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 Companion Pass® + 30,000 Bonus Points after you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening. Offer ends 3/31/25. Promotional Companion Pass valid through 2/28/26.
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 from Denver to Boston
And with the current welcome offer, you could book this flight almost FIVE TIMES.
2. Companion Pass boost
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
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
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.
