Southwest Rapid Rewards® Priority Credit Card

Chase's Southwest Travel Card

Annual Fee $229

Earning Rate 4x southwest purchases • 2x gas stations • 2x restaurants • 1x everything else

Welcome Bonus 60,000 points after $2,000 spend in 3 months

Card Material Plastic card with matte finish • colors: Navy, Red, Yellow

Practical Recommendation

If you fly Southwest a few times a year, this is the "live in the ecosystem" card: first checked bag free for everyone on your reservation, Group 5 boarding, seat selection at booking, and unlimited Extra Legroom upgrades within 48 hours of departure. You also get 7,500 anniversary points every year.

The seat perks are the real reason to pay up over the Premier card. Now that Southwest assigns seats, picking yours at booking — for up to eight people on the reservation — and taking free Extra Legroom seats when they're open is worth more than any statement credit. Note that the old $75 Southwest travel credit and the four reimbursed upgraded boardings are gone; they ended with 2025, and the fee is $229.

Bottom line: frequent or even semi-regular Southwest flyers who check bags and care where they sit can justify the fee. Occasional flyers should drop to the Premier or Plus card, which still get the free bag.

Perks

Earning rates (full view) – 4x on Southwest purchases (flights, inflight, Southwest gift cards); 2x at gas stations and restaurants; 1x on everything else. The temporary 2x categories — local transit/commuting, internet/cable/phone and select streaming, and Rapid Rewards hotel & car partners — ended Dec 31, 2025.
First checked bag free – The primary cardmember and up to 8 passengers on the same reservation get their first standard checked bag free. Southwest charges for bags now, so this is real money on every trip. Add your Rapid Rewards number to the booking; not valid on partner-booked flights, and size/weight limits still apply.
Group 5 boarding – Cardmember (plus up to 8 on the same reservation) boards no later than Group 5 on Southwest-operated flights. Allow up to 14 days after approval for the benefit to show.
Seat selection at booking – Pick a Preferred or Standard seat for yourself and up to 8 people on the same reservation at booking, at no extra charge, when seats are available. This is the perk that separates Priority from the cheaper Southwest cards, which only get a seat within 48 hours of departure. Authorized users do not get it.
Unlimited Extra Legroom upgrades (within 48 hours) – Upgrade yourself and up to 8 on the same reservation to Extra Legroom seats within 48 hours of departure, free, when available. Authorized users do not get it.
7,500 anniversary points – Posts each year after your cardmember anniversary; easy, predictable value toward flights.
10,000 Companion Pass qualifying points (annual boost) – Get a 10,000-point boost each calendar year to help you reach Companion Pass faster.
Tier-qualifying points from spend – Earn 2,500 TQPs toward A-List for every $5,000 you spend annually.
25% back inflight – Automatic 25% statement credit on drinks and Wi-Fi purchased onboard with the card.
Instacart & DoorDash credits – Up to $10 per month in Instacart credits (about $120 a year, requires an active Instacart+ membership) and up to $10 per calendar quarter off a non-restaurant DoorDash order, plus 12 months of complimentary DashPass. Both need activation and neither rolls over.
No foreign transaction fees – Useful if you travel abroad; avoid the typical ~3% fee.

Protections

Lost luggage reimbursement – Up to $3,000 per covered traveler for lost, damaged, or stolen baggage on a covered trip paid with the card. Keep receipts and file promptly.
Baggage delay insurance – Up to $100 per day for 3 days after a 6+ hour delay for essentials like clothing and toiletries. Save your delay documentation and receipts.
Auto rental collision damage waiver – Coverage for theft or collision damage to your rental car when you pay with the card and decline the rental agency's coverage. Secondary in the U.S.; primary when renting outside your country of residence.
Purchase protection – New purchases covered for 120 days against damage or theft, up to $500 per item (New York residents: 90 days).
Extended warranty – Adds 1 year to eligible original manufacturer warranties of 3 years or less (up to 4 years total from purchase date).

Southwest Priority: What Changed (2025 → 2026)

Timeline

Jul 24, 2025: Southwest and Chase announced the refreshed card benefits and the higher annual fees. — Official press release
Jul 29, 2025: Southwest started selling assigned seats for flights on and after Jan 27, 2026. — Assigned seating overview
Dec 31, 2025: The $75 Southwest annual travel credit, the 4 reimbursed upgraded boardings, and the temporary 2x bonus categories all expired. — Card terms
Jan 27, 2026: Assigned seating went live, open seating and EarlyBird Check-In ended, and the cardmember seat-selection and boarding perks took over. — Policy change

What you get now

Seat selection at booking (Priority only): Pick a Preferred or Standard seat at booking for you and up to 8 people on the same reservation, at no extra charge, when seats are available. Authorized users do not get this perk. Seats can be released if the primary cardmember is removed from the reservation. — Cardmember benefits — Card terms
Extra legroom upgrades (within 48 hours): Upgrade yourself and up to 8 on the same reservation to Extra Legroom seats within 48 hours of departure, at no extra charge, when available. Authorized users do not get this perk. — Cardmember benefits — Card terms
Group 5 boarding: If you are not already assigned an earlier group by fare or status, you and up to 8 on the same reservation board with Group 5. Expect earlier overhead-bin access without paying a separate fee. — Assigned seating overview
First checked bag free: The primary cardmember and up to 8 on the same reservation get the first standard checked bag free on Southwest-operated flights when the cardmember's Rapid Rewards number is in the booking. Southwest now charges everyone else, so this went from a formality to the card's most reliable benefit. Size and weight limits still apply. — Cardmember benefits — Card terms

What went away at the end of 2025

$75 Southwest annual travel credit: Gone. It automatically wiped out up to $75 in eligible Southwest purchases per anniversary year, and it was listed as available only through Dec 31, 2025. Do not budget for it. — Card terms
4 upgraded boardings reimbursed: Gone. Buying A1–A15 at the gate stopped being a thing once open seating ended, so the reimbursement went with it. — Card terms
EarlyBird Check-In: Gone along with open seating. Your seat is assigned now, so there is nothing to check in early for. — Assigned seating overview
Extra 2x categories: Local transit and commuting, internet/cable/phone and select streaming, Rapid Rewards hotel and car partners, and Southwest Cruises all reverted to 1x on Jan 1, 2026. Earning is now just Southwest purchases at 4x and gas stations and restaurants at 2x. — Card terms

Annual fee and offer timing

Annual fee: The Priority card's annual fee is $229, up from $149. Existing cardholders hit the new fee on their 2026 anniversary date. — Press release — Southwest consumer cards
Welcome offer: The standard offer is 60,000 points after $2,000 in the first 3 months. Southwest runs elevated promotions a few times a year — 90,000 points ran from late May through July 1, 2026, and a Companion Pass offer ran in February — so if you are not in a hurry, it is worth waiting for one. Check current terms before you apply. — Press release (PDF)

How this changed the day-to-day value

The old math: You leaned on the $75 travel credit and upgraded boarding reimbursements, plus a wide set of 2x everyday categories, to cover a $149 fee. That is all gone. — Card terms
The new math: Value sits in seat control (pick at booking, free Extra Legroom within 48 hours), Group 5 boarding, and the free checked bag for up to nine people — against a $229 fee. If you fly Southwest a few times a year with a bag and a companion or two, that swap is a win. If you fly once a year alone with a carry-on, it is not. — Assigned seating overview — Cardmember benefits

Quick checklist (so you do not leave money on the table)

On every booking: Make sure the primary cardmember's Rapid Rewards number is in the reservation. That is what unlocks seat selection, Extra Legroom upgrades, Group 5, and the free checked bag for the whole party. Authorized users do not trigger the seat perks. — Card terms
Within 48 hours of departure: Check for open Extra Legroom seats. The upgrade is free and unlimited, but only if you remember to look. — Cardmember benefits
Once a month: Use the $10 Instacart credit and, each quarter, the $10 DoorDash discount. Neither rolls over. — Card terms