I'm sorry for such a newbie question but I learned today that I'm going to start flying again next week. It's been a decade since I was a frequent flyer and participant on FlyerTalk and even then it was AA not Soutwest (I've only flown SW 2x in my life). It looks like SW will be the better choice this time (DAL).

Are the SW Airline credit cards the best option to maximize value flying SW or are the benefits to cost such that you choose to use other cards instead?

Any other "do this right away" recommendations for starting with SW?

Thanks y'all!