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Chase Sapphire Preferred^® Card vs. Southwest Rapid Rewards^® Premier Credit Card: Two Great Cards for Different Kinds of Travelers

Southwest Premier is a great card if you fly Southwest regularly, while the Chase Sapphire Preferred offers a broader array of rewards for those who don't stick with just one airline.

By Christy Rakoczy

Edited by Steve Miller

Updated July 11, 2025

4.9

Generous welcome offer valued at up to $1,125 when redeemed via Chase Travel℠
High rewards on dining and bookings via Chase Travel
Up to 1.5x more value when redeeming points for travel through Chase Travel
Up to $50 in statement credits each account anniversary year for hotel stays booked through Chase Travel
Receive valuable travel protections like trip delay reimbursement and primary rental car insurance

4.5

Earn 50,000 bonus points after spending $1,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening
Earn 3X points for every $1 spent on most Southwest purchases, including Southwest Vacations®
Earn 6,000 points on each card anniversary date
No blackout dates
Your points don’t expire

Our view

My favorite travel cards come with hefty annual fees and airline lounge access. But not everyone needs or wants the premium perks that come with premium cards.

If you aren't ready to pay a big fee for a luxury experience, though, both the Southwest Rapid Rewards^® Premier Credit Card(Rates and fees) and Chase Sapphire Preferred^® Card (Rates and fees) are excellent cards with sub-$100 annual fees and plenty of travel benefits that ensure the cards provide excellent value.

While both cards are offered by Chase and both have a lot of perks, they're geared towards different kinds of travelers, so choosing between them is simple if you consider your spending and flying habits.

If you prefer to fly Southwest and want airline-specific perks, the Southwest Premier Card is the obvious choice. If you travel on lots of different airlines and also want some hotel benefits as well, the Chase Sapphire Preferred belongs in your wallet.

My favorite travel cards come with hefty annual fees and airline lounge access. But not everyone needs or wants the premium perks that come with premium cards.

How we evaluate products

Southwest Rapid Rewards^® Premier Credit Card vs. Chase Sapphire Preferred^® Card

	Southwest Rapid Rewards Premier 4.5 FinanceBuzz writers and editors score cards based on a number of objective features as well as our expert editorial assessment. Our partners do not influence how we rate products.	Chase Sapphire Preferred 4.9 FinanceBuzz writers and editors score cards based on a number of objective features as well as our expert editorial assessment. Our partners do not influence how we rate products.
FinanceBuzz value calculation¹ <p class="">These values are based on the <a href="https://financebuzz.com/financebuzz-credit-card-valuation">FinanceBuzz Credit Card Rewards Valuation Model</a>, which takes a look at rewards earned via spending, the welcome offer, and the annual fee. We used a valuation of 1 cent/point unless otherwise stated above. These are estimated values - your actual earnings will depend on how much you spend and in what categories.<br></p>	Year one value: $1,322 Year 2: $706 (Using 1.4 cents/point valuation)	Year one value: $1,674 Year two value: $789 (Using 1.25 cents/point valuation)
Annual fee	$99	$95
Welcome offer	Earn 50,000 bonus points after spending $1,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening	Earn 75,000 bonus points after you spend $5,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening
Earn rate	3X points on Southwest purchases; 2X points on Rapid Rewards hotel and car rental partners; local transit and commuting, including rideshare; and on internet, cable, phone services, and select streaming; plus 1X points on all other purchases	5X points on travel purchased through Chase Travel℠; 3X points on dining, select streaming services, and online groceries; 2X points on all other travel purchases, and 1X points on all other purchases
Notable travel benefits	2 EarlyBird check-ins annually 10,000 Companion Pass qualifying points boost annually No change fees Free first checked bag for card members and up to 8 passengers on the same reservation Earn unlimited tier qualifying points at a rate of 1,500 per $5,000 in spending	1:1 point transfer with airline and hotel partners Trip cancellation and insurance coverage Baggage delay insurance Auto rental coverage Trip delay reimbursement
Foreign transaction fees	None	None
Credit needed	Excellent, Good	Excellent, Good
		Apply now

When to go with the Southwest Rapid Rewards Premier

If you regularly fly Southwest, the Rapid Rewards Premier is a better choice for you than the Sapphire Preferred. Here's why this card's features stand out for frequent Southwest flyers.

More valuable rewards points for Southwest loyalists

Southwest Rapid Rewards points are generally valued at around 1.4 cents each, which is more than Chase Sapphire Preferred points are worth when redeemed through Chase's travel portal (though some redemptions could net you as much as 1.75 cents per point if they qualify for Points Boost).

What's more, you can also earn 1,500 Tier Qualifying Points for every $5,000 in spending you do on your card with no limit on the number of tier qualifying points you can earn. This can help you get to A-List status faster, which comes with substantial benefits, including:

Priority boarding
A free checked bag and a discounted $35 second checked bag
A 25% earning bonus on every qualifying flight to help you earn free travel faster
Access to Same-Day Standby, priority lanes, and express lanes
A dedicated customer service phone number for A-List members

By contrast, the Chase Sapphire Preferred's points are valued lower than the Southwest card's points, and while they transfer on a one-to-one basis with the Southwest Airlines Rapid Rewards program, there are no special opportunities to earn tier-qualifying points for any airline based on your spending levels on the Sapphire Preferred Card.

Major benefits for Southwest flyers

As a co-branded Southwest card, it's not surprising that Southwest Premier offers many perks to those traveling on Southwest Airlines. These benefits include:

Two opportunities for EarlyBird Check-in each year
10,000 Companion Pass qualifying points boosters each year. Companion Pass allows you to select a person to fly with you for free (not including taxes and fees)
Free checked bags for the card member and up to eight additional passengers on the same reservation. With Southwest now charging $35 for the first checked bag and $45 for the second for flights booked on or after May 28, 2025, this perk is a valuable one.

Since the Chase Sapphire Preferred doesn't have a close partnership with any particular airline, it doesn't offer these types of perks. Its travel benefits are more generic and apply to all travelers with a comprehensive array of travel insurance offerings standing out as its best benefit.

Cardmember anniversary gift

Southwest Rapid Rewards Premier cardholders receive 6,000 points every year on their cardmember anniversary.

This beats out the anniversary rewards offered by the Chase Sapphire Preferred, which is just up to $50 in statement credit that only applies to hotel stays that you purchase through Chase's travel portal over the course of the year.

Learn more in our Southwest Rapid Rewards Premier review

When to go with the Chase Sapphire Preferred

The Chase Sapphire Preferred card can be a better choice for anyone who doesn't fly Southwest specifically as its benefits are more broad rather than being focused on one particular airline.

Some of the features that make Chase Sapphire Preferred a better choice for those who travel with multiple airlines, or even via road trip, include the following.

Travel insurance protections

The Chase Sapphire Preferred Card shines when it comes to offering travel protections, providing virtually all the insurance products any traveler could want. These include:

Trip cancellation and trip interruption insurance
Baggage delay insurance
Travel and emergency assistance services
Purchase protection
Auto rental car coverage if you're renting a vehicle
Trip delay reimbursement
Extended warranty protection, which gives you an extra year of protection after the manufacturer's warranty runs out

While Southwest offers some insurance, including lost luggage reimbursement, baggage delay insurance, extended warranty coverage, and purchase protection, its offerings are not as comprehensive.

Complimentary DashPass Subscription

The Sapphire Preferred does a better job of providing non-travel-related benefits as well, including a complimentary subscription to DashPass.

This subscription, valued at $120 per year, allows you to pay lower service fees and has a $0 delivery fee on eligible orders for at least a year when you have food delivered. You can activate your DashPass benefit any time before December 31, 2027.

More opportunities to earn bonus rewards

While Southwest Premier earns 3X points on Southwest purchases, the Chase Sapphire Preferred provides more opportunities to earn extra rewards for a variety of different types of spending. The Sapphire Preferred's bonus multipliers are also higher.

With the Sapphire Preferred, for example, you can earn 5X points on travel purchased through Chase Travel℠; 3X points on dining, select streaming services, and online groceries; 2X points on all other travel purchases, and 1X points on all other purchases.

Since most people spend money on things beyond Southwest tickets, Chase is clearly the winner in terms of the ability to maximize extra bonus rewards.

Apply now | Learn more in our Chase Sapphire Preferred review

Alternative cards

Both the Southwest Premier and Chase Sapphire Preferred are mid-tier cards with an affordable annual fee and some generous perks — but nothing too luxurious.

There are also some other card options out there for those who either want a more entry-level (cheaper) alternative or a more exclusive (and expensive) offering.

Southwest Rapid Rewards^® Plus Credit Card

When you're looking for the best Southwest credit card, you have multiple choices.

The Southwest Rapid Rewards^® Plus Credit Card is the cheapest of the Southwest cards with a $69 annual fee. You can still earn 50,000 bonus points after spending $1,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening with this card, but many of the other perks aren't as generous as on the Southwest Premier.

For example, you'll get only 3,000 in annual anniversary points with this card instead of 6,000 with the Southwest Premier. You'll also earn 2X points per dollar spent on Southwest purchases instead of 3X, and you won't be able to earn the tier-qualifying points.

Consider how much spending you plan to do each year and the value of the extra rewards that come with the Premier card to see which is the best airline credit card for your situation.

Learn more in our Southwest Rapid Rewards Plus review.

Chase Sapphire Reserve^®

The Chase Sapphire Reserve is very different from the others mentioned on this list because it's a premium travel card. It comes with a $795 annual fee and charges $195 per authorized user, so it isn't a card for those focused on limiting spending.

However, it has ample benefits that may justify the fee, including:

Up to $300 in annual travel credits awarded on your anniversary as reimbursement for travel purchases charged to your card
The ability to earn 8x points on all purchases through Chase Travel℠ (including The Edit℠), 4x points on flights and hotels booked direct, 3x points on dining worldwide & 1x points on all other purchases
Complimentary access to over 1,300 airport lounges worldwide for you and two guests with Priority Pass™ Select
A statement credit once every four years, valued at up to $120, for Global Entry, TSA PreCheck®, or NEXUS so you can skip the line at security

These benefits are hard to beat as the statement credits alone can more than make up for the annual fee.

Learn more in our Chase Sapphire Reserve review.

FAQs

What airlines are available on Chase Sapphire Preferred?

Chase Sapphire Preferred offers a 1:1 points transfer opportunity with a variety of airline travel partners, including:

Aer Lingus, AerClub
Air Canada Aeroplan
British Airways Executive Club
Emirates Skywards®
Flying Blue AIR FRANCE KLM
Iberia Plus
JetBlue TrueBlue
Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer
Southwest Airlines Rapid Rewards®
United MileagePlus®
Virgin Atlantic Flying Club

The points also transfer to hotel travel partners.

Which credit card is best for Southwest Airlines?

The best credit card for Southwest Airlines depends on how willing you are to pay a higher annual fee and what kinds of cardholder perks you plan to take advantage of.

How do you transfer Chase points to Southwest?

You can transfer Chase points to Southwest by logging into your Chase Ultimate Rewards account and selecting the "Transfer points to partners" section in the app.

Bottom line

There are plenty of great travel credit cards out there, and both the Southwest Premier and the Chase Sapphire Preferred have some great benefits. You should explore both options and think about your spending and travel habits to see which makes sense.

If you aren't confident that either is the right choice, take the time to research your options and look for the best credit cards to meet your needs.

Great for Flexible Travel Rewards