Southwest Plus vs Priority card, and whether a better seat is worth $130

Choose the Southwest Rapid Rewards Plus if you want the free checked bag and fly Southwest a few times a year; choose the Priority if you fly Southwest often enough to care about better seats. Both give a free first bag to you and up to eight passengers on your reservation, both board in Group 5 and both give the same yearly boost towards the Companion Pass. The Priority costs $130 more a year, and since Southwest moved to assigned seating, what that money mainly buys is a better seat: a Preferred seat when you book and unlimited Extra Legroom upgrades close to departure.

Side by side

Every figure below was read on Chase’s card pages and terms on 27 September 2026.

The bag is the same on both

If the free checked bag is the reason you want a Southwest card, the Plus gives you exactly the same benefit for $130 less. Your Rapid Rewards number must be on the reservation, the benefit can take up to 14 days after approval to switch on, and authorized users are not covered on their own bookings. A family of four with a bag each saves eight first-bag fees on one round trip on either card. Multiply your own trips by Southwest’s current bag fee to see what that is worth to you; our airline card guide walks through the sum.

What the extra $130 buys

The Priority’s extras are a better seat, 4,500 more anniversary points and double the points on Southwest purchases. The seat is the part most people notice: a Preferred seat chosen when you book, instead of a Standard seat chosen in the last 48 hours, and unlimited upgrades to Extra Legroom seats within 48 hours of departure. If you fly Southwest monthly, or are tall, those upgrades alone can justify the difference. If you fly twice a year, they rarely do.

On points, the Priority earns 4X on Southwest instead of 2X, so someone spending $2,000 a year on Southwest earns 4,000 more points, and the anniversary bonus adds 4,500 more. We compare the number of points, not a guessed cash value, because what a point is worth depends on the fares you book.

The Companion Pass boost, explained

Neither card gives a companion ticket. Each adds 10,000 Companion Pass qualifying points a year, which helps you reach the Companion Pass sooner but does not earn it on its own. The welcome offer points on either card may also count; check Southwest’s current Companion Pass rules before you plan around it. For the rules on who can get a welcome bonus at all, see how welcome bonuses work.

The verdict

For occasional Southwest flyers and families, the Plus is the better card: the same free bags and boarding for $99. Choose the Priority if you fly Southwest often and value a Preferred seat and Extra Legroom on most trips, because those are what the extra $130 pays for. If you fly several airlines, a general travel card is likely a better fit than either; see the best travel credit cards by traveller type.

Keep reading

Sources: Chase, Southwest Rapid Rewards Plus and Priority card pages and terms, read on 27 September 2026 for fees, welcome offers, earning rates, bag, boarding and seat benefits, anniversary points and APRs. The points arithmetic is our own. This is general information, not financial advice; card offers change, so confirm the current terms with the issuer before you apply. No card issuer pays us for placement on this page.