Southwest Rapid Rewards Priority Visa Changes

We all know Southwest Airlines is going through major changes. For the most part, these changes are seen as ill-informed money grabs. But, to keep up with them, it’s inevitable that the Southwest Rapid Rewards Priority Visa changes would follow suit. And, I gotta say, this card has completely lost its appeal to all but the most hardcore Southwest customers. 

As it stands today, the Southwest Rapid Rewards Priority Visa is an excellent airline credit card to have. Though it carries a fairly hefty $149 annual fee, it’s very easy to make that fee back thanks to the generous benefits the card currently offers:

• $75 annual Southwest travel credit
• 7,500 Rapid Rewards points annually
• Four Upgraded Boardings every year
• 1,500 Tier Qualifying Points (TQPs) for every $10,000 spent
• 25% statement credits for in-flight purchases
• 3x points on Southwest purchases
• 2x points on local transit, commuting, rideshare; internet, phone service, cable, and select streaming services; and hotel and car spend with Rapid Rewards partners
• 1x points on everything else
• 10,000 TQPs annually just for having the card

However, as you can see, this card doesn’t quite work under Southwest’s new boarding model. Thus, a change is in order.

Rumored Southwest Rapid Rewards Priority Visa Changes

Back in May, I reported on a rumor that Southwest Rapid Rewards Priority Visa changes were coming soon. These rumored changes included:

• Select a Standard seat or Preferred seats at booking
• Upgrade to an Extra Legroom seat at 48 hours before departure, when available
• Cardmembers and up to 8 passengers in the same reservation will board with Group 5, giving them earlier access to overhead bins
• First checked bag is free for Cardmembers and up to 8 additional passengers on the same reservation (as of 5/28/25, the first checked bag is $35, and the second is $45). Cardholders will already receive one free checked bag, along with A-List members. A-List Preferred and Business Select passengers receive two free bags)
• No foreign transaction fees (no change) 
• 25% back on in-flight purchases (no change)
• 4 points per dollar on Southwest purchases (up from 3x today)
• 2 points per dollar spent at gas stations and restaurants (new bonus categories – does this replace transit/commuting and telecom?) 
• 2,500 Tier Qualifying Points towards A-List or A-List preferred loyalty status for every $5,000 spent (up from 1,500 TQPs)
• 7,500 anniversary points after your Cardmember anniversary (no change)
• Boost of 10,000 Companion Pass qualifying points every year (no change)
• $229 annual fee

As you can see, the above rumored changes address the boarding benefit and loss of free checked bags issues. Though cardholders boarding in Group 5 out of 8 seems a bit wild… But that’s a topic for a future post. At any rate, you can see that these changes to address Southwest’s self-inflicted issues came with a nasty rumored change – a $70 bump to the annual fee. 

The Actual Southwest Rapid Rewards Priority Visa Changes

Well… The above Southwest Rapid Rewards Priority Visa changes are now live. And, unfortunately, all of the above is true. But that’s not the complete story. We thought we knew that the 4 Upgraded Boardings benefit would be going away as part of the change to the overall boarding procedures; however, the earning structure of the card is also changing. Yes, it’s great that you now earn 4x points on Southwest purchases, plus 2x for gas stations and restaurants. However, the 2x bonuses for Rapid Rewards hotel and rental purchases, local transit/commuting/rideshares, and utilities are all going away as of December 31, 2025. 

What’s not explicitly pointed out on the website, but was at least communicated to me via a card benefits update email, is that the $75 annual Southwest travel credit is also going away at the end of the year. 

Although I find it amusing and somewhat disingenuous that, days after I received the above email notifying me that the bonus for local transit is being eliminated, Southwest (not Chase) sent me another email stating that I’m earning double points on local transit, without addressing the upcoming change. I know the investor-mandated changes have been throwing the airline into chaos… but, come on. 

Changing Calculus

With the Southwest Rapid Rewards Priority Visa changes, it’s clear that this card is no longer for everyone. It is more sharply focused on people who actually fly Southwest more than once or twice per year, as is the case for me. The loss of that credit, especially in light of the annual fee hike to $229, is particularly damning, in my opinion. Without knowing what the upcharge for the free upgrade to Preferred or Extra Legroom Seats is, it’s hard to tell exactly how much value the card will return. Even more so, since it’s difficult to say how much success one would have in obtaining those benefits. 

From what we know today, you’d have to fly seven flights with a checked bag to make back the annual fee. That’s not a whole lot of flying… But for someone like me? Nope. Not gonna happen. 

To be honest, the Premier Card is probably more my speed now, especially since it earns 2x points at grocery stores and restaurants. However, these earnings are capped at $8,000 in spending per year. Then you earn a measly one point per dollar. This card still comes with Group 5 boarding (as does the base Plus Card), and provides access to Preferred Seats within 48 hours of departure. It even comes with a 15% discount code, which the Priority doesn’t offer, all for $149 per year. 

Sure, you get fewer anniversary points (6,000) and earn less on Southwest purchases (3x) with the Premier, but that isn’t a huge difference to me. The Big loss here is that you don’t get to upgrade to Extra Legroom within 48 hours prior to departure. However, again, it’s difficult to say how usable this benefit will be, and it will vary with the market. 

My Plan

I’m absolutely going to dump my Southwest Rapid Rewards Priority Visa once my renewal comes up around mid-year next year. I primarily flew Southwest inter-island because they offered free checked bags, were often cheaper than Hawaiian, and because of the benefits the card used to offer. However, the shifting intra-Hawai’i travel landscape had me rethinking my travel habits:

• Huaka’i by Hawaiian Airlines provides me with a free checked bag and quarterly discounts
• Southwest has been reducing its schedule within the islands
• Hawaiian Air will soon share a loyalty program with Alaska Air

If the above was already tempting me to defect, the Southwest Rapid Rewards Priority Visa changes all but sealed the deal. There is no longer any benefit to me staying loyal to Southwest, especially not at $149 to $229 per year for the chance of getting a better seat, which I may only use one or two times per year. It makes more sense for me to spend that annual fee money on upgrading my seats on Hawaiian at the time of booking, while being able to enjoy their vastly more robust schedule. 

Southwest Rapid Rewards Priority Visa Changes, Final Thoughts

It’s no secret that I’m not a fan of the things happening at Southwest today. I was already contemplating my future with the airline, and the Southwest Rapid Rewards Priority Visa changes really made my decision that much easier. I’m sure they won’t miss my limited business, but I’m willing to bet there are many more who are/were just like me. Add to that the revolt from frequent fliers and more, and I think it’ll be interesting to see how Elliot’s strategy plays out. For me, it was a good run while it lasted, but now I’m going full-in on team Alaska-Hawaiian. 

So, what do you think of the Southwest Rapid Rewards Priority Visa changes? Do you like them? Or are they pushing you away from the airline?