Southwest Premier Business Card vs. Southwest® Rapid Rewards® Performance Business Credit Card
For business travelers who frequently fly Southwest, the Southwest Rapid Rewards Premier Business Credit Card is an obvious choice. However, its higher-caliber sibling, the Southwest Rapid Rewards Performance Business Credit Card, could be a better choice if you spend enough to make up for its $199 annual fee or want a bigger head start toward Southwests’ valuable A-List Status.
The Performance Business card has a leg up over the Premier Business thanks to its boosted Southwest rewards rates, 2X rewards rate on telecom and select advertising services, plus its slightly richer benefit offerings. These perks are well worth the $100 higher annual fee: You can squeeze plenty of value from the inflight WiFi credits, 9,000-point anniversary bonus, expedited airport screening service fee credits and four annual Upgraded Boardings.
Overall, if you don't mind paying more for the annual fee in exchange for a better rewards rate and benefits, the Performance Business Card is the clear winner. However, if you don’t fly enough to justify the $199 annual fee, the Premier Business Card is a better choice.
Southwest Premier Business Card vs. CitiBusiness® / AAdvantage® Platinum Select® Mastercard®
If you don’t mind missing out on Southwest-specific perks, you may want to consider the CitiBusiness / AAdvantage Platinum Select Mastercard. Unlike the Southwest Premier Business Card, the CitiBusiness / AAdvantage Card offers free first checked bags for you and up to four companions traveling on your reservation, priority boarding and 25 percent off inflight Wi-Fi, food and drink. The card also charges a $99 annual fee, but it’s waived for the first year.
The CitiBusiness / AAdvantage Platinum Select Mastercard earns 2X miles on American Airlines purchases as well as on cable, satellite, telecommunication, car rental and gas station purchases, plus 1X miles on other purchases. You can redeem AAdvantage miles with American or one of the airline's oneworld alliance partners, giving you more flexible flight options than with the Southwest Premier Business Card.
As far as which card is better, the Citi / AAdvantage Card definitely has better perks, but it all depends on your personal preferences. What would you prefer to have: an American Airlines First Class ticket and in-flight discounts or a Southwest Companion Pass so that you can fly with a friend?
Best cards to pair with this card
If you want another card that earns rewards on everyday spending and lets you redeem points for Southwest flights (as well as bookings with other airlines), consider the Ink Business Preferred card.
This card, which comes with a $95 annual fee, earns 3X points on travel, internet, cable and phone services as well as shipping and advertising purchases made with social media and search engines (up to $150,000 in combined purchases each account anniversary year; 1X points thereafter). You can not only redeem rewards with nearly any airline through Chase’s travel portal, but also transfer to Southwest Airlines. This flexibility and Chase’s long list of transfer partners make the Ink Business Preferred a great option for pairing with the Southwest Premier Business card.
The Ink Business Unlimited® Credit Card could also be a valuable partner card thanks to its boosted 1.5 percent cash back rate on all purchases. Although marketed as a cash back card, it actually earns Chase Ultimate Rewards points, which can be redeemed for travel with many airlines and hotels or transferred to several airline loyalty programs, including Southwest Rapid Rewards. That means it could come in hand if you ever need to top off your Rapid Rewards points balance or want to earn rewards on business expenses that fall outside your Southwest card’s categories.