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Earn up to 120,000 points. Earn 80,000 points after you spend $5,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening and an additional 40,000 points when you spend $15,000 in 9 months.
Credit Score ranges are based on FICO? credit scoring. This is just one scoring method and a credit card issuer may use another method when considering your application. These are provided as guidelines only and approval is not guaranteed.
Our quick take: The Southwest? Rapid Rewards? Performance Business Credit Card provides a suite of benefits for business owners who fly Southwest.
Pros:
- Earn 4 points for every dollar you spend on Southwest Airlines? purchases, 3 points per dollar on purchases made with Rapid Rewards? hotels and car rental partners, 2 point per dollar on social media and search engine advertising, 2 points per dollar on internet, cable and phone services, 2 points per dollar on local transit and commuting, and 1 point per dollar on all other purchases
- All points earned with your credit card count toward the Southwest Companion Pass, including the points earned with your welcome offer
- 9,000 bonus points every year on your cardmember anniversary (starting the second year you’re a card holder)
- Up to $100 Global Entry, TSA PreCheck? or NEXUS application fee credit
- Four upgraded boarding per year, when available
- In-flight Wi-Fi credits
- Earn tier-qualifying points towards A-List status
- No blackout dates or seat restrictions when redeeming points
- Points earned never expire
- Shopping protection benefits
- No foreign transaction fees
Cons:
- Not as many travel protection benefits as other Chase credit cards
- No introductory rate on purchases or balance transfers
- $199 annual fee
Current welcome bonus: Earn up to 120,000 points. Earn 80,000 points after you spend $5,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening and an additional 40,000 points when you spend $15,000 in 9 months.
Best for: Business owners who fly Southwest often enough to use the many benefits that come with the card — such as upgraded boarding positions and inflight Wi-Fi credits. It’s also a good option for those looking to earn qualifying points toward the Southwest Companion Pass.
We receive compensation from our partners for Featured Offer placements, which impacts how and where their offer is displayed.
Earn 90k bonus points after you spend $8,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening. That’s $900 cash back or $1,125 toward travel when redeemed through Chase Travel?
Credit Score ranges are based on FICO? credit scoring. This is just one scoring method and a credit card issuer may use another method when considering your application. These are provided as guidelines only and approval is not guaranteed.
Digging into the Southwest Performance Business credit card
The Southwest? Rapid Rewards? Performance Business Credit Card is the most expensive card out of the five Southwest credit cards currently available, but it also provides the most benefits.
With its $199 annual fee, you’ll earn 9,000 bonus points on every card holder anniversary (worth $126 toward Southwest travel), four upgraded boarding positions (worth between $120 and $200) and inflight Wi-Fi credits (worth $96 if you’re flying Southwest round trip on average every other month).
On a conservative basis, those benefits are worth $342 if you can take advantage of all of them, though that’s starting with your second year as a card holder since the 9,000 annual bonus points won’t hit your account until you’ve already had the card for a year.
But that also doesn’t take into account the Global Entry, TSA PreCheck or NEXUS fee credit you’ll receive once every four years. Even if you’re already enrolled in one of these two programs, you can always use the credit for a friend or family member’s application. Just pay their application fee with your Southwest? Rapid Rewards? Performance Business Credit Card and it will be reimbursed as a statement credit.
These money-saving benefits give the Southwest? Rapid Rewards? Performance Business Credit Card a leg up when compared to the Southwest? Rapid Rewards? Premier Business Credit Card, but they might only be worth it if you fly Southwest at least a few times per year.
The card also gives you the opportunity to earn qualifying points toward a Southwest Companion Pass, along with tier points toward A-List elite status. You’ll receive 10,000 Companion Pass qualifying points every year you have the card, and all points you earn with the card also count as Companion Pass qualifying points. Even the welcome bonus — currently worth up to 120,000 points: 80,000 points after you spend $5,000 on purchases in the first three months from account opening and an additional 40,000 points when you spend $15,000 in nine months — counts toward earning the pass.
Advantages of the Southwest Performance Business credit card
The best benefit of the Southwest? Rapid Rewards? Performance Business Credit Card for many travelers is the opportunity to earn qualifying points towards the Southwest Companion Pass. To get the pass, you need to earn 135,000 qualifying points in a calendar year. But when you factor in the current welcome bonus of up to 120,000 points: 80,000 points after you spend $5,000 on purchases in the first three months from account opening and an additional 40,000 points when you spend $15,000 in nine months, you’re already getting close to the threshold.
You can earn the remaining 15,000 qualifying points by spending on the Southwest? Rapid Rewards? Performance Business Credit Card, as well as with partner activities like shopping through the Rapid Rewards Shopping portal. If your business requires lots of spending, earning the pass shouldn’t be a difficult task.
Additionally, the Southwest? Rapid Rewards? Performance Business Credit Card can help you earn A-List or A-List Preferred status. You’ll earn 1,500 Tier Qualifying Points (TQPs) for every $10,000 you spend on the card in a calendar year. You need to earn 35,000 TQPs per year to earn A-List status, or 70,000 TQPs to earn A-List Preferred. If you’re a business traveler who’s on the road often, having Southwest’s A-List status can make your travel experience more seamless.
Another great perk of the Southwest? Rapid Rewards? Performance Business Credit Card is the upgraded boarding positions. Since Southwest has an open seating policy — meaning the airline doesn’t assign seats ahead of time — boarding the plane first is crucial to getting your ideal seat. With this benefit, when you purchase an A1 through A15 boarding position at the gate (if available) and pay the fee with your Southwest? Rapid Rewards? Performance Business Credit Card, you’ll be reimbursed for the cost, up to four times per calendar year. These upgraded boarding positions typically cost between $30 and $50 per flight.
You can also receive up to 365 inflight Wi-Fi credits per year. Southwest charges $8 per flight for Wi-Fi access, so this could save you money depending on how often you fly with the airline. You just have to pay for the Wi-Fi pass with your Southwest? Rapid Rewards? Performance Business Credit Card to be reimbursed.
Disadvantages of the Southwest Performance Business credit card
Unfortunately, you won’t get a great return on your everyday purchases with the Southwest? Rapid Rewards? Performance Business Credit Card. Southwest points are typically worth around 1.4 cents apiece when redeemed for the airline’s Wanna Get Away fares, so you’re earning only a 1.4% return on any purchases that earn one point for every dollar you spend. Compare that to the many cards out there that earn a 2% return on all purchases.
Also, there are other business credit cards with more robust bonus categories. For example, the Ink Business Preferred? Credit Card earns 3 points per dollar on the first $150,000 spent each account anniversary year in combined purchases on travel, shipping, internet, cable and phone services, advertising purchases made with social media sites and search engines. And while the Southwest? Rapid Rewards? Performance Business Credit Card earns 4 points per dollar on Southwest travel, it’s limited to travel on that one specific airline.
Another downside of the card is that you won’t receive the same travel protection benefits that come with many other Chase business credit cards. While the Southwest? Rapid Rewards? Performance Business Credit Card offers some travel benefits, such as auto rental collision damage waiver on business trips, baggage delay insurance, lost luggage insurance and travel accident insurance, it doesn’t include trip delay or trip cancellation and interruption insurance.
Other credit cards similar to the Southwest Performance Business credit card
If you’re looking to earn Southwest points toward travel but you don’t need all of the benefits that come with the Southwest? Rapid Rewards? Performance Business Credit Card, you might consider the Southwest? Rapid Rewards? Premier Business Credit Card.
This is Southwest’s other business credit card, and it has a smaller $99 annual fee. Its main perks include 6,000 points on your card holder anniversary (worth about $84 toward Southwest travel), the opportunity to earn Tier Qualifying Points and no foreign transaction fees. And like all Southwest credit cards, points earned from spending money on the Southwest? Rapid Rewards? Premier Business Credit Card count toward the Southwest Companion Pass.
We receive compensation from our partners for Featured Offer placements, which impacts how and where their offer is displayed.
Earn up to 120,000 points. Earn 60,000 points after you spend $3,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening and an additional 60,000 points when you spend $15,000 in 9 months.
Credit Score ranges are based on FICO? credit scoring. This is just one scoring method and a credit card issuer may use another method when considering your application. These are provided as guidelines only and approval is not guaranteed.
If you don’t need a Southwest-specific card but still want to earn points that you can redeem for Southwest flights, the Ink Business Preferred? Credit Card is still a great pick. Chase Ultimate Rewards? points earned with the card can be transferred directly to your Southwest account at a 1-to-1 ratio, meaning 1,000 Ultimate Rewards points are equal to 1,000 Southwest points.
You can also transfer those Ultimate Rewards points to 13 other airlines and hotels, or redeem them through the Ultimate Rewards travel portal. However, points transferred to Southwest from the Ink Business Preferred? Credit Card will not count toward the Companion Pass.
Should you get the Southwest Performance Business credit card?
If you’re a frequent Southwest flyer looking to accumulate more Southwest points, then yes, the Southwest? Rapid Rewards? Performance Business Credit Card is a great option to have — especially with its current welcome bonus of up to 120,000 points: 80,000 points after you spend $5,000 on purchases in the first three months from account opening and an additional 40,000 points when you spend $15,000 in nine months. Not only will you earn more points on your Southwest purchases, but you’ll also get many money-saving perks like upgraded boarding positions and inflight Wi-Fi credits that can offset the annual fee in no time.
Plus, if your business spends a hefty amount on credit cards each year, earning the Southwest Companion Pass shouldn’t be a difficult task either. And depending on how often you fly, the pass could decrease your overall travel budget on a yearly basis.
Editorial Disclaimer: Opinions expressed here are the author's alone, not those of any bank, credit card issuer, airlines, hotel chain, or other commercial entity and have not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by any of such entities.
This content is for educational purposes only and is not intended and should not be understood to constitute financial, investment, insurance or legal advice. All individuals are encouraged to seek advice from a qualified financial professional before making any financial, insurance or investment decisions.
Note: While the offers mentioned above are accurate at the time of publication, they're subject to change at any time and may have changed or may no longer be available.
