Southwest Rapid Rewards Premier

The Southwest Rapid Rewards Premier sits in the middle of the Southwest card lineup — more perks than the Plus, fewer than the Priority, and priced at $149 to match. It's the Goldilocks option for Southwest flyers who want meaningful upgrades over the base card without paying $229 for the full premium experience.

The Premier's selling points over the Plus are the 3x earning on Southwest (vs. 2x), 6,000 anniversary points (vs. 3,000), a 15% promo code on your anniversary (vs. 10%), and Preferred seat selection 48 hours before departure. You still get the core perks — free checked bags, 10,000 Companion Pass qualifying points, and 25% back on inflight purchases.

Is it the best value? It depends on your flying frequency. For moderate Southwest flyers (3-4 flights per year), the Premier hits a sweet spot. Below that, the Plus is cheaper. Above that, the Priority's seat selection at booking and free Extra Legroom upgrades make it the better deal.

• Free Checked Bags: Cardmember and up to 8 passengers on the same reservation get their first bag free. Same across all Southwest cards.
• 6,000 Anniversary Points: Worth ~$78 in Southwest flights. More than the Plus (3,000) but less than the Priority (7,500).
• 15% Promo Code: A 15% discount code each anniversary year on Southwest flights (excludes Basic fares). Decent savings on premium fares.
• Preferred Seat Selection: Complimentary Preferred seat within 48 hours of departure, when available. Valued at ~$70 round trip on average.
• 10,000 Companion Pass QP Boost: Same annual head start toward the Companion Pass as all Southwest cards.
• 25% Back on Inflight Purchases: Statement credit on inflight drinks bought with your Southwest card. (Wi-Fi counts too, but it's already free for Rapid Rewards members.)
• No Foreign Transaction Fees: Use it internationally without surcharges.

• Annual Fee: $149 — the middle ground between Plus ($99) and Priority ($229).
• Foreign Transaction Fees: None
• APR: Variable, 19.24% - 27.74%
• Balance Transfer Fee: 5% of the amount transferred, $5 minimum
• Late Payment Fee: Up to $40

Earn 55,000 bonus points after spending $1,500 on purchases in the first 3 months. At ~1.3 cents per point, that's roughly $715 in Southwest flight value.

Honestly, this is a solid middle-ground welcome bonus among the three Southwest cards. The Plus offers 50,000 for $1,000 spend, and the Priority offers 60,000 for $2,000 spend. If the welcome bonus is a major factor in your decision, the Priority's 60,000 is the biggest — but it takes $500 more spend and an $80 higher annual fee.

That said, keep an eye out for limited-time Companion Pass offers — when those appear, the welcome bonus becomes secondary.

• 3x points on: Southwest Airlines purchases.
• 2x points on: Grocery stores and restaurants (on the first $8,000 in combined purchases per anniversary year, then 1x).
• 1x points on: Everything else.

The 3x on Southwest is a nice step up from the Plus's 2x, and the $8,000 cap on grocery/restaurant bonus earning is more generous than the Plus's $5,000 cap on gas and groceries (though the Plus earns 2x on gas, where the Premier earns just 1x). Still, the Priority card's 4x on Southwest and uncapped restaurant earning is better for heavy spenders.

Same straightforward redemption system as all Southwest cards:

• Southwest Flights: No blackout dates, no award charts. Points cover the fare at ~1.2-1.5 cents per point.
• Pay Yourself Back: Cardmembers can redeem points for a statement credit toward the annual fee or other eligible transactions.
• Hotels & Car Rentals: Available through Rapid Rewards but generally poor value.
• Gift Cards: Available but a waste of points.

Keep it simple: use your points for Southwest flights. That's where the value is.

• Free Checked Bags: For you and up to 8 companions. The universal Southwest card benefit.
• 6,000 Anniversary Points: ~$78 in flight value, automatically deposited each year.
• 15% Promo Code: Anniversary discount on Southwest flights. Useful for premium fare bookings.
• Preferred Seat Selection: Access to Preferred seats 48 hours before departure, when available.
• 25% Inflight Credit: Quarter back on inflight drinks (Wi-Fi is already free for Rapid Rewards members).

What's missing vs. the Priority: No seat selection at booking, no free Extra Legroom upgrades, and 1,500 fewer anniversary points (boarding is Group 5 on both). These are meaningful gaps for frequent flyers.

• vs. Southwest Plus ($99/yr): The Premier costs $50 more but earns 3x on Southwest (vs 2x), gives 6,000 anniversary points (vs 3,000), and bumps the anniversary promo code from 10% to 15%. Worth the upgrade if you fly Southwest 3+ times a year.
• vs. Southwest Priority ($229/yr): The Priority costs $80 more but adds seat selection at booking, unlimited free Extra Legroom upgrades, 4x on Southwest, and 7,500 anniversary points, though it has no anniversary promo code. If you fly Southwest 5+ times a year, the Priority is the better deal.
• vs. United Explorer ($150/yr, $0 first year): Different airline ecosystem entirely. The United Explorer offers lounge passes and higher earning on United flights. Pick based on which airline you fly.
• vs. Delta SkyMiles Gold ($150/yr, $0 first year): Nearly identical price point. Delta Gold offers 2x on Delta, restaurants and U.S. supermarkets, plus a free first checked bag (and a free second bag on domestic Delta flights). Similar value proposition for their respective airlines.

• Moderate Southwest flyers: 3-4 flights per year on Southwest. Enough to justify the upgrade over Plus, not enough to warrant the Priority.
• Grocery and restaurant spenders: The $8,000 cap on 2x grocery/restaurant earning beats the Plus card's $5,000 gas/grocery cap, and the Plus has no restaurant bonus at all.
• Companion Pass builders: Same 10,000 QP boost as all Southwest cards, plus 3x on Southwest spending helps accumulate qualifying points faster.

Not ideal for: Occasional flyers (get the Plus), frequent flyers (get the Priority), or the welcome-bonus obsessed (the Priority's 60,000-point offer is the biggest of the three).