Best Southwest Credit Card Offers

You need a minimum credit score of at least 700 to be approved for a Southwest Airlines credit card, which is considered good credit. If your credit score is below the threshold needed for a Southwest Airlines credit card, it's best to wait to apply until you meet the credit score requirement. You can check your credit score for free on WalletHub.

Southwest Airlines Credit Score Requirements by Card

• Southwest Rapid Rewards® Plus Credit Card: 700+ (Good credit)
• Southwest Rapid Rewards® Priority Credit Card: 700+ (Good credit)
• Southwest Rapid Rewards® Premier Credit Card: 700+ (Good credit)
• Southwest® Rapid Rewards® Performance Business Credit Card: 700+ (Good credit)
• Southwest® Rapid Rewards® Premier Business Credit Card: 700+ (Good credit)

Your credit score is an important factor, but there are plenty of other things that will impact your chances of being approved for a Southwest Airlines credit card, too. Some other key criteria include your income, existing debt load, number of open credit accounts, recent credit inquiries, employment status and housing status.

It is hard to get a Southwest credit card because they require at least good credit for approval. Unless your credit score is 700 or higher and you have a lot of income, it will be difficult for you to get approved for a Southwest credit card credit card.

Minimum Credit Score for Notable Southwest Credit Cards

• Southwest Rapid Rewards® Plus Credit Card: Good credit
• Southwest Rapid Rewards® Premier Credit Card: Good credit
• Southwest Rapid Rewards® Priority Credit Card: Good credit
• Southwest® Rapid Rewards® Performance Business Credit Card: Good credit

Keep in mind that while the credit score requirement is the main thing that makes a Southwest credit card credit card hard to get, there are other requirements you will have to meet to get approved. As with all credit cards, you'll need to have a steady income that's big enough to handle the card's credit limit, and you must be at least 18 years old.

Finally, it's important to note that even if you exceed all of the requirements to get a Southwest credit card, you're never guaranteed to get approved, though your odds are good.

The number of points you need for a free flight on Southwest Airlines can be anywhere between 6,600 and 58,000 for a one-way economy class ticket in high season.

Here are some examples of point requirements for common flights so you can have a broader idea about what to expect:

• New York to Los Angeles: about 21,000 points
• New York to Chicago: about 6,600 points
• New York to Cancun: about 33,600 points
• Los Angeles to Orlando: about 20,000 points
• Los Angeles to Cancun: about 58,000 points

For loyal Southwest flyers, a Southwest credit card can help you earn points and get free flights faster. Most Southwest credit cards are offering initial bonuses for spending a certain amount within a few months of opening an account. Such a bonus alone could get you a free flight or two. You need at least good credit to get approved for a Southwest credit card.

The Southwest credit card balance transfer offer gives you 1 point / $1 transferred – up to $10,000 or $15,000, depending on the card – but requires you to pay a balance transfer fee: Either $5 or 5% of the amount of each transfer, whichever is greater. Plus, the interest for balance transfers is 18.24% - 25.24% (V), depending on credit standing. There is no 0% introductory APR with a Southwest credit card balance transfer.

The Southwest credit cards' balance transfer offer is unique in that you earn rewards. Don't let that sway you too much, though. Southwest points are worth around 1.5 cents each. All in all, it is better to use a good 0% APR balance transfer credit card. This can save you much more than Southwest's balance transfer rewards.

Here is more on Southwest credit card balance transfers:

• Balance transfers, including fees and interest, cannot exceed $15,000 or your available credit limit, whichever is less.
• The Southwest credit cards' balance transfer APR is 18.24% - 25.24% (V), depending on your creditworthiness.
• You earn 1 point / $1 transferred, up to $15,000 with the Southwest Rapid Rewards® Premier Credit Card, the Southwest® Rapid Rewards® Premier Business Credit Card, and the Southwest® Rapid Rewards® Performance Business Credit Card. Or, up to $10,000 with the Southwest Rapid Rewards® Priority Credit Card and the Southwest Rapid Rewards® Plus Credit Card. Transfers must be completed within 90 days of account opening to be eligible.
• It may take up to three weeks to set up a new account and process any balance transfers. Keep paying your original lender in the meantime.

The Southwest Airlines credit cards accept balance transfers from other credit cards (except those issued by Chase), car loans, student loans, personal loans and more. The Southwest Premier Card, the Southwest Priority Card, and the Southwest Plus Card offer plenty of incentives for airline travelers. There's an initial bonus of 50,000 points, free annual frequent-flyer points and 2 points / $1 spent to 3 points / $1 spent on Southwest Airlines purchases. But if you're interested in balance transfers with a low APR, there are cards out there better for that purpose.

For airline cards, the JetBlue Plus Card has an intro APR of 0% for 12 months on balance transfers (18.24% - 27.24% (V) after that), with a 5% (min $5) balance transfer fee. Good general balance transfer cards include the Wells Fargo Reflect® Card, which offers an into APR of 0% for up to 21 months from account opening on qualifying balance transfers (15.24% - 27.24% Variable after that). The card's balance transfer fee is: 3% intro for 120 days, then up to 5% (min $5). The Citi® Diamond Preferred® Card gives you an intro APR of 0% for 21 months on balance transfers (15.99% - 25.99% (V) after that), but there's a 5% (min $5) transfer fee.

You can't use Southwest points to book a hotel room at the moment. Southwest has temporarily paused the ability to redeem points for hotel stays or any of the "More Rewards" redemption options due to Covid. This includes merchandise, international flights on global carriers, rental cars, gift cards and exclusive cardmember experiences.

For now, the only way to redeem your Southwest points is for Southwest flights.

Southwest points do not expire as long as the Southwest account is open and in good standing. The only time Southwest points expire is when you or Southwest closes the account without first redeeming unused rewards.

When Southwest points will expire:

• When you close your account.
• If Southwest closes the account for you.

Even though Southwest points do not expire, it's still a good idea to avoid building up a big Southwest rewards balance because that would make you more vulnerable to rewards devaluation.

If you're trying to choose an airline rewards program and are concerned about rewards expiration policies, you can see how the Southwest points expiration policy compares to other popular companies' policies in the table below.

Southwest Points Expiration vs. The Competition 

To change a Southwest flight reservation:

1. Go to the Southwest Airlines "Change Flight Reservation" page.
2. Input the confirmation number and the first and last name of the person who originally booked the flight.
3. Check the box next to each flight you want to change.
4. Input the new dates and destinations, then click “Select New Flights.”
5. Look at the available options and select your new flight.
6. Review your changes and click “Continue.”
7. Click “Purchase” to complete the transaction.

You will receive a confirmation email containing new flight information after completing these steps. Alternatively, you can change your flight by calling Southwest's reservation department at (800) 435-9792 no later than 10 minutes before your original departure. The representative will ask for your confirmation number, so have it ready. You must also provide the first and last name of the person who originally booked the flight.

Southwest never charges any fee to change your flight reservation. You may be asked to pay the difference in fare if the new flight you're choosing is more expensive than your original booking. But if your new flight costs less, you'll be refunded the difference.

No, there is no Southwest credit card with no annual fee. More specifically, the Southwest credit cards' annual fees range from $69 to $149. For comparison, the average credit card annual fee on the market is $21 right now.

Southwest Credit Cards Annual Fees

• Southwest Rapid Rewards® Plus Credit Card: $69
• Southwest Rapid Rewards® Premier Credit Card: $99
• Southwest Rapid Rewards® Priority Credit Card: $149

Even though all of the Southwest credit cards currently have annual fees, they come with plenty of benefits, like 2 free checked bags and upgraded boarding, to make that fee worth it for frequent Southwest Airlines flyers. Moreover, all Southwest credit cards come with good signup bonuses, and they also offer good ongoing rewards rates.

Ultimately, if you are a frequent traveler and looking for a card that doesn't charge annual fees, you're not out of luck. You can check out some great travel credit cards with no annual fee to weigh your options.

The Southwest credit card foreign transaction fee is either $0 or 3% of each transaction in U.S. dollars, depending on the card. More specifically, the Southwest Rapid Rewards® Plus Credit Card card's foreign transaction fee is 3% of each transaction in U.S. dollars. The other Southwest credit cards have no foreign fees.

Southwest credit card foreign transaction fees:

• Southwest Rapid Rewards® Priority Credit Card: $0 foreign transaction fee. $149 annual fee.
• Southwest Rapid Rewards® Premier Credit Card: $0 foreign transaction fee. $99 annual fee.
• Southwest® Rapid Rewards® Premier Business Credit Card: $0 foreign transaction fee. $99 annual fee.
• Southwest Rapid Rewards® Plus Credit Card: 3% of each transaction in U.S. dollars foreign transaction fee. $69 annual fee.

A Southwest credit card with no foreign transaction fee is well-suited for international travel, but only to certain locations. While Southwest doesn't exactly operate globally, they do offer flights to Mexico, Central America and the Caribbean. There are over 110 destinations total.

The Southwest credit cards give 2 points / $1 - 4 points / $1 spent on purchases made directly through Southwest Airlines. If you earn points on a Southwest credit card with a foreign transaction fee of $0, they won't be wiped out by a 3% charge.

Unfortunately, though, Southwest is one of the few major airlines that is not part of a big airline alliance. That means their points can't be transferred to partner airlines that could service other international destinations.

The latest Southwest Airlines credit card offer is up to 50,000 points bonus points for the Southwest Rapid Rewards® Plus Credit Card, the Southwest Rapid Rewards® Premier Credit Card, and the Southwest Rapid Rewards® Priority Credit Card cards.

Deals standard to all Southwest credit cards include 2 free checked bags on Southwest flights and 2 - 3 points per $1 spent on Southwest purchases. There's also bonus points every account anniversary. All Southwest cards come with lost luggage reimbursement, baggage delay insurance, purchase protection and extended warranty coverage.

Here are the Southwest credit cards deals:

• 2 free checked bags on Southwest flights, lost luggage & baggage delay insurance: All Southwest cards
• Extended warranty & purchase protection: All Southwest cards
• 3 points / $1 on Southwest purchases: All Southwest cards (except Southwest Plus Card whoch earns 2 points / $1 on Southwest purchases)
• 50,000 points for spending $1,000 in the first 3 months: Southwest Plus Card, Southwest Priority Card and Southwest Premier Card
• 80,000 points for spending $5,000 in the first 3 months: Southwest® Rapid Rewards® Performance Business Credit Card
• 60,000 points for spending $3,000 in the first 3 months: Southwest® Rapid Rewards® Premier Business Credit Card
• Extra points each account anniversary: 7,500 points with Southwest Priority Card, 6,000 points with Southwest Premier Card & Southwest® Rapid Rewards® Premier Business Credit Card and 3,000 points with Southwest Plus Card
• $75 annual Southwest travel credit: Southwest Priority Card
• 4 upgraded boardings per year: Southwest Priority Card

The best Southwest credit card deal overall is for the Southwest Priority Card card. In addition to 50,000 points, it gives you an automatic 7,500 points every account anniversary and a $75 annual travel credit. You also get 4 upgraded boardings every year, 2 free checked bags on Southwest flights, and 20% back on in-flight purchases. This card comes with a $149 annual fee.

There are several Southwest Airlines credit card promotions, including a big initial bonus for small business owners. The Southwest Premier Business Card credit card offers plenty more initial bonus points than all three personal cards and still only has a $99 annual fee.