The Southwest Rapid Rewards® Plus Credit Card is a great card for both Southwest Airlines fliers and casual rewards card users due to its generous sign-up bonus and many options for domestic travel.
As a welcome offer, you can earn 40,000 points after sending $1,000 on purchases in the first 3 months. Without the card, Southwest Airlines allows passengers two free checked bags thanks to its “Bags Fly Free” program. Plus, there are no change fees. You’ll just be paying the cost of the taxes and fees.
With this version of their credit card, you’ll earn 3,000 points each year after your card member anniversary.
In addition, it does come with a $69 annual fee which is less than many travel rewards credit cards charge.
If you don’t plan on flying Southwest regularly, a general travel rewards card will do much better for you. We’ll list them down below for you.
This Southwest-branded credit card is also issued by Chase Bank! If you’re interested for more offers from Chase, check out all the ongoing Checking/Savings account bonuses!
| BONUS LINK | OFFER | REVIEW |
| Chase Total Business Checking® | $200 Cash | Review |
| Chase SapphireSM Checking | 60,000 Points | Review |
| Chase Total Checking® + Chase SavingsSM | $350 Cash | Review |
| Chase Total Checking®SM | $200 Cash | Review |
| Chase SavingsSM | $150 Cash | Review |
| Chase Premier Plus CheckingSM | $300 Cash | Review |
| Chase College CheckingSM | $100 Cash | Review |
| Chase Private Client | $1,250 Cash | Review |
| You InvestSM by J.P. Morgan | Up To $625 Cash | Review |
Table of Contents
- 1 Southwest Rapid Rewards Plus Card Summary
- 2 Earning Southwest Rapid Rewards Plus Bonus Points
- 3 Earn 2X Points Flying Southwest
- 4 Redeem Southwest Points
- 5 Choosing The Best Southwest Credit Card That Suits You
- 6 Southwest Rapid Rewards Plus Benefits
- 7 Cardholder Perks
- 8 Conclusion
- 9 Other Credit Cards To Consider
Southwest Rapid Rewards Plus Card Summary
 With the Southwest Rapid Rewards® Plus Credit Card: • Earn 40,000 points after sending $1,000 on purchases in the first 3 months • Enjoy 3,000 bonus points after your Cardmember anniversary. • 2x points per $1 spent on Southwest® purchases & Rapid Rewards® hotel/car rental partner purchases; 1x point on all other purchases. • All points earned with either card count towards Companion Pass • Redeem your points for flights, hotel stays, gift cards, access to events and more Learn More About This Card Here |
Earning Southwest Rapid Rewards Plus Bonus Points
Take advantage of the Rapid Rewards bonus points offer. Here are some ideas on meeting the spending requirement:
• Plastiq: Plastiq allows you to pay for expenses that you generally won’t be able to with your card like rent, tuition, auto lease, mortgage payment, and more. There’s a 2.5% processing fee for using your credit card. However, this’ll be worth the card bonus you’ll get. There’s also a referral program where you can earn “Fee-Free Dollars” to use towards processing fees. See our Plastiq review. • Fund Checking accounts with your card: Many banks will allow you to fund the opening deposit with a credit card. Consider opening Checking accounts that also offer a sign-up bonus. This way, you can work towards bonuses from two different sources. Big banks like Chase, HSBC, Huntington, and TD Bank have great offers and allow credit card funding. You can generally fund anywhere from $50 to $1,000 towards the opening deposit with a credit card, depending on the bank. • Buy gift cards: Consider buying gift cards with your credit card that you can then spend later at your leisure. Individual merchant cards (restaurants, gas stations, supermarkets, etc.) generally don’t have purchase fees, so this is a plus. On the other hand, American Express and Visa gift cards will have purchase fees. Amazon gift cards are a great idea as you can shop for almost anything there with no purchase fees either. Unfortunately, Citi credit cards tend to code gift card purchases as Cash Advances and there’ll be a fee. Call in to customer service and lower your Cash Advance limit to $0 before purchasing gift cards. You can also buy discounted gift cards as well from Raise or find gift cards on eBay. • Everyday spending & bills: Always using your credit card for everyday spending, such as for dining, gas, groceries, etc. You can also use your credit card to pay for things like insurance bills, property taxes and income taxes. However, you’ll have to consider the convenience fees. |
Earn 2X Points Flying Southwest
You’ll earn double points when making Southwest Airlines purchases with the Southwest Plus card. All other purchases earn one point per dollar.
After your anniversary, you’ll automatically earn 3,000 bonus points.
Redeem Southwest Points
Like many other airline-branded credit cards, the value of your points depends on how you use them. On average, each Rapid Rewards point is worth about $0.015. Therefore, 60k points are worth $900.
With Southwest, you have the option of redeeming your points for flights, car rentals, products, gift cards, and more.
Using points toward products, gift cards, and other options is typically the worst way to get value for your points. These typically bring your points worth to below $0.01.
The best way to maximize value from your points is to use them toward Southwest or AirTran (owned by Southwest) flights. Point values constantly change, so keep your eyes peeled for the deals. On popular routes, the value ranges from $0.014 to $0.016 per point.
Southwest offers “Wanna Get Away” deals, featuring the airline’s lowest fares and generally the best deals. However, these fares are non-refundable. Nonetheless, you can still cancel without penalty. Plus, the fare can be applied toward future travel on Southwest Airlines.
You can change your flight at any time. Just keep in mind that Southwest fares go up as your travel date gets closer.
Choosing The Best Southwest Credit Card That Suits You
Chase offers the following versions of Southwest credit cards: the Southwest Rapid Rewards® Plus Credit Card, Southwest Rapid Rewards® Premier Credit Card, Southwest Rapid Rewards® Priority Credit Card, Southwest Rapid Rewards® Premier Business Credit Card, and Southwest Rapid Rewards® Performance Business Credit Card
When determining what Southwest card may be best for you, you may want ask yourself these two questions:
Do you spend more than $10,000 annually?
If you think you’ll spend more than $10,000 per year on your Southwest card, you’d benefit from using the Southwest Premier card.
With the Premier card you will earn 1,500 Tier Qualifying Points (TQPs) toward A-List and A-List Preferred status for every $10,000 you spend each year. You need 35,000 to qualify toward A-List status or 70,000 points to qualify toward A-List Preferred status.
Once you do you’ll earn priority boarding, access to the “Fly By” lane, and standby priority. You’ll also earn a 25% or 100% earnings bonus on all your flights. For those who attain A-List Preferred status, you’ll earn 4X points (instead of 2X) on all Southwest and AirTran flight bookings.
If you don’t plan on spending more than $10,000 per year on your Southwest card, you may be better off with the Southwest Plus card. This will save you $30 a year on your annual fee while still offering you the same points per dollar that you’d get with the Premier card.
If you’re a big spender, the Southwest Priority card is the most generous of the airline’s credit cards. The main difference is that it offers the most generous anniversary bonus at a high annual fee.
Do you own a business?
The Southwest Premier Business card has the same rewards structure and perks as the Southwest Premier card — its non-business counterpart. The only difference is that the business card allows you to have free authorized user cards for your employees to help you earn additional points. The Southwest Premier Business card also comes with a separate reporting tool. This keeps your business expenses separate from your own personal expenses.
If you don’t have a business, choose the standard Southwest Premier or Southwest Plus card option.
Southwest Rapid Rewards Plus Benefits
Transfarency is a term invented by Southwest. It’s a philosophy that the airline lives by: to treat its customers honestly and fairly. That means:
- $0 for your first and second checked bags (weight and size limits apply)
- $0 change fee (fare differences may apply)
After you renew your card every year, you’ll receive 3,000 Rapid Rewards points as an anniversary bonus. That’s worth approximately $45.
Cardholder Perks
The Rapid Rewards Plus card offers perks, such as baggage delay insurance, extended warranty protection, lost luggage reimbursement and purchase protection. Other notable perks this card comes with are:
- Cardmember Anniversary Bonus: Each year your account remains open and in good standing, you get 3,000 bonus points on your cardmember anniversary. Earn extra points booking car rentals and hotels through the Rapid Rewards program, or using the Rapid Rewards Shopping portal.
- Companion Pass Status: Companion Pass status is the highest status level within Southwest Airlines’ frequent flyer program. Travelers must accumulate at least 110,000 Tier Qualifying Points (TQPs) or complete at least 100 one-way Southwest Airlines segments in a calendar year to get this this status. TQPs are Rapid Rewards points earned through cash fare and credit card purchases, but not sign-up bonuses or partner purchases. You can bring a companion traveler on any Southwest flight at no additional fare charge. However, taxes and security fees do still apply. You can use this benefit as much as you want, but you can’t travel with more than one companion per flight.
- Bags Fly Free: Rapid Rewards Plus cardholders always get their first and second checked bags free. This is great if you’re taking a longer trip or one that requires lots of luggage.
- No Change Fees: Southwest Airlines doesn’t impose change fees if you decide to alter your reward flight’s time, date, or even destination after your initial booking. You’re just responsible for the cost difference in dollars or points, if any.
Conclusion
The Southwest Rapid Rewards® Plus Credit Card is fit for those who frequently fly Southwest airlines and are looking for a travel rewards card without paying a high annual fee. Opt for Southwest’s “Wanna Get Away” fares or book during Southwest’s frequent specials to maximize your points value.
The most valuable perk of this card is the Companion Pass. You’ll need to fly 100 one-way flights or accrue 110,000 points in a calendar year to qualify. You can choose one person to fly with you for virtually free every time you purchase or redeem points for a flight. Just pay the taxes and fees.
Southwest Airlines is limited to flights in the U.S., Mexico, Latin America, and the Caribbean. So, if you’re looking to go beyond, the Southwest Rapid Rewards® Plus Credit Card won’t be your best option. You can find other credit cards on our complete list of credit card promotions.
Other Credit Cards To Consider
More Flexibility:
 With the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card: • Earn 60,000 bonus points after you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening. That's $750 toward travel when you redeem through Chase Ultimate Rewards® • 2X points on travel and dining at restaurants worldwide & 1 point per dollar spent on all other purchases. • Get 25% more value when you redeem for airfare, hotels, car rentals and cruises through Chase Ultimate Rewards. For example, 60,000 points are worth $750 toward travel Learn More About This Card Here |
 With the Capital One® Venture® Rewards Card: • Enjoy a one-time bonus of 50,000 miles once you spend $3,000 on purchases within 3 months from account opening, equal to $500 in travel • Earn 2X miles on every purchase, every day. Plus earn 10X miles on thousands of hotels, through January 2020; learn more at hotels.com/venture • Named ‘The Best Travel Card' by CNBC, 2018 • Receive up to $100 application fee credit for Global Entry or TSA Pre✔® • Fly any airline, stay at any hotel, anytime; no blackout dates. Plus transfer your miles to over 12 leading travel loyalty programs • Miles won't expire for the life of the account and there's no limit to how many you can earn • No foreign transaction fees • $0 intro annual fee for the first year; $95 after that |
The Best Bank Offers are updated here. See the below pages to get started with some of the best offers: • Chase Bank Offers. Chase offers a range of attractive Checking, Savings and Business Accounts. Chase has a great selection of sign-up bonuses in comparison to other big banks. • HSBC Bank Offers. HSBC Bank has big value offers available through this Checking Accounts. In addition, they are offering an attractive rate for their Online Savings Account. • Huntington Bank Offers. Huntington Bank has high bonus amounts available through their Checking and Business Checking. Huntington also offers a Business Premier Money Market Account. • Discover Bank Offers. Discover Bank offers top cashback, savings, money market accounts and CD rates for you to take advantage of. Discover has industry leading selections to cater to your banking needs. • TD Bank Offers. TD Bank consistently offers a fantastic selection of checking accounts to cater to your banking needs. However, savings account offers are less frequently available. |
| BONUS LINK | OFFER | REVIEW |
| Discover Bank Online Savings | $200 Cash | Review |
| HSBC Premier Checking Member FDIC | $750 Cash | Review |
| HSBC Advance Checking Member FDIC | $350 Cash | Review |
| Huntington Asterisk-Free Checking® | $150 Cash | Review |
| Huntington 5 Checking | $200 Cash | Review |
| Chase SapphireSM Checking | 60,000 Points | Review |
| Chase Total Checking® + Chase SavingsSM | $350 Cash | Review |
| Chase Premier Plus CheckingSM | $300 Cash | Review |
| Chase College CheckingSM | $100 Cash | Review |
| Chase Private Client | $1,250 Cash | Review |
| TD Bank Beyond Checking | $300 Cash | Review |
| TD Bank Convenience CheckingSM | $150 Cash | Review |
| Chase Total Business Checking® | $200 Cash | Review |
| Huntington Bank Unlimited Plus Business Checking | $500 Cash | Review |
| Huntington Bank Unlimited Business Checking | $400 Cash | Review |
| Huntington Bank Business Checking 100 | $200 Cash | Review |
