Southwest Rapid Rewards® Plus Credit Card review
Southwest frequent travelers are sure to enjoy the extra rewards that this card has to offer. When you earn points with this credit card, you get that much closer toward earning a Companion Pass for your Southwest travels.
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Key Features
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- Earn a $400 statement credit and 40,000 bonus points after spending $3,000 on purchases in the first four months from account opening.
- Southwest rewards your loyalty with 3,000 bonus points each year on your account anniversary.
- Earn two points on your Southwest purchases as well as on local transit and commuting (rideshares included), internet, cable, phone services and select streaming. Earn one point per $1 on everything else.
- Southwest's market is expanding, but it's limited to mostly domestic locations. If you travel frequently overseas, you may not fly Southwest often enough to offset the AnnualFees annual fee.
card_name benefits
If you are a frequent Southwest Airlines traveler, it might be time to make some space in your wallet for a Southwest credit card. Southwest credit cards reward you for every purchase you make, and you can use those rewards for Southwest flights, hotel bookings, car rentals and more.
The CardName is the entry level credit card in the Southwest Rapid Rewards® credit card family. At AnnualFees it carries the lowest annual fee of the bunch, but still offers many of the same great benefits that come with other Rapid Rewards® credit cards (compared below).
card_name cardholders earn two points per $1 on Southwest purchases; local transit and commuting (including rideshares); and on internet, cable and phone services, and select streaming. You earn one point per $1 on other eligible purchases.
New cardholders can earn a $400 statement credit and 40,000 bonus points after spending $3,000 on purchases in the first four months from account opening. Another great benefit is that you’ll be rewarded annually with 3,000 anniversary points, which is a nice incentive to maintain card membership.
Rapid Rewards points don’t expire and can be used on a variety of travel-related purchases such as Southwest flights, hotel stays at eligible chains like Best Western, Marriott Bonvoy, and World of Hyatt, and car rentals. They can also be redeemed for gift cards, merchandise, and access to exclusive events. Plus, enjoy no blackout dates or seat restrictions when booking a flight. As long as a seat is available, it’s yours to book.
Southwest Companion Pass
The Southwest Companion Pass is one of the most valuable travel rewards perks available today. Once earned, it allows you the option to select one companion to fly with you on any Southwest flight, for just the cost of taxes and fees. Essentially, it gets you two-for-one plane tickets. No wonder it’s one of the most sought-after travel rewards there is.
➤ LEARN MORE:Guide to the Southwest Companion Pass
card_name travel and purchase protection benefits
Southwest Airlines is already great in that it offers two free checked bags to every passenger, but with the CardName the travel benefits go even further. When using your card to pay for trip expenses you’ll have access to auto rental collision coverage, roadside dispatch coverage, lost luggage insurance, baggage delay insurance, and travel accident insurance.
We all hope to never have to worry about these types of things when traveling, but it’s good to know you’re covered in case something goes wrong. Unfortunately, baggage delays happen all the time, leaving travelers inconvenienced, and without potential essentials. The baggage delay insurance reimburses you in the event that you have to purchase vital items because your baggage is delayed for more than six hours. You could qualify for up to $100 per day for up to three days, and if your bag is lost or damaged, you could enjoy coverage of up to $3,000.
Another commonly utilized benefit is the auto rental collision coverage, which covers your vehicle for theft and collision damage for most rental cars in the U.S. and abroad (in the U.S., coverage is secondary to your personal insurance). This perk has the potential to knock hundreds off your car rental total.
Also, if you experience an emergency while traveling, you can call up a benefits administrator and receive free referrals for legal, medical, and transportation service providers. It’s always a reassuring feeling to know that you are taken care of when you are away from home.
In addition to these travel benefits, card_name offers purchase protection, which covers any item purchased with the card in the event of damage or theft. You can also take advantage of extended warranty protection and extend the original manufacturer’s warranty by one year on eligible purchases you’ve made with the card. The limit is $10,000 per claim, and a maximum of $50,000 per account.
card_name foreign transaction fee and other potential downsides
One potential downside of the CardName is that it charges a foreign transaction fee of foreign_transaction_fee. At first glance, this fee may seem like no big deal; however, it can add up significantly over time, especially if you are someone who travels abroad often.
For example, let’s say you were in Berlin for a few weeks and put $4,000 worth of purchases on your card. You’d be on the hook for an extra $120 in fees. Therefore, if you’re an avid international traveler but still want to carry a Southwest credit card, you may want to consider the CardName or the CardName as they do not charge a fee on foreign transactions.
Another potential downside isn’t specific to the card itself, but is more generally a drawback of Southwest Airlines. Compared to other major airlines, Southwest is a bit limited in where they fly and to which airports they serve; especially for international flights (though this market continues to expand). Take United Airlines for example, which operates more than 21,000 flights per day in more than 190 countries. Southwest on the other hand offers about 4,000 daily flights to around 100 destinations.
How do cardholders rate the card_name?
CardRatings conducts a survey annually to learn what actual cardholders think of their cards. Here are the results for the card_name:
| Current Scores | Past Scores | |
|---|---|---|
| Overall Score | 79.6 | 79 |
| Features Satisfaction | 7.9 | 7.8 |
| Customer Service | 7.3 | 7.9 |
| Website/App Usability | 8.3 | 8 |
| Likelihood of Continuing to Use | 8.6 | 8.3 |
| Recommend to a Friend/Colleague | 8.3 | 7.8 |
How the card_name compares to other cards
card_name vs. card_name
discontinuedAll information about Southwest Rapid Rewards® Premier Credit Card has been collected independently by Cardratings.com.
Though the CardName charges a higher annual fee than the card_name (AnnualFees vs. AnnualFees), it offers 6,000 anniversary points, which is double the points you’d get with the card_name.
In addition, the Premier card does not charge foreign transaction fees and gives cardholders the chance to earn up to 15,000 tier qualifying points per year. These points can be used toward Southwest A-List status and redeemed for priority boarding and bonus reward points for flights. The travel benefits and extended warranty perks are the same, but Premier cardholders earn an extra point per $1 spent with Southwest (three points vs. two points with the Plus card); the other rewards earning is the same.
So, if you don’t mind paying an extra $30 per year to get more anniversary points and the freedom to spend money abroad without any extra charges, you are likely better off with the card_name. The Premier card may also make more sense for someone who is confident they’ll spend a lot on the card and be eligible for A-List status.
card_name vs. card_name
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The CardName is the most expensive Southwest Rapid Rewards® consumer card, charging an annual fee of AnnualFees, but this extra cost includes a number of valuable travel perks that could make the annual fee worth it for many frequent Southwest travels.
Like the Plus card, this card offers new cardholders the same bonus. The rewards structures are the same except that Priority cardholders earn three points per $1 on Southwest purchases vs. the two points per $1 on those purchases that Plus cardholders earn. Both cards offer 25% back on in-flight purchases like Wi-Fi and beverages.
With the Priority card, however, you can also look forward to a $75 annual Southwest travel credit, 7,500 anniversary points, four upgraded boardings per year and no foreign transaction fees. Additionally, get up to 15,000 tier qualifying points per year with your card, helping get you to A-list status faster which will earn you priority boarding, priority check-in and security lane access, 25% more Rapid Rewards points earned on each flight, and free same-day standby.
Is the card_name a good card?
Just like all credit cards, the CardName offers its own set of benefits. It’s a great option for anyone who likes to travel frequently on Southwest Airlines and wants to earn free flights while paying a low annual fee.
People who travel abroad frequently, wish to earn bonus rewards on every day spending, or who prefer other airlines to Southwest might want to consider an alternative option.
Frequently asked questions
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Our Methodology
Survey methodology: CardRatings commissioned Op4G in September 2023 to conduct surveys among 1,869 cardholders nationwide. CardRatings website analytics from Jan. 1, 2023-Aug. 31, 2023 were used to determine a selection of the most popular cards and additional cards were included to add survey breadth. Responses to each of nine questions were given on a scale of 1-10 and respondents’ scores were then averaged under broad topics. To determine the overall score, responses from questions 1-8 were summed and the answer to "How likely are you to recommend this card to a friend, coworker or family member?" was double weighted. Current Scores reflect scores from the most recent survey (2023); “Past Scores” reflect scores from the 2022 survey.
Disclaimer:The information in this article is believed to be accurate as of the date it was written. Please keep in mind that credit card offers change frequently. Therefore, we cannot guarantee the accuracy of the information in this article. Reasonable efforts are made to maintain accurate information. See the online credit card application for full terms and conditions on offers and rewards. Please verify all terms and conditions of any credit card prior to applying.
This content is not provided by any company mentioned in this article. Any opinions, analyses, reviews or recommendations expressed here are those of the author’s alone, and have not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by any such company. CardRatings.com does not review every company or every offer available on the market.
