Card guide · Southwest Rapid Rewards
Chase Southwest Rapid Rewards Premier
Card guide overview
A slightly higher entry-tier Southwest card with anniversary points, stronger Southwest earning, and a few incremental perks for regular flyers.
Key card attributes
| Issuing bank | Reward currency | Currency type | Network | Annual fee |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chase | Southwest Rapid Rewards | Airline Miles | Visa | $149 |
Closest alternatives
At a glance
The card in three decisions.
The Chase Southwest Rapid Rewards Premier is a slightly higher entry-tier Southwest co-branded card at $149. It earns 3X on Southwest purchases, 2X on grocery and restaurants (on the first $8,000 combined per year), and 1X everywhere else. The sign-up bonus and all spending points count toward Companion Pass qualification—one of the most valuable airline loyalty benefits, getting a designated companion flying with you for just taxes and fees on both paid and award tickets. The cornerstone of Southwest credit-card strategy is not simply holding multiple cards; it is staging eligible welcome bonuses so the qualifying points post in one calendar year. January is ideal for a bonus that will help earn the pass because Southwest requires the points to post to both the billing statement and Rapid Rewards account in the same calendar year, and a January posting gives the maximum runway. January is not required, but a later posting leaves less time to earn the pass and shortens the potential validity window. Plan the minimum-spend deadline, statement close, and Chase's processing time together rather than relying only on the purchase date. Chase's current Premier terms restrict the personal bonus if you have a current personal Southwest card or received a personal Southwest bonus within the last 24 months.
At $149, the Premier costs $50 more than the Plus. The upgrade is incremental: 3X rather than 2X on Southwest purchases, 6,000 rather than 3,000 anniversary points, a 15% rather than 10% flight-discount code, Preferred rather than Standard seat access, and an A-List tier-qualifying-points accelerator. Both cards already have no foreign transaction fees, a 10,000-point Companion Pass boost each year, Group 5 boarding, a free first checked bag, and 25% back on inflight purchases. The Premier can make sense for regular Southwest flyers who will use its added perks, but the Plus remains the better value for a basic Companion Pass plan.
Best fit
Southwest flyers who will use incremental perks or a staged Companion Pass strategy
The Premier is a slightly higher entry-tier building block for regular Southwest flyers. It is most defensible when you will use the higher Southwest earning, Preferred seat access, discount code, or A-List accelerator—not simply because it has a larger anniversary-point grant.
Current timing
55K is below the 100K or Companion Pass + 30K maximum offers
Southwest periodically runs Companion Pass promotions that include a pass plus points. These offers can be worth thousands of dollars in flights.
Main watchout
The Plus may be the better value for a basic Companion Pass plan
The Premier adds useful but limited upgrades over the Plus, while both cards share the 10,000 Companion Pass qualifying-point boost. The $50 premium is harder to justify for occasional Southwest flyers, especially if you will not use the Preferred seat access, flight-discount code, or A-List accelerator.
Current and historical offer
55K is standard; 100K or Companion Pass + 30K have been tracked maximums.
We compare public points offers with public points offers. Referral, branch, targeted and mixed cash-plus-points offers are outside this ladder.
Timing assessment
55K is well below the tracked maximums—wait for a better offer if possible.
The difference between 55K and a Companion Pass promotion is worth thousands in flights. Southwest runs elevated offers regularly.
Why someone may still apply
Anniversary points and Companion Pass progress provide ongoing value beyond the bonus.
If you have upcoming Southwest travel and want no-FTF earning plus anniversary points, the card's ongoing benefits can outweigh a suboptimal bonus.
Card benefits
Anniversary points, no foreign transaction fees, and Companion Pass progress.
The tiers are a Points Brief editorial assessment of decision importance and rarity among slightly higher entry-tier airline cards—not labels supplied by Chase.
Tier 1 · Core Southwest value
Benefits that define the card value proposition.
Bonus points count toward Companion Pass qualification
The sign-up bonus and all spending points count toward the 135,000-point Companion Pass threshold (or 100 qualifying one-way flights). Companion Pass lets a designated companion fly with you for just taxes and fees on both paid and award tickets—unlimited use, no blackout dates.
- Companion Pass is valid for the remainder of the year earned plus the entire following calendar year.
- Points from card spend, bonus, and Rapid Rewards partners all count.
- No blackout dates and unlimited use—companion flies nearly free on every flight you take.
Know the limits: Companion Pass requires 135,000 qualifying points or 100 one-way flights in a calendar year. January is ideal for a major welcome bonus to post, but it is not mandatory; coordinate minimum-spend completion, statement closing, issuer processing, and actual Rapid Rewards posting to maximize the pass validity window.
Tier 2 · Incremental Southwest benefits
Mostly incremental benefits over the Plus, plus a few shared card perks that do not independently justify the $50 fee difference.
6,000 Anniversary points every year
Receive 6,000 Rapid Rewards points each cardmember anniversary year—worth approximately $80–90 toward Southwest flights. The Plus also provides anniversary points, so the Premier upgrade is the additional 3,000 points rather than a new type of benefit.
We rate Coupon Book 1/5 because the Premier has a simple annual package—anniversary points, one annual flight-discount code, and a yearly Companion Pass qualifying-points boost—without monthly or quarterly credits to track.
15% Annual flight discount code
Receive a discount code each cardmember anniversary year good for 15% off a Southwest flight purchase, compared with the Plus's 10% code.
10,000 Companion Pass qualifying points each year
Receive 10,000 Companion Pass qualifying points each cardmember anniversary year, helping you earn or renew Companion Pass status. The Plus offers the same boost, so this is not a Premier-only upgrade.
Pref Complimentary Preferred seat
Complimentary Preferred seat within 48 hours of departure when available—an upgrade from the Plus's Standard seat access.
TQP Spend toward A-List status
Earn 1,500 tier qualifying points toward A-List for every $5,000 spent in purchases annually. This is a real Premier upgrade, but the spend threshold makes it most relevant to high spenders.
G5 Group 5 boarding
Group 5 boarding for the cardmember and up to 8 passengers on the same reservation. The Plus offers the same boarding group, so it is not a Premier-only upgrade.
Tier 3 · Expected card basics
Standard protections and shared Southwest card benefits.
No foreign transaction fees Travel baseline
No issuer foreign-transaction fee on purchases abroad. The Plus also has no foreign transaction fee, so this is not a Premier differentiator.
First checked bag free Bag benefit
First checked bag free for the cardmember and up to 8 passengers on the same reservation.
Purchase protection Travel baseline
Coverage for eligible new purchases against damage or theft.
Rental car coverage Travel baseline
Auto rental collision damage waiver; secondary coverage in the U.S.
Lost luggage reimbursement Travel baseline
Reimbursement for lost or damaged luggage on common carrier travel.
Comparison method: Slightly higher entry-tier airline co-branded cards; official public pages reviewed in August 2026.
Earning rates
3X on Southwest, 2X on grocery & restaurants (first $8,000 combined); 1X everywhere else.
Rates shown are Southwest Rapid Rewards points per dollar on eligible purchases. Points count toward Companion Pass qualification.
Southwest Airlines purchases
Flights, inflight purchases, and Southwest Vacations packages.
Grocery and restaurants
Earn 2 points per dollar on grocery and restaurant purchases on the first $8,000 combined per year, then 1X.
All other purchases
One point per dollar on purchases not eligible for a higher rate.
Credit interaction: Rapid Rewards points are estimated at ~1.3–1.5 cents each. The primary value of this card is Companion Pass qualification progress combined with anniversary points that offset the fee.
Southwest Rapid Rewards program
The largest domestic low-cost carrier with Companion Pass—one of the most valuable airline loyalty benefits.
Southwest Rapid Rewards is the loyalty program of Southwest Airlines. Points can be redeemed for Southwest-operated flights at a revenue-based rate (~1.3–1.5 cents per point). Points do not expire. The Companion Pass—earned at 135,000 qualifying points or 100 one-way flights per calendar year—is widely considered the best value in U.S. airline loyalty: a designated companion flies with you for just taxes and fees on every flight you take, both paid and award, for up to nearly two years when timed properly.
Key benefit
CompanionPass
Card points count toward the Companion Pass—one of the most valuable airline loyalty benefits.
Points earned from the sign-up bonus and card spend count toward the 135,000 qualifying point Companion Pass threshold. The strategy is not simply holding multiple cards: stage eligible welcome bonuses over time and plan for the points to post in one calendar year. January is ideal for a major bonus to post because it maximizes the pass window, but January is not mandatory. Coordinate minimum-spend completion, statement closing, issuer processing, and actual Rapid Rewards posting; Southwest counts card points only when they post to both the statement and Rapid Rewards account in the same calendar year. Southwest no-change-fee policy and two free checked bags for all passengers add to the value.
Southwest focus cities
Where Southwest operates the most flights.
- Dallas Love Field (DAL)
- Denver (DEN)
- Chicago Midway (MDW)
- Las Vegas (LAS)
- Phoenix (PHX)
- Baltimore (BWI)
- Orlando (MCO)
- Houston Hobby (HOU)
Southwest Premier at a glance
What this card gets you.
- 3X on Southwest purchases
- 2X on grocery & restaurants (first $8,000 combined/year)
- No foreign transaction fee
- 6,000 anniversary points
- 15% flight discount code
- 10,000 Companion Pass qualifying points/year
- Complimentary Preferred seat within 48 hours
- Group 5 boarding (cardmember + up to 8 passengers)
- Companion Pass progress
Southwest card family
How this card compares to other Southwest cards.
- Plus: $99 fee, no FTF, 2X Southwest/gas/grocery, 3,000 anniversary pts
- Premier: $149 fee, no FTF, 6,000 anniversary points
- Priority: $229 fee, no FTF, 7,500 anniversary pts
Sources and methodology
Sources for this page
- Last checked: August 2, 2026
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