Southwest Rapid Rewards Premier Credit Card — Full Review [2023]

Great Card If

• You like Southwest Airlines and spend enough to earn Tier Qualifying Points
• You have your eyes set on the Companion Pass
• You want to earn some extra Rapid Rewards points each year

Don’t Get If

• You’re a low spender and won’t make up the $99 annual fee in bonus points
• You enjoy luxury benefits when traveling and don’t like low-cost carriers
• You want a card that earns transferable rewards

Southwest Premier Card — Is It Worth It?

If you’re a frequent Southwest flyer, then it’s likely the Southwest Premier card would be a great option for you.

For starters, the card not only helps you earn more Southwest Rapid Rewards points on all of your flights but also on all of your other daily purchases, too.

The card isn’t just great for earning points, though. It also helps enhance your Southwest flights by offering 2 EarlyBird Check-Ins per year, 25% back on inflight purchases, and travel protections.

While the card does charge a $99 annual fee, it also offers 6,000 bonus Southwest Rapid Rewards points each year to help offset that fee.

Southwest Premier Card Top Benefits

6,000 Bonus Points Each Year

Each year you renew your card, you’ll receive 6,000 bonus points deposited into your Rapid Rewards account. Oftentimes, you’ll get around 1.3 cents per point when redeeming your Southwest Rapid Rewards points, making 6,000 points worth about $78 towards a Southwest flight.

EarlyBird Check-In

Those who fly with Southwest know that you want to score as early of a boarding position as possible, as seat selection is a first-come, first-served process.

With EarlyBird Check-In, you’ll be automatically checked in as soon as the check-in window opens, helping you score a great boarding position. The price for EarlyBird Check-In starts at $15 but can be more depending on the route.

Southwest Premier cardholders will receive 2 EarlyBird Check-Ins each year for free.

Tier Qualifying Points

The Southwest Premier card will also help you work your way towards elite status with Southwest by giving you 1,500 Tier Qualifying Points for every $10,000 you spend on the card.

While you won’t want to rely on this alone as a method for reaching elite status, it is a welcome addition.

Discounts on Inflight Purchases

Receive a 25% discount on Wi-Fi, drinks, or other items on your Southwest flight when you pay with your Southwest Premier card.

Card Protections

• Baggage Delay Insurance: If you checked a bag, and it is delayed by more than 6 hours, you’ll receive $100 per day your bag is delayed in coverage towards essential items.
• Lost Luggage Reimbursement: If the items inside of your luggage are lost or damaged by the carrier, you’re covered for up to $3,000 per passenger.
• Extended Warranty Protection: On eligible warranties of 3 years or less, your warranty coverage will be extended by 1 additional year.
• Purchase Protection: Items you purchase with the card are covered against theft or accidental damage, with up to $50,000 in coverage, up to 120 days from the date of purchase.

Best Ways To Earn and Redeem Your Southwest Rapid Rewards Points

Thankfully, the Southwest Rapid Rewards program is very robust. This is advantageous because it means you have plenty of great ways to rack up Southwest Rapid Rewards points, such as through its dining program or shopping portal.

As a fixed point rewards program, Southwest helps take the headache out of the equation when it comes to redemptions, by making each point worth about 1.3 cents towards any Southwest flight with no blackout dates or award space to worry about. Southwest also offers a great route map with plenty of great destinations you can visit with your Southwest Rapid Rewards points.

Alternative Cards to the Southwest Premier Card

Southwest Rapid Rewards® Priority Credit Card

If you’re a frequent Southwest flyer, then the Southwest Priority card will likely be a better fit for you.

While the annual fee is a bit higher, the card offers quite a bit more benefits like 7,500 bonus points each year, a $75 Southwest credit each year, and 4 Upgraded Boarding certificates per year.

Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card

Those who want an all-around travel rewards card should opt for the Chase Sapphire Preferred card.

You’ll earn 5x points per $1 on travel purchased through Chase Travel, 2x points per $1 on other travel purchases, and 3x points per $1 on dining, online grocery, and select streaming purchases.

Plus, Chase Ultimate Rewards points are some of the most valuable points available to award travelers thanks to their ability to be transferred at a 1:1 rate to many great Chase transfer partners.

Read our full comparison of these 2 cards: Southwest Premier card vs Chase Sapphire Preferred card