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Southwest Speedy Rewards Premier Card Assessment (2022)

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Chase and Southwest have an important portfolio of non-public bank cards at three completely different worth factors. On this put up, I needed to take a more in-depth have a look at the Southwest Speedy Rewards® Premier Credit score Card, the Southwest private card with a $99 annual charge (which is neither the best nor lowest annual charge).

In the event you’ve been contemplating this card, that is an particularly good time to use, given the that Southwest’s co-branded playing cards are at present providing restricted time welcome bonuses.

Southwest Airways Premier Card Fundamentals For November 2022

The Southwest Airways Premier Card has a $99 annual charge, making it the mid-range card within the Chase & Southwest portfolio. What’s fascinating is that each one Southwest private playing cards have the identical welcome bonuses, which you don’t sometimes see with different merchandise. Usually larger annual charge playing cards have larger bonuses, however that’s not the case with Southwest.

With that in thoughts, which Southwest Airways bank card is the most suitable choice? Let’s check out the main points of this card, after which I’ll share my take.

Southwest Premier Card Bonus: 75,000 Factors

By way of December 5, 2022, the Southwest Premier Card is providing a restricted time welcome bonus of 75,000 Speedy Rewards factors after spending $3,000 inside the first three months. Personally I worth Speedy Rewards factors at ~1.2 cents every, so to me that bonus is value an enormous $900.

The cardboard isn’t out there to anybody who at present has a Southwest Speedy Rewards private card, or anybody who has acquired a welcome bonus on a Southwest Speedy Rewards private card up to now 24 months. Nonetheless, you’re eligible when you have a Southwest Speedy Rewards enterprise bank card.

Past the restrictions associated to which Southwest playing cards you might have, there are common software guidelines for Chase playing cards, together with the 5/24 rule.

Factors earned on Southwest playing cards depend towards Companion Move

Southwest Premier Card $99 Annual Price

The Southwest Premier Card has a $99 annual charge, and you may add approved customers to the cardboard at no additional price. Southwest’s private bank cards have annual charges of $69, $99, and $149, so that is the “center youngster” of the Southwest & Chase private card portfolio.

Southwest Premier Card Rewards Construction

So far as the Southwest Premier Card’s rewards construction goes, the cardboard provides the next:

  • 3x Speedy Rewards factors on Southwest Airways purchases
  • 2x Speedy Rewards factors on native transit and commuting, together with rideshare
  • 2x Speedy Rewards factors on web, cable, telephone providers, and choose streaming
  • 1x Speedy Rewards factors on all different eligible purchases

It’s good that the cardboard has some bonus classes, although there are in the end extra rewarding playing cards on the market for on a regular basis spending.

Earn A-Record Standing With Southwest Premier Card

Along with with the ability to earn Companion Move via spending on the cardboard, the Southwest Premier Card additionally helps you to earn limitless Tier Qualifying Factors (TQPs). Particularly, you possibly can 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 provides perks like precedence boarding, a 25% factors bonus, same-day standby, precedence check-in and safety lane entry, and a devoted telephone quantity.

A-Record standing ordinarily requires incomes 35,000 TQPs in a calendar yr, so spending on a Southwest Premier Card might enable you to earn that. That is the one private Southwest card that gives that function. Whether or not or not that’s value it relies on how a lot you’d in any other case fly with Southwest.

Earn Companion Move With Southwest Credit score Playing cards

One of many absolute best values in journey is the Southwest Airways Companion Move, and the factors earn as a part of this bonus depend towards that. With Southwest Companion Move you possibly can have somebody journey with you for all the yr (whether or not on a money ticket or award ticket), and simply pay taxes and charges for them. That is such an unimaginable deal, and principally doubles the worth you will get from flying Southwest.

For 2022 Southwest Companion Move requires incomes 125,000 Speedy Rewards factors in a calendar yr. As of 2023, Southwest Companion Move 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 kinds of factors accrual qualify, together with Southwest bank card spending and Southwest bank card welcome bonuses.

Earn Companion Move with Southwest bank cards

No International Transaction Charges

The Southwest Premier Card has no international transaction charges. That is one profit over the $69 annual charge Southwest Speedy Rewards® Plus Credit score Card (overview), as that card has 3% international transaction charges.

Southwest Airways Premier Card Advantages

The Southwest Airways Premier Card provides some advantages that might make the cardboard value holding long run. How do the perks examine to Southwest’s decrease and better annual charge playing cards?

Southwest Premier Card 6,000 Bonus Factors

In your cardmember anniversary yearly, you’ll obtain 6,000 bonus Speedy Rewards factors. Southwest Speedy Rewards is a revenue-based frequent flyer program, and you may usually count on that you simply’ll want round 83 Speedy Rewards factors for each greenback of airfare you ebook.

In different phrases, 6,000 bonus factors get you simply round $72 in Southwest airfare yearly. That covers over 70% of the annual charge proper there.

Southwest Premier Card EarlyBird Test-Ins

The Southwest Premier Card provides two EarlyBird check-ins per anniversary yr. This could get you a greater boarding place, and would ordinarily price $15-25 every, in order that’s probably a $30-50 worth. That’s fairly a pleasant perk, and between this and the anniversary bonus factors, it is best to have the ability to recoup your complete annual charge proper there.

Southwest Premier Card 25% Financial savings On Inflight Drinks & Wi-Fi

The Southwest Premier Card provides 25% financial savings on inflight purchases of Wi-Fi and drinks. Merely pay along with your card, and also you’ll mechanically obtain an announcement credit score for that quantity.

Is The Southwest Premier Card Value It?

The Southwest Airways Premier Card is Southwest’s mid-range card, and the annual charge is in keeping with many different co-branded airline bank cards, at slightly below $100. The cardboard is providing a incredible bonus, which is one good motive to think about this product.

On an ongoing foundation, the 6,000 level anniversary bonus can probably get you round $72 value of airfare, and then you definitely’re getting two EarlyBird check-ins per yr, probably value $30-50. In the event you worth these perks, that ought to greater than cowl the annual charge proper there.

Nonetheless, there is perhaps a greater technique if you happen to’re trying to purchase a Southwest Airways bank card.

The Southwest Premier Card ought to greater than pay for itself

Tip: Apply For The Southwest Precedence Card As an alternative

In the event you’re going to choose up a private Speedy Rewards bank card, I can’t advocate the Southwest Speedy Rewards® Precedence Card (overview) sufficient. The cardboard has a $149 annual charge, which at first is a turn-off to some individuals. Why would you need to pay an additional $50 over the advantages of the Southwest Premier Card?

Effectively, the advantages greater than justify it, in my view. The Southwest Precedence Card provides:

  • A 7,500 level anniversary bonus yearly, getting you round $90 value of airfare (that’s 1,500 extra factors than what’s provided by the Premier Card)
  • A $75 Southwest Airways journey credit score yearly, which counts towards just about any Southwest Airways buy (the Premier Card doesn’t supply this)
  • 4 upgraded boardings per yr, when out there; you’ll be reimbursed for the acquisition of boarding positions A1-15 on the day of departure (the Premier Card provides two EarlyBird check-ins per yr, however not 4 upgraded boardings per yr)

In different phrases, for the $149 annual charge you’re getting factors that can get you about $90 value of airfare on Southwest, plus a $75 Southwest credit score yearly. For anybody who flies Southwest with any frequency, you’re principally being paid to have this card, since that’s round $165 value of worth proper there. That doesn’t even issue within the 4 upgraded boardings per yr.

To me, the Precedence Card is an apparent selection over each the Plus and Premier merchandise.

Tip: Earn Final Rewards Factors As an alternative

Chase Final Rewards is a switch associate with Southwest Speedy Rewards, and factors switch at a 1:1 ratio. Because of this you would earn factors at a sooner fee via Final Rewards than via Speedy Rewards, and your factors can be extra versatile (since you may as well switch them to different airways and resort applications).

So, must you earn Speedy Rewards factors straight with a Southwest Airways bank card, or with a Chase Final Rewards bank card?

  • In the event you’re attempting to earn Companion Move or A-Record standing, then you must spend on a Southwest card, since Final Rewards factors don’t depend towards the necessities for incomes the Companion Move
  • In the event you don’t care about Companion Move and simply need to earn as many Speedy Rewards factors as doable, earn factors with Final Rewards, after which switch them over

For context, a few of the greatest playing cards for incomes Chase Final Rewards factors embrace the next:

  • The Chase Sapphire Most popular® Card (overview) provides 3x factors on eating, on-line groceries, and choose streaming providers, and 2x factors on journey; the cardboard has a $95 annual charge
  • The Chase Sapphire Reserve® (overview) provides 3x factors on eating and journey, plus a $300 annual journey credit score; the cardboard has a $550 annual charge
  • The Ink Enterprise Most popular® Credit score Card (overview) provides 3x factors on the primary $150,000 spent in mixed purchases yearly on journey, delivery purchases, web, cable, and telephone providers, promoting purchases made with social media websites and search engines like google and yahoo; the cardboard has a $95 annual charge

On high of that, the next 4 no annual charge playing cards earn factors that may be transformed into Final Rewards factors at a 1:1 ratio together with one of many above playing cards:

Backside Line

The Southwest Premier Card is a superb mid-range bank card. It has a pleasant welcome bonus, plus ongoing perks that justify the annual charge, between the 6,000 Speedy Rewards factors yearly, and the EarlyBird check-ins. Nonetheless:

  • I’d argue that the $149 annual charge Southwest Precedence Card is value it for nearly everybody, given the large incremental advantages (an additional 1,500 factors, plus a $75 annual Southwest credit score, and extra)
  • In the event you’re not significantly within the Companion Move, you’re a lot better off incomes factors with Chase Final Rewards after which transferring them to Southwest Speedy Rewards, on condition that it provides you larger factors incomes charges and extra flexibility

If you wish to study extra concerning the Southwest Premier Card or need to apply, observe this hyperlink.

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