The Chase Southwest Rapid Rewards® Premier Card is a travel rewards credit card aimed toward frequent flyers of Southwest Airlines with a $99 annual fee. Its airline rewards program is built around Rapid Rewards, Southwest Airlines’ frequent flyer program, and is extremely attractive for active Southwest Airlines flyers who use this as their main card.
New applicants have the opportunity to earn 40,000 points after sending $1,000 on purchases in the first 3 months.
Cardholders earn 2 points per $1 spent on all Southwest Airlines purchases, as well as purchases with select hotels and rental car companies. You earn 1 point per $1 spent on everything else.
Earned points are good for Southwest Airlines airfare redemptions, with no blackout dates or seat restrictions. With some excellent frequent-traveler benefits, this card is worthwhile card for those who generally fly Southwest.
This Southwest-branded credit card is also issued by Chase Bank! If you’re interested for more offers from Chase, check out all the ongoing Checking/Savings account bonuses!
| BONUS LINK | OFFER | REVIEW |
| Chase Total Business Checking® | $200 Cash | Review |
| Chase SapphireSM Checking | $750 Cash | Review |
| Chase Total Checking® + Chase SavingsSM | $350 Cash | Review |
| Chase Total Checking®SM | $200 Cash | Review |
| Chase SavingsSM | $150 Cash | Review |
| Chase Premier Plus CheckingSM | $300 Cash | Review |
| Chase College CheckingSM | $100 Cash | Review |
| Chase Private Client | $1,250 Cash | Review |
| You InvestSM by J.P. Morgan | Up To $625 Cash | Review |
Southwest Rapid Rewards Premier Card Summary
 The Southwest Rapid Rewards® Premier Credit Card offers 40,000 points after sending $1,000 on purchases in the first 3 months in addition to a 6,000 bonus points after your Cardmember anniversary. You'll earn 2x points per $1 spent on Southwest® purchases & Rapid Rewards® hotel/car rental partner purchases; 1x point on all other purchases. You're able to redeem your points for flights, hotel stays, gift cards, access to events and more. This card does carry a $99 annual fee, but there are no foreign transaction fee. Learn More About This Card Here |
Earning 60K Southwest Rapid Rewards Premier Bonus
Take advantage of the 60,000 Rapid Rewards bonus points offer. Just charge at least $2,000 to your card within the first 3 months of opening your account. This bonus is worth about $900. It’s a pretty good bonus for this tier of annual fee.
Here are some ideas to meet the spending requirement:
| • Plastiq: Plastiq allows you to pay for expenses that you generally won’t be able to with your card like rent, tuition, auto lease, mortgage payment, and more. There’s a 2.5% processing fee for using your credit card. However, this’ll be worth the card bonus you’ll get. There’s also a referral program where you can earn “Fee-Free Dollars” to use towards processing fees. See our Plastiq review. |
| • Fund Checking accounts with your card: Many banks will allow you to fund the opening deposit with a credit card. Consider opening Checking accounts that also offer a sign-up bonus. This way, you can work towards bonuses from two different sources. Big banks like Chase, HSBC, Huntington, and TD Bank have great offers and allow credit card funding. You can generally fund anywhere from $50 to $1,000 towards the opening deposit with a credit card, depending on the bank. |
| • Buy gift cards: Consider buying gift cards with your credit card that you can then spend later at your leisure. Individual merchant cards (restaurants, gas stations, supermarkets, etc.) generally don’t have purchase fees, so this is a plus. On the other hand, American Express and Visa gift cards will have purchase fees. Amazon gift cards are a great idea as you can shop for almost anything there with no purchase fees either. Unfortunately, Citi credit cards tend to code gift card purchases as Cash Advances and there’ll be a fee. Call in to customer service and lower your Cash Advance limit to $0 before purchasing gift cards. You can also buy discounted gift cards as well from Raise or find gift cards on eBay. |
| • Everyday spending & bills: Always using your credit card for everyday spending, such as for dining, gas, groceries, etc. You can also use your credit card to pay for things like insurance bills, property taxes and income taxes. However, you’ll have to consider the convenience fees. |
Earn 2X Points Flying Southwest
Earn 2 points for every $1 you spend on Southwest Airlines. This includes airfare, vacation packages, in-flight food and drinks, and other incidentals. There are no caps or restrictions to how much you can earn.
Purchases with hotel and rental car partners, including Hertz, also earn an unlimited 2 points per $1 spent.
All other purchases earn an unlimited 1 point per $1 spent.
Redeem Rapid Rewards Points
Like many other airline-branded credit cards, the value of your points depends on how you use them. On average, each Rapid Rewards point is worth about $0.015. Therefore, 60k points are worth $900.
Redeem your points for Southwest Airlines airfare, with no blackout dates or seat restrictions. Redemptions typically start at 5,000 for one-way flights and 10,000 for round-trip flights. On popular routes, the value ranges from $0.014 to $0.016 per point. This depends on flight time, date, season, destination, distance, and other factors.
Unlike most other airlines, which fix the number of points required for redemption, Southwest Airlines regularly uses these factors to adjust the number of points required to redeem a particular flight. Keep track of your desired flight to see how the trend is so you can find the lowest price.
For the lowest fares and best deals, Southwest offers “Wanna Get Away” deals. However, these fares are non-refundable. Nonetheless, you can still cancel without penalty. Plus, you can apply the fare towards future travel on Southwest Airlines.
You can change your flight at any time. Just keep in mind that Southwest fares go up as your travel date gets closer.
You can also redeem your points for merchandise, gift cards, and experiences. However, these redemption options are not worth it. Points redeemed for these options are generally valued less than $0.01 apiece.
Earning Tier Qualifying Points
Separately from the Rapid Rewards program, you earn 1,500 Tier Qualifying Points (TQPs). These are Rapid Rewards points not earned through credit card bonuses and partner purchases, for every $10,000 spent with your Rapid Rewards Premier card. You can earn up to 15,000 TQPs per year this way, which is up to $100,000 in annual card spending.
If you earn 35,000 TQPs in a calendar year, you get A-List status, which is Southwest’s elite frequent flyer program. A-List status benefits include a 25% point-earning bonus, priority consideration when flying standby, and priority boarding on all flights.
You can also earn A-List status by completing at least 25 one-way flights in a calendar year.
Southwest Rapid Rewards Premier Benefits
- Travel with Transfarency: Coined by Southwest, Transfarency is a philosophy that the airline lives by: to treat its customers honestly and fairly.
- $0 for your first and second checked bags (weight and size limits apply)
- $0 change fee (fare differences may apply)
- Tier qualifying points (TQPs): Earn 1,500 TQPs for every $10,000 you spend in a calendar year, for up to 15,000 points annually. These points count towards A-List and A-List Preferred elite status.
A-List benefits include:
- Priority boarding
- 25% earning bonus on every qualifying flight
- Free same-day standby
- Priority check-in and security lane access
- Dedicated A-List member phone line
A-List Preferred benefits include:
- All standard A-List benefits
- 100% earning bonus on every qualifying flight
- Free in-flight WiFi
Anniversary Bonus: Every year, on your card anniversary, you’ll receive 6,000 Rapid Rewards bonus points. That’s worth approximately $90, nearly covering the annual fee.
No Foreign Transaction Fees: Make purchases abroad without worrying about foreign transaction fees. The Southwest Rapid Rewards Priority card also has this feature. The Southwest Rapid Rewards Plus card doesn’t.
Cardholder Perks
The Southwest Rapid Rewards Premier comes with standard travel and purchase protections. These include free first and second checked bags, lost luggage reimbursement, purchase protection, and extended warranty protection. Here are some more perks that the card offers:
- Tier Qualifying Point Earnings: This card earns 1,500 bonus Tier Qualifying Points (TQPs). TPQs are Rapid Rewards points not earned through credit card sign-up bonuses or partner purchases for every $10,000 spent. You can earn up to 15,000 TQPs per year through this method and an unlimited number of additional TQPs by paying cash for Southwest Airlines fares and making non-Southwest credit card purchases. Earn 35,000 TQPs in a calendar year to hit A-List status. You’ll receive benefits, such as priority consideration on standby flights, priority boarding on all flights, and a 25% point-earning bonus. You can also earn A-List status by completing at least 25 one-way flights in a calendar year.
- Companion Pass Status: This status is for those who spend heavily on Southwest flight purchases. To earn it, you either need to accumulate 110,000 TQPs (through cash fare and credit card purchases, other than partner purchases) or complete at least 100 one-way Southwest Airlines segments (connecting flights count separately) in a calendar year. Companion Pass status holders can bring a companion traveler on any Southwest flight at no additional fare charge. Taxes and security fees still apply. There’s no limit to how many times this benefit can be used. You can travel with as many companions throughout the year you like. However, you can’t travel with more than one companion per flight.
- No Foreign Transaction Fees: Keep earning your points outside the U.S. without paying a foreign transaction fee.
Conclusion
The Chase Southwest Rapid Rewards® Premier Credit Card is a great pick, especially for loyal Southwest Airlines customers. Southwest makes it easy to redeem Rapid Rewards points! You’ll get a great deal of your award flight bookings. Your points will never expire and there are no blackout dates.
The additional card features include the 6,000-mile anniversary bonus, the ability to earn bonus points by shopping with Rapid Rewards partners, and a Companion Pass-eligible signup bonus, making this card a big win for your wallet when saving up for flights.
If you don’t frequently fly Southwest or you’re interested in something else, see our list of credit card promotions today!
Other Credit Cards To Consider
More Flexibility:
 With the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card: • Earn 60,000 bonus points after you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening. That's $750 toward travel when you redeem through Chase Ultimate Rewards® • 2X points on travel and dining at restaurants worldwide & 1 point per dollar spent on all other purchases. • Get 25% more value when you redeem for airfare, hotels, car rentals and cruises through Chase Ultimate Rewards. For example, 60,000 points are worth $750 toward travel Learn More About This Card Here |
 The Capital One® Venture® Rewards Credit Card offers a one-time bonus of 50,000 miles once you spend $3,000 on purchases within 3 months from account opening (equal to $500 in travel). Named ‘The Best Travel Card' by CNBC, 2018. You're able to earn 2X miles on every purchase, every day. Plus earn 10X miles on thousands of hotels, through January 2020; learn more at hotels.com/venture. This card does come with a $95 annual fee, however, there is a $0 intro annual fee for the first year. Enjoy no foreign transaction fees and receive up to $100 application fee credit for Global Entry or TSA Pre✔®. |
The Best Bank Offers are updated here. See the below pages to get started with some of the best offers: • Chase Bank Offers. Chase offers a range of attractive Checking, Savings and Business Accounts. Chase has a great selection of sign-up bonuses in comparison to other big banks. • HSBC Bank Offers. HSBC Bank has big value offers available through this Checking Accounts. In addition, they are offering an attractive rate for their Online Savings Account. • Huntington Bank Offers. Huntington Bank has high bonus amounts available through their Checking and Business Checking. Huntington also offers a Business Premier Money Market Account. • Discover Bank Offers. Discover Bank offers top cashback, savings, money market accounts and CD rates for you to take advantage of. Discover has industry leading selections to cater to your banking needs. • TD Bank Offers. TD Bank consistently offers a fantastic selection of checking accounts to cater to your banking needs. However, savings account offers are less frequently available. |
| BONUS LINK | OFFER | REVIEW |
| Chase Premier Plus CheckingSM | $300 Cash | Review |
| Chase Total Checking® + Chase SavingsSM | $350 Cash | Review |
| Chase Total Business Checking® | $200 Cash | Review |
| Chase SapphireSM Checking | $750 Cash | Review |
| Discover Bank Online Savings | $200 Cash | Review |
| Discover Cashback Debit | $360 Cash | Review |
| HSBC Premier Checking Member FDIC | $750 Cash | Review |
| HSBC Advance Checking Member FDIC | $350 Cash | Review |
| Huntington Asterisk-Free Checking® | $150 Cash | Review |
| Huntington 5 Checking | $200 Cash | Review |
| Chase College CheckingSM | $100 Cash | Review |
| Chase Private Client | $1,250 Cash | Review |
| TD Bank Beyond Checking | $300 Cash | Review |
| TD Bank Convenience CheckingSM | $200 Cash | Review |
| Huntington Bank Unlimited Plus Business Checking | $500 Cash | Review |
| Huntington Bank Unlimited Business Checking | $400 Cash | Review |
| Huntington Bank Business Checking 100 | $200 Cash | Review |
