Southwest Rapid Rewards® Premier Review

Overview

The Southwest Rapid Rewards® Premier is a category rewards card from Chase, running on the Visa network. The Southwest Rapid Rewards® Premier earns up to 2x on dining and groceries, so it pays you the most exactly where you already spend. It carries a $149 annual fee, so the real question is whether its rewards, credits, and perks clear that bar for the way you spend. New cardholders can earn 85,000 bonus points after $2,000 in 3 months after $2,000 in 3 months.

It lands in the mid tier: a modest annual fee in exchange for stronger earn rates and a meaningful welcome offer. The right call depends on whether your spending and the perks clear that fee each year.

Our 3.5 out of 5 rating

Each score weighs the rewards rate, value after the annual fee, welcome offer, points flexibility, and perks, with every point valued at a flat 1 cent. This is our editorial assessment to help you compare cards, not a guarantee of approval or of the value you will get.

Rewards: how it earns

Where the Southwest Rapid Rewards® Premier earns its rewards is its bonus categories: 2x on dining (about $60 a year on the $3,000 a typical household spends there) and 2x on groceries (about $120 a year on the $6,000 a typical household spends there). Across a full year of average household spending, the card returns roughly $382 in rewards before any welcome bonus, so the more your spending overlaps those categories, the better it does.

Brand and bonus rates: beyond the everyday categories above, this card also earns:

• 3x points on Southwest purchases
• 25% back on Southwest in-flight purchases

Every point and mile above is valued at a flat 1 cent, the same honest standard we use for every card. Run your own spending through the calculator to see what this card would actually return for you.

Pros and cons

The welcome bonus

The current welcome offer is 85,000 bonus points after $2,000 in 3 months, earned after you spend $2,000 in 3 months. Valued honestly at a flat 1 cent per point, that is worth about $850. The spending requirement works out to roughly $666 per month, so make sure it fits your normal budget rather than pushing you to overspend. Stacking the welcome offer on top of a typical year of rewards and accounting for the $149 annual fee, the first year is worth roughly $1,083.

Is the annual fee worth it?

To come out ahead on the Southwest Rapid Rewards® Premier you need to clear its $149 annual fee, and it leans on rewards rather than credits to get there. On typical spending it earns about $382 a year. For anyone who spends in its categories, the fee is easy to justify.

Benefits and protections

Beyond the rewards, the perks and protections worth knowing about include:

• First checked bag free for you and up to 8 passengers on the same reservation
• 6,000 anniversary bonus points each year
• Points count toward the Southwest Companion Pass
• No foreign transaction fees

Statement credits

• 6,000 anniversary bonus points each year

Who should get it, and who should skip it

It is best for frequent flyers loyal to this airline who will use perks like free checked bags and priority boarding and want miles toward award flights.

Skip it if you are not loyal to this brand. The rewards lose value the moment your travel plans point somewhere else.

Frequently asked questions