Southwest Rapid Rewards® Plus Credit Card
50,000 Southwest Rapid Rewards® Points after you spend $1,000 in the first 3 months
Bonus
Est. Value
Category
Annual Fee
Why Travel Freely Likes It
With this card, you'll receive 3,000 bonus points every year on your cardmember anniversary, first checked bag free for cardmember plus up to 8 additional passengers on the same reservation, 10,000 Companion Pass qualifying points boost annually and a 10% flight promo code on each account anniversary annually. All points earned from credit card spend and the welcome offer count as Companion Pass qualifying points.
This card has the lowest annual fee of all Southwest personal cards, and it no longer charges foreign transaction fees.
10/15/26 Update: Southwest is changing their program in 2027, specifically how welcome offers are counted towards the Southwest Companion Pass. Starting in 2027, bonus points earned as part of the welcome offer will no longer qualify.
The good news: the traditional method laid out below still works for now. If you apply and are approved by December 2, 2026, Southwest will count the qualifying points from your welcome offer toward your 2026 qualification even if those points don’t post until early 2027, earning you the pass for the rest of 2026 and all of 2027. The catch is that this is the last window for it: after 2026, applying for one or two cards now and earning the pass this way is no longer an option.
We will continue to gather information on this new development and update our content further to reflect the changes in the near future.
Notes: The owner of this site is not an investment advisor, financial planner, nor legal professional. Articles here are of an opinion and general nature, and they should not be relied upon for individual circumstances.
Advertiser Disclosure: Travel Freely is an independent, advertising-supported web site. This site is part of an affiliate sales network and may receive compensation for sending traffic to partner sites, such as CreditCards.com and CardRatings.com when a customer clicks on a link, when an application is approved, or when an account is opened. This compensation does not impact how or where products appear on this site. Travel Freely has not reviewed all available credit card offers on this site.
Editorial Note: Opinions expressed here are author's alone, not those of any bank, credit card issuer, hotel, airline, or other entity. This content has not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by any of the entities included within the post.