Southwest Airlines credit cards have new annual fees. Are these cards still worth it?
Southwest Credit Card Recently, it has been improved to include various renewals in higher annual fees and card perks. It’s not fun to hear about the increase in annual fees, so I wanted to look at the Southwest card to see if it was still worth it for certain travelers.
(Hint: They are especially for many Southwest Loyalists. New Southwest Bag Policy. )
recently Southwest Credit Card Improvements3 personal Southwest cards increased annual fees. However, if you want one of the benefits of other cards, such as a free check bag or a boost of 10,000 companion pass qualification points each year, a South West card may still be worth it.
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Remuneration rate
- Double when purchasing Southwest
- Double at gas stations and grocery stores per year for the first $5,000 total purchase
- Double on local transit and commuting including rideshare (expired December 31, 2025)
- Double the internet, cable and telephone service. Select Select (Expired December 31, 2025)
- Double the Rapid Rewards Hotel and Car Rental Partners (Expired December 31, 2025)
- 1x on all other purchases
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advantage
- 3,000 bonus points after card member anniversary
- The first checked bag for you is free and add up to 8 passengers with the same booking
- If standard seating options are available 48 hours prior to departure
Read the complete South West Rapid Rewards and Credit Card Review
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Remuneration rate
- 4x more when you buy Southwest
- Double at gas stations and restaurants
- Double on local transit and commuting including rideshare (expired December 31, 2025)
- Double the internet, cable and telephone service. Select Select (Expired December 31, 2025)
- Double the Rapid Rewards Hotel and Car Rental Partners (Expired December 31, 2025)
- 1x on all other purchases
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advantage
- 7,500 bonus points after card member anniversary
- The first checked bag is free and adds up to 8 passengers with the same reservation.
- 10,000 CompanionPass® qualification points are supported each year
Read our full South West Lapid Rewards Priority Credit Card Review
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Remuneration rate
- 3x points when purchasing Southwest
- Total purchases per year of 1st $8,000 double at grocery stores and restaurants
- Includes double points local transit and commute, ride sharing (expiration dated December 31, 2025)
- In addition to double points for Internet, Cable and Telephone Services, choose Streaming (due December 31, 2025)
- Double points for RapidRewards® hotels and car rental partners (expired December 31, 2025)
- 1x points on all other purchases
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advantage
- Earn 6,000 points each year on your account anniversary
- The first checked bag for you is free and add up to 8 passengers with the same booking
- Get 25% back when you buy on-board
- 10,000 CompanionPass® qualification points are supported each year
Read our full Southwest Rapid Rewards Premier Credit Card Review
The easiest way to calculate the value of a Southwest credit card is to investigate its benefits and see if it can provide more value than offsetting the annual fee.
For example, look at the welcome offers and reward rates for various southwest cards and see how much value you can get from them. Research the various benefits, including getting a free check bag, and see how it matches your upcoming travel plans.
Keep in mind that you may not get value from the benefits of all cards. As long as you still receive sufficient value from other perks to offset your annual fees, that’s fine.
This isn’t a complete list of all the benefits available with Southwest credit cards, but you can see how much value these cards can offer.
Credit Card Sign Up Bonus Typically, at least one or two years is one of the best ways to offset your annual fees. For example, a welcome bonus of 50,000 Southwest Rapid Reward Points is worth around $600. Southwest Point Review.
All three Southwest Consumer Credit Cards offer high rewards with Southwest Airline purchases and bonus points in several other categories. If your spending category matches your daily purchases, you can earn valuable points at general expenses.
Related: Best reward credit card
Southwest Cards offer free first check bags on Southwest Flights. This is a potential savings of $35 per one-way flight. If you take two round-trip flights a year, you can save $140 on your bag fee.
Additionally, the perk will be extended to up to 8 other passengers on the same booking, providing even more savings opportunities.
Along with other changes, Southwest has ended its open seat policymaking the benefits of choosing a Southwest Card seat even more valuable. Here are the best perks Southwest Rapid Rewards Priority Cardyou can select a free priority seat when booking. This is especially useful when flying basic fares without the advantage of seat selection.
Depending on your Southwest card, you can earn 3,000-7,500th anniversary points each year. Using our ratings, these points are worth between $36 and $90. This is an easy way to offset your annual fees.
You don’t have to pay foreign transaction fees with Southwest Consumer Cards, and save about 3% on foreign fees, including purchases in other countries. This advantage is generally only important if you are planning on traveling abroad.
Related: Best credit cards with no foreign transaction fees
Each card offers 10,000 companion pass qualification points each year. This is important for those looking to win a companion pass, one of the best benefits Southwest has to offer.
Companion Pass essentially allows you to add free tickets (plus taxes and fees) to Southwest Flights. Therefore, in many cases, the low cost of paying taxes and fees allows you to travel with friends and family to southwest destinations, including other countries.
Two of the Southwest consumer cards offer A-list Tier qualifying points for every $5,000 spent.
To earn A-List status, you must either fly 20 eligible one-way flights in a calendar year or earn qualifying points in the 35,000 tier. Benefits of A-list status include free seat selection when available, priority boarding, free check bags, same-day standby, and dedicated A-list member phone lines.
Strong Points
Cons
Southwest Credit Cards make the most sense if you:
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Flying southwest frequently
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Enjoy the Southwest flight
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I live near the hubs of southwest airports such as Dallas (DAL), Baltimore (BWI), and Denver (den)
These cards don’t make much sense if you don’t fly southwest frequently, or if you have limited opportunities to use travel rewards and benefits.
Anyone who can take advantage of compensation and benefits
There are always exceptions to rules. This means you can get value from the Southwest Card, even if you don’t fly southwest frequently or live near most of the hubs in the southwest. For example, if you are planning a future trip that may make sense to fly the Southwest, it is worth signing up for the Southwest card.
Even if you plan to fly southwest several times a year, it’s worth having one of these cards. Two round-trip flights for a family of four can easily cover the annual fee, which is when you save an annual fee with just the bag fee.
read more: Is a travel credit card worth it?
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Remuneration rate
- 5x points on travel purchased Chase Travel
- Three times more points than dining, select services and online grocery
- Double points on all other travel purchases
- 1x points on all other purchases
- Chey Travel Hotel Credit for $50 a year
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advantage
- A free dash pass with a one-minute delivery fee of $0 and reduced service charges. A year to activate on 12/31/27 plus $10 per month promotion for non-restaurant orders
- Earn up to $50 in annual statement credits for hotel stays purchased through Chase Travel
- Earn bonus points on all account anniversary, equivalent to 10% of total purchases purchased the previous year
Why this is a good option: miss all the benefits of a certain southwest, like a free check bag or anniversary, Chase sapphire is desirablebut you have access to more flexible rewards. You don’t need to be a frequent southwest traveler to like sapphires to make sense. You can play the field on an airline that makes sense for your trip. Additionally, if it makes sense, you can transfer points southwest.
Read the full Chase Sapphire Priority Review
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Annual fees
$795
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Welcome offer
After spending $5,000 in the first 3 months, you’ll earn 100,000 bonus points and $500 Chase Travel Credit
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Remuneration rate
- 8x points on all purchases through Chase Travel
- 4x points for direct booked flights and hotels
- 3x points for eating all over the world
- 1x points on all other purchases
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advantage
- Earn up to $150 every six months for up to $300 a year to dine in a restaurant that is part of Sapphire Ariserve’s exclusive table
- Travel cancellation/interruption insurance, car rental coverage, loss of luggage, foreign transaction fees, etc.
- You will receive a maximum of $120 every four years to cover your Global Entries, TSA Precheck, or Nexus application fee
Why this is a good option: Chase Sapphire Reserve It earns the same flexible rewards that Sapphire likes and has the same transfer partners, including Southwest Airlines. Additionally, Sapphire Reserve will also offer multiple premium perks including Airport Lounge Access and $300 annual travel credits.
Check out our complete Chase Sapphire Reserve Review
If Southwest doesn’t make sense about your situation, consider others Airline credit cards From carriers like United and Delta:
The Southwest Point is rated at approximately 1.2 cents per point. So, 50,000 quick reward points are worth around $600.
The main advantage of having a Southwest Airlines credit card is that you get a free check bag on your Southwest Flight. Up to eight additional passengers on the same booking as eligible cardholders will receive a free initial check bag. Considering that a check bag usually costs $35, it potentially saves a lot of bag fees.
These are the best credit cards for Southwest Airlines.
What is the Southwest Companion Pass? How can I get it?
The Southwest Companion Pass is an advantage that can be earned by flying 100 qualifying flights or earning 135,000 companion pass qualification points in a year. Passes allow you to add friends and family to your Southwest flights for free, plus additional tax and fee costs.
One of the easiest ways to work on winning a Southwest Companion Pass is to sign up for a Southwest Credit Card with a massive welcome bonus. To win a pass means to get it for the rest of the year you earn it and the entire next calendar year.
It depends on the card and how often you fly, but the advantages of getting a free check bag may provide enough value to offset your annual fee. For most one-way fares, Southwest charges $35 for a check bag. Therefore, seven flights a year may offset the fees for the Southwest Rapid Rewards Priority card, and fewer flights for other Southwest Consumer cards.
Related: Best credit card with no annual fee
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