Guide to Southwest Rapid Rewards®: How To Earn and Redeem for Best Value

Southwest's Rapid Rewards^® program offers some of the best rewards redemptions for domestic travel in the U.S. (plus travel to Mexico, the Caribbean, and Central America).  

And while Southwest has been scrutinized for recently cutting their most valuable perk — free checked bags — you can still get great redemptions that save you money (and points).

Rapid Rewards are easy to earn, and usually offer a high value when redeeming through Southwest’s Choice-level fares. And if you can achieve elite status, you’ll earn points faster and get perks like free checked bags and priority boarding.

Here are all the details you need to know, including how the plan works, how to earn, redeem, and transfer points, and how elite status works (and if it’s worth it). 

How Southwest Rapid Rewards Works

Southwest Rapid Rewards is the loyalty program for Southwest Airlines. It rewards frequent Southwest fliers with perks and free flights. 

You can earn Southwest points by flying on cash-based tickets with Southwest Airlines, or by using a co-branded Southwest Airlines credit card. You can also earn additional points by using the Southwest Airlines shopping portal or transferring them from a partner loyalty program.

Rapid Rewards points can only be redeemed for flights on Southwest directly — there are no partner airlines that allow redemption of Southwest points. However, you can also use points for gift cards if you’re a Southwest credit card holder.

There are two elite status tiers: A-list and A-list Preferred. Each status tier unlocks additional perks and bonuses.

Southwest Airlines Partners

Southwest Airlines isn’t part of any airline alliance and doesn’t partner with anyone except Icelandair. 

But that partnership is limited to earning points — not redeeming. And you earn only on the Southwest-operated portion of the booking.

How To Earn Southwest Points

There are several ways to earn Southwest Rapid Rewards points, including flying, using shopping portals, and spending on a co-branded Southwest Airlines credit card. 

Fly Southwest Airlines

You can earn Rapid Rewards points by flying on Southwest Airlines directly or on a partner airline (currently only Icelandair). 

To earn points, you’ll need to input your Rapid Rewards number when you book your flight, and you must pay cash (no points are earned on bookings bought with points).

The points you earn depend on the cost of your ticket, the fare class you choose, and your status level. Here’s how it breaks down:

Fare class	Base	A-List	A-List Preferred
Basic	2x points per $1	2.5x points per $1	4x points per $1
Choice	6x points	7.5x points	12x points
Choice Preferred	10x points	12.5x points	20x points
Choice Extra	14x points	17.5x points	28x points

For example, if you book a Choice fare without A-List status for a round-trip flight that costs $500, you’d earn 3,000 Rapid Rewards points (6 x $500 = 3,000).

As mentioned earlier, you can also earn points when flying on an Icelandair itinerary that includes a Southwest flight segment. The amount you earn depends on the distance flown.

Southwest segment miles on Icelandair booking	Rapid Rewards points earned
Up to 1,000 miles	500 points
1,001 to 1,800 miles	1,000 points
Over 1,800 miles	1,500 points

Use a Southwest Airlines credit card

One of the best ways to earn Rapid Rewards points is to use a Southwest Airlines co-branded credit card. 

There are five cards to choose from for both personal and business users — all offered through Chase:

• Southwest Rapid Rewards® Plus Credit Card
• Southwest Rapid Rewards® Premier Credit Card
• Southwest Rapid Rewards® Priority Credit Card
• Southwest® Rapid Rewards® Premier Business Credit Card
• Southwest® Rapid Rewards® Performance Business Credit Card

These cards all have different perks, welcome bonuses, and earnings capabilities. But all cards come with free checked bags and earn Rapid Rewards points for every dollar spent.

And yes, you can own personal and business cards at the same time if you are a business owner.

Card	Details
Southwest Rapid Rewards® Plus Credit Card Learn More	Rewards rate: 2x points on Southwest Airlines® purchases; 2x points at gas stations and grocery stores on the first $5,000 in combined purchases per anniversary year; 1x points on all other purchases Welcome offer: Earn 85,000 bonus points after spending $3,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening. Annual fee: $99
Southwest Rapid Rewards® Premier Credit Card	Rewards rate: 3x points on Southwest Airlines purchases; 2x points at grocery stores and restaurants on the first $8,000 in combined purchases per anniversary year; 1x points all other purchases Welcome offer: Earn 50,000 bonus points after you spend $1,000 in the first 3 months from account opening. Annual fee: $149 All information about the Southwest Rapid Rewards® Premier Credit Card has been collected independently by Erika.com. The Southwest Rapid Rewards® Premier Credit Card is no longer available through Erika.com.
Southwest Rapid Rewards® Priority Credit Card Learn More	Rewards rate: 4x points on Southwest Airlines® purchases; 2x points at gas stations and restaurants; 1x points on all other purchases Welcome offer: Earn 85,000 bonus points after spending $3,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening. Annual fee: $229
Southwest® Rapid Rewards® Premier Business Credit Card Learn More	Rewards rate: 3x points on Southwest® purchases; 2x points at gas stations and restaurants on the first $8,000 in combined purchases per year; 1x points on all other purchases Welcome offer: Earn 60,000 points after you spend $3,000 on purchases in the first 3 months your account is open Annual fee: $149
Southwest® Rapid Rewards® Performance Business Credit Card Learn More	Rewards rate: 4x points on Southwest® purchases; 2x points on gas station and restaurant purchases; 2x points on hotel accommodations booked directly with the hotel; 2x points on local transit and commuting, including rideshare; 1x points on all other purchases Welcome offer: Earn 80,000 points after you spend $5,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening. Annual fee: $299

READ MORE: How To Use Credit Card Points for Travel

Use the Southwest Airlines shopping portal

You can earn bonus Southwest points by using the Rapid Rewards online shopping portal. 

Just sign into your Rapid Rewards account through the portal, search for the online store of your choice, then click through to the website to make your purchase.

There’s also a Google Chrome extension that you can install, which will let you know if there are bonus points available. 

Best of all, Rapid Rewards shopping points count toward earning an annual companion pass (more on that later).

Use the Southwest Airlines dining program

Like many other airlines, Southwest offers a dining program that allows you to link a credit card (it doesn’t have to be a Southwest card), find a supported restaurant, and earn up to 3 points per dollar when you pay with that linked card.

When you join the program, there may be a bonus offer as well, such as 500 bonus points in your first 30 days. 

Transfer points from other programs

Both Chase Ultimate Rewards® and Bilt Rewards can transfer points to Southwest Airlines at a 1:1 ratio. 

This means if you have a credit card that earns Chase or Bilt points, you can link them to your Southwest account and transfer the points over. 

You can also transfer points from other Southwest hotel partners, including:

• Marriott Bonvoy: 3:1 ratio (3 Marriott Bonvoy points = 1 Rapid Rewards mile)
• World of Hyatt: 5:2.4 ratio (5,000 World of Hyatt Points to 2,400 Rapid Rewards points)
• Choice Hotels: 6:1.8 ratio (6,000 Choice Points = 1,800 Rapid Rewards points)
• Best Western: 5:1.2 ratio (5,000 Best Western Rewards = 1,200 Rapid Rewards points)

How To Redeem Southwest Airlines Points

There are a few ways to redeem your Southwest points, but it’s important to know which gives you the best value and which options aren’t worth it.

Redeem points for flights

Rapid Rewards points can be used to book flights only on Southwest Airlines. But you can get some great redemptions, with many routes showing one-way flights around 6,000 points. 

The best fares are usually the “Basic” fares. These have some restrictions (including no same-day flight changes or standby available), but can save you the most in points.

For example, I found a one-way flight from Tampa to Houston for just 5,500 points for Basic fare. But a more flexible Choice Preferred fare would be 12,500 points. 

Since Southwest charges for checked bags now, there’s not much incentive to pick a more expensive fare unless you really need the flexibility to make same-day changes or want priority boarding.

RELATED: When To Use Points vs. Cash for Booking Travel

Redeem points for car rentals

Rapid Rewards points can be redeemed for car rentals when booked through Southwest.

But fair warning, the redemption rates are terrible. You usually only get around 0.5 cents per point (cpp), which is a very poor redemption rate.

Redeem points for hotel stays

You can also use your Rapid Rewards points to book hotel stays through Southwest Hotels. 

While you can book nearly any hotel, the redemption rate isn’t great, and you’re better off using your points for flights. But if you have an abundance of Southwest points and no way to use them, this can save you some money when booking a hotel.

Redeem points for gift cards

The Southwest More Rewards portal lets you book activities, transportation, and even get travel insurance, but again at a poor rate value. 

You can also redeem your Southwest points for gift cards — but based on my research, you get about 0.6 cents per point, which is much worse than you’d get booking flights. 

How To Get Southwest Airlines Elite Status

Southwest has two tiers of elite status: A-List and A-List Preferred. Each tier comes with perks, bonus points, and even free checked bags.

You can achieve elite status by earning enough qualifying points or flying enough flights on Southwest Airlines. 

Qualifying points can be earned on cash-fare flights booked on Southwest, or through spending on a Rapid Rewards credit card (1,500 tier-qualifying points for every $5,000 spent).

Here’s how each elite status breaks down:

Status tier	Qualifying activity needed	Benefits
A-List	20 one-way qualifying flights or 35,000 qualifying points	25% points bonus Same-day standby Priority boarding 1 free checked bag
A-List Preferred	40 one-way qualifying flights or 70,000 qualifying points	100% points bonus  Same-day standby Priority boarding 2 free checked bags Free premium drinks Free in-flight wifi

READ MORE: How To Earn Airline Elite Status — and Is It Worth It?

Southwest Airlines Companion Pass

Perhaps the most intriguing feature of Southwest Rapid Rewards is the annual companion pass you can earn. 

To earn the pass, you’ll need at least 100 qualifying one-way flights or 135,000 qualifying Rapid Rewards points.

Once you hit your earnings milestone, you’ll receive a companion pass that offers a free airline ticket when you purchase another one with cash or points. You only have to pay the taxes and fees with your fare, which is usually under $6 one-way.

The pass becomes available immediately and extends through the end of the following calendar year.

You can speed up earning the companion pass by signing up for a Rapid Rewards credit card. Not only do you earn one point per dollar spent on every purchase and bonus points on Southwest tickets, but welcome bonus points also count toward the companion pass.

FAQs About Southwest Rapid Rewards

TL;DR: Is Southwest Rapid Rewards Worth It?

If you fly Southwest regularly, you can get a lot of value out of Rapid Rewards, with a pretty solid redemption value on flights. Plus, the companion pass is one of the best deals in travel if you can reach that 135,000-point threshold.

Focus on flights and avoid low-value redemptions like gift cards or car rentals. If you're a frequent Southwest flyer, consider getting one of their credit cards for the free checked bags and faster points earning. 

Just remember that Southwest doesn't partner with other airlines, so your points are locked into their ecosystem — but for domestic U.S. travel or flights to Mexico and the Caribbean, that may be all you need.

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Disclosure: Opinions expressed here are the author's alone, not those of any bank, credit card issuer, hotel, airline, or other entity. This content has not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by any of the entities included within the post.