How hard is it to get a Southwest credit card?

You need a credit score of 700 or higher to get a Southwest Airlines credit card, as at least good credit is required for approval. If your credit score is below the threshold, it's best to wait and apply after you meet the credit score requirement. You can check your credit score for free, right here on WalletHub.



Getting a Southwest Rapid Rewards credit card is considered moderately difficult, as Chase (the issuing bank) typically requires a "Good" to "Excellent" credit score, generally defined as 700 or higher. Beyond just your score, approval is heavily influenced by the Chase "5/24 Rule", which states that you will likely be denied if you have opened five or more personal credit cards from any issuer within the last 24 months. Applicants also need a steady income and a reasonable debt-to-income ratio. If you have a clean credit history and stay under the 5/24 limit, the process is straightforward; however, if you are new to credit or have recent delinquencies, it may be better to build your score before applying to avoid a hard inquiry without an approval.

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Generally speaking, to get approved for a Southwest Airlines credit card, you'll likely need a good to excellent credit score. This usually translates to a score in the ballpark of the upper 600s to the 700s and beyond.

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Like other travel rewards credit cards, you'll likely need at least a good credit score to qualify for any of the Southwest Rapid Rewards cards. A good credit score, according to FICO®, is a score of 670 or above.

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Editorial and user-generated content is not provided, reviewed or endorsed by any company. The only way you can get pre-approved for a Southwest credit card is through an offer in the mail. You cannot check for pre-approval for these cards online.

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Since the card is a co-branded Chase credit card, applicants should also limit the total number of credit cards they get — Chase's 5/24 rule means that applicants who have gotten five credit cards or more in the past 24 months will automatically be rejected for a new card.

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You can use your Southwest Priority Card instantly after approval if you apply for it while booking a flight. You might also be able to add the Southwest Priority Card to a digital wallet, but it's not guaranteed.

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The Southwest Premier Card uses either Experian, Equifax or TransUnion for approval.

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65,000 Southwest points are worth around $864.5 when redeemed for airfare. Each Southwest Airlines point is worth 1.37 cents on average, and you will get the most value when you redeem for Southwest flights, they're also redeemable for gift cards, hotel stays, merchandise, and more.

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The easiest airline credit cards to get approved for are those available to people with good credit that also charge annual fees, such as the Southwest Rapid Rewards® Plus Credit Card.

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Like most other airline rewards cards, you have good approval odds with a credit score in the mid to upper-600s. Cardholders earn unlimited: 3x points on Southwest® purchases. 2x points on local transit and commuting, including rideshares.

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