Southwest Rapid Rewards Plus Credit Card Review
As far as travel cards go, the Southwest Rapid Rewards Plus card is a great option. Cardholders get a generous introductory offer, and there are several perks. The Southwest Rapid Rewards Plus Visa is worth looking at if you travel a lot. We’ll talk about pros and cons, and give you a thorough review of the Southwest Rapid Rewards Plus. This way, you’ll know if this card is a good choice for you or not.
Southwest Rapid Rewards Plus Pros
Introductory Offer
As far as travel cards go, the Chase Rapid Rewards credit card has a generous introductory offer. If you spend $1,000 within three months, you get 40,000 bonus points. This is the current offer. However, previous offers were to spend $2,000 in three months and get 60,000 points. So this sign-up bonus offer does fluctuate. It is very attainable though, and it is a generous introductory offer.
Generous Rewards
Southwest Rapid Rewards Plus gives cardholders a very generous reward system on top of their other perks. Southwest Rapid Rewards points accrue very quickly, and you can spend them on miles. Cardholders will get 2 points per dollar spent at Southwest Airlines for ticket purchases and more. They’ll also get 2 points per car rentals and partner hotel purchases. You’ll get 1 point per dollar spent on everything else.
Low Annual Fee
Unlike many rewards cards, the Chase Southwest credit card comes with a low annual fee. Cardholders will pay $69 per year for having the rapid rewards Visa. The card lender will apply this annual fee to your first credit card statement. However, you can justify this fee with the rewards perks that come with this card.
Anniversary Gift
Loyal cardholders with the Chase Southwest Visa will get an anniversary bonus every year. On the anniversary day you originally opened the card, Chase will give you a bonus 3,000 points. You can redeem these points for flights, participating hotel stays, and select car rentals. So you don’t have to do anything to get these rewards, simply keep the account open and its good standing.
No Blackout Dates
One of the most frustrating things about airline credit cards is the blackout dates. However, with the Southwest Airlines credit card, you don’t have to worry. There are no blackout dates on Southwest Airlines flights. There is also no seat restrictions on the Southwest credit cards. This makes it very easy to book a flight when you need it, without worrying about problems.
Unlimited Southwest Rewards Points that Don’t Expire
As your Southwest Visa card rewards don’t expire, you can stack them. You won’t have to worry about rewards points expiring. You also get unlimited rewards earning potential. If you fly Southwest Airlines a lot, this creates huge earning potential. Along with this, it also makes it easy to justify the annual fee each year.
Balance Transfer Promotion Offer
The Southwest Visa has a unique program that is specific to this card. If you do a balance transfer to your Southwest Rapid Rewards Plus Credit Card, you get a reward. You have three months to perform your balance transfer. But if you do a balance transfer in three months, you get one rewards point for every dollar you transfer. This caps at 15,000 rewards points or $15,000 in balance transfers. This a good deal considering most credit cards charge a 3% – 5% balance transfer fee. This Southwest frequent miles reward will help offset the balance transfer fees. The Chase Slate Card is one of the few cards that offer 0 fees on balance transfers. Slate from Chase offers this only for the first 30 days of opening an account.
Southwest Frequent Flyer Program
Fly Southwest on a consistent basis with this card, and you’ll get rewards. If you earn 110,000 Tier Qualifying Points or fly 100 one-way Southwest flights per the calendar year, you’ll get rewarded. The Companion Pass Status allows cardholders to bring a companion on their flight at no extra cost. You can only have one additional companion per flight, but it’s unlimited. You do have to earn this every calendar year, but it’s a huge perk.
Southwest Rapid Rewards Plus Cons
Foreign Transaction Fee
The Southwest Rapid Rewards Plus Credit comes with a foreign transaction fee. This can be a downside, especially if you travel outside of the United States a lot. The Southwest credit card has a 3% foreign transaction fee. Each time you use your card through a non-US bank, you’ll get this fee. It can add up quickly, especially if you plan to travel a lot with this card.
No Introductory APR
Many cards offer a 0% APR for x amount of months. The Southwest Plus Credit card doesn’t have this feature. You’ll immediately see the APR charge on your first bill if you carry a balance. The APR is also a variable rate, and it fluctuates between 16.99% to 23.99%. This has the potential to add up, especially if you tend to carry a balance from month to month.
Variable APR
The variable APR is another drawback to the Southwest Rapid Rewards Visa. This APR depends on your credit score, and it ranges from 16.99% to 23.99%. If you tend to carry a balance, this can add up very fast. If you have better credit, you’ll get a lower rate, and this can help.
Can be Difficult to Budget
The amount of points needed per flight varies depending on several factors. This makes the Southwest Rapid Rewards Plus credit card a challenging way to redeem your points. The points needed per flight vary on flight time, date, season, and demand. For example, a flight that requires 7,000 rewards points today may require 9,000 points tomorrow. There’s no concrete way to tell until you actually book the flight. For some, this may not be an ideal first travel card.
Southwest Rapid Rewards® Plus Credit Card Bottom Line
In conclusion, Southwest Rapid Rewards Plus card is a solid travel card for Southwest Airlines flyers. The large introductory point offer along with the anniversary bonus help to offset the annual fee. Additionally, no blackout dates or seat restrictions make it easy to book a flight with Southwest. All in all, this card is worth looking into if you fly Southwest on a frequent basis. If you are not a frequent flyer of Southwest a no annual fee travel credit card may be better. The EXPEDIA®+ CARD from Citi is an example of a general travel rewards card.
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CreditFast has reviewed the best travel credit cards on the market. Some of the credit card offers are from our advertising partners. CreditFast has objectively reviewed the features and benefits of each credit card. We have chosen travel and airline credit card offers based on our editor’s recommendations.
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