Best Southwest Credit Cards | Bankrate

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If you fly often within the U.S. or to Mexico, Central America or the Caribbean, you’re probably familiar with Southwest Airlines. Known for its affordability and customer service, it also boasts a popular loyalty program — Southwest Rapid Rewards.

You can sign up for free and earn rewards by flying Southwest or booking with eligible hotel and rental car partners. You can also use the Rapid Rewards shopping portal and dining program.

But if you want to earn points for every dollar you spend, as well as a welcome bonus and other perks, a co-branded credit card from Southwest and Chase is the way to go.

Top cards for Southwest Airlines

Comparing the best cards for Southwest Airlines

How to choose the best card for Southwest Airlines

• Consider how often you fly with Southwest. You don’t have to fly with the airline every time you travel to justify having a co-branded Southwest card. But if you only choose Southwest every now and then, a general travel card may let you use your points or miles more flexibly while earning rewards at the same rate. Frequent Southwest fliers might enjoy the airline-specific perks that come with the co-branded cards above.
• Compare fees and features. If you’d like to keep the annual fee down, a lower-tier card can offer enough points through the welcome bonus, anniversary bonus and rewards to use for a few flights while covering the fee. But if you’re willing to pay more — while still keeping it under $200, unlike top-tier travel cards — then a higher-tier card like the Rapid Rewards Priority offers more value for the annual fee in bonuses, credits and rewards potential.
• Decide whether you need a personal or business card. If you’re not a business owner and fly Southwest solely for pleasure, you’d want to apply for a personal card. But if you have a business or side hustle and make those expenses on a personal card, your transaction records can get complicated. Plus, you may want to add employees to the account. In that case, you could apply for a business card.

How to earn tier status with Southwest

If you’re aiming for an A-List status — with priority boarding and even free drinks and Wi-Fi for A-List Preferred — or Companion Pass, a Southwest card can help you get there.

To qualify for A-List, you need to fly 20 one-way Southwest flights or earn 35,000 tier qualifying points (TQPs) per year. You earn TQPs by buying Southwest flights, but you can get even more with a credit card. Other than the Rapid Rewards Plus card, Southwest cards offer 1,500 tier qualifying points (TQPs) for every $5,000 you spend in a year.

That way, you can get to A-List with a combination of purchasing Southwest flights and spending on a Southwest card. A-List Preferred status requires 40 flights or 70,000 TQPs.

A Companion Pass is another high-value benefit that lets you bring a free companion on every flight. To earn a Companion Pass, you need to fly 100 one-way flights or accrue 135,000 TQPs in a year. You can earn TQPs by buying Southwest flights and earning Rapid Rewards with your credit card.

Southwest cards also offer 10,000 TQPs toward your Companion Pass each year. Get strategic about securing a Southwest Companion Pass by applying for a card and timing the welcome bonus to hit at the beginning of the year, leaving you with plenty of time to rack up the remaining points by December.

What’s next?

The bottom line

If you’re looking to earn points on Southwest flights while tapping into perks like upgraded boardings and a potential Companion Pass, one of these Southwest cards might be right for you.

The card you choose depends on how often you fly Southwest and how much you’re willing to pay for an annual fee. As soon as you apply and snag that welcome bonus, you could be joking with flight attendants and enjoying free snacks in no time.

Frequently asked questions

• Can you use a Southwest credit card for everyday purchases?
  

  Yes, you can use a Southwest card for any purchase, like a typical credit card. You’ll earn at least 1X point per dollar to put toward future Southwest bookings.

  But other credit cards offer better rewards for everyday spending like groceries and gas, so you could pair a Southwest card with another rewards card to maximize your strategy.

• What credit score do you need for a Southwest card?
  

  To qualify for a Southwest credit card, you’ll likely need between a good credit score and an excellent credit score, so a FICO Score above 670. You can get prequalified for a card to know your odds before applying and getting a hard inquiry on your credit score.

  If you don’t have good credit yet, you can apply for a credit-building card and practice using it responsibly.

• How many Southwest points do you need for a free flight?
  

  Southwest points are valued at 1.5 cents per point, according to Bankrate’s valuations. For example, a stash of 50,000 points is worth $750 in flights.

  One-way Southwest flights can range from around 6,000 points to above 30,000 points, based on the destination, day of the week and time of year. If you’ve got points to spend, consider checking out Southwest’s low fare calendar for affordable flights to your dream destination.

*Information about the Southwest Rapid Rewards® Plus Credit Card, Southwest Rapid Rewards® Premier Credit Card and Southwest Rapid Rewards® Priority Credit Card has been collected independently by Bankrate. The card details have not been reviewed or approved by the issuer.