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Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card
Learn More externa link iconRewards rate: 5x on travel purchased through Chase Ultimate Rewards®. 3x on dining. 2x on all other travel purchases, plus more.
Southwest Rapid Rewards® Premier Credit Card
Learn More externa link iconEditor’s Score: (3.675/5) Rewards rate: Earn 3X points on Southwest® purchases. Earn 2X points on local transit and commuting, including rideshare. Earn 2X points on internet, cable, phone services, and select streaming.
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Additional Card Details
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NextAdvisor’s Take The Southwest Premier and the Chase Sapphire Preferred cards are great travel card options. And if you’re a loyal Southwest flyer who wants to take advantage of all of the airline’s perks — like 3X points on Southwest purchases, a 6,000 point anniversary bonus, and the chance to earn Companion Pass — the Southwest Premier is a solid option. But for most travelers, the more flexible Chase Sapphire Preferred is the better choice. You’ll get rewards on travel booked with any airline, hotel, and more, plus boosted points redemptions and added benefits that can help bring more savings to your next trip. If you find yourself on Southwest Airlines flights often, you’ll want to carry a credit card that lets you maximize the rewards for your loyalty. The Southwest Rapid Rewards® Premier Credit Card is the most obvious way to earn those rewards, including anniversary bonuses and Southwest’s Companion Pass — a perk that lets a companion fly for free for almost two years, paying only taxes and fees. But there’s another credit that can also benefit many Southwest flyers: the Chase Sapphire Preferred Card, which has a 60,000 point sign-up bonus when you spend $4,000 in the first three months. You can use it to book discounted flights on Southwest as well as many other airlines. (Again, you’ll pay only taxes and fees.) The two cards have similar annual fees, but very different rewards and benefits. Here’s a closer look at each one. Chase Sapphire Preferred vs. Southwest Rapid Rewards Premier at a GlanceThe Southwest Rapid Rewards Premier Credit Card is a co-branded airline card, whereas the Sapphire Preferred is a general travel rewards card. They can both help you earn points that you can later redeem for free travel, but the Southwest Rapid Rewards Premier earns points valid only on Southwest while the Chase card gives you a lot more flexibility. Pro TipIf you fly Southwest but also other airlines often, holding both cards may be a good idea — if you can derive enough value from them to offset the annual fees. These two cards also differ in terms of benefits and bonus points that you’ll earn on certain spending categories.
Welcome Offer ComparisonBoth cards offer sign-up bonuses, but the bonus on the Southwest Rapid Rewards Premier comes out on top — especially if you’re a frequent Southwest flyer seeking to maximize your Rapid Rewards points. The Chase Sapphire Preferred is currently offering 60,000 Ultimate Rewards points if you spend $4,000 in the first three months from account opening. Those 60,000 points are worth around $750 when redeemed for travel, according to Chase. Earn 50,000 points after you spend $1,000 on purchases in the first three months with the Southwest Rapid Rewards Premier Credit Card. The card also gives you a 6,000-point anniversary bonus every year just for keeping it open. The 6,000-point anniversary bonus, worth nearly $80 according to NextAdvisor valuations, cancels out the better part of the card’s $99 annual fee. It’s also enough to get a cheap one-way ticket during one of Southwest’s flash sales. But there’s one more important thing to note. Bonus points earned from the Southwest Rapid Rewards Premier Card count toward the airline’s Companion Pass, but points transferred from the sign-up bonus on the Sapphire Preferred don’t count, according to Southwest’s website. You’ll need to earn 125,000 qualifying Rapid Rewards points or take 100 qualifying one-way flights in a calendar year to be eligible for Southwest’s Companion Pass. If that’s your primary goal, the Southwest Rapid Rewards Premier is a better option, and its current sign-up bonus can give you a leg up.
Rewards ComparisonWith a Southwest Airlines co-branded card, you’ll get the most value if you use it to book flights on Southwest a few times each year and can offset the annual fee. Co-branded cards from other airlines often let you skip the fees for checked luggage, which alone can make a card worth its annual fee, but that doesn’t apply on Southwest; two checked bags are free for everyone. The Southwest Rapid Rewards Premier earns you 3x points per dollar spent on Southwest purchases. You can redeem Rapid Rewards points for Southwest flights, including options to Hawaii, Mexico and the Caribbean. While Southwest has an extensive domestic network, it has limited destinations outside the United States. Southwest also allows you to redeem your points for gift cards, rental cars, hotels and experiences, but your points won’t be worth as much if you use them that way. Beyond the valuable 6,000-point anniversary bonus and points counting for the Companion Pass, don’t expect many added benefits from the Southwest Rapid Rewards Premier. The card does come with some travel perks, including lost luggage reimbursement, baggage delay coverage, extended warranties on eligible items and purchase protection against damage or theft. It also has no foreign transaction fees. However, the Sapphire Preferred — which we consider the best credit card with an annual fee under $100— offers a lot more flexibility in redeeming rewards. For $95 a year, the Sapphire Preferred card earns 5x points on travel purchased through the Chase Ultimate Rewards portal, 2x points on all other travel and 3x points on dining purchases (including takeout and delivery), select streaming services, and online grocery purchases. The points you earn on the Sapphire Preferred can be transferred to Southwest and over a dozen other travel partners, including United Airlines and Hyatt, among others. Alternatively, you could book travel directly through Chase’s travel portal at a value of 1.25 cents per point. If you’re not traveling right now, you have other redemption options with the Sapphire Preferred, too. For example, you can redeem your Ultimate Rewards points for eligible statement credits using the Pay Yourself Back program at a 25% boosted value. Many of the previous Pay Yourself Back Categories ended on Sept. 30, but Chase has since added new categories, including Airbnb, Away, and select charities. Beyond rewards, this card has some noteworthy benefits and travel protections that make it a popular choice among travelers. For example, you can earn 5x points on Lyft rides through March 2025 and 12 months of complimentary DashPass from DoorDash (Must activate by December 31, 2024). The Chase Sapphire Preferred also gives you primary auto rental collision damage waiver, baggage delay insurance and more. APRsThe Sapphire Preferred has a variable APR rate of 18.24 – 25.24% and the Southwest Rapid Rewards Premier has a variable APR of 18.24% – 25.24%. We advise you to pay your card balance in full every month, in any case, to avoid paying any interest. The charges at even the lowest credit card interest can negate the value of a card’s benefits. FeesThe annual fees aren’t high for these two cards compared to some premium travel cards. The Sapphire Preferred costs $95 a year, and the Southwest Rapid Rewards Premier has a $99 annual fee. But the sign-up bonuses, credits and rewards on each card can help offset the annual fees. Deciding Between the Chase Sapphire Preferred and Southwest Rapid Rewards Premier CardsThe Chase Sapphire Preferred’s rewards and benefits, and the ability to transfer points to travel partners — including Southwest — make it a clear winner for most travelers. But if you are a Southwest loyalist and you are looking to earn the airline’s coveted Companion Pass, then the Southwest Rapid Rewards has a clear value proposition for you, at an annual fee that’s essentially the same. In fact, if you fly enough to justify the double annual fee, you could even pair the two cards and have a more strategic approach to your spending and travel. For example, you could use your co-branded Southwest card when you’re flying Southwest to get closer to earning a Companion Pass, and use the Sapphire Preferred for other travel and dining purchases and to book with different airlines and hotels. The decision ultimately comes down to how often you fly with Southwest compared to other airlines. The Southwest Rapid Rewards Premier doesn’t come with many bells and whistles, but its anniversary bonuses will help you earn points faster and its sign-up bonus can help you earn the Companion Pass quicker. But if you’re after a larger sign-up bonus, more flexible rewards, and you fly with different airlines often, the Chase Sapphire Preferred Card is a better choice. Can you transfer points from Southwest to Chase Sapphire?Southwest is also a transfer partner of the Chase Ultimate Rewards® program.
Can I transfer points out of Southwest?How do I gift or transfer Rapid Rewards points to someone else? Log into your account and click on Rapid Rewards at the top of the screen. Under Manage, select Buy or Transfer Points. From there, you can select the appropriate transaction option on the Rapid Rewards Buy, Gift & Transfer page.
Can you transfer points to Chase Sapphire Reserve?For example, all of your points earned with the Chase Freedom Flex can be moved to your Sapphire Reserve account, thus increasing their value from 1 to 1.5 cents apiece. It's probably worth getting into the habit of combining your points every month or so, just in case Chase decides to change this policy in the future.
Does Chase Sapphire partner with Southwest?But there's another credit that can also benefit many Southwest flyers: the Chase Sapphire Preferred Card, which has a 60,000 point sign-up bonus when you spend $4,000 in the first three months. You can use it to book discounted flights on Southwest as well as many other airlines.
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Transfer southwest points to chase sapphire reserve
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