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20 cards ranked

Best credit card to use at Southwest Airlines.

AirlinesTravel

Southwest Airlines is the largest U.S. domestic carrier by passenger volume and the home of the Rapid Rewards program. Tickets code as airfare on every card we track, and the Companion Pass — earned by hitting an annual points threshold — is widely considered the best perk in U.S. domestic travel. Co-branded Chase Rapid Rewards cards count signup bonuses toward Companion Pass qualification, which is the main reason most travelers carry one. Southwest doesn't sell tickets through OTAs.

  1. #1
    Chase
    Co-branded Southwest Airlines card
    Southwest Airlines purchases
    2.6%2x points
  2. #2
    Chase
    Co-branded Southwest Airlines card
    Southwest Airlines purchases
    3.9%3x points
  3. #3
    Chase
    Co-branded Southwest Airlines card
    Southwest Airlines purchases (flights, in-flight, gift cards)
    5.2%4x points
  4. #4
    American Express
    5x points on airlines
    Booked directly with airlines or through Amex Travel, up to $500,000 per calendar year
    6.0%5x points
  5. #5
    Chase
    4x points on airlines
    Flights booked directly with airlines
    5.0%4x points
  6. #6
    Citi Custom Cashif it’s your top category
    Citi
    5% on travel if it's your top eligible spend category that cycle (up to $500/month, then 1%)
    Automatically on your top eligible spend category each billing cycle
    5%
  7. #7
    American Express Business Goldif it’s your top category
    American Express
    4x points on airlines if it's your top eligible spend category that cycle (up to $150,000/year, then 1%)
    Automatically on your top 2 spending categories each billing cycle from 6 eligible (airfare, U.S. advertising, U.S. gas, U.S. restaurants, U.S. computer/cloud, transit) — combined cap
    4.8%4x points
  8. #8
    U.S. Bank
    4x points on travel
    Also gas stations and EV charging, up to $1,000/quarter
    4.0%4x points
  9. #9
    Wells Fargo
    4x points on airlines
    4.0%4x points
  10. #10
    Chase
    2x points on airlines
    Purchased directly from airlines
    4.0%2x points
  11. #11
    American Express
    3x points on airlines
    3.6%3x points
  12. #12
    American Express
    3x points on travel
    3.6%3x points
  13. #13
    American Express
    3x points on airlines
    Flights booked directly with airlines
    3.6%3x points
  14. #14
    American Express
    7x points on airlines
    Flights booked directly with airlines or through AmexTravel.com
    3.5%7x points
  15. #15
    Comenity Capital Bank
    3% on travel
    Includes AAA purchases
    3%
  16. #16
    Chase
    3x points on airlines
    Aer Lingus, British Airways, and Iberia flights
    3.0%3x points
  17. #17
    Chase
    3x points on airlines
    Air Canada direct purchases
    3.0%3x points
  18. #18
    Bank of America
    3x points on airlines
    3.0%3x points
  19. #19
    Bank of America
    3x points on airlines
    3.0%3x points
  20. #20
    Bank of America
    3x points on airlines
    3.0%3x points