Chase Southwest Premier
The Chase Southwest Premier from Chase has a $149 annual fee. At $2,650 a month of typical household spending it pays about $349 a year after fees, before statement credits, $288 less than the Citi Double Cash, a flat 2% card.
Terms checked October 24, 2026. Net values use the spending mix of 1,229 U.S. households in the Bureau of Labor Statistics' Consumer Expenditure Interview Survey. This is an estimate, not financial advice.
What does the Chase Southwest Premier earn?
3x Southwest purchases; 2x groceries (up to $8,000 a year, shared); 2x dining (up to $8,000 a year, shared); 3x Lyft rides (through 12/31/2027); 1x on everything else. Points valued at 1.25 cents (The Points Guy, Sept 2026).
How much would it pay you a year?
This is the card's rewards minus its annual fee, at three spending levels, with spending split the way the survey households split theirs. Statement credits and sign-up bonuses are left out.
| Spending a month | Chase Southwest Premier | Citi Double Cash (2%) |
|---|---|---|
| $1,500 | $161 | $360 |
| $2,650 (the survey median) | $349 | $636 |
| $5,000 | $701 | $1,200 |
The mix is 30% everything else, 25% groceries, 16% phone and utilities, 13% dining, and smaller shares elsewhere. Your own split decides the real answer: add your statements to work it out on what you actually spent.
How did it do for real households?
We ran each of the 1,229 households in the 2024 survey through every card, on 12 straight months of their own spending. It was never the best of the 53 cards for any household, and never paid more than the Citi Double Cash, a flat 2% card. For the median household it paid $293 a year less than the flat 2% card.
The survey records spending categories but not merchants, so merchant bonuses and statement credits never count there, which favors flat cards. How we ran the household test.
What credits does it come with?
Up to $120 a year in credits, worth that much only if you would spend at these merchants anyway. PointMaxx counts a credit only when your statements show you'd have used it.
| Credit | Up to |
|---|---|
| Instacart credit | $10 a month ($120 a year) |
Fees and sign-up bonus
- Annual fee: $149.
- Foreign transaction fee: none.
- Sign-up bonus: 55,000 points ($688 at 1.25¢ a point) after $1,500 of spending in 3 months. Offers change and can differ by applicant, so check the issuer's page.
Other benefits
- Anniversary bonus: 6,000 points
- First checked bag free: cardholder plus up to 8 passengers on same reservation
- Group 5 boarding: cardholder plus up to 8 passengers
- Preferred seat selection: within 48 hours of departure when available
- 25% back on inflight drinks and Wi-Fi: statement credit on Southwest purchases
- 15% flight discount promo code: each anniversary year
- Companion Pass boost: 10,000 qualifying points
- Tier qualifying points: 1,500 per $5,000 spent annually
Cards that pay about the same
At $2,650 a month, these pay closest to the Chase Southwest Premier:
- Wells Fargo Autograph Journey: $343 a year
- Barclays JetBlue Plus: $339 a year
- Chase Southwest Plus: $361 a year
- Amex Delta SkyMiles Gold: $376 a year
See what it would have paid you
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PointMaxx runs a year of your own card statements against 53 U.S. cards, after annual fees, caps and the credits you'd really use. No statements on hand? The quick estimate asks seven questions instead.
Sources
- creditcards.chase.com/travel-credit-cards/southwest/premier
- thepointsguy.com/credit-cards/airlines/southwest-airlines/comparing-southwest-credit-cards
- nerdwallet.com/article/credit-cards/southwest-cards-hike-fees-and-welcome-offers-add-perks-and-bonus-categories
- Household spending: BLS Consumer Expenditure Surveys public-use microdata, 2024 Interview Survey.
See a wrong rate? Tell us. PointMaxx is not affiliated with or endorsed by Chase; the card's name is used only to say which card is meant.