Travel rewards
Southwest Rapid Rewards Plus Card Review: Is the $99 Annual Fee Worth It?
A free checked bag and earlier boarding on every Southwest flight can outweigh a $99 annual fee for frequent Southwest flyers — but only if you actually fly the airline.
Updated for 2026 · Page 1 of 1
See top travel rewards cards →
If you fly Southwest even a handful of times a year, two costs quietly add up: checked-bag fees on other airlines and the scramble to snag a decent boarding position. The Southwest Rapid Rewards Plus Card from Chase is built around eliminating both of those headaches for a modest annual fee, while still earning points on everyday spending. The question most people actually need answered isn't "what does the card offer" — it's whether those perks are worth $99 a year compared to a no-fee card or a pricier Southwest option.
This is an independent, third-party guide. It is not published or endorsed by Chase or Southwest Airlines, and it is not the issuer's application page — you won't find an "apply now" button that submits directly to Chase here.
Card terms — annual fees, rewards rates, welcome offers, and APRs — change often and Chase periodically runs limited-time promotional offers that differ from the standard terms. The figures in this guide were verified against Chase's own card pages and major card-comparison sites as of the 2025-2026 period, but you should always confirm the current annual fee, points rates, and welcome bonus on Chase's official Southwest Rapid Rewards Plus page before applying, since issuers update pricing and promotions without much notice.
Below, we break down how the card earns and pays out rewards, what it costs to carry, who realistically benefits most from it, how it stacks up against Chase's other Southwest cards, and the trade-offs worth weighing before you apply.
How the Southwest Rapid Rewards Plus Card Earns Rewards
The earning structure is straightforward: cardholders get 2 points per dollar spent directly with Southwest Airlines, 2 points per dollar at gas stations and grocery stores (on the first $5,000 in combined spending in those two categories each cardmember year, after which it drops to 1 point per dollar), and 1 point per dollar on everything else. There's no rotating-category tracking or activation required — the bonus categories are always on.
On top of everyday earning, the card pays 3,000 bonus Rapid Rewards points automatically on each account anniversary, plus a promotional discount code good for a percentage off a future flight (excluding the cheapest Basic fare) that Chase and Southwest added as an anniversary perk. Points earned from spending, the welcome offer, and anniversary bonuses all count toward the 135,000 qualifying points needed in a calendar year to earn Southwest's Companion Pass, though hitting that threshold from card spend alone generally requires either a large welcome bonus or substantial ongoing spending.
Chase periodically runs elevated, time-limited welcome offers on this card — historically ranging from around 50,000 points after meeting a modest spending requirement in the first three months up to considerably higher promotional bonuses, and at times a bundled offer that includes bonus points toward Companion Pass status. Because these offers rotate frequently, check the current welcome bonus directly on Chase's card page before you apply rather than relying on any single figure you see elsewhere.
Fees and APR: What It Costs to Carry This Card
The Southwest Rapid Rewards Plus Card carries a $99 annual fee that is not waived the first year — a cost that was raised from a lower fee in a prior redesign, so it's worth double-checking the current figure on Chase's page. There is no foreign transaction fee, which matters if you ever use the card outside the US even though Southwest itself flies a limited international route map.
The card does not offer an introductory 0% APR promotion on purchases or balance transfers, unlike some competing travel cards that lead with a no-interest period. Instead, it carries a standard variable APR that has recently sat in roughly the high-teens to high-20s percentage range, priced based on your creditworthiness at approval and moving with the prime rate over time.
Because there's no 0% intro window and the ongoing APR can run high, this card makes the most financial sense for people who pay their statement balance in full each month and use it primarily to accumulate Southwest points and travel perks — not as a vehicle for financing a large purchase or carrying a revolving balance.
Who the Southwest Rapid Rewards Plus Card Is Best For
This card is aimed squarely at travelers who fly Southwest at least occasionally and check a bag more often than not. The free first checked bag — extended to the cardholder plus up to eight additional passengers on the same reservation — can offset the annual fee in a single round trip for a couple or a family, since checked-bag fees on most other US airlines run well into double digits per bag, per direction.
The card also bundles boarding-position and seat-selection perks: Group 5 early boarding and the ability to select a standard seat within 48 hours of departure (when available) for the cardholder and up to eight companions on the reservation. For Southwest flyers who dislike the airline's open-seating scramble, that's a tangible quality-of-life upgrade that a generic cash-back card can't replicate.
It's a weaker fit for people who rarely or never fly Southwest, since the 2X category on Southwest purchases and the airline-specific perks are worthless if you're not booking those flights, and the flat 1X rate on other spending is unremarkable next to dedicated cash-back or travel cards.
How It Compares to Other Southwest and Travel Cards
Within Chase's own Southwest lineup, the Rapid Rewards Plus sits at the entry level. Chase also offers Premier and Priority versions of the Southwest card that carry higher annual fees in exchange for additional perks such as larger anniversary point bonuses, in-flight discounts, or annual travel credits — the trade-off is a bigger upfront cost each year for travelers who fly Southwest frequently enough to use those extras. If you fly Southwest occasionally rather than as your primary airline, the Plus card's lower fee and simpler benefit set is usually the more sensible starting point.
Compared to no-annual-fee flat-rate cash-back cards, the Plus card only wins if you actually value the free checked bag, boarding perks, and Southwest point earning — a generic 2% cash-back card with no annual fee will out-earn its 1X non-bonus category every time in pure cash terms.
Compared to premium travel cards with airport lounge access and broad travel insurance, the Southwest Plus card is a modest, airline-specific tool rather than a general-purpose travel card — it doesn't include lounge access, trip insurance comparable to premium cards, or elevated earning outside Southwest and two everyday categories.
Downsides and Watch-Outs
The $99 annual fee is charged every year with no waiver, so the card only pays for itself if you're actually flying Southwest and using the checked-bag or boarding perks — an infrequent flyer may find the fee hard to justify against a no-fee alternative.
There's no introductory 0% APR period, and the ongoing variable APR can be steep, so this isn't a card to lean on for financing purchases or carrying a balance. Welcome offers also fluctuate significantly and are frequently time-limited or targeted, meaning the headline bonus you see in one review or promotion may not match what's available when you actually apply.
Southwest's own network is domestic-heavy with limited international destinations, so the no-foreign-transaction-fee benefit and the airline-specific perks matter less if your travel regularly takes you outside the routes Southwest serves. Cardholders should also be aware that Chase generally limits how many personal Southwest cards you can hold or be approved for at once, and Chase's broader approval rules (including the widely discussed "5/24" pattern of recent new-account openings) can affect approval odds regardless of this specific card's stated credit requirements.
Frequently asked questions
- What is the annual fee on the Southwest Rapid Rewards Plus Card?
- The card carries a $99 annual fee that applies starting in the first year — it is not waived. This fee was raised from a lower amount in a prior card refresh, so it's worth confirming the current figure on Chase's official page before applying.
- Does the Southwest Rapid Rewards Plus Card have an introductory 0% APR?
- No. The card does not offer an introductory 0% APR period on purchases or balance transfers. It carries a standard variable APR from account opening, which has recently run in roughly the high-teens to high-20s percent range depending on your creditworthiness.
- Is there a foreign transaction fee?
- No, the Southwest Rapid Rewards Plus Card does not charge foreign transaction fees, so you can use it abroad without an added surcharge on purchases.
- What credit score do I need to get approved?
- Chase generally looks for good to excellent credit for this card, roughly a FICO score of 670 or higher. A stronger credit profile — often cited around 700+ — improves your approval odds, and Chase's broader new-account approval patterns (such as how many cards you've recently opened) can also factor in.
- Can this card help me earn the Southwest Companion Pass?
- Points earned from spending, the welcome bonus, and the anniversary point bonus all count toward the 135,000 qualifying points needed in a calendar year to earn Southwest's Companion Pass. Reaching that threshold from this card alone typically requires a large welcome offer or a lot of ongoing spending, so heavy Companion Pass chasers often pair it with additional Southwest spending or cards.
Advertiser disclosure: general information only, not financial advice. Confirm current terms on the issuer's official site before applying.