Southwest Performance Business card review: Solid benefits for a manageable annual fee

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.

The recommended credit score for this product is 670 or above.

Let’s dive into the pros and cons of this business card.

Right now, the Southwest Performance Business card is offering 80,000 points after spending $5,000 on purchases in the first three months from account opening.

TPG’s October 2024 valuations peg Southwest miles at 1.4 cents each, meaning this bonus is worth $1,120.

Remember to check your eligibility before applying for this card. It is subject to the Chase 5/24 rule, and there are restrictions on how often you can earn a Southwest welcome bonus.

Related: How to quickly earn the Southwest Companion Pass

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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 $126 worth of points each year after the first year just for being an active cardholder, based on TPG’s October 2024 valuations.

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 day of the year, and Southwest would cover it.

Status Boost: You’ll earn 1,500 tier-qualifying points per $5,000 you spend on purchases in a calendar year to help you reach elite status faster. There’s no limit on the number of TQPs you can earn.

Global Entry or TSA PreCheck: Once every four years, you can receive a statement credit (up to $120) for your Global Entry or TSA PreCheck application fee.

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, provided they fit within certain size restrictions
• 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 flight 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?

As the more premium business card, the Southwest Performance Business card has a higher 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 5.6% return on Southwest purchases and an almost 3% return on eligible business purchases.

Still, you’ll be better off using the Chase Sapphire Reserve® or Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card for general travel beyond Southwest Airlines purchases. Both cards earn 3 Chase Ultimate Rewards points per dollar on travel purchases (up to the first $150,000 in combined purchases for the Ink Business Preferred), which you can transfer to Southwest Rapid Rewards for an even higher redemption rate.

Related: 10 easy ways to earn more Rapid Rewards points

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 out-of-this-world deals, you also get guaranteed value from your points.

Redeeming points for Southwest award flights is also simple. 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. However, we recommend skipping these options and using them for Southwest award flights to get the most value from your points.

TPG senior writer Tarah Chieffi was able to use Southwest points to pay for a portion of the cost of her trip. She used 37,000 points to supplement her out-of-pocket cost of two round-trip tickets to Orlando. While it isn’t always the best value, paying with a combination of cash and points can be a great way to effectively use a smaller number of Southwest points.

Related: How to redeem Southwest Rapid Rewards points

Even if you’re a Southwest-loyal business owner, the Southwest Performance Business card may not be your best option.

For additional details, see our full list of best business credit cards and best airline credit cards.

Read more: How to get a business credit card

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

Related: 9 reasons to get a business credit card