Southwest Performance Business card review: A valuable card with an 80,000-point bonus
Southwest Rapid Rewards Performance Business Credit Card overview
The Southwest Rapid Rewards Performance Business Credit Card is Southwest Airlines' top-tier business credit card. It earns 4 points per dollar on Southwest Airlines purchases, 3 points per dollar on Rapid Rewards hotel and car rental partners and 2 points per dollar across popular business categories. The annual fee is manageable, and Southwest flyers will enjoy useful perks. Card Rating*: ⭐⭐⭐
*Card Rating is based on the opinion of TPG's editors and is not influenced by the card issuer.
The Southwest Performance Business Card is a step up from the Southwest Rapid Rewards Premier Business Credit Card, offering an impressive sign-up bonus, a better rewards structure and a nice array of perks that make the higher $199 annual fee well worth paying for loyal Southwest flyers.
Strategic spending on this card can help you qualify for the coveted Southwest Companion Pass in a matter of months.
The recommended credit score for this product is 670 or above.
Let's dive into the pros and cons of this business card.
Southwest Performance Business Card welcome offer
The Southwest Performance Business Card is currently offering 80,000 bonus points after you spend $5,000 on purchases within your first three months of account opening.
TPG values Southwest points at 1.4 cents each, meaning this bonus is worth $1,120. However, there is the potential to extend this value even further.
Points earned from Southwest credit cards — including sign-up bonuses — count as qualifying points toward the coveted Southwest Companion Pass. As a result, if you sign up for the card now and spend $5,000 within the first three months, you'll have at least 85,000 points. If you also get one of the Southwest personal cards and get the bonus on it within the same calendar year, you'll have more than the 135,000 points needed to qualify for the Companion Pass.
All three personal Southwest cards (the Southwest Rapid Rewards Priority Credit Card, the Southwest Rapid Rewards Premier Credit Card and the Southwest Rapid Rewards Plus Credit Card) currently have identical offers: Earn 50,000 bonus points after spending $1,000 on purchases in the first three months from account opening.
Just remember to check your eligibility before applying for this card. Both personal and business Southwest cards are subject to the Chase 5/24 rule, and there are restrictions around how often you can earn a Southwest welcome bonus.
Related: How to quickly earn the Southwest Companion Pass
Southwest Performance Business Card benefits
The Southwest Performance Business Card comes with a $199 annual fee, but the perks accompanying the card make up for the cost if you take full advantage of them — even after the first year of card membership.
Four Upgraded Boardings: Each anniversary year, you'll be reimbursed for up to four A1-A15 boarding passes, which allow you to be among the first to board. Because Southwest doesn't assign seats, Upgraded Boarding lets you ensure you can grab the seat you want (and have room in the overhead bins). Upgraded Boarding passes are subject to availability.
9,000 anniversary bonus points: Each year after your account anniversary, you'll automatically receive 9,000 bonus points. That means you're essentially getting $135 worth of points each year after the first year just for being an active cardholder.
Inflight Wi-Fi credits: Southwest will reimburse you for up to 365 $8 inflight Wi-Fi purchases as a statement credit. In other words, you could purchase an all-day inflight Wi-Fi pass every single day of the year, and Southwest would cover it.
Status Boost: You'll earn 1,500 TQPs per $10,000 you spend on purchases in a calendar year, to help you reach elite status faster.
Global Entry or TSA PreCheck: Receive a statement credit (up to $100) for your Global Entry or TSA PreCheck application fee once every four years.
Free employee cards: You pay no fee for additional employee cards and will earn points on employee spending. You can set spending limits on employee cards by calling cardmember services.
$500 fee credit for points transfers per year: Transfer points to another Rapid Rewards member, and up to $500 in fees associated with the transfer will be reimbursed each account anniversary year.
While not specific to this card, remember that Southwest offers the following perks to all travelers:
- Free checked bags: Your first and second checked bags always fly free
- No change fees: Southwest won't charge you a fee for switching your flight itinerary — you'll just be charged the fare difference when applicable. This even applies to award tickets, and changing your flights is very simple
- Free cancellations: If your plans change, you don't have to worry about paying a cancellation fee. Business Select and Anytime fares are fully refundable. However, if you cancel a Wanna Get Away or Wanna Get Away Plus fare, you'll get your refund as a flight credit toward future Southwest itineraries
Related: Is the Southwest Performance Business Card worth the annual fee?
Earning points on the Southwest Performance Business Card
As the more premium business card, the Southwest Performance Business Card has a higher rewards earning rate than other Southwest card options. You'll earn:
- 4 points per dollar on Southwest Airlines purchases
- 3 points per dollar on Rapid Rewards hotel and car rental partners
- 2 points per dollar for local transit and commuting, including ride-hailing services
- 2 points per dollar for social media and search engine advertising
- 2 points per dollar for internet, cable and phone services
- 1 point per dollar for all other eligible purchases
That's a 6% return on Southwest purchases and a 3% return on eligible business purchases.
Still, for general travel beyond Southwest Airlines purchases, you'll be better off using the Chase Sapphire Reserve or Ink Business Preferred. Both cards earn 3 Chase Ultimate Rewards points per dollar on travel purchases, which you can transfer to Southwest Rapid Rewards points for an even higher redemption rate.
Related: 10 easy ways to earn more Rapid Rewards points
Redeeming points on the Southwest Performance Business Card
The Southwest Performance Business Card earns Rapid Rewards points, so you'll get the most value when you redeem your points for award travel. Because Southwest has no domestic or international airline partners, you only get maximum value when redeeming on Southwest-operated flights.
Southwest has a simple redemption system: The more a flight costs in cash, the more it costs in points. While you're less likely to find crazy deals, you're also getting guaranteed value from your points.
Redeeming points for Southwest award flights is also a simple process. Just log in to your account, put in your search parameters on Southwest's website, choose your desired available flight and follow the on-screen steps to check out. You may have to pay additional taxes and fees on international routes, but Southwest is transparent about those throughout the search process.
The airline also has a fantastic customer-friendly refund policy: You can change or cancel any award ticket anytime and get the points refunded for no fees, even when redeeming for the cheapest Wanna Get Away tickets.
Southwest has a travel portal for international flights on other carriers, but you're typically not going to get as great a return when you redeem points that way. Additionally, you can redeem points on hotels, car rentals or merchandise. To get the most value from your points, however, we recommend skipping these options and using them for Southwest award flights.
Related: How to redeem Southwest Rapid Rewards points
Which cards compete with the Southwest Performance Business Card?
Even if you're a Southwest-loyal business owner, the Southwest Performance Business Card may not be your best option.
- If you want Southwest perks for a lower annual fee: The Southwest Rapid Rewards Premier Business Credit Card offers Southwest perks like free EarlyBird check-ins and an anniversary points bonus for a lower $99 annual fee. For more details, check out our full review of the Southwest Premier Business card.
- If you want more flexible rewards: The Ink Business Preferred Credit Card earns Chase Ultimate Rewards that you can transfer to Southwest or any of Chase's other 13 airline and hotel transfer partners for a lower annual fee. For more details, check out our full review of the Ink Business Preferred.
For additional details, please see our full list of best business credit cards and best airline credit cards.
Read more: How to get a business credit card
Bottom line
If you're a business owner who flies Southwest frequently, the Southwest Performance Business card is a great option. You'll get great value from its Southwest-specific perks and the high welcome bonus. However, you'll want to choose a different product if you only occasionally fly Southwest or spend most of your business budget outside the card's bonus categories.
Apply here: Southwest Performance Business Credit Card
Additional reporting by Ryan Wilcox and Madison Blancaflor.