Southwest Performance Business Credit Card Review
Chase launched a brand new business card a few weeks back and we figured it was time to take a deeper look. In our Southwest Performance Business credit card review we will look at the welcome offer, the earning structure, card perks and whether or not it is a long term keeper. We will also see how it stacks up to the other Southwest cards, is it the new king of the hill?
Current Welcome Offer vs Historical High
Some Of These Offers Have Changed or Ended
The Southwest Performance Business credit card is a brand new card so the current offer is the historical high as well:
- Earn 80,000 Rapid Rewards points after spending $5,000 within the first 90 days.
- The $199 annual fee is NOT waived the first year.
Welcome Offer Restrictions
The Southwest Performance Business credit card falls under the dreaded Chase 5/24 rule. The Southwest Performance Business credit card also has the standard Chase 24 month bonus restriction language:
This bonus offer is available to you if you do not have this card and have not received a new Cardmember bonus for this card in the past 24 months.
Since the card is new everyone who is not above 5/24 should be eligible for the offer.
Earning Structure
The Southwest Performance Business credit card comes with the following earning structure:
- 3 points per dollar that you spend on Southwest Airlines.
- 2 points per dollar that you spend on social media and search engine advertising, internet, cable, and phone services.
- 1 point per dollar on everything else.
Cardmember Perks
The Southwest Performance Business credit card comes with some nice perks. Let’s take a look:
- 9,000 Rapid Rewards points every anniversary (worth around $135)
- 4 upgraded boardings per year (when available). Perfect if you forget to check in.
- Up to 365 $8 in flight WiFi credits.
- 1,500 TQPs per $10,000 in spend, up to 15,000 TQPs per year
- $100 credit for Global Entry or TSA Precheck (once every 4 years)
Fees
The Southwest Performance Business credit card comes with an annual fee of $199 which is not waived the first year.
Welcome Offer Value – $1200 ($1001 Net Value)
Southwest Rapid Rewards points are valued on average around $0.015 a piece. With the 80,000 point welcome offer that comes with a value of $1200 or a net of $1001 when taking the annual fee into account.
Southwest Performance Business Credit Card Review – Summary
Some Of These Offers Have Changed or Ended
The Southwest Performance Business credit card comes with a massive 80,000 Rapid Rewards points welcome offer. The value of this welcome offer is only bested by the Chase Ink Preferred card in terms of overall value in the Chase ecosystem.
What that statement doesn’t take into account is that the 80,000 points from the Southwest card DO count towards the Southwest Companion Pass. That may make this the better choice for many between the two cards.
After completing the minimum spend on the welcome offer the applicant would be sitting on at least 85,000 Southwest Rapid Rewards points. That is only 25,000 points short of the necessary 110,000 points needed to earn a Companion Pass.
The card also comes with some nice perks for anyone who flies Southwest frequently. The 4 free upgrades can be lifesavers if you are stuck with the dreaded C boarding group. Being able to rack up elite credits through spend is a nice perk as well for anyone striving for A-List status. The real gem is the WiFi credits though and they are practically uncapped!
Long Term Keeper?
The Southwest Performance Business credit card is pegged as a long term keeper for anyone who flies Southwest semi-regularly. The $199 annual is substantial and some of it is offset by the 9,000 point anniversary bonus.
If we value the anniversary points at least $100 that leaves another $100 in value you need to get out of the perks. The boarding upgrades are probably worth $15 each since that is the low end cost of Early Bird check in. If you use all 4 that is a value of around $60. The WiFi credits are worth $8 each so you would need to use them on 5 flights to get to break even.
If you don’t have another card that gives you Global Entry or TSA Precheck credits that is essentially another $25 per year ($100 every 4 years). Even if you do have yourself covered with another card you could use the credit on a friend of family member.
That doesn’t include whatever you value earning elite credits via spend. Some will value that more than others.
If you fly Southwest for 10 legs or more per year then you should be able to come out ahead with this card.
The earning structure is decent but could be bested by most premium travel cards like the Chase Sapphire Reserve and business cards like the Chase Ink Cash.
Final Thoughts
The Southwest Performance Business credit card comes with one of the best welcome offers out there. There are less than a handful of offers more valuable than this one netting you over $1,000 in value.
The card also comes with some good perks for Southwest loyalists that should more than offset the annual fee. It is the best Southwest business card on the market in terms of perks. If you include the personal cards then the Southwest Priority card probably offers more overall value.
The real value of this card lies in the opportunity to earn a Companion Pass with this offer. Being only 25,000 miles away from earning it after meeting the minimum spend is amazing. That makes the most valuable perk in domestic travel a possibility for almost anyone who is eligible for this card.
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Is only the cardholder eligible to use the WiFi credits, or could everyone in my family of 5 use a credit if we were flying together?
You will receive Inflight WiFi Credits in the form of credit card statement credits for purchases of WiFi access made on WiFi-enabled Southwest® aircraft with your Southwest Rapid Rewards® Performance Business Card. Inflight WiFi Credits are limited to a total of 365 $8 credits per year for all WiFi transactions on the overall business card account. You will not receive a credit for any unused portion of the annual benefit. Statement credit(s) will post to your credit card account the same day as your purchase(s) and will appear on your monthly credit card billing statement within 1-2 billing cycles. Account must be open and not in default at the time the statement credit is posted to your account. WiFi may not be available on all flights or for the full duration of a flight. In order to provide a top-notch WiFi experience Southwest prohibits access to certain high-bandwidth applications and websites. Southwest also prohibits access to certain obscene or offensive content.
The way I read the terms that should work as long as the total is under 365 per year but I can’t say that is how it works for sure or not.
“$8 credits per year for all WiFi transactions on the overall business card account.”
Since it says overall business account I think it should though. Especially if some are authorized users on the account.
Thank you very much!
You are welcome Becky. I did reach out to Chase on Twitter and they did confirm that you can use more than one credit per flight
😉
Don’t forget the $100 Global entry credit to figure in your calculations.
I put it in the perks but not the calculations since so many cards offer it I doubt many will be able to use it. But I’ll add in a reminder in the Long Term section too – thanks!