Southwest Rapid Rewards Plus Credit Card
The Southwest Rapid Rewards Plus is the entry rung of Chase's Southwest cobrand lineup, and at a $99 annual fee it earns its keep on flying habit rather than on broad category spend. The reliable wins are concrete: one free checked bag for the Cardmember and up to eight people on the same reservation, 3,000 anniversary points, and a 10,000-point boost each year toward the Companion Pass, which is the perk that makes the whole Southwest ecosystem worth chasing. The earning is thin away from Southwest itself, just 2x on the airline and a capped 2x on gas and groceries, so the card pays off for someone who flies Southwest a few times a year and would rather not pay for the Priority card's richer credits.
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- Annual fee$99$8.25/mo equivalent
- Limited-time offer80,000 points≈$1,040 at our valuationafter $1,000 in 3 monthsElevated promotion. Not the standard offer.
- Recommended credit700-780Median 720. See why →
Earning rates
on Southwest Rapid Rewards- 2xAirfareSouthwest purchases only
- 2xGasFirst $5,000/yr combined
- 2xGroceriesFirst $5,000/yr combined
- 1xOther
- 1xEverything else
Benefits and credits
Travel credits and perks
- 10% Flight Discount
- 10,000 Companion Pass Qualifying Points Boost
- 25% Back on Inflight Purchases
- 2X Points on Lyft
- 3,000 Anniversary Points
- Complimentary Standard Seat
- First Checked Bag Free
- Group 5 Boarding Benefit
Purchase and protection benefits
- Extended Warranty Protection
- Purchase Protection
shopping
- Complimentary DashPass
- Instacart Credit$120/year
Travel and purchase coverage
- Baggage delay$300Secondary coverage
- Lost luggage$3,000Secondary coverage
Pricing and fees
Full Pricing and Terms- Purchase APR
- 19.24% to 27.74%
- Foreign tx
- None
- Penalty APR (cap)
- 29.99%
- Balance transfer
- 19.24% to 27.74%
- Fee $5 or 5.00%, whichever is greater
- Cash advance
- 28.49%
- Fee $10 or 5.00%, whichever is greater
- Late / returned
- $40 · $40
Eligibility and application
- Card typeUnsecured personal card
- Pre-qualificationSoft-pull pre-qualification available
- Application inquiryHard credit inquiry on submission
- Approval bureauNot disclosed by issuer
- Authorized user feeFree
- Reports AU to bureausConditionalReports adult AU activity to all three bureaus; does not report minors (under 18).Issuer policy
How the recommended credit score is derived
Reported by users, not disclosed by the issuer. Synthesized from community-reported approval data points and cross-checked against industry editorial guidance for consensus.
- Community Q&A: Southwest Plus credit score recommendation, "700 (Good credit)"
- Community Q&A: "The Southwest Rapid Rewards Plus Credit Card credit score requirement is 700 or higher"
- Community Q&A: Southwest approval difficulty, "700 (Good credit)" recommended
- Community approval thread: reported Southwest Plus approval at FICO 768 with a $3,800 limit on the 100K offer
- Community approval thread: reported Southwest Plus approvals over 5/24 with FICO scores in the 700s
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Southwest Rapid Rewards Premier Credit CardChase · VisaThe Southwest Rapid Rewards Premier is the mid-tier card in Chase's Southwest lineup, and the case for it is built less on its earning rates than on the perks that come with carrying it.
$149 annual fee -
Citi Strata Premier CardCiti · MastercardThe Citi Strata Premier is Citi's mid-tier transferable-points travel card, and at $95 a year it leans on a broad 3x earning structure rather than perks.
$95 annual fee -
Blue Cash Preferred Card from American ExpressAmexBlue Cash Preferred is the suburban grocery and streaming card, earning 6% cash back at U.S.
$95 annual fee
Sources
Affiliate disclosure
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Not financial advice
ccdeck is not a financial advisor. Information here is for educational purposes only. Confirm card terms with the issuer before applying.