Southwest Points Value Calculator: Southwest Points To Dollars

Southwest points value

Southwest points value averages 1.3 cents per point when redeemed for award flights. Other redemptions will range from 0.25 to 0.531 cents per point.

This means 10,000 Southwest points could be worth between $25 and $130, depending on your redemption choice.

Here's our breakdown on Southwest points value:

Southwest Flights

Southwest Points will have the best value of 1.3 cents per point when redeemed towards flights on Southwest. Rates for award bookings with Southwest are based on the cost of the fare, so the higher the cash price, the higher the cost in Southwest Points.

Since this is the case, Southwest doesn't really offer any "high-point" redemptions or sweet spots like many other airlines. This fits in line with Southwest being a simple, no-frills airline meant to get you where you want to go.

With that being said, Southwest is an excellent option for getting to several popular destinations including several out of country. Here are a few of the top destinations for Southwest:

• The Caribbean: Southwest flies to many destinations in the Caribbean including the Bahamas, Turks and Caicos, Dominican Republic, Aruba, and Belize. Southwest is one of the few airlines still operating flights to Havana, Cuba as well. If it's on your bucket list, you can easily get there flying from Fort Lauderdale, FL or Tampa, FL.
• Mexico: Southwest flies to Cabo San Lucas, Cancun, Cozumel, and Puerto Vallarta. These are all great options if you're looking for an easy getaway to some fun in the sun.
• Hawaii: Southwest flies to all of Hawaii's major cities. This includes Hilo, Honolulu, Kahulul, Kauai-Lihue, and Kona.

Pay Yourself Back®

Chase allows you to redeem Southwest points as a statement credit toward the annual fee of a Southwest credit card at a Southwest points value of 1 cent per point. This option provides better value than most non-flight redemptions, though redeeming points for flights remains the best use.

Gift Cards

Redeeming Southwest points for gift cards will give your points a value of between 0.333 and 0.667 cents per point. Redemptions start as low as 3,000 points for a $10 gift card and go as high as 15,000 points for a $100 gift card.

Redeeming Southwest Points for gift cards will give your points a value of between 0.266 cents and 0.531 cents per point. You'll get the best value of 0.531 cents when you redeem your points for gift card denominations of $50 or higher.

Hotels

Redeeming Southwest Points for hotel bookings will give your points an average value of 0.52 cents per point. You can book stays with several major hotel brands including Marriott, Hyatt, and Best Western.

Car Rentals

Redeeming Southwest Points for car rentals will give your points an average value of around 0.25 cents per point. The More Rewards portal features all of the major car rental companies such as Enterprise, Hertz, and Alamo.

When renting cars through the portal, you'll find that many rentals will cost significantly more than your standard Southwest flight.

Experiences & Merchandise

Southwest Points can be redeemed for experiences as well as merchandise through the More Rewards portal. The value of these options will vary based on the redemption.

You can use the Use Southwest Points or Pay Cash calculator to calculate the cash value of these redemptions if you know the average retail price in cash and the price in Southwest Points.

Southwest points to dollars calculator

Use our Southwest points calculator to estimate Southwest points to dollars for flights, hotels, car rentals, gift cards, and more. This tool provides an average value for all available redemption options for your Southwest points.

Average redemption value

The table below lists the value of Southwest Rapid Rewards points for several denominations when valued at an average of 1.3 cents per mile.

Redemption value calculator

Use the Redemption Value Calculator to determine the exact cash value of your Southwest Rapid Rewards points. You'll need to know the full cost of the redemption in cash and the price in points plus any additional cash, taxes, or fees you may have to pay.

This will help you easily calculate which redemption gives you the best value.

How does Southwest points value compare?

Here's how the average value of Southwest points stack up against other major U.S. airlines:

Credit cards that earn Southwest points

Southwest offers a handful of co-branded credit cards that can be used to earn Southwest points on everyday spending. If you frequently fly Southwest, you will want to consider picking up one of their cards.

Here are the cards they offer:

Southwest Rapid Rewards® Priority Credit Card

• 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
• Card Value & Rewards Calculator

Southwest Rapid Rewards® Premier Credit Card

Best For Southwest Travelers

• 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
• Card Value & Rewards Calculator

Southwest Rapid Rewards® Plus Credit Card

• 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
• Card Value & Rewards Calculator

Southwest Rapid Rewards® Performance Business Credit Card

Best Southwest Business Card For Benefits

• 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
• Card Value & Rewards Calculator

Southwest Rapid Rewards® Premier Business Credit Card

Best For Southwest Business Travelers

• 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
• Card Value & Rewards Calculator

Use partner credit cards

Southwest is a direct credit card transfer partner of one major credit card rewards program: Chase Ultimate Rewards. This opens up a small handful of additional credit cards you can use to earn a large of points via intro bonuses and day to day spending.

Here are the Ultimate Rewards credit cards that allows you to transfer points to Southwest:

Chase Sapphire Reserve®

Best For High Value & Travel Benefits

• 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 $120 towards a Global Entry, TSA PreCheck, or NEXUS application fee
• 50% boost to point value on travel booked through Chase Travel
• $550 annual fee
• Card Value & Chase Sapphire Reserve Points Calculator

Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card

Best For Flexible Travel Rewards

• Earn 5X points on travel booked through Chase Travel℠
• 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 Travel
• $50 credit every cardmember anniversary good towards hotel stays booked through Chase Travel
• 10% bonus points based on how much you spend the prior cardmember year
• $95 annual fee
• Card Value & Chase Sapphire Preferred Points Calculator

Chase Ink Business Preferred®

Best For Flexible Business Travel Rewards

• 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 Travel
• $95 annual fee
• Card Value & Chase Ink Preferred Points Calculator