How to redeem Southwest Rapid Rewards points

Southwest Airlines remains a beloved favorite among legions of loyal travelers. With a wide choice of domestic flights, traveler-friendly policies like free checked bags, no change fees and an egalitarian boarding process, it’s no surprise that Southwest consistently remains one of the most popular U.S. airlines. 

And fans of this friendly airline are likely to join the Southwest Airlines Rapid Rewards program so points can take them even further on their journeys. To make the most of the program, it’s important to know the best ways to redeem Southwest points.

What are Southwest Rapid Rewards® points?

Southwest Rapid Rewards points are the currency you earn and redeem through the Southwest Airlines Rapid Rewards loyalty program. The Rapid Rewards program has two features many customers love — points don’t expire and there are no blackout dates for rewards flights. 

Unfortunately for deal-hunters, but fortunately for travelers who prefer simplicity, Southwest doesn’t utilize an award chart. Prices for flights booked using Rapid Rewards Points vary depending on routes and times, and they correspond with the cash price for each flight. It tends to be easier to find lucrative redemption deals on Southwest during sales and low seasons, but much more difficult during popular travel times for hot destinations. 

How to earn Southwest Rapid Rewards points

You can earn Southwest Rapid Rewards Points several ways. You’ll earn Rapid Rewards points fastest by flying Southwest flights or using Southwest credit cards. But you can also earn points by using shopping portals, dining programs and partner programs. 

Earn points with flights

Flying with Southwest Airlines is one of the fastest and most straightforward ways to earn Rapid Rewards Points. 

How many points you earn per flight depends on your fare class, the price you pay for your flight and your A-List status with Southwest. 

If you have base level status with Southwest, you’ll earn:

• 6 points per $1 for Wanna Get Away.
• 8 points per $1 for Wanna Get Away Plus.
• 10 points per $1 for Anytime. 
• 12 points per $1 for Business Select. 

If you have A-List status with Southwest you’ll earn: 

• 7.5 points per $1 for Wanna Get Away. 
• 10 points per $1 for Wanna Get Away Plus.
• 12.5 points per $1 for Anytime.
• 15 points per $1 for Business Select.

If you have A-List Preferred status with Southwest you’ll earn:

• 12 points per $1 for Wanna Get Away.
• 16 points per $1 for Wanna Get Away Plus.
• 20 points per $1 for Anytime.
• 24 points per $1 for Business Select.

Earn points with Southwest credit cards

Southwest co-branded credit cards allow you to earn Rapid Rewards points rapidly. Each comes with an initial welcome bonus that grants you a generous amount of points and allows you to earn additional Rapid Rewards points through your spending on the card. 

• Southwest Rapid Rewards® Plus Credit Card * The information for the Southwest Rapid Rewards® Plus Credit Card has been collected independently by Blueprint. The card details on this page have not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer. : The lowest-tier personal credit card from Southwest has an annual fee of $69 and earns 2 points per $1 on Southwest purchases, on Rapid Rewards hotel and car rental partner purchases, local transit and commuting (including rideshare), internet, cable, phone services and select streaming and 1 point per $1 on all other purchases. New cardholders can earn 50,000 points after spending $1,000 on purchases in the first three months of account opening, plus 3,000 points annually on your cardmember anniversary. 
• Southwest Rapid Rewards® Premier Credit Card * The information for the Southwest Rapid Rewards® Premier Credit Card has been collected independently by Blueprint. The card details on this page have not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer. : The mid-tier personal card from Southwest has an annual fee of $99 and earns 3 points per $1 on Southwest purchases, 2 points per $1 on local transit and commuting (including rideshare), internet, cable, phone services and select streaming and Rapid Rewards hotel and car rental purchases and 1 point per $1 on all other purchases. It also offers new cardholders 50,000 points after spending $1,000 on purchases in the first three months of account opening, plus 6,000 points annually on your cardmember anniversary. This card has no foreign transaction fees. 
• Southwest Rapid Rewards® Priority Credit Card * The information for the Southwest Rapid Rewards® Priority Credit Card has been collected independently by Blueprint. The card details on this page have not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer. : The highest-tier personal card from Southwest has an annual fee of $149 and earns 3 points per $1 on Southwest purchases, 2 points per $1 on Rapid Rewards hotel and car rental purchases, local transit and commuting (including rideshare), internet, cable, phone services and select streaming and 1 point per $1 on all other purchases. It also offers 50,000 points after spending $1,000 on purchases in the first three months of account opening, plus 7,500 points annually on your cardmember anniversary. This card also includes a $75 annual Southwest travel credit and other perks. For example, you get four upgraded boardings per year when available and 1,500 tier-qualifying points toward A-List status for every $5,000 spent each year. The card has no foreign transaction fees. 

If you own a business or are self-employed, you can also earn Rapid Rewards through a Southwest business credit card. 

Earn points by using the Rapid Rewards portal 

Southwest, like many airlines, has a shopping portal where making purchases with partners can net you extra points. Booking a hotel with a partner, making a reservation at your favorite restaurant or buying a birthday present can all earn you Rapid Rewards points if you make these purchases through the Southwest portal. 

How to redeem Southwest Rapid Rewards points

You can redeem Southwest Rapid Rewards points several ways, but using them to book flights is likely to be the most valuable option. It only takes a few easy steps to redeem Rapid Rewards points for a Southwest flight. You’ll need to log in to your account, search for a flight in points, select your flight and purchase it. 

With the More Rewards program, you can redeem your Rapid Rewards points for gift cards, merchandise, hotels, experiences and exclusive Rapid Rewards Access Events. You can also redeem your Rapid Rewards points for a statement credit if you simply need a smaller credit card bill. 

What are Southwest Rapid Rewards points worth?

The value of Rapid Rewards points depends on how you redeem them. But Southwest points are generally worth about 1.5 cents each when redeemed for Southwest Wanna Get Away fares and usually less for business class fares. The actual value will vary depending on the cash price of the ticket and the number of points required to purchase it.

For example, we looked at a round trip flight from Chicago’s Midway Airport (MDW) to San Diego (SAN) for a week in February, 2024 which costs either $297.80 in cash or 20,692 points and $11.20 in taxes and fees if paid for with points. This makes Southwest Rapid Rewards points worth 1.4 cents per point in this case.

If you’re more in the mood for a tropical vacation this winter, a round trip Wanna Get Away fare from Atlanta (ATL) to Punta Cana, Dominican Republic (PUJ) in February would net you 1.35 cents per point. The total cost in points is 37,682 plus $127.10 in cash, while the cash price for the same round trip ticket is $638. 

The trip offers a decent redemption value, and allows you to take advantage of a limited number of international destinations Southwest offers. And you could purchase this tropical vacation with points from your welcome bonus from a Southwest credit card with points left to spare. The same trip in Business Select class nets you a slightly lower value for your points at 1.28 cents per point. This trip costs $1,083 in cash or can be purchased for 74,617 points plus $127.10 in cash.

It’s important to note that your Southwest points will now take you slightly less far, as Southwest announced plans to devalue rewards by 4% starting for bookings made on Jan. 1, 2024 and later.

It’s important to note that the value of Rapid Rewards points when redeeming them on the More Rewards shopping portal is much lower than when you redeem for Southwest flights. For example, you can redeem 7,500 points for a $50 gift card, which reduces the value of your Rapid Rewards points to less than 0.7 cents per point. 

Best ways to use Southwest Rapid Rewards points

The best way to use Southwest Rapid Rewards points depends on your situation. If you’re struggling to keep up with your bills, redeeming your Rapid Rewards points for a statement credit may be your best option. But for most people and situations, redeeming Southwest Rapid Rewards points for Southwest flights with Wanna Get Away fares will offer the most valuable redemptions. 

Southwest transfer partners

Southwest has fewer transfer partners than most other travel loyalty programs. Southwest has no airline transfer partners, but does allow you to use your Rapid Rewards points to book flights with other airlines through the More Rewards website. Similarly, you can’t turn your Rapid Rewards points into hotel points, but you can book a hotel using your Rapid Rewards points on the More Rewards website. 

If you’re looking to turn hotel points into Rapid Rewards points, however, you’re in luck. Southwest allows you to convert your Best Western, Choice Hotels, World of Hyatt, Marriott Bonvoy, MGM Rewards and Rocketmiles points into Rapid Rewards points. 

How to earn a Southwest companion pass

The Southwest Companion Pass allows you to bring a companion with you on as many flights as you wish for just the cost of taxes and fees. You earn a companion pass by flying 100 qualifying one-way flights with Southwest or earning 135,000 qualifying points in a calendar year. 

A companion pass is good for the remainder of the year in which you earn it, plus the following calendar year. This means that if you earn a companion pass on Jan. 15th, 2024, your companion will fly with you for just the cost of taxes and fees on each ticket from Jan. 15th, 2024 to Dec. 31st, 2025. 

Each Southwest co-branded credit card offers a welcome bonus that gives you a good start toward earning a companion pass. But if you have a business, you might want to consider the Southwest® Rapid Rewards® Performance Business Credit Card * The information for the Southwest® Rapid Rewards® Performance Business Credit Card has been collected independently by Blueprint. The card details on this page have not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer. , which has a welcome bonus of 80,000 points after spending $5,000 on purchases in the first three months from account opening and an additional 40,000 points after spending $15,000 on purchases within nine months of account opening, getting you even closer to a companion pass. You can earn the rest of the points needed to qualify for a pass by booking Southwest flights, doing your regular spending on your Southwest card or in one of the many other available ways. 

How can you make the most of the Southwest Companion Pass?

The famous Southwest Companion Pass is one of the airline’s most prized benefits. By earning this pass, you essentially double the value of your points by having a friend or family member fly for nearly free with you anywhere you go.

One of the ways to get the most out of this Companion Pass is by trying to time it to get the pass at the most beneficial time. Earning a Southwest Companion Pass at the beginning of a calendar year will give you the greatest value since you can get close to two years of use out of it. You’ll also want to time earning your pass to be right before you have a lot of travel planned on Southwest routes where you’ll be flying with a partner. 

Bottom line

Redeeming Southwest Rapid Rewards points for Southwest flights is your most valuable option. While you can redeem them for gift cards, hotel stays and even things like cookware, doing so means giving up your points for less than they are worth. If you don’t fly Southwest very often, check out our lists of best credit cards and best travel credit cards to see if there are ways to make your everyday spending more rewarding through other programs. 

Frequently asked questions (FAQs)