Southwest Rapid Rewards Priority Credit Card

The Southwest Rapid Rewards Priority Credit Card tops Chase's Southwest consumer lineup at $229 a year, up from $149 after the July 2025 refresh. The refresh gave and took: the annual fee jumped $80, the $75 annual Southwest travel credit and the four upgraded boardings disappeared after December 31, 2025, and in their place came seat selection at booking and a higher earn rate on Southwest spend. The current offer is 60,000 points after $2,000 in purchases in the first 3 months. Earning leads the family: 4 points per dollar on Southwest purchases (up from 3x pre-refresh), 2x at gas stations and restaurants, and 1x everywhere else. The variable APR is 19.24% to 27.74% and there are no foreign transaction fees. What $229 buys now: 7,500 bonus points every account anniversary, first checked bag free for you and up to eight passengers on the same reservation, Preferred or standard seat selection at booking under Southwest's assigned seating, Extra Legroom seat upgrades within 48 hours of departure when available, Group 5 boarding, 25% back on inflight purchases, and a 10,000-point annual boost toward Companion Pass qualification. Status chasers earn 2,500 A-List tier qualifying points per $5,000 in purchases, up from 1,500 before the refresh. The math is tighter than it used to be. Pre-refresh, the $75 credit plus 7,500 anniversary points reliably offset most of the $149 fee for anyone flying Southwest yearly. Now the recurring offsets are the anniversary points plus whatever the seat and bag benefits actually save you, measured against $229. Fly Southwest every month or two with a companion and it clears comfortably; fly twice a year and the $99 Plus delivers the same bag benefit for $130 less. Get the Priority if you fly Southwest regularly, care where you sit, and check bags; it is the only Southwest consumer card with seat selection at booking. Skip it if the departed $75 credit was your fee justification, if you fly Southwest only occasionally (the Plus covers you), or if you are chasing the Companion Pass through card spend alone: the cheaper cards get the same 10,000-point boost.