Chase · Airline miles · Visa

Southwest Rapid Rewards Plus: what it's really worth

The Southwest Rapid Rewards Plus has a $99 annual fee. For a typical household spending $2,070 a month, it's worth about $947 in year one and $297 each year after.

Annual fee$99

Sign-up bonus$65050,000 points after $1,000 in 3 mo

Net value · year 1$947

Net value · each year after$297

Southwest has also sent offers of up to 80,000 points to Rapid Rewards members who opted in to its emails.

Calculate it with your own spending

Is the annual fee worth it?

Probably not worth the fee after year one for typical spending: the no-fee Hilton Honors Card would net about $209 a year more. It can still make sense if you spend more in its bonus categories or use more of its credits.

How you earn

Category	Rate	Value per $1	Per year*
Dining	1x	1.3¢	$47
Groceries	1x	1.3¢	$78
Hotels	2x	2.6¢	$25
Flights	2x	2.6¢	$31
Gas	1x	1.3¢	$23
Streaming	2x	2.6¢	$12
Everything else	1x	1.3¢	$140

*At typical monthly spending: dining $300, groceries $500, hotels $80, flights $100, gas $150, streaming $40, everything else $900. 2x on Southwest, Rapid Rewards hotel and car partners, local transit and rideshare, and internet, cable, phone and select streaming. 3,000 bonus points every card anniversary.

Credits and perks

$39 3,000 anniversary points — Added every year on your card anniversary. We count about $39 a year, since most people don't use every dollar.
First checked bag free
Foreign transaction fee: none

Who it's for

Southwest flyers who check a bag — first bag free for you and up to 8 people on your reservation
A cheap way to start toward the Companion Pass
Not ideal: People who rarely fly Southwest

Can I get it?

Recommended credit: Good
Chase rules: 5/24: usually denied if you've opened 5+ personal cards (any bank) in the last 24 months. The bonus may be unavailable if you've had this card before.
Visa: Accepted almost everywhere, including Costco warehouses (Visa only).

Check the current offer at Chase

Updated Nov 4, 2026.