Anybody who is aware of me is aware of that I am a giant proponent of getting not less than one airline card, even in case you aren’t loyal to a selected model.
Many factors and miles followers keep on with playing cards that earn transferable rewards; whereas these are nice, avoiding an airline card means you would be shedding out on useful advantages.
Take the Southwest Fast Rewards® Plus Credit score Card (see charges and charges), for instance. Should you fly Southwest Airways simply twice every year, you will get constructive worth out of this card’s $99 annual payment.
This is how.
Welcome supply
Presently, new Southwest Plus cardholders can earn 100,000 bonus factors after spending $4,000 within the first 5 months from account opening.
In keeping with TPG’s September 2025 valuations, these 100,000 factors are value $1,350.
These bonus factors will assist you to get considerably extra worth than this card’s annual payment in your first 12 months, since Southwest flights can value as few as 6,000 factors one-way.
Should you play your playing cards proper, you must be capable to stretch this welcome supply fairly far. Plus, in case you place important worth on Southwest’s Companion Cross, this welcome supply will get you very near incomes one. To get one, it’s essential to both fly 100 qualifying one-way flights or earn 135,000 qualifying factors in a single 12 months.
Some might take into account paying a $99 annual payment 12 months after 12 months value it solely due to the worth they get out of the welcome bonus. I am huge on discovering extra methods to get your cash’s value than simply that first huge stash of factors.
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Fortunately, the Southwest Plus comes with a couple of additional perks that greater than justify its annual price ticket.
Free first checked bag
For a few years, Southwest attracted loyal flyers due to its day-of-flight perks, like no assigned seating and free checked baggage. With the current determination to toss these advantages out the aircraft door, Southwest vacationers should flip to different strategies to get these options.
The Southwest Plus provides cardholders their first checked bag free. As much as eight extra passengers on the identical reservation may also test their first bag free, so this perk might be prolonged fairly far.
{Couples}, households and vacationers with associates can get much more worth out of their card than its $99 annual payment.
Even in case you’re a solo traveler, checking a bag on one spherical journey or two one-ways will deliver you near breaking even on this card’s annual payment. Southwest expenses $35 on your first checked bag, so utilizing this profit twice will prevent $70.
Happily, there’s one other profit that, when paired with this perk, will make sure you’re within the inexperienced with this card.
Anniversary bonus factors
Every year, Southwest Plus cardholders will obtain 3,000 bonus factors on their card anniversary. Per our valuations, these factors are value roughly $41.
Whether or not you are touring solo or not, the worth you get from checking a bag twice every year and utilizing these anniversary factors will web you extra worth than the cardboard’s annual payment.
Should you actually need to optimize your technique with the Southwest Plus, you’ll be able to obtain all of this in only one journey by reserving a round-trip flight or two one-way flights utilizing your anniversary factors and checking your bag in every course.
In case your anniversary factors do not offer you sufficient rewards to cowl a complete ticket, keep in mind that Southwest provides an choice to pay on your fare with each money and factors.
Different notable perks
Whereas receiving your first checked bag free, anniversary bonus factors and the prospect to earn a welcome bonus are one of the best methods to get important worth out of the Southwest Plus, they are not the one advantages value noting.
Cardholders and as much as eight extra passengers on the identical reservation will obtain precedence boarding. With restricted overhead bin area, getting on the aircraft sooner than you in any other case might is a small method to ease journey stress.
Plus, as the first cardholder, you’ll be able to choose a Customary seat inside 48 hours of departure, when obtainable.
Lastly, the Southwest Plus gives cardholders with a lift of 10,000 qualifying factors every year. When mixed with the welcome bonus, you may solely must earn a further 25,000 qualifying factors to obtain a Companion Cross.
This is probably not probably the most helpful profit after the primary cardholder 12 months, however it’s an effective way to get additional worth out of your welcome bonus.
Backside line
You do not should be a Southwest loyalist to make this card give you the results you want. So long as you fly not less than twice with Southwest in a 12 months, you’ll get constructive worth out of the Southwest Plus‘s annual payment.
Pondering outdoors of the field in relation to bank cards and their advantages is essential if you need your pockets to take you and your travels so far as potential. Do not shrink back from opening an airline card simply since you’re an rare traveler otherwise you favor to fly with completely different airways.
To be taught extra, try our full assessment of the Southwest Plus.
Apply right here: Southwest Fast Rewards Plus Credit score Card
