At Bankrate, we have a mission to demystify the credit cards industry — regardless or where you are in your journey — and make it one you can navigate with confidence. Our team is full of a diverse range of experts from credit card pros to data analysts and, most importantly, people who shop for credit cards just like you. With this combination of expertise and perspectives, we keep close tabs on the credit card industry year-round to:
At Bankrate, we focus on the points consumers care about most: rewards, welcome offers and bonuses, APR, and overall customer experience. Any issuers discussed on our site are vetted based on the value they provide to consumers at each of these levels. At each step of the way, we fact-check ourselves to prioritize accuracy so we can continue to be here for your every next.
Bankrate follows a strict editorial policy, so you can trust that we’re putting your interests first. Our award-winning editors and reporters create honest and accurate content to help you make the right financial decisions.
We value your trust. Our mission is to provide readers with accurate and unbiased information, and we have editorial standards in place to ensure that happens. Our editors and reporters thoroughly fact-check editorial content to ensure the information you’re reading is accurate. We maintain a firewall between our advertisers and our editorial team. Our editorial team does not receive direct compensation from our advertisers.
Bankrate’s editorial team writes on behalf of YOU – the reader. Our goal is to give you the best advice to help you make smart personal finance decisions. We follow strict guidelines to ensure that our editorial content is not influenced by advertisers. Our editorial team receives no direct compensation from advertisers, and our content is thoroughly fact-checked to ensure accuracy. So, whether you’re reading an article or a review, you can trust that you’re getting credible and dependable information.
You have money questions. Bankrate has answers. Our experts have been helping you master your money for over four decades. We continually strive to provide consumers with the expert advice and tools needed to succeed throughout life’s financial journey.
Bankrate follows a strict editorial policy, so you can trust that our content is honest and accurate. Our award-winning editors and reporters create honest and accurate content to help you make the right financial decisions. The content created by our editorial staff is objective, factual, and not influenced by our advertisers.
We’re transparent about how we are able to bring quality content, competitive rates, and useful tools to you by explaining how we make money.
Bankrate.com is an independent, advertising-supported publisher and comparison service. We are compensated in exchange for placement of sponsored products and, services, or by you clicking on certain links posted on our site. Therefore, this compensation may impact how, where and in what order products appear within listing categories. Other factors, such as our own proprietary website rules and whether a product is offered in your area or at your self-selected credit score range can also impact how and where products appear on this site. While we strive to provide a wide range offers, Bankrate does not include information about every financial or credit product or service.
This content is powered by HomeInsurance.com, a licensed insurance producer (NPN: 8781838) and a corporate affiliate of Bankrate.com. HomeInsurance.com LLC services are only available in states were it is licensed and insurance coverage through HomeInsurance.com may not be available in all states. All insurance products are governed by the terms in the applicable insurance policy, and all related decisions (such as approval for coverage, premiums, commissions and fees) and policy obligations are the sole responsibility of the underwriting insurer. The information on this site does not modify any insurance policy terms in any way.
3.7
on Chase's secure site
Rewards rate
2X–3XAnnual fee
$99Intro offer
Earn 40,000 points.Regular APR
16.24% to 23.24% VariableRecommended Credit Score
Good to Excellent (670 - 850)If you live in a city served by Southwest Airlines, the Southwest Rapid Rewards® Premier Credit Card can help you rapidly earn rewards toward flights. This card is the big brother card to the Southwest Rapid Rewards® Plus Credit Card with the same sign-up bonus and nearly the same rewards structure, but with some extra benefits at a slightly higher ownership cost.
If you want a Southwest Rapid Rewards credit card, but you’re not sure whether to get the Premier or the Plus, you may want to aim for the Southwest Rapid Rewards Premier Credit Card. With a $99 fee per year, the Premier card costs $30 more than the Plus version but makes up for it by giving you 1,500 Tier Qualifying Points (TQP) for every $10,000 you spend per year, with no limit. The Premier card also provides a few more perks and a bigger account anniversary bonus—6,000 points compared to the Plus card’s 3,000-point bonus.
Despite being the middle ground Southwest rewards card, the Southwest Premier only offers an additional Southwest Rapid Rewards point per dollar on Southwest purchases compared to the lower-tier Rapid Rewards Plus card, meaning it carries the exact same rewards rate as the top-of-the-line Southwest Rapid Rewards® Priority Credit Card: 3X points on Southwest purchases, 2X points on Rapid Rewards hotel and car rental partners, local transit and commuting (including rideshare), internet, cable, phone services and select streaming services—all other purchases earn 1X points.
The Southwest Premier card also comes with a welcome bonus of 40,000 points after spending $1,000 on purchases in the first three months following account opening. While you can earn a decent number points with this new bonus, its total value falls a bit short of the card’s previous limited-time offer of 30,000 bonus points and a Companion Pass after a $5,000 spend in your first three months. We estimated that bonus was worth a total of around $1,000 (we estimated the Companion Pass was worth $550 for the average traveler* and the bonus points worth $450, based on a 1.5-cent point valuation from The Points Guy). Based on a value of 1.5 cents per point, the new offer is only worth about $600. Still, this is solid value given the card’s relatively low annual fee and account anniversary bonus.
The Premier card also gets you a head start toward elite status. You need at least 35,000 Tier Qualifying Points or 25 one-way flights per calendar year to qualify for Southwest’s A-List status, which comes with perks like priority boarding, a 25 percent points bonus on each flight, and no charge for same-day standby flights. The Plus card doesn’t offer an opportunity to earn Tier Qualifying Points through spending, and the Priority card offers the exact same 1,500-Tier Qualifying Point feature as the Premier card.
The Premier doesn’t have foreign transaction fees, an important perk if you fly to any of the international destinations served by Southwest.
If you only fly Southwest Airlines occasionally, you’re probably better off with a general-purpose travel card that offers flexible rewards to use any way you’d like. We gave the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card and the Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card excellent marks for their low annual fees, high earnings rate on travel and flexibility in redeeming rewards. They both have strong sign-up bonuses too
*Our calculations took into account the $275 average domestic round trip cost (Southwest passengers tend to fly domestically) and the historical trend reported by Gallup estimating that the average passenger flies about twice a year, factoring in for round trips. However, you can stack up even more value flying internationally, which averages $735 per round trip.
This card comes with Visa Signature benefits which include auto and travel protections, hotel discounts and benefits at participating properties. Visa Signature cards also provide a variety of purchase protections and travel insurances, like extended warranty coverage on qualifying purchases, lost luggage reimbursement and baggage delay insurance. To squeeze even more value from your Southwest flights, your first and second checked bags are $0 with no change fee via the Travel with Transfarency® benefit, you’ll receive 25 percent back on eligible inflight purchases and you can expedite the boarding process with two complimentary EarlyBird Check-in® upgrades each year (an up to $50 value).
To redeem your points, go to Southwest.com and log into your Rapid Rewards account. When searching for your itinerary choose the “Points” option instead of “Dollars.” Select the fare you want and then check out using points to pay. You have to have enough Rapid Rewards points to cover the amount required for the flight. You cannot pay with a combination of points and cash. All applicable taxes and fees must be paid for with either a credit card, debit card, or a Southwest gift card.
Rapid Rewards Credit Card members can also redeem their Rapid Rewards points for international flights with global carriers, hotel stays, rental cars, gift cards, event tickets, merchandise and other unique experiences (redemption value may vary).
Yes, for frequent Southwest fliers aiming for A-list status with the airline.
* See the online application for details about terms and conditions for these offers. Every reasonable effort has been made to maintain accurate information. However all credit card information is presented without warranty. After you click on the offer you desire you will be directed to the credit card issuer's web site where you can review the terms and conditions for your selected offer.
Editorial Disclosure: Opinions expressed here are the author's alone, and have not been reviewed or approved by any advertiser. The information, including card rates and fees, is accurate as of the publish date. All products or services are presented without warranty. Check the bank’s website for the most current information.
Share