Southwest Airlines® offers flights to a vast number of places, and even more of those destinations have been added in the recent past. Southwest also lets each passenger check two bags for free, which can save a lot of money, especially when a family is traveling together. The company is one of the credit card issuers and has the best Southwest credit cards that make it easier to earn tier qualifying points on Southwest purchases, which can book free flights more often.
What is a Southwest® Credit Card?
Because of the many methods in which it caters to the needs of its customers, Southwest has earned a reputation as a passenger favorite. It's easy to get Southwest® Rapid Rewards points, which you can then use to get free flights. People can also trade in their Chase Ultimate Rewards points for Southwest Rewards points at a rate of one point for one Chase Ultimate Rewards point. This means that there are a lot of different rewards credit cards that can either directly or indirectly help the cardholder earn Southwest points.
You can choose a credit card that works for your spending patterns among the many options Southwest Airlines offers. They offer both personal Southwest credit cards for consumers and business credit cards for people who own or run a small business. Using your Southwest credit card worth can earn you extra points on transactions made with the airline, as well as upgraded boarding and other benefits. If you decide to fly with Southwest Airlines, it's in your best interest to get a credit card from the company.Customers who use their cards to make other purchases at Southwest automatically get bonus points, and they also get a bonus when they renew their cards each year, besides a multitude of other incentives. Those individuals who fly Southwest most frequently with Southwest may consider applying for a credit card offered by Southwest. You will earn points on ordinary transactions, plus additional points when paying for Southwest flights, hotel and car partners reservations, local transit and commuting, and other bonus category purchases.
Types of Southwest® Credit Cards
- Southwest Rapid Rewards® Priority Credit Card. Compared to Southwest Airlines' other consumer credit cards, the annual fee on the Southwest Rapid Rewards® Priority Credit Card is quite high. It is the best Southwest credit card for frequent Southwest flyers because it gives them access to several perks that could be useful. There is a $149 yearly cost, but you get a $75 Southwest credit to use each year. Fully using your annual travel credit might have a major impact on your net outlay. There are no foreign transaction fees. With the card's four free upgraded boarding passes, an unruly boarding process can be tamed. Depending on the class of service and airline, an enhanced boarding card can cost anywhere from $30 to $60.
For the premium boarding benefit, you can pay with your Southwest Priority card at the airport and have the cost credited to your account once you check-in. The annual cost savings could range from one hundred to two hundred dollars.
Keep in mind that you cannot open a Southwest Priority Card if you have either of the other two Southwest credit cards (the Southwest Rapid Rewards® Plus Credit Card or the Southwest Rapid Rewards® Premier Credit Card) or if you have received a bonus on either of those cards within the past 24 months and closed them. If this sounds like you, you can ask Chase to update your card by requesting a product modification.
- Southwest Rapid Rewards® Premier Credit Card. For Southwest credit cards for individuals, the Southwest Rapid Rewards® Premier Card is a good middle ground. It's the same as the Priority card in that you get 3 points per dollar spent on Southwest flights and hotels, plus a 6,000-point bonus after your card's anniversary. For new cardholders of the Southwest Rapid Rewards Premier Credit Card, spending $1,000 on purchases in the first three months will earn you 50,000 bonus points. There are no foreign transaction fees.
The Southwest Rapid Reward Premier Business Credit Card is typical of airline credit cards in that it primarily offers benefits related to the airline itself. The Premier's annual cost of $99 gets you two EarlyBird check-ins, waived interest on balance transfers, and 6,000 bonus points per year on your card's account anniversary. And if you're aiming for an A-List rank, you may use your spending to earn unlimited Tier Qualifying Points.
Finally, the card's points earned count can be applied to the Southwest Companion Pass program. To get this, you must take 25 qualifying flights or earn 35,000 TQPs within a calendar year. If you use your Premier card to make other purchases, you'll get 1,500 bonus TQPs for every $10,000 you charge in a year.
- Southwest Rapid Rewards® Plus Credit Card. The Rapid Rewards® Plus Card is a terrific alternative for Southwest devotees who don't want to pay a hefty annual fee but yet want a personal credit card. You won't often find a credit card with such a substantial sign-up bonus and a low annual cost as the Southwest Rapid Rewards Plus Card. Benefits such as primary rental car insurance, travel accident insurance, luggage insurance, purchase protection, and up to $3,000 in lost luggage compensation are included. Spending at Southwest cards will earn cardholders 2x points while spending elsewhere will earn 1x points. The Southwest Rapid Rewards sign-up bonus is worth about $750 based on TPG's valuation of 1.5 cents per point.
- Southwest® Rapid Rewards® Performance Business Credit Card. Due to its high annual cost of $199, the Southwest Rapid Rewards Premier card is the airline's most expensive credit card. In addition, you'll be eligible for a variety of benefits that can help you save money in the long run, such as annual anniversary points, a stepping stone to airline A-list status, expedited boardings, a Wi-Fi credit, and a statement credit for Global Entry or TSA Precheck. To entice potential new cardholders, it offers:
- With a minimum of $5,000 in purchases in the first three months of account setup, you will receive 80,000 bonus points.
- The Southwest Performance Business card offers a rewards rate of 4 points per dollar spent on Southwest other purchases, 3 points per dollar spent on Rapid Rewards hotel credit and car rental partner purchases, and earn 2x points per dollar spent on local transit, including rideshares, commuting, social media, search engine advertising, internet, cable, and phone services.
- You'll accumulate 1 point for every $1 spent on anything else.
How to choose a Southwest® Credit Card?
Because there are so many options, it's hard to figure out which credit card or combination of credit cards will give you the most chances to earn miles or other rewards with Southwest Airlines. In order to determine if the points or cash back you get will more than cover the annual cost, you must first calculate how much you will spend in a year. Some cards come with perks, such as a discount on in-flight purchases and travel credits annually. Think about how you actually use your card before applying for a new one.
Southwest® Airlines credit cards are intended for customers who have a longstanding commitment to the airline. This becomes a problem for you if you wish to travel to a location that is not serviced by Southwest Airlines. You can use Southwest Rapid Rewards points for travel to locations outside of the United States, except for Mexico, Central America, and the Caribbean. It's possible that you'd be happier with a cash-back or a flexible rewards card if you didn't have to be so committed to Southwest.
Applying for Southwest® Credit Cards
It is in your best interest to check your credit standing before applying for a personal Southwest credit card to see if you meet the requirements. The odds of getting approved for a Southwest credit card improve dramatically if your credit score is at least 670. This score represents the beginning of "good credit," which is the second-best category of credit scores. A credit score of 740 is often the minimum required to be considered to have excellent credit. If you have a score in the middle of the 600s, it is still possible to be accepted, but your application may need to be manually approved. This guideline applies to personal and small business credit cards issued by Southwest.
You should check your credit score before applying for Southwest credit cards, so you know how likely you are to get approved. Remember that your payment history, the quantity of other debt you already have, and the number of accounts you've lately created could all influence your application. Before you apply, perform a cursory review of your credit history.
Before applying, attempt to get a preapproval offer. When you apply for a credit card, a hard inquiry will normally be run on your credit report, which can temporarily reduce your credit score. Preapproval makes it possible for you to determine which cards you are eligible for as well as the conditions and benefits associated with those cards. After you have been given a preapproval offer, you are able to formally submit an application.
How to use Southwest® Credit Cards?
- You can store your credit card information for Southwest in your online Southwest account. Customers flying Southwest are given the option of saving their credit card information within their Rapid Rewards account for more convenience when purchasing flights.
- Include a mobile wallet in your travel plans by adding your Southwest credit card. It is possible to integrate Chase credit cards into mobile wallets, such as Google Pay, Apple Pay, and Samsung Pay. Even if you don't have your purse or wallet on you, you can still use this method to pay with your Southwest credit card. It's a terrific way to stay prepared.
- Take advantage of the benefits that come with your credit card. Remember the perks that come with using a credit card can only be worthwhile if they are actually used. Although this may seem like a straightforward idea to make, it is essential to remember this. Even though the Southwest Rapid Rewards Performance Business Credit Card may offer reimbursements of up to $2,920 for Southwest flight Wi-Fi expenditures, this benefit won't be of much value to you if you don't frequently use it.
