Guide to Southwest Rapid Rewards 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 redeemable points for flights, hotel stays or car rentals. And if you get a cobranded Southwest Airlines credit card, you’ll earn rewards points faster.

Southwest Rapid Rewards Program guides:

Main | Earn | Redeem | Shop | Boarding | Baggage | Companion Pass

Southwest COVID-19 updates

Southwest has made several adjustments to the Rapid Rewards program in response to travel difficulties brought on by COVID-19. A few of the biggest changes include:

• Expiration date extensions. A-List members and Companion Pass holders set to expire on December 31, 2020 will have their expiration dates extended to December 31, 2021 and June 30, 2021 respectively.
• Complimentary points. Any member who opened a Rapid Rewards account by April 1, 2020 will receive 15,000 tier qualifying points, 10 qualifying one-way flight segments, 25,000 Companion Pass qualifying points, and 25 qualifying flight segments toward a Companion Pass.

Other changes include extensions to travel fund expiration dates and the option to covert said funds into Rapid Rewards points. You can check out all the requirements and details of these updates at the Southwest COVID-19 resources page.

Other rewards

Points are worth	1.5 cents
Transfer partners	N/A
Earn points by	Eligible credit card spending, Southwest flights, Book at partner hotels, Eligible car rentals, Dine at eligible restaurants, Shopping at partner stores, Marathon gas stations
Redeem points on	Southwest flights, Gift cards, Merchandise, Hotel stays, Car rentals

What is the Southwest Rapid Rewards program?

The Southwest Rapid Rewards program is Southwest Airlines’ loyalty program. By booking flights and earning points, you can redeem your earnings on flights, gift cards and more. Like other airline loyalty programs, you can also earn some additional travel perks if you progress through the program’s status levels.

How do you earn Southwest Rapid Rewards points?

There are many ways to earn Southwest Rapid Rewards points. For most members, the biggest sources of points will come from flying with Southwest Airlines and spending with eligible credit cards. However, there are other options, including dining with dining partners or shopping at partnered retailers. For a full breakdown of your options and earning strategies, check out our full Southwest Rapid Rewards earning guide.

Do Southwest points expire?

No, so long as you maintain an active Southwest Rapid Rewards account. You can keep your account active by earning or redeeming points at least once every two years. Credit card purchases that earn Southwest Rapid Rewards points count toward this activity.

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.

How to redeem Southwest Rapid Rewards points

Once you earn enough points, you can redeem them by logging in to your Southwest Rapid Rewards account. If you want to know which redemption options give you the best value for your points through a Southwest award chart, check out our Southwest redemption guide.

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	50 one-way qualifying flights OR 70,000 TQP

Data obtained October 2020. 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 125,000 TQPs will earn you a Companion Pass.

Companion Passes are a popular and sought after benefit in loyalty programs as they allow you to choose one person to fly with you for just the cost of taxes and fees. The Southwest Rapid Rewards companion pass is especially valuable compared to other airlines, as it includes all flights purchased 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.

	A-List	A-List Preferred
Point earning bonus	25% earning bonus	100% earning bonus
Free inflight Wi-Fi	No	Yes
Priority boarding	Yes	Yes
Priority check-in	Yes	Yes
Same-day standby	Yes	Yes
Dedicated customer service phone line	Yes	Yes

Data obtained October 2020. Values are subject to change and should be used only as a general 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.

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. But the Southwest Companion Pass is the real endgame and well worth the effort if you often fly Southwest. Choose the credit card that best fits your travel and spending styles to start earning.

Frequently asked questions

• How do I check my Southwest Rapid Rewards points?

  You can view and manage your Rapid Rewards points on the My account page on Southwest’s website.

• How do I earn tier-qualifying points?

  Booking through Southwest Airlines, base points earned from Rapid Rewards partners and using a Southwest cobranded credit card are the only ways to earn tier-qualifying points.

• How long does it take to change a Companion Pass partner?

  It takes up to 21 days following the date of request to change your Companion Pass partner.

• Can I give my Southwest points to someone else?

  Yes. You can transfer your points to another member or charity with an active account, up to a daily maximum of 60,000 points.

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