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finder.com’s rating: 3.5 / 5
★★★★★
30,000
Points as welcome offer
Up to 5x
Points
$69
Annual fee
15.99% to 22.99%
Purchase APR (variable)
Annual fee | $69 |
---|---|
Welcome Offer | Earn Companion Pass® through 2/28/2022 plus 30,000 points after spending $5,000 in the first 3 months |
Rewards | 2x points on Southwest Airlines and 1x points on all other purchases |
Purchase APR | 15.99% to 22.99% variable |
Balance transfer APR | 15.99% to 22.99% variable |
Recommended minimum credit score | 670 |
Issuer | Visa |
Review by
Kevin Joey Chen is a credit cards, banking and investments writer whose work and analysis have appeared on CNN, U.S. News & World Report, Business.com, Lifehacker and CreditCards.com. He's passionate about helping you get your finances in order by expertly navigating cutting-edge financial tools — including credit cards, apps and budgeting software.
The Southwest Rapid Rewards® Plus Credit Card is an entry-level Southwest credit card. It comes with a $69 annual fee and 3,000 bonus points on your cardmember anniversary each year. This is worth around $40, which drops your annual fee to around $30.
For a limited time, you get to earn a massive signup bonus in the form of a companion pass valid through 2/28/2022 plus 30,000 bonus points after you spend $5,000 in your first three months when you open your account. The companion pass lets you bring your companion on your flights only for the cost of fees and taxes for the duration of the pass. No competitor airline card can boast this.
You also get to earn 2x points on your Southwest purchases, which is in line with all Southwest credit cards, even the more expensive ones. But unlike the other Southwest cards, you’ll pay a 3% foreign transaction fee if you use the card abroad.
If you’re an occasional Southwest flyer who travels mostly within the US, this could be a card worth considering.
As is common with airline credit cards, you’ll have a better chance of approval with a good to excellent credit score of 670 and above.
On the Southwest Rapid Rewards® Plus Credit Card page, you’ll see benefits like $0 first and second checked bags, $0 change fees and no hidden fees.
These benefits are included with every Southwest flight, even if you’re not a Southwest Rapid Rewards® Plus Credit Card member.
The card has a $69 annual fee that’s not waived for the first year.
To break even on it with rewards alone, you’ll need 4,313 points according to our valuation. That’s $2,157 spent on Southwest purchases or $4,313 spent on other purchases.
Of course, you’re more likely to have a mix of spending. Here’s a sample expense breakdown to earn 4,313 points.
Category | Annual spending | Rewards rate | Points earned |
---|---|---|---|
Southwest purchases | $500 | 2x | 1,000 |
Other purchases | $3,313 | 1x | 3,313 |
The card’s travel and purchase protection can be valuable as well.
You can apply for the Southwest Rapid Rewards® Plus Credit Card if:
Some customers say Chase periodically changes the signup bonus for this card. You might find a bonus worth tens of thousands of points more or less depending on when you apply.
JPMorgan Chase Credit Card is not accredited with the Better Business Bureau but it has an A+ rating and a composite score of 1.18 out of 5 stars based on 229 customer reviews as of October 2020. Most customer complaints revolve around poor customer service and hidden costs Chase credit cards in general. Make sure you read your card’s terms and the rewards agreement to avoid issues with your account.
As of October 2020, Chase earns a Trustpilot score of 1.3 out of 5. Most negative reviews cite slow responses to fraud complaints and less-than-helpful customer service. Positive reviews cite the bank’s great mobile app and quick resolutions to their issues. Overall, your mileage may vary with Chase customer support.
After the close of each billing cycle, you’ll have at least 21 days to pay off your balance. If you do, you won’t be charged interest. To take advantage of this grace period, you must have started the billing period with a zero balance.
After each billing cycle, Chase will automatically transfer your points to your Southwest Rapid Rewards account.
Log in to your Rapid Rewards account on the Southwest Airlines website. You have a variety of redemption options for your Rapid Rewards points, including:
Wanna Get Away flights will typically give you the best value on your points. For these fares, your points will usually be worth an average of 1.6 cents each.
Southwest points are worth an average of 1.6 cents each according to our valuation at the time of writing. This means 30,000 points are worth an average of $640.
You can get a few one-way flights out of these points. Check out the Wanna Get Away award fares and you might find:
Origin/Destination | Award cost for one-way flight using Wanna Get Away | Fees |
---|---|---|
Denver (DEN) to Las Vegas (LAS) | 4,694 | $5.60 |
Los Angeles (LAX) to New York (LGA) | 8,127 | $5.60 |
Atlanta (ATL) to Mexico City (MEX) | 8,736 | $33.29 |
Ft. Lauderdale (FLL) to Seattle (SEA) | 17,705 | $5.60 |
Baltimore (BWI) to Nassau (NAS) | 26,832 | $5.60 |
The Southwest Rapid Rewards® Plus Credit Card travels light on features. But to Southwest’s credit, the airline charges nothing in change fees or your first and second checked bags.
You’ll get the most out of the card’s rewards if you’re a frequent Southwest flyer who can make the most of the Rapid Rewards program. If you’re not, consider other airline cards.
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