Both Southwest business cards earn Rapid Rewards points and count toward the 135,000-point Companion Pass threshold, but they target different levels of Southwest spending. The Premier Business is the entry-level option with standard earn rates and a modest anniversary bonus. The Performance Business adds a TQP boost, WiFi credits, upgraded boardings, and a global entry credit at a $100 higher annual fee.
Side-by-side comparison
| Feature | Premier Business ($99) | Performance Business ($199) |
|---|---|---|
| Annual fee | $99 | $199 |
| Southwest flights | 3x | 4x |
| Rapid Rewards hotel/car partners | 2x | 3x |
| Chase on Business (advertising, internet, etc.) | 2x | 2x |
| Social media advertising | 1x | 2x |
| Internet, cable, phone | 1x | 2x |
| All other | 1x | 1x |
| Anniversary bonus | 6,000 points | 9,000 points |
| Tier Qualifying Points boost | None | 9,000 TQP per year |
| Inflight WiFi credit | None | $500 annually |
| Upgraded boardings | None | 4 per year |
| Global Entry / TSA PreCheck credit | None | Up to $100 |
| Employee cards | $0 each | $0 each |
| Foreign transaction fee | None | None |
Earn structure
On Southwest-purchased flights, the Performance Business earns 4x versus the Premier’s 3x. On rapid Rewards hotel and car partners, the Performance earns 3x versus 2x. Both cards earn 2x on Chase’s designated business categories.
Where the Performance Business meaningfully outperforms is in business operating categories not covered by the Premier: social media advertising and internet, cable, and phone services both earn 2x on the Performance card versus 1x on the Premier. For businesses with significant online advertising or telecommunications spend, that differential compounds quickly.
On spending outside all bonus categories, both cards earn 1x.
Anniversary points and TQP boost
The Performance Business awards 9,000 points at each account anniversary versus 6,000 for the Premier. At Southwest’s standard cash redemption value (approximately 1.4–1.7 cents per point), the 3,000-point incremental difference represents $42–$51 in additional value annually.
More meaningfully, the Performance Business provides 9,000 Tier Qualifying Points per year at no spend requirement. TQP count toward A-List status (35,000 TQP) and A-List Preferred status (70,000 TQP). For a cardholder who closes the year 9,000 TQP short of a tier, the Performance Business credit covers it without a change to spending behavior.
The $100 fee gap
The $100 annual fee difference between the two cards becomes easier to evaluate against specific use cases:
The Performance Business pays back its incremental fee if the cardholder: books enough Southwest flights that the 4x vs 3x differential generates more than 10,000 points (approximately $140–$170 in point value) per year, OR uses the WiFi credit on Southwest inflight WiFi to offset the fee entirely, OR is pursuing A-List or A-List Preferred status where the TQP boost has tier-upgrade value.
The Premier Business is sufficient if: Southwest flight volume is modest (under $3,000–$4,000 per year), the TQP boost is irrelevant to the cardholder’s status trajectory, and business spend on internet and advertising is minimal.
Companion Pass math
Both cards count points earned toward the 135,000-point Companion Pass threshold, including the welcome bonus, anniversary points, and all earned points. They cannot be combined to double-count anniversary points since they are separate card products. Business owners evaluating which card to open for Companion Pass velocity should consider that the Performance card’s larger anniversary bonus (9,000 vs 6,000) closes the gap faster without incremental spend.
See also: SW Rapid Rewards Premier Business Card Review, SW Rapid Rewards Performance Business Card Review
