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Guide to Southwest Rapid Rewards program
Strong credit card earnings make for a generous reward program.
Whether you’re out on business or family trips, Southwest Airlines’ Rapid Rewards program offers great value for a wide variety of travelers. Just by signing up for the program and making eligible purchases, you can earn points that you can redeem for flights, hotel stays or car rentals. And if you decide to get a cobranded Southwest Airlines credit card, you’ll get to earn reward points faster.
How much are Southwest points worth?
Southwest points are worth between 0.5 and 1.7 cents per point according to our valuation at the time of writing. The exact value depends on what you redeem them for.
Do Southwest points expire?
No, provided you maintain an active account by earning or redeeming points at least once every two years.
How do you earn Southwest Rapid Rewards points?
There are many ways to earn Southwest Rapid Rewards points. For example, you can earn if you:
- Fly with Southwest Airlines. Depending on your status tier within the rewards program and the airfare you buy, you can earn anywhere between 6 points and 24 points per dollar spent.
- Use a Southwest Airlines credit card. Depending on the Southwest credit card, you can earn an additional 2x or 3x points on your Southwest Airlines purchases and 1x points on all other purchases. Also, you get anniversary points each year from 3,000 to 9,000 depending on the card, and you get to earn a batch of points as a welcome offer.
- Use Southwest Airlines partner credit cards. Chase’s Sapphire cards let you transfer your Chase points to Rapid rewards points in a 1:1 ratio. This means, you can earn 3x points with the Chase Sapphire Reserve on all travel purchases (including Southwest flights) and you can transfer your points to the Southwest reward program and redeem your points for flights.
- Book with partner hotels. Staying at partner hotels can help you earn additional Southwest Rapid points. Some of the hotels where you can earn points include Best Western, Radisson, World of Hyatt, Marriott, MGM, Starwood and more.
- Car rentals with partner companies. Earn Southwest points by renting cars from Alamo, Avis, Hertz, Budget, Dollar, National and more.
- Dine at participating restaurants. If you often dine out, you can earn Southwest points at some restaurants at the rate of 3x or 1x points.
- Shop at partner stores. This is another way to earn Southwest points — by shopping online at partner retailers.
- Use Marathon gas stations. Sign up for Marathon’s MakeItCount program and select Rapid Rewards. After that, earn 1 point for every gallon at participating Marathon gas stations.
What can Southwest Rapid Rewards points be redeemed for?
Once you earn enough points, you can redeem them for:
- Southwest Airlines flights
- Gift cards
- Merchandise
- Hotel stays
- Car rentals
Learn more about earning and redeeming Southwest Rapid Rewards points
To learn more about how you can quickly earn Southwest points, check out our full earning guide. Once you’ve built your miles, compare your redemption options to find out which offers the best value for your points.
Our pick for a Southwest credit card
Compare Southwest Airlines credit cards
Southwest’s cobranded credit cards not only improve your regular point earnings, but help you build tier qualifying points toward A-List and A-List Preferred status. Earning a status improves your baseline Rapid Rewards point rate, making a cobranded card a great choice if Southwest is your preferred airline.
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Typical features of a Southwest Airlines credit card
If you opt in for a Southwest credit card, here’s what you can get:
- Earn rewards. Whichever Southwest Airlines card you get, you earn reward points on your purchases, which you can redeem for flights, hotel stays, car rentals and more. Also, once you meet the spend criteria, you get to earn a generous signup bonus.
- Earn a companion certificate. Make 100 one-way flights or earn 110,000 qualifying points in a calendar year and get a Southwest companion pass. You can earn it without a Southwest Airlines credit card, but if you have one, you’ll accrue the required points faster.
- Lost luggage reimbursement. Your checked or carry-on bags are covered up to $3,000 per passenger in case of loss or damage by the carrier.
- Baggage delay insurance. If your bags are delayed for more than six hours by your carrier, you can get reimbursement of up to $100 a day for three days to cover for toiletries and clothing purchases.
Loyalty program elite levels
Rapid Rewards members can earn two status levels: A-List and A-List Preferred. Earning either offers a great earning bonus on your points, along with a few handy travel perks.
Upgrading your status
To earn an A-List or A-List Preferred status, you’ll need to meet certain requirements on flights or tier qualifying points (TQP).
| Status | Requirements |
|---|---|
| A-List | 25 one-way qualifying flights OR 35,000 TQP |
| A-List Preferred | 250 one-way qualifying flights OR 70,000 TQP |
Data obtained March 2019. Values are subject to change and should be used only as a general guide.
Companion Pass
Though not a status level, flying 100 qualifying one-way flights or earning 110,000 TQPs will earn you a Companion Pass.
Choose one person to fly with you for just the cost of taxes and fees when you purchase or redeem points for a flight for the remainder of the year you earned the Companion Pass, and the following full calendar year.
Elite member benefits
A-List or A-List Preferred members get several new benefits on their Rapid Rewards account.
Bonus mile rates
| A-List | A-List Preferred | |
|---|---|---|
| Point earning bonus | 25% earning bonus | 100% earning bonus |
Data obtained March 2019. Values are subject to change and should be used only as a general guide.
Flight benefits
A-List Preferred members get access to free inflight Wi-Fi.
Airport benefits
A-List and A-List preferred members have access to a few perks to help make the boarding process more enjoyable.
Priority boarding, priority check-in and free same-day standby can all make your trip a little easier. A-List Preferred members also get access to a dedicated phone line connected to customer service. For more information on Southwest Airlines priority boarding, check out our full guide.
Other cards that can earn Southwest Airlines points
The Chase Ultimate Rewards series allow you to transfer Ultimate Rewards points to your Rapid Rewards account at a 1:1 ratio. Since they’re not specifically designed for travel, these cards can open up your earning options.
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Bottom line
With a good selection of credit cards for earning points and solid redemption options, Southwest’s Rapid Rewards program can fit the needs of everyone from die-hard Southwest fliers to those who just want to cash in on a great flight opportunity. Choose the credit card that best fits your travel and spending styles for the best value.
Frequently asked questions
Editorial Note: Any opinions, analyses, reviews or recommendations expressed in this article are those of the author’s alone, and have not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by any card issuer.
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