Southwest Has Increased Its Credit Card Bonuses. The Best Offer May Not Be The Biggest One

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Southwest Airlines and Chase are back with elevated welcome offers on all three personal Southwest Rapid Rewards credit cards. This time, the offers are not identical. The more expensive the card, the larger the bonus.

At first glance, the answer seems obvious: apply for the card with the biggest bonus. But now that Southwest charges for checked bags and has moved to assigned seating, the differences between these cards matter more than they used to.

The least expensive Southwest card now includes a free checked bag and seat-related benefits. Meanwhile, the most expensive card costs a lot more but only gives you 10,000 more points.

So while earning up to 90,000 Rapid Rewards points sounds appealing, the biggest welcome offer isn’t necessarily the best deal.

If you decide to sign up for any of Southwest’s credit cards, we’d appreciate it if you used our referral link. We receive Southwest points for each referral, which helps us keep Your Mileage May Vary HQ going strong.

The Current Southwest Credit Card Welcome Offers

These limited-time offers are available on the three personal Southwest Rapid Rewards credit cards from Chase:

According to Southwest, this limited-time offer ends on July 1, 2026. You can view the current card details on Southwest’s website.

This Is Different From Southwest’s Previous Big Card Offer

Last year, Southwest offered a 100,000-point bonus on all three personal credit cards. In that situation, choosing a card mostly came down to deciding which annual fee and ongoing benefits made the most sense, because the welcome bonus was identical regardless of which card you selected.

This time, each step up in annual fee comes with a slightly larger bonus:

• The Premier Card offers 5,000 more points than the Plus Card, but it has a $50 higher annual fee and requires an additional $1,000 in spending.
• The Priority Card offers 10,000 more points than the Plus Card, but it has a $130 higher annual fee and requires an additional $2,000 in spending.

That doesn’t automatically make the other cards poor choices. But it means the decision should be based on the ongoing benefits you’ll use after earning the bonus, not simply on which card has the largest number in the advertisement.

The Southwest Plus Card May Be The Most Sensible Choice For Many Travelers

The Southwest Rapid Rewards Plus Credit Card has the smallest welcome bonus of the three cards, but calling 80,000 points a small bonus would be a stretch.

For a $99 annual fee and only $1,000 in required spending, the card includes several benefits that became much more important after Southwest changed how it operates:

• First checked bag free for the cardmember and up to eight additional passengers on the same reservation.
• Complimentary Standard seat selection within 48 hours of departure, when available.
• Boarding no later than Group 5 for the cardmember and up to eight additional passengers on the same reservation.
• 3,000 anniversary points each year.
• A 10% anniversary flight discount promo code, excluding Basic fares.
• A 10,000-point Companion Pass qualifying boost each year.
• 25% back on inflight purchases.
• No foreign transaction fees.

I recently wrote about why we decided to keep the Plus Card rather than pay more for the Priority Card. When Southwest allowed two checked bags for everyone and used open seating, the Plus Card did not offer much that changed the travel experience. Now that cardholders can avoid the first checked bag fee and receive a seat-related benefit, the card has a clearer reason to exist.

For someone who flies Southwest occasionally and mainly wants to avoid paying for a checked bag, the Plus Card may provide enough ongoing value without paying more for benefits they may rarely use.

Does The Southwest Premier Card Offer Enough More?

The Southwest Rapid Rewards Premier Credit Card currently offers 85,000 bonus points after spending $2,000 in the first three months. Its annual fee is $149.

The Premier Card includes many of the same basic benefits as the Plus Card, including a first checked bag free, Group 5 boarding, a 10,000-point Companion Pass qualifying boost and 25% back on inflight purchases.

Where it improves on the Plus Card is with:

• Complimentary Preferred seat selection within 48 hours of departure, when available, instead of Standard seat selection.
• 6,000 anniversary points instead of 3,000.
• A 15% anniversary flight discount promo code instead of 10%, excluding Basic fares.
• 3X points on Southwest Airlines purchases instead of 2X.
• 1,500 Tier Qualifying Points toward A-List status for every $5,000 spent annually.

Those benefits are real improvements, particularly if you value having a better chance at selecting a Preferred seat. But the Premier Card now occupies an awkward spot in Southwest’s lineup. It costs $50 more per year than the Plus Card and requires an additional $1,000 in spending to earn only 5,000 additional welcome bonus points.

For someone who does not care much about seat location, the Plus Card may be enough. For someone who cares about getting a better seat, the Priority Card offers significantly stronger seating benefits.

When The Southwest Priority Card Makes Sense

The Southwest Rapid Rewards Priority Credit Card has the largest welcome offer: 90,000 bonus points after spending $3,000 in the first three months. It also has the largest annual fee, at $229.

The Priority Card includes the same first checked bag benefit and Group 5 boarding as the other two personal cards. What makes it different is its seating benefit:

• Complimentary Preferred seat selection at booking, when available.
• Unlimited upgrades to an Extra Legroom seat within 48 hours of departure, when available.
• 7,500 anniversary points each year.
• 4X points on Southwest Airlines purchases.
• 2X points at gas stations and restaurants.
• 2,500 Tier Qualifying Points toward A-List status for every $5,000 spent annually.
• A 10,000-point Companion Pass qualifying boost each year.
• 25% back on inflight purchases.
• No foreign transaction fees.

Before Southwest changed its seating and checked-bag policies, the Priority Card was easier to justify because it offered benefits such as an annual Southwest travel credit and upgraded boarding privileges. The current version of the card is different. Its value now depends much more heavily on whether you care about selecting Preferred seats at booking or possibly moving into Extra Legroom seats before departure.

If you fly Southwest regularly and care where you sit, the Priority Card is the one with the most useful ongoing perks. But if you are only choosing it because it offers 10,000 more welcome points than the Plus Card, paying an additional $130 annual fee may not make much sense.

Which Southwest Credit Card Offer Should You Choose?

There is no single answer for everyone, but I think the decision breaks down this way:

• Choose the Plus Card if you want the lowest annual fee, a large welcome bonus and the newly important first checked bag benefit without paying extra for premium seating perks.
• Choose the Premier Card if you are willing to pay a little more for access to Preferred seats within 48 hours of departure and a few improved ongoing benefits, but do not want the Priority Card’s $229 annual fee.
• Choose the Priority Card if you fly Southwest often enough to value Preferred seat selection at booking, possible Extra Legroom upgrades and faster progress toward A-List status.

For many occasional Southwest flyers, I think the Plus Card may now be the best overall offer. Giving up 10,000 bonus points compared with the Priority Card is easier to accept when it also means paying $130 less in annual fees and spending $2,000 less to earn the bonus.

Remember The Application Restrictions

Chase states that these products are available to applicants who do not currently have a Southwest Rapid Rewards Credit Card and who have not received a new cardmember bonus on a Southwest Rapid Rewards Credit Card within the last 24 months. This restriction does not apply to Southwest Rapid Rewards Business Card and Employee Credit Card products.

In addition, Chase credit cards are generally subject to the bank’s 5/24 application rule.

Final Thought

There was a time when picking among Southwest’s three personal credit cards was mostly about deciding how much you wanted to pay for anniversary points and boarding benefits. Southwest’s recent changes have made these cards matter much more because they now affect things travelers notice on almost every trip, including checked bags and seat selection.

These elevated welcome offers make all three cards worth considering for someone who already wants Southwest points. But I would not automatically apply for the Priority Card simply because it offers the largest bonus. The Plus Card costs substantially less, requires much less spending and still includes the benefit many travelers are likely to value most: a free first checked bag.

The Priority Card may still be the right answer for frequent Southwest flyers who care about better seats. The Premier Card may appeal to someone who wants something in between. But with only 10,000 points separating the least expensive card from the most expensive one, this is one offer where bigger does not necessarily mean better.

If you decide one of these cards is right for you, we’d appreciate it if you apply through our referral link. The current limited-time welcome offers are scheduled to end on July 1, 2026.

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