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 categories, and try our luck with the retention departments and getting the annual fees waived – more on that later.

After all, I’ve become a bit of a points hoarder given my inability to travel. Here’s my current card breakdown, as an illustration:

Chase Sapphire Preferred | 80,000 points (Tom has one, too)

American Express Platinum | 2,000 points (I just blissfully blew through 50,000+ for our Vegas trip so now I’m on a crusade to regain them)

Marriott Bonvoy Boundless | 225,000 points (an almost embarrassingly high total; Tom has one, too)

Southwest Airlines Rapid Rewards Priority | 115,000 points (sign-up bonus + points I’ve earned and accumulated)

The moral of the story is… I’m going to go on the world’s most baller vacation when all this is said and done. You’ll notice Thomas, my boyfriend, has two of the four major cards I listed above – I’m going to write an article soon for couples who want to hack travel together. Double the points, double the fun – and half the relationship trouble because travel = universal salve for COVID bickering.

Now, to the Southwest Priority card in general…

The Southwest Priority card launched in 2018, becoming the upper tier personal Southwest credit card. The other cards in the lineup include:

• Southwest Rapid Rewards Plus ($69 annual fee)

• Southwest Rapid Rewards Premier ($99 annual fee)

• Southwest Rapid Rewards Priority ($149 annual fee)

And I’m not just recommending the Priority card because Southwest signs my paychecks (but also, hello, Gary Kelly, thank you).

If you fly Southwest often (or really, at all), this card will pay for itself after a few uses.

Upfront acquisition bonus

All three cards offer the same sign-up bonus – 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’d wait until the bonus hits 60,000 or higher to sign up.

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.

See why you’d probably just be wise to pay an annual fee of $69-$149 to get the points, even if you don’t intend to keep the card open for the rest of your life?

That said, the reason why you’d be wise to opt for the Priority card is everything else it offers beyond the acquisition bonus on an annual basis.

Anniversary points

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) – that 7,500 annual drop is worth $112.50.

$149 - $112.50 = $36.50

Great, so we’ve already gotten the fee reasoned down to $36.50.

Southwest annual travel credit

(Billy Mays voice) But wait, there’s 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.

There’s not much more to say other than…

$36.50 - $75 = ($38.50)

And just like that, only considering the top two benefits of the card, you’re already $38.50 ahead on an annually repeatable basis – because again, we’re not even taking into the account the $600-$1,125 in air travel you’ll gain with the acquisition bonus right now.

Upgraded Boardings

This perk, I’ve found, is easy to forget if you’re not frequently a Southwest high-roller snagging A5 left and right – which is why it’s smart to plan ahead once you get the Priority card for which trips you’ll want to use this on.

Every year, your Priority card earns you four Upgraded Boardings. An Upgraded Boarding is something that’s performed at the gate by your CSA if there are any A1-A15 boarding passes available (meaning you’ll 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.

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

You know where I’m going with this.

$40 x 4 = $160

We’re already $38.50 ahead, and this catapults us forward to $198.50.

In other words, you get enough value to completely offset the annual fee of $149 and then an additional $198.50 in value beyond that.

It’s not that the other cards (Plus, Premier) aren’t valuable, but it’s so much easier to justify the $149 annual fee since there are additional valuable perks beyond annual cardmember bonuses.

Now that you know why the Priority card is…

What should you do after you get yours?

1. Scream.

2. Cry.

3. Celebrate.

And after that, you can buckle down for #logistics.

1. Determine your spend threshold. It varies based on the sign-up bonus; with 65,000 points, it’s 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.

2. Unless you have the Sapphire card or Platinum card, 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.

3. Use it for grocery stores right now – COVID bonus! You’ll earn 5x points at supermarkets and gas stations.

4. Start thinking about your next trip and use your card so you’ll receive your $75 reimbursement early in the year and won’t risk forgetting about it.

5. Isolate any trips you have planned that are longer than 2.5 hours, if any – 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’ll be reimbursed.

Last thoughts

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

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’re trying to fly this fall and really need the points, I’d apply now. Otherwise, wait until it goes up. Again, I’ll keep y’all in the loop as new offers come down the pipeline.