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Southwest Rapid Rewards Plus vs Capital One Venture X: Which Is Better In 2025?
July 1, 2025
Editor's Picks
- The Southwest Rapid Rewards® Plus Credit Card is an ideal choice for budget-conscious Southwest flyers to earn rewards on flights as well as at gas stations and grocery stores.
- The Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card is a premium card for frequent travelers seeking luxury benefits and high reward rates on hotels, rental cars, and flights booked via Capital One Travel.
Southwest Rapid Rewards® Plus Breakdown
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Why We Like It
Let's break down the specific perks and rewards that make this card a strong choice for Southwest loyalists.
- It's an excellent entry-level card for occasional Southwest flyers, offering valuable perks like anniversary bonus points and EarlyBird Check-In® credits.
- All points earned with the card count toward qualifying for the valuable Southwest Companion Pass®, a highly sought-after travel benefit.
- Cardholders receive useful travel protections and a complimentary DashPass membership, adding value beyond just earning flight rewards.
Pros
- Every point you earn helps you qualify for the coveted Southwest Companion Pass®, allowing a friend to fly with you for nearly free.
- Cardholders receive a variety of useful travel perks, including anniversary bonus points, EarlyBird Check-In® credits, and a complimentary DashPass membership for a limited time.
- Comes with built-in travel and purchase protections, such as baggage delay insurance and extended warranty, providing peace of mind.
Cons
- Lacks premium travel perks like airport lounge access or annual travel credits, which are common on higher-tier travel cards.
- The rewards program has some limitations, with modest earning rates and less flexibility for redeeming points outside of Southwest flights.
Capital One Venture X Rewards Breakdown
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Why We Like It
Let's dive into the specific features and benefits that make the Capital One Venture X Rewards (See Rates & Fees) one of our top-rated travel cards.
- It provides access to an extensive network of airport lounges, including both Priority Pass and exclusive Capital One Lounges.
- Cardholders receive valuable annual travel credits and anniversary bonus miles, in addition to earning a high rate of miles on travel bookings.
- The card includes comprehensive travel insurance and purchase protections, offering a strong safety net for your trips and purchases.
Pros
- Generous rewards structure that includes a valuable welcome offer, bonus miles on every anniversary, and accelerated earnings on travel.
- Premium travel benefits such as complimentary access to a global network of airport lounges and an annual credit for bookings made through Capital One Travel.
- Strong consumer protections, including comprehensive travel insurance, purchase protection, and extended warranty on eligible purchases.
Cons
- The highest reward rates and the annual travel credit are restricted to bookings made through the Capital One Travel portal.
- Its annual fee may be difficult to justify for those who do not travel frequently.
- Travelers with strong loyalty to a particular airline or hotel chain might find a co-branded card more rewarding.
Capital One Venture X Rewards vs Southwest Rapid Rewards® Plus
Categories
When trying to determine which is better, the Southwest Rapid Rewards® Plus Credit Card or the Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card, the best choice depends on your specific travel habits and goals.
- Southwest Rapid Rewards® Plus Credit Card: This card is an excellent entry-level option for occasional Southwest flyers and those new to travel rewards who want to earn benefits within the Southwest ecosystem.
- Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card: Geared toward frequent travelers, this premium card is ideal for those who seek luxury perks and value the flexibility of booking through a dedicated travel portal.
Redemption
Southwest Rapid Rewards® Plus Credit Card: Points earned with this card are redeemed through the Southwest Rapid Rewards program, primarily for flights on Southwest Airlines. You can also use points for gift cards, merchandise, and international flights with partner airlines.
Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card: The miles you earn offer flexible redemption options, including booking travel through the Capital One Travel portal or transferring them to a variety of airline and hotel loyalty programs. You can also redeem miles as a statement credit to cover recent travel purchases.
Travel Perks
- Southwest Rapid Rewards® Plus Credit Card: This card's ecosystem is centered entirely on Southwest Airlines. While it provides a straightforward way to earn and redeem for Southwest flights, it lacks the broader travel perks of a premium card. It does not offer airport lounge access and includes a foreign transaction fee for purchases made abroad.
- Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card: This card offers a more comprehensive travel ecosystem. You can book travel through the flexible Capital One Travel portal or transfer your miles to various airline and hotel partners. Key perks include access to a network of airport lounges and no foreign transaction fees on international purchases, making it a strong choice for global travel.
Compare Top Rated Credit Cards with Kudos
To make the right choice, a tool like Kudos can help you compare top-rated cards by analyzing your unique spending habits.
- Test drive credit cards: Simulate how much you could earn with a new card using your real spending data before you apply, all without affecting your credit score.
- Personalized recommendations: By securely connecting your bank accounts, Kudos analyzes your transaction history to suggest cards that best fit your spending patterns.
- Welcome offer guarantee: If you find a better welcome offer within three months of getting a card through the platform, Kudos will match it.
- Approval odds analysis: Get a detailed breakdown of your chances of being approved for a card based on your credit report.
- Kudos Boost: Earn extra rewards on top of your regular card rewards when shopping at partner stores.
- Smart wallet autofill: A browser extension automatically selects the best card in your wallet at checkout to maximize rewards for each purchase.
Who Should Choose the Southwest Rapid Rewards® Plus?
The Southwest Rapid Rewards® Plus Credit Card is an excellent entry point for budget-conscious travelers who fly with the airline a few times a year and want to start earning rewards. It's particularly well-suited for those aiming to earn the coveted Southwest Companion Pass, as all points earned—from the welcome bonus to everyday spending—count toward the qualification threshold. This card strikes a balance by offering valuable perks like two EarlyBird Check-In® credits annually and a yearly 3,000-point bonus, all while keeping the annual fee lower than more premium travel cards.
Who Should Choose the Capital One Venture X Rewards?
The Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card is tailored for frequent travelers who appreciate luxury perks but prefer a more straightforward rewards structure than some other premium cards offer. This user is comfortable booking flights, hotels, and rental cars through the Capital One Travel portal to maximize their earnings and take full advantage of the card's annual travel credit. Essentially, if you travel enough to easily offset the $395 annual fee with the card's generous credits and rewards, and have a good-to-excellent credit score, this card presents significant value.
Alternatives to Consider
If our Southwest Rapid Rewards® Plus vs. Capital One Venture X Rewards comparison has you feeling like neither card is the right fit, don't worry. There are plenty of other excellent travel rewards cards on the market worth considering.
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Tips for Application Success
Before You Apply
- Check your credit score: Most premium travel cards require a good to excellent credit history for approval.
- Plan your spending: Make sure you can comfortably meet the minimum spending requirement to earn the welcome offer.
- Research reward redemptions: Know how you plan to use your points or miles to ensure you get the most value from them.
Application Strategy
- Time your application: Align your application with a planned large purchase to help meet the spending requirement.
- Evaluate the ecosystem: Consider whether a co-branded airline card or a flexible travel portal card best fits your travel style.
- Avoid forced spending: Never carry a balance or make unnatural purchases just to earn a welcome bonus.
Our Methodology
We evaluate nearly 3,000 credit cards across the U.S. market — far more than the ~150 cards commonly featured on sites that focus only on products tied to affiliate commissions. Our goal is to provide a comprehensive, unbiased view of the credit card landscape so you can make confident, data-driven decisions.
Our editorial team combines deep industry experience with rigorous verification standards. While our experts surface the most relevant recommendations in our guides, you can also explore the full dataset yourself through our card explorer tool, which includes thousands of cards — more than 95% of which do not provide us with commissions.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is the Southwest Rapid Rewards Plus Card better for loyal Southwest flyers?
If you exclusively fly with Southwest Airlines, the Southwest Rapid Rewards® Plus Credit Card is likely the more beneficial option as its rewards and perks are tailored to the airline. The Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card offers more flexibility for travelers who fly with various airlines.
Which card offers more value for international travel?
The Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card generally provides more value for international travel due to its flexible travel credits and broader airline and hotel transfer partners. The Southwest Rapid Rewards® Plus Credit Card's benefits are primarily focused on domestic travel within the Southwest network.
What is the main difference between the rewards programs?
The Southwest Rapid Rewards® Plus Credit Card earns points directly within the Southwest Rapid Rewards program, which are best used for flights on the airline. The Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card earns flexible miles that can be redeemed for travel statement credits or transferred to a variety of airline and hotel partners.
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Editorial Disclosure: Opinions expressed here are those of Kudos alone, not those of any bank, credit card issuer, hotel, airline, or other entity. This content has not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by any of the entities included within the post.
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