6 Reasons Why You Need the Southwest Rapid Rewards® Plus Credit Card

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Southwest has become a fan favorite for domestic airlines in the U.S. Its cheap fares, regular promos, and valuable credit cards are just some of the reasons why.

And of all the consumer and business cards the airline has to offer, we particularly love the Southwest Rapid Rewards® Plus Credit Card.

Curious why that is? We’ll tell you below 😎

1. The welcome offer

The Southwest Plus’ current welcome off includes: Earn 50,000 bonus points after spending $1,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening.

To put this simply—that’s a generous amount of points.

The fact that you can book cross-country flights for as few as 10,000 points (and sometimes even far less than this!), is fantastic 👇

Example booking on Southwest from Denver to Boston

Example booking from Denver to Boston

And with the current welcome offer, you could book this flight almost FIVE TIMES.

2. Companion Pass boost

Two cat graphics with text that says "Companions Forever"

One of the big-hitters of this card is the boost toward Southwest’s incredible Companion Pass.

And if you aren’t aware, the Companion Pass allows you to designate a second traveler to fly with you for almost free (you’ll still need to pay for the minuscule taxes and fees).

Current requirements include either flying 100 qualifying one-way flights in a calendar year, or earning 135,000 tier qualifying points in a calendar year.

With the current welcome offer, you can clearly see how much closer you’ll get toward that tier points requirement!

3. The low annual fee

For many people, even though a card might have a stellar welcome offer, a high annual fee could still be quite off-putting.

Fortunately, the Southwest Plus comes in pretty darn low at just $69 a year.

The amount of Southwest points you’re getting and the amount of money saved by booking flights with those points will FAR outweigh the cost of that tiny annual fee.

4. Solid earning rates

A colorful bar graph trending upwards

Now listen, this isn’t a premium card. So you won’t find any crazy 4X or 5X points-per-dollar earning rates with the Southwest Plus.

However, you will find PLENTY of 2X points per dollar categories for this card 👇

  • 2X per $1 on Southwest purchases

  • 2X per $1 on Rapid Rewards® hotel and car rental partners

  • 2X per $1 on local transit and commuting, including rideshare

  • 2X per $1 on internet, cable, phone services, and select streaming

  • 1X per $1 on all other purchases

If you’re getting this card to fly more on Southwest, then boom, that first bullet point is a given.

And I don’t know about any of you, but I spend a decent amount each month on rideshares, internet, phone, and streaming services because… it’s 2024 🙃

Being able to earn double the points on common spending categories is a surefire way to accelerate your earnings over time.

5. Card anniversary perks

Southwest truly loves its customers.

By holding the Southwest Plus, you’ll receive 3,000 points every year on your cardmember anniversary.

Additionally, you’ll also receive 10,000 Companion Pass qualifying points to boost your stash each year.

That’s pretty darn generous considering this is the airline’s lowest-tier card!

6. Additional travel benefits

Hand graphic with a gold star, ribbon, and dollar sign on a coin

Who doesn’t love a little something extra, eh? Each year you hold the Southwest Plus, you’ll also receive:

  • 2 EarlyBird check-ins

  • 25% back on inflight purchases

  • Free checked bags

  • No change fees

  • Unlimited reward seats with no blackout dates

Bottom line

You won’t see any of the super premium travel perks on this card that you would on a higher-end model, but for what it’s worth, the Southwest Rapid Rewards Plus card provides incredible value to the regular Southwest flyer.

If you’d like to learn more or apply for this card, you can do so HERE.

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