Chase Southwest Rapid Rewards Priority Card Review: Your Ticket to Free Checked Bags and Preferred Seating in the Airline’s New Era

Southwest Priority Card Benefits

Enormous Welcome Offer

The Southwest Rapid Rewards Priority Card currently offers a staggering 100,000 Bonus Points after you spend $4,000 in the first 5 months from account opening. You can expect to get about 1.4 cents in value per Southwest point, making this bonus redeemable for around $1,400 in Southwest flights.

Even better, these points count toward the annual 135,000-point requirement to earn the Southwest Companion Pass. The Companion Pass allows you to bring a friend or family member along for just the cost of taxes and fees whenever you fly Southwest. It’s valid from the year you earn it through the following calendar year.

I earned the Southwest Companion Pass and received an astonishing amount of value, as I was able to bring my wife for nearly free to many destinations.

Annual Bonuses

Each year, you’ll receive two types of points bonuses. The first is a straightforward, easy-to-use 7,500 bonus Southwest points. You can redeem these points for Southwest flights.

The second is a 10,000-point boost toward the Southwest Companion Pass. You can’t redeem these points for flights; rather, they effectively lower the annual 135,000-point requirement to qualify for the Companion Pass to 125,000 points.

Seat Selection Perks

On Jan. 27, 2026, Southwest will do away with its open seating policy and begin assigning seats to passengers. There will be multiple tiers of seats: Standard, Preferred and Extra Legroom.

The Southwest Rapid Rewards Priority Card allows you to choose up to a Preferred seat for yourself and up to eight companions on your reservation for no extra charge.

Keep in mind that anyone (aside from those who book Basic fares) can choose a Standard seat for free, whether they’ve got a Southwest credit card or not.

Plus, cardholders are eligible for upgrades to an Extra Legroom seat within 48 hours of departure (again, for you and up to eight travel buddies on the same reservation).

Other Day-of-Travel Benefits

After Southwest implements its assigned seating, it will also adopt conventional boarding groups. Southwest Rapid Rewards Priority Card holders will board with Group 5 at the latest (Southwest will have up to eight boarding groups), meaning you should have plenty of selection when it comes to overhead bin space.

And because Southwest now charges for checked bags, one of the Southwest Rapid Rewards Priority Card’s biggest money-saving features is its first checked bag free for you and up to eight passengers on the same reservation. Southwest charges $35 per bag one-way.

Also, you’ll receive 25% back on in-flight purchases such as Wi-Fi and drinks.

Fast Track to Elite Status

Southwest offers two tiers of elite status: A-List and A-List Preferred. These statuses come with goodies like bonus points on qualifying flights, free in-flight Wi-Fi and free premium drinks (depending on your status level).

To qualify for A-List status, you must either complete 20 qualifying one-way flights or earn 35,000 “tier qualifying points” in a calendar year. If you don’t frequent Southwest but you like the idea of earning its elite status, the Southwest Rapid Rewards Priority Card can help. You’ll earn 2,500 tier qualifying points for every $5,000 you spend on the card — making it possible to earn elite status without ever setting foot on a plane.

Fair Travel Insurance Benefits

The Southwest Rapid Rewards Priority Card comes with a catalog of solid travel insurance benefits, including:

• Secondary rental car insurance
• Baggage delay insurance
• Travel accident insurance
• Lost luggage insurance

Not as impressive as what you’ll find on top credit cards with travel insurance, like the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card, but better than nothing.

Southwest Priority Card Drawbacks

High Annual Fee

The Southwest Rapid Rewards Priority Card now charges a $229 annual fee (a big jump from the previous $149 fee). It may still be worth the money for some travelers. Your task is to examine the above perks and decide if it’ll legitimately save you more than you pay for the fee.

For example, a family of four could save $280 in checked bag fees after booking round-trip travel for a single vacation. That’s more than enough to justify the annual fee.

Meager Earning Rates

The Southwest Rapid Rewards Priority Card currently earns:

• 4 points per dollar on Southwest purchases
• 4 points per dollar on Southwest cruises
• 2 points per dollar at gas stations and restaurants
• 2 points per dollar on hotel and car rental partners
• 2 points per dollar on local transit and commuting (including rideshare)
• 2 points per dollar on internet, cable, phone services and select streaming
• 1 point per dollar on all other eligible purchases

But on Jan. 1, 2026, the card will lose all reward categories except Southwest purchases and gas stations and restaurants. Bleh.

The Card Is Ditching Some Fantastic Perks

The card currently comes with four Upgraded Boardings, which guarantee that you’ll board no later than A-15 (one of the absolute first on the plane). These will become useless when Southwest eliminates open seating in 2026.

Also, through Dec. 31, 2025, those who have previously opened the Southwest Rapid Rewards Priority Card will get a $75 Southwest credit after their cardmember anniversary. That’s another huge benefit that’ll be sorely missed.

Who Is the Southwest Priority Card Best For?

The Southwest Rapid Rewards Priority Card is best for you if you’re a Southwest fan who checks bags at least a few times each year. Southwest’s new checked baggage policy makes this added perk a huge money saver.

The card is also great for anyone trying to earn the Southwest Companion Pass. After you earn the welcome bonus, you’ll have at least 104,000 qualifying Southwest points. Factor in the 10,000-point boost toward the Companion Pass, and you’ll be just 21,000 points away from earning this coveted benefit.

Is It the Right Card for You?

The Southwest Rapid Rewards Priority Card is right for you if:

• You check bags with Southwest a handful of times each year
• You want to earn Southwest elite status without flying a lot
• You’re trying to earn the Southwest Companion Pass

Alternatives to the Southwest Priority Card

If you’re still not sure whether the Southwest Rapid Rewards Priority Card is for you, you’ve got cheaper alternatives:

• Southwest Rapid Rewards® Plus Credit Card: Charging a more palatable $99 annual fee, you’ll receive many of the same benefits as the Southwest Rapid Rewards Priority Card. This includes the first checked bag free, preferred boarding and the welcome bonus. You’ll also get a 10% flight discount promo code each year. However, some perks are less potent. For example, you’ll receive just 3,000 bonus points after each cardmember anniversary — and you can only select a free Standard seat within 48 hours of departure in 2026.
• Southwest Rapid Rewards® Premier Credit Card: This $149-annual-fee card is a happy medium between the low-tier Southwest Rapid Rewards Plus Card and the top-tier Southwest Rapid Rewards Priority Card. The main differences are a 6,000-point bonus each cardmember year, a 15% flight discount code each year, a complimentary Preferred seat within 48 hours of departure and 1,500 tier qualifying points toward Southwest elite status for every $5,000 you spend on eligible purchases with the card.