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As I wrote last year, major changes to the Southwest Rapid Rewards® Priority Credit Card (see rates and fees) convinced me to cancel my card before the next annual fee came due in April. But when I called to cancel, Chase offered me a statement credit to cover the next annual fee — essentially giving me access to all 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 Southwest and how valuable the new credit card perks really are?
That was a month ago, and my Priority card has already come in handy. When United left me hanging on a recent work trip, Southwest was there for me, and the card scored me an extra-legroom seat on a five-and-a-half-hour flight — for free.
Related: Southwest Rapid Rewards: How to earn and redeem points, elite status and more
Southwest came in clutch
Before renewing my card, I had pretty much stopped flying Southwest. I wasn’t thrilled with the carrier’s sweeping changes or its credit card overhaul. And while I had consistently flown Southwest to visit my parents at least once a year over the last decade-plus, they recently moved to Asheville, North Carolina, an airport that Southwest doesn’t serve.
After so many years, it seemed my relationship with Southwest had reached its final destination.
So, when I needed to travel from my home base in Denver to Fort Lauderdale for a work conference, I booked a nonstop flight on United (my go-to airline since Southwest’s revamp). Then, a few weeks before the trip, United alerted me that they had canceled my afternoon flight and moved me to an evening flight — which would land at midnight the night before my conference.
Not wanting to be a zombie for my work event, I looked into other options. Luckily, Southwest had a direct flight that departed 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 it gave me a chance to test out some of my card’s new perks. I hadn’t flown Southwest since the card update; I hadn’t even experienced the carrier’s new assigned seating policy yet.
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It was time for me to step into the new era of flying Southwest.
The seat upgrade process
The Southwest Rapid Rewards® Priority Credit Card gives cardholders access to “preferred” seats (near the front of the plane) at booking. This might have gotten me to my conference hotel a few minutes earlier, but otherwise is not a perk that’s generally worth much to me.
What really interested me was the possibility of upgrading to an extra-legroom seat for free 48 hours before departure, another perk for cardholders. When Southwest announced its first-ever extra-legroom seats last year, complimentary upgrades were touted as one of the highlights of the Priority card, but I was skeptical that I’d actually be able to snag one.
To give myself the best chance, I logged into my Southwest account a little before the 48-hour mark so I’d 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 extra-legroom seats available, ranging in price from $78 to $84.
When I checked again exactly 48 hours before departure, the price had dropped to zero. A couple of the extra-legroom seats were already gone, suggesting other passengers — probably cardholders or A-List members — had had the same idea as me.
The upgrade process was simple. I clicked my seat of choice, an aisle seat in the emergency exit row, then followed the prompts to confirm the complimentary upgrade.
What is this perk worth?
At only 5’2″, I don’t value 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.
Plus, my row had only two seats instead of three. If I had been traveling with my partner, I could have used this perk to get us an entire row to ourselves.
That’s because the Priority card’s preferred and extra-legroom seat benefits apply to cardholders and up to eight companions on the same reservation. You could save hundreds of dollars by leveraging this card to get free upgrades for your whole family — in theory.
I say that because, when I upgraded my seat at the 48-hour mark, there weren’t many extra-legroom seats available next to each other. There were a couple pairs, and the rest were lone middle seats.
So if you’re traveling with a group, you may have to choose between upgrading your seats and sitting together. If you often travel with a partner, however, your odds of scoring two extra-legroom seats together are much better.
Related: How to earn and use the Southwest Companion Pass
Did this change my mind?
On 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, at the new annual fee of $229?
That hinges on how much I end up flying Southwest this year.
I’ll certainly be taking a closer look at Southwest when I book flights in the future. If the carrier serves my destination — and its network has been steadily growing, with new domestic routes and several international partners — I’ll be much more inclined to choose Southwest knowing I have a good shot at scoring extra 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 extra legroom is tempting you to add the Southwest Rapid Rewards® Priority Credit Card to your wallet, you can get an elevated welcome bonus right now. You can earn 90,000 Rapid Rewards bonus points after spending $3,000 within the first three months from account opening — that’s worth an impressive $1,125 by TPG’s May 2026 valuations.
Southwest has two other cobranded cards, both offering elevated 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:
The information for the Southwest Premier Card 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 the Southwest Plus makes sense for you
Bottom line
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 perk convinced me to give it a second chance.
It also taught me how easy it is to get a card’s annual fee waived (at least, for one year). If you feel unsure about keeping a card, it’s worth calling the retention department to see if you can get a year’s worth of perks for free, or some other retention bonus. Maybe you’ll end up changing your mind, or maybe not — but either way, you can potentially squeeze another year’s worth of value out of the card without paying another annual fee.
Related: The ultimate guide to Southwest credit card eligibility
