Southwest Rapid Rewards® Plus Review

Overview

The Southwest Rapid Rewards Plus is the entry-level Southwest personal card, and the real reason to care about any Southwest card is the Companion Pass, which lets a chosen person fly with you for just taxes and fees. Credit card points count toward earning it, so these cards are a fast track to that perk.

On its own the Plus is a modest card with locked Rapid Rewards points, but if you fly Southwest and want the Companion Pass, the welcome bonus here helps you get there.

Our 6.0 out of 10 rating

Each score weighs the rewards rate, value after the annual fee, welcome offer, points flexibility, and perks, with every point valued at a flat 1 cent. This is our editorial assessment to help you compare cards, not a guarantee of approval or of the value you will get.

Rewards: how it earns

You earn well on Southwest and modest bonuses on a few everyday categories, in Rapid Rewards points, plus anniversary points each year. The points are locked to Southwest, so I would not run general spending through it, its value is the welcome bonus, the anniversary points, and progress toward the Companion Pass.

Brand and bonus rates: beyond the everyday categories above, this card also earns:

• 2x points on Southwest purchases
• 10% anniversary promo code for Southwest flights
• 25% back on Southwest in-flight purchases

Every point and mile above is valued at a flat 1 cent, the same honest standard we use for every card. Run your own spending through the calculator to see what this card would actually return for you.

Pros and cons

The welcome bonus

The welcome bonus is strong: 80,000 points after $1,000 in three months. Beyond the value of the points themselves, that haul is a big head start toward the Companion Pass, which is the real prize.

Is it worth the annual fee?

The $99 fee is modest, and the anniversary points plus Companion Pass potential can justify it for a regular Southwest flyer. If you rarely fly Southwest, though, there is little reason to pay it.

First-year value vs ongoing value

The welcome bonus makes year one the high point: roughly $774 in value once you count the bonus, this card’s rewards, and its credits, minus the $99 fee. After that, the honest figure is about $274 a year, so judge whether it earns its keep on the ongoing number, not the first-year headline.

*First-year value counts the welcome bonus, estimated rewards, and annual credits, minus the annual fee; ongoing value is a typical year after. Every point at a flat 1 cent, on average spending.

Benefits and protections

Beyond the rewards, the perks and protections worth knowing about include:

• First checked bag free for you and up to 8 passengers on the same reservation
• 3,000 anniversary bonus points each year
• Points count toward the Southwest Companion Pass
• No foreign transaction fees

Statement credits

• 3,000 anniversary bonus points each year

Who should get it, and who should skip it

If you fly Southwest and want the Companion Pass, the Plus is a reasonable, affordable way to build toward it, and the welcome bonus does a lot of the heavy lifting.

If Southwest is not your airline, skip it, the locked points and airline perks will not help you. This is strictly a card for Southwest flyers.

Frequently asked questions

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