Southwest Rapid Rewards Priority Credit Card 40,000 Bonus Points ($600 Value)

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The Chase Southwest Rapid Rewards® Priority Credit Card comes with the highest annual fee out of the Southwest credit cards collection at $149. The annual fee isn’t waived the first year. But, thanks to its anniversary bonus, annual travel credit and other perks, this is the most generous of the airline’s credit cards.

As a welcome offer, earn 40,000 points after you spend $1,000 on purchases in the first 3 months your account is open.

Cardholders earn 2 points per $1 spent on Southwest purchases and Rapid Rewards hotel and car rental partner purchases.

If Southwest is your preferred airline, Southwest Rapid Rewards® Priority Credit Card offers valuable benefits that can easily offset the cost of carrying it. However, if you spread your spending around multiple airlines, we recommend a general travel card instead. See those down below.

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!

Southwest Rapid Rewards Priority Card Summary

Southwest Rapid Rewards® Priority Credit Card Learn More About This Card Here

Editor’s Alternate Pick

The Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card offers 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®! You'll earn 2X points on travel and dining at restaurants worldwide; 1 point per dollar spent on all other purchases. And when you redeem your points for airfare, hotels, car rentals and cruises through Chase Ultimate Rewards, you'll get 25% more value! Learn More About This Card Here

Earning Southwest Rapid Rewards Priority Bonus

Get the Southwest Rapid Rewards Priority Credit Card’s 40,000 welcome offer. Our valuation of this bonus offer is worth around $600. Compare this welcome offer to other card bonuses.

Compare this offer to other credit cards. Here are some ideas on meeting the spending requirement:

What are Rapid Rewards Points Worth?

The value of your points depends on how you use them, each Rapid Rewards point at around $0.015.

You can redeem your points for:

• • Flights
  • Hotel stays
  • Car rentals
  • Gift cards
  • Access to events
  • Merchandise

To get the maximum value of your Rapid Reward points, redeem them for Southwest flights. Please note that the point value changes constantly and it depends when you fly, destination, and more! It’s good to know that there are no blackout dates and no seat restrictions.

However, if you use your Rapid Rewards point towards anything other than Southwest flights, you won’t be getting the best value since this will bring your points below $0.01.

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.

There is no foreign transaction fee. So, earn your points while shopping outside the States.

Redeem Southwest 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.

Southwest gives you the option of redeeming your points for flights, car rentals, products, gift cards, and more.

Using points toward products, gift cards, and other options is typically the worst way to get value for your points. These typically bring your points worth to below $0.01.

The best way to maximize value from your points is to use them toward Southwest or AirTran (owned by Southwest) flights. Point values constantly change, so keep your eyes peeled for the deals. On popular routes, the value ranges from $0.014 to $0.016 per point.

Southwest offers “Wanna Get Away” deals, featuring the airline’s lowest fares and generally the best deals. However, these fares are non-refundable. Nonetheless, you can still cancel without penalty. Plus, the fare can be applied toward 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.

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 Priority 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 Priority Benefits

Why Fly Southwest?

The mission of Southwest Airlines is dedication to the highest quality of customer service delivered with a sense of warmth, friendliness, individual pride, and company spirit.

• Customer appreciation day is every day. Southwest Airline’s customers mean everything to them. Southwest likes to think of themselves as a Customer Service company that happens to fly airplanes. From booking your trip to the moment you deplane, it’s their mission to make your travel experience a great one.
• From sea to shining sea (and the tropics). With an extensive network, Southwest serves more than 100 destinations throughout the United States, Mexico, and the Caribbean. Combined, they operate more than 3,800 flights a day including more than 500 roundtrip markets.
• Low fares. No hidden fees. That’s Transfarency. They do things differently at Southwest — so much so that they had to invent a word to describe it, Transfarency! It means that they’re all about being open and honest with their customers and making sure pesky fees stay away from their low fares.
• Bag fees? Not on their plane. When you fly with Southwest, your first and second checked bags fly free (yep, that includes skis and golf bags).
• No. Change. Fees. Yesss. In today’s fast-paced world, things can change in a moment’s notice. They continue to offer maximum flexibility if you need to modify your travel plans, by not charging change fees. If you need to change an upcoming flight itinerary, you’ll only pay the cost in fare difference and will never incur a separate change fee. Fees don’t fly with Southwest!
• With Rapid Rewards, your points will take you places. Prepare to earn reward flights faster and easier than ever before. With unlimited reward seats, no blackout dates, and points that don’t expire, you’ll be planning your next getaway in no time!

Conclusion

If you travel frequently with Southwest, the Chase Southwest Rapid Rewards® Priority Credit Card could earn you many valuable rewards and could save you some good money. While its perks aren’t as fancy as those provided on other travel cards, they can still make up for its annual fee.

It features a $75 annual travel credit for use on future trips, four upgraded boardings per year, when available, and 7,500 bonus points each year on your anniversary of opening the card.

In addition, you can earn points qualifying toward a Companion Pass. You’ll need to fly 100 one-way flights or accrue 110,000 points in a calendar year to qualify. You can choose one person to fly with you for virtually free every time you purchase or redeem points for a flight. Just pay the taxes and fees.

However, if you’re not a Southwest devotee or you have multiple airline options, other airline credit cards can offer better rewards structures, better perks and cheaper annual fees. Plus, if you’re looking for more rewards flexibility, you’re better off with a general travel credit card that offers more freedom in point redemptions. You can see our list of credit card promotions today to find one that suits your needs.

Other Credit Cards To Consider

More Flexibility:

The Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card offers 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®! You'll earn 2X points on travel and dining at restaurants worldwide; 1 point per dollar spent on all other purchases. And when you redeem your points for airfare, hotels, car rentals and cruises through Chase Ultimate Rewards, you'll get 25% more value! Learn More About This Card Here

Simpler Rewards:

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✔®. Learn More About This Card

Chase Coupon Promo Codes: $200 – $2,000 Bonuses For Checking, Savings, Business Accounts for July 3, 2020

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Huntington Bank Bonuses: $150, $200, $400, $500, & $750 Checking Promotions for July 2, 2020

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