Chase is releasing three Southwest Rapid Rewards personal bank cards, each geared toward a unique style of Southwest traveler. The difference in advantages and annual fees between Plus and Priority is important. The first decision you make before fascinated by your credit rating needs to be selecting which card to focus on.
Applying for the fitting card at the fitting time is more efficient than reaching for a higher-tier card before your profile supports it. Here’s how the three cards break down, what credit rating Chase requires, and which rule disqualifies more Southwest applicants than some other credit rating issue.
The three personal maps of the Southwest
Annual fees range from $99 to $229, and earning rates, anniversary bonuses, and standing advantages scale accordingly. Here’s what each card delivers before you select a card.
Southwest Rapid Rewards Plus – $99 annual fee
The entry point into the non-public constellation. New cardholders can earn 50,000 bonus points after spending $1,000 in the primary three months. The card earns you 2x points on Southwest, gas station and food market purchases for the primary $5,000 in combined purchases per yr and 1x on every thing else.
Anniversary advantages include 3,000 bonus points and a promotional code for a ten% annual flight discount. The first checked bag is free for the cardholder and as much as eight other passengers on the identical reservation.
Southwest Rapid Rewards Premier – $149 annual fee
An increase in merit and anniversary value. New cardholders can earn 55,000 bonus points after spending $1,500 in the primary three months. The card earns you 3x points on purchases within the Southwest, 2x at grocery stores and restaurants for the primary $8,000 per yr combined, and 2x at gas stations.
Anniversary advantages increase to six,000 points and a 15% flight discount. The Premier also receives 1,500 A-List Qualification Points per $5,000 spent annually on Southwest’s Elite Status Program.
Southwest Rapid Rewards Priority – $229 annual fee
The personal premium card for frequent flyers within the southwest. New cardholders can earn 60,000 bonus points after spending $2,000 in the primary three months. The card earns you 4x points on purchases within the Southwest, 2x at restaurants and gas stations, and 1x all over the place else.
Anniversary advantages increase to 7,500 points, and the cardboard offers priority seat selection upon booking in addition to an upgrade to seats with extra legroom inside 48 hours of departure, if available. Priority receives 2,500 A-List Qualification Points per $5,000 spent annually.
All three cards include no foreign transaction fees, 25% cashback on inflight purchases, Group 5 boarding, and a ten,000-point annual increase in Companion Pass qualifying points.
Southwest bank card credit rating requirements
Most approved applicants have a credit rating of 670 or higher on all three cards. This puts the Southwest series in good credit territory, which is consistent with Chase’s general expectations for travel rewards cards.
The Plus is probably the most accessible of the three, and applicants with credit scores above 600 occasionally report approvals if the remainder of their profile is especially clean. For Premier and Priority, with their higher annual fees and more comprehensive advantages, the variety of approvals tends to be 700 or more. A greater credit rating also tends to steer to a better starting credit limit, which is very important if you happen to’re planning on spending big to get the welcome bonus.
The 5/24 rule is the true gatekeeper
Before checking your credit rating, income, or payment history, Chase checks your status 24/7. If you’ve got opened five or more bank cards from any issuer within the last 24 months, Chase will routinely decline your application, no matter your credit rating. This rule applies to all three Southwest personal cards without exception.
Pull your credit report and count every recent bank card account opened within the last 24 months before you apply. Loyalty cards, secured cards, and authorized user accounts can all contribute to the count depending on how they’re reported. If you are five years old or older, no improvement in your credit rating will change the rating until enough accounts pass that window.
The 5/24 Rule also interacts with Southwest’s One Bonus Per 24 Months policy. You can only earn the brand new cardholder bonus on a Southwest Personal Card if you happen to don’t currently have one and haven’t received a brand new cardholder bonus on a Southwest Personal Card within the last 24 months. Plan the timing of your application in accordance with each rules at the identical time.
What else does Chase listen to?
Once 5/24 is cleared and qualified credit is established, these aspects will influence the ultimate decision:
- Income in relation to existing debt: Chase wants confirmation that your monthly obligations allow room for a brand new line of credit and the expenses obligatory to receive the welcome bonus.
- Current payment record: A late payment within the last twelve months is a cause for concern with any Chase card tier. Clean current behavior carries more weight than your entire life record.
- Existing Chase relationship: Applicants who have already got a Chase account in good standing profit from this established history. Chase has direct visibility into the accounts that external credit reporting data cannot replicate.
- Total credit utilization: High balances relative to your available credit limits across all accounts are a cause for concern, no matter your credit rating. Keeping overall utilization below 30% will strengthen every Chase application.
The right card to fit your travel habits
The Companion Pass is the most useful profit within the Southwest ecosystem and all three cards contribute to it. Every point earned, including the welcome bonus, counts towards the 135,000 points required to buy a Companion Pass. This signifies that the cardboard with the most important welcome bonus will speed up your path to the pass most efficiently.
For casual Southwest flyers who want an economical entry point, the Plus offers the core advantages at the bottom annual price. For travelers who fly Southwest recurrently enough to value the acceleration of A-list status and better anniversary points, the Premier makes more sense. The Priority is geared toward frequent flyers within the Southwest who can take full advantage of preferred seats, a better anniversary bonus and a status-building earning rate.
How to strengthen your application before applying
These steps address the aspects that matter most to Chase:
- Most importantly, check your 5/24 count: This is the one factor that disqualifies a Chase application before considering anything. Count every recent bank card account from the last 24 months across all issuers.
- Match your Target Card to your credit rating: Applying for priority with a 675 credit rating is a harder sell than starting with the plus one. Let your current profile guide your decision.
- Pay off revolving balances: If the overall utilization of all accounts is below 30%, you’ll strengthen each your credit rating and overall profile. Chase checks it out before making a call.
- Protect your recent payment details: Six to 12 months of on-time payments on all accounts is a powerful signal for Chase, no matter what your credit report says before that window.
- Dispute errors on all three credit reports: Pull your credit reports individually from Equifax, Experian and TransUnion and report inaccurate information on to each bureau.
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Conclusion
Southwest Rapid Rewards cards offer loyal Southwest flyers a structured path from earning boarding points to Companion Pass qualification and accelerating A-List status. The right card depends upon how often you fly Southwest and whether the annual fee is recouped by the advantages and points you’d realistically earn.
Clear your 5/24 count, tailor your application to your current credit rating, and plan your application across the 24-month bonus eligibility window. If you do these three things right, you will be in the most effective possible position to earn money in your next Southwest flight.
