What’s the $75 credit on the Southwest Priority Card?

The Southwest Rapid Rewards® Priority Credit Card has a $75 credit for Southwest purchases expiring for good at the end of year (12/31/25). And frankly, it’s a pretty easy credit to use so might as well go for it.

How do I use the $75 credit on the Southwest Priority Card?

The traditional way to use the $75 credit is to book Southwest flights with the card. Just go to Southwest's site, find a flight you need to take, and book it with the card. You'll then receive a $75 statement credit.

You should be able to book flights for 2026 as well, as long as the purchase is made prior to the end of 2025. Notably, you cannot use the $75 credit for Upgraded Boardings and inflight purchases.

How can I use the $75 credit if I don't have any additional flights to book?

Based on some Reddit threads, there's a lot of reasonable ways to use this credit that might not necessarily need you to book another flight.

Some people mentioned a refundable flight or upgrading seats on your Southwest flight. You can also even purchase a Southwest gift card to use the $75 credit.

The best part about Southwest gift cards is that they don’t expire! So you are essentially getting a permanent extension on your $75 credit on the Southwest Priority card.

Is it worth applying for the Southwest Priority Card?

The Southwest Priority Card is a great card for frequent Southwest flyers.

With this card, you’ll earn 4 points per $1 spent on all Southwest purchases. Some of the other cool perks include 7,500 Southwest points every year upon renewal, first checked bag free for you and 8 companions on Southwest flights and 10,000 Companion Pass qualifying points each year.

Given Southwest has started to move to a more traditional airline model, getting its cards will be useful to getting free checked bags alongside earlier boarding groups. One of the most useful benefits of the card is that it gives you access to book complimentary Preferred seating.

You’ll also get 85,000 Southwest points after spending $3,000 in the first three months from the account opening. Not too shabby.

The one caveat is that the Southwest Priority Card has a $229 annual fee. So you’ll have to decide if you fly Southwest enough to justify this substantial annual fee.

One of my good friends is a frequent Southwest flyer as he flies from Boston to Baltimore to visit family often. It’s quite easy to do as Baltimore is a Southwest hub. He likes to brag that he always uses points (from Southwest) to fly roundtrip to Baltimore. And I can tell you that he has this card.

When does the $75 credit expire?

Normally, the credit is available on an anniversary basis.

However, this year, the credit is being entirely removed from the card on Dec 31, 2025. This is in reflection of the general shift Southwest is taking to become a more traditional airline.

So, if you haven't used your credit yet, this is the last chance to do so!

Final Remarks

The $75 credit on the Southwest Priority Card is a really nice benefit (that is going away for new applicants of the card) that you can easily use. Just buy a Southwest gift card and you will have that gift card as long as you’d like. Just make sure you do this before the end of year!