Getting to Know the Southwest Rapid Rewards® Premier Business Credit Card

With the Southwest Rapid Rewards® Premier Business Card from Chase, you’ll be in for a smooth flight no matter your destination. The card, a versatile business card, earns double points (2 points for every dollar spent) on Southwest Airline purchases, as well as a single point for every dollar spent on all other purchases. New accounts also benefit from 60,000 bonus Rapid Rewards points when they make $3,000 in purchases within the first three months. With extra employee cards at no additional cost, this reward is not only easy to achieve, but is one well worth the annual fee of $99, which is applied on the first billing statement.

How It Works

Cardholders can expect the following from the Southwest Rapid Rewards® Premier Business Card from Chase:

How to Earn Rewards:

• Fly with Southwest: Businesses earn 2x points for all purchases made directly with Southwest.
• Everyday Purchases: Every other purchase made with the Rapid Rewards Premier Business Card earn a single point for every dollar spent.
• Anniversary Bonus: Companies automatically receive 6,000 bonus points each year after their card member anniversary.
• Tier Qualifying Points: Cardholders can earn tier qualifying points (TQPs), which can be used towards qualification for Rapid Rewards A-List or A-List Preferred status. You’ll earn 1,500 TQPs for each $10,000 in purchases annually, up to $100,000 total each year.
• Rewards Don’t Expire: One of the many great things about the Southwest Rapid Rewards® Premier Business Card from Chase is that once you’ve earned rewards, they never expire, as long as your account is open. There’s also no limit on the total number of points a business can earn. 

How to Redeem Rewards:

• Travel: Use points towards flights with Southwest. Other flight options include additional baggage, seat upgrades, and more. Cardholders can even use pints to purchase a Companion Pass.
• Hotels: Redeem points at over 70,000 hotels across the globe, including Best Western, Radisson, Choice, and more.
• Car Rentals: Redeem ponits at several different rental companies.
• Retail: Redeem points with hundreds of retailers.  Use points for products, services, and even gift cards. 
• Other Ways to Use Points: Cardholders can use their Rapid Rewards® points for a variety of purchases; they also have the option to gift points or transfer their points to whoever they’d like, even if they are not a cardholder. All the recipient must do is enroll in the Rapid Rewards program, if they have not already. Points can even be donated to pre-selected charities; Southwest has chosen several charities that can accept points as a donation.

Today’s Bonus Offer

The Southwest Rapid Rewards® Premier Business Card comes with a hefty introductory bonus offer: New accounts earn an impressive 60,000 points when they make $3,000 on purchases within the first three months. 60,000 Rapid Rewards points has a cash value of around $900, which is a great value – especially for companies who are looking to save money on flights with a fairly reasonable spending threshold.

The Plane Facts

Can you expect a smooth flight from the Southwest Rapid Rewards® Premier Business Card from Chase, or will there be turbulence?

• Annual Fee: The Southwest Rapid Rewards® Premier Business Card features a modest annual fee of $99, which is middle-of-the-aisle when compared to other similar airline rewards credit cards. The addition of employee cards free of charge greatly enhances the value and points-earning potential of the card, despite the annual fee.

Airline and Airport Perks:

• Bags Fly Free: First and second checked bags are free when flying with Southwest.
• No Foreign Transaction Fees: The card does not charge foreign transaction fees. This allows holders to save money while traveling. Plus, they’ll also earn points when ycard in other countries.
• Unlimited rewards seats, with no blackout dates or seat restrictions for fares booked with points

Cardholder Protections:

• Zero Liability: You pay $0 for any fraudulent transactions. Just notify Chase immediately of any unauthorized activity.
• Auto Rental Collision Damage Waiver: Renting a car makes traveling much easier, and when you use your British Airways Visa Signature® Card to pay for the entire eligible vehicle rental and decline the rental car counter’s collision damage waiver, you’ll be covered if the car is damaged or stolen. Exclusions and restrictions apply.
• Roadside Dispatch®: Visa cardholders will benefit from Roadside Dispatch®, which is a pay-per-use roadside program.
• Travel and Emergency Assistance Services: Whether you’re traveling for work or for pleasure, Visa is there for you, anywhere in the world, with a multilingual call center. Call toll-free in the United States, or collect whilst abroad, for assistance. Visa can provide pre-trip assistance (information about health precautions, currency exchange rates, visas, immunizations and other pertinent info for first-time travelers), as well as emergency transportation assistance, prescription assistance, Valuable Document Delivery arrangements (for critical documents like a passport or travel visa that might have been misplaced or left at home), a location service for lost luggage, and emergency translation services in all major languages.

Additional Benefits:

• Year-end Summary: Access to  Year-End Summaries of the charges made over the fiscal year. This makes it easy for companies to see where they’re spending the most. And it can help them plan their spending for the next year.
• Extended Warranties: Eligibility for up to two extra years on the original manufacturer’s warranty. Just use the card to pay for eligible purchases. Warranty extension applies only to U.S. manufacturer warranties. Some restrictions apply.
• Complimentary Employee Cards: Add employee cards at no additional cost.  Points earned by employee spending will be credited to the account holder.

The Perks That Make the Southwest Rapid Rewards® Premier Business Credit Card Worthwhile:

What are some of the pros that set this card ahead of the rest?

• A Robust Intro Offer: Earn 60,000 bonus points after spending $3,000 on purchases in the first 3 months. That’s not a bad reward and great for those planning to use the card for larger purchases right away. The intro reward is halfway towards the 110,000 points needed for a Companion Pass. Companion Pass is the ultimate reward in the Rapid Rewards program. This perk offers free companion travel with Southwest. The cost of this perk? Only the cost of taxes and fees.
• No Blackout Dates: Cardholders enjoy no blackout dates or seat restrictions.
• A-List: Qualify for Southwest’s A-List elite status program. This opens the door to some great benefits at the airport and on the plane.
• Cardholder Anniversary Bonus: Each year, you’ll get a 6,000 point bonus just for being a cardholder.
• No Foreign Transaction Fees: For the business owner who travels abroad for meetings and work, a card offer without foreign transaction fees will prove very useful, particularly when purchases made in another country earn points, too.

Potential Turbulence with the Southwest Rapid Rewards® Premier Business Credit Card:

What are some cons that take the wind from under this card’s wings?

• Annual Fee: The Southwest Rapid Rewards® Premier Business Card’s annual fee of $99 is pretty grounded when compared to other business travel rewards cards. While there are a few options out there for business owners with no annual fees, most cards that have no annual fee cannot compare when it comes to the rewards options that are attached. This particular card comes with great benefits. But for just $100 more, you get access to more perks with the Southwest Rapid Rewards® Performance Business Card. So weigh this carefully when deciding what card is best for your business. Four free upgraded bookings per year can offset the extra money you spend on the annual fee. And. this isn’t the only major difference between the business card options Southwest currently offers through Chase.

Thoughts Before Takeoff

The Southwest Rapid Rewards® Premier Business Card from Chase’s modest annual fee of $99 is middle-of-the-aisle, so once you reach altitude you’ll be cruising with all of the perks and benefits that accompany this card’s top rewards-earning potential. Business owners who are willing to invest their money towards travel rewards each year certainly won’t want to miss their flight – apply soon to take advantage of the 60,000 point bonus offer, and start earning rewards with Southwest today.