Southwest Rapid Rewards Plus vs Southwest Rapid Rewards Premier

Every figure below is from the same dataset Miles computes its recommendations from. Rows the two cards agree on are collapsed at the bottom.

Economics

Dollar figures are per year unless the row says otherwise. Ongoing annual value is Miles' estimate of what the card adds per year after its annual fee: statement credits discounted for realistic use, benefits, and earning above a strong flat-rate card on a typical spending profile. First-year value is a separate net figure that includes the welcome bonus. A welcome bonus shown at its advertised maximum may not be available to every applicant; that figure is not marked as stronger. ★ marks the stronger comparable figure on other rows, and no row is marked when either figure is unknown.
Figure	Southwest Rapid Rewards Plus Chase	Southwest Rapid Rewards Premier Chase
Annual fee	Best: $99 $50/yr less	$149
Ongoing annual value, after fee	Best: $205 $32/yr more	$173
First-year value	Best: $1,038 $361/yr more	$677
Authorized user fee	—Unknown	—Unknown

Sign-up Bonus

The current welcome offer as recorded in the dataset. No winner is marked: a bonus is points times a valuation times a spend requirement you may or may not clear, and the first-year value above already prices it.
Offer	Southwest Rapid Rewards Plus Chase	Southwest Rapid Rewards Premier Chase
Current offer	80K points after $1K spend in the first 3 months	55K points after $1.5K spend in the first 3 months

Earning

Percentages are the return on a dollar spent: the multiplier times what Miles values those points at. ★ marks the higher return on a row. Categories only one card earns a bonus on are marked for that card; the other earns its base rate.
Category	Southwest Rapid Rewards Plus Chase	Southwest Rapid Rewards Premier Chase
Gas stations	Best: 2X2.6%	—Unknown
Restaurants	—Unknown	Best: 2X2.6%
Lyft (through 12/31/2027; must be default payment method in Lyft app)	2X2.6%	Best: 3X3.9%
Southwest purchases	2X2.6%	Best: 3X3.9%

Benefits

Statement credits, lounge access and elite status as listed in the dataset; protections are counted, not listed. No winner is marked: twelve small credits are not more than two large ones, and the row that prices them, ongoing annual value, is under Economics.
Benefit	Southwest Rapid Rewards Plus Chase	Southwest Rapid Rewards Premier Chase
Statement credits	Instacart: $10 (Monthly) DoorDash Grocery/Retail, monthly: $10 (Monthly)	Instacart: $10 (Monthly) DoorDash Grocery/Retail, monthly: $10 (Monthly)
Lounge access	—Unknown	—Unknown
Elite status	—Unknown	Southwest Rapid Rewards
Protections	6	6

The same on both cards (7)

Rows where both cards state the same figure or the same earning rate. Nothing is marked, because there is no stronger side.
Fact	Southwest Rapid Rewards Plus	Southwest Rapid Rewards Premier
Foreign transaction fee	None	None
Issuer	Chase	Chase
Rewards currency	Southwest Rapid Rewards	Southwest Rapid Rewards
Card type	Personal	Personal
Network	Visa	Visa
All other purchases	1X1.3%	1X1.3%
Grocery stores	2X2.6%	2X2.6%

Which one is right for you

This page shows the difference. It does not pick: the winner depends on what you spend and what you already hold, and adding these figures up without knowing that would be a guess dressed as a verdict. Ask Miles and it computes the answer against your own wallet.

Ask Miles which to get