Southwest Priority Visa Changes Are Coming Soon

With all of the happenings at Southwest Airlines, it was only a matter of time before we saw adjustments to their co-branded credit cards. Well, it seems that Southwest Priority Visa changes are coming soon, as Chase is sending out surveys to select exiting cardholders to get their thoughts on their proposed options. 

The Southwest Rapid Rewards Priority Visa is one that I keep in my collection. I almost never use it, but it makes sense for me to have because 7,500 points it gives you on your cardholder anniversary, $75 in annual Southwest statement credits, and its four yearly Upgraded Boarding certificates. All of these benefits make it very easy to make up the $149 annual fee. But, now that Southwest Priority Visa changes are coming soon, this value proposition is very likely to change. 

Southwest Priority Visa Changes Are Coming Soon

As I covered above, the value this card provides is exceptional, even if you fly Southwest only a couple of times per year. But, now that Southwest Priority Visa changes are coming soon, how will that change? 

Well, let’s take a look at the proposed changes, per Doctor of Credit:

• Select a Standard seat or Preferred seats at booking
• Upgrade to Extra Legroom seat at 48 hours prior to 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 free for Cardmembers and up to 8 additional passengers on the same reservation (as of 5/28/25, your first checked bag is $35, and your 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 inflight 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

The first two changes are those that I was most curious about, as these appear to be what are replacing the current Upgraded Boarding benefit. I do like the ability to choose preferred seats at booking and extra legroom ones 48 hours before departure, though the checked bag benefit is an ugly reminder of how far Southwest has fallen. 

The additional TQPs is also a nice bonus for those who actually use the card, as are the addition of gas stations and restaurants as bonus categories. However, the potential loss of of transit/commuting and telecom categories is a bummer. 

What’s, perhaps, even more alarming, though, is the potential loss of the $75 Southwest statement credit – especially in the face of the $80 annual fee increase. 

Final Thoughts

I know what you all want to know – now that Southwest Priority Pass visa changes are coming soon, and since we now know what those changes could be, do I think it’s worth keeping? In all honesty, I’ve been debating about getting rid of the card, regardless of coming changes. With the changes being made at Southwest, it completely loses its value proposition, especially now that Hawaiian Airlines is part of the Alaska Air Group. 

That said, the thing that has prevented me from canceling the card when the renewal came up this year are the annual points, statement credits, and upgraded boarding benefits. Thanks to these, this is the PERFECT card for my intra-Hawai’i travels, especially since I only do so once a year. But if any of those three benefits go away, especially with an annual fee hike, would make this card an absolute no-go for me. Even if those benefits don’t change, though, drastic changes to Rapid Rewards could push my hand, too.