The Southwest Rapid Rewards Priority Credit Card is the third — and MY TOP RECOMMENDED — option in Southwest Airlines portfolio of personal cards.
It comes with a higher annual fee ([sc name=”southwest-priority-annual-fee”][/sc]), but a ton of benefits to offset the increased cost.
–> Read my full review of the Southwest Rapid Rewards Priority Card
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10 Reasons to Get the Southwest Rapid Rewards Priority Card
Here are my top 10 reasons to consider upgrading to or applying for this card…
1. You Fly Southwest Frequently
If you fly Southwest a lot, I think this card MUST be in your portfolio.
But I ALWAYS recommend you get the card points bonus in tandem with earning the coveted Southwest Companion Pass. I can help you map out a plan for you to earn the Pass in 2-3 months inside my Families Fly Free membership.
The many benefits it offers Southwest flyers make it indispensable in my eyes. They include…
2. A Standard or Preferred Assigned Seat at Booking
With the addition Southwest’s assigned seating, introduced for flights Jan. 27, 2026 and beyond, this card gives you an assigned seat (if available at booking) for you and up to 8 people on your reservation + a Southwest Companion. You can choose between a Standard (regular legroom) or Preferred (regular legroom front of plane) seat without paying any extra.
Note: I NEVER recommend PAYING for Southwest flights in cash because the tickets are too inflexible compared with buying them in Southwest. If you want to learn how you can avoid EVER paying cash for a Southwest flight, join me in my Families Fly Free membership
3. 1 Free Checked Bag for 8 People on Your Reservation
In 2025, Southwest began charging for checked bags. But there’s an EASY WAY around this! Simply, hold ANY Southwest credit card and get a FREE checked bag for you and up to 8 people on your reservation + a Southwest Companion.
I recommend choosing the [sc name=”southwest-priority-name”][/sc] because not only will you get a free checked bag but ALSO a GUARANTEED assigned seat at booking (so long as one is available).
That gets around two of Southwest’s BIG changes that require additional fees. By simply holding the [sc name=”southwest-priority-name”][/sc], you get both at no cost. If you fly Southwest frequently, that will certainly more than offset its [sc name=”southwest-performance-business-annual-fee”][/sc] annual fee.
4. Group 5 Boarding
Beginning in 2026, Southwest will no longer be boarding in A, B and C groups. Now you board in one of 8 groups and holding the [sc name=”southwest-priority-name”][/sc] grants you boarding with Group 5.
Boarding is no longer as important, as where you sit is no longer dependent on when you board. It’s mainly important to ensure you have a spot in the overhead bin to place your carry-on luggage.
But, when boarding fifth out of eight, you should be good to go, as there are still three more groups behind you. Worst case: They check your bag and put it underneath the plane.
5. Inflight Purchases Discount
The card offers a 25% discount on inflight purchases. I almost always purchase the WiFi for $8, so I’ll happily pay $6.40 instead. While this alone is not a reason to get the card, it’s a nice added perk.
6. Benefits More Than Offset the Annual Fee
When paying an annual fee for the card, I’m always looking to see if the benefits outweigh the annual fee, and I think they do here.
With the free checked bags and seating assignments for up to 8 people (which could well go beyond the annual fee just for ONE flight) + the value of your 7,500 points (see below), I think you can see that definitely offsets the annual fee each year.
Plus, I no longer feel you need to carry both a personal AND business Southwest card. Previously, I liked both because it gave me 4 sets of A1-15 boarding orders each. But as those are no longer included (or important), I think you really only need to hold Priority to cover your bases with assigned seating and checked bags. So not having to hold a Southwest business card ALSO is a savings to avoid its annual fee.
7. 7,500 Anniversary Points Each Year
I value these anniversary points, as they help me get to my [sc name=”southwest-companion-pass”][/sc] points for my Companion Pass every year.
If you hold both a business and a personal card, that can give you thousands of Companion Pass-qualifying points each year. Plus, of course, you can use these points to book flights!
What is the value of 7,500 points? Southwest points are valued on average at about 1.5 cents each. So, 7,500 points is worth about $112 when used to book flights.
8. Points Earned From Card Purchases Qualify for the Companion Pass
This is the case on all of Southwest’s cards, but it’s an important benefit, because it’s a KEY way to earn points you need to get that Companion Pass every year (like me) or every 2 years (if you get it early in the year, so it’s good through the END of the following year).
All points earned on Southwest credit cards count toward the [sc name=”southwest-companion-pass”][/sc] qualifying points (must be earned in ONE calendar year) you will need to earn your Companion Pass.
I recommend using the Chase Sapphire Preferred or Chase Sapphire Reserve (read my comparison of these 2 cards) for dining and travel expenses, because they allow you to earn more points on these expenditures, where the Southwest card does NOT.
And their points can be instantly transferred to Southwest to book free flights. BUT these points DO NOT qualify for the Companion Pass.
9. No Foreign Transaction Fees
I appreciate cards that don’t charge foreign transaction fees, because my family enjoys traveling internationally.
So far, we’ve been to Grand Cayman, Dublin, Rome, Turks & Caicos, the Dominican Republic, the Amalfi Coast, Tuscany, Bologna, Barcelona, London and Paris, and it’s handy to know you have a card that’s not going to “fee you to death.”
10. Icing on the Benefits Cake and More Reasons to Love this Card
- 4 points per $1 on Southwest purchases (great for buying Southwest points, which I recommend if you don’t have enough instead of booking a flight in cash because of the flexibility you lose)
- 2 points per $1 spent on gas and restaurants
- 2,500 tier qualifying points towards A-List status for every $5,000 spent (though this is not my recommended way to earn tier status with Southwest; it requires TOO much spending on a non-flexible Southwest card)