AFAR partners with CreditCards.com and may receive a commission from card issuers. This site does not include all financial companies or all available financial offers. Compensation may impact how an offer is presented. Our coverage is independent and objective, and has not been reviewed, approved, or endorsed by any of these entities. Opinions expressed here are entirely those of the AFAR editorial team.
While other airlines strip back elite benefits, Southwest Airlines is paying it forward in 2024. First, the carrier announced a series of positive changes to its frequent flier program, Rapid Rewards, that take effect next year. Then, Southwest upped the introductory offers on all three of its consumer credit cards to 75,000 points, placing numerous free flights—plus the chance to earn Companion Pass status for 2024 and 2025—in easy reach.
Southwest’s credit cards are standouts within the industry thanks to offering numerous travel benefits while carrying low annual fees. The cards always carry some sort of introductory bonus to sweeten the sign-up deal, typically around the 50,000-point mark. But now, introductory offers on all of Southwest’s three personal cards have been increased by 50 percent to 75,000 points. But you’ll have to act quickly. You have until the end of day on December 8, 2023, to apply for this amazing offer.
You can earn this bonus on the Southwest Rapid Rewards® Plus Credit Card, Southwest Rapid Rewards® Premier Credit Card, or Southwest Rapid Rewards® Priority Credit Card after spending $3,000 within the first three months of card membership. When combined with the current welcome offers on either of Southwest’s two business credit cards, this increased bonus could land you a valuable Southwest Companion Pass for all of 2024 and 2025. No, really!
Here, all the reasons you should consider Southwest’s credit cards right now.
Getting a Southwest credit card for the points and benefits
Southwest Rapid Rewards points are loosely pegged to a dollar value—each point is worth between 1.3 to 1.45 cents when redeemed for the airline’s cheapest “Wanna Get Away” fares. That means that a 75,000 Rapid Rewards points bonus is worth approximately $975–$1,087 on Southwest flights.
In addition to the fab intro offers, great travel benefits are bundled into Southwest’s cards (making them worthwhile in the long run). Depending on the card, benefits may include bonus points for eligible spending in select categories; pending availability, passes for complimentary EarlyBird Check-In (automatically advancing your boarding number in the Southwest queue) or Upgraded Boarding (bumping up to boarding position to A1–A15, 24 hours before the flight) on Southwest flights; and annual fee credits for Rapid Rewards points transfers.
What’s in a card?
Southwest’s consumer cards offer competitive earnings structures. All three award two points per dollar spent on local transit and commuting purchases (including rideshares), internet, cable, phone services, and select streaming purchases. Additionally, all three have the exact same welcome offer right now: You’ll earn 75,000 points after spending $3,000 on purchases in the first three months your account is open.
On the other hand, the three cards grant different earnings on Southwest Airlines purchases and promise different annual benefits, such as account anniversary bonuses. Below are the three personal cards with core information and benefits.
Southwest Rapid Rewards® Plus Credit Card
With the lowest annual fee, the Southwest Rapid Rewards Plus Credit Card still packs in the points.
- Welcome offer: With the Southwest Rapid Rewards Plus Credit Card, earn 75,000 Rapid Rewards points after you spend $3,000 within the first three months of account opening.
- Annual fee: $69
- Earnings on purchases: Earn two points per dollar spent on purchases with Southwest, its hotel and car rental partners, local transit and commuting purchases (including rideshares), internet, cable, phone services, and select streaming purchases. Get one point per dollar on everything else.
- Primary Southwest benefits: Get one boost of 10,000 Companion Pass qualifying points each calendar year; two EarlyBird Check-Ins per year; and an account anniversary bonus of 3,000 points annually.
Southwest Rapid Rewards® Premier Credit Card
The Southwest Rapid Rewards Premier Credit Card is a higher-end version with a higher annual fee and better benefits.
- Welcome offer: With the Southwest Rapid Rewards Premier Credit Card, earn 75,000 Rapid Rewards points after you spend $3,000 within the first three months of account opening.
- Annual fee: $99
- Earnings on purchases: Same as the Plus card, except three points per dollar spent on Southwest purchases
- Primary Southwest benefits: Get one boost of 10,000 Companion Pass qualifying points each calendar year; two EarlyBird Check-Ins per year; and an account anniversary bonus of 6,000 points annually.
Southwest Rapid Rewards® Priority Credit Card
The Southwest Rapid Rewards Priority Credit Card is the most premium personal credit card Southwest offers, with some additional benefits to match.
- Welcome offer: With the Southwest Rapid Rewards Priority Credit Card, earn 75,000 Rapid Rewards points after you spend $3,000 within the first three months of account opening.
- Annual fee: $149
- Earnings on purchases: Same as the Southwest Premier card
- Primary Southwest benefits: Get one boost of 10,000 Companion Pass qualifying points each calendar year; four Upgraded Boardings per year; an account anniversary bonus of 7,500 points annually; an annual $75 Southwest travel credit; and 25 percent back on Southwest in-flight drinks and Wi-Fi.
To simplify, we’ve compiled the most pertinent information for each card in a chart:
| Plus Credit Card | Premier Credit Card | Priority Credit Card | |
| Annual fee | $69 | $99 | $149 |
| Bonus points after spending $3,000 on purchases in the first 3 months of account opening | 75,000 points | 75,000 points | 75,000 points |
| Points earned every year on cardholder anniversary | 3,000 points | 6,000 points | 7,500 points |
| Points earned per $1 spent on Southwest purchases | 2x | 3x | 3x |
| Points earned per $1 spent on Rapid Rewards hotel and car rental partner purchases | 2x | 2x | 2x |
| Points earned per $1 spent on local transit and commuting, including rideshares | 2x | 2x | 2x |
| Points earned per $1 spent on internet, cable, and phone services; select streaming | 2x | 2x | 2x |
| Points earned per $1 spent on everyday purchases | 1x | 1x | 1x |
| 25 percent back on in-flight purchases | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ |
| 10,000 boost of Companion Pass qualifying points each year | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ |
| 2 EarlyBird Check-Ins per year | ✔ | ✔ | |
| 4 Upgraded Boardings per year when available | ✔ | ||
| $75 Southwest annual travel credit | ✔ |
Mind your business—and get a companion pass
Lucky for us, the Southwest credit card story doesn’t end with these three personal credit cards. Southwest also has two business credit cards, Southwest Rapid Rewards® Premier Business Credit Card and Southwest Rapid Rewards® Performance Business Credit Card, each with significant introductory bonuses. The Southwest Rapid Rewards Premier Business Credit Card awards 60,000 points after spending $3,000 in the first three months. Meanwhile, the Southwest Rapid Rewards Performance Business Credit Card awards 80,000 points after spending $5,000 in the first three months. If you have an enterprise—big or small . . . as in sole proprietor small—you can apply for a business credit card. You don’t need a business checking account and can use your Social Security number as your business ID. While you can’t have two different personal cards or two different business cards, you can apply for both a personal and a business card and try to score a Companion Pass.
The timing of high introductory offers on personal cards and the current bonus on Southwest’s business cards places the Companion Pass, essentially a free ticket for a travel companion on every flight, within easy reach. Combined welcome offers of the Southwest Rapid Rewards Plus Credit Card and the Southwest Rapid Rewards Premier Business Credit Card amount to 135,000 points, what’s typically needed to land Southwest’s Companion Pass for all of 2024 and 2025. However, thanks to an annual Companion Pass boost as a cardholder, you only need 125,000 points to get the Pass.
Apply for both cards in late October but wait to hit spending thresholds in January 2024. Since welcome bonuses count toward the Companion Pass, if timed correctly, you’ll be flying BOGO for all of 2024 and 2025.
Which card to choose and why apply now
Thanks to current welcome bonuses on personal cards of 75,000 points, it’s a great time to apply for Southwest credit cards. (Just be sure to apply by end of day December 8, 2023, to get this offer.) With the current bonuses, any personal card is a smart choice. Which one you choose depends on how much you value the earnings structure and primary benefits versus the annual fee. We do like the higher-end Priority card for its numerous perks and credits. Yet for most, it makes sense to start with the Southwest Rapid Rewards Plus Credit Card, which carries a nominal $69 annual fee but still yields over a thousand dollars in value on Southwest flights with the bonus points.
If you want to go even further with your new Southwest miles, consider aiming for Southwest’s coveted Companion Pass. The timing of high introductory offers on personal cards and the current bonus on Southwest’s business cards places this pass, essentially a free ticket for a travel companion on every flight, within easy reach. Combined welcome offers of the Southwest Rapid Rewards Plus Credit Card and the Southwest Rapid Rewards Premier Business Credit Card amount to 135,000 points, landing you Southwest’s Companion Pass for all of 2024 and 2025. And to think, that’s two years of flight BOGOs, for combined annual fees of just $168.
This article was originally published in 2022; it was updated most recently on December 9, 2023, with current information. While the offers mentioned above are accurate at the time of publication, they are subject to change at any time, and may have changed or may no longer be available.
