Southwest Rapid Rewards^® Priority Card Review

Who is the Southwest Rapid Rewards^® Priority Card for?

The Southwest Rapid Rewards^® Priority Card is the most exclusive Southwest rewards credit card you can get. If you are a frequent traveler that is a loyal Southwest Airlines customer, this card is perfect for you. It is unique in that its annual fees are much lower than competing airlines’ cards in the same tier. While most other airlines charge upwards of $500 per year for their top-tier cards, Southwest charges less than half of that. Of course, this low cost comes with drawbacks. However, the unique perks and benefits of this card are worth it for people who want top-tier awards at lower prices. 

Since Southwest Airlines is a low-cost, domestic-heavy airline, it is expected that the card will not be able to provide traditional international benefits that larger airlines’ cards offer. However, those cards are often not usable nor efficient for those who travel often domestically, in which case, the Southwest Priority card makes sense. Considering that Southwest has a good reputation for customer service and is a preferred airline by most for domestic travel, this card presents a good deal for cross-country travelers. 

While the $149 annual fee might seem like a lot compared to a standard credit card, it must be taken into account that this card is a top-tier rewards card for a very reputable airline. The Priority card can be seen as a successor to the Premier card, which means it is a great option for those who can afford an extra $50 in fees for many more benefits. 

Overall, this card presents a great opportunity for frequent Southwest flyers to capitalize on their travel and daily purchases while making their flying experience even more comfortable than before. 

Welcome Offer

The welcome bonus that this card offers is simple. If you spend $1,000 within the first three months of account opening, you earn 40,000 points which we estimate are worth around $520. For the typical customer of this card, this is definitely not a hard goal to reach, and we recommend making that $1,000 in purchases to make the most out of this bonus opportunity. You also earn 3x points per dollar spent on dining, including takeout and eligible food delivery services for the first year.

Rewards

The reward points program of this card is not as extensive as others, but it is a great deal considering the low annual fee. You earn 2x points for purchases made directly with Southwest Airlines, including flights, inflight purchases, Southwest gift cards, and Southwest Vacations^® package purchases, at participating Rapid Rewards hotels and rental car partners. You’ll earn one point for each $1 spent on all other purchases. While these points are not exponentially high, they still offer a bang for your buck. Moreover, you earn 7,500 bonus points each account anniversary year. Finally, you earn 1,500 tier qualifying points (TQPs) for each $10,000 in purchases up to $100,000 in purchases annually which equals 15,000 TQP. TQPs can be used to count toward qualification for Rapid Rewards A-List or A-List Preferred status. These status levels achieved through the points work to make your travels more comfortable. 

Another unique reward that this card brings is upgraded boardings. Each anniversary year you will be reimbursed for the purchase of up to 4 Upgraded Boardings which are positions A1-A15 in a typical flight. Upgraded Boardings may be purchased at the departure gate or ticket counter on the day of travel. You also are eligible for $75 in Southwest Airlines credit every year. Statement credit will automatically be applied to your account when your Southwest Airlines Rapid Rewards Priority Card is used for a Southwest Airlines purchase. 

Through this card, you also receive 20% back on Southwest Airlines inflight purchases made with your Southwest Priority Card for drinks and WiFi in the form of a credit card account statement credit. Additionally, with this card, you do not have to pay a baggage fee for two checked bags and you are exempt from any flight change fees. 

The Southwest Companion Pass is an amazing service that lets one companion fly with you for free for one year if you earn 125,000 qualifying points. Points earned through this card allow you to qualify for the Companion Pass.

Annual Fee

The low annual fee of $149 for this top-tier card compensates for the fact that Southwest does not fly many international routes and that this card is not optimal for daily use due to lower reward rates. However, if you are on a budget, this card can give you the opportunity to travel in luxury while avoiding the heavy fees of larger airlines’ credit cards. 

Services and Protections

With no blackout dates and unlimited reward seats, this card actively works towards being as simple to use as possible. You don't have to worry about your travel dates or routes not qualifying for point redemption with the Priority card. 

Since this card partners with Chase, it offers the My Chase Loan and My Chase Plan programs. These two programs can help you pay off large credit balances arising from larger purchases. My Chase Loan helps you finance large purchases by simply granting you a loan that you can pay back with interest. My Chase Plan offers to break down larger purchases into smaller payments via a payment plan while paying a fee for this service. 

Cautions

Like all other rewards-based Chase credit cards, this card follows the 5/24 rule. This rule mentions that you will not qualify for this card if you have opened 5 or more credit card accounts over the last 24 months. If you are a frequent flyer attempting to exploit the welcome bonuses of several different travel cards, this rule can prevent you from qualifying for this one. 

Also, this card does not carry extensive rewards rates, which means that you will not benefit from dining or shopping more than other activities. If you travel frequently and want benefits relating to your travel expenses beyond just flights, this card might not be the best for you. 

Another significant aspect of this card is that it is very Southwest-specific. This means that if you do not travel on Southwest frequently, or plan on traveling internationally, this card’s annual fees can rack up without many redeemable benefits. Therefore, your focus should be to use this card to make flight bookings on Southwest Airlines and other purchases that optimize point accumulation so that you can offset the $149 annual price tag. 

Conclusion

The Southwest Rapid Rewards Priority Card is a great option for those looking to expand their travel comfort to the maximum level. Southwest is the world's largest budget carrier, and this card can be seen as a budget top-tier rewards card. It can provide competitive benefits and perks at a very low cost in comparison to other cards. It is definitely a successor to the Southwest Premier Card. So if you currently use that card and are looking for an upgrade, this card is a smart choice for you.