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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 offers 40,000 points after you spend $1,000 on purchases in the first 3 months your account is open.
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!
If this is not the card for you, don’t worry! You can compare this card with other Southwest Airlines credit cards:
- Southwest Rapid Rewards® Plus Credit Card
- Southwest Rapid Rewards® Premier Credit Card
- Southwest Rapid Rewards® Priority Credit Card
- Southwest Rapid Rewards® Performance Business Credit Card
| BONUS LINK | OFFER | REVIEW |
| Chase Total Business Checking® | $300 Cash | Review |
| Chase Total Checking®SM | $200 Cash | Review |
| Chase Premier Plus CheckingSM | $300 Cash | Review |
| You InvestSM by J.P. Morgan | Up To $725 Cash | Review |
Table of Contents
Southwest Rapid Rewards Plus Card Summary
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| Bonus Available | Earn 40,000 points after you spend $1,000 on purchases in the first 3 months your account is open. |
| *Bonus Value | $600 |
| Travel Credit | No travel credit |
| Ongoing Rewards/Benefits | 2 points for every $1 spent on Southwest purchases, 2 points for every $1 spent on Rapid Rewards hotel and car rental partner purchases, and 1 point for every $1 spent on all other purchases.
Receive 3,000 anniversary points after your cardmember anniversary. |
| Foreign Transaction Fees | 3% |
| Airport Lounge Access | Not Available |
| Annual Fee | $69 |
Recommended Free Credit Score (Get Free Score)
720 – 850 (Excellent)
* The Southwest Rapid Rewards® Plus Credit Card is issued by Chase. They also offer great sign-up bonuses. You can also compare this card with other credit card bonuses!
* Bonus value is an estimated value calculated by BankCheckingSavings and not the card issuer.
View our latest valuations here.
PROS
- Welcome bonus
- Anniversary bonus
- Free 1st & 2nd checked bags
- No change fees
- No blackout dates or seat restrictions
CONS
- Annual fee
- Excellent credit needed to qualify
- Foreign transaction fee
Editor’s Alternate Pick
 The Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card offers 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®! You'll earn 2X points on travel and dining at restaurants worldwide; 1 point per dollar spent on all other purchases. And when you redeem your points for airfare, hotels, car rentals and cruises through Chase Ultimate Rewards, you'll get 25% more value! |
Southwest Rapid Rewards Plus Bonus Points
Take advantage of the Rapid Rewards bonus points offer where you can earn 40,000 points after you spend $1,000 on purchases in the first 3 months your account is open. 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. |
What are Rapid Rewards Points Worth?
The value of your points depends on how you use them, each Rapid Rewards point at around $0.015.
You can redeem your points for:
- Flights
- Hotel stays
- Car rentals
- Gift cards
- Access to events
- Merchandise
To get the maximum value of your Rapid Rewards points, redeem them for Southwest flights. There are no blackout dates and no seat restrictions. Please note that the point values change constantly and depend on when you fly.
But if you use your Rapid Rewards points towards anything other than Southwest flights, you won’t get the best value.
Southwest Rapid Rewards Plus Credit Card Top Features
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)
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.
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.
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.
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What’s the Competition?
* Below are some of the top competitors to the Southwest Rapid Rewards® Plus Credit Card to consider.
More Flexibility
The Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card offers 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®! You'll earn 2X points on travel and dining at restaurants worldwide; 1 point per dollar spent on all other purchases. And when you redeem your points for airfare, hotels, car rentals and cruises through Chase Ultimate Rewards, you'll get 25% more value! |
 The Capital One® Venture® Rewards Credit Card offers 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). Named ‘The Best Travel Card' by CNBC, 2018. You're able to 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. This card does come with a $95 annual fee, however, there is a $0 intro annual fee for the first year. Enjoy no foreign transaction fees and receive up to $100 application fee credit for Global Entry or TSA Pre✔®. |
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 routinely has offers for several of their Personal Checking and Business Checking accounts. They also have a good referral program. • 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 |
| HSBC Premier Checking Member FDIC | $450 Cash | Review |
| HSBC Premier Checking Member FDIC | Up To $600 | Review |
| HSBC Advance Checking Member FDIC | $200 Cash | Review |
| HSBC Advance Checking Member FDIC | Up To $240 | Review |
| Chase Total Business Checking® | $300 Cash | Review |
| Chase Premier Plus CheckingSM | $300 Cash | Review |
| Chase Total Checking® | $200 Cash | Review |
| TD Bank Beyond Checking | $300 Cash | Review |
| TD Bank Convenience CheckingSM | $150 Cash | Review |
| Huntington 25 Checking | $500 Cash | Review |
| Huntington 5 Checking | $200 Cash | Review |
| Huntington Asterisk-Free Checking® | $150 Cash | Review |
| Huntington Bank Unlimited Plus Business Checking | $750 Cash | Review |
| Huntington Bank Unlimited Business Checking | $400 Cash | Review |
| Huntington Bank Business Checking 100 | $200 Cash | Review |
| CIT Bank Money Market | 1.00% APY | Review |
| CIT Bank Savings Builder | 0.95% APY | Review |
| Simple | 1.00% APY | Review |
Bankcheckingsavings has partnered with CardRatings for our coverage of credit card products. Bankcheckingsavings and CardRatings may receive a commission from card issuers.
Opinions, reviews, analyses & recommendations are the author’s alone, and have not been reviewed, endorsed or approved by any of these entities.
