By Joseph Hellman-Benjamin, Founder and CEO of The Points King. Last updated: October 12, 2026. Editorial Policy
Is the Southwest Priority card worth the $229 annual fee? For anyone who checks a bag on Southwest a few times a year, usually yes. The card returns 7,500 points every anniversary (about $94 at The Points Guy’s October 2026 value), a free first checked bag for you and up to eight people on your reservation, a Preferred seat at booking and free Extra Legroom upgrades within 48 hours when seats are open. Southwest’s first bag now costs $45 each way, so two round trips with one bag, or one round trip for two people, covers what is left of the fee after the points.
I am Joseph Hellman-Benjamin, and I have run The Points King since 2017. We buy Rapid Rewards points, so I follow what Southwest does to them closely, and 2025 and 2026 changed almost everything about flying Southwest. There are no affiliate links on this site, and the card details below are from Chase’s card page, read on October 12, 2026.
The Card at a Glance
| Item | What Chase publishes |
|---|---|
| Annual fee | $229 |
| New cardmember offer | 60,000 points after $2,000 in purchases in the first 3 months |
| Earning | 4 points per $1 on Southwest, 2 at gas stations and restaurants, 1 on everything else |
| Anniversary bonus | 7,500 points each year |
| Checked bag | First bag free for the cardmember and up to 8 others on the same reservation |
| Seats | Preferred seat at booking when available; Extra Legroom at no charge within 48 hours of departure when available |
| Boarding | Group 5, for you and up to 8 others on the reservation |
| Companion Pass | 10,000 qualifying points added each year |
| A-List | 2,500 tier qualifying points for every $5,000 spent |
| Foreign transaction fees | None |
What Changed at Southwest, and Why It Matters for This Card
- July 24, 2025: Chase rebuilt the card. The fee rose from $149 to $229 (existing cardholders pay it from their 2026 anniversary), Southwest earning rose from 3 to 4 points a dollar, and the free bag, seat and boarding benefits were added. The $75 Southwest travel credit and four upgraded boardings ended on December 31, 2025 (The Points Guy).
- May 28, 2025: Southwest started charging for checked bags on most fares.
- January 27, 2026: assigned seating began. Seats are Standard, Preferred or Extra Legroom, and boarding runs in groups 1 to 8 (Southwest).
- April 9, 2026: bag fees rose to $45 for the first bag and $55 for the second on tickets bought from that date, which Southwest put down to fuel costs (Southwest; TravelPulse).
Before 2025 a Southwest card was mostly about points. Now it is mostly about bags and seats, which is why the Priority card’s value depends on how often you fly and how many people you fly with.
The Math on the $229 Fee
Start with the anniversary bonus. 7,500 points at 1.25 cents each (The Points Guy, October 2026) is about $94; NerdWallet’s 1.4 cents puts it at $105. That leaves roughly $125 to $135 of the fee to earn back.
- Bags: one checked bag round trip saves $90. Two round trips alone, or one trip for two people, covers the rest of the fee.
- Seats: The Points Guy saw Extra Legroom seats priced at $78 to $84 drop to $0 for a Priority cardholder at the 48-hour mark (June 1, 2026). Availability is not guaranteed.
- Earning: 4 points a dollar on Southwest purchases, on top of what the fare earns.
One Southwest round trip a year with no bag does not justify $229. A family that flies Southwest twice a year with bags gets several times the fee back.
Priority vs. Plus vs. Premier
| Plus | Premier | Priority | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Annual fee | $99 | $149 | $229 |
| Anniversary points | 3,000 | 6,000 | 7,500 |
| Southwest earning | 2 per $1 | 3 per $1 | 4 per $1 |
| Free first bag, you plus 8 | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Seats | Standard, within 48 hours | Preferred, within 48 hours | Preferred at booking; Extra Legroom within 48 hours |
| A-List points per $5,000 | None | 1,500 | 2,500 |
From Chase’s Plus, Premier and Priority pages. All three give Group 5 boarding and the 10,000 point Companion Pass boost. If bags are the only reason you want a card, the $99 Plus does that job; the Priority is for people who care about seats and earning.
Companion Pass and A-List
For 2026 the Companion Pass takes 135,000 qualifying points or 100 one-way flights in a calendar year; A-List takes 35,000 tier qualifying points or 20 flights (Southwest). The card’s 10,000 point boost covers about 7% of the Companion Pass, and $5,000 of spending earns 2,500 toward A-List. Helpful, but spending alone will not get most people there.
Who Should Skip It
- You fly Southwest once a year or less.
- You never check a bag and do not care where you sit.
- You already hold a Southwest personal card, or received a bonus on one recently; Chase says the offer is not available to you.
- You want points that move to other airlines. Rapid Rewards stay with Southwest; for flexible points see airline miles vs. credit card points.
For other options, see our list of the top airline credit cards.
If You Have Rapid Rewards Points You Will Not Use
Brokers, The Points King included, buy Rapid Rewards points for cash, and Southwest forbids it: its Rapid Rewards terms say “at no time may a Member sell, purchase, redeem, broker, or barter their points,” that sold points are void, and that the account can be closed. Read the risks of selling miles and points first, then see selling Southwest points.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the annual fee on the Southwest Priority card?
$229, since Chase’s July 2025 changes. It was $149 before.
How many people get a free checked bag?
You and up to eight others on the same reservation, one standard bag each, on flights Southwest operates. Add your Rapid Rewards number when you book.
How much is a checked bag on Southwest now?
$45 for the first bag and $55 for the second on tickets bought from April 9, 2026, on most fares.
Does the Southwest Priority card come with a Companion Pass?
No. It adds 10,000 qualifying points toward the pass each year. The 2026 requirement is 135,000 points or 100 flights.
Do Priority cardholders get free Extra Legroom seats?
When available, within 48 hours of departure, for you and up to eight others on the reservation.
Does it charge foreign transaction fees?
No.
Sources
- Chase: Southwest Rapid Rewards Priority Credit Card, read October 12, 2026
- Chase: Southwest Plus card, read October 12, 2026
- Chase: Southwest Premier card, read October 12, 2026
- Southwest: travel fees, read October 12, 2026
- Southwest: boarding process, read October 12, 2026
- Southwest: 2026 tier and Companion Pass qualification, read October 12, 2026
- Southwest: Rapid Rewards terms, read October 12, 2026
- The Points Guy: Southwest card refresh, July 24, 2025
- The Points Guy: free Extra Legroom with the Priority card, June 1, 2026
- TravelPulse: Southwest raises bag fees, April 8, 2026
- The Points Guy: monthly valuations, October 1, 2026
Update Log
- October 12, 2026: rewritten in my own words. Added the April 2026 bag fee increase, the fee math, a comparison with the Plus and Premier cards, 2026 Companion Pass and A-List levels, and a timeline of Southwest’s changes; removed a video link.
- October 10, 2026: checked against Chase’s card page.