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* Suggested credit score ranges are supplied by QuinStreet, not from the issuers, and are guidelines, not a guarantee of approval.

Southwest Rapid Rewards® Plus Credit Card

Southwest's entry-level credit card.

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Your Best Credit Cards has partnered with CardRatings for our coverage of credit card products. Your Best Credit Cards and CardRatings may receive a commission from card issuers. Some or all of the card offers that appear on Your Best Credit Cards are from advertisers and may impact how and where card products appear on the site. Your Best Credit Cards does not include all card companies or all available card offers. Commissions do not affect or prioritize placement within our Card Explorer results and not all cards displayed earn us a commission. The editorial content on this page is not provided by any of the companies mentioned, and have not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by any of these entities. Opinions expressed here are the author’s alone.

* Suggested credit score ranges are supplied by QuinStreet, not from the issuers, and are guidelines, not a guarantee of approval.

Southwest Rapid Rewards® Plus Credit Card

Southwest's entry-level credit card.

BONUS OFFER

Earn 50,000 bonus points after spending $1,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening.

💵 Your Projected Rewards Value
Year 1 tbd
Year 2 tbd

Key facts

The lowest annual fee of any Southwest credit card.

Annual Fee:

$69

AVG Point Value:

$0.014 (Learn More)

Min. Credit Score for Approval:

670-739 * Good

Ongoing APR:

21.49%-28.49% Variable

Balance transfer fees

Either $5 or 5% of the amount of each transfer, whichever is greater.

Foreign Transaction Fee:

3% of each transaction in U.S. dollars

The Southwest Rapid Rewards® Plus Credit Card is the lowest annual fee personal Southwest Credit Card.

Despite the reasonable $69 annual fee, cardholders still get 3,000 anniversary bonus points plus two EarlyBird Check-In per year.

If you have this card, bank policies restrict you from being approved for the following cards: Southwest Rapid Rewards® Premier Credit Card, Southwest Rapid Rewards® Priority Credit Card.

Reward multipliers

The Southwest Rapid Rewards Plus Credit Card earns:

  • 2x Rapid Rewards points per dollar spent on Southwest purchases
  • 2x points on local transit and commuting, including rideshare
  • 2x points on internet, cable, phone services; and select streaming services
  • All other eligible purchases earn 1x Rapid Rewards points.

Earns bonus points for spend in the following bonus categories:

Applies only to tickets purchased directly from Southwest. Other airfare earns 1X.

3x
Airfare

Estimated Rewards Value: 4.2%

2x
Transit

Estimated Rewards Value: 2.8%

2x
Cable / Internet / VOIP Phone

Estimated Rewards Value: 2.8%

2x
Cellular Phone Service

Estimated Rewards Value: 2.8%

2x
Streaming Services

Estimated Rewards Value: 2.8%

1x
Everything Else

Estimated Rewards Value: 1.4%

Key features

1

Unique Card Benefits

Two EarlyBird Check-In Passes Each Year

Despite the card’s annual fee of just $69, cardholders will be reimbursed for up to two EarlyBird Check-In purchases each account anniversary. You can use these to avoid needing to check in exactly at 24 hours before departure to get a high boarding position.

3,000 Rapid Rewards Bonus Points Every Cardmember Anniversary

Cardholders get 3,000 bonus points each year that they renew their Southwest Premier Card. Since Southwest points provide around 1.4 cents in value, cardholders get $42 in value each year from just this one card perk. That more than halfway offsets the card’s $69 annual fee.

2

Free Checked Bags

All Southwest travelers get two checked bags free, regardless if they have a Southwest credit card.

No need to shove your carry-on bag in the overhead bin thanks to free checked bags on Southwest

3

Secondary Car Rental CDW Waiver

Charge a car rental purchase to your Southwest credit card to get theft and collision damage protection.

Unfortunately, this isn’t primary rental car insurance. In the U.S., coverage is secondary to your personal insurance.

 

4

Extended Warranty

Southwest credit cards offer an automatic one-year extension of any eligible manufacturer’s warranty of three years or less.

5

Purchase Protection

Purchase an item with your Southwest card and get up to $500 per claim in coverage against damage or theft within the first 120 days after purchase.

6

Trip Protections

Southwest Airlines credit cards offer lost luggage insurance of up to $3,000 per passenger. Or, get baggage delay reimbursement of $100 per day for up to three days.

7

Roadside Assistance

Southwest credit cards offer roadside dispatch service. If you have a roadside emergency, just call 1-800-847-2869 to be connected with a local service provider for anything from a tow or jumpstart to a tire change, lockout service, winching, or gas delivery.

8

Travel and Emergency Assistance Services

If you are approved for the Visa Signature version of the Southwest card, you can call the Benefit Administrator for legal and medical referrals or other travel and emergency assistance. Visa Platinum cardholders do not receive this perk.

9

No Fees for Authorized Users

Add an authorized user to your account to earn points on their everyday purchases. And those points earned count toward earning the Southwest Companion Pass.

10

Free Access to Credit Score

Chase offers free credit score monitoring through Chase Credit Journey.

Earn more rewards by combining credit cards

Southwest Rapid Rewards® Plus Credit Card
? Best Combo
See how much more you'll earn in rewards when you combine these two cards.
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Pros & cons

  • Two Early-Bird Check-Ins each year
  • 3,000 bonus points every account anniversary
  • Lowest annual fee of any Southwest credit cards
  • Bonus Spending categories could be better
  • This card does have foreign transaction fees on overseas purchases, unlike the Southwest Premier and Priority credit cards

Southwest Rapid Rewards® Plus Credit Card

Learn How to Apply

Our review

The Southwest Plus Card charges the lowest annual fee of any Southwest credit card, making it a tempting option for travelers that enjoy flying Southwest.

In exchange for the modest $69 annual fee, cardholders will be reimbursed for up to two EarlyBird Check-In purchases each year, get 25% back on inflight purchases on Southwest Airlines, plus get 3,000 bonus points each card anniversary.

Get 25% back on Southwest inflight purchases.

Cardholders earn 2 Southwest points per dollar spent in a range of spending categories, including Southwest purchases (including inflight purchases), Southwest Rapid Rewards hotel and car partners, local transit, commuting, rideshare, internet, cable, phone services, and select streaming services.

Points earned count toward earning the Southwest Companion Pass. However, Southwest Plus Credit cardholders won’t get Tier Qualifying Points toward earning A-List Status. If you want to earn Tier Qualifying Points, you’ll need to get the Southwest Priority or Premier Credit Card instead.

Southwest Plus cardholders can't earn Tier Qualifying Points on purchases

In addition, the Southwest Plus credit card charges foreign transaction fees on overseas purchases. While that might not be a problem for some travelers, international flyers may want to get the Priority or Premier Card instead.

Frequent Southwest flyers should consider the Southwest Priority Credit Card instead. Although it charges the highest annual fee of any Southwest credit card, the card offers a $75 Southwest annual travel credit, four Upgraded Boardings every cardmember anniversary, and a 7,500-point anniversary bonus. Plus, the card doesn’t charge a foreign transaction fee. Those perks more than offset the additional annual fee.

Lastly, this card is great for getting a large piece of the to a Southwest Companion Pass with the bonus offer, since the points earned from the signup bonus count. Read our guide on earning a Southwest Companion Pass for up to two years via new account bonuses.

Frequently asked questions

1

Can you earn Tier Qualifying Points using the Southwest Rapid Rewards Plus Credit Card?

Southwest Rapid Rewards Plus cardholders cannot earn Tier Qualifying Points on purchases. If earning Tier Qualifying Points is important, consider the Southwest Rapid Rewards® Premier Credit Card or Southwest Rapid Rewards® Priority Credit Card instead.

Both other Southwest personal cards earn unlimited Tier Qualifying Points on purchases.

2

Which of the Southwest Airlines credit cards is best?

The right Southwest credit card for you will depend on how much you fly Southwest and how much you’re willing to spend on an annual fee.

For frequent Southwest flyers, the Southwest Rapid Rewards® Priority Credit Card more than offsets its $149 annual fee through a $75 Southwest annual travel credit and 7,500 bonus points each cardmember anniversary (worth $105).

For annual fee adverse travelers, the Southwest Plus credit card charges just a $69 annual fee.

3

What are Southwest's hotel and car partners?

Southwest’s current hotel and car partners include Southwest Hotels, Best Western, Radisson, Choice, World of Hyatt, Marriott, MGM, Rocketmiles, Alamo, Avis, Budget, Dollar, Hertz, National, Payless, and Thrifty. These hotel and car partners are subject to change at any time.

4

Does the Southwest credit card charge foreign transaction fees?

The Southwest Plus Credit Card charges foreign transaction fees equal to 3% of the transaction converted to US dollars. No foreign transaction fees are charged on the Southwest Rapid Rewards® Premier Credit Card or Southwest Rapid Rewards® Priority Credit Card, Southwest® Rapid Rewards® Performance Business Credit Card, or Southwest® Rapid Rewards® Premier Business Credit Card.

5

Is it better to earn Southwest points or Chase Ultimate Rewards points?

Chase Ultimate Rewards points earned on cards like the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card can be transferred to your Southwest Rapid Rewards account. You may even be able to earn more points through an Ultimate Rewards card. However, you may warn to earn Southwest points through a Southwest credit card as points earned count toward earning the Southwest Companion Pass.

6

Do Southwest credit cards offer TSA PreCheck or Global Entry?

None of the Southwest personal cards offer statement credits for TSA PreCheck or Global Entry application fees.

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