Southwest Rapid Rewards® Premier Business Credit Card
- Best for: Business owners, side businesses included, who fly Southwest for work and check bags
- What Sets It Apart: Free first checked bags for up to 9 travelers on a reservation and a seat pick within 48 hours of departure for $149, about half the Performance Business card’s $299 fee
- Welcome Offer: 60,000 points after $3,000 in purchases in 3 months
- Rewards: 3 points per $1 on Southwest; 2 points per $1 on the first $8,000 a year spent at gas stations and restaurants
- Features: 6,000 anniversary points; a yearly 15% flight discount code
- Annual Fee: $149
- APR: 19.49% to 27.99% variable
- Cost: No foreign transaction fees
- Pros: $90 saved per traveler on each round trip with a checked bag; 1 elite-status point per $1 starting in 2027; free employee cards
- Cons: No bag, seat, or boarding perks for employees flying alone; no seat choice at booking; no lounge access; bonuses stop counting toward the Companion Pass in 2027
Get the Southwest Rapid Rewards® Premier Business Credit Card if you check bags on a few Southwest work trips a year. For $149 a year, you and up to eight companions on your reservation each check a first bag free, and you get 6,000 anniversary points. Step up to the $299 Performance Business card only if you fly Southwest often.
Chase issues the Southwest Rapid Rewards Premier Business Credit Card to sole proprietors as well as companies, so a side business you run yourself can qualify.
Key Features
- $149 annual fee, no foreign transaction fees, and a 19.49% to 27.99% variable interest rate
- 60,000 points after $3,000 in purchases in your first 3 months
- 3 points per $1 on Southwest purchases, 2 per $1 on the first $8,000 a year spent at gas stations and restaurants, and 1 per $1 elsewhere
- 6,000 bonus points each card anniversary, plus a 15% flight discount code that excludes Basic fares
- For you and up to 8 people on your reservation, a free first checked bag, Group 5 boarding, and an open Standard or near-front Preferred seat picked in the 48 hours before departure
Pros
- Free first bags save each traveler $90 a round trip, since most Southwest fares charge $45 a bag each way
- From 2027, each $1 spent earns a point toward elite status, up from 2,000 points per $5,000, so $35,000 a year earns Silver, which replaces A-List
- Free employee cards, and their spending earns points for you
Cons
- Employees flying without you pay their own bag fees and get no seat or boarding perks
- No seat choice at booking or Extra Legroom upgrades, which the Performance Business card adds
- No lounge access, which Southwest says will come with a new premium card in 2027
- From 2027, card bonuses stop counting toward the Companion Pass, which lets one companion travel with you for just taxes and fees
Owners who check a bag on one Southwest round trip a year save $90, and the 6,000 anniversary points cover the other $59 of the $149 annual fee if each is worth at least a cent. At that rate, owners who spend over $9,000 a year with Southwest do better with the Performance Business card, whose extra points and Global Entry credit are worth more than its $150 higher fee, by our math.
Learn more about the Southwest Rapid Rewards® Premier Business Credit Card or see how it compares to the best Southwest Airlines credit cards.
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