Southwest Rapid Rewards Performance Business Credit Card

This site is part of an affiliate sales network and receives compensation for sending traffic to partner sites, such as CardRatings.com. This site does not include all financial companies or all available financial offers. For additional details, see our Advertiser Disclosure.

ⓘ $801
1st Yr Value Estimate

Up to 100K points
Up to 100K points: 70K after $5K spend in first 3 months + 30K points after a total of $25K spend in first 6 months
Click here to learn how to apply

$199 Annual Fee

This card is subject to Chase's 5/24 rule (click here for details).

Card Type: Visa Signature

Base

1X
(1.4%)

Travel

3X
(4.2%)

Phone

2X
(2.8%)

Biz

2X
(2.8%)

Brand

3X
(4.2%)

Earning rate: 3X Southwest ⚬ 2x on social media and search engine advertising, Internet, cable and phone services

Big spend bonus: If you earn 125,000 points in one calendar year, you'll get a companion pass good for the rest of that calendar year and all of the next year.

Noteworthy perks: 9000 bonus points each year upon card renewal.

Overview

This is a great choice for a nice signup bonus.

The card is not great for spend since it only earns 1 point per dollar on most purchases. Southwest points are worth about 1.5 cents each towards Wanna Getaway fares, so most would do better with a no fee 2% cash back card. The one reason I can think of to put spend on the card is as a way to earn the Southwest Companion Pass. Each calendar year that you earn 125,000 Southwest points, you'll get a companion pass that is good for an unlimited number of flights for the rest of that year and all of the next (See: Complete Guide to the Southwest Companion Pass.)

Points transferred from hotel and car rental programs no longer qualify for the Companion Pass, so points earned from the Southwest credit card are a key option for earning qualifying points.

Application Tips

Chase Application Tips

Shut-Down Caution: Signing up for new Chase cards can lead to Chase reviewing your accounts. This may lead to Chase shutting down all of your accounts if you appear to be a credit risk. See this post for details and recommendations: Why Chase shutdowns have increased and how to avoid them.
5/24 Rule: With most Chase cards, you won't get approved if your credit report shows 5 or more cards opened in the past 24 months. Details here.
24/48 Month Rule: With most Chase cards, you can get the same card and bonus again 24 months after having received the bonus as long as you no longer have the card open. With Sapphire cards, you must wait 48 months. No wait is required for Chase Ink cards.
30 Day Rule: It is tough to get approved for more than 2 Chase cards within 30 days
Get Same Card Again: You can get the same exact card and again if you first cancel the older card and follow the 24/48 month rule. Ink cards are OK to get again without cancelling previous card if you apply with a new business.
Better Offers: You may be able to get a better offer than the best available public offer. Details here.
Hard inquiries combine into 1 when approved same day (not always true when mixing business and personal)