Southwest Premier Business Card Review: Is The $149 Annual Fee Worth It?

The Southwest® Rapid Rewards® Premier Business Credit Card is the more basic of the two Southwest business cards. This card has a $149 annual fee, and gets you a handful of valuable benefits when you fly Southwest, including complimentary upgrades to Preferred seating within 48 hours of departure and a free checked bag, among other things. If you fly Southwest at least a few times a year and you qualify for a small business credit card, the Southwest Premier Business Card is worth considering. It’s worth an extra close look right now, because now is your last chance to earn a Southwest credit card welcome bonus that counts toward the airline’s valuable Companion Pass benefit. I’ll get into all that and more below in my comprehensive Southwest Premier Business Card review. Link: Learn more about the Southwest® Rapid Rewards® Premier Business Credit Card Southwest Premier Business Card summary & key details for November 2026Southwest Premier Business Card bonus, eligibility, & feesSouthwest Premier Business Card welcome bonusSouthwest Premier Business Card eligibility restrictions & rulesSouthwest Premier Business Card annual fee & authorized user feeSouthwest Premier Business Card foreign transaction feeSouthwest Premier Business Card rewards structureSouthwest Premier Business Card points earningSouthwest Premier Business Card status earningNo more Companion Pass qualification through welcome bonuses starting in 2027Redeeming points from the Southwest Premier Business CardSouthwest Premier Business Card perks & benefits6,000 Southwest anniversary bonus pointsA free checked bag on SouthwestComplimentary Preferred seat on Southwest15% flight discount each year on cardmember anniversaryEarly boarding on Southwest25% inflight savings on SouthwestIs the Southwest Premier Business Card worth it?Southwest Premier Business vs. Southwest Performance Business card comparisonThe better way to earn Southwest Rapid Rewards pointsSouthwest Premier Business Card FAQsBottom line Southwest Premier Business Card summary & key details for November 2026 Before getting into the Southwest Premier Business Card in detail, let’s take a broader look at the card’s main features: Southwest Premier Business Card annual fee: $149 Southwest Premier Business Card welcome offer: 60,000 points after you spend $3,000 in the first three months from account opening Southwest Premier Business Card earning rate: 3x points on Southwest purchases, 2x points at gas stations and restaurants (on the first $8,000 in combined purchases per anniversary year, then 1x points), and 1x points on all other purchases Southwest Premier Business Card foreign transaction fee: None Southwest Premier Business Card benefits with Southwest: First checked bag for free, complimentary Preferred seat within 48 hours prior to departure, board no later than Group 5, 15% flight discount each year on your cardmember anniversary, 25% back on inflight purchases, earn 2,000 Tier Qualifying Points toward status for every $5,000 spent on the card (through 2026), get 6,000 points every year on your cardmember anniversary Best for: Those who fly Southwest several times a year, can qualify for a business credit card, and want perks like early boarding and the ability to spend towards status I also put together my pros and cons for the Southwest Premier Business Card: Southwest Premier Business Card prosSouthwest Premier Business Card consStrong welcome bonusWelcome bonuses earned after 2026 won’t count toward Companion Pass qualificationElite-like perks including early boarding and complimentary Preferred seatsUnless you value the Southwest perks, earning Chase points and transferring to Southwest might make more sense6,000 anniversary points largely offset the annual feeFewer perks than the Southwest Performance Business Card Southwest Premier Business Card bonus, eligibility, & fees The Southwest Premier Business Card is Southwest’s entry-level business credit card. Let’s take a look at the welcome bonus, eligibility rules, and annual fee, given that these are factors that many people consider when applying for a card. Southwest Premier Business Card welcome bonus The Southwest Premier Business Card currently has a welcome bonus where you can earn 60,000 bonus points after spending $3,000 within the first three months. Southwest Rapid Rewards is a revenue-based frequent flyer program. Based on my latest miles & points valuations, I consider Rapid Rewards points to be worth 1.2 cents each, as that’s roughly the rate at which you can redeem points toward flights. So by my valuation, 60,000 Rapid Rewards points are worth ~$720. While this is a decent welcome offer, let me note that we’ve seen bigger limited time welcome offers in the past. So if you’re primarily after the best welcome offer, it could make sense to wait to apply. Redeem Rapid Rewards points for Southwest flights Southwest Premier Business Card eligibility restrictions & rules The welcome bonus on the Southwest Premier Business Card isn’t available to those who currently have this card, or those who have received a new cardmember bonus on this card in the past 24 months. However, you are eligible for this card (including the welcome bonus) if you have the Southwest® Rapid Rewards® Performance Business Credit Card (learn more), or any personal Southwest credit card. Also remember Chase’s general application rules, including the 5/24 rule, apply. With the 5/24 rule, you typically won’t be approved for a Chase card if you’ve opened five or more new card accounts in the last 24 months. However, business credit cards aren’t always included on your credit report, so they often don’t count toward 5/24. The Southwest Premier Business Card has a $149 annual fee. There’s no cost to add additional users to the card. You can set individual spending limits for additional cards, and you can earn points on their spending. Southwest Premier Business Card foreign transaction fee The Southwest Premier Business Card doesn’t charge any foreign transaction fees, so you can use it abroad without worrying about racking up extra charges. Southwest Premier Business Card rewards structure Obviously the rewards structure is an important factor to consider when applying for a credit card. So how does the Southwest Premier Business Card do on that front? In addition to offering bonus points in select spending categories, the card also offers the ability to earn status through spending, so let’s cover those details. Southwest Premier Business Card points earning As far as the rewards structure goes, the Southwest Premier Business Card offers: 3x points per dollar spent on Southwest Airlines purchases 2x points per dollar spent at gas stations and restaurants on the first $8,000 in combined purchases per anniversary year 1x points per dollar spent on all other purchases While these are some good bonus categories, I wouldn’t consider this to be an industry-leading rewards structure — there are better cards for airfare spending, and better cards for everyday spending. Based on my valuation of Southwest points at 1.2 cents each, using the Southwest Premier Business Card to book Southwest flights gets you a 3.6% return on spending, while the 2x and 1x categories get you 2.4% and 1.2% returns on spending, respectively. Southwest Premier Business Card status earning Spending on the Southwest Premier Business Card can count toward A-List elite status. Specifically, through the end of 2026 you can earn 2,000 Tier Qualifying Points (TQPs) toward A-List for every $5,000 you spend on the card. Starting in 2027, every dollar spent on the card will earn one TQP. A-List status ordinarily requires 35,000 TQPs per year, and offers perks like priority boarding, a 25% points bonus, same-day standby, priority check-in and security lane access, and a dedicated phone number. However, Southwest has announced some big changes to its loyalty program, including new status level names and the introduction of a third tier called Platinum. Starting in 2027, A-List status will become Silver status. Earning it will require 35,000 TQPs (unchanged) or 25 qualifying flights (up from 20 today). Personally I probably wouldn’t spend that much money on a credit card to earn A-List status, but for some people this could prove to be worthwhile, especially if you’re close to earning A-List status otherwise. No more Companion Pass qualification through welcome bonuses starting in 2027 One of the very best values in travel is the Southwest Airlines Companion Pass. With Southwest Companion Pass, you can have someone travel with you for the entire year (whether on a cash ticket or award ticket), and just pay taxes and fees for them. This is such an incredible deal, and basically doubles the value you can get from flying Southwest. The pass is valid for the rest of the calendar year in which you earn it plus the following full year, so the earlier in the year you earn it, the more it’s worth. Historically, you’ve been able to get the Companion Pass by earning 135,000 Rapid Rewards points in a calendar year — and Southwest credit card welcome bonuses counted toward this, along with referral bonuses, anniversary points, bonus points from spending on the card, and more. Starting January 1, 2027, though, this will no longer be the case. Southwest is updating its elite status program to have three tiers, the highest of which is called Platinum and gets you unlimited Companion Pass trips. At that time, credit card welcome bonuses and all the other points earning mentioned above will no longer count toward qualifying for the Companion Pass (or any level of status). To earn Platinum, and therefore the Companion Pass, you’ll instead need to earn 140,000 TQPs or take 100 qualifying flights. This change isn’t specific to the Southwest Premier Business Card; it applies to welcome bonuses across all Southwest credit cards. But the good news is that points from the current welcome bonus offer do count toward Companion Pass qualification for the rest of 2026 and through 2027, per Chase’s offer details, so now is your last chance to take advantage before this opportunity is closed. Redeeming points from the Southwest Premier Business Card I have an entire post on how to redeem Southwest Rapid Rewards points for maximum value, but I’ll briefly cover how redemptions work and how to get the most value out of your points here. Rapid Rewards is a revenue-based frequent flyer program, which means that the value you’ll get from your points is tied to the cash cost of Southwest tickets. That said, there are a few different levels, ranging from Basic tickets to Choice Extra fares, with Basic awards usually offering the highest redemption value. In my experience, the best-value Southwest point redemptions are usually for international routes to destinations like Costa Rica and Aruba. Southwest also flies to Hawaii, which can be a good use of points, but I’ve found that the redemption value is often a bit lower on these in-demand routes. And of course, if you have the Companion Pass your points become twice as valuable because a friend can travel for free minus taxes and fees. There are no change or cancellation fees on Southwest award bookings, and rebooking a fare when the price drops gets you a refund equal to any difference in points. Just note that Basic fares can only be changed by upgrading to a higher fare bundle, so for a cheaper Basic award you’d want to cancel and rebook rather than change your existing itinerary. Use Southwest Rapid Rewards points for travel to Hawaii Southwest Premier Business Card perks & benefits The Southwest Premier Business Card has a solid welcome bonus that’s especially valuable now that it’s your last chance to earn it and have it count toward the Companion Pass, but that’s not the only reason to consider this card. There are also several ongoing perks that can make your experience flying Southwest a little more comfortable. 6,000 Southwest anniversary bonus points One major ongoing perk of the Southwest Premier Business Card is that you earn 6,000 Rapid Rewards bonus points on your account anniversary every year. As mentioned above, I value Rapid Rewards points at around 1.2 cents each, so to me, that’s like $72 worth of value annually. Earn 6,000 anniversary Rapid Rewards bonus points A free checked bag on Southwest The Southwest Premier Business Card offers a free first checked bag for you and up to eight additional passengers on your same reservation. If you usually check bags on Southwest — especially if you don’t have Southwest status, which gets you a free first checked bag — this benefit alone can help you recoup the annual fee. For non-elite Southwest travelers, a checked bag costs $45 one-way, so you could save $90 on a roundtrip flight. With two roundtrip flights with checked bags in a year, that already cancels out the $149 annual fee. Complimentary Preferred seat on Southwest As a Southwest Premier Business cardholder, you can select a Preferred or Standard seat within 48 hours prior to departure, if they’re available. This benefit also extends to eight travelers on your same reservation. The cost for a Preferred seat can vary from $28 to nearly $50 depending on the flight. 15% flight discount each year on cardmember anniversary The Southwest Premier Business Card also gets you a 15% promo code each year on your account anniversary. You can use this to score a 15% discount on a Southwest flight, excluding Basic fares. This perk is another nice way the card can save you money when flying Southwest, especially if you book cash tickets in addition to award flights at least once a year. Early boarding on Southwest Southwest Premier Business cardholders can board with Group 5, or earlier if they have status or a fare that entitles them to a higher boarding group. This perk extends to eight additional travelers on the same reservation. 25% inflight savings on Southwest The Southwest Premier Business Card offers 25% savings on inflight Wi-Fi and drink purchases on Southwest. Just charge your card, and you’ll automatically receive a statement credit for 25% of the purchase total, which should appear within two billing cycles. The Southwest Premier Business Card offers a great welcome bonus, and the $149 annual fee can be largely offset by the 6,000 anniversary bonus points and other benefits. The welcome bonus can also go a long way toward earning the Companion Pass, which is all the more reason to get the card now before this opportunity ends. That said, I don’t necessarily think the Southwest Premier Business Card is a great pick for everyone. If you’re not loyal to Southwest or you split flying across multiple airlines, it’s probably not the best card for you. And if you want flexible points that you can redeem with a variety of airlines and hotels, it could also be best to skip this card. First, let me compare it to the more premium Southwest Performance Business Card, then I’ll share the points currency I recommend earning instead if you’re mainly concerned with booking award flights on Southwest, not extra perks with the airline. Southwest Premier Business vs. Southwest Performance Business card comparison The Southwest Performance Business Card (learn more) is the more premium sibling of the Southwest Premier Business Card. Overall it comes with more benefits — and in some cases enhanced versions of the same perks on the Southwest Premier Business Card. Here’s a quick overview of how the Southwest business credit cards compare: The Southwest Performance Business Card has a higher annual fee of $299 The Southwest Performance Business Card has a higher welcome bonus of 80,000 bonus points after you spend $5,000 on purchases in the first three months from account opening The Southwest Performance Business Card earns 4x points on Southwest purchases, 2x points at gas stations and restaurants with no category cap, 2x points on hotel accommodations booked directly with the hotel, 2x points on local transit and commuting, and 1x points on all other purchases The Southwest Performance Business Card offers 9,000 points every year on your cardmember anniversary (vs. 6,000 on the Southwest Premier Business Card) The Southwest Performance Business Card gets you complimentary Preferred seating at booking and extra legroom upgrades within 48 hours prior to departure The Southwest Performance Business Card has extra perks including a statement credit to reimburse the application fee for Global Entry, TSA PreCheck, or NEXUS once every four years The extra 3,000 anniversary points are worth $36 by my valuation, so you’d need roughly $9,500 in Southwest spending for the extra point per dollar to cover the rest of the $150 fee difference, before counting the seating and Global Entry perks. If you fly Southwest several times a year and you want as many perks and points as possible, the Southwest Performance Business Card could be worth the higher annual fee. More premium Southwest cards come with better perks The better way to earn Southwest Rapid Rewards points If your goal is to earn Southwest Rapid Rewards points, but you don’t actually plan on earning the Companion Pass or Southwest status, there’s a much faster way to earn those points. Chase Ultimate Rewards is a transfer partner with Southwest Rapid Rewards, and points transfer at a 1:1 ratio. You can earn points at a much faster rate with the following business cards: The Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card (learn more) offers 3x points on the first $150,000 spent in combined purchases annually on travel, shipping, internet, cable, and phone services, advertising purchases made with social media sites and search engines; the card has a $95 annual fee The Ink Business Cash® Credit Card (learn more) offers 5x points on the first $25,000 spent in combined purchases each anniversary year on cellular phone, landline, internet and cable TV services, plus 2x points on the first $25,000 spent in combined purchases each anniversary year on gas stations and restaurants; the card has no annual fee The Ink Business Unlimited® Credit Card (learn more) offers 1.5x points on all business purchases; the card has no annual fee Southwest Premier Business Card FAQs What are the benefits of the Southwest Premier Business Card? The benefits of the Southwest Premier Business Card include a strong welcome bonus, 3x points on Southwest purchases, 6,000 bonus points every year on your account anniversary, a free checked bag, complimentary Preferred seats within 48 hours prior to departure, and a 15% flight discount each year on your cardmember anniversary. Which Southwest business card is better: the Southwest Premier Business Card or the Southwest Performance Business Card? Whether the Southwest Premier Business Card or the Southwest Performance Business Card is better depends on how often you fly Southwest and what perks you value. The Southwest Premier Business Card has a lower $149 annual fee and offers a free checked bag, complimentary Preferred seats within 48 hours prior to departure, 3x points on Southwest purchases, and 6,000 points every year on your cardmember anniversary. The Southwest Performance Business Card has a higher annual fee of $299 and also offers a free checked bag, but it offers improved benefits including complimentary Preferred seats at booking, upgrades to extra legroom seats within 48 hours prior to departure, 9,000 points every year on your cardmember anniversary, and up to a $120 Global Entry, TSA PreCheck, or NEXUS application fee credit. What is the annual fee for the Southwest Premier Business Card? The Southwest Premier Business Card has a $149 annual fee. What credit score do I need for the Southwest Premier Business Card? There isn’t a specific minimum credit score requirement for the Southwest Premier Business Card, but you’ll have the best chances of getting approved with a credit score in the good to excellent range, ideally 700 or higher. Bottom line The Southwest Premier Business Card is a good entry-level Southwest Airlines business credit card with a nice welcome bonus. The current bonus can earn you a lot of travel on Southwest, and can even help you earn Companion Pass — but only if you earn the bonus under the current offer, before the 2027 program changes take effect. This card is definitely worth considering, though the only other consideration is that I think it could be worth paying the premium for the Southwest Performance Business Card, which has better ongoing perks. And earning Ultimate Rewards points with a Chase credit card could also make more sense unless you really value the Southwest-specific benefits. Which Southwest business credit card do you prefer?