Chase Southwest Cards Revamped
Today, Chase and Southwest Airlines launched new benefits on the Southwest Rapid Rewards® Credit Cards from Chase.
These changes come with higher annual fees that vary from $99 to $299. Existing Southwest Rapid Rewards Cardmembers’ annual fees will be adjusted on their 2026 Anniversary date.
The new Card benefits include first checked bag free, pre-flight seat selection and upgrades to Extra Legroom seats with any fare bundle, as well as earlier boarding. Cardmembers can also earn more points on new everyday spending categories including on qualifying gas station, grocery store and restaurant purchases.
Seating and boarding benefits will roll out when Southwest begins selling assigned seating on July 29, 2025, and operating with assigned seating on January 27, 2026.
To celebrate the launch, through September 17th, new Southwest Rapid Rewards Priority, Premier or Plus Consumer Credit Cardmembers can earn 100,000 bonus points after spending $4,000 in the first 5 months from account opening.
Cardmembers continue to receive many benefits they love, including anniversary bonus points, accelerated earn on Southwest flights, an exclusive one-time boost of 10,000 Companion Pass® qualifying points per calendar year, a 25% discount on inflight purchases and access to exclusive Rapid Rewards® Access Events. Certain Cards also continue to earn points towards Tier Status, with the Priority and Performance Cards now earning 2,500 Tier Qualifying Points (TQPs) towards A-List status for every $5,000 spent annually, previously 1,500 TQPs.
There are also some benefits that are going away such as the $75 Southwest annual travel credit on the Southwest Rapid Rewards® Priority Credit Card. Some other benefits are going away in 2026 for business cards, such as the $500 fee credit for points transfers per year and Inflight WiFi credits.
Let’s go over the new benefits and annual fees for each credit card.
The Southwest Rapid Rewards Priority Card ($229 AF)
New benefits include:
- Cardmembers and up to 8 additional passengers in the same reservation can check their first bag at no additional cost. For a group of 4 this would be a savings of up to $280 roundtrip ($35 per bag per trip).
- 4X points on Southwest Airlines eligible purchases, previously 3X points
- 2X points at gas stations and restaurants, with no annual cap
- Standard or Preferred seat selection at booking, when available for the Cardmember and up to eight passengers traveling on the same reservation (for flights operating in 2026)
- Unlimited upgrades to Extra Legroom seats within 48 hours prior to departure, when available and at no additional charge, for the Cardmember and up to eight additional passengers traveling on the same reservation
- Earlier boarding – the Cardmember, and up to eight additional passengers traveling on the same reservation, can board in Group 5
- 2,500 Tier Qualifying Points (TQPs) towards A-List status for every $5,000 spent annually, previously 1,500 TQPs
Find additional benefits and details here
The Southwest Rapid Rewards Premier Card ($149 AF)
New benefits include:
- Cardmembers and up to 8 additional passengers in the same reservation can check their first bag at no additional cost. For a group of 4 this would be a savings of up to $280 roundtrip ($35 per bag per trip).
- 2X points on first $8,000 in combined spend at grocery stores and restaurants each anniversary year
- Standard or Preferred seat selection within 48 hours prior to departure, when available, for the Cardmember and up to eight passengers traveling on the same reservation (for flights operating in 2026)
- Earlier boarding – the Cardmember, and up to eight additional passengers traveling on the same reservation, can board in Group 5
- One promotional code for a 15% flight discount each anniversary year (except Basic fare)
Find full list of benefits and additional details here
The Southwest Rapid Rewards Plus Card ($99 AF)
New benefits include:
- Cardmembers and up to 8 additional passengers in the same reservation can check their first bag at no additional cost. For a group of 4 this would be a savings of up to $280 roundtrip ($35 per bag per trip).
- 2X points on first $5,000 in combined spend at gas stations and grocery stores each anniversary year
- Standard seat selection within 48 hours prior to departure, when available, for the Cardmember and up to eight passengers traveling on the same reservation (for flights operating in 2026)
- Earlier boarding – the Cardmember, and up to eight additional passengers traveling on the same reservation, can board in Group 5
- One promotional code for a 10% flight discount each anniversary year (except Basic fare)
- No foreign transaction fees
Find full list of benefits and additional details here
The Southwest Rapid Rewards Performance Business Card ($299 AF)
New benefits include:
- Cardmembers and up to 8 additional passengers in the same reservation can check their first bag at no additional cost. For a group of 4 this would be a savings of up to $280 roundtrip ($35 per bag per trip).
- 2X points on spend at gas stations and restaurants, with no annual cap
- 2X points on all hotel purchases
- 2X points on local transit, rideshare and commuting
- Standard or Preferred Seat Selection at booking, when available, for the Cardmember and up to eight passengers traveling on the same reservation (for flights operating in 2026)
- Unlimited upgrades to Extra Legroom seats within 48 hours prior to departure, when available and at no additional charge, for the Cardmember and up to eight additional passengers traveling on the same reservation
- Earlier boarding – the Cardmember, and up to eight additional passengers traveling on the same reservation, can board in Group 5
- 2,500 Tier Qualifying Points (TQPs) towards A-List status for every $5,000 spent annually, previously 1,500 TQPs
Find additional benefits and details here
The Southwest Rapid Rewards Premier Business Card ($149 AF)
New benefits include:
- Cardmembers and up to 8 additional passengers in the same reservation can check their first bag at no additional cost. For a group of 4 this would be a savings of up to $280 roundtrip ($35 per bag per trip).
- 2X points on first $8,000 in combined spend at gas stations and restaurants each anniversary year
- Standard or Preferred Seat Selection within 48 hours prior to departure, when available, for the Cardmember and up to eight passengers traveling on the same reservation (for flights operating in 2026)
- Earlier boarding – the Cardmember, and up to eight additional passengers traveling on the same reservations, can board in Group 5
- 2,000 Tier Qualifying Points (TQPs) towards A-List status for every $5,000 spent annually, previously 1,500 TQPs
- Promotional code for a 15% flight discount each anniversary year (except Basic fare)
Find additional benefits and details here
The Southwest Rapid Rewards Plus Business Card ($99 AF)
New benefits include:
- Cardmembers and up to 8 additional passengers in the same reservation can check their first bag at no additional cost. For a group of 4 this would be a savings of up to $280 roundtrip ($35 per bag per trip).
- 2X points on first $5,000 in combined spend at gas stations and restaurants each anniversary year
- Standard seat selection within 48 hours prior to departure, when available, for the Cardmember and up to eight passengers traveling on the same reservation (for flights operating in 2026)
- Earlier boarding – the Cardmember, and up to eight additional passengers traveling on the same reservation, can board in Group 5
- Promotional code for a 10% flight discount each anniversary year (except Basic fare)
- No foreign transaction fees
Find additional benefits and details here
