Which of the Three Chase Southwest Co-Branded Cards with a Limited-Time 90,000-Point Bonus Should You Choose?

About this offer

Chase is offering a limited-time sign-up bonus of 80,000-90,000 points on the three Southwest personal cards: Southwest Plus, Premier, and Priority. Which one should you choose?

Which one should you choose?

The three cards are basically a tiered progression in terms of benefits. My recommendation is: if you fly a few times a year, go with Priority; if you just want to collect the welcome bonus, go with Plus. If you only plan to keep the card for one year, I’d actually suggest going straight for Priority, because the extra 20,000 Southwest points are worth about 40,000 points if you have a Companion Pass, or roughly $480. After subtracting the annual fee, it’s still a bit better than Plus. If you plan to hold the card long term, just apply for Priority first, then downgrade to Plus in the second year.

Here are the recent annual fee increases for this card family:

• Personal Plus card: $69 → $99
• Personal Premier card: $99 → $149
• Personal Priority card: $149 → $229
• Business Premier card: $99 → $149
• Business Performance card: $199 → $299

After the annual fee increases, the points earned each year no longer fully offset the annual fee. That said, if you live near a Southwest hub and fly Southwest often, Priority can still be a very good fit. It also has an advantage when it comes to boarding. One thing to note is that the Priority card’s $75 reimbursement will be eliminated, so its value is not as strong as before. If you don’t fly often, Premier is still decent too: it costs $50 more than Plus, but gives you an extra 3,000 points.

New benefits

All card types now include these new benefits:

• Free first checked bag. The cardholder and up to 8 companions on the same reservation can check one bag for free (since Southwest no longer offers free checked bags to everyone, this benefit was added for cardholders).
• No foreign transaction fees on all three cards. (This is a new benefit for the Plus card.)
• The cardholder and companions on the same reservation will board in Group 5, giving earlier access to overhead bin space.
• Seat selection can be made within 48 hours before departure, if available. For the Plus card, this applies to standard seats; for Premier, Priority, and both business cards, it applies to standard or preferred seats.

Specific benefits of the personal Plus card

• Earn 2x points on the first $5,000 spent at gas stations and grocery stores.
• Receive one annual flight discount (excluding base fare): a 10% discount code.

Specific benefits of the personal Premier and business cards

• Flight discount: one 15% discount code provided on the cardmember anniversary (excluding base fare).
• Earn 2 points per $1 spent on the first $8,000 spent at grocery stores and restaurants.
• Flight discount (excluding base fare): receive one 15% discount code each year.

Specific benefits of the personal Priority and business Performance cards

• Priority seat selection at departure, if available.
• Upgrade to an extra legroom seat within 48 hours before departure, if available.
• Earn 2x points on gas station and restaurant purchases.
• Earn 2,500 tier-qualifying points for every $5,000 spent each year, which can be used toward A-List status.

Companion Pass

I believe most people applying for these cards are really doing it for the Companion Pass (CP). With CP, both cash tickets and award tickets become buy-one-get-one-free, which is great for two-person trips for couples or friends. However, this bonus is only up to 90,000 points, which is still short of the 135,000 points needed for the Companion Pass. With Chase Southwest personal cards, you can only choose one, but you can also apply for one business credit card. The business card bonuses are 60,000-80,000 points, which makes it possible to reach the 135,000-point requirement.

For more on how to use CP, see:

• Southwest Airlines points and loyalty program guide

Conclusion

This sign-up bonus makes it much easier for people who want to try out the Southwest Companion Pass! The recent benefit additions are mostly tied to flying Southwest, which is actually a nice improvement for people who regularly fly. The 10-15% off discount code alone can usually help you recoup the higher annual fee after just one flight.