Points, Miles & Credit Cards

Review: Southwest Rapid Rewards® Performance Business Credit Card

Kurt Adams

January 26, 2024

6 min read

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Who is the Southwest Rapid Rewards® Performance Business Card for?

If you are a business owner and a Southwest loyalist, the Southwest Rapid Rewards® Performance Business gets you a wide range of perks. This top-of-the-line business is the best choice if you fly Southwest often.

Southwest Rapid Rewards® Performance Business Credit Card Quick Facts

Annual fee: annual_fees

Foreign transaction fee: foreign_transaction_fee

Earning rate:

Earn 4X points per dollar on Southwest purchases
Earn 3X points per dollar on Rapid Rewards® hotel and car rental partners
Earn 2X points per dollar on social media and search engine advertising, internet, cable, and phone services.
Earn 2X points per dollar on local transit and commuting, including rideshare
Earn 1X point per dollar on all other purchases.

Welcome offer: bonus_miles_full

Pros and cons

Pros:

Great welcome offer
Earns high rewards rate on Southwest purchases
Wide range of flying perks
Statement credit for Global Entry or TSA PreCheck

Cons:

Lacks the annual travel credit that Southwest’s top-tier personal card has
Limited redemption options for rewards

Our take

Southwest’s top-of-the-line business card, the Southwest Rapid Rewards® Performance Business card is a great card to have in your wallet if you're an entrepreneur who flies Southwest often.

Southwest Rapid Rewards® Performance Business Credit Card Credit Card Review

Southwest may be a budget airline, but the card_name is the most expensive credit card out of the five Southwest cards available. It is also the most valuable: It comes with a host of benefits like four upgraded boarding passes per year, 9,000 bonus points each card anniversary, statement credit for in-flight WiFi purchases, and it is the only Southwest credit card to offer a $100 statement credit toward Global Entry, TSA PreCheck, or NEXUS once every four years.

Plus, it offers a great welcome offer: bonus_miles_full. That goes a long way toward the amount you need to earn the Southwest Companion Pass.

Earning points with the Southwest Rapid Rewards® Performance Business Credit Card

The card_name has several spending categories that earn bonus points. Of course, as is the norm with co-branded airline cards, the highest bonus rate is with Southwest purchases, but you’ll also be able to earn 3X points on hotel and car rentals through Rapids Rewards®, 2X points on local transit, social media and search engine ads, internet, cable, and phone services.

In addition, each card anniversary you’ll earn 9,000 points. You can use these to redeem for a Southwest flight, too.

Redeeming points with the Southwest Rapid Rewards® Performance Business Credit Card

While you could redeem this card for gift cards, merchandise, hotels, and car rentals, your best redemption option with Rapid Rewards® points for Southwest flights.

The process is simple: Login to Southwest and plug in your desired itinerary. You’ll see an option to toggle from dollars to points. The points fare is generally tied to the cash fare price, but if you want to find the best way to stretch your points, check out the Low Fare Calendar. That will display a monthly calendar to see the required amount of points each day.

Alternatives to the Southwest Rapid Rewards® Performance Business Credit Card

Similar cards to the Southwest Rapid Rewards® Performance Business Credit Card

Southwest offers a total of five credit cards, including three personal ones and two business credit cards. Here’s a quick view of how the Southwest Performance Business Card stacks up against two of its cousins:

card_name: annual_fees
card_name: annual_fees

The Southwest Rapid Rewards® Premier Business Credit Card comes with a lower annual fee, but as a trade-off, you’ll receive fewer anniversary points and earn only 3X points on Southwest flights. In addition, the welcome bonus is somewhat smaller: bonus_miles_full

Read our review of the Southwest Rapid Rewards® Premier Business Credit Card

The card_name is the top-tier personal card. It offers you a $75 Southwest travel credit and an extra 1,000 anniversary bonus points (for 10,000 total). But, it doesn’t offer the credit for Global Entry, TSA PreCheck, or NEXUS.

Read our review of the Southwest Rapid Rewards® Priority Credit Card

Capital One Spark Miles for Business

If you’re looking for a business credit card that also gets you a Global Entry or TSA PreCheck credit, take a look at the card_name. It comes with a lower welcome offer, but also a lower annual fee (annual_fees). You’ll earn 2X Miles per every dollar spent, plus 5X on hotels and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel. Southwest is not a transfer partner of Capital One, but Capital One does have 15+ other travel partners.