Southwest Airways has some incredible co-branded bank cards with Chase. Of the three private playing cards, my favourite one is the Southwest Speedy Rewards® Precedence Card. On this submit, I needed to take a better have a look at the cardboard, particularly as Southwest’s co-branded playing cards are at the moment providing restricted time welcome bonuses.
Southwest Speedy Rewards Precedence Card Fundamentals For November 2022
Regardless that the Southwest Precedence Card has the very best annual price of any private Chase Southwest Card, I feel it’s worthwhile for a overwhelming majority of shoppers. Why? As a result of the cardboard presents some distinctive perks for anybody who flies Southwest with any frequency.
Many individuals love flying Southwest for the power to earn the Southwest Companion Go, the dearth of change charges and vouchers that don’t expire, and the 2 free checked luggage. For others, Southwest is only a sensible airline to fly occasionally, given its large route community. Regardless, there’s plenty of worth in having factors and advantages on Southwest.
Southwest Precedence Card Bonus: 75,000 Factors
For functions by means of December 5, 2022, the Southwest Precedence Card is providing a restricted time welcome bonus of 75,000 Speedy Rewards factors after spending $3,000 throughout the first three months.
Speedy Rewards is a revenue-based frequent flyer program, and personally I worth Speedy Rewards factors at 1.2 cents every. So to me the 75,000 Speedy Rewards factors are price $900, which is a wonderful bonus.
Welcome Bonus Restrictions & 5/24 Rule
Chase and Southwest have some fairly strict guidelines relating to who’s eligible for the cardboard. The cardboard is just not obtainable to anybody who at the moment has a Southwest Speedy Rewards private card, or anybody who has obtained a welcome bonus on a Southwest Speedy Rewards private card prior to now 24 months. Nonetheless, you’re eligible in case you have a Southwest enterprise bank card.
That is along with Chase’s common software guidelines, together with the 5/24 rule, whereby you usually gained’t be authorised for a Chase card if you happen to’ve opened 5 or extra new card accounts prior to now 24 months.
Southwest Precedence Card $149 Annual Price
The Southwest Precedence Card has a $149 annual price. As some extent of comparability, the opposite private playing cards have annual charges of $69 and $99, so the annual price on this card is a bit larger. Nonetheless, as I’ll clarify beneath, the advantages justify the premium annual price.
Incomes Factors With The Southwest Precedence Card
The Southwest Precedence Card presents the next factors for bank card spending:
- 3x factors on Southwest purchases
- 2x factors on native transit and commuting, together with rideshare
- 2x factors on web, cable, cellphone providers, and choose streaming
- 1x factors on all different purchases
Personally I’d usually solely put spending on the cardboard if you happen to’re going for A-Record standing and/or Companion Go, as a result of there are higher playing cards for on a regular basis spending in any other case. However nonetheless, these are some pretty stable bonus classes.
Earn Southwest Companion Go
One of many easiest values in journey is the Southwest Airways Companion Go. With Southwest Companion Go you may have somebody journey with you for the whole yr (whether or not on a money ticket or award ticket), and simply pay taxes and charges for them. That is such an unbelievable deal, and mainly doubles the worth you will get from flying Southwest.
For 2022 Southwest Companion Go requires incomes 125,000 Speedy Rewards factors in a calendar yr. As of 2023, Southwest Companion Go would require incomes 135,000 Speedy Rewards factors in a calendar yr, although you’ll get a lift of 10,000 factors towards that only for having a co-branded Southwest card.
Solely sure forms of factors accrual qualify, together with Southwest bank card spending, in addition to Southwest bank card welcome bonuses. So this bonus would get you a great way towards incomes Companion Go.
Earn Southwest A-Record Standing
Along with with the ability to earn Companion Go by means of spending on the cardboard, the Southwest Precedence Card additionally allows you to earn limitless Tier Qualifying Factors (TQPs). Particularly, you may earn 1,500 TQPs towards A-Record standing for each $10,000 spent on the cardboard.
A-Record is Southwest Airways’ model of standing, and presents perks like precedence boarding, a 25% factors bonus, same-day standby, precedence check-in and safety lane entry, and a devoted cellphone quantity.
A-Record standing requires incomes 35,000 TQPs in a calendar yr, so spending on a Southwest Precedence Card may allow you to earn that. That is the one private Southwest card that provides that function. Whether or not or not that’s price it is determined by how a lot you’d in any other case fly with Southwest.
No International Transaction Charges
The Southwest Precedence Card has no overseas transaction charges, so this may very well be a helpful card to your spending overseas. It is a Visa as properly, and Visas are accepted fairly broadly across the globe.
The Unimaginable Southwest Precedence Card Perks
The rationale to get the Southwest Precedence Card (past the welcome bonus) is due to the perks, together with anniversary bonus factors, upgraded boardings, a $75 annual Southwest journey credit score, 25% financial savings on eligible inflight purchases, and extra.
Let’s check out what it is advisable find out about every of those perks.
Southwest Precedence Card 7,500 Anniversary Bonus Factors
In your cardmember anniversary every year you’ll obtain 7,500 bonus factors. For context, Southwest Speedy Rewards is a revenue-based frequent flyer program, and customarily talking it is advisable redeem 83 factors per greenback of airfare. Which means every Speedy Rewards level will get you roughly 1.2 cents towards the price of an airline ticket.
In different phrases, you will get round $90 price of Southwest airfare with these 7,500 factors, and that recoups nearly two-thirds of the annual price on an ongoing foundation.
Southwest Precedence Card $75 Annual Credit score
The Southwest Precedence Card presents a $75 credit score each anniversary yr. Whereas the 7,500 level anniversary bonus solely kicks in after 12 months, this credit score kicks in instantly.
The way in which this works, the primary $75 in Southwest flight purchases every cardmember yr will likely be reimbursed. The assertion credit score ought to submit as quickly because the eligible cost posts to your account. Assuming you spend not less than $75 per yr on Southwest Airways tickets (and even taxes and charges, if redeeming factors), then this could roughly be price face worth.
Between this profit and the 7,500 level annual bonus, we’re speaking about $165 price of worth, which is greater than the annual price.
Southwest Precedence Card Upgraded Boardings
Only for having the Southwest Precedence Card, you get 4 upgraded boardings per anniversary yr (beginning together with your first yr), when obtainable. The way in which this works, you’ll be reimbursed for the acquisition on the day of departure of as much as 4 upgraded boardings in positions A1-15.
The upgraded boarding charges will likely be reimbursed inside eight weeks, although in actuality usually submit a lot sooner than that. For the reason that value of upgraded boardings varies by flight, it’s exhausting to place a greenback worth to this profit.
Southwest Precedence Card Drink & Wi-Fi Financial savings
In the event you pay together with your Southwest Precedence Card it can save you 25% on inflight Wi-Fi and drink purchases. You’ll obtain assertion credit for the 25% inside two billing cycles of your buy (although often a lot sooner than that).
Southwest Precedence Card Journey & Buy Safety
The Southwest Precedence Card presents a wide range of journey & buy safety advantages, together with:
- Auto rental collision harm waiver protection; it’s secondary inside america, and first internationally
- Baggage delay insurance coverage, which might reimburse you as much as $100 per day for 3 days when your bag is delayed by not less than six hours
- Misplaced baggage reimbursement, which reimburses you as much as $3,000 in case your bag is broken or misplaced
- Journey accident insurance coverage, with the utmost protection starting from $250,000-500,000, relying on the scenario
- Prolonged guarantee safety, which extends your United States producer guarantee by a yr on eligible warranties of three years or much less
- Buy safety, which covers you for as much as 120 days for harm or theft, as much as $500 per declare and $50,000 per account
After all, you’ll wish to verify the cardmember settlement for the complete phrases & circumstances related to these advantages.
Sure, The Southwest Precedence Card Is Value It
In the event you’re eligible for the Southwest Precedence Card and fly Southwest with any frequency, then this card is completely price it. I’d argue this card is a greater worth throughout than the 2 different Southwest private playing cards.
For the cardboard’s $149 annual price you’re getting a 7,500 level anniversary bonus yearly, a $75 Southwest credit score, and way more. Let’s have a look at a number of different issues to contemplate concerning this card, and Southwest playing cards usually.
Complement: Southwest Efficiency Enterprise Card
In the event you’re trying to complement your Southwest Precedence Card with a Southwest enterprise card, contemplate the unbelievable Southwest® Speedy Rewards® Efficiency Enterprise Credit score Card (overview). This card has excellent perks, together with:
- A welcome bonus of 80,000 Speedy Rewards factors after spending $5,000 inside three months
- A 9,000 level anniversary bonus
- 4 upgraded boardings per yr
- As much as 365 $8 Wi-Fi credit per yr on Southwest, which may get you numerous Wi-Fi
- $500 towards factors switch charges per anniversary yr
- A World Entry or TSA PreCheck credit score
- The flexibility to earn A-Record standing or Companion Go with spending
This card is the only finest Southwest card due to the Wi-Fi credit score, so far as I’m involved.
How Do Southwest’s Different Private Playing cards Examine?
Along with the Precedence Card, Chase and Southwest even have the $69 annual price Southwest Speedy Rewards® Plus Credit score Card (overview) and the $99 annual price Southwest Speedy Rewards® Premier Credit score Card (overview). All playing cards have the identical welcome bonuses, however the perks are considerably totally different.
Why do I feel the $149 annual price Precedence Card is sort of universally higher?
- Neither the Plus nor Premier provide a $75 annual Southwest credit score, which ought to roughly be price face worth; so to do a direct comparability, that’s nearly like decreasing the “out of pocket” on the Precedence Card from $149 to $74
- The Precedence Card presents 7,500 anniversary bonus factors, whereas the Plus presents 3,000 bonus factors and the Premier presents 6,000 bonus factors
These two perks alone ought to present why the Precedence Card is well worth the annual price by comparability, and that doesn’t even account for upgraded boardings, a greater rewards construction, the power to earn A-Record standing by means of spending, and extra.
What About Chase Final Rewards Playing cards?
Chase Final Rewards is a switch accomplice with Southwest Speedy Rewards, and factors switch at a 1:1 ratio. As a common rule of thumb, you’re going to earn factors at a sooner fee by means of Final Rewards than by means of Speedy Rewards, to not point out that your factors have much more flexibility.
Do you have to earn Speedy Rewards factors straight with a Southwest card, or with a Chase Final Rewards card?
- In the event you’re making an attempt to earn Companion Go or A-Record standing then you must spend on a Southwest card, since Final Rewards factors don’t rely towards incomes Companion Go
- In the event you don’t care about Companion Go or A-Record and simply wish to earn as many Speedy Rewards factors as doable, earn factors with Final Rewards, after which switch them over
For context, a number of the finest playing cards for incomes Chase Final Rewards factors embody the next:
- The Chase Sapphire Most well-liked® Card (overview) presents 3x factors on eating, on-line grocery shops, and choose streaming providers, and 2x factors on journey; the cardboard has a $95 annual price
- The Chase Sapphire Reserve® (overview) presents 3x factors on eating and journey, plus a $300 annual journey credit score; the cardboard has a $550 annual price
- The Ink Enterprise Most well-liked® Credit score Card (overview) presents 3x factors on the primary $150,000 spent in mixed purchases yearly on journey, delivery purchases, web, cable, and cellphone providers, promoting purchases made with social media websites and serps; the cardboard has a $95 annual price
On prime of that, the next 4 no annual price playing cards earn factors that may be transformed into Final Rewards factors at a 1:1 ratio along side one of many above playing cards:
Backside Line
When offering bank card recommendation, my reply as to if or not it is smart to get a sure card is often “it relies upon.” Within the case of the Southwest Precedence Card, I feel it’s fairly clear-cut. Assuming you fly Southwest with any frequency (and if you happen to don’t, you shouldn’t get this card):
- The Precedence Card is superior to the Plus and Premier Playing cards
- The Precedence Card is price having long-term for the advantages that greater than justify the annual price
That is an particularly good time to choose up the cardboard, given the restricted time welcome bonus.
If you wish to study extra concerning the Southwest Precedence Card or wish to apply, observe this hyperlink.
