Chase issues three Southwest consumer cards. The Rapid Rewards Plus, the Rapid Rewards Premier, and the Rapid Rewards Priority each earn Rapid Rewards points. As of October 2026, they differ in annual fee, Southwest earn rate, anniversary points, seating, and tier qualifying points.
Business cards sit on a separate fee schedule. See the Southwest business card comparison.
How do the annual fee structures compare?
The Plus, Premier, and Priority list annual fees of $99, $149, and $229, as of October 2026.
| Card | Annual Fee |
|---|---|
| Plus | $99 |
| Premier | $149 |
| Priority | $229 |
Chase applies the fee on the first billing statement. None of the three cards charges a foreign transaction fee.
The $149 and $229 cards publish larger anniversary point grants and higher Southwest earn rates than the $99 card.
How do the point earning rates and valuations differ?
Each card uses a different multiplier on Southwest purchases and on everyday spending. The rates below are the published rates as of October 2026. Southwest does not publish a cents-per-point value for these earn rates.
Southwest Airlines Earning
| Card | Southwest Earning Rate |
|---|---|
| Plus | 2 points per $1 |
| Premier | 3 points per $1 |
| Priority | 4 points per $1 |
Southwest purchases include flights, inflight purchases, Southwest gift cards, and Getaways by Southwest packages. Southwest Cruises, Southwest Charters, and Southwest Cargo do not earn the airline multiplier.
The Priority card earns 4 points per $1 on those Southwest purchases. The Plus card earns 2 points per $1.
Everyday Spending Categories
| Card | Bonus Categories | Cap |
|---|---|---|
| Plus | Gas stations, grocery stores (2x) | $5,000 per anniversary year |
| Premier | Grocery stores, restaurants (2x) | $8,000 per anniversary year |
| Priority | Gas stations, restaurants (2x) | No cap |
The Plus and Premier caps are combined spend across the two named categories in the account anniversary year. After the cap, those purchases earn 1 point per $1. The Priority card’s 2x rate at gas stations and restaurants has no published cap.
Base Earning
All three cards earn 1 point per $1 on purchases outside the bonus categories.
What are the anniversary and Companion Pass benefits?
Each card posts a different anniversary point grant. Plus and Premier also post a flight promo code. Priority does not.
| Card | Anniversary Points | Promotional Code |
|---|---|---|
| Plus | 3,000 | 10% off a Southwest flight |
| Premier | 6,000 | 15% off a Southwest flight |
| Priority | 7,500 | None listed |
The promo codes exclude Basic fares. Chase starts the anniversary year at account opening and ends it at the first statement after the anniversary. Each later year is the next 12 billing cycles.
How Companion Pass Progress Differs
The three cards follow the same Companion Pass rules. A member qualifies with 135,000 Companion Pass qualifying points in a calendar year. The other path is 100 qualifying one-way flights.
Points from spending on any of the three cards count after they post to the Rapid Rewards account. Purchased points, points transferred between members, and points converted from hotel or car programs do not count. The companion still pays government taxes and fees from $5.60 each way.
A member who qualifies keeps the pass for the rest of that calendar year and the entire next calendar year.
Effective Threshold
Each eligible card account can post one boost of 10,000 Companion Pass qualifying points per calendar year. Only one card account per Rapid Rewards member receives that boost. The member must be the primary cardmember, and the account must be open and not in default.
With that single boost, the points path leaves 125,000 qualifying points still to earn. The boost posts by January 31, or within 30 days after account opening.
Card points count in the calendar year they post, not the year of the purchase. A purchase after the December statement closing date posts on the January statement and counts in the next calendar year.
Sign-Up Bonus Contribution
Bonus points from these Chase cards count toward Companion Pass qualifying points. Southwest excludes most other partner bonus points. The offer size is set in the application terms. It is not a standing earn rate.
How A-List Status Earning Differs
The cards differ in tier qualifying points (TQPs) toward A-List. Under the Rapid Rewards terms, A-List requires 35,000 TQPs in a calendar year. A member can also qualify with 20 qualifying one-way flights.
| Card | TQP Earning |
|---|---|
| Plus | Not available |
| Premier | 1,500 TQPs per $5,000 spent |
| Priority | 2,500 TQPs per $5,000 spent |
The Plus card does not earn TQPs. Premier and Priority post TQPs in $5,000 spend blocks.
Chase counts those blocks from account opening through the first December statement. Later blocks run from one December statement to the next. The points count for A-List in the calendar year they post.
Spending Required for A-List
The figures below use card spend alone, in $5,000 blocks, to reach 35,000 TQPs. They ignore TQPs from flights and the 20-flight path.
| Card | Card Spend to 35,000 TQPs |
|---|---|
| Premier | $120,000 |
| Priority | $70,000 |
Premier posts 1,500 TQPs per block, so 23 blocks reach 34,500 TQPs and 24 blocks reach 36,000. That is $120,000. Priority posts 2,500 TQPs per block, so 14 blocks reach 35,000. That is $70,000.
How Checked Bag Benefits Differ
All three cards waive the first standard checked bag for the primary cardmember and up to eight passengers on the same reservation.
The Rapid Rewards number must be in the reservation. Card status can take up to 14 days to update. The waiver does not apply on a partner carrier.
Authorized users are not eligible. A fare that already includes a free checked bag keeps that fare’s bag rules instead.
The second checked bag is not included. The waiver is the same on Plus, Premier, and Priority.
How do the seating and boarding benefits vary?
Seat benefits differ by card. Each benefit applies when the seat is available, for the primary cardmember and up to eight passengers on the same reservation.
| Card | Seat Selection | Extra Legroom |
|---|---|---|
| Plus | Standard, within 48 hours of departure | Not included |
| Premier | Standard or Preferred, within 48 hours | Not included |
| Priority | Standard or Preferred, at booking | Upgrade within 48 hours, when available |
If the named seat is gone, Southwest assigns a seat under the fare rules. Only the Priority card includes an Extra Legroom upgrade, and only inside that 48-hour window.
How Boarding Benefits Differ
All three cards board in Group 5, or earlier when fare, seat, or A-List status assigns an earlier group. The benefit covers the cardmember and up to eight passengers on the same reservation.
The published card floor is the same on each card. A Priority Extra Legroom seat can still place those passengers in an earlier group than Group 5. Boarding also follows seat type.
How In-Flight Credits Differ
All three cards provide the same inflight purchase benefit.
- 25% back on Southwest inflight purchases
Chase lists this benefit on Plus, Premier, and Priority. The percentage does not change with the annual fee.
How Value Calculation Differs
Chase does not publish one dollar value for each card. The published figures are the annual fee, the anniversary points, and the checked-bag charge the card can waive.
Checked Bag Value
Southwest optional travel charges list a $45 first-checked-bag fee each way. The fee applies to Basic, Choice, and Choice Preferred. It covers U.S. mainland tickets booked or changed on or after April 9, 2026.
A round trip for the cardmember alone is $90 in first-bag charges. Tickets booked before that date still show the earlier $35 each-way rate.
Choice Extra already includes the first and second checked bags. The card waiver is identical on all three cards, so the bag charge does not separate the annual fees.
Anniversary Points Value
Chase publishes the anniversary grants as points. Plus posts 3,000, Premier posts 6,000, and Priority posts 7,500.
Southwest sets the points required for each flight. That number varies by destination, date, and demand. Neither Chase nor Southwest publishes a fixed cents-per-point rate for these cards.
Net Fee Offset
Chase does not publish a net fee after anniversary points. The annual fees remain $99, $149, and $229. A dollar offset would need a redemption rate Southwest does not fix. Seating and tier qualifying points are published as seat rules and point rates, not as a dollar credit.
What fee and benefit package does each card publish?
Each card packages a different fee with a different set of published benefits.
The Plus card carries a $99 annual fee. It earns 2 points per $1 on Southwest purchases and posts 3,000 anniversary points. It does not earn tier qualifying points.
The Premier card carries a $149 annual fee. It earns 3 points per $1 on Southwest purchases and posts 6,000 anniversary points. Seat rules cover Preferred or Standard seats within 48 hours. Spending posts 1,500 tier qualifying points per $5,000.
The Priority card carries a $229 annual fee. It earns 4 points per $1 on Southwest purchases and posts 7,500 anniversary points. Seat rules cover Preferred or Standard seats at booking, plus an Extra Legroom upgrade within 48 hours. Spending posts 2,500 tier qualifying points per $5,000.
What fee and benefit gaps separate the three cards?
Plus vs Premier
The Premier annual fee is $50 higher than Plus. The published differences are:
- 3 points per $1 on Southwest purchases, versus 2
- 6,000 anniversary points, versus 3,000
- Preferred or Standard seats within 48 hours, versus Standard only
- 1,500 tier qualifying points per $5,000, versus none
Premier vs Priority
The Priority annual fee is $80 higher than Premier. The published differences are:
- 4 points per $1 on Southwest purchases, versus 3
- 7,500 anniversary points, versus 6,000
- An Extra Legroom upgrade within 48 hours
- 2,500 tier qualifying points per $5,000, versus 1,500
- No cap on gas and restaurant earning, versus an $8,000 grocery and restaurant cap
Those are the published gaps in fee, earn rate, anniversary points, seating, and tier qualifying points.
See also: Southwest Rapid Rewards Plus Card Review, Southwest Rapid Rewards Premier Card Review, Southwest Rapid Rewards Priority Card Review
