If you’re dreaming of your next getaway, make sure you have a good travel rewards credit card by your side.
You can rack up a lot of reward points, save money, and make your trips more enjoyable when you use the right travel credit card.
For example, if you fly Southwest Airlines often, a Southwest rewards credit card may help you make the most of your travel spending.
One credit card to consider is the Southwest Rapid Rewards® Plus Credit Card. Out of the three Southwest consumer credit cards, it has the smallest annual fee.
Quick Facts: Southwest Rapid Rewards® Plus Credit Card
- Rewards rate: 2x points on Southwest Airlines purchases; 2x points on Rapid Rewards® hotel and car rental purchases; 2x points on local transit, rideshare, internet, cable, phone, and select streaming; 1x points on everything else
- Welcome offer: Limited-time offer - Earn Companion Pass® good through 2/28/26 plus 30,000 Bonus points after you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months
- Annual fee: $69
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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 also has the least exciting perks and rewards. The welcome bonus is also the same for all three cards.
Where these cards differ is the rewards structure. The Rapid Rewards Plus earns fewer rewards in some categories than the other cards. You do have the potential to earn unlimited points, though, which is a significant perk.
You'll also automatically earn 3,000 points every year on your cardmember anniversary — and you don’t have to spend anything to get those points.
Pros
- Often runs Welcome Offer deals
- Anniversary perk of 3,000 points
- No reward caps
Cons
- Limited redemption flexibility
- Unimpressive travel perks
- Charges foreign transaction fees
LEARN MORE: Southwest Rapid Rewards® Plus Credit Card
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 you can redeem your points to book flights with this airline. You can choose between 121 different destinations when booking domestically, but you can only book with Southwest Airlines for these flights.
Where you have more flexibility is with international flights, as this credit card allows you to redeem your points when booking flights with any of Southwest’s partners.
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
To get the most out of the Southwest Rapid Rewards® Plus Credit Card, you really need to commit to flying with Southwest Airlines frequently.
Unlike other travel credit cards that offer access to swanky airport lounges or give you credits for TSA PreCheck® enrollment, this credit card only offers travel perks that help you out when you fly with this airline:
- 10,000 Companion Pass® qualifying points boost annually
- Two EarlyBird Check-In® each year
- 25% back on inflight purchases
LEARN MORE: Southwest Rapid Rewards® Plus Credit Card
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 should think again. This card is not a great fit for international travelers as this credit card does charge foreign transaction fees when you make purchases abroad. Not to mention, world travelers probably want a credit card with more serious travel perks like access to airport lounges for long layovers.
Frequent travelers who look for the best deals or the shortest flights may also want to choose a travel rewards card that gives 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
For more Southwest points: Southwest Rapid Rewards® Premier Credit Card
- Rewards rate: 3x points on Southwest Airlines purchases; 2x points on Rapid Rewards® hotel and car rental purchases; 2x points on local transit, rideshare, internet, cable, phone, and select streaming; 1x points on everything else
- Welcome offer: Limited-time offer - Earn Companion Pass® good through 2/28/26 plus 30,000 Bonus points after you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months
- Annual fee: $99
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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.
LEARN MORE: Southwest Rapid Rewards® Premier Credit Card
All information about the Southwest Rapid Rewards® Premier Credit Card has been collected independently by Erika.com. The card details on this page have not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer.
For Southwest travel credits: Southwest Rapid Rewards® Priority Credit Card
- Rewards rate: 3x points on Southwest Airlines purchases; 2x points on Rapid Rewards® hotel and car rental purchases; 2x points on local transit, rideshare, internet, cable, phone, and select streaming; 1x points on everything else
- Welcome offer: Limited-time offer- Earn Companion Pass® good through 2/28/26 plus 30,000 Bonus points after you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months
- Annual fee: $149
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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 the $75 annual travel credit. This credit covers half of the annual fee, making this card more affordable than it seems at first glance.
LEARN MORE: Southwest Rapid Rewards® Priority Credit 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 60,000 bonus points after $4,000 in purchases in your first 3 months from account opening.
- Annual fee: $95
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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.
For example, 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 Airlines, 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.
LEARN MORE: Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card
The Bottom Line
The Southwest Rapid Rewards® Plus Credit Card is geared towards loyal Southwest customers, with points on Southwest purchases, and perks like bonus points for each account anniversary and two EarlyBird Check-In® each year.
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.
