As I wrote last yearimportant changes in the Southwest Rapid Rewards® Priority Credit Card (see rates and fees) convinced me to cancel my card before the next annual fee was due in April. But when I called to cancel, Chase offered me a statement credit to cover the next annual fee, which basically gave me access to all of the card’s benefits for another year at no cost.
I figured why not keep the card for another year to see how much I end up flying with Southwest and how valuable the new credit card perks really are.
That was a month ago, and my priority card It has already been useful to me. When United left me stranded on a recent work trip, Southwest was there for me and the card gave me a seat with extra legroom on a five-and-a-half-hour flight, free.
Related: Southwest Rapid Rewards: How to Earn and Redeem Points, Elite Status, and More
The southwest got to work
Before renewing my card, I had pretty much stopped flying with Southwest. I wasn’t thrilled with the carrier. radical changes or his credit card review. And although I had consistently flown to Southwest to visit my parents at least once a year for more than the last decade, they recently moved to Asheville, North Carolina, an airport not served by Southwest.
After so many years, it seemed like my relationship with Southwest had reached its final destination.
So when I needed to travel from my base in Denver to Fort Lauderdale for a work conference, I booked a nonstop flight on United (my airline of choice since The Southwest Renewal). Then, a few weeks before the trip, United alerted me that they had canceled my afternoon flight and moved me to an overnight flight, landing at midnight the day before my conference.
Since I didn’t want to be a zombie for my work event, I looked for other options. Luckily, Southwest had a direct flight that left around the same time as my original flight. I gladly rebooked (and got a full refund from United because it had caused the schedule change).
This was enough to convince me to try Southwest again and gave me the opportunity to try out some of my card’s new perks. I hadn’t flown Southwest since the card upgrade; I hadn’t even experienced the airline’s new assigned seating policy yet.
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It was time for me to enter new era of flying southwest.
The seat improvement process
He Southwest Rapid Rewards® Priority Credit Card gives cardholders access to “preferred” seats (near the front of the plane) when booking. This might have gotten me to my conference hotel a few minutes earlier, but otherwise it’s not a benefit that’s generally worth much to me.
What really interested me was the ability to upgrade to a seat with extra legroom for free 48 hours before departure, another perk for cardholders. When Southwest announced its The first seats with extra legroom. Last year, complimentary upgrades were touted as one of the highlights of the Priority card, but I was skeptical that I’d be able to get one.
To give myself the best chance, I logged into my Southwest account a little earlier than the 48 hours to be ready to upgrade as soon as possible.
When I checked the upgrade options five minutes before that, the seat map showed a handful of seats with extra legroom available, with prices ranging from $78 to $84.
When I checked again exactly 48 hours before departure, the price had dropped to zero. A couple of seats with extra legroom were already gone, suggesting that other passengers (probably cardholders or List A members—had had the same idea as me.
The upgrade process was simple. I clicked on the seat of my choice, an aisle seat in the emergency exit row, and then followed the prompts to confirm the free upgrade.
How much is this benefit worth?
At only 5’2″, I don’t value the extra legroom as much as some passengers. But I still appreciated the extra space on this four-hour flight, which ended up being closer to six hours due to a weather-induced ground stop in Denver.
Also, my row only had two seats instead of three. If I had traveled with my partner, I could have taken advantage of this benefit to have an entire row to ourselves.
This is because the Priority Card’s preferred seating and extra legroom benefits apply to cardholders and up to eight companions on the same reservation. You could save hundreds of dollars by taking advantage of this card to get free upgrades for your entire family, in theory.
I say this because when I changed my seat after 48 hours, there weren’t many seats with extra legroom available next to each other. There were a couple of pairs and the rest were solitary middle seats.
So if you’re traveling with a group, you may have to choose between upgrading your seats or sitting together. However, if you frequently travel with a partner, your chances of getting two seats with extra legroom together are much better.
Related: How to get and use the Southwest Companion Pass
Did this change my mind?
On the one hand, I was impressed with how easy it was to upgrade my seat for free. But will it be worth renewing my Priority card in 2027, with the new $229 annual fee?
That depends on how much I end up flying to Southwest this year.
I will definitely take a closer look at Southwest when booking flights in the future. If the airline serves my destination (and its network has been growing steadily, with new national routes and several international partners — I’ll be much more inclined to choose Southwest knowing I have a good chance of getting more legroom.
Chase’s offer seems to have done its job: It convinced me not only to keep the card (for now), but also to give Southwest another look.
Related: Best Southwest Airlines Credit Cards
Current Southwest Credit Card Offers
If the extra legroom tempts you to add the Southwest Rapid Rewards® Priority Credit Card in your wallet, you can get a high welcome bonus right now. You can earn 90,000 Rapid Rewards bonus points after spending $3,000 within the first three months of account opening; that’s worth a whopping $1,125 to TPG in May 2026. ratings.
Southwest has two other co-branded cards, both offering high bonuses right now. These don’t provide complimentary extra legroom upgrades, but they come with other perks when you fly Southwest, like free checked bags, seat selection, and priority boarding:
Southwest Premier Card information has been collected independently by The Points Guy. The card details on this page have not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer.
Related: Fly southwest at least twice a year? Here’s why Southwest Plus makes sense for you
In a nutshell
This experience reminded me that the world of travel and loyalty is constantly changing. I thought I was done with Southwest after the carrier’s sweeping changes, but a single credit card benefit convinced me to give it a second chance.
It also taught me how easy it is to get a card. exempt annual fee (at least for a year). If you’re unsure about keeping a card, it’s worth calling the retention department to see if you can get a free year of benefits or something else. retention bonus. Maybe you’ll end up changing your mind, or maybe you won’t, but either way, you can potentially get another year’s worth off the card without paying another annual fee.
Related: The Ultimate Guide to Southwest Credit Card Eligibility
