MoneyGeek's Take

Best Airline Credit Cards for Southwest Flyers in 2022

The best credit cards for Southwest Flyers come with higher-than-usual reward rates on category-based spending. These cards commonly offer bonus points for new cardholders through spend-based welcome offers.

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Last Updated: 11/18/2022

Chase makes available different Southwest Rapid Rewards credit cards for individuals and businesses. It is common for these cards to come with welcome offers through which you may earn bonus points by meeting basic spend-based requirements.

The top credit cards for Southwest Flyers let you earn points faster when you spend on bonus categories. For example, the Southwest Rapid Rewards® Plus Credit Card offers up to 2x points on category-based spending. The Southwest Rapid Rewards® Premier Credit Card, on the other hand, offers up to 3x points and has the same bonus categories.

Annual fees are not the same across all the top Southwest Rapid Rewards credit cards. This is also the case with the airline/airport benefits you stand to enjoy. Other aspects that need your attention in selecting a suitable card include foreign transaction fees and APRs.

OUR REVIEW AT A GLANCE

Our Top 3 Picks
Summarized List of All Winners
Tips for Comparing Credit Cards

This article is part of our larger series on
Best Airline Credit Cards

MoneyGeek’s Take: Top 3 Southwest Rapid Rewards Credit Cards

Quick Summary

Not all Southwest credit cards come with the same welcome offers, and these remain subject to change. How many points you earn per dollar depends on the card you get and its bonus categories. Choosing the right card requires that you also pay attention to airline/airport benefits on offer, the annual fee you need to pay, the APR that might apply on your card and whether or not you’ll need to pay foreign transaction fees.

You can view other good options by scrolling further down the page.

Southwest Rapid Rewards® Plus Credit Card
The best starter card for the Southwest Airlines flyer
- Good-ExcellentRecommended Credit
- $69Annual Fee
- 1–2 Points per $1*Rewards Rate
- 2xRewards Rate on Air Travel
- 1xRewards Rate on Gas
We recommend this Chase card to Southwest frequent flyers who wish to earn Southwest Rapid Rewards points faster. For starters, if you meet a basic spend-based requirement as a new cardholder, you stand to earn a significant number of bonus points.
This card offers 2X points per dollar on bonus categories such as Southwest purchases; Rapid Rewards hotel and car rental partner purchases; local transit and commuting (including rideshare); and cable, internet, phone, and select streaming services. All other purchases come with 1X points. You also receive 3,000 bonus points after each account anniversary.
The Southwest Rapid Rewards® Plus Credit Card comes with a $69 annual fee and a 3% foreign transaction fee. However, you get to benefit from two EarlyBird check-ins each year, 25% back on Southwest in-flight purchases and free checked bags on Southwest flights.
Pros
Lowest annual fee at $69 (compared to other Chase-Southwest cards)
Earn two points for every dollar spent on Southwest purchases and other bonus categories
Earn one point for every dollar spent on all other purchases
Earn unlimited points with no expiration
Redeem Rapid Reward points in several ways
First two checked bags for free
Lost luggage reimbursement, baggage delay insurance and other perks

Cons
High cash advance fees
High balance transfer fees
3% foreign transaction fees
Limited to Southwest Airline flights and partners
Earn 2X points per $1 spent on Southwest purchases and other bonus categories
Earn one point for every dollar spent on all other purchases
Spend-based welcome bonus
Additional 3,000 points anniversary bonus
Refer a friend for 20,000 additional points
Disclaimer: Credit card offers are constantly changing. We work hard to stay updated with the latest information, but the offers listed on our site may no longer be available.
Terms, rates and fees apply
Southwest Rapid Rewards® Premier Credit Card
A great miles rewards card with no foreign transaction fee for frequent Southwest customers
- Good-ExcellentRecommended Credit
- $99Annual Fee
- 1–2 Points per $1*Rewards Rate
- 2xRewards Rate on Air Travel
- 1xRewards Rate on Groceries
We love the Southwest Rapid Rewards® Premier Credit Card because it comes with a sizable welcome offer and it lets you earn Rapid Rewards points faster through multiple bonus categories. While this card comes with a $99 annual fee, it does away with foreign transaction fees. All cardholders receive 6,000 bonus points after each account anniversary.
You may use this card to earn 3X points per dollar on Southwest purchases. It offers 2X points per dollar on purchases through Rapid Rewards hotel and car rental partners. Spending on local transit and commuting, including rideshare, as well as on phone, cable, internet and select streaming services. You earn 1X points on all other purchases.
Other Southwest-specific perks come in the form of 1,500 tier qualifying points towards A-List and A-List Preferred status every time you spend $10,000, 25% back on in-flight purchases, free checked bags and two EarlyBird check-ins each year.
Pros
No foreign transaction fees
High rewards rate
Bags fly free
Bonus points
Multiple Southwest-specific perks

Cons
$99 annual fee
High APR
Limited travel perks
Spend-based welcome offer
Earn up to 3X points on category-based spending
No foreign transaction fee
Multiple benefits for Southwest flyers
No blackout dates when booking flights with points
Disclaimer: Credit card offers are constantly changing. We work hard to stay updated with the latest information, but the offers listed on our site may no longer be available.
Terms, rates and fees apply
Southwest® Rapid Rewards® Premier Business Credit Card
A great miles credit card for international purchases with multiple miles-earning and redeeming opportunities
- Good-ExcellentRecommended Credit
- $99Annual Fee
- 1–2 Points per $1*Rewards Rate
- 2xRewards Rate on Air Travel
- 1xRewards Rate on TV, Phone, Internet Services
We recommend this Chase credit card to business owners who use Southwest Airlines frequently. While this card charges a $99 annual fee, it comes with a sizable spend-based welcome offer. It also rewards you with 6,000 bonus points after each account anniversary.
This card offers 3X points per dollar on Southwest Airlines purchases. It offer 2X points per dollar on Rapid Rewards hotel and car rental partner purchases, and on local transit and commuting, including rideshare services. All other purchases come with 1X points.
All cardholders get 25% back on Southwest in-flight purchases and two EarlyBird check-ins each year. You also earn 1,500 tier qualifying points toward A-List status every time you spend $10,000. Using this card outside of the U.S. is perfect because it comes with no foreign transaction fees.
Pros
No foreign transaction fees
Earn miles for unlimited rewards
Introductory and anniversary bonus points
Free employee cards

Cons
$99 annual fee
High APR
Limited travel perks
Sizable spend-based welcome offer
Bonus categories for earning reward points faster
No blackout dates for flights booked with points
Individual spending limits available for authorized users
Disclaimer: Credit card offers are constantly changing. We work hard to stay updated with the latest information, but the offers listed on our site may no longer be available.
Terms, rates and fees apply
Compare this credit card with other top-rated cards from our partners.

Methodology

MoneyGeek experts make it a point to go through all the new and existing credit cards from this category each month. They carry out in-depth comparisons and select the best credit cards for Southwest flyers based on parameters such as reward rates, welcome offers, annual fees, foreign transaction fees, APRs and added perks.

If you think you might benefit more by getting a non-co-branded credit card with airline rewards or a co-branded card from a different airline, you may want to consider checking our overall list of the best airline credit cards.

15%

Miles Rewards Rate

10%

Welcome Offer

-6%

APR and Fees

Summary of the Best Airline Cards for Southwest Flyers

The corresponding Southwest Rapid Rewards credit cards comparison table gives you an indication of who might benefit by getting these cards and the credit you need to apply as well as reward rates and annual fees.

Credit Card
Best For
Avg. Reward Rate
Annual Fee
Credit Needed
Southwest Rapid Rewards® Plus Credit Card
The best starter card for the Southwest Airlines flyer
1–2 Points per $1*
$69
Southwest Rapid Rewards® Premier Credit Card
A great miles rewards card with no foreign transaction fee for frequent Southwest customers
1–2 Points per $1*
$99
Southwest® Rapid Rewards® Premier Business Credit Card
A great miles credit card for international purchases with multiple miles-earning and redeeming opportunities
1–2 Points per $1*
$99
Southwest Rapid Rewards® Priority Credit Card
A great card for Southwest frequent flyers
1–2 Points per $1
$149
Southwest® Rapid Rewards® Performance Business Credit Card
An excellent business card with Southwest and other travel benefits
1–3 Points per $1*
$199

MONEYGEEK EXPERT TIP

The welcome bonus from the Southwest credit cards counts towards earning the Southwest Companion Pass. This benefit allows your designated companion to fly with you for free on any Southwest flight for more than a full year, even when using your points to book the trip. -- Lee Huffman, credit card expert at BaldThoughts.com.

How to Compare Airline Credit Cards & Intro Offers

The top Southwest credit cards come with specific features and benefits. This requires that you pay attention to different aspects when making a selection.

Rewards rate

The card you get and its bonus categories have a bearing on the points-per-dollar rate. For example, the Southwest Rapid Rewards® Plus Credit Card offers 2x points per dollar on Southwest purchases; on Rapid Rewards car rental and hotel partners; on local transit and commuting, including rideshare; and on phone, cable, internet and select streaming services. All other purchases come with 1x points per dollar. The Southwest Rapid Rewards® Premier Credit Card Business Card, on the other hand, offers 3x points per dollar on Southwest purchases, 2x points on bonus categories and 1x points on all other purchases. This card does not include phone, cable, internet, and streaming services under its bonus categories.

Welcome offer

Chase credit cards for Southwest flyers usually come with spend-based welcome offers. For instance, you may stand to earn 40,000 bonus points if you spend $1,000 on purchases within the first three months.

Annual fee

Chase currently does not offer a Southwest Rapid Rewards card with no annual fee. The Southwest Rapid Rewards® Plus Credit Card serves as the most basic option for personal customers. It has an annual fee of $69. The Chase Southwest Rapid Rewards® Priority Credit Card comes with a $149 annual fee but includes a yearly $75 Southwest credit that offsets the higher price. If you get the Southwest Rapid Rewards Performance Business Card, you need to pay an annual fee of $199.

Airline/airport benefits

These essentially depend on the annual fee that comes with your card. For instance, the top-of-the-line Southwest Rapid Rewards Priority Card offers 7,500 bonus points after every account anniversary, a $75 Southwest annual travel credit, availability-based four upgraded boardings each year, 25% back on in-flight purchases and 1,500 tier qualifying points towards A-List and A-List Preferred status for every $10,000 you spend each year.

Foreign transaction fee

The Southwest Rapid Rewards® Plus Credit Card is the only one from the existing list that charges foreign transaction fees. All the other top credit cards for Southwest flyers do away with this fee.

APR

This aspect requires your attention if you plan to maintain revolving balances in your account. If this is the case, getting a low-interest credit card with or without rewards might work better for you.

Added features

Additional card-specific features and perks you may look forward to include free checked bags on Southwest flights, purchase protection, extended warranty and travel insurance coverage.