Best Southwest Airlines credit cards in May 2024 (2024)

Southwest credit card offers overview

Chase issues three personal and two business co-branded credit cards with Southwest, each with its own set of benefits, earning rates and fees. If you don’t want to be locked into a single loyalty program, cards that earn Chase Ultimate Rewards points you can transfer to Southwest are also an option. The cards each offer a welcome bonus to new card holders.

Southwest personal credit card welcome offers

The Southwest Plus Credit Card (Southwest Rapid Rewards® Plus Credit Card annual fee), Southwest Premier Credit Card ($99 annual fee) and Southwest Priority Credit Card ($149 annual fee) all offer the same welcome bonus. New card holders can earn 50,000 bonus points after spending $1,000 on purchases in the first three months from account opening.

Southwest business credit card welcome offers

Small business owners can choose from the mid-tier Southwest Premier Business ($99 annual fee) and Southwest Performance Business ($199 annual fee). Each offers a different welcome bonus:

• Southwest Premier Business: 60,000 points after you spend $3,000 on purchases in the first three months your account is open
• Southwest Performance Business: 80,000 points after spending $5,000 on purchases within the first three months of account opening Chase Ultimate Rewards credit card welcome offers

Opening a Chase credit card that earns transferable Ultimate Rewards points can make sense if you want the flexibility to use rewards for Southwest flights and other types of travel. Only three cards offer the ability to transfer points to airline and hotel partners, and each has a different welcome bonus offer:

• Sapphire Reserve: 75,000 bonus points after you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening. That's $1,125 toward travel when you redeem through Chase Travel℠
• Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card: 75,000 bonus points after you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first three months from account opening. That's over $900 when you redeem through Chase Travel℠
• Ink Business Preferred: 100,000 bonus points after you spend $8,000 on purchases in the first three months from account opening

You can transfer Chase points to Southwest and other partners at a 1:1 ratio to book award travel, or you can redeem your rewards for flights (including on Southwest), hotels, rental cars, cruises and activities through Chase Travel℠. The value you’ll get per point depends on the card you have — with the Sapphire Reserve, they’re worth 1.5 cents each when you book through Chase, and with the Sapphire Preferred and Ink Business Preferred, they’re worth 1.25 cents apiece.

Southwest credit card benefits

Most of the best airline credit cards come with day-of-travel benefits such as free checked bags, priority boarding and, in the case of some premium cards, airport lounge access. However, you won’t find these perks on co-branded Southwest cards. On Southwest, every traveler gets two free checked bags, nobody gets assigned seats and the airline doesn’t operate its own airport lounges.

So what Southwest credit card benefits can you expect?

Southwest Companion Pass boost

All co-branded Southwest credit card holders receive an annual boost of 10,000 Companion Pass-qualifying points each year. This effectively reduces the number of points you’ll need to unlock the Companion Pass — more on this valuable perk later.

In-flight discounts or credits

Most co-branded Southwest credit cards offer 25% back as a statement credit when you use the card to pay for drinks and Wi-Fi in-flight. The exception is the Southwest Performance Business card, which instead offers up to 365 in-flight Wi-Fi credits each year when you use your card for the purchase. In-flight Wi-Fi on Southwest costs $8 per flight, so either of these perks could translate into substantial savings for frequent travelers.

Anniversary points

Each co-branded Southwest credit card gives you a lump sum of points for your card holder anniversary every year. The number of points you’ll receive varies by card. For example, the cheapest Southwest Plus Credit Card offers 3,000 points on each account anniversary, and the high-end Southwest Performance Business gets you 9,000 points. All of the other cards fall somewhere in between.

Tier qualifying points (TQP)

With the exception of the Southwest Plus Credit Card, each Southwest card offers the ability to earn TQP toward A-List elite status from spending on the card. You’ll earn 1,500 TQP for every $5,000 you spend, which could give you the boost you need if you’re short of qualifying for status.

EarlyBird Check-In®

Southwest’s boarding process is quite different from other airlines because it doesn’t issue assigned seats. Instead, most passengers are given a boarding position based on when they check in and can pick any available seat when they get on the plane. Most travelers are allowed to check in starting 24 hours prior to flight departure, but with EarlyBird Check-In, you’ll automatically be assigned a boarding position 36 hours before your flight (similar to what A-List and A-List Preferred passengers get).

EarlyBird Check-In can get you an earlier boarding position and a better shot at the seats you want. Depending on the route, this feature costs $15 to $25, but you can get up to two free EarlyBird Check-Ins per year with the following cards:

• Southwest Plus Credit Card
• Southwest Premier Credit Card
• Southwest Premier Business

Upgraded boardings

Southwest upgraded boarding allows you to purchase a boarding position in the A1 to A15 group if it’s available, basically guaranteeing you’ll be among the first people to get on the plane. You’ll pay $30 to $80 per flight for this privilege, but two cards — the Southwest Priority Credit Card and Southwest Performance Business — give you up to four upgraded boardings when available per year.

Statement credits

With the Southwest Priority Credit Card, you’ll receive up to $75 in annual travel credit toward eligible Southwest purchases, such as airfare or gift cards purchased directly through Southwest. In-flight purchases and EarlyBird Check-In don’t qualify for the credit.

Meanwhile, the two Southwest business credit cards offer up to $500 per year in statement credits to cover points-transfer fees. Southwest charges 1 cent per point in fees when you transfer your Rapid Rewards points to someone else so it’s usually not a good idea, but with this perk it could make sense.

Finally, the Southwest Performance Business is the only co-branded card that offers a statement credit for the Global Entry, TSA PreCheck or NEXUS application fee every four years.

How to choose the best Southwest credit card for you

Choosing a credit card from an array of options can be a bit overwhelming. To help guide your decision, ask yourself the following questions:

• How often do you fly Southwest? Occasional travelers may do just fine with an entry-level or mid-tier card with modest benefits (or another travel credit card), but regular Southwest flyers could get a better value from one of the more premium Southwest cards.
• Are you willing to pay a higher annual fee for more perks? Higher annual fees unlock better benefits (and it’s possible to get a value that far outweighs the yearly cost). But if you won’t use the perks (or wouldn’t otherwise pay for them), it won’t be worth it.
• Do you need Southwest-specific benefits? Extras such as EarlyBird Check-In and in-flight discounts might not be relevant if you don’t fly Southwest often.
• Is flexibility important to you? If you’re not loyal to Southwest and just want the option to earn Southwest points, a Chase Ultimate Rewards-earning card is probably a better play than a co-branded Southwest card.

How to apply for Southwest credit cards

Applying for a Southwest credit card is no different from any other credit card application. The easiest way to apply is online, although you can also submit your application at a Chase branch. Be ready to provide personal information such as your name, address, Social Security number (SSN), employment and housing status, and income.

With Southwest co-branded cards, you’ll also be asked for your Southwest Rapid Rewards frequent flyer account number. If you don’t have one, an account will be created for you if you’re approved for the card.

Southwest credit card application rules

Chase has an unofficial application restriction on its cards, commonly known as the Chase 5/24 rule. If you’ve opened five or more cards from any issuer in the past 24 months, you typically will not be approved for a new Chase card. However, some business credit cards won’t add to your 5/24 count because they don’t show up on your personal credit report.

If you’re applying for a Southwest co-branded credit card, keep in mind:

• You can only have one Southwest personal credit card at a time. You won’t be approved for a new card if you already have a personal Southwest card open, or received the welcome bonus from one in the past 24 months.
• Southwest business credit card application rules aren’t quite as strict. You’re eligible for a Southwest business card as long as you don’t already have that card and haven’t received a welcome bonus for it in the past 24 months.

Earn a Southwest Companion Pass with Southwest credit cards

Imagine being able to bring a companion along when you fly Southwest, without having to buy a second ticket and with no blackout dates — and as often as you’d like. This is a very real benefit known as the Southwest Companion Pass.

This elite benefit lets you designate a single companion to fly with you free of charge (plus taxes) on Southwest flights. It works whether you pay for your flight with cash or points, and you can use it to book any open seat. Unlike other airline companion fares, it’s good for more than a single use. In fact, you can use it an unlimited number of times before it expires (and it can last as long as two years).

Getting the Companion Pass requires racking up Southwest points or taking 100 one-way flights in a calendar year — but by earning rewards from co-branded Southwest credit cards, you can attain the pass even if you’re not a frequent flyer.

The easiest way to unlock the Companion Pass is to earn 135,000 qualifying points in a calendar year. Qualifying points are earned when you book qualifying flights through Southwest, when you reserve travel with Rapid Rewards partners and when you make purchases with Southwest Rapid Rewards credit cards. Points you buy or transfer to Southwest from another loyalty program don’t count toward the Companion Pass.

The ability to earn Companion Pass-qualifying points from Southwest credit cards is key. Points from welcome bonuses and ongoing spending count toward qualification. Plus, card holders earn a 10,000-point boost in January of each calendar year (or within the first 30 days of opening their account), which effectively lowers the qualification requirement for the Companion Pass to 125,000 points.

Opening a personal and business Southwest credit card can get you most of the way to Companion Pass qualification. Just be mindful of your timing — your pass is valid for the remainder of the year in which you earn it, plus the entire following calendar year.

If you earned the Southwest Companion Pass in 2024, for example, you’d have it through the end of December 2025. In theory (if you earned the pass on New Year’s Day), you’d get two years of companion travel. Beyond that, you’d have to requalify to keep your pass active.

Methodology

Our money and data analytics teams evaluated all of the Chase Southwest credit cards available to new applicants as well as three Ultimate Rewards-earning cards that allow points transfers to Southwest Rapid Rewards. We narrowed down our picks for the best Southwest credit cards by giving them a star rating out of five, based on the following factors and our editorial judgment:

Welcome bonus value (25%)

The best travel credit cards on the market offer a welcome bonus of points or miles when you spend a minimum amount in your first months with the card. We calculated how much each bonus is worth based on valuations from travel website The Points Guy, and gave higher scores to cards that offer more value.

Rewards value (25%)

Using spending data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics and a valuation of Southwest Rapid Rewards points from The Points Guy, we factored in which cards dole out the best rewards value.

Travel benefits (20%)

Day-of-travel benefits such as earlier boarding and in-flight discounts can improve your travels, so cards with these perks got a boost. We also considered other benefits, including rental car insurance, trip cancellation/interruption insurance and baggage insurance.

Select fees (20%)

Cards that charge no or low annual fees or foreign transaction fees scored better in this category than cards with higher fees.

Other benefits, annual credits and bonuses (10%)

We also considered non-travel perks, such as extended warranty and purchase protections. Credit cards with annual points credits, bonuses for spending in eligible categories and/or meeting spending thresholds also received a boost.

What didn’t make the cut

We’ve chosen the top Southwest cards based on our methodology, but there are a few other options you might consider if you want to earn points to redeem for Southwest flights:

• Sapphire Preferred: Like the Sapphire Reserve and Ink Business Preferred, this card gives you the ability to transfer Ultimate Rewards points to Southwest or book flights through Chase Travel℠. But it doesn’t offer as many travel benefits as the Sapphire Reserve or as high a welcome bonus as the Ink Business Preferred.
• Chase Freedom Flex℠*The information for the Chase Freedom Flex℠ has been collected independently by CNN Underscored. The card details on this page have not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer. and Chase Freedom Unlimited®: These no annual fee credit cards earn Ultimate Rewards points you can’t transfer to Southwest (unless you also have the Sapphire Reserve, Sapphire Preferred or Ink Business Preferred). That said, you can still redeem your points for Southwest flights at a rate of 1 cent apiece when you book through Chase Travel℠.
• Ink Business Cash® Credit Card and Ink Business Unlimited® Credit Card: Similar to the Freedom cards, you won’t have the ability to transfer points to Southwest with these no annual fee Chase business credit cards unless you pair them with an eligible Ultimate Rewards card.

Frequently asked questions (FAQs)

Additional reporting by Peter Rothbart.

*The information for the following card(s) has been collected independently by CNN Underscored Money: Southwest Rapid Rewards® Premier Credit Card*The information for the Southwest Rapid Rewards® Premier Credit Card has been collected independently by CNN Underscored. The card details on this page have not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer. and Chase Freedom Flex℠*The information for the Chase Freedom Flex℠ has been collected independently by CNN Underscored. The card details on this page have not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer. . The card details on this page have not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer.