Southwest Priority Card Review: Valuable Perks for Southwest's Most Frequent Flyers

The Southwest Rapid Rewards® Priority Credit Card is the airline's top credit card. It has the most perks -- and the most expensive annual fee (fortunately, that's still a reasonable $149). This card's ample benefits more than justify the cost for travelers who can get the most out of them. Explore those benefits and more in our Southwest Rapid Rewards® Priority Credit Card review.

This credit card is a good fit for: Southwest's most frequent flyers who choose the airline consistently and want to save lots of money on their travel bookings.

Top perks

Here's a closer look at all the great benefits of the Southwest Rapid Rewards® Priority Credit Card.

Welcome offer: 50,000 bonus points

Earn 50,000 points after you spend $1,000 on purchases in the first 3 months. That's a reasonable sign-up bonus for an airline credit card, and it's easy to get.

Earn up to 3 points per $1

The Southwest Rapid Rewards® Priority Credit Card earns:

• 3 points per $1 on Southwest Airlines purchases
• 2 points per $1 on Rapid Rewards hotel and car rental partners
• 2 points per $1 on local transit and commuting, including rideshares
• 2 points per $1 on internet, cable, phone services, and select streaming
• 1 point per $1 on other purchases

Learn more: Best Rewards Credit Cards

Annual Southwest travel credit

This card includes a credit of $75 toward Southwest Airlines purchases every account year. The credit automatically applies to eligible purchases. So, if you buy a $100 Southwest ticket and haven't used your credit yet, it would knock $75 off your bill. This travel credit will be easy to use for anyone who flies with Southwest regularly. It would also cover just over half of what you paid for the annual fee.

7,500 bonus points per year

You'll receive 7,500 bonus points for every year that you have the card. This bonus starts after your first account anniversary. Rapid Rewards points are generally worth about $0.014 to $0.018 apiece, so 7,500 points have an approximate value of $105 to $135.

Four Upgraded Boardings per year when available

You'll get reimbursed for up to four Upgraded Boarding purchases per account year with this card. Upgraded Boarding gets you a position in the A1 – A15 boarding group and would otherwise cost at least $30 per flight segment. Since you choose your seat when you board, Upgraded Boarding can make a big difference in getting the seat you want. You can purchase Upgraded Boarding at the departure gate or ticket counter on the day of travel, when available.

25% back on in-flight purchases

You'll get 25% back on all in-flight purchases you make with your Southwest Rapid Rewards® Priority Credit Card.

Earn extra tier qualifying points

For each $10,000 in purchases on your Southwest Rapid Rewards® Priority Credit Card, you'll earn 1,500 tier qualifying points (TQPs). TQPs are one way to qualify for Southwest A-List (requires 35,000 TQPs) and A-List Preferred (requires 70,000 TQPs) status. There's no limit to how many TQPs you can earn this way.

Free one-year DashPass membership

This card includes one year free of DashPass, DoorDash and Caviar's membership service. It gets you a $0 delivery fee and reduced service fees on eligible orders over $12. After the free year ends, you're automatically enrolled in DashPass at the monthly rate unless you cancel. To get your free year, you must activate this offer by Dec. 31, 2024.

Read more: Best Credit Cards for Dining and Restaurants

Travel protection

Since this is an airline credit card, it makes sense that it offers travel protections. On eligible travel bookings made with your Southwest Rapid Rewards® Priority Credit Card, you'll have lost luggage reimbursement and baggage delay insurance.

Purchase protection

When you pay for purchases with this card, you'll get purchase protection against damage and theft, and extended warranty coverage.

No foreign transaction fee

You won't get stuck paying foreign transaction fees on the Southwest Rapid Rewards® Priority Credit Card. This perk is a must for travel credit cards because it saves you from pesky extra charges while you're abroad.

See more options: Best No Foreign Transaction Fee Credit Cards

What could be improved

Southwest's top credit card could do better in a few areas.

Annual fee

At $149 a year, the Southwest Rapid Rewards® Priority Credit Card won't break the bank. But anytime a card has an annual fee, it's important to make sure you'll get your money's worth. That shouldn't be too hard if you can use this card's benefits. The 7,500 yearly bonus points alone are worth about $105 to $135. It also offers that $75 yearly Southwest credit, for an easy $180 or more in value.

Assuming you fly with Southwest often, you'll have no problem recouping the fee. If you're not sure, check out more credit card reviews to see if you find a better fit.

Limited airline benefits

This card does have a few extras, but its benefits with Southwest are limited. That's in large part because of the differences between Southwest and other airlines. Southwest doesn't offer airport lounges, so the Southwest Rapid Rewards® Priority Credit Card can't offer airport lounge access. Since the airline doesn't charge bag fees, the card can't offer a free checked bag benefit. And because Southwest only has one cabin, there's no possibility of a complimentary upgrade to first class.

None of these are major issues. But they are perks other airline credit cards offer to save cardholders money or improve their travel experience.

You should have a FICO® Score of 670 or better before applying for the Southwest Rapid Rewards® Priority Credit Card. The card is meant for consumers with a good credit score, though you might be approved with a lower score.

There's also one more key application rule to know about. This credit card is offered by Southwest and Chase, so Chase's 5/24 rule applies. If you've gotten five or more new credit cards over the last 24 months, Chase will likely deny your application.

LEARN MORE: A Guide to Chase's 5/24 Rule

Southwest is your airline of choice and you book several flights with it every year.

If you're a Southwest loyalist, the Southwest Rapid Rewards® Priority Credit Card is one of the best credit cards to choose. It packs plenty of value with its bonuses and annual Southwest credit. This card is a top pick for adventurers who enjoy exploring the world on Southwest flights.

Our credit card methodology

At The Motley Fool Ascent, we rate credit cards on a five-star scale (1 = poor, 5 = best). Our rating criteria includes rewards rates, welcome bonuses, fees, and perks like travel credits and 0% intro APR offers to evaluate our ratings.

We combine these factors with an evaluation of brand reputation and customer satisfaction to ensure you're getting the best card recommendations. Learn more about how The Ascent rates credit cards.