Southwest Rapid Rewards Plus vs. Premier vs. Priority: Which Card Actually Gets You to the Companion Pass Fastest
All three Southwest cards give the same 10,000 Companion Pass qualifying-point boost. The card you pick barely changes your path to the Pass — but it changes everything else about how much you're paying to get there.
The Shared Benefit That Confuses the Comparison
All three Southwest personal cards — Plus, Premier, and Priority — grant an identical 10,000 Companion Pass qualifying-point boost each card anniversary year. Because this is the benefit most people are chasing when they ask "which Southwest card should I get," it's tempting to assume the cheapest card (Plus, at $99) is the obvious choice. That's half right: for the Companion Pass boost specifically, Plus does the same job as Priority at less than half the fee. Where the cards actually diverge is everything else layered on top.
| Card | Fee | Southwest Earn | Grocery/Gas Cap | Anniversary Points | Standout Extra |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Plus | $99 | 2x | 2x up to $5k/yr combined | 3,000 | 10% annual flight discount code |
| Premier | $149 | 3x | 2x up to $8k/yr combined | 6,000 | 15% annual flight discount code, A-List progress |
| Priority | $229 | 4x | 2x, no cap | 7,500 | $75 Southwest travel credit, upgraded boardings |
The Companion Pass Math, Isolated
Southwest's Companion Pass requires 135,000 qualifying points in a calendar year (or 100 one-way qualifying flights). The card's 10,000-point boost is identical across all three cards and is only a fraction of the total — the bulk has to come from flying, a welcome bonus, or everyday spend at the card's Southwest earn rate. Because the boost itself doesn't scale with the fee, using it as the deciding factor between the three cards is close to a non-factor: Plus contributes exactly as much toward the Pass as Priority does.
Where Priority Actually Separates Itself
Priority's $75 annual Southwest travel credit functions like a fee rebate — it drops the effective cost from $229 to $154, close to Premier's $149 face-value fee, while adding uncapped 2x on gas/dining (versus Premier's $8,000 cap), unlimited complimentary same-day standby, and up to four upgraded boardings a year (which put you in the first boarding group regardless of check-in time — genuinely valuable on full flights where seat selection matters). For a household checking bags and boarding as a family, upgraded boardings alone can be worth real money in reduced stress and better seat availability.
Where Plus Is Simply the Right Answer
If your Southwest flying is occasional — a few trips a year, not a monthly habit — Plus's $99 fee and 3,000 anniversary points get you the same Companion Pass boost as the pricier cards without paying for A-List progress or upgraded boarding you won't use. The 10% annual flight discount code is a real, no-hoops perk: apply it to a single booking each cardmember year for 10% off, which on a $600 round-trip is $60 — most of the annual fee back in one use.
The A-List Angle Premier and Priority Add
Both Premier and Priority earn Tier Qualifying Points (TQPs) toward Southwest's A-List elite status — 2,500 TQPs per $5,000 spent — a benefit Plus doesn't offer at all. A-List brings priority boarding, standby priority, and a points-earning bonus on flights. For a frequent Southwest flyer building toward status through spend rather than flights, that TQP path is a real differentiator that has nothing to do with the Companion Pass and everything to do with day-to-day flying comfort.
The Decision in Short
Chasing the Companion Pass on a budget: Plus. Flying Southwest regularly and want a fee that mostly pays for itself via credit and category caps: Priority. Splitting the difference with meaningful A-List progress at a moderate fee: Premier. All three get you the same 10,000-point boost — don't let that specific number drive the decision.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does a pricier Southwest card get me to the Companion Pass faster?
No — Plus, Premier, and Priority all grant an identical 10,000-point annual boost toward the 135,000-point threshold, so the boost is essentially a non-factor in choosing between them. The bulk of qualifying points has to come from flying, a welcome bonus, or everyday spend.
Which Southwest card is the best value for occasional flyers?
Plus, at $99/year — it delivers the same Companion Pass boost as the pricier cards, plus a 10% annual flight discount code that can return most of the fee in a single use, without paying for A-List progress or upgraded boarding you won't use.
What does Southwest Priority's $75 travel credit actually offset?
It functions like a fee rebate, dropping the effective annual cost from $229 to about $154 — close to Premier's face-value $149 fee — while adding uncapped 2x on gas/dining and up to four upgraded boardings a year.