Here's How Much It Will Cost You To Buy Southwest Points

All information about the Southwest Rapid Rewards® Premier Credit Card has been collected independently by The Point Calculator and has not been reviewed by the issuer.

By: Robert Flowers III

Last Updated: 05-01-2023

Best Credit Card Offers

Check out all the top offers and calculate which cards will earn you the most miles.

Find The Best Card For You

Southwest Rapid Rewards Points can be earned in many way, but there may be times in which none of these options work for you. Luckily, you can buy Southwest Points to top off your account if you need points sooner than later.

Southwest points cost

Southwest Points will cost you between 2.75 and 3 cents per point based on how many you buy in a single purchase. In order to get the best rate of 2.75 cents, you'll need to buy at least 6,000 Southwest Points.

Buying Southwest Points
Points Purchased	Cost Per Point
2,000 - 5,000 Points	3 Cents Each
6,000 - 60,000 Points	2.75 Cents Each

How many Southwest points can you buy?

You can buy as little as 2,000 points for $60 and as many as 60,000 Southwest points for $1,650 per transaction. They can be purchased in 1,000-point increments.

You cannot buy or receive as a gift more than a total of 60,000 Southwest Points in a calendar year.

Buying Southwest Points
Base Cost Per Points	2.75-3 Cents
Taxes?	No.
Min Purchase Per Transaction	2,000 Points
Max Purchase Per Transaction	30,000 Points
Max Points Per Calendar Year	60,000 Points
Purchase Increments	1,000-point increments

Do note that buying Southwest Points do not count towards A-List, A-List Preferred, or the Companion Pass.

Use Our Calculator To Maximize Your Southwest Points

Discover personalized credit card options that match your spending habits and maximizes your points.

Simply input your monthly and yearly spend amounts into our easy-to-use calculator to find the best Southwest credit card options for you!

Get Started

Are buying Southwest points worth it?

Southwest points are worth about 1.3 cents per point on average and they don't fluctuate too much in value like other airline miles. You may find a redemption here and there that will give you slightly higher value, but it's not often.

This basically means that you'll always be buying Southwest points for higher than what they are worth. For this alone, buying large amounts of Southwest points will be a bad investment.

The only time I recommend buying Southwest points is if you're a few points of redemption and need to top off your account... and this is best done when they are on sale and can be purchased for a much more reasonable price.

Buy Southwest points calculator

Use the Buy Southwest Points Calculator to find out how much it will cost you to buy Southwest Points at the standard rate. Do note that the cost of Southwest Points can change at any time, so you'll want to log into your Rapid Rewards account and check their Buy Points page to see the actual cost.

Enter any amount of Southwest Points to calculate the cost at the standard rate.

Points

Total Cost

2.75-3 Cents Each

Buy Points

The Point Calculator values Southwest Points at 1.3 cents each

How to buy Southwest points

Head to Southwest's Buy Points page.
Log into your Southwest Rapid Rewards account.
Select how many Southwest Points you want to buy.
Enter your payment details.
Review the purchase and agree to the terms and conditions.
Click Pay Now.

Earn more Southwest points

If you need a large amount of Southwest points or you're in no rush to buy them, you should consider picking up a credit card that earns Southwest points. You can earn lots of points via intro bonuses and everyday spending across Southwest credit cards and Chase Ultimate Rewards credit cards.

Calculator: Best Credit Cards For Southwest Points

Southwest credit cards

Southwest offers five co-branded credit cards that consists of three personal consumer credit cards and two business credit cards. If you fly Southwest, I highly recommend picking up at least once Southwest credit card as they offer fantastic benefits.

Credit Card	Highlights
Southwest Rapid Rewards® Priority Credit Card Best For Southwest Benefits Learn More Card Value & Points Calculator	Intro Bonus: 50,000 Bonus Points Earn 3X points on Southwest® purchases Earn 2X points on local transit and commuting (including rideshare) and on internet, cable, phone services, and select streaming Earn 1X points on all other purchases Receive up to $75 back on Southwest purchases made throughout the anniversary year with the card Receive 4 upgraded bookings per anniversary year that applies to positions A1-A15 on Southwest Airlines Receive 7,500 anniversary points just for being a cardholder Earn 1,500 Tier Qualifying Points for every $10,000 you spend on the card $149 annual fee
Southwest Rapid Rewards® Premier Credit Card Best For Southwest Travelers Learn More Card Value & Points Calculator	Intro Bonus: 50,000 Bonus Points Earn 3X points on Southwest® purchases Earn 2X points on local transit and commuting (including rideshare) and on internet, cable, phone services, and select streaming Earn 1X points on all other purchases Receive 2 EarlyBird Check-In per year. Receive 6,000 anniversary points just for being a cardholder Earn 1,500 Tier Qualifying Points for every $10,000 you spend on the card $99 annual fee
Southwest Rapid Rewards® Plus Credit Card Best For Low Annual Fee Learn More Card Value & Points Calculator	Intro Bonus: 50,000 Bonus Points Earn 2X points on Southwest® purchases Earn 2X points on local transit and commuting (including rideshare) and on internet, cable, phone services, and select streaming Earn 1X points on all other purchases Receive 2 EarlyBird Check-In per year Receive 3,000 anniversary points just for being a cardholder $69 annual fee
Southwest Rapid Rewards® Performance Business Credit Card Best Southwest Business Card For Benefits Learn More Card Value & Points Calculator	Intro Bonus: 80,000 points Earn 4X points on Southwest® purchases Earn 3X points on purchases made with Rapid Rewards hotel and car rental partners Earn 2X points per $1 spent on local transit and commuting, social media and search engine advertising, and internet, cable, and phone services Earn 1X points per $1 spent on all other purchases Receive 4 upgraded bookings per anniversary year that applies to positions A1-A15 on Southwest Airlines Receive 9,000 anniversary points just for being a cardholder Get reimbursed for up to $8 per day when you use the card to pay for In-Flight Wi-Fi on Southwest flights Earn 1,500 Tier Qualifying Points for every $10,000 you spend on the card $199 annual fee
Southwest Rapid Rewards® Premier Business Credit Card Best For Southwest Business Travelers Learn More Card Value & Points Calculator	Intro Bonus: 60,000 points Earn 3X points on Southwest® purchases Earn 2X points on local transit and commuting, including rideshare Earn 1X points on all other purchases Earn 1,500 Tier Qualifying Points for every $10,000 you spend on the card Receive 6,000 anniversary points just for being a cardholder Receive 2 EarlyBird Check-In per year $99 annual fee

Chase Ultimate Rewards credit cards

Chase Ultimate Rewards points can be transferred directly to your Rapid Rewards account at a rate of 1,000 Chase points for 1,000 Southwest points. There are several credit cards that earn Ultimate Rewards points, but you must have one of these three credit cards in order to transfer them to Southwest:

Credit Card	Highlights
Chase Sapphire Reserve® Best For High Value & Travel Benefits Learn More Card Value & Points Calculator	Intro Bonus: 60,000 Bonus Points Earn 10X points on hotels and car rentals booked through Chase Travel Earn 5X points on flights booked through Chase Travel Earn 3X points on travel worldwide and dining at restaurants Earn 1X points on all other purchases $300 statement credit for travel purchases charged to the card each anniversary year Complimentary Priority Pass Select membership Up to $100 towards a Global Entry, TSA PreCheck, or NEXUS application fee 50% boost to point value on travel booked through Chase Travel $550 annual fee
Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card Best For Flexible Travel Rewards Learn More Card Value & Points Calculator	Intro Bonus: 60,000 Bonus Points Earn 5X points on travel booked through Chase Ultimate Rewards Earn 3X points on dining, online grocery purchases, and on select streaming services Earn 2X points on other travel purchases Earn 1X points on all other purchases 25% boost to point value on travel booked through Chase Ultimate Rewards $50 credit every cardmember anniversary good towards hotel stays booked through Chase Ultimate Rewards 10% bonus points based on how much you spend the prior cardmember year $95 annual fee
Chase Ink Business Preferred® Best For Flexible Business Travel Rewards Learn More View Referral Offer Card Value & Points Calculator	Intro Bonus: 100,000 Bonus Points Earn 3X points on the first $150,000 spent on travel and select business categories each account anniversary year Earn 1X points on all other purchases 25% boost to point value on travel booked through Chase Ultimate Rewards $95 annual fee

FAQs

How much does it cost to buy Southwest Points?

Southwest points will cost you 3 cents each when buying between 2,000 and 5,000 points and will cost you 2.75 cents each when buying 6,000 points or more.

How many Southwest Points can you buy?

You can buy up to 60,000 Southwest Points in a single transaction and up to 60,000 Southwest Points per day.

Where do you buy Southwest Points?

Southwest points are purchased through the Southwest Buy Points Portal.

When should you buy Southwest points?

Southwest points should only be purchases to top off your account if you're a few points shy of a redemption. Buying large amounts of Southwest points will usually be a bad investment.