No, the Southwest Rapid Rewards® Priority Credit Card doesn’t offer a credit for TSA PreCheck or Global Entry.
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Our take: The Southwest Rapid Rewards® Priority Credit Card isn’t a must-have card for everyone, but it’s the most valuable of Southwest’s consumer cards, thanks to its rewards and solid perks.
First Year Savings: $1,047
Fans of Southwest can find much to love about the Southwest Rapid Rewards® Priority Credit Card — from its sign-up bonus and elevated points on Southwest purchases to anniversary rewards and the ability to earn Companion Pass points. On each card anniversary you’ll get 7,500 Rapid Rewards® points, an annual $75 Southwest travel credit (that applies to airfare), four upgraded boardings per year and 25% back on in-flight purchases. The Southwest Rapid Rewards® Priority Credit Card comes with good travel protections and $0 foreign transaction fees.
The $149 annual fee is a drawback, as is being locked into a non-transferable airline point currency. For Southwest aficionados, or those looking to capitalize on flying, the overall value of the Southwest Rapid Rewards® Priority Credit Card outweighs the negatives.
Intro Purchase APR
N/A
Regular Purchase APR
20.99% - 27.99% Variable
Intro BT APR
N/A
Regular BT APR
20.99% - 27.99% Variable
Annual Fee
$149
Cash Advance Fee
Either $10 or 5% of the amount of each transaction, whichever is greater.
Foreign Transaction Fee
$0
Balance Transfer Fee
Either $5 or 5% of the amount of each balance transfer, whichever is greater.
The sign-up bonus is a decent perk to this card. You’ll earn 50,000 bonus points after spending $1,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening.
Not only is the spending requirement attainable, since it breaks down to spending just under $350 a month, depending on the flights you choose, you could get a couple round trip flights with the bonus alone. These bonus points count as qualifying points towards the Southwest Companion Pass, giving you a significant boost in accumulating the 135,000 points needed.
A Southwest Companion Pass allows you to have a friend or family member fly with you for a year or longer just for the cost of taxes and fees (starting at $5.60). You need to fly 100 qualifying one-way flights or earn 135,000 qualifying points in a calendar year to qualify.
Some ways you can earn qualifying points include:
Booking flights with Southwest
Booking travel with Rapid Rewards® partners
Using a Southwest credit card
Shopping and dining with participating retailers and restaurants
Southwest Rapid Rewards® Priority Credit Card holders Receive 7,500 anniversary points, 4 upgraded boardings per year when available, and a $75 Southwest® travel credit each year. Enjoy benefits including 3X points on Southwest purchases, 2X points on local transit and commuting, including rideshare, 2X points on internet, cable, and phone services; select streaming, 10,000 Companion Pass® qualifying points boost each year, and more.
While this is a good earning rate, you may be able to find a higher rewards rate with other cards.
The Citi Double Cash® Card is a 2% cash back card and gives you a higher return than your Southwest Rapid Rewards® Priority Credit Card since we value Rapid Rewards® points at 1.4 cents each. The 2x Rapid Rewards® point reward is mediocre because you can earn that with the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card. It earns 2x Ultimate Rewards points which offer greater flexibility and can even be transferred to Southwest Rapid Rewards® or any of the other partner programs.
We value Rapid Rewards® points at around 1.4 cents per point which is better than the average rewards program point. Southwest points are also very straightforward and easy to redeem. There’s no complicated redemption chart to deal with, nor are there any blackout dates or restrictions — as long as a flight has available seats, you should be able to book it with your points.
Value: Above average
Ease of redeeming: Easier than average (all seats are available as rewards)
The number of points required for a free flight with Southwest depends on the cash price of the fare. Award prices start around 2,600 points and can go upwards of 29,000 for a one-way ticket. The value that you get for your Rapid Rewards® depends on the type of ticket you choose. Southwest offers three tiers of tickets: Wanna Get Away, Anytime and Business Select. Wanna Get Away fares are the cheapest, but also most restrictive. Both Anytime and Business Select tickets are fully refundable.
The issue of ticket refundability is less of a concern when you redeem Rapid Rewards® because all Southwest award tickets are fully refundable up to 10 minutes prior to flight departure. This tidbit of information may make your decision easier: opt for the Wanna Get Away fares as you’ll get the most value out of your points.
| Business Select | Anytime | Wanna Get Away + | Wanna Get Away | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fully refundable if you cancel your flight | ||||
| Same-day change | Fare difference may apply | |||
| Same-day standby | ||||
| Transferable flight credit | ||||
| EarlyBird Check-In® | ||||
| Fly By (priority security lane) | ||||
| Priority boarding A1-A15 | ||||
| Complimentary premium drink |
Even though the card’s earning rates are just so-so, the Southwest Rapid Rewards® Priority Credit Card has a great variety of benefits that make up for that plus the annual fee.
To have the best approval odds, it’s best to ensure your credit score is solidly in the Excellent range. To boost your chances of being approved for this, or any, credit card, be sure you make on-time payments, keep your credit utilization ratio low and follow best practices in building credit.
| Credit Cards | Our Ratings | Rewards Rate | Welcome Offer | Annual Fee | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Southwest Rapid Rewards® Priority Credit Card
 Apply Now
on Chase's secure site |
Receive 7,500 anniversary points, 4 upgraded boardings per year when available, and a $75 Southwest® travel credit each year. Enjoy benefits including 3X points on Southwest purchases, 2X points on local transit and commuting, including rideshare, 2X points on internet, cable, and phone services; select streaming, 10,000 Companion Pass® qualifying points boost each year, and more. | Earn 50,000 bonus points after spending $1,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening. | $149 |
Apply Now
on Chase's secure site |
|
Southwest Rapid Rewards® Premier Credit Card*
|
Receive 6,000 anniversary points each year. Enjoy benefits including 3X points on Southwest® purchases, 2X points on local transit and commuting, including rideshare, 2X points on internet, cable, and phone services; select streaming, 2 EarlyBird Check-In® each year, 10,000 Companion Pass® qualifying points boost each year, and more. | Earn 50,000 bonus points after spending $1,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening. | $99 | ||
Southwest Rapid Rewards® Plus Credit Card
Apply Now
on Chase's secure site |
Receive 3,000 anniversary points each year. Enjoy benefits including 2X points on local transit and commuting, including rideshare, 2X points on internet, cable, and phone services; select streaming, 2 Early Bird Check-In® each year, 10,000 Companion Pass® qualifying points boost each year, and more. | Earn 50,000 bonus points after spending $1,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening. | $69 |
Apply Now
on Chase's secure site |
|
Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card
Apply Now
on Capital One's secure site Rates & Fees |
2 Miles per dollar on every purchase, every day; 5 Miles per dollar on hotels, vacation rentals and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel | 75,000 Miles once you spend $4,000 on purchases within 3 months from account opening | $95 |
Apply Now
on Capital One's secure site Rates & Fees |
While the Southwest Rapid Rewards® Priority Credit Card offers many benefits, the annual fee of $149 is the highest among Southwest personal credit cards. The others are each a step down and offer fewer perks but with more affordable price points.
The Southwest Rapid Rewards® Premier Credit Card offers many of the same benefits as the Southwest Rapid Rewards® Priority Credit Card, including:
The annual fee of $99 saves you $50 over the Southwest Rapid Rewards® Priority Credit Card, but you are losing benefits that — if used — easily recoup that amount: the $75 annual travel credit, larger anniversary benefit and four upgraded boardings per year.
The Southwest Rapid Rewards® Plus Credit Card is the lowest tier card and comes with a $69 annual fee and fewer benefits. That’s not to say there are no perks; you will get:
This may be the most affordable card, and considering the 3,000 points are worth $45 and the two EarlyBird Check-Ins are worth another $30, you come out ahead by $6. The overall value is less than the other cards and you’ll also have to pay foreign transaction fees when you use this card overseas.
Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card cardholders receive 2 Miles per dollar on every purchase, every day; 5 Miles per dollar on hotels, vacation rentals and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel. Miles can be partnered to more than a dozen partner airlines for itineraries around the world.
With a slew of benefits, the Southwest Rapid Rewards® Priority Credit Card is arguably the best Southwest personal credit card — even with its high $149 annual fee. Frequent travelers should be able to make good use of the travel credit plus the upgraded boardings and annual bonus make it easy to recover the fee.
But if you just take an occasional flight or aren’t particular about which airline you fly, a card like the Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card might be good since it offers decent rewards on all purchases. The points can also be transferred to other airline programs, so you’re not pigeonholed into just one airline.
Still not sure? Check out the array of best travel credit cards for 2023 to see if any meet your needs.
No, the Southwest Rapid Rewards® Priority Credit Card doesn’t offer a credit for TSA PreCheck or Global Entry.
According to our research, Southwest points are valued around 1.4 cents each. This means a flight that costs $175 would require about 12,500 points. Point value varies by destination and fare class.
To use your $75 Southwest annual travel credit all you need to do is book a Southwest flight with your Southwest Rapid Rewards® Priority Credit Card. You will find a $75 credit applied to your credit card statement.
The best Southwest credit card is the one that you can afford and will be able to take advantage of the most. If you can swing the annual fee, the Southwest Rapid Rewards® Priority Credit Card offers the most value with the sign-up bonus, the statement credit and other perks.
For Capital One products listed on this page, some of the above benefits are provided by third parties such as Visa® or Mastercard® and may vary by product. See the respective Guide to Benefits for details, as certain terms, conditions, and exclusions apply.
The information related to the Southwest Rapid Rewards® Premier Credit Card has been collected by LendingTree and has not been reviewed or provided by the issuer of this card prior to publication. Terms apply.
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