Southwest Rapid Rewards® Priority Credit Card Review: Hard-to-Beat Rewards for Southwest Loyalists

The Rapid Rewards Priority card is an excellent choice for frequent Southwest Airlines travelers. It offers high rewards on Southwest purchases, a sizable sign-up bonus and valuable travel perks.

You can earn 3X points on Southwest purchases and 2X on local transit, commuting, internet, cable and phone services and select streaming. The card also provides a $75 annual travel credit, 7,500 anniversary points each year, four annual Upgraded Boardings and the ability to earn tier-qualifying points for Southwest’s A-List status.

All points earned with the card, including the sign-up bonus and anniversary points, count towards the 135,000-point requirement for the much-coveted Companion Pass. This pass allows a designated companion to fly with you for free (excluding taxes and fees) whenever you purchase or redeem flights with Southwest Airlines.

However, the card has a $149 annual fee. Also, for the best value, your redemption options are limited to Southwest flights. You cannot transfer points to other loyalty programs. If you have routine business or leisure trips that involve flying Southwest, the Rapid Rewards Priority easily trumps the mid-tier Rapid Rewards Premier. But if you only fly Southwest occasionally, you may prefer the Rapid Rewards Plus or a more flexible travel card.

The Rapid Rewards Priority offers a robust rewards program tailored for frequent Southwest travelers. It lets you earn Rapid Rewards points, which you can use to book Southwest flights. You earn high points on Southwest flights, but you can also earn points on other purchases:

• Southwest purchases: 3X points
• Rapid Rewards hotel and car rental partners: 2X points
• Local transit and commuting (including rideshare): 2X points
• Internet, cable and phone services; select streaming: 2X points
• All other purchases: 1X points

Notably, when you fly Southwest, you automatically earn Rapid Rewards points on your ticket. This means that points earned with the card are added to the initial points.

Southwest points are best redeemed for Southwest flights, where you can get 1.4 cents per point. While you can use these non-expiring points for gift cards, merchandise, car rentals and hotel stays, these options offer lower value than flights.

Using the Rapid Rewards Priority cards counts towards earning the coveted Southwest Companion pass, the highest tier of the airline’s loyalty program.

Companion pass: The Companion Pass allows one designated person to fly with you for free (excluding taxes and fees) every time you purchase or redeem points for a flight. Every point you earn through the Rapid Rewards Priority card contributes directly to the 135,000 points needed to qualify for Rapid Rewards. This includes the introductory offer, which is currently 85,000 points.

A-List Status: A-List Status offers several travel perks, including priority boarding, priority check-in and a 25% earning bonus on points for each flight. To qualify, you need to fly 20 one-way qualifying flights or earn 35,000 tier qualifying points in a calendar year.

A-List Preferred: A-List Preferred status provides all the benefits of A-List status plus additional perks like free in-flight wifi and a 100% earning bonus on points for each flight. You need to fly 40 one-way qualifying flights or earn 70,000 tier qualifying points in a calendar year to qualify.

The Rapid Rewards Priority card offers the most perks among co-branded Southwest cards. These benefits can significantly enhance your travel experience and provide substantial savings.

Sign-up bonus: You can earn 85,000 bonus points after spending $3,000 on purchases in the first three months from account opening. This substantial bonus also counts towards your Companion Pass qualifying points, making achieving this highly-coveted perk easier.

Annual travel credit: The card comes with a $75 Southwest travel credit each year, which you can use on flights, gift cards and other Southwest purchases. This credit alone is enough to justify the upgrade from the Southwest Rapid Rewards® Premier Credit Card, which has a $99 annual fee.

Anniversary points: During your card anniversary, you stand to earn 7,500 bonus points. That’s worth around $104 if redeemed for a Southwest ticket.

Four upgraded boardings per year: Southwest Airlines uses a designated boarding order — the earlier you board, the better your seat selection and the higher your chances of securing overhead bin space for your carry-on. With this card, you receive credits for up to four upgraded boardings annually (worth $30 per flight), allowing you to get a better boarding position.

Unlimited tier qualifying points (TQPs): You earn 1,500 TQPs for every $5,000 you spend with the card, helping you achieve A-List status faster.

Earn 10,000 Companion Pass qualifying points boost each year: This annual boost helps you maintain or achieve Companion Pass status more easily.

Trip insurance: The card comes with trip insurance, offering peace of mind when traveling. This includes coverage for lost or damaged luggage, baggage delays, extended warranty protection on eligible items and protection against damage or theft when making new purchases.

No foreign transaction fees: If you’re traveling internationally, you won’t have to worry about extra charges on your purchases.

Before deciding on the Rapid Rewards Priority, it’s wise to consider the following drawbacks:

High annual fee: The card comes with a $149 annual fee, which may be a significant expense for budget-conscious travelers. While the card offers valuable perks for hardcore Southwest flyers, the fee might outweigh the benefits for infrequent travelers. The Southwest Rapid Rewards® Plus Credit Card features most of the Rapid Rewards Priority’s benefits for a lower annual fee.

Limited bonus rewards categories: The card’s bonus categories do not include everyday spending, such as dining, groceries and gas. This limits your ability to earn high rewards from your purchases. If you’re looking for a flexible travel card, consider the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card, which has rewards that can be transferred directly to Southwest.

Limited redemptions beyond Southwest: While you can use points to redeem gift cards and other Southwest purchases, the most valuable redemptions are typically for Southwest flights. Also, points earned with the card can’t be transferred to other airline loyalty programs. This limitation forces you to fly only Southwest.

Lack of additional travel benefits: Despite being Southwest's most feature-laden credit card, the Rapid Rewards Priority Card lacks luxury perks. It does not offer benefits like airport lounge access, credits for Global Entry or TSA PreCheck application fees. If you're looking for premium travel benefits, you may need to consider other airline credit cards.

If you’re considering other Southwest co-branded cards, here’s how they compare against the Rapid Rewards Priority:

We’ve also compared the Rapid Rewards Priority with another travel card to help you make an informed decision.

It can be smart to pair the Rapid Rewards Priority with another card that rewards everyday categories so you get the best possible returns on your purchases.

We evaluated the Southwest Rapid Rewards® Priority Credit Card among 20 airline cards, focusing on key features with the following weights:

• Expected Value for Traveler (40%): Assesses the monetary value of rewards and perks for frequent travelers, subtracting the annual fees to determine overall benefit.
• Airline Scope (20%): Scores the number of destinations the airline serves, a key factor for frequent travelers.
• Offer ROI (15%): Analyzes the return on investment from the card's introductory bonus offers.
• Airline Rewards Rate for Traveler (10%): Measures the rewards earned on airline-related spending for frequent travelers.
• Issuer Satisfaction (5%): Reflects customer satisfaction with the card issuer, based on J.D. Power’s satisfaction study.
• Foreign Transaction Fees (5%): Rates the cost of foreign transaction fees, with higher scores for low or no fees.
• Recommended Credit (5%): Evaluates how accessible the card is based on credit score requirements.