Southwest Rapid Rewards Plus

The short answer

Southwest Rapid Rewards Plus is a personal Southwest card from Chase with a $99 annual fee, lower than the other personal tiers. It earns Southwest points and offers an eligible first checked bag, limited advance seat selection and 3,000 points after each cardmember anniversary. Its value rests on those trip benefits, because ordinary spending rewards alone do not make it an everyday card.

In Julia's example, a round trip with two checked bags avoids $180 in bag fees. With the anniversary points and the card's rewards on the tickets, she finishes $117.80 ahead for the renewal year. If she stops checking bags, she ends $58.60 short of the fee.

The Studio's verdict on fit is "Southwest travelers who want the checked-bag benefit at a lower annual fee." It suits less well anyone who wants to choose seats months ahead, or who would put everyday spending on it. The Wallet Score is 56 out of 100.

What it costs

The annual fee is $99, and the Studio's rate card lists no membership cost. The card has no foreign transaction fee.

Julia compares it with a no-fee card returning 2%. Paying $180 of bag fees on that card would earn $3.60, so avoiding the fees saves a net $176.40. The same card would earn $22 on $1,100 of Southwest tickets.

What it earns

• 2 points per dollar on eligible direct Southwest purchases.
• 2 points per dollar on the first $5,000 of combined gas-station and grocery-store purchases each account anniversary year, then 1 point.
• 1 point per dollar on other ordinary purchases.
• 3,000 points after each cardmember anniversary.
• 25% back on eligible inflight drinks and Wi-Fi bought with the card.

Julia values a point at a net 1.2 cents, measured after the award's cash charges and the rewards she gives up by redeeming. The points also have to replace travel she would otherwise buy. At that value the 2-point rate is worth 2.4%, while the 1-point rate trails a 2% cash-back card.

The credits, used honestly

• First checked bag: the waiver covers the primary cardholder and up to 8 additional passengers on the same reservation, for each person's first standard checked bag within the normal weight and size limits. In Julia's example the first-bag charge would be $45 per person each way. If your ticket or status already includes that bag, there is no saving to count.
• Anniversary points: 3,000 points, worth $36 at a net 1.2 cents when they replace travel you would buy.
• Seat selection: the primary cardholder can choose an available Standard seat within 48 hours of departure, and up to 8 additional passengers on the reservation can use the benefit. That is not the same as choosing seats months earlier, and Standard seats are not Preferred or Extra Legroom seats.
• Boarding: no later than Group 5 on eligible Southwest flights. This can help with overhead-bin access but does not change the seat on your ticket.
• Anniversary promotion code: 10% off an eligible new Southwest booking. Julia leaves it out of her result.

The bag waiver has conditions. Julia puts her Rapid Rewards number on the reservation and allows up to 14 days after approval for her card status to update, which is Chase's guidance. Authorized users do not independently receive the benefit, and partner-carrier bookings are excluded.

The promotion code excludes Basic fares and applies to the eligible base fare before government taxes and fees, not every amount at checkout. It does not work on an existing booking, cannot be stacked with another code, arrives within 15 days of the anniversary and is valid for 1 year after delivery. Julia subtracts the card and flight rewards she would lose on the reduced price before counting any saving, and compares Basic if its restrictions suit the trip.

The catch

Seats are the main limit. If waiting until 48 hours before departure would be uncomfortable, the benefit does not give the certainty a family may want. Julia compares the fare that already includes the seat choice she needs, the price of selecting seats separately and another card's benefits. Availability matters whichever route she takes.

The gas and grocery limit follows your account anniversary year, which does not necessarily start in January, and not every store that sells groceries counts. Beyond the limit, 1 point at 1.2 cents trails 2% cash back. If you already have a no-fee card paying 3% on an eligible grocery purchase, Julia would prefer the cash there.

The 10,000-point annual Companion Pass boost is not spendable. It helps with qualification, but the normal points requirement is 135,000 qualifying points in a calendar year, so opening Plus does not give you a Companion Pass. Julia would check what posts during the qualifying year before planning around one.

Rewards are for one airline, and the Studio's limitation reads: "The other personal tiers share the eligible bag benefit. The Basic-fare test cannot use its annual discount code." Julia also checks welcome-offer eligibility separately and pays the balance in full so interest does not undo the savings.

Who it fits

Plus fits a household with an occasional Southwest trip and two checked bags, where Southwest already has a convenient flight and available Standard seats are enough. Julia's deciding question is whether the 48-hour seat selection fits the way the family wants to travel.

It fits less well when the bags stop, when specific seats are a priority, or when you hope to move everyday spending onto it. Even with the full $5,000 of gas and grocery spending, the card earns only $20 more than a 2% card, which does not cover the $99 fee by itself.

The score of 56 comes from the everyday card test, which weighs value after costs across 3 household budgets, then reward flexibility, effort and 2 specific protection checks. The anniversary points and bag savings help; the fee and single-airline rewards limit its reach. The basic-fare test does not count the anniversary discount, because that fare does not qualify.

The arithmetic

Julia's trip is a round trip with one checked suitcase for her and one for a companion.

• Bags: 2 people on a round trip, at $45 each way, is $180 avoided. A no-fee 2% card would earn $3.60 on paying it, so the net saving is $176.40.
• Anniversary points: 3,000 points at 1.2 cents is $36.
• Together that is $212.40. Less the $99 fee, she is $113.40 ahead before comparing rewards on the ticket.
• Tickets: $1,100 on Plus earns 2,200 points, worth $26.40, against $22 from the 2% card. The extra $4.40 makes the result $117.80.
• Without bags: the $36 of anniversary points and $4.40 of extra ticket rewards leave her $58.60 short of the fee.
• Everyday spending: the full $5,000 at 2 points is worth $120 of travel value, against $100 in cash. That helps by $20 but does not cover the $99 fee alone.

Before you apply

On the issuer's page today, check the $99 fee, the bag waiver rules, the 48-hour seat window, the $5,000 combined limit and your account anniversary date, and your eligibility for any welcome offer. Then pull up one trip and compare the complete fare, bags and seats.

The Studio's rate card carries the checked-bag benefit at $240, the larger of the $120 and $240 its tests use, and flags it for review. The video's example is $180, so confirm the current fees.

The figures in this article were verified on October 6, 2026.