{"id":365,"date":"2020-07-20T14:00:00","date_gmt":"2020-07-20T14:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/moneywithkatie.com\/priority\/"},"modified":"2025-09-05T19:51:05","modified_gmt":"2025-09-05T19:51:05","slug":"priority","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/moneywithkatie.com\/priority\/","title":{"rendered":"What to Do After You Get the Southwest Priority Card"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"

My Southwest Priority card poorly Photoshopped onto a picture I took at the Denver airport in November last year.<\/p><\/div>\n

\n

July 2020 [updated August 2020<\/em>]<\/h4>\n

Sometimes when I look at pictures from trips that occurred pre-Societal Meltdown 2020, I feel such an immense longing for the-way-things-used-to-be that I can hardly remember what a glorious time right now<\/strong> presents us with: the time to accumulate more sign-up bonuses, rake in points using the temporary COVID bonus categories, and try our luck with the retention departments and getting the annual fees waived \u2013 <\/em>more on that later.<\/p>\n

After all, I\u2019ve become a bit of a points hoarder given my inability to travel. Here\u2019s my current card breakdown, as an illustration:<\/p>\n

Chase Sapphire Preferred<\/strong><\/a> | 80,000 points (Tom has one, too)<\/p>\n

American Express Platinum<\/strong><\/a> | 2,000 points (I just blissfully blew through 50,000+ for our Vegas trip so now I\u2019m on a crusade to regain them)<\/p>\n

Marriott Bonvoy Boundless<\/strong><\/a> | 225,000 points (an almost embarrassingly high total; Tom has one, too)<\/p>\n

Southwest Airlines Rapid Rewards Priority<\/strong><\/a> | 115,000 points (sign-up bonus + points I\u2019ve earned and accumulated)<\/p>\n

The moral of the story is\u2026 I\u2019m going to go on the world\u2019s most baller vacation when all this is said and done. You\u2019ll notice Thomas, my boyfriend, has two of the four major cards I listed above \u2013 I\u2019m going to write an article soon for couples who want to hack travel together. Double the points, double the fun \u2013 and half the relationship trouble because travel = universal salve for COVID bickering.<\/p>\n

Now, to the Southwest Priority card in general\u2026<\/h4>\n

The Southwest Priority card launched in 2018, becoming the upper tier personal Southwest credit card. The other cards in the lineup include:<\/p>\n

    \n
  • \n

    Southwest Rapid Rewards Plus ($69 annual fee)<\/p>\n<\/li>\n

  • \n

    Southwest Rapid Rewards Premier ($99 annual fee)<\/p>\n<\/li>\n

  • \n

    Southwest Rapid Rewards Priority ($149 annual fee) <\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

    And I\u2019m not just recommending the Priority card because Southwest signs my paychecks (but also, hello, Gary Kelly, thank you). <\/p>\n

    If you fly Southwest often (or really, at all), this card will pay for itself after a few uses. <\/p>\n

    Upfront acquisition bonus<\/strong><\/p>\n

    All three cards offer the same sign-up bonus \u2013 at the time of this writing (August 2020), that bonus is 65,000 points. When I signed up, it was 75,000 points, and as a general rule, I\u2019d wait until the bonus hits 60,000 or higher to sign up. <\/p>\n

    That said, the sign-up bonus is always valuable regardless. The Points Guy values a single Southwest point at 1.5 cents, meaning 65,000 points is worth about $910 in air travel. <\/p>\n

    See why you\u2019d probably just be wise to pay an annual fee of $69-$149 to get the points, even if you don\u2019t intend to keep the card open for the rest of your life? <\/p>\n

    That said, the reason why you\u2019d be wise to opt for the Priority card is everything else it offers beyond the acquisition bonus on an annual basis.<\/p>\n

    Anniversary points<\/strong><\/p>\n

    Every year on your Cardmember anniversary, Southwest will deposit 7,500 points in your Rapid Rewards account (for the Priority). Compare this to the Plus (which earns 3,000) and the Premier (which earns 6,000) \u2013 that 7,500 annual drop is worth $112.50. <\/p>\n

    $149 – $112.50 = $36.50<\/p>\n

    Great, so we\u2019ve already gotten the fee reasoned down to $36.50. <\/p>\n

    Southwest annual travel credit<\/strong><\/p>\n

    (Billy Mays voice)<\/em> But wait, there\u2019s more! You also get a $75 travel credit with the Priority card, meaning your account will be reimbursed up to $75 when you use the card for Southwest purchases. <\/p>\n

    There\u2019s not much more to say other than\u2026 <\/p>\n

    $36.50 – $75 = ($38.50)<\/p>\n

    And just like that, only considering the top two benefits of the card, you\u2019re already $38.50 ahead on an annually repeatable basis \u2013 because again, we\u2019re not even taking into the account the $600-$1,125 in air travel you\u2019ll gain with the acquisition bonus right now.<\/p>\n

    Upgraded Boardings<\/strong><\/p>\n

    This perk, I\u2019ve found, is easy to forget if you\u2019re not frequently a Southwest high-roller snagging A5 left and right \u2013 which is why it\u2019s smart to plan ahead<\/em> once you get the Priority card for which trips you\u2019ll want to use this on.<\/p>\n

    Every year, your Priority card earns you four Upgraded Boardings. An Upgraded Boarding is something that\u2019s performed at the gate by your CSA if there are any A1-A15 boarding passes available (meaning you\u2019ll be one of the first 15 people on the plane to pick your seat). There usually are, as the only other way to get A1-A15 is purchase the most expensive fare class on Southwest, Business Select. <\/p>\n

    On average, one Upgraded Boarding is worth $40 depending on length of haul, but they range from $30-$50 one-way (see? Averages. #Math.).<\/p>\n

    You know where I\u2019m going with this.<\/p>\n

    $40 x 4 = $160 <\/p>\n

    We\u2019re already $38.50 ahead, and this catapults us forward to $198.50.<\/strong> <\/p>\n

    In other words, you get enough value to completely offset the annual fee of $149 and then an additional $198.50<\/strong> in value beyond that.<\/p>\n

    It\u2019s not that the other cards (Plus, Premier) aren\u2019t<\/em> valuable, but it\u2019s so much easier to justify the $149 annual fee since there are additional valuable perks beyond annual cardmember bonuses.<\/p>\n

    Now that you know why the Priority card is\u2026<\/h4>\n

    What should you do after you get yours?<\/p>\n

      \n
    1. \n

      Scream.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n

    2. \n

      Cry.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n

    3. \n

      Celebrate.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

      And after that, you can buckle down for #logistics.<\/p>\n

        \n
      1. \n

        Determine your spend threshold.<\/strong> It varies based on the sign-up bonus; with 65,000 points, it\u2019s only $2,000 in the first three months. If memory serves, I believe I had to spend $6,000 in six months for 75,000 points.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n

      2. \n

        Unless you have the Sapphire card or Platinum card,<\/strong> add and save the Priority card as your default card in your Rapid Rewards My Account so you can earn 2x points on your Southwest purchases.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n

      3. \n

        Use it for grocery stores right now <\/strong>\u2013 COVID bonus! You\u2019ll earn 5x points at supermarkets and gas stations.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n

      4. \n

        Start thinking about your next trip<\/strong> and use your card so you\u2019ll receive your $75 reimbursement early in the year and won\u2019t risk forgetting about it. <\/p>\n<\/li>\n

      5. \n

        Isolate any trips you have planned that are longer than 2.5 hours<\/strong>, if any \u2013 those are definitely worth using your Upgraded Boardings so you can snag a great seat, overhead bin space, and board first. Just use your card to purchase the UB at the gate and you\u2019ll be reimbursed.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

        Last thoughts<\/h4>\n

        If you like to use WiFi on the plane or drink tiny bottles of Tito\u2019s, remember that the Priority card earns 20% back on inflight purchases. WiFi is $8 and drinks are approx. $6\/each, so you\u2019re not going to save for retirement with your inflight kickbacks\u2026 but it\u2019s good to know. WiFi and two drinks would set you back $20, of which you\u2019d receive $4 credited back to you. Not bad. <\/p>\n

        Depending on when you plan to fly next, keep in mind it usually takes 2-3 credit card statements to earn the acquisition bonus. If you\u2019re trying to fly this fall and really need the points, I\u2019d apply now. Otherwise, wait until it goes up. Again, I\u2019ll keep y\u2019all in the loop as new offers come down the pipeline.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
        \n
        \n Learn more
        \n <\/a>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

        July 2020 [updated August 2020] Sometimes when I look at pictures from trips that occurred pre-Societal Meltdown 2020, I feel such an immense longing for the-way-things-used-to-be that I can hardly remember what a glorious time right now presents us with: the time to accumulate more sign-up bonuses, rake in points using the temporary COVID bonus […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":178814,"featured_media":2395,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"si-template-single-post-everyday-spending-and-budgeting.php","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[38],"tags":[45],"class_list":["post-365","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-travel-rewards","tag-everyday-spending-and-budgeting"],"yoast_head":"\nWhat to Do After You Get the Southwest Priority Card - Money with Katie<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/moneywithkatie.com\/priority\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"What to Do After You Get the Southwest Priority Card - 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