Southwest points: Quick overview
Earning Southwest Points: Southwest points are primarily earned flying Southwest. You can also earn points using credit cards, booking travel, spending with partners, shopping online, and dining out.
Redeeming Southwest Points: Southwest points can be redeemed for flights, gift cards, merchandise, hotel stays, and experiences.
Southwest Points Value: Based on our valuations, Southwest points are worth 1.3 cents apiece on average. This means 10,000 points are equal to $130 in flight value.
Airline Alliance: Southwest is not part of any major airline alliance. They do not partner with any airline.
Southwest Credit Card Partners: Chase Ultimate Rewards is the only major credit card transfer partner of Southwest.
Southwest Airlines partners
Southwest is not part of any major alliance and they do not partner with any airline. This means that you can only use your points to fly to the Southwest destinations. They cannot be used to get to Europe, Asia, and other countries like you can with most airlines.
What's the value of Southwest points?
How much are Southwest points? Based on our valuations, Southwest points are worth 1.3 cents each when redeemed towards flights with Southwest. This means 10,000 points would be worth about $130 in flight value.
| Redemption options | Redemption value in cents |
|---|---|
| Southwest Flights | 1.3 |
| Gift Cards | 0.27 - 0.531 |
| Hotels | 0.52 |
| Car Rentals | 0.25 |
How to earn Southwest points
Southwest points are primarily earned flying Southwest airlines, but they can also be earned using credit cards, booking travel with hotel and car partners, shopping with partners, and dining out.
Fly Southwest
Southwest points are calculated on flights based on the base fare cost, the type of fare selected, and your status in the Rapid Rewards program.
Here's how many points you'll earn based on fare:
- Wanna Get Away: 6 points per dollar.
- Wanna Get Away Plus: 8 points per dollar.
- Anytime: 10 points per dollar.
- Business Select: 12 points per dollar.
And here's the bonus points you'll receive based on your tier in the Rapid Rewards program:
- Member (Base): No bonus.
- A-List: 25% earning bonus on every qualifying flight.
- A-List Preferred: 100% earning bonus on every qualifying flight.
As an example, an A-List member booking a $200 base fare flight booked under Anytime would earn 3,125 points (10 points x 25% bonus x $200).
Use Southwest credit cards
Southwest offers a total of 5 co-branded credit cards consisting of three personal cards and two business cards. These cards allow you to to earn Southwest points for every $1 spent and they offer a range of useful benefits when flying Southwest.
Transfer points to Southwest
Southwest has one U.S. credit card rewards partner: Chase Ultimate Rewards. Ultimate Rewards points can be transferred directly to Southwest Rapid Rewards at a rate of 1,000 Chase points for 1,000 Southwest points. This opens up a small amount of credit cards that can earn you a large sum of Southwest points via intro bonuses and everyday spending.
You can transfer points to Southwest using these Ultimate Rewards credit cards:
Book hotels
Southwest points can be earned booking hotels directly though southwesthotels.com. You can also book directly through several hotel brands and change your earning preference in your rewards account to Southwest points.
Rent cars
You can earn Southwest points booking cars with all of the major rental companies. This includes Hertz, Avis, Budget, and Dollar just to name a few.
Shop and dine with partners
Southwest points can be earned shopping online at hundreds of retailers using Rapid Rewards Shopping. You can also earn points shopping with a few partners directly such as 1-800-Flowers, Laithwaites, and Harry & David.
Want to earn points eating out? You can do that too using Rapid Rewards Dining.
Buy points
If you're a few Southwest points shy of a redemption, you can buy them directly from their portal. Southwest Points will cost you between 2.75 and 3 cents per point based on how many you buy in a single purchase. You'll get the best rate when buying at least 6,000 points.
Southwest does have Buy Point promotions several times per year in which you can buy points for a lot cheaper. If you need to top off your account and you're in no rush, try to wait for these sales!
Learn More: Buying Southwest Points? Calculate The Cost First
Redeeming Southwest points
Southwest Rapid Rewards points will have the best value when redeemed towards flights on Southwest. You can also use points through the More Rewards portal for gift cards, other forms of travel, and merchandise.
Award flights
Redeeming Southwest points for award flights is a straightforward process, as the cost in points is closely tied to the cost in cash, so you'll always get about 1.3 cents in value per point for your redemptions. You don't have to worry about searching for specific "sweet spots" like with other airlines.
Since Southwest isn't part of an alliance and does not partner with any other airline, you'll only be able to reach the destinations that they fly to. This includes:
- The 48 contiguous United States and Hawaii
- The Caribbean
- Mexico
Gift cards
Southwest points can be redeemed for gift cards through the More Rewards portal. Redemptions start at 3,750 points for a $10 gift card and max out at 18,800 points for a $100 gift card.
There's over 30 different retailers to choose from that spans the categories of travel, restaurants, entertainment, shopping, department stores, and home & office.
| Gift card denomination | Southwest points |
|---|---|
| $10 | 3,750 points |
| $25 | 5,625 points |
| $50 | 9,400 points |
| $100 | 18,800 points |
Hotels and cars
You can book hotels and car rentals directly through the Southwest More Rewards portal. These redemptions will not only cost a hefty amount of points, but will give your points low value.
Experiences and merchandise
Southwest Points can be redeemed for experiences and merchandise through the More Rewards portal. The value of these options will vary based on the redemption.
Southwest Rapid Rewards status
Once you sign up for a free Rapid Rewards account, you'll become a Southwest Rapid Rewards member. From there, you'll be able to work your way through each of Southwest's tiers which is based on one-way qualifying flights OR Tier Qualifying Points (TQPs) earned during the calendar year.
Here's the requirements for earning status with Southwest:
- A-List: Fly 25 qualifying one-way flights or earn 35,000 tier qualifying points during the calendar year.
- A-List Preferred: Fly 50 qualifying one-way flights or earn 70,000 tier qualifying points during the calendar year.
How do you earn Tier Qualifying Points?
Tier qualifying points (TQPs) are primarily earned on qualifying Southwest flights. You can also earn TQPs spending on select Southwest Rapid Rewards credit cards.
How long does status last?
Once you earn status, it will be good for the remainder of the year it was earned and the following year.
A-List benefits
Southwest A-List members receive 25% bonus points on qualifying flights, priority boarding, same-day change and standby, and access to priority lanes and express lanes at Southwest check-in counters and airport security checkpoints.
A-List Preferred benefits
Southwest A-List preferred members receive a whopping 100% point bonus on qualifying flights, priority boarding, free in-flight WiFi, same-day change and standby, and access to priority lanes and express lanes at Southwest check-in counters and airport security checkpoints.
Companion Pass
The Southwest Companion Pass allows you to choose one person to fly with you every time you purchase or redeem points for a flight for only the cost of taxes and fees (starting at $5.60 one-way).
To qualify for the Southwest Companion Pass, you will need to fly 100 qualifying one-way flights or earn 135,000 Companion Pass qualifying points during the calendar year. Once earned, it will be good for the following full calendar year, plus the remainder of the year in which you earned it.
How do you earn Companion Pass qualifying points?
Companion Pass qualifying points are earned on qualifying Southwest flights, partner hotel stays, partner car rentals, purchases made with partners, and Southwest Rapid Rewards credit card spend. Southwest credit card holders will also earn an annual 10,000 Companion Pass qualifying points each calendar year.
Are Companion Pass qualifying points and Tier Qualifying points different?
Yes. Tier Qualifying points are used to track your path to A-List and A-List Preferred status while Companion Pass qualifying points are used to track your path to the Companion Pass benefit. They are kept track of separately and you can see the balance of both when logged into your Southwest Rapid Rewards account.
Southwest points calculator
Use the Southwest points calculator to determine which credit cards will earn you the most points based on the monthly or yearly spending amounts you enter.
No Results. This is usually due to:
- There's no good card options based on the spend entered.
- The calculator is having a brain-fart and is not calculating rewards properly.
Enter different values or try again later.
Results
These estimates are to help guide you towards making the best decision when it comes to picking up a rewards credit card. They should be used for illustrative purposes only.
FAQ
What is Rapid Rewards?
Rapid Rewards is the frequent flyer program of Southwest.
What airlines partner with Southwest?
Southwest does not partner with any airline. Points can only be used for flights with Southwest.
What alliance is Southwest part of?
Southwest is not part of any airline alliance.
How do you earn Southwest points?
Southwest points are earned booking flights with Southwest, using credit cards, booking travel, spending with partners, shopping online, and dining out.
How are Southwest points calculated?
On flights, Southwest points are calculated based on the base fare cost, fare type purchased, and status in the Rapid Rewards program.
How many Southwest points do you earn per dollar on flights?
Wanna Get Away fare earns 6 points per $1, Wanna Get Away Plus fare earns 8 points per $1, Anytime fare earns 10 points per $1, and Business Select earns 12 points per $1. You'll also earn a 25% bonus as an A-Tier member and a 100% bonus as an A-Tier Preferred member.
What can you redeem Southwest points for?
Southwest points can be redeemed for Southwest flights, hotels, car rentals, gift cards, merchandise, and experiences.
What is the value of Southwest points?
Based on our valuations, Southwest points are worth 1.3 cents each on average. This means 10,000 points are equal to about $130 in flight value.
How much is 25,000 Southwest points worth?
Based on our valuations, 25,000 Southwest points are worth $325 in flight value.
How much is 40,000 Southwest points worth?
Based on our valuations, 40,000 Southwest points are worth $520 in flight value.
How much is 50,000 Southwest points worth?
Based on our valuations, 50,000 Southwest points are worth $650 in flight value.
How much is 75,000 Southwest points worth?
Based on our valuations, 75,000 Southwest points are worth $975 in flight value.
Which credit card rewards programs transfers to Southwest?
Chase Ultimate Rewards is the only major credit card rewards transfer partner of Southwest. Every 1,000 Ultimate Rewards points transferred to Rapid Rewards will give you 1,000 Southwest points.
Can you transfer Southwest points to another member?
You can transfer up to 60,000 Southwest points per day to another Rapid Rewards member.
Can you transfer Southwest points to another program?
Southwest points cannot be transferred to any other programs. They can only be redeemed through Southwest.
Can you buy Southwest points?
Southwest points can be purchased through their Buy Points portal.
How much does it cost to buy Southwest points?
Southwest points will cost you between 2.75 and 3 cents per point based on how many you purchase in a single transaction. You'll receive the best value when buying at least 6,000 points.
Is buying Southwest points worth it?
Southwest points can be worth buying if you're a few points shy of a redemption and really need to top off your account.
How is elite status calculated with Southwest?
Status in the Rapid Rewards program is based on one-way qualifying flights or Tier Qualifying Points (TQPs) earned during the calendar year.
How do you qualify for Southwest A-List status?
Southwest A-List status is earned after flying 25 qualifying one-way flights or earning 35,000 tier qualifying points during the calendar year.
How do you qualify for Southwest A-List Preferred status?
Southwest A-List Preferred status is earned after flying 50 qualifying one-way flights or earning 70,000 tier qualifying points during the calendar year.
How do you earn the Southwest Companion Pass?
The Southwest Companion Pass is earned after flying 100 qualifying one-way flights or earning 135,000 Companion Pass qualifying points during the calendar year.
What's the best credit card for Southwest flyers?
In our opinion, the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card is the best overall credit card for Southwest flyers due to it's solid earning rates, flexibility, and travel benefits.
