If you’re planning your next getaway, you want to have a good travel rewards credit card by your side — not only for racking up points but for making your trip more enjoyable.
For example, if you fly Southwest Airlines often, you may want to consider the Southwest Rapid Rewards® Plus Credit Card. Out of the three Southwest consumer credit cards, it has the smallest annual fee, but still packs a ton of Southwest perks.
Southwest Rapid Rewards® Plus Credit Card
Rewards Rate
- 2x points on Southwest Airlines® purchases
- 2x points at gas stations and grocery stores on the first $5,000 in combined purchases per anniversary year
- 1x points on all other purchases
Welcome Offer
Earn 50,000 bonus points after spending $1,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening.
Annual Fee
$99
Overview of the Southwest Rapid Rewards® Plus Credit Card
Out of the three co-branded Chase cards in the Rapid Rewards® family, the Southwest Rapid Rewards® Plus Credit Card is the most affordable in terms of the annual fee. As a result, it has a lower rewards rate in some categories and fewer perks, but is still a solid option if you're a Southwest fan.
The card used to be more bare-bones, but was recently upgraded to offer benefits like free checked bags, seat selection, and an annual 10% promo code.
You'll also automatically earn 3,000 points every year on your cardmember anniversary and 10,000 bonus qualifying points for the Companion Pass® — and you don’t have to spend anything to get those points.
Pros
- Free checked bags for up to 9 passengers
- Anniversary perk of 3,000 points
- No foreign transaction fees
Cons
- Limited redemption flexibility
- Unimpressive travel perks
- Annual 10% promo code excludes Basic fare
Redeeming Rewards
Once you earn rewards with the Southwest Rapid Rewards® Plus Credit Card, there are a few different paths you can take to redeem them. However, you do need to pay attention to the limitations of these redemption options.
Since this is a Southwest Airlines-affiliated credit card, it will come as no surprise that you can redeem your points to book flights with this airline. You can choose from over 100 different destinations when booking domestically or to Mexico or the Caribbean, but you can only book with Southwest Airlines for these flights.
Unfortunately, Southwest doesn't currently have any airline transfer partners, although this will hopefully change soon. Southwest has announced partnerships with Icelandair and China Air, and says they're working to integrate the Rapid Rewards program with other loyalty programs.
Hotel and rental car redemptions also have limitations, as these bookings must go through the More Rewards platform.
You do have the option to redeem points on select event bookings, merchandise purchases, and gift cards, too, although these redemptions don’t deliver as much value for your points.
There is no cashback option, which can be frustrating if you like to keep your rewards simple, but again, that wouldn’t be the most lucrative redemption option anyway.
Card Benefits
The Southwest Rapid Rewards® Plus Credit Card comes with the following benefits:
- Free first checked bag for cardmembers and up to 8 additional passengers on the same reservation
- Standard seat selection within 48 hours of departure (when available)
- Priority Group 5 boarding for cardmembers and up to 8 passengers on the same reservation
- 10% promo code every year on your cardmember anniversary (excludes Basic fare)
- 3,000 points every year on your cardmember anniversary
- 10,000 Companion Pass qualifying points boost annually
- 25% back on in-flight purchases
- No foreign transaction fees
As you can see, unlike more premium travel credit cards that offer access to swanky airport lounges or give you credits for TSA PreCheck®, the Rapid Rewards Plus only offers travel perks that help you when you fly with Southwest.
Who Should Get the Southwest Rapid Rewards® Plus Credit Card?
The Southwest Rapid Rewards® Plus Credit Card only makes sense if you are a very loyal Southwest Airlines flier. Consequently, you need to have a good number of Southwest Airlines flights coming in and out of your local airports, and you have to travel fairly often to make paying the annual fee worthwhile.
Think about how often you plan to fly with Southwest Airlines in the next year before applying for this credit card. While you can’t predict how much you will travel with a specific airline for many years to come, if you will easily earn enough rewards in the coming year to balance out the cost of the annual fee, that’s a good indicator this credit card will work well for you.
Who Shouldn’t Get the Southwest Rapid Rewards® Plus Credit Card?
Global jetsetters will likely prefer a credit card with more serious travel perks, like access to airport lounges for long layovers or reimbursement for TSA PreCheck.
Frequent travelers who aren't loyal to one airline and prefer to hunt down deals may also want to choose a travel rewards card with transferable points that gives you more flexibility in terms of which airlines you can book with.
Finally, if you don’t find yourself booking flights all that often, you are likely better off with a cashback credit card that rewards everyday purchases, like gas and groceries, more heavily.
Alternatives to the Southwest Rapid Rewards® Plus Credit Card
Depending on your travel habits, you may find that one of Southwest's higher-tier credit cards suit you better — or a non-branded credit card that offers you more flexibility.
For more Southwest points
Southwest Rapid Rewards® Premier Credit Card
All information about the Southwest Rapid Rewards® Premier Credit Card has been collected independently by Erika.com. The Southwest Rapid Rewards® Premier Credit Card is no longer available through Erika.com.
Rewards Rate
- 3x points on Southwest Airlines® purchases
- 2x points at grocery stores and restaurants on the first $8,000 in combined purchases per anniversary year
- 1x points on all other purchases
Welcome Offer
Earn 50,000 bonus points after you spend $1,000 in the first 3 months from account opening.
Annual Fee
$149
Another option you have when it comes to Southwest Airlines credit cards is the Southwest Rapid Rewards® Premier Credit Card.
This credit card does come with a slightly higher annual fee, but you earn a bigger anniversary bonus each year (6,000 points instead of 3,000) and get 3 points for every $1 spent on Southwest Airlines bookings instead of 2 points.
For top-tier Southwest perks
Southwest Rapid Rewards® Priority Credit Card
Rewards Rate
- 4x points on Southwest Airlines® purchases
- 2x points at gas stations and restaurants
- 1x points on all other purchases
Welcome Offer
Earn 50,000 bonus points after spending $1,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening.
Annual Fee
$229
The Southwest Rapid Rewards® Priority Credit Card is the most expensive card in the Rapid Rewards family. But this fee may be worth it if you fly with Southwest Airlines often, thanks to the higher rewards rate on Southwest Airlines bookings.
You also earn more than double when it comes to the yearly anniversary perk — you’ll get a boost of 7,500 points each year.
Another nice perk is unlimited free upgrades to seats with extra legroom (when available) and 2,500 tier-qualifying points (TQPs) toward A-List status for every $5,000 you spend annually on the card.
For more flexibility
Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card
Rewards Rate
- 5x on travel purchased through Chase Travel℠
- 3x on dining, select streaming services and online groceries
- 2x on all other travel purchases
- 1x on all other purchases
Welcome Offer
Earn 75,000 bonus points after you spend $5,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening.
Annual Fee
$95
Of course, when looking for a credit card that rewards travel bookings, you don’t have to go with a Southwest Airlines credit card. You may find a more flexible credit card gets you further.
The Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card allows you to transfer your rewards points to a handful of different airline partners, as well as hotel partners. One of these partners is Southwest, so if you fly this airline frequently but not exclusively, this credit card may be a great fit.
The Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card does come with an annual fee, but you get a $50 Chase Travel℠ hotel credit each year, which can help cancel out some of this fee.
The Bottom Line
The Southwest Rapid Rewards® Plus Credit Card is geared towards loyal Southwest customers, with points on Southwest purchases, and perks like free checked bags and bonus points for each account anniversary.
If you don't have lots of Southwest routes coming in and out of your local airport or only fly Southwest occasionally, then consider another airline or travel credit card.
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Disclosure: Opinions expressed here are the author's alone, not those of any bank, credit card issuer, hotel, airline, or other entity. This content has not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by any of the entities included within the post.
