Anyone who knows me knows that I am very supportive of getting at least one airline card, even if it makes you unfaithful to a particular brand.
Many fans of points and miles stick will earn transferable reward cards; while these are great, avoiding airline cards means you may lose useful benefits.
take Southwest RapidRewards® Plus Credit Card (See rates and fees, for example). If you fly Southwest Airlines only twice a year, you can get a positive value in the $99 annual fee for this card.
This is the method.
Welcome offer
Currently, new Southwest Cardholders spend $4,000 in the first five months of opening and earn 100,000 bonus points.
According to TPG’s September 2025 valuation, the value of these 100,000 points is $1,350.
These bonus points will help you get more value for the first year’s annual fee than the card’s annual fee, as the Southwest flight costs only 6,000 points a one-way price.
If you play cards correctly, you should be able to expand this welcome offer very far. Also, if you have significant value for Southwest Airlines’ companion pass, this welcome offer will bring you very close to earning. To earn one, you need to fly 100 qualified one-way flights in one year or earn 135,000 qualified points.
Some people may consider paying $99 a yearly fee value just because of the value they receive from the welcome bonus. I would love to find more ways to get the value of your money, not just the first major points.
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Thankfully, the Southwest has some extra benefits, which is more than just the justification of its annual price tag.
Free first check bag
Southwest has attracted loyal flyers for years due to its flight day allowances, such as no designated seats and free shipping bags. With the recent decision to throw these benefits out of the plane’s door, Southwest travelers have to turn to other ways to get these features.
this Southwest Offer their first check bags for free to cardholders. Up to eight passengers can also check their first bag for free in the same booking, so this privilege can be extended to a very distant location.
Couples, families and travelers with friends are more valuable than an annual fee of $99.
Even if you are a solo traveler, checking a bag in one direction or two, even your annual fee will bring you close to breaking. Southwest charges $35 for your first check bag, so using this benefit twice will save you $70.
Fortunately, there is another benefit that when paired with this benefit, it will ensure you use this card green.
Anniversary bonus points
each year, Southwest Cardholders will receive 3,000 bonus points on their card anniversary. According to our valuation, these views are worth about $41.
Whether you travel alone or not, you check the value of the bag twice a year and the value of using these anniversary points will make your value more than the card’s annual fee.
If you really want to optimize your strategy with Southwest Plus, you can do it all by booking one or two round trip flights or two one-way flights with your anniversary point and checking your luggage in each direction.
If your anniversary points don’t give you enough rewards to pay for the entire ticket, remember that Southwest offers an option to pay for the fare using both cash and points.
Other notable allowances
Anniversary bonus points and the chance to get a welcome bonus are the best ways to get huge value from it when you get your first check bag for free Southwestthey are not the only benefits worth noting.
Cardholders and up to eight passengers with the same booking will receive priority boarding. In limited overhead space, you can get into the plane earlier than others, which is a small way to relieve travel stress.
Additionally, as the primary cardholder, you can choose standard seats within 48 hours of departure.
Finally, Southwest Asia Plus provides cardholders with 10,000 eligible points each year. When combined with the welcome bonus, you only need to earn an additional 25,000 eligible points to earn a companion pass.
This may not be the most useful benefit for the first cardholder after the year, but it is a great way to get extra value from your welcome bonus.
Bottom line
You don’t need to be a Southwest loyalist to make this card work for you. As long as you fly with Southwest at least twice a year, you can get positive value from it SouthwestAnnual fee.
If you want to take your wallet away from you and travel, think about credit cards and their benefits are crucial. Don’t evade airline cards just because you’re an infrequent traveler, or you prefer to fly with different airlines.
To learn more, check out our full review of Southwest Plus.
Apply here: Southwest Quick Rewards Plus Credit Card
