The Southwest Rapid Rewards Premier is built for regular Southwest flyers who want airline-specific travel perks more than broad everyday rewards. It works best as a loyalty card for booking Southwest flights and checking bags, not as your main card for all spending.
All information about Southwest Rapid Rewards® Premier has been collected independently by MaxRewards. Southwest Rapid Rewards® Premier is no longer available through MaxRewards.
Opinions, reviews, analyses & recommendations are MaxRewards' alone, and have not been reviewed, endorsed or approved by any of these entities.
Overview
Checked bags on Southwest trips
Family Southwest bookings
Annual anniversary points
This card is worth a look if you fly Southwest often enough to use the airline perks several times a year. The first checked bag free benefit for you and up to 8 additional passengers on the same reservation can be especially valuable for families, and the 6,000 anniversary points help soften the $149 annual fee every year. If you also book paid Southwest flights regularly, the 15% annual flight discount and Group 5 boarding add practical value that is easy to understand and use.
For most other readers, the card is harder to justify as an everyday keeper. Its ongoing rewards are fairly narrow outside Southwest purchases, and the dining bonus is capped. If you want flexible travel rewards or stronger day-to-day earning, a more general travel card will likely give you more value. This card makes the most sense when Southwest is already your airline of choice and the baggage and boarding perks will see real use.
A solid fit for Southwest regulars, especially families who check bags and book together. If you do not fly Southwest often, the airline-specific perks and modest everyday rewards leave limited reason to pay the annual fee.
Welcome Offer
after you spend $1,500 on purchases on your new card in your first 3 months of card membership.
Est. Value
$825
Required Spend
$1,500
Time Frame
3 Months
Est. Value
$825
Required Spend
$1,500
Time Frame
3 Months
Earning
Rapid Rewards points are most useful for people who already book Southwest, since this card earns best on Southwest purchases and keeps the rest of the rewards structure fairly simple. Think of it as a loyalty card first, with modest bonus earning outside the airline.
Southwest Air
Car Rental
Oct 1 – Dec 31
Hotel
Oct 1 – Dec 31
Ride-Sharing
Oct 1 – Dec 31
Streaming
Oct 1 – Dec 31
Telecommunication
Oct 1 – Dec 31
Transit
Oct 1 – Dec 31
Dining
Up to $8,000 spend per year
Everywhere
Rewards percent based on a valuation of 1.5¢ per Southwest point
Annual Credits & Perks
The real case for this card is in its Southwest travel perks, especially checked bags, earlier boarding, and the annual points boost. The added protections are helpful, but most of the ongoing value comes from benefits you can use on actual Southwest trips.
Enrollment is required for select benefits.
Our app automatically tracks valuable credits so you don't miss any rewards.
DoorDash non-restaurant promoBenefits
Purchase Protection
Covers your eligible new purchases for 120 days from the date of purchase against damage or theft up to $500 per item.
Baggage Delay Insurance
Reimburses you up to $100 a day for up to 3 days for essential purchases like toiletries and clothing when baggage is delayed over 6 hours.
Auto Rental Collision Damage Waiver
Decline the rental company’s collision insurance and charge the entire rental cost to your card. Coverage provides reimbursement for theft and collision damage for most rental vehicles. In the U.S., coverage is secondary to your personal insurance.
Extended Warranty Protection
Extends the time period of the manufacturer’s U.S. warranty by an additional year, on eligible warranties of three years or less, up to four years from the date of purchase.
Lost Luggage Reimbursement
Provides reimbursement up to $3,000 per covered traveler for the cost to repair or replace checked or carry-on baggage that is lost, damaged or stolen during a covered trip.
Benefits
Get to A-List status faster
Earn 1,500 tier qualifying points (TQPs) toward A-List status for every $5,000 spent in purchases annually– with no limit on the amount of TQPs you can earn.
Complimentary DashPass Membership
$0 delivery fees on eligible orders from DoorDash and Caviar after activating by 12/31/27.
Benefits
6,000 anniversary points
6,000 anniversary points every year on your Cardmember Anniversary.
Boarding benefit
Cardmembers and up to 8 additional passengers in the same reservation will board with Group 5 giving them earlier access to overhead bins.
First checked bag free
First checked bag free for Cardmembers and up to 8 additional passengers in the same reservation.
25% back on inflight purchases
Receive 25% back on inflight purchases.
15% Flight Discount
Receive a 15% promo code each year on your cardmember anniversary (Excludes Basic fare).
Eligibility
Excellent credit or higher is recommended for this card.
Credit approval is not guaranteed. Meeting the recommended credit range does not ensure approval, and applicants with lower scores may still be considered.
Pricing
Annual Fee
$149
Purchase APR
19.24% - 27.74%
Variable
Transfer APR
19.24% - 27.74%
Variable
Cash Advance APR
28.49%
Variable
Foreign Transaction Fee
None
Balance Transfer
$5
Cash Advance
$10
Late Payment
$40
Return Payment
$40
Opinions, reviews, analyses & recommendations are MaxRewards' alone, and have not been reviewed, endorsed or approved by any of these entities.
Earn 200,000 bonus points
Worth $2,500
After you spend $30,000 on purchases in your first 6 months from account opening and access more than $7,000 in total business and travel value in your first year.
Annual Fee
$795
Rec. Credit
Good
Earn 100,000 bonus points
Worth $1,250
After you spend $6,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening.
Annual Fee
$795
Rec. Credit
Excellent
Earn 100,000 bonus points
Worth $1,250
After you spend $8,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening.
Annual Fee
$95
Rec. Credit
Good
