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Business travelers have another Southwest Airlines business credit card to fly with — the Southwest® Rapid Rewards® Performance Business Credit Card. This is the second Southwest business credit card offering (the other card is the Southwest® Rapid Rewards® Premier Business Credit Card). It offers premium air travel benefits including Upgraded Boardings and in-flight WiFi credits plus much more.
The Southwest Rapid Rewards Performance Business Credit Card
The annual fee for the Southwest® Rapid Rewards® Performance Business Credit Card is $199. However, additional employee cards are free plus there aren’t any foreign transaction fees. If you regularly use Upgraded Bookings and in-flight WiFi, you can quickly recoup the annual fee.
Travelers waiting for a business version of the personal Southwest Rapid Rewards® Priority Credit Card have now found what they are looking for.
Both cards are some of the best Southwest Airlines credit cards available.
80,000 Bonus Rapid Rewards
New Southwest® Rapid Rewards® Performance Business Credit Card card members can earn 80,000 points after spending $5,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening.
In many cases, you can squeeze 1.5 cents value for each point. This is one of the highest Southwest credit card bonus offers you will come across.
Plus, now can be the best time to try for this new credit card. Why? You can still enjoy the Southwest Companion Pass® for the rest of this year and all of next year. The sooner you earn the pass, the more time you’ll have to use it. As a pass holder, your travel companion flies for only the price of fees and tax (usually $5.60 each way) when you book your seat with cash or points.
And the 80,000-point signup bonus can be that boost you’re looking for to reach the annual 135,000-point requirement. However, note that this bonus offer is not available to current card members of this business credit card or previous card members of this business credit card who received a new card member bonus for this business credit card within the last 24 months.
If you are eligible and can meet the minimum spend requirement, you shouldn’t ignore this offer for the Southwest® Rapid Rewards® Performance Business Credit Card.
Related: How to Check Your Business Credit Score
Booking Southwest Award Flights
Thanks to Southwest’s generous award flight prices, you can get more mileage from each point than a legacy carrier’s frequent flyer mile.
Like any carrier, you may pay the fewest points for short-haul flights. For instance, you can fly one-way from Phoenix to Las Vegas for about 5,000 points plus $5.60. Because the cash price for these shorter flights is low, you may decide to save your points for longer routes.
A more glamorous example can be flying to Hawaii. One of the most affordable routes is San Jose, CA to Maui from a little over 15,000 points one-way plus $5.60 for their Wanna Get Away fare class. Because Southwest uses a floating award chart, the exact award price varies by day and flight time. A Business Select seat for the same flight costs a little over 47,000 points.
Another impressive option is from Dallas to New York for 7,959 points plus $5.60. This route is too long to qualify for United or American’s short-haul discount. So, you would pay 12,500 miles each way if you didn’t use Southwest.
International Travel
Southwest also serves a few Caribbean destinations including Aruba, Turks and Caicos, and Grand Cayman Island. Another locale you may try is Belize. Award flights from Dallas to Belize can cost 11,154 points plus $5.60 one way.
Since the Southwest Rapid Rewards Performance Business Credit Card doesn’t charge foreign transaction fees, bringing it along for foreign travel is not a bad idea. Using this card along with one of the best credit cards for international travel can help you earn even more points during your travels. Plus, it will help you keep track of business and personal expenses.
Don’t forget that Southwest is a Chase Ultimate Rewards transfer partner. You can transfer points from your Chase Sapphire Reserve®, Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card, or your Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card cards on a 1:1 basis to fill any point gap.
Related: Best Chase Credit Cards and Chase Sapphire Preferred vs Southwest Rapid Rewards Credit Cards
Air Travel Benefits of the Southwest Rapid Rewards Performance Business Credit Card
Being a premium credit card, you can enjoy several extra perks that you might already pay for. Here are some of the Southwest® Rapid Rewards® Performance Business Credit Card benefits:
- 4 Upgraded Bookings per year (when available)
- In-flight WiFi credits (up to 365 credits per year)
- Global Entry or TSA PreCheck application fee reimbursement in the form of a statement credit of up to $100 every four years
- 1,500 Tier-Qualifying Points for every $10,000 in card purchases (up to $100,000 in annual spend)
- 9,000 bonus Rapid Rewards points every card anniversary
Each WiFi credit is valid for an all-day pass. It’s possible to never pay for in-flight WiFi even if you have additional employee cards. Using the Upgraded Boardings and WiFi credits are the best way to offset the annual fee.
Making up to $100,000 in annual card purchases gives you a 15,000-point jumpstart on earning A-List status. These benefits include priority boarding, free same-day standby, and a 25% earning bonus.
It is one of the best business credit cards, especially if you’re a frequent flyer. Every card anniversary you receive 9,000 bonus points. That’s enough points to book a one-way flight to many destinations. It also happens to be the largest anniversary bonus for any of the personal or business co-brand Southwest credit cards.
As always, your first two checked bags fly for free. You also won’t pay change fees, and you can book unlimited award seats without blackout dates or seat restrictions.
New Southwest® Rapid Rewards® Performance Business Credit Card card members can earn 80,000 points after spending $5,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening.
Related: What Are The Best Business Credit Cards For Airline Miles?
Purchase Rewards
The Southwest Rapid Rewards Performance Business Credit Card also offers more robust purchase rewards than the $99 annual fee Southwest Rapid Rewards Premier Business Credit Card.
All bonus categories earn unlimited points. Your points balance never expires as long as your card account remains open.
The Southwest® Rapid Rewards® Performance Business Credit Card earns:
- 4x points on Southwest® purchases
- 3x points on Rapid Rewards® hotel and car partners
- 2x points on rideshares
- 2x points on social media and search engine advertising, internet, cable, and phone services
- 1x points on all other purchases
Cardholders also get unlimited tier qualifying points (TQPs) that can be earned toward A-List status. There is also a $500 annual fee credit for Rapid Rewards points transfers.
Related: The Best American Airlines Business Credit Cards
Not many airline credit cards award bonus points for non-airline spending.
Credit Score Needed for the Southwest Rapid Rewards Performance Business Credit Card
It appears you will need a personal credit score above 700 to have the best approval odds. It’s not a bad idea to try and surpass a 740 credit score. This way, you can try with “excellent credit.”
Like the other personal and business Southwest Airlines credit cards, the Performance Business Credit Card is most likely subject to the Chase 5/24 rule. Chase will most likely deny your application if you have opened or been listed as an authorized user on at least 5 new credit cards within the last 24 months.
Related: Best No Annual Fee Business Credit Cards
Who Should Try for the Southwest Airlines Business Credit Card
The Southwest Rapid Rewards Performance Business Credit Card can be a good option for these reasons:
- Four Upgraded Bookings per year
- Free inflight WiFi credits
- Earn up to 4x points on every purchase
- Two free checked bags
- 9,000-point cardmember anniversary bonus
New Southwest Rapid Rewards Performance Business Credit Card cardmembers can earn 80,000 bonus points after spending $5,000 on purchases in the first 3 months of account opening.
Southwest Airlines is a perennial favorite for air travel. This new credit card helps reward the most loyal business passengers.
Related: Best Credit Cards for Southwest Flyers
Summary
This newest Southwest Airlines business credit card can be well worth it if you pay or can benefit from Southwest’s premium perks like Upgraded Bookings and inflight WiFi. The signup bonus and 3-2-1 purchase rewards are enticing as well. You can quickly earn the Southwest Companion Pass.
Plus, you’ll have plenty of points to book award flights to your favorite destinations with the Southwest Rapid Rewards Performance Business Credit Card.
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