Southwest points can be redeemed for flights, gift cards, hotels, and car rentals. You will get the best value out of your points when redeeming them for award flights with Southwest.
What's the value of Southwest points?
Based on our valuations, Southwest points are worth 1.3 cents per point. This means that 10,000 Southwest points are worth about $130 in cash value towards flights.
Here our breakdown on Southwest points value:
| Redemption Options | Redemption Value in cents |
|---|---|
| Southwest Flights | 1.3 |
| Gift Cards | 0.27 - 0.531 |
| Hotels | 0.52 |
| Car Rentals | 0.25 |
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.
Gift Cards
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.
Calculator: Convert Southwest points to dollars
The Southwest Points Value Calculator can help you estimate how much your points are worth in cash, whether you decide to redeem those points for flights, hotels, car rentals, gift cards, or other rewards. This will give you an idea of the average value for all the redemption options available with your Southwest points.
Southwest Points Value Calculator
| Redemption | Average Dollar Value |
|---|---|
| Southwest Flights | $0 |
| Hotels | $0 |
| Gift Cards | $0 - $0 |
| Car Rentals | $0 |
Southwest points value versus other airlines
Here's how the average value of Southwest points stack up against other airlines:
Best credit cards for earning Southwest points
The best credit card for earning Southwest points will be an Ultimate Rewards credit card or co-branded Southwest credit card.
Chase Ultimate Rewards credit card
Chase Ultimate Rewards points can be transferred to Southwest Rapid Rewards at a 1:1 rate. Every 1,000 Chase points you convert will give you 1,000 Southwest points.
Here are the Ultimate Rewards credit cards you can use to earn points transferable to Southwest:
- 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
- Card Value & Chase Sapphire Reserve Points Calculator
- 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
- 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
Southwest credit cards
Southwest offers five co-branded credit cards that can be used to earn Southwest points on everyday spending. If you frequently fly Southwest, you'll want to consider at least one of their cards.
Here are Southwest's co-branded credit cards:
- 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
- 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
- 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
- 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
- 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
FAQs
How much are Southwest Points worth?
Southwest Points have an average value of 1.3 cents each. This means 10,000 points is worth roughly $130 towards award flights.
How much is 1,000 Southwest points worth?
1,000 Southwest Points is worth around $13 in value towards flights on Southwest Airlines.
How much is 2,000 Southwest points worth?
2,000 Southwest Points is worth around $26 in value towards flights on Southwest Airlines.
How much is 10,000 Southwest points worth?
10,000 Southwest Points is worth around $130 in value towards flights on Southwest Airlines.
How much is 30,000 Southwest points worth?
30,000 Southwest Points is worth around $390 in value towards flights on Southwest Airlines.
How much is 40,000 Southwest points worth?
40,000 Southwest Points is worth around $520 in value towards flights on Southwest Airlines.
How much is 65,000 Southwest points worth?
65,000 Southwest Points is worth around $845 in value towards flights on Southwest Airlines.
How much is 80,000 Southwest points worth?
80,000 Southwest Points is worth around $1,040 in value towards flights on Southwest Airlines.
What can you redeem Southwest Points for?
Southwest Points can be redeemed for award flights on Southwest Airlines, hotels, car rentals, gift cards, and merchandise.
Does Southwest Points expire?
No. Southwest Points do not expire. They are valid as long as you have an active Southwest Rapid Rewards account.
We've run the calculations and checked them twice — here are the credit cards that consistently provide outstanding value to our users:
- Best flexible travel card: Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card
- Best overall value year after year: Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card
- Best for high cash back: Blue Cash Preferred® Card from American Express
- Best for lounge access & luxury travel: The Platinum Card® from American Express
- Best for business travel rewards: Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card
- Best for heavy business spend: Capital One Spark Cash Plus
