Southwest Rapid Rewards Priority Credit Card: It Pays You To Have It?!

The Southwest Rapid Rewards Priority is a no-brainer for frequent Southwest travelers, and can even make sense for one trip per year Southwest travelers. This card has a hefty 60,000 point intro bonus ($900 value), $75 Southwest credit, 7,500 cardmember anniversary points ($110 value), and 4 upgraded boardings per year ($120 value). The card essentially pays you to keep it open, has some nice multipliers, and easy to use credits. Keep on reading below for a full breakdown and all my tips for this card.

How it Earns

• 3X on Southwest purchases

• 2X on Rapid Rewards hotel and car rental partners

• 2X on local transit and commuting

• 2X on internet, cable, phone services, and select streaming

• 1X on everything else

The 3X on Southwest purchases is a great multiplier. 3X at a 1.5 cent per point value (more on that below) makes this card have an effective return of 4.5% on Southwest purchases. I also really enjoy the 2X (3%) on internet, cable, phone services, and select streaming because not many cards provide multipliers on those types of bills.

What it Earns

• Rapid Rewards Points

Southwest Rapid Rewards points are some of my favorite points to have. They are valued at 1.5 cents per point which is great when you consider the industry standard point value is 1 cent per point. When it comes to credit card points, my main objective is to book travel with the least amount of points possible. Southwest has a great ecosystem that aligns with my objective. Southwest flights tend to be some of the most affordable flights, especially in the Western US. I have been able to find one ways in the Western US as low as 4,500 points. Typically, other airlines like United, Delta, or Alaska will cost 10,000+ points.

How to Redeem

• Southwest Flights - 1.5 cents per point

• More Rewards Portal - 0.2 to 1 cent per point

  • Non-Southwest International flights - 0.8 to 1 cent per point

  • Hotels - 0.6 to 0.7 cents per point

  • Car Rentals - 0.5 to 0.6 cents per point

  • Merchandise - 0.2 to 0.7 cents per point

  • Gift Cards - 0.2 to 0.7 cents per point

  • Experiences

  • Cruises

Benefits

• $75 Southwest credit

  • Eligible for all Southwest purchases excluding upgraded boardings and inflight purchases

• 4 Upgraded Boarding credits per year ($120 minimum value)

  • A1-A15 boarding position

• 7,500 Rapid Rewards points every cardmember anniversary ($110 value)

• 10,000 Companion Pass qualifying points per year

• 1,500 tier qualifying points for every $10,000 spent

• 25% back on inflight purchases

• No foreign transaction fee

• Auto Rental Collision Damage Waiver

  • Secondary coverage in the U.S.

Annual Fee

• $149

  • $0 effective annual fee

As mentioned in the benefits section, the Southwest Rapid Rewards Priority comes with a $75 Southwest credit, 4 upgraded boarding credits ($120 min value), and 7,500 Rapid Rewards points every year ($110 value). When considering the $305 minimum value from the credits, this card effectively pays you a minimum of $156 and up to $356 per year. If you fly at least one Southwest flight per year, you should be able to utilize the $75 credit pretty easily. Upgraded boarding guarantees you A1-15 and ranges from $30-80, saving you up to $320 on this luxury.

Pros/Cons

Pros

• 3X on Southwest flights

• 7,500 points, $75 credit, and upgraded boardings

• 2X on internet, cable, phone services, and streaming is unique

• No foreign transaction fees

Cons

• Other cards have >1X minimum return

• Lowest downgrade is to a $69 annual fee card

How I Use It

• Southwest purchases

• Internet bill

How I Use Rapid Rewards Points

• Southwest Flights

  • 1.5 cents per point

As I discussed in the What it Earns section, I typically use my points for domestic travel in the Western US. I would say on average, I am able to book one-way flights for 8,000 points. I have booked flights as low as 4,500 points and in a pinch I have payed as much as 18,000 points. In general, my rule of thumb is anything under 10,000 points tends to be a good price point. I also appreciate the simplicity of the static 1.5 cent per point value. At all times I know I am getting good value from my points.

Intro Bonus

• 60,000 Rapid Rewards Points ($900 value)

  • After spending $3000 in first 3 months

  • 30% off promo code

If you are looking to apply for this card, click here and it can help us both out. This specific intro offer expires July 4th. Make sure you check out Chase's website to ensure you are getting the best possible intro bonus. Thanks!

Stay Tuned:

If you found this article valuable I would appreciate it if you shared it with a friend. If you have any questions, tips, or general info you want to share, leave a comment or use the chat and I will get back to you! If you are curious to learn more about my credit card setup, tips, and tricks, checkout my What's In My Wallet blog post. I am going to be doing additional reviews like this one in the future so you can better understand what cards are right for you. Sign up for my mailing list at the bottom of the page so you don't miss anything!