The Southwest Rapid Rewards Priority card is the Southwest card with the most benefits. The Rapid Rewards Priority card is the Southwest personal card that I recommend to those who fly Southwest at least a couple times a year.

The card comes with an annual fee of $229 and is one of Southwest’s 5 total cards.

It’s current bonus: 50,000 points after spending $1,000 in the first 3 months

Other Southwest card options include…

  • Southwest Priority (our recommended for guaranteed seat selection if available at booking) - 50,000 points after a $1,000 minimum spend in the first 3 months, $229 annual fee OR
  • Southwest Plus (cheapest annual fee option) - 50,000 points after a $1,000 minimum spend in the first 3 months, $99 annual fee
  • Southwest Premier Business (our recommended) - Small business card offering 60,000 points after a $3,000 minimum spend in the first 3 months, $149 annual fee
  • Southwest Performance Business - Small business card offering 120,000 points after spending $10,000 in the first 3 months, $299 annual fee

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Southwest Rapid Rewards Priority Card Quick Look

Southwest Airlines planes parked at Marco Island.

 

Southwest Rapid Rewards Priority card

Bonus Offer: 50,000 points after spending $1,000 in the first 3 months

Annual Fee:

Card Benefits:

  • 1 free checked bag for you and up to 8 people on your reservation + a Companion (regularly $35 per bag for 1st checked bag)
  • Free Standard or Preferred seat at booking (if available) for you and up to 8 people on your reservation + a Companion
  • Extra Legroom seat for you and up to 8 people on your reservation + a Companion if available 48 hours ahead of departure
  • Board with Group 5 (out of 8 boarding groups) for you and up to 8 people on your reservation + a Companion
  • 7,500 anniversary points each year (These points DO qualify for the Southwest Companion Pass)
  • Earn 2,500 tier qualifying points (TQPs) for each $5,000 in purchases. TQPs can be used to count toward qualification for Rapid Rewards A-List (35,000 TQPs needed) or A-List Preferred (70,000 TQPs needed) status. Note: This is NOT how I recommend earning A-List if that’s something you want to strive for.
  • 4 points per $1 on Southwest Airline purchases (previously 3 points)
  • 2 points per $1 spent on gas stations and restaurants
  • 1 point per $1 on everything else
  • Get 25% back on inflight purchases made with the card
  • No foreign transaction fees

 

All About the Southwest Rapid Rewards Priority Card

This travel card from Southwest has a higher annual fee ($229) but comes with a few added perks, which I’ll explain below.

This is my TOP recommended Southwest card to hold if you will be flying Southwest regularly, as it gets you both a free checked bag AND an assigned seat (provided it’s available upon booking). See my post below:

[10 Reasons to Add the Southwest Priority Card to Your Wallet]

But first let’s have a look at who can be approved for this card.

 


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Who Can Hold This Card

Like Southwest’s 2 other personal Southwest cards, you can only get the bonus introductory offer on ANY ONE of the personal cards every 24 months.

Here is the wording from Chase:

The product is not available to either (i) current Cardmembers of any Southwest Rapids Rewards® Credit Card, or (ii) previous Cardmembers of any Southwest Rapid Rewards Credit Card who received a new Cardmember bonus within the last 24 months. This does not apply to Cardmembers of the Southwest Rapid Rewards Business Card and Employee Credit Card products.

Chase

That means you can hold the card, but you can’t get the bonus offer if you’ve received a personal bonus offer from Southwest in the last 24 months OR if you currently hold one of the other PERSONAL cards.

Earning a Southwest Companion Pass

Southwest Companion Pass Hawaii

The points you earn for signing up and meeting the minimum spend for this card can help you earn the Southwest Companion Pass. The pass is good from the time you earn it until the end of the following year.

You must earn 135,000 qualifying points within 1 calendar year to secure a Southwest Companion Pass, which lets 1 person fly free with you, and works like a Buy One Get One for flights.

In Summary

I recommend getting the Southwest Rapid Rewards Priority card if you fly Southwest regularly, but it SHOULD be part of a plan to use the points to earn a Southwest Companion Pass.

I can help you efficiently map that out quickly and easily inside of my Families Fly Free membership.

Read More: 

Author

  • Lyn Mettler is a travel expert, author and longtime travel writer for US News & World Report, USA Today and The TODAY Show. Lyn is also the creator of the Secrets of a Travel Journalist Club, where she shares her Fly Free Formula and her insider tips for traveling easier gained from 25+ years as a professional travel journalist. She is one of the industry's foremost experts on collecting and using travel rewards with her expertise featured in major media outlets and on podcasts, television and radio.

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