is well worth it for Southwest flyers.

Southwest Priority Card Top Benefits

7,500 Anniversary Points Each Year

Each year, on your account anniversary, you’ll receive 7,500 bonus points so long as you renew the card and pay the $149 annual fee. You’ll usually get about 1.3 cents per point when redeeming your Southwest Rapid Rewards points, so 7,500 points should get you $97.50 in Southwest flight value each year.

$75 Annual Southwest Credit

Another annual benefit is a $75 Southwest credit that can be used to offset any Southwest purchase you make with your card — including flights! Given that, we look at this credit as a $75 discount off of a future Southwest flight you’ll take the upcoming year.

4 Upgraded Boarding Certificates

Frequent Southwest flyers know that Southwest has a unique boarding system, and sometimes you can end up on the short end of the stick with a relatively poor boarding spot — causing you to have a less than desirable seat.

No matter, with the Southwest Priority card, you’ll receive 4 complimentary Upgraded Boarding certificates each year, which will automatically move your boarding position somewhere between A1-A15, making you one of the first people to board the flight.

Purchasing upgraded boarding starts at $30 per segment, but can be quite a bit more expensive than that depending on the itinerary you’re flying — so 4 certificates each year can be a considerable cost savings!

Tier Qualifying Points

Those looking to work their way towards elite status with Southwest will love that the card offers you the ability to earn Tier Qualifying Points for your spend on the card. Specifically, you’ll earn 1,500 Tier Qualifying Points towards elite status for every $10,000 you spend on the card.

Discounts on Inflight Purchases

If you decide you want to purchase Wi-Fi, a drink, or another item on your flight, you’ll receive a 25% discount when you pay with your Southwest Priority card.

Card Protections

Lost Luggage Reimbursement: If the items inside of your luggage are lost or damaged by the carrier, you’re covered for up to $3,000 per passenger.
Baggage Delay Insurance: If your checked bag is delayed by more than 6 hours, you’ll receive $100 in coverage towards essential items for each day that your bag is delayed.
Extended Warranty Protection: On eligible warranties of 3 years or less, your warranty coverage will be extended by 1 additional year.
Purchase Protection: Items you purchase with the card are covered towards theft or accidental damage, with up to $50,000 in coverage, up to 120 days from the date of purchase.

How To Earn and Redeem Southwest Rapid Rewards Points

Naturally, the 2 most straightforward ways to earn Southwest Rapid Rewards points are by taking Southwest flights and using a Southwest credit card like the Southwest Priority card. However, there are many other great ways for you to earn lots of Southwest Rapid Rewards points towards free flights.

Southwest Rapid Rewards points are a fixed point currency, meaning the number of points needed for a ticket is tied to the cash cost of the ticket. Usually, Southwest Rapid Rewards points will give you about 1.3 cents in value per point. So while there is no way to get outsized value for your points, there are still great ways to redeem your Southwest Rapid Rewards points for fantastic trips.

Alternative Cards to the Southwest Priority Card

Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card

If you’re looking for a more well-rounded card that also earns transferable rewards, then the Chase Sapphire Preferred card might be a better option for you.

The card earns 5x points per $1 on travel purchased through the Chase travel portal, and 2x points per $1 on all other travel purchases. Plus it earns 3x points per $1 on dining, online grocery purchases, and select streaming services, along with 1x point per $1 on all other purchases.

While it does have a $95 annual fee, it also offers some excellent perks such as various travel protections, an annual $50 hotel statement credit on purchases through the Chase travel portal, a DoorDash DashPass membership (must activate by March 31, 2022), and access to the Chase airline and hotel transfer partners.

Southwest Rapid Rewards® Plus Credit Card

If you’re more of a casual Southwest flyer and can’t justify the $149 annual fee of the Southwest Priority card, but still want a card that earns Southwest Rapid Rewards points, the Southwest Plus card might be a better fit for you.

With it, you’ll earn 2x points per $1 on Southwest purchases, Rapid Rewards hotel and car rental partners, local transit, and commuting purchases, along with internet, cable, phone services, and select streaming services.

The card still has an annual fee of $69, which is $80 less than the Southwest Priority card, but offers benefits including 3,000 annual bonus points at your card renewal, 25% back on inflight purchases, and 2 complimentary EarlyBird Check-ins per year.

Featured Image Credit: Chase

Frequently asked questions

Is the Southwest Priority card worth it?

If you fly with Southwest often enough to take advantage of the card’s benefits including the $75 travel credit, 7,500 bonus points, Upgraded Boarding certificates, and 25% discount on inflight purchases, then the Southwest Priority card would definitely be worth it for you.

Which Southwest credit card is best?

That depends on what you are looking for in a card and how often you fly with Southwest!

From a point earning and benefits perspective, the Southwest Priority card is by far the best when compared to its counterparts. That said, you’ll want to make sure you fly often enough with Southwest to actually make use of the benefits of the card.

Does the Southwest Priority card have an annual fee?

Yes, the Southwest Priority card has an annual fee of $149. That said, it offers some perks that help offset the fee, including the $75 annual Southwest credit and 7,500 annual bonus points on your account anniversary.

How do the Upgraded Boarding certificates on the Southwest Priority card work?

If you want to upgrade the boarding position you’ve been assigned, simply head to the gate agent before your flight is scheduled to depart and let them know you’d like to do so.

The gate agent will process the transaction for you and let you know what slot is available between A1 and A15. Afterward, they’ll ask you how you’d like to pay for the Upgraded Boarding and you can hand them your Southwest Priority card.

With your card, you can upgrade your boarding position like this, for free, up to 4 times each cardmember year.

Can you earn the Southwest Companion Pass with the Southwest Priority card?

To earn the Southwest Companion Pass, you must earn 125,000 qualifying Southwest Rapid Rewards points within a calendar year. You can use your Southwest Priority card to do so.

Points earned from the welcome bonus on your Southwest Priority card, as well as points you earn from your credit card spend, count towards the 125,000 points you need to earn by the end of the year.

About Jarrod West

Jarrod has been writing about credit cards and loyalty programs, along with various travel and finance topics, for over 5 years. As an expert in the field, he is regularly called upon to comment on the latest news in the space, and has been featured in publications like the New York Times, Matador Network, and Yahoo Finance. With a B.S. in Economics earned from Northern Kentucky University, Jarrod uses his experience to analyze the best credit cards and rewards programs for readers. He also regularly attends conferences to learn and share ideas with fellow travelers. So, if you see him at conferences like TravelCon, CardCon, or Frequent Traveler University, be sure to stop and say hello!

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