Southwest Rapid Rewards Plus Credit Card Review 2024

The Southwest Rapid Rewards® Plus Credit Card features the lowest annual fee of Southwest’s three consumer credit cards. That makes it an enticing option for fans of Southwest who are looking for a co-branded credit card with the lowest out-of-pocket cost.

One of the major pros of the card is the simplicity in earning and redeeming points. With this card you’ll earn 2 points per dollar on Southwest purchases, Rapid Rewards hotel and car rental partner purchases, local transit and commuting, including rideshare and on internet, cable, phone services and select streaming and 1 point per dollar on all other purchases. When it’s time to redeem your points, there’s no need to transfer points or search for award availability because Southwest has a straightforward redemption rate and no blackout dates.

You’ll also get a 3,000-point anniversary bonus each year. While that might not sound like much, those points can be worth a good amount when redeemed toward Southwest flights. That can help justify a large part of the $69 annual fee.

• $69 annual fee
• 2 points per dollar on Southwest purchases, Rapid Rewards hotel and car rental partner purchases, local transit and commuting, including rideshare and on internet, cable, phone services and select streaming and 1 point per dollar on all other purchases
• Annual 3,000-point anniversary bonus
• Lost and delayed bag reimbursement
• Purchase protections such as extended warranty and new purchase coverage

Earning Rewards

The Southwest Rapid Rewards® Plus Credit Card earns at the following rates:

• 2 points per dollar on Southwest purchases, Rapid Rewards hotel and car rental partner purchases, local transit and commuting, including rideshare and on internet, cable, phone services and select streaming and 1 point per dollar on all other purchases

Qualifying Southwest Airlines purchases include flights, in-flight purchases, Southwest gift cards and Southwest Vacations package purchases. What qualifies as a Rapid Rewards partner can be found on this list of current Southwest Rapid Rewards Travel partners.

The card comes with the following welcome bonus: Earn 50,000 bonus points after spending $1,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening. Cardholders also earn a 3,000-point anniversary bonus each year of card membership.

Redeeming Rewards

Unlike other airlines, Southwest doesn’t have blackout dates or require award availability to redeem your points. Instead, the points redemption rate is solely based on the price of the flight.

When redeeming Southwest points toward flights, you still have to pay the 9/11 Security Fee of $5.60 and taxes on international itineraries, but you avoid paying airport Passenger Facility Charges (PFC) and other taxes and fees.

Southwest flights are going to be your best redemption option. However, Southwest credit cardholders also have the opportunity to redeem points for gift cards, merchandise, experiences, hotels and travel through the More Rewards program. Recently, Southwest also added the option to use Chase Pay Yourself Back to redeem points toward a statement credit for eligible categories including your card’s annual fee.

Rewards Potential

The Southwest Rapid Rewards® Plus Credit Card only offers a spending bonus for purchases with Southwest Airlines and through Southwest Rapid Rewards partners. So, the number of points you earn depends on how much you travel. However, to demonstrate the earning potential of the Southwest Rapid Rewards® Plus Credit Card, let’s run some example numbers.

Forbes Advisor uses data from various government agencies to determine baseline income and spending averages across various categories. The 70th percentile of wage-earning households bring in $116,000 annually and we base spending on that number.

Based on Forbes Advisor’s estimates, a household spends $2,443 annually with airlines and $2,015 per year on hotels. Assuming all of the flights were booked with Southwest, this spending would earn 8,916 Rapid Rewards points. Spending $574 on rideshare and commuting earns 1,148 Rapid Rewards points and $3,267 on phone, internet and select streaming services would earn 6,534 points.

Forbes Advisor estimates that an additional $27,878 can reasonably be charged to a credit card in non-bonused categories which would earn 27,878 additional points.

This means you would earn a total of 44,476 Rapid Rewards points each year, in addition to the welcome bonus earned the first year.

• Earn toward Companion Pass®: Points earned through the Southwest Plus card count toward Southwest’s Companion Pass—which lets a friend fly with you for minimal taxes and fees.
• Purchase protection: Covers new purchases for 120 days up to $500 per claim and $50,000 per account against theft and damage.
• Extended warranty protection: Extends eligible manufacturer warranties by an additional year.
• Lost luggage reimbursement: Provides up to $3,000 in reimbursements per person for bags lost or damaged.
• Baggage delay insurance: Provides up to $100 per day in reimbursements when your bags are delayed more than six hours.
• Travel and emergency assistance (Visa Signature only): Provides referrals for emergency medical, legal, transportation and translation services.

Interest Rates

• Regular APR: 21.49%-28.49% variable
• Purchase intro APR: N/A
• Balance transfer intro APR: N/A

Fees

• Annual fee: $69
• Balance transfer fee: Either $5 or 5% of the amount of each transfer, whichever is greater.
• Foreign purchase transaction fee: 3% of each transaction in U.S. dollars

Southwest Rapid Rewards® Plus Credit Card vs. Southwest Rapid Rewards® Premier Credit Card*

The Premier card charges $99 per year, compared to the Plus card’s $69. However, the Premier card offers additional benefits.

The Southwest Rapid Rewards® Premier Credit Card* offers a 6,000-point anniversary bonus vs. the 3,000-point anniversary bonus on the Plus. If you value Southwest points at more than a cent each, the higher anniversary bonus more than makes up for the $30 annual fee difference between the two cards. The Premier also has two features not found on the Plus: no foreign transaction fees and the ability to earn points toward A-List elite status.

Southwest Rapid Rewards® Plus Credit Card vs. Southwest Rapid Rewards® Priority Credit Card

Southwest travelers shouldn’t be scared off by the Southwest Rapid Rewards® Priority Credit Card‘s $149 annual fee. This annual fee is effectively halved by a $75 annual travel credit toward Southwest purchases, as long as you use this credit each year. Plus, you will be reimbursed for four upgraded boarding purchases when available each year. Once onboard, you’ll get 25% back on drink purchases and Wi-Fi when you pay with your card. All those perks can really add up to some savings for even infrequent Southwest travelers.

Southwest Rapid Rewards® Plus Credit Card vs. Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card

Southwest flyers should also consider the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card. The $95-annual-fee card earns 5 points per dollar on travel purchased through Chase Travel℠, 3 points per dollar on dining, select streaming services, and online grocery purchases (excluding Walmart, Target and wholesale clubs), 2 points per dollar on all other travel purchases and 1 point per dollar on other purchases.

Chase Ultimate Rewards points on this card can be transferred to Southwest and other airline and hotel partners or redeemed at 1.25 cents each toward paid travel through the Chase travel portal. That means in addition to earning bonus points on more purchases, you’ll have more flexibility on how you redeem those points.

As Southwest’s intro-level credit card, the Southwest Rapid Rewards® Plus Credit Card is best for loyal Southwest travelers looking to keep annual fees as low as possible. The card offers the simplicity of earning Southwest points, which means you don’t need to learn another rewards program.

Between the 3,000-point anniversary bonus and the travel protections, the card’s ongoing benefits can easily justify the annual fee.

With that said, frequent travelers and above-average spenders may want to consider other credit cards that offer broader category bonuses, earn more flexible points, and provide even greater travel protections.

Forbes Advisor considers a variety of criteria when assigning credit cards a rating. Cards are graded based on numerous factors, including:

• Annual fees
• Welcome bonus offers
• Ongoing earning rates
• Value of individual points or miles
• Included travel or merchant credits
• Additional cardholder benefits

Card features we expect cardholders to use the most often are weighted more heavily in our ratings. Altogether, the factors came together to provide a star rating for each individual card.

Read more: How Forbes Advisor Rates Credit Cards