Southwest offers a handful of credit cards that you can use to earn Southwest Rapid Rewards Points across your everyday purchases. You can also earn a bunch of points with Southwest by using credit cards offered by Southwest's transfer partners which gives you alternative ways to build your points faster spending across different categories.
Review our picks for best credit cards for earning Southwest Points and calculate which cards can earn you the most points and best return based on your spend.
Best Credit Cards For Southwest Points
This page details our top picks for the best credit cards for earning Southwest Points. You can use the calculator to estimate which credit cards can earn you the most miles and best average return on your spend.
The cards on this page are updated periodically. New cards are introduced from time to time and the benefits of current cards could change at any time. You can use our Credit Card Finder Tool to search by spend across all credit cards in our database.
Best For Southwest Benefits
If you fly Southwest often and you're looking for the most benefits, the Southwest Rapid Rewards® Priority Credit Card is going to be the best option.
The card earns 2X Southwest Rapid Rewards Points on Southwest purchases and 1X on all other purchases ran through the card.
Benefits of the card include an annual $75 travel credit, four upgraded boardings annually, 7,500 anniversary points annually, the ability to earn Tier Qualifying Points on credit card spend, and much more.
With all three cards offering the same earnings, the Southwest Rapid Rewards® Priority Credit Card offers a great amount of benefits that can easily make up for the annual fee.
- Earn 40,000 points after you spend $1,000 on purchases in the first 3 months..
- 7,500 bonus points after your Cardmember anniversary each year.
- $75 Southwest® travel credit each year.
- 4 Upgraded Boardings per year when available.
- 20% back on in-flight drinks and WiFi.
Best Overall Value For Most Travelers
If you're looking to turn your maximize your spending, the easiest way is by using the Chase Sapphire Reserve®.
It earns earns 10X Ultimate Rewards Points on Chase Dining purchases and both hotel and car rental purchases through Chase Ultimate Rewards, 5X on airline travel purchases through Chase Ultimate Rewards, 3X on dining and other travel purchases, and 1X on everything else. Points can be transferred to Southwest Rapid Rewards at a rate of 1:1. This allows you to earn the equivalent of 3X on Southwest purchases.
As a Sapphire Reserve cardholder, you'll be able to redeem Ultimate Rewards Points for a value of 1.5 cents each towards travel booked through Chase Ultimate Rewards. This gives you an easy, high-value redemption option that can be great if you can't find great award redemption with Southwest.
Other great benefits include up to $300 in annual travel credit, Priority Pass Select membership, and superb travel insurance.
- Earn 60,000 bonus points after you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening. That's $900 toward travel when you redeem through Chase Ultimate Rewards®
- $300 Annual Travel Credit as reimbursement for travel purchases charged to your card each account anniversary year. Through December 31, 2021, gas station & grocery store purchases will also count towards earning your Travel Credit
- Earn 5X total points on air travel and 10X total points on hotels and car rentals when you purchase travel through Chase Ultimate Rewards® immediately after the first $300 is spent on travel purchases annually. Earn 3X points on other travel and dining & 1 point per $1 spent on all other purchases
- Get 50% more value when you redeem your points for travel through Chase Ultimate Rewards®. For example, 60,000 points are worth $900 toward travel
- With Pay Yourself Back℠, your points are worth 50% more during the current offer when you redeem them for statement credits against existing purchases in select, rotating categories
- 1:1 point transfer to leading airline and hotel loyalty programs
- Access to 1,300+ airport lounges worldwide after an easy, one-time enrollment in Priority Pass™ Select and up to $100 application fee credit for Global Entry or TSA Pre✓®
- Count on Trip Cancellation/Interruption Insurance, Auto Rental Collision Damage Waiver, Lost Luggage Insurance and more
Best For Flexible Rewards
If you want to earn a steady stream of flexible rewards on your spend without all the bells and whistles of the Chase Sapphire Reserve, then consider the Chase Sapphire Preferred®.
It offers 5X points on travel purchases through Chase Ultimate Rewards, 3X on online grocery purchases, select streaming services, and dining purchases, 2X on other travel purchases, and 1X on everything else. Points can be transferred to Southwest Rapid Rewards at a 1:1 ratio.
Points earned with the card can be redeemed for 1.25 cents each towards travel booked through Chase Ultimate Rewards. This gives you a great alternative in the case you want to redeem your points for hotels, car rentals, or another airline.
You'll also receive an annual $50 hotel credit redeemable towards hotel bookings made through Chase Ultimate Rewards as well as superb travel insurance when you use the card to pay for your travel.
Overall, the Chase Sapphire Preferred is a great option if you enjoy flying Southwest and want to earn some excellent travel rewards.
- Our best offer ever! Earn 100,000 bonus points after you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening. That's $1,250 when you redeem through Chase Ultimate Rewards®.
- Enjoy new benefits such as a $50 annual Ultimate Rewards Hotel Credit, 5X points on travel purchased through Chase Ultimate Rewards®, 3X points on dining and 2X points on all other travel purchases, plus more.
- Get 25% more value when you redeem for airfare, hotels, car rentals and cruises through Chase Ultimate Rewards®. For example, 100,000 points are worth $1,250 toward travel.
- With Pay Yourself Back℠, your points are worth 25% more during the current offer when you redeem them for statement credits against existing purchases in select, rotating categories.
- Get unlimited deliveries with a $0 delivery fee and reduced service fees on eligible orders over $12 for a minimum of one year with DashPass, DoorDash's subscription service. Activate by 12/31/21.
- Count on Trip Cancellation/Interruption Insurance, Auto Rental Collision Damage Waiver, Lost Luggage Insurance and more.
- Get up to $60 back on an eligible Peloton Digital or All-Access Membership through 12/31/2021, and get full access to their workout library through the Peloton app, including cardio, running, strength, yoga, and more. Take classes using a phone, tablet, or TV. No fitness equipment is required.
Best For Business Spend
If your business uses Southwest, you'll want to sweep up the Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card.
It earns 3X Ultimate Rewards Points on the first $150,000 spent on travel, shipping, internet, cable, phone, and advertising purchases and 1X on all other purchases. Points can be transferred directly to Southwest Rapid Rewards at a 1:1 ratio.
As a cardholder, points can be redeemed for 1.25 cents each towards travel redemptions in the Chase Ultimate Rewards portal. This gives your business the ability to be flexible with how you want to redeem your rewards.
Like all Chase credit cards, the Ink Business Preferred Credit Card also offers top-notch travel insurance which is great if business plans change.
- Points are worth 25% more when you redeem for travel through Chase Ultimate Rewards®
- Redeem points for cash back, gift cards, travel and more - your points don't expire as long as your account is open
- Purchase Protection covers your new purchases for 120 days against damage or theft up to $10,000 per claim and $50,000 per account
Best Credit Cards For Southwest Points Summary
| Credit Card | Best For | Annual Fee | See All Available Offers |
|---|---|---|---|
| Southwest Rapid Rewards® Priority Credit Card | Best For Southwest Benefits | $149 | Learn More |
| Chase Sapphire Reserve® | Best Overall Value For Most Travelers | $550 | Learn More |
| Chase Sapphire Preferred® | Best For Flexible Rewards | $95 | Learn More |
| Chase Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card | Best For Business Spend | $95 | Learn More |
Best Credit Cards For Southwest Points Calculator
The Best Credit Cards For Southwest Points Calculator will give you an idea of which credit cards will offer earn you the most Southwest Points based on your spend.
Results will be sorted by net return which is the average value of the rewards earned, plus annual credits, and minus annual fees. You'll want to take into consideration the benefits a card offers as well on top of the estimated value calculated.
Results will consist of top-rated credit cards that either earn Southwest Points directly or earn rewards that can be transferred directly to the Southwest Rapid Rewards program.
