The Southwest Rapid Rewards Premier Credit Card has always felt like the middle option in Southwest’s lineup. The Plus Card costs less. The Priority Card comes with more perks. That leaves the Premier Card trying to find the balance between the two.
For a while, that was a tougher sell. When Southwest included two free checked bags for everyone and still used open seating, many of the card benefits did not change the travel experience much.
But Southwest is a very different airline now. The carrier charges for checked bags, has moved to assigned seating and now offers different seat types depending on the fare and your status. Those changes suddenly made Southwest credit card benefits much more relevant than they used to be.
The Premier Card now includes a free checked bag, access to Preferred seats within 48 hours of departure, anniversary points and a larger anniversary flight discount than the Plus Card. At the same time, it still costs less than the premium Priority Card.
So where exactly does the Premier Card fit now? Let’s take a closer look at what the card offers and whether it makes sense in Southwest’s updated lineup.
Annual Fee
The Southwest Rapid Rewards Premier Credit Card has a $149 annual fee.
If you decide the Southwest Premier Card is right for you, we’d appreciate it if you use our referral link. We receive Southwest points for each referral, which helps support Your Mileage May Vary.
Sign-Up Bonus
For a limited time, new cardmembers can earn 85,000 Southwest Rapid Rewards bonus points after spending $2,000 in the first three months from account opening.
Southwest says this offer is scheduled to end on July 1, 2026.
Chase places the following restrictions on receiving the welcome bonus:
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.
This card is also subject to Chase’s 5/24 rule.
Spending Categories
When using the card, you’ll earn Rapid Rewards points at the following rates:
- 3 points per $1 spent on Southwest purchases
- 2 points per $1 spent at grocery stores and restaurants on the first $8,000 in combined purchases each anniversary year
- 1 point per $1 spent on all other purchases
The spending categories are better than they used to be, particularly if you regularly spend at grocery stores or restaurants. Still, I don’t think the earning rates alone are the main reason most people will want to keep this card long term.
Card Benefits
This is where the Southwest Premier Card has changed the most. In the past, benefits like free checked bags and assigned seating did not matter much with Southwest because they were not part of how the airline worked. That is no longer the case.
Now that Southwest charges for checked bags and has moved to assigned seating, the Premier Card’s benefits are much more relevant to the actual travel experience.
- First checked bag free: Cardholders and up to eight additional passengers on the same reservation receive their first checked bag free. This is now one of the most important benefits of having a Southwest credit card.
- Standard or Preferred seat selection within 48 hours: Premier cardholders can choose available Standard or Preferred seats within 48 hours of departure. This is a step above the Plus Card, which only includes Standard seat selection within that same window.
- Boarding no later than Group 5: Cardholders and up to eight additional passengers on the same reservation will board no later than Group 5, when available.
- 6,000 anniversary points each year: These points are awarded each year after your cardmember anniversary. Valuing Southwest points around 1.3 cents each, that is roughly $78 in points, although I still think of this more as a rebate on the annual fee than “free travel.”
- 15% anniversary flight discount: Each year, cardholders receive a promo code for 15% off one Southwest flight. The discount excludes Basic fares.
- Earn Tier Qualifying Points: You’ll earn 1,500 Tier Qualifying Points toward A-List status for every $5,000 spent on the card annually.
- 10,000 Companion Pass qualifying boost: Each year, cardholders receive a 10,000-point boost toward earning the Southwest Companion Pass. These points are not redeemable and only count toward Companion Pass qualification.
- Points count toward Companion Pass qualification: Points earned from spending on the card also count toward earning a Southwest Companion Pass.
- 25% back on inflight purchases: Cardholders receive 25% back on eligible inflight purchases made with the card.
- No foreign transaction fees: The card does not charge foreign transaction fees, which is a useful feature if you use it outside the United States.
The biggest ongoing benefits are now the free checked bag, access to Preferred seats within 48 hours of departure and the annual Companion Pass boost. For travelers who fly Southwest more than once in a while, those are benefits that can be easier to use than the card’s older perks.
Ways To Use Southwest Rapid Rewards Points
The points you earn from the welcome bonus and spending on the card are deposited into your Southwest Rapid Rewards account. From there, you can use them to book Southwest flights.
Southwest no longer has a fixed award chart, so the number of points needed for a flight is tied to the cash price of the ticket. That means more expensive flights usually require more points, while cheaper flights require fewer points.
The upside is that Southwest does not have blackout dates for points bookings. If a seat is available for sale, you can usually book it with Rapid Rewards points. You’ll still pay the taxes and fees, but those are generally low on domestic flights.
Final Thoughts
The Southwest Premier Card makes more sense than it used to, mainly because Southwest itself has changed. Benefits like a free checked bag and Preferred seat selection now matter in a way they did not when Southwest included two checked bags and used open seating for everyone.
That does not automatically make the Premier Card the best choice for every Southwest flyer. The lower-fee Southwest Plus Card now includes several benefits that many occasional travelers may care about most, including a free checked bag. On the other end, the Southwest Priority Card offers stronger seating benefits for travelers who fly Southwest more often.
That leaves the Premier Card in the middle, which is exactly where it has always been. The difference is that the middle now has a clearer purpose. If you want more than the Plus Card offers, especially when it comes to seat selection, but do not want to pay the Priority Card’s higher annual fee, the Premier Card may be the right fit.
If you decide the Southwest Premier Card is right for you, we’d appreciate it if you use our referral link.
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1 comment
This card has become pointless after getting the Sapphire preferred card. Only use it if there is a promotion offering extra bonus points with spend. Will cancel before it renews again.