If you "LUV" Southwest Airlines, it pays to have one of its credit cards to earn bonus points, accelerate elite status and enjoy other benefits. But, which card should you apply for? Which provides the best Southwest credit card offer?

We'll compare the personal Southwest credit card offers to help you choose which one is best for your travels.

Comparing Southwest credit card offers

Southwest has credit cards for personal and business use; for this analysis, we're focusing on Southwest’s personal credit cards. There are three personal Southwest credit cards.

Let's compare the Southwest Rapid Rewards® Plus Credit Card, the Southwest Rapid Rewards® Premier Credit Card and the Southwest Rapid Rewards® Priority Credit Card. We'll look at each card's welcome offer, annual fees, perks and earning power.

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Check out our nerdy picks for the best Southwest credit cards and find the right card for you.

BROWSE CARDS

Welcome bonus

Southwest welcome bonuses often change throughout the year. Currently, the welcome bonus is the same for all three Southwest credit cards:

Earn 50,000 bonus points after spending $1,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening.

Annual fee

All Southwest credit cards have an annual fee. While the Southwest Rapid Rewards® Plus Credit Card has a lower fee, it earns fewer points per dollar on Southwest purchases and offers a smaller anniversary bonus, plus it doesn't offer as many benefits.

You'll have to weigh the benefits to decide if paying a higher annual fee is worthwhile.

Renewal bonus

To partially offset the annual fee, each card provides anniversary bonus points. With Southwest points worth an average of 1.5 cents each, these bonus points cover a substantial portion of the annual fee.

Bonus points on Southwest purchases

You'll earn up to 3x points per dollar on Southwest purchases of flights, vacation packages and in-flight beverages, Wi-Fi and more.

The Southwest Rapid Rewards® Plus Credit Card earns 2x points on Southwest purchases, while the Southwest Rapid Rewards® Premier Credit Card and Southwest Rapid Rewards® Priority Credit Card both earn 3x points. While the difference may seem small, you're earning 50% more points on all Southwest purchases with the two higher-level cards.

Other bonus categories

In addition to earning bonus points on Southwest purchases, the Southwest credit cards earn extra points on eligible bonus categories as well. All three cards earn 2x points per dollar on local transit, commuting and rideshare services. Plus, 2x points per dollar on internet, cable, phone and select streaming subscriptions, as well as with Rapid Rewards rental car and hotel partners.

Elite status

Spending on your eligible Southwest credit card can earn unlimited Tier Qualifying Points toward A-List status. For every $10,000 you spend each year on the Southwest Rapid Rewards® Premier Credit Card or Southwest Rapid Rewards® Priority Credit Card credit cards, you'll receive 1,500 TQPs.