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Southwest Airlines continues to be a popular airline for personal and business travel thanks to its low fees, wide availability, open seating, friendly service, and two free checked bags. Business owners can get more value out of their Southwest travels with two Southwest Airlines business credit cards to choose from—the Southwest® Rapid Rewards® Premier Business Credit Card and the Southwest® Rapid Rewards® Performance Business Credit Card.
Each card has different travel perks and ways to get more mileage from your Rapid Rewards. Let’s figure out which one of these is best for your business. But first, here are the current signup bonuses:
80,000 Point Bonus Offer: Southwest® Rapid Rewards® Performance Business Credit Card
60,000 Point Bonus Offer: Southwest® Rapid Rewards® Premier Business Credit Card
Does Southwest Have a Business Credit Card?
Yes, Southwest Airlines has two great business card options for its customers. They are the Southwest® Rapid Rewards® Premier Business Credit Card and the Southwest® Rapid Rewards® Performance Business Credit Card. Here’s a quick review of what each offers.
Southwest Rapid Rewards Performance Business Credit Card
The Southwest® Rapid Rewards® Performance Business Credit Card is the better option if you fly Southwest often. The annual fee is $199, and there is no foreign transaction fee. There isn’t a fee for additional employee cards, either.
Card Benefits
- Four Upgraded Bookings per year (when available)
- Up to 365 inflight WiFi credits per year (up to $2,920 value)
- Global Entry or TSA PreCheck application fee credit
- 9,000 bonus Rapid Rewards on each card renewal
The Southwest® Rapid Rewards® Performance Business Credit Card also includes some travel insurance benefits. You get up to $3,000 in lost luggage reimbursement and up to $100 per day for up to three days for baggage delay insurance.
Extended warranty protection and purchase protection on eligible purchases are available too.
Purchase Rewards
The Southwest® Rapid Rewards® Performance Business Credit Card earns:
- 4x points on Southwest® purchases
- 3x points on Rapid Rewards® hotel and car rental partners
- 2x points on rideshares
- 2x points on social media and search engine advertising, internet, cable, and phone services
- 1x points on all other purchases
Cardholders also get unlimited tier qualifying points (TQPs) that can be earned toward A-List status. There is also a $500 annual fee credit for Rapid Rewards points transfers.
Signup Bonus Offer
New Southwest® Rapid Rewards® Performance Business Credit Card card members can earn 80,000 bonus points after spending $5,000 on purchases in the first 3 months of account opening.
You can qualify for this bonus as long as you haven’t received a new card member bonus for this card in the most recent 24 months. It’s possible to qualify if you currently own a personal Southwest credit card or the Southwest Rapid Rewards Premier Business Credit Card.
Southwest Companion Pass®
This is one of the best credit card offers because it also gets you much closer to earning the Southwest Companion Pass®, which basically allows your companion to fly for free (they do have to pay $5.60 in taxes and fees, though). Once you earn the pass, it is valid for one whole calendar year (January-December) after you meet the requirements, plus the remainder of the calendar year in which you earned it.
So if you’re already a Rapid Rewards member and you earn the full signup bonus, you’ve nearly gotten yourself a Companion Pass. And even if you aren’t planning on flying anytime soon, having the Companion Pass for the future isn’t a bad thing, especially if you were already planning on meeting the minimum spend for the bonus.
Even if you don’t earn the signup bonus, know that each purchase also gets you closer to earning the Southwest Airlines Companion Pass.
Southwest Rapid Rewards Premier Business Credit Card
The Southwest® Rapid Rewards® Premier Business Credit Card is the older of the two credit card choices. It’s a better fit for casual Southwest travelers and those who simply want a card that earns Rapid Rewards. Cardholders can request employee cards at no additional cost and will earn points on employee spending.
The annual fee is $99, but there is no foreign transaction fee.
Purchase Rewards
The Southwest® Rapid Rewards® Premier Business Credit Card earns:
- 3x points on Southwest Airlines® purchases
- 2x points on Rapid Rewards® hotel and car rental partners
- 2x points on rideshares
- 1x point per $1 spent on all other purchases
Cardholders also get access to 2 EarlyBird Check-In® abilities each year, plus they can earn unlimited tier qualifying points towards A-List status.
This purchase rewards setup is similar to most airline credit cards.
Card Benefits
One drawback of paying the lower annual fee of $99 is that you don’t get as many add-on Southwest travel benefits. But you can still enjoy a few recurring card benefits.
- 6,000 bonus Rapid Rewards on each card renewal
- Lost luggage reimbursement up to $3,000 per passenger
- Baggage delay insurance up to $100 per day for up to 3 days
Extended warranty protection and purchase protection can be helpful too. There are no blackout dates when redeeming points to worry about and no change fees.
Signup Bonus Offer
New Southwest® Rapid Rewards® Premier Business Credit Card cardholders can earn 60,000 points after spending $3,000 on purchases in the first 3 months the account is open.
You qualify for this bonus if you currently don’t own the Premier Business and haven’t received a signup bonus for this card in the last 24 months.
Also, 60,000 Rapid Rewards can let you book an ample number of award flights. It’s not uncommon to find award flights for under 10,000 Rapid Rewards when other carriers require at least 12,000 for a one-way award ticket.
And it’s a step closer to the coveted Southwest Companion Pass.
Other Southwest Airlines Benefits
In addition to having one of these cards for your business spending, you can enjoy these everyday Southwest Airlines benefits:
- The first two checked bags fly for free
- No change fees
- Rapid Rewards do not expire
- No seat restrictions on Southwest flights
If you also own the Chase Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card, you can transfer your Chase Ultimate Rewards® to your Rapid Rewards account at a 1:1 ratio. While point transfers don’t count toward the Companion Pass point requirement, you can transfer them to book award flights and save on business travel costs. These cards are all some of the best Chase business credit cards.
Qualifying for the Southwest Airlines Business Credit Cards
First and foremost, all consumer and business Southwest Airlines credit cards fall under the “5/24 rule.” In essence, if you have opened 5 new credit cards in the last 24 months, Chase will most likely decline your application for either business credit card.
Also, you must own a business to apply for one of these cards. You can apply if you’re a sole proprietor or have an incorporated business such as an LLC. Your approval odds are higher if you have been in business for several years.
Related: Best Chase Business Checking Accounts
Which Southwest Card is Better?
Either card can be a good option if you like to fly Southwest Airlines. But one card is likely a better fit for your typical business expenses and travel habits.
Southwest Rapid Rewards Performance is better when…
The “premium” Southwest® Rapid Rewards® Performance Business Credit Card is worth it in these instances:
- Want to earn 2x Rapid Rewards from your online advertising and business telecom purchases
- Prefer to earn 4x Rapid Rewards on Southwest Airlines purchases
- Regularly use the annual Upgraded Bookings and in-flight wifi credits
- Want a Global Entry or TSA PreCheck application fee waiver
While the annual fee of $199 is relatively high, the add-on perks and multiple ways to earn bonus Rapid Rewards can easily create more value.
The annual 9,000-point anniversary bonus can also be enough to book a low-cost award flight instead of paying cash as well.
Southwest Rapid Rewards Premier is better when…
The Southwest® Rapid Rewards® Premier Business Credit Card is the better option for no-frill flyers.
- Want a card that makes it easy to earn Rapid Rewards on all purchases
- Won’t fly enough to use the Upgraded Booking or inflight WiFi credits
- Can achieve the signup bonus spending requirement
This card is sufficient for casual travelers who may only fly several times per year.
Summary
Either Southwest Airlines business credit card is a good option. You should pick the card with the best ongoing benefits that maximize your spending power and travel experience.
FAQs
Does Southwest have a business credit card?
Southwest Airlines currently offers two business credit cards.
Here are the two options and key features of each:
- Southwest® Rapid Rewards® Premier Business Credit Card
- New Southwest® Rapid Rewards® Premier Business Credit Card cardholders can earn 60,000 points after spending $3,000 on purchases in the first 3 months the account is open.
- Earn up to 3x Rapid Rewards on purchases
- 6,000 Rapid Rewards card anniversary bonus
- $99 annual fee
- Southwest® Rapid Rewards® Performance Business Credit Card
- Earn up to 4x Rapid Rewards on purchases
- 9,000 Rapid Rewards anniversary bonus
- 4 Upgraded Bookings per year (when available)
- 365 inflight WiFi credits per year
- Global Entry or TSA PreCheck application fee credit
- $199 annual fee
- New card members can earn 80,000 bonus points after spending $5,000 on purchases in the first 3 months of account opening.
The Southwest Rapid Rewards Performance Business Credit Card is the better option if you can maximize the Upgraded Bookings and inflight WiFi credits.
Can I have two Southwest Business Credit Cards?
Unlike the personal Southwest Airlines credit cards where you can only hold one card at a time, it’s possible to have both Southwest Airlines business credit cards. However, there isn’t a guarantee that your request for the other card will get approved.
Your approval odds can be higher if you’re an existing Southwest business credit card user for several years. If you own neither card, you will need to space your card applications. For example, you must wait at least 30 days between Chase credit card applications. But you may decide to wait several months to apply again.
Another application guideline to consider is the Chase 5/24 rule. All Southwest Airlines cards are subject to the Chase 5/24 rule. You should consider applying if you have opened 5 or fewer new credit cards within the most recent 24 months.
Will Southwest waive the annual fee?
No, neither Southwest Airlines nor Chase Bank waives the annual fee for business or personal Southwest Airlines credit cards.
The best Southwest Airlines credit card for you can be the one that offers the most benefits that you use regularly. You may have to pay a higher annual fee upfront but save money long-term as you redeem the benefits that you currently pay cash for.
What bank has the Southwest Airlines credit card?
Chase Bank issues the consumer and business versions of Southwest Airlines credit cards.
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