The average value of Southwest Points is about 1.3 cents per point when used towards award flights. This means that 10,000 Southwest Points will have a dollar value of about $130.
Southwest Points can also be used for car rentals, gift cards, and merchandise. These redemptions will give your points significantly less value.
How To Earn Southwest Points
If you want to earn lots of Southwest points, the easiest way is through intro bonuses and spending across Southwest credit cards and Chase Ultimate Rewards credit cards.
Read More: Best Credit Cards For Earning Southwest Points
Southwest Credit Cards
Southwest offers 5 co-branded credit cards through Chase bank that can earn you Southwest points on your everyday spending. These credit cards also come with solid benefits including anniversary points, upgraded boardings, annual travel credits, and top-notch travel insurance.
Here are the credit cards you can use to earn Southwest points:
| Credit Card | Intro Bonus | Annual Fee |
|---|---|---|
Best For Southwest Benefits
|
Earn 50,000 bonus points after spending $1,000 on purchases in the first 3 months. | $149 |
Best For Southwest Travelers
|
Earn 50,000 bonus points after spending $1,000 on purchases in the first 3 months. | $99 |
Best For Low Annual Fee
|
Earn 50,000 bonus points after spending $1,000 on purchases in the first 3 months. | $69 |
Best Southwest Business Card For Benefits
|
Earn 80,000 points after you spend $5,000 on purchases within the first 3 months of account opening. | $199 |
Best For Southwest Business Travelers
|
Earn 60,000 points after you spend $3,000 on purchases in the first 3 months your account is open. | $99 |
Chase Ultimate Rewards
Chase Ultimate Rewards points can be transferred to Southwest at a 1:1 ratio meaning that every 1,000 Chase points you transfer to your Rapid Rewards account will give you 1,000 Southwest points. Chase points can also be transferred to a handful of other travel rewards programs such as United Airlines MileagePlus, World of Hyatt, and Marriott Bonvoy.
Here are the best credit cards for earning Ultimate Rewards points:
| Credit Card | Intro Bonus | Annual Fee |
|---|---|---|
Best For High Value & Travel Benefits
|
Earn 60,000 bonus points after you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening. That's $900 toward travel when you redeem through Chase Ultimate Rewards®. | $550 |
Best For Flexible Travel Rewards
|
Earn 60,000 bonus points after you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening. That's $750 when you redeem through Chase Ultimate Rewards®. | $95 |
Best For Flexible Business Travel Rewards
|
Earn 100k bonus points after you spend $15,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening. That's $1,000 cash back or $1,250 toward travel when redeemed through Chase Ultimate Rewards®. | $95 |
Calculator: Find Out Which Credit Cards Will Earn You The Most Southwest Points Per $1 Spent
How Much Are Southwest Points Worth?
Southwest Points have the best average value of 1.3 cents per point when redeemed towards award flights on Southwest. This means that 10,000 points have an average value of $130.
Points can also be redeemed for lower value for gift cards, hotels, car rentals, and merchandise.
Southwest Points Value
| Redemption Options | Redemption Value (in cents) |
|---|---|
| Southwest Flights | 1.3 |
| $50+ Gift Cards | 0.531 |
| Hotels | 0.52 |
| Car Rentals | 0.25 |
Southwest Flights
Southwest Points will give you an average value of 1.3 cents per point when used towards award flights. This means that 10,000 points would be worth around $130 towards flights.
Rates for award bookings with Southwest are based on the cost of the fare. This means the higher the cash price, the higher the cost in Southwest Points.
Since this is the case, there's not many 'sweet spots' when it comes to booking flights and you'll always have a good idea of how much your points are worth.
Southwest is a simple airline that delivers simple flights. It's great for no-frills travelers who want to easily redeem points to get from Point A to Point B.
Southwest Fares
Southwest Rapid Rewards Points can be used towards any of the three fare options that Southwest offers which are:
- Wanna Get Away
- Anytime
- Business Select
With all of these fares you'll receive two checked bags free, no change fees, and no cancel fees.
In terms of specific benefits, each fare offers a different level of flexibility when it comes to flight cancellations and changes as well as additional benefits such as bonus points per $1 spent and priority perks.
| Fare | Benefits |
|---|---|
| Wanna Get Away |
|
| Anytime |
|
| Business Select |
|
Best Ways To Redeem Southwest Points
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. Listed below are a few destinations you can fly to using Southwest.
The Caribbean
You can fly Southwest to several destinations in the Caribbean those destinations include:
- Nassau, Bahamas
- Turks and Caicos
- Punta Cana, Dominican Republic
- Montego Bay, Jamaica
- Grand Cayman, Cayman Islands
- San Juan, Puerto Rico
- Havana, Cuba
- Aruba
- Belize City, Belize
Southwest is one of the few airlines still operating flights to Havana, Cuba. If it's on your bucket list, you can easily get there flying from Fort Lauderdale, FL or Tampa, FL.
There are restrictions on travel to Cuba, so be sure to research this before booking any flights.
Mexico
Southwest flies to four popular beach spots in Mexico. This includes:
- Cabo San Lucas
- Cancun
- Cozumel
- Puerto Vallarta
These are all great options if you're looking for an easy getaway to some fun in the sun.
Hawaii
If you're looking to vacation in Hawaii, you can get to all of Hawaii's major cities using Southwest. This includes:
- Hilo
- Honolulu
- Kahulul
- Kauai-Lihue
- Kona
Gift Cards
When redeemed for gift cards, your Southwest Points will have a value of between 0.266 cents and 0.531 cents. You'll get the best value when you redeem your points for gift card denominations of $50 or more.
There's over 40 different brands available that range from restaurants and shopping to travel and department stores.
| Gift Card Denomination | Cost | Point Value |
|---|---|---|
| $10 Gift Card | 3,750 Points | 0.266 Cents |
| $15 Gift Card | 4,375 Points | 0.342 Cents |
| $25 Gift Card | 5,625 Points | 0.444 Cents |
| $50 Gift Card | 9,400 Points | 0.531 Cents |
| $100 Gift Card | 18,800 Points | 0.531 Cents |
| $150 Gift Card | 28,200 Points | 0.531 Cents |
There are also specialty gift cards available for Universal Orlando Resort 1 Day Park to Park Anytime Access Passes for children and adults.
- Child Pass: 44,180 Points
- Adult Pass: 45,120 Points
Car Rentals
Southwest Points can used to rent cars through the Southwest More Rewards portal from several leading retailers such as Enterprise, Hertz, and Alamo. This redemption gives Southwest Points a rough value of around 0.25 cents apiece.
When renting cars through the portal, you'll find that many rentals will cost significantly more than your standard Southwest flight.
For example, the lowest cost of a weekend rental for a car with Alamo that I could find was 53,914 Southwest Points.
For a few more points (and significantly higher value) you can fly from New York to Los Angeles.
Overall, redeeming Southwest Points towards rental cars will give your points a really low value. For the cost of a single rental car, you could do several short-haul trips or even fly across the country.
Hotels
Southwest Points can be used to book hotel stays with several leading brands including Best Western, Hyatt, and Marriott. This will give Southwest Points a value of around 0.52 cents per point which is significantly lower than booking flights but nowhere near as bad as car rental bookings.
Experiences & Merchandise
Southwest Points can be used to book experiences and to purchase merchandise through the Southwest More Rewards portal. The value of these kind of redemptions will vary, but they will generally offer low value.
If you know the cost of the experience or average retail cost of the merchandise and you know the cost in Southwest Points, you can use the Southwest Points To Dollars Calculators to calculate how much your points would be worth.
Convert Southwest Points To Dollars
Use the Southwest Points Value Calculator to determine the cash value of Rapid Rewards Points for flights, gift cards, and more. This will help give you an idea of how much your points are worth when redeemed.
| Redemption option | Average dollar value |
|---|---|
| Southwest Flights | $0 |
| Hotels | $0 |
| $50+ Gift Cards | $0 |
| $25 Gift Cards | $0 |
| $15 Gift Cards | $0 |
| $10 Gift Cards | $0 |
| Car Rentals | $0 |
FAQ
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 would be worth around $13 in value towards flights on Southwest Airlines.
How much is 2,000 Southwest points worth?
2,000 Southwest Points would be worth around $26 in value towards flights on Southwest Airlines.
How much is 10,000 Southwest points worth?
10,000 Southwest Points would be worth around $130 in value towards flights on Southwest Airlines.
How much is 30,000 Southwest points worth?
30,000 Southwest Points would be worth around $390 in value towards flights on Southwest Airlines.
How much is 40,000 Southwest points worth?
40,000 Southwest Points would be worth around $520 in value towards flights on Southwest Airlines.
How much is 65,000 Southwest points worth?
65,000 Southwest Points would be worth around $845 in value towards flights on Southwest Airlines.
How much is 80,000 Southwest points worth?
80,000 Southwest Points would be 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.
