Southwest’s New Premium Card Will Unlock Airport Lounges

Southwest Airlines is getting into the airport lounge business, and a new premium credit card will be one of the main ways travelers get through the door. The airline plans to open its first lounges in late 2027 as its latest step toward improving the customer experience.

Not everyone who flies with Southwest will be eligible to pop into one of the new spaces. Access will be included with a new premium Southwest Rapid Rewards credit card issued by Chase and scheduled to launch in 2027. Southwest said additional customers and guests will also be eligible, but it has not disclosed the full access rules.

The card isn’t available at this time. But Southwest confirmed in its release that it will be a premium card with a launch date set for sometime in 2027. The company has yet to disclose additional details on the card about its interest rate, rewards structure, or any annual fees or other charges that come with it.

Tony Roach, Executive Vice President and Chief Customer & Brand Officer at Southwest, said in the release that introducing a lounge network deepens the company’s partnership with Chase, which has spanned 30 years, and reflects a strategic investment in the airline’s loyalty program, Rapid Rewards.

Rapid Rewards members can redeem points for Southwest flights and, through the Southwest More Rewards program, gift cards, hotel stays, merchandise, and rental cars.

Points that Rapid Rewards members earn don’t expire, and the company doesn’t impose blackout dates on travel through the program.

Details about the lounges themselves aren’t comprehensive at the moment, but they may be enough to give frequent Southwest passengers something to be excited about. Roach provided hints about some of what the new spaces will offer in his comments from the press release. 

“Southwest Airlines has built one of the most trusted brands in travel by delivering authentic hospitality that customers value,” Roach said. “Our lounges will be a natural extension of that experience, offering customers a place to relax and experience the Southwest brand in a new way.”

Allison Beer, CEO of Card Services and Connected Commerce at Chase, posted on LinkedIn that the new lounges will “blend Southwest’s signature hospitality with the proven success of the Chase Sapphire Reserve Lounge Network.”

She added that visitors to the lounges can expect to find curated benefits, dining options inspired by the local region, and premium amenities.

Southwest plans to make at least seven more lounges available in the coming years to travelers in high-demand markets.

Of course, many of Southwest’s competitors already offer airport lounges.

We reached out to the airline to learn more about any amenities or features that the company anticipates will distinguish its lounges from those of its rivals. Southwest declined to provide additional details and directed CardRates to the company’s press release on the lounges for more information.

Although exactly what travelers will encounter in the new lounges isn’t entirely clear at this point, where they’ll be able to find the lounges is.

Southwest is rolling out four lounges in late 2027, and they’ll be at airports in Austin, Baltimore, Honolulu, and Nashville. Construction is already underway at these locations, Southwest said in its release.

Fans of Southwest shouldn’t be too disappointed if they don’t see their most-frequented airport on the list. The airline said it is planning to open a minimum of seven more lounges in high-demand markets within the next several years.