Southwest Rapid Rewards Priority Credit Card
- Best for: Frequent Southwest flyers who want Preferred seats at booking and Extra Legroom upgrades for themselves and up to eight companions
- What Sets It Apart: The only Southwest personal card with seat choice at booking and Extra Legroom upgrades; 7,500 anniversary points, the most of any Southwest personal card
- Cost: $229 annual fee; 19.49% to 27.99% variable APR; no foreign transaction fees
- Features: 60,000 bonus points after $2,000 in purchases in the first 3 months; 4X points on Southwest and 2X at gas stations and restaurants; first checked bag free and Group 5 boarding for up to 9 travelers
- Pros: Seat perks cover up to 8 companions; anniversary points worth about $94 a year at The Points Guy’s valuation; no cap on 2X points
- Cons: No travel credit or lounge access; seats and upgrades only when available; no edge in earning elite status over cheaper cards from 2027
Get the Southwest Rapid Rewards Priority Card if you fly Southwest several times a year and will pick Preferred seats at booking or take free Extra Legroom upgrades for you and up to eight companions. Those seat perks are the main thing its $229 fee adds over the $99 Plus, which has the same free checked bag.
Chase’s top Southwest personal card suits frequent Southwest flyers, but it no longer comes with a yearly travel credit. Seats, points, and bags now have to justify its $229 annual fee.
Key Features
- $229 annual fee, no foreign transaction fees, and a 19.49% to 27.99% variable APR, the yearly interest rate on a balance you carry
- 60,000 bonus points after $2,000 in purchases in the first three months, and 7,500 more each account anniversary
- 4 points per dollar on Southwest purchases, 2 at gas stations and restaurants, and 1 on everything else
- A Preferred seat (standard legroom near the front) or Standard seat at booking, plus free Extra Legroom upgrades within 48 hours of departure, both when available
- First checked bag free and Group 5 boarding, ahead of Basic-fare passengers
Pros
- The only Southwest personal card with seat choice at booking and Extra Legroom upgrades
- Seat, boarding, and bag perks that cover up to eight others on your reservation
- A bonus worth about $750 and anniversary points worth about $94 a year at travel site The Points Guy’s valuation of 1.25 cents a point
- A free first bag, worth $45 per traveler each way on fares that charge for bags
Cons
- No lounge access, and Southwest’s first lounges, expected in late 2027, will come with a new premium Chase card instead
- Preferred seats and Extra Legroom upgrades only when available
- From 2027, no edge in earning elite status, since every Rapid Rewards card, the Plus included, earns the same 1 tier qualifying point per dollar
- Only through 2026, a yearly 10,000-point boost toward the Companion Pass, which lets a companion fly with you for taxes and fees
- Not open to current Southwest personal cardholders or anyone who earned a welcome bonus on one in the past 24 months
Before you apply, add up what you’d pay in a year for checked bags and Preferred or Extra Legroom seats. After the first year, the anniversary points, worth about $94, cut each $229 fee to about $135, so the card pays for itself if that total is higher.
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