pointslip milestomorrow.com

Chase Southwest Rapid Rewards Priority vs United Explorer Card

Both are Chase cards. Here is every spend category, ranked by what each card actually returns.

Best card by category Card terms as of Oct 29

Everything else

  1. Southwest Rapid Rewards Priority 1.3% 1x base rate
  2. United Explorer Card 1.2% 1x base rate

Dining

  1. Southwest Rapid Rewards Priority 2.5% 2x
  2. United Explorer Card 2.4% 2x

Gas

  1. Southwest Rapid Rewards Priority 2.5% 2x
  2. United Explorer Card 1.2% 1x base rate

Flights

  1. Southwest Rapid Rewards Priority 5.0% 4x
  2. United Explorer Card 3.6% 3x

Hotels

  1. United Explorer Card 2.4% 2x
  2. Southwest Rapid Rewards Priority 1.3% 1x base rate

Lyft

  1. Southwest Rapid Rewards Priority 6.3% 5x
  2. United Explorer Card 1.2% 1x base rate

What the numbers are doing

The table is earn rate only — annual fees are not netted out of it. These cards charge Southwest Rapid Rewards Priority $229 and United Explorer Card $150 a year, so a thin lead in one category may not cover the difference.

Where they differ: Southwest Rapid Rewards Priority takes everything else, dining, gas and flights, plus 1 more; United Explorer Card takes hotels.

pointslipEveryday
Pass content preview
CategoryBest card
Everything elseSouthwest Rapid Rewards Priority1.3%
DiningSouthwest Rapid Rewards Priority2.5%
GasSouthwest Rapid Rewards Priority2.5%
FlightsSouthwest Rapid Rewards Priority5.0%
HotelsUnited Explorer Card2.4%
LyftSouthwest Rapid Rewards Priority6.3%

Content preview. Apple Wallet controls the layout; visible categories vary by device. Categories that rank the same as Everything else are left off; every other category is in pass details.

Every category, every card

Everything else

  1. Southwest Rapid Rewards Priority — 1.3%
  2. United Explorer Card — 1.2%

Dining

  1. Southwest Rapid Rewards Priority — 2.5%
  2. United Explorer Card — 2.4%

Gas

  1. Southwest Rapid Rewards Priority — 2.5%
  2. United Explorer Card — 1.2%

Flights

  1. Southwest Rapid Rewards Priority — 5.0%
  2. United Explorer Card — 3.6%

Hotels

  1. United Explorer Card — 2.4%
  2. Southwest Rapid Rewards Priority — 1.3%

Lyft

  1. Southwest Rapid Rewards Priority — 6.3%
  2. United Explorer Card — 1.2%
Add to Apple Wallet

This link hands the pass straight to Wallet, no app and no account — its first three rows; the app unlocks every row.

iPhone app · not yet released

Preview this set of cards. The first three rows are free, whatever cards you hold; every row and every feature is $9.99 once, in the app. See the free combos.

Open this ranking in the generator

A cheat sheet in your Wallet that tells you which card to use. No account, no bank linking, no subscription.