Southwest Point Value Calculator: How Much Are They Worth?

Frequent Flyer Miles Value
Southwest Points are worth about 1.3 cents per point on average when used towards award flights with Southwest Airlines.
Last Updated 2022-03-17 By R.Flowers III

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 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.

Southwest Fares
Fare Benefits
Wanna Get Away
  • 6X Rapid Rewards Points per $1 on flight bookings
  • Offers a flight credit if you need to cancel your flight
Anytime
  • 10X Rapid Rewards Points per $1 on flight bookings
  • Allows for Same-day change
  • Tickets are refundable meaning that you can get your money back in the case you need to cancel your flight
Business Select
  • 12X Rapid Rewards Points per $1 on flight bookings
  • Priority Boarding
  • Fly By priority check-in lane and security lane
  • Complimentary premium drink on-board
  • Allows for Same-day change
  • Tickets are refundable meaning that you can get your money back in the case you need to cancel your flight

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 Redemptions
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.

Enter any amount of Southwest Points to calculate the dollar value.
Points
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

Earn More 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.

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 Highlights Annual Fee
Best For Southwest Benefits
  • Intro Bonus: 50,000 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
Best For Southwest Travelers
  • Intro Bonus: 50,000 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
Best For Low Annual Fee
  • Intro Bonus: 50,000 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
Best Southwest Business Card For Benefits
  • 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
Best For Southwest Business Travelers
  • 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

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 Highlights Annual Fee
Best For High Value & Travel Benefits
  • Intro Bonus: 60,000 Bonus Points
  • Earn 10X points on hotels and car rentals booked through Chase Ultimate Rewards
  • Earn 5X points on flights booked through Chase Ultimate Rewards
  • 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 Ultimate Rewards
$550
Best For Flexible Travel Rewards
  • 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
Best For Flexible Business Travel Rewards
  • Intro Bonus: 100k 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

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.

Our Recommendations For Southwest Airlines

60,000 Bonus Points
Best credit card for flexible rewards transferable to Southwest and many other travel rewards programs. Top-rated card with low annual fee.
60,000 Bonus Points
Best premium card for building points transferable to Southwest and other programs. Offers lounge access and excellent travel insurance.
50,000 Points
Best well-rounded Southwest credit card. Offers 6K anniversary points, 2 EarlyBird Check-ins per year, and the ability to earn Tier Qualifying Points on spend.
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