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Last updated on November 10th, 2021
Southwest Rapid Rewards® Plus Credit Card
Earn Up To 100,000 Bonus Points
- Regular Purchase APR 15.99% to 22.99% variable based on creditworthiness and Prime Rate
- Balance Transfer APR 15.99% to 22.99% variable based on creditworthiness and Prime Rate
- Cash Advance APR 24.99% variable based on the Prime Rate
- Annual Fee $69
- Credit Needed Excellent , Good
- Processing Network Visa
- Earn 50,000 bonus points after you spend $2,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening
- Plus, earn an additional 50,000 points after you spend $12,000 total on purchases in the first 12 months from account opening
- Earn 2 points for every $1 you spend on Southwest purchases, Rapid Rewards hotel and car partners, local transit and commuting, internet, cable, phone services, and select streaming
- Earn 1 point for every $1 you spend on all other purchases
- 3,000 points every year on your Cardmember anniversary.
- 2 EarlyBird Check-In® each year
- 25% back on inflight purchases
- Regular Purchase APR: 15.99% to 22.99% variable based on creditworthiness and Prime Rate
- Balance Transfer APR: 15.99% to 22.99% variable based on creditworthiness and Prime Rate
- Balance Transfer Transaction Fee: Either $5 or 5% of the amount of each transfer, whichever is greater
- Cash Advance APR: 24.99% variable based on the Prime Rate
- Cash Advance Transaction Fee: Either $10 of 5% of the amount of each transaction, whichever is greater
- Penalty APR: Up to 29.99% variable based on the Prime Rate
- Annual Fee: $69
- Foreign Transaction Fee: 3% of the transaction amount in U.S. dollars
- Late Payment Penalty Fee: Up to $40
- Return Payment Penalty Fee: Up to $40
Offer Details
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At a Glance
The Southwest Rapid Rewards Plus Credit Card is a reliable airline rewards credit card for those who like to fly and prefer Southwest Airlines when they travel. The card earns 2X points on Southwest Airlines purchases and 1X points on all other purchases. New accounts also earn up 10 100,000 points after meeting minimum spend requirements in the first year. The card has an annual fee of $69, which is mostly offset by the cardmember anniversary bonus of 3,000 miles given after each year of membership.
Ideal for Those Who:
- Fly often and prefer to fly with Southwest
- Plan to use their card in conjunction with other Southwest programs to earn maximum points
- Have a large purchase planned that will allow them to spend at least $2,000 on the card within the first 90 days
- Plan to use the card primarily for purchases within the United States
Southwest Rapid Rewards Plus Review
The Southwest Rapid Rewards Plus Credit Card from Chase Bank is a versatile airline rewards credit card that caters to those who prefer to fly with low-cost carrier Southwest Airlines.
How to Earn Points
The Southwest Rapid Rewards Plus Card earns double points on all Southwest purchases, which allows cardholders to receive two points for every dollar they spend on net purchases.
The Plus Card also earns 2X points for every dollar on a range of purchases, including:
- Local transit and commuting, including rideshares
- Internet, cable, phone services, and select streaming
Every other dollar spent with the card earns a single point. There is no limit to the total number of points earnable.
Points Bonuses
New accounts also receive 50,000 bonus points after they make $2,000 in purchases within the first three months of account opening. Plus, they’ll earn an additional 50,000 points after spending $12,000 total on purchases in the first 12 months from account opening.
Southwest Rapid Rewards points have an estimated value of around 1.5 cents per point ($0.015), so 100,000 bonus points are worth $1,000. Cardholders also receive an additional 3,000 points on every cardmember anniversary – an extra $45 in value – which almost pays for the $69 annual fee itself.
Best Ways to Maximize Rapid Rewards Points
While the Southwest Rapid Rewards Plus Card comes with a hefty sign-up bonus, there are plenty of other ways to quickly build up Rapid Rewards points in addition to sign-up bonuses and purchasing flights.
Earn Points Dining Out
Joining the Rapid Rewards Dining program allows Rapid Rewards members to earn points when they eat out. Additionally, new members receive impressive bonuses, including an additional 1,000 points after they dine out three times, an extra 500 points after earning their first 1,500 points through dining, and a thank you bonus of 300 points after every 1,000 points they earn through the dining program.
Earn Points by Shopping
Rapid Rewards members can also earn points quickly by making purchases through the Rapid Rewards Shopping Portal. There are tens of thousands of deals available, with the opportunity to earn over 5,000 points for merely purchasing eligible items. Using the Rapid Rewards Plus Card can even increase the points earned, making it an excellent resource for quickly amassing rewards points.
How to Redeem Points
The Southwest Rapid Rewards program offers numerous ways to redeem points. The easiest way to redeem points is for flights with Southwest Airlines, or through Southwest codeshare partners, including Icelandic carrier, Icelandair.
Points are also applicable towards hotel stays with over 70,000 properties around the world; car rentals with partners such as Avis, Budget, Hertz, National, and more; or for merchandise or gift cards in the Southwest Rapid Rewards Shopping Portal.
Southwest Destinations
While there are many options for points redemption, the best value for money is still through booking flights with Southwest. Southwest has a significant reach throughout much of North America, as well as the Caribbean and Central America. The airline has routes to over 101 destinations across the United States and Canada, as well as routes to several other international destinations, including:
- Mexico: Cancun and Puerto Vallarta
- Costa Rica: Liberia and San Jose
- Belize: Belize City
- Cuba: Havana
- Aruba: Oranjestadt
- Bahamas: Nassau and Bridgetown
- Cayman Islands: Georgetown
- Dominican Republic: Punta Cana
- Jamaica: Montego Bay
- Turks & Caicos: Providenciales
Other Card Perks and Features
The Plus Card also comes with several other nice Southwest Airlines-centric perks. These benefits include the airline’s Transfarency, meaning cardholders don’t have to worry about paying any hidden fees or change fees. Also, customers can check their first and second bags free of charge with Southwest’s bags fly free service.
The card comes with an annual fee of $69, which, while not great, isn’t a deal-breaker. After all, cardholders recoup much of this cost through the annual bonus of 3,000 points. What isn’t recouped, however, is the foreign transaction fee, which, at 3% of the cost of foreign transactions in U.S. dollars, is a letdown with this card.
Other features include:
- No change fees
- 2 EarlyBird Check-In® each year
- 25% back on inflight purchases
For more information on the Rapid Rewards loyalty program:
Should You Apply for the Southwest Rapid Rewards Plus Card from Chase?
Overall, the Rapid Rewards Plus Card from Chase Bank is a decent co-branded airline card that pays its way in bonuses. The $69 annual fee is easily offset by the 3,000 bonus points received each cardmember anniversary, which has a cash value of approximately $45. The addition of a hefty sign-up bonus of 50,000 points – worth $400 – after making just $2,000 in purchases is another bonus, as is the option of earning more points through Southwest’s various portals.
While double points on Southwest purchases and single points for all other purchases aren’t a major head-turner, they are respectable. Equally respectable are the airline-centric perks, including no hidden fees and two free checked bags on Southwest flights.
The presence of a foreign transaction fee is frustrating – especially given that there are plenty of other comparably priced airline cards that come with no foreign transaction fees. Fortunately, Southwest is mostly aimed at U.S.-based customers, meaning for the majority this card is a versatile travel tool that can quickly earn points towards free flights.
