Chase and Southwest have a portfolio of co-branded credit cards, which feature some great perks. In addition to the personal cards getting huge new welcome bonuses, some fantastic new benefits have been rolled out, all without any sort of an annual fee hike. Let’s go over the details.
In this post:
Chase Southwest Airlines personal card new benefits
Chase Southwest personal credit cards are getting new spending bonus categories, additional perks, and more opportunities to earn status. So, what exactly is changing?
New Southwest Plus Card perks
The $69 annual fee Southwest Rapid Rewards® Plus Credit Card (review) now offers the following additional perks:
- 2x Rapid Rewards points per dollar spent on local transit and commuting purchases, including rideshare
- 2x Rapid Rewards points per dollar spent on internet, cable, phone services, and select streaming purchases
- Two EarlyBird check-ins per anniversary year, offering an earlier boarding position
- 25% savings on inflight drink & Wi-Fi purchases
This complements the card’s existing perks, including 3,000 Rapid Rewards points on your account anniversary every year.
New Southwest Premier Card perks
The $99 annual fee Southwest Rapid Rewards® Premier Credit Card (review) now offers the following additional perks:
- 2x Rapid Rewards points per dollar spent on local transit and commuting purchases, including rideshare
- 2x Rapid Rewards points per dollar spent on internet, cable, phone services, and select streaming purchases
- 3x Rapid Rewards points per dollar spent on Southwest purchases (compared to 2x points previously)
- Two EarlyBird check-ins per anniversary year, offering an earlier boarding position
- 25% savings on inflight drink & Wi-Fi purchases
This complements the card’s existing perks, including 6,000 Rapid Rewards points on your account anniversary every year.
New Southwest Priority Card perks
The $149 annual fee Southwest Rapid Rewards® Priority Card (review) now offers the following additional perks:
- 2x Rapid Rewards points per dollar spent on local transit and commuting purchases, including rideshare
- 2x Rapid Rewards points per dollar spent on internet, cable, phone services, and select streaming purchases
- 3x Rapid Rewards points per dollar spent on Southwest purchases (compared to 2x points previously)
- Unlimited Tier Qualifying Points (TQPs) can be earned towards A-List status — earn 1,500 TQPs for every $10,000 spent
- 25% savings on inflight drink & Wi-Fi purchases (compared to 20% previously)
This complements the card’s existing perks, including 7,500 Rapid Rewards points on your account anniversary every year, a $75 annual Southwest credit, and four upgraded boardings per year.
Chase Southwest Airlines business card new benefits
Chase Southwest business credit cards are getting new spending bonus categories, additional perks, and more opportunities to earn status. So, what exactly is changing?
New Southwest Premier Business Card perks
The $99 annual fee Southwest® Rapid Rewards® Premier Business Credit Card (review) now offers the following additional perks:
- 2x Rapid Rewards points per dollar spent on local transit and commuting purchases, including rideshare
- 3x Rapid Rewards points per dollar spent on Southwest purchases (compared to 2x points previously)
- $500 fee credit per year for Rapid Rewards points transfers; it ordinarily costs $10 per 1,000 points you want to transfer, meaning you could transfer 50,000 points per year to another member
- Two EarlyBird check-ins per anniversary year, offering an earlier boarding position
This complements the card’s existing perks, including 6,000 Rapid Rewards points on your account anniversary every year.
New Southwest Performance Business Card perks
The $199 annual fee Southwest® Rapid Rewards® Performance Business Credit Card (review) now offers the following additional perks:
- 2x Rapid Rewards points per dollar spent on local transit and commuting purchases, including rideshare
- 4x Rapid Rewards points per dollar spent on Southwest purchases (compared to 3x points previously)
- $500 fee credit per year for Rapid Rewards points transfers; it ordinarily costs $10 per 1,000 points you want to transfer, meaning you could transfer 50,000 points per year to another member
- Unlimited Tier Qualifying Points (TQPs) can be earned towards A-List status — earn 1,500 TQPs for every $10,000 spent
This complements the card’s existing perks, including 9,000 Rapid Rewards points on your account anniversary every year, up to 365 Wi-Fi credits per year, four upgraded boardings per year, and a Global Entry or TSA PreCheck credit once every four years.
My take on Southwest Airlines credit card changes
It’s always great to see positive changes to credit cards, without anything being taken away. I don’t think there’s anything here that’s too revolutionary, but for some people this may change the value proposition of holding onto a Southwest Airlines credit card, at least at the margins.
Here are my general thoughts on some of these changes:
- The new bonus categories are good for those who would otherwise spend money on the cards, but none of them are industry leading
- Adding two EarlyBird check-ins per year on some cards will be useful, since those usually cost $15-25 each; with Southwest having open seating, being able to board early is a valuable perk
- Savings on inflight Wi-Fi and drink purchases are always a good thing, and the personal cards now all offer that
- It’s interesting to see the business card offer credits towards points transfers between Rapid Rewards accounts; Southwest ordinarily charges $10 for every 1,000 points you transfer to another member, so this essentially allows you to share 50,000 points per year with other Rapid Rewards members
- The ability to earn unlimited Tier Qualifying Points will be useful for those who otherwise spend a lot on the card, but personally I think there are better cards for everyday spending, and that the opportunity cost for that spending is too high
Bottom line
Southwest Airlines co-branded credit cards now feature new perks, including new spending bonus categories, more opportunities to earn A-List status with spending, EarlyBird check-in, a fee credit towards points transfers, and the ability to earn A-List status exclusively through spending. These new perks are great, and I’m sure lots of cardmembers will get value from this.
What do you make of these changes to Southwest’s credit cards?
For purposes of the 2x points benefit, what specific products are considered as "select streaming" purchases? Is it Netflix, Amazon, Hulu - what? I've looked everywhere and cannot find this information. Don't they have to spell it out somehwere?
How do you get the free early bird check in?
You missed a perk: The Plus gets 25% back on in-flight purchases
Actually all the consumer ones do.
I’ve tried over 10 times to purchase upgraded boarding with the Priority card and it’s always rejected as a payment method.
Not a capacity issue (was told I’d get A4).
Glitch that Southwest can’t/won’t fix, nonsense responses to DOT complaints. CFPB complaint in process, might be getting somewhere.
It might be a symantics thing. What you are thinking of is early boarding and not upgraded boarding. This seems to be a big deal with SW because I never remember the correct wording and it's always a big long discussion at the gate. "Early boarding" perk through the card cannot be purchased ahead of time. You have to go to the gate and request it.
This was done at the gate with a gate agent. They had no idea why the purchase wouldn't go though.
Clearly a systems error on Southwest's part.
Do the new benefits include an actual flight on Southwest that takes off and lands at its origin and destination? Hard pass. Awful airline.
How do people ever consider this, why wouldnt you just get a saphire card that earns more southwest points than the actual southwest card? What am i missing.
These Southwest points help you earn the Companion Pass, transferring points from Chase does not.
The $500 credit for transferring points is really helpful for families. I have a few thousand points in my kids' accounts that can be hard to use on their own.
Or have you ever consider your children's miles are earned butt in seat by them and they should be able to use it when they are old enough or redeem for their flights not yours? Keep flying your kid, and eventually they will have enough points.
Think of all those consultants if they have their points and miles seized by their employers.
Aren’t they trying to tax those