How to Use the $75 Southwest Annual Travel Credit

The $75 Southwest annual travel credit was a legacy Southwest Rapid Rewards Priority Credit Card benefit listed through Dec. 31, 2025, so it is not a benefit to expect on a new Southwest purchase in 2026 unless Chase still shows it as active for your specific account. Start by confirming what type of credit or reward you actually have before booking a flight.

What the Southwest Annual Travel Credit Was

The annual travel credit was associated with the Southwest Rapid Rewards Priority Credit Card. When it was active, it reduced the effective cost of eligible Southwest travel purchases made under the benefit’s terms.

This is easy to confuse with several other Southwest-related balances:

Rapid Rewards points are points in your Southwest account that can be redeemed for eligible flights.
Southwest flight credits usually come from a canceled or changed paid reservation and are connected to the traveler and reservation details.
A card travel credit is a card benefit, not a cash balance.
Disruption vouchers have their own terms.

Review the current card benefits rather than relying on an older card review or an outdated benefits summary.

How to Use an Active Southwest Annual Travel Credit

Use this table to identify what you have before trying to apply it to a Southwest reservation.

What You See	What It Probably Is	What To Do
An active travel-credit benefit in your Chase card account	A current card-linked benefit	Read the displayed eligibility and payment rules, then make the qualifying purchase with the required card.
An older web page describing an annual travel credit	A retired or expired benefit description	Do not make a purchase expecting reimbursement unless Chase displays the benefit for your account.
A Southwest confirmation number and unused fare funds	A flight credit	Sign in to Southwest and apply the flight credit during checkout when eligible.
Rapid Rewards points in your Southwest account	Points, not cash credit	Choose the points-payment option while booking an eligible Southwest flight.
A voucher sent after an operational disruption	A separate disruption benefit	Use the voucher according to its expiration date, transfer rules, and booking instructions.

Step 1: Confirm That Your Card Still Has the Benefit

Sign in to your Chase account and open the Southwest Priority Card account.
Review the account’s current benefits, recent messages, and cardmember terms for an available Southwest travel credit.
Look for a benefit that is clearly marked as active, available, or eligible for redemption.
If you only find an old article or past offer language, do not assume the benefit is available.

If you made a qualifying purchase before the former benefit ended and believe a credit is missing, keep the Southwest booking confirmation, the card transaction date, and the amount charged.

Finish this step with a clear answer: either your account shows an active benefit, or it does not.

Step 2: Make the Purchase Using the Required Card

If Chase shows an active card-linked travel benefit, follow the terms displayed in your account. A benefit structured as reimbursement generally requires you to make the eligible Southwest purchase first with the associated Priority Card.

Book the eligible Southwest travel directly through Southwest.
Use the Southwest Priority Card that carries the active benefit to pay for the purchase.
Save the confirmation email, receipt, fare details, and card transaction record.
Avoid mixing payment methods unless the card benefit terms specifically permit it; using another card can prevent the charge from qualifying.

A card travel credit is not normally entered in Southwest’s promotional-code field. If the account terms describe it as a statement credit or reimbursement, match it to the qualifying charge.

Step 3: Verify That the Credit Posted

After the purchase appears on the card account:

Open the card’s transaction activity and monthly statement.
Look for a separate statement-credit entry connected to the Southwest purchase.
Compare the transaction date, merchant description, and amount with your Southwest receipt.
If the credit does not appear as the active benefit terms indicate, contact Chase using the number on the back of the card. Provide the Southwest confirmation number and the card transaction details.

How to Find Your Southwest Travel Credit Balance

For a card-linked annual credit, check Chase first, not your Southwest Rapid Rewards dashboard. A Southwest account may show points and flight credits.

Look in these places:

Chase transaction activity: Search recent purchases and credits for Southwest-related entries.
Your Chase statement: A posted reimbursement should appear as a separate credit, reducing the statement balance.
Current card benefits and messages: These show whether a benefit remains available and may state the eligibility period.
Southwest account flight-credit area: Check here only if you canceled or changed a paid Southwest itinerary and expect unused fare funds.

Do not assume an annual benefit refreshes on Jan. 1 or on your card anniversary. The benefit terms for the specific card account control the timing, and the legacy annual travel credit was listed only through Dec. 31, 2025.

Travel Credit, Flight Credit, and Disruption Voucher Differences

The legacy card perk and a Southwest disruption voucher are separate benefits.

A card travel credit was connected to the Southwest Priority Card. It was intended to offset eligible purchases under the card’s benefit terms.

A flight credit is unused value from a Southwest fare. It is generally redeemed as part of a later Southwest booking and is not the same as a credit-card statement credit.

A disruption voucher has its own terms and is separate from a card benefit. Check the voucher itself before trying to use it.

Using the wrong balance is a common reason a traveler thinks a credit disappeared. Match the item you have to its issuer.

What to Do If a Credit Does Not Post

Start with the simplest explanation: the old annual benefit may no longer be active. Because it was listed through the end of 2025, an otherwise valid Southwest purchase made in 2026 should not be assumed to qualify.

If Chase shows an active benefit and you used the required card, gather:

The Southwest confirmation email
The itinerary and receipt
The card transaction date and amount
A screenshot or copy of the active benefit terms
The date you expected the reimbursement to post

Then contact Chase rather than Southwest. Southwest can confirm the reservation and charge.

Also check whether you received points instead of a credit. Chase lists 7,500 anniversary points each year for the Priority Card. Anniversary points belong in your Rapid Rewards account; they do not show that a cash-like travel-credit balance is available.

The Priority Card Annual Fee and Current Value

The annual fee is $229 for Chase’s Southwest Rapid Rewards Priority Credit Card. Whether to keep the card should depend on the benefits currently shown for your account and whether you can use them naturally without making unnecessary purchases.

Do not count the former annual travel credit when deciding whether the card’s current annual fee makes sense. Relevant considerations include anniversary points, checked-bag benefits where applicable, earning categories, and inflight purchase savings.

Avoid assigning a fixed cash value to anniversary points. Southwest flight prices and point redemption rates vary by route, travel date, and demand, so the useful value is what those points save on a trip you actually plan to take.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do I find my Southwest annual travel credit balance?

Check your Chase card account and statement activity first. A card-linked credit would appear as an account benefit or a statement credit, while Rapid Rewards points and Southwest flight credits appear in your Southwest account. The legacy $75 annual benefit was listed only through Dec. 31, 2025, so a current account must specifically show an active benefit before there is a balance to use.

How do I know when my Southwest travel credit refreshes?

Check the current terms displayed for your individual Chase card account. Do not assume the refresh follows either the calendar year or your card anniversary, because benefit timing is set by the applicable card terms. A retired annual benefit does not refresh simply because a new year or card anniversary arrives.

How do I redeem the $75 Southwest reward from my credit card?

Confirm first that Chase shows an active travel-credit benefit for your card. If it does, make the eligible Southwest purchase using the required Priority Card and verify the resulting credit in Chase activity or on your statement. If Chase does not list an active benefit, there is no card reward to enter at Southwest checkout.

What can the former Southwest annual travel credit be used for?

The former benefit was intended for eligible Southwest travel purchases made under its card terms, not as cash, Rapid Rewards points, or a general Southwest gift balance. Since the old benefit was listed through Dec. 31, 2025, rely on the benefits currently displayed by Chase rather than assuming a new airfare purchase will qualify.

Are the 7,500 anniversary points the same as a travel credit?

No. Chase lists 7,500 anniversary points each year for the Priority Card, and those are Rapid Rewards points rather than a statement credit. Log in to your Southwest Rapid Rewards account to see and redeem the points for eligible travel; review your Chase account separately for current card benefits.