Southwest Rapid Rewards Premier Card Review: Built for the Southwest Loyalist

Southwest Premier Card Benefits

Chase increased the annual fee on the Southwest Rapid Rewards Premier Card by about 50% in July 2025. However, the card offers some solid benefits for frequent flyers.

Strong Welcome Offer

The card currently offers a compelling welcome bonus: Earn Companion Pass through 2/28/27 and 30,000 bonus points after spending $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening. The Companion Pass lets you designate one person to fly with you free (plus taxes and fees) on every Southwest flight you book with points or cash.

As a cardholder, you’ll also receive an annual boost of 10,000 Companion Pass qualifying points each calendar year, which helps you re-qualify when the pass expires.

I managed to earn the Companion Pass several years ago with the card, and it made traveling with family a lot cheaper. I was also able to switch my companion up to three times a year, allowing me to save when traveling with different family members.

Perks Every Time You Fly Southwest

The Southwest Rapid Rewards Premier Card comes with several benefits that kick in the moment you’re ready to travel:

• Free first checked bag: You and up to eight passengers on the same reservation get the first checked bag free — a perk worth $35 per person per flight now that Southwest has ended its universal free bag policy.
• Group 5 priority boarding: You and up to eight fellow passengers board with Group 5, giving your group earlier access to overhead bin space before general boarding begins.
• Complimentary preferred seat selection: Within 48 hours of departure, you can select a standard or preferred seat at no extra cost for yourself and up to eight passengers on the same reservation.
• 25% back on in-flight purchases: Drink and Wi-Fi purchases on the plane earn a 25% rebate as a statement credit.

Annual Benefits

In addition to 10,000 points toward Companion Pass status, the card also offers 6,000 bonus points you can use toward flights and a promotion code for a 15% discount on any Southwest flight (excludes basic fares). These perks alone can help justify much of the $149 annual fee.

You can also use your spending to earn elite status, which is determined by your annual activity. For every $5,000 you spend on the card annually, you earn 1,500 tier qualifying points (TQPs) toward A-List status, with no cap on how many you can earn.

Travel and Purchase Protections

When you use your Southwest Rapid Rewards Premier Card to pay, you can receive travel insurance and purchase protections that can reimburse you if things go wrong, including:

• Lost luggage reimbursement: Get up to $3,000 per covered travel to repair or replace checked or carry-on bags that are lost, damaged or stolen on a covered trip.
• Baggage delay insurance: Receive up to $100 per day for up to three days to reimburse you for purchases of essential items like clothes and toiletries if your bags are delayed for more than six hours.
• Extended warranty: Get a one-year extension of U.S. manufacturers’ warranties on eligible warranties of up to three years.
• Purchase protection: Receive up to $500 in reimbursement per item if your eligible new purchase is damaged or stolen within 120 days of buying it.

Southwest Premier Card Drawbacks

While the card offers some clear advantages for frequent Southwest customers, it’s important to also weigh the potential disadvantages you may experience.

Points Can Only Be Redeemed With Southwest

Southwest Rapid Rewards points can’t be transferred to other airline or hotel loyalty programs, which is common for airline credit cards. However, Southwest’s route network is more limited than that of major carriers like Delta, United and American. The airline primarily serves domestic destinations along with select routes in the Caribbean and Central America.

So, if your travel takes you to Europe, Asia or beyond, these points won’t get you there. If you value flexibility in both where you fly and how you redeem, a travel card that earns transferable points may serve you better.

This was ultimately the reason I stopped using the card regularly. Although it’s tough to beat Southwest on short-haul domestic flights, I found more value for longer flights and international trips.

Cap on Bonus Spending

The card offers 2 points per dollar on groceries and dining, but it caps at $8,000 in combined purchases per anniversary year, after which it drops to 1 point per dollar spent. For bigger spenders, that ceiling could arrive faster than you’d like.

Increased Annual Fee

The Southwest Rapid Rewards Premier Card underwent a makeover in 2025, introducing new benefits but also a higher annual fee.

At $149, the card’s annual fee is in line with that of some comparable airline cards, including the United℠ Explorer Card and the Delta SkyMiles® Gold American Express Card, an advertising partner. But unlike with those cards, you won’t get the fee waived the first year. That’s a meaningful distinction when deciding whether a card is worth trying out.

Who Is the Southwest Premier Best For?

The Southwest Rapid Rewards Premier Card makes the most sense for travelers who fly Southwest often enough to put its perks to real use. If Southwest is your default airline — whether for price, routes or loyalty — the flight benefits, annual perks and welcome bonus make the card a natural fit.

It’s also ideal for anyone actively chasing the Companion Pass; the annual 10,000-point boost helps you re-qualify year over year.

That said, travelers who split time across multiple airlines or want points they can use anywhere would be better served by a general travel rewards credit card.

Is It the Right Card for You?

The Southwest Rapid Rewards Premier Card is worth a serious look if you can check most of these boxes:

• You fly Southwest at least a few times a year
• You’re chasing the Companion Pass or want to maintain it
• You regularly check a bag and travel with others on the same reservation
• You’re comfortable keeping your rewards within the Southwest ecosystem
• You can hit the minimum spending requirement for the welcome bonus without stretching your budget

Alternatives to the Southwest Premier

If the Southwest Rapid Rewards Premier Card doesn’t feel like the right fit or you want to cover all your bases, here are a few other cards that are worth a look:

• Southwest Rapid Rewards® Priority Credit Card: The Southwest Rapid Rewards Priority Card carries a $229 annual fee but adds 7,500 anniversary points, Extra Legroom seat upgrades and faster progress toward A-List status. For heavy Southwest flyers, it often delivers more net value. See our best Southwest credit cards guide for a full comparison.
• Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card: At $95 annually, the Sapphire Preferred Card earns transferable Chase Ultimate Rewards® points that transfer to Southwest at a 1:1 ratio, plus strong earnings on dining and travel. It’s one of the best Chase credit cards for travelers who want flexibility beyond a single airline.
• Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card: A flat 2 Capital One miles per dollar on every purchase and flexible travel redemption options make the Venture Card a strong alternative for travelers who don’t want to be locked into Southwest’s ecosystem.