The best credit card for Southwest
At Southwest, American Express Platinum Card earns the most: $10.00 per $100.
Southwest rings up as flights.
The short version
- Use: American Express Platinum Card, if you carry it.
- Why Southwest has its own page: at least one card pays a bonus that names this store, which a ranking of the whole category cannot show.
| # | Card | Earns | per $100 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |
American Express · $895/yr
Booked with the airline or Amex Travel · Up to $500,000 per year, then the base rate |
5x | $10.00 |
| 2 |
Chase · $795/yr
Booked directly with the airline or hotel |
4x | $8.00 |
| 3 |
Wells Fargo · $95/yr
|
4x | $6.00 |
| 4 |
American Express · $150/yr
Travel, including airfare, hotels, campgrounds, car rentals and cruises |
3x | $6.00 |
| 5 |
American Express · $325/yr
Booked directly with the airline or through Amex Travel |
3x | $6.00 |
| 6 |
Chase · $229/yr
Southwest purchases only |
4x | $5.20 |
| 7 |
Citi · $95/yr
|
3x | $4.80 |
| 8 |
Wells Fargo · No annual fee
|
3x | $4.50 |
No rotating categories switched on, and no travel-portal rates — the method.
Cards with a rate that names Southwest
- Chase Rapid Rewards Priority — 4x at Southwest · Southwest purchases only
- Chase Rapid Rewards Plus — 2x at Southwest · Southwest purchases only
Before you pay
A shopping portal and a card-linked offer can both pay on top of whichever card you use here — and the portal has to be started before you shop. How the three stack, and in what order.
More in flights
At the Southwest checkout, it tells you.
Cardful recognises the store and ranks the cards you carry, on the page.