Southwest Airlines’ Rapid Rewards program is a popular, US-based frequent flyer program known for its simplicity and flexibility. With a focus on customer-friendly policies and a robust network across the United States, Southwest offers travelers numerous ways to earn and redeem points. This guide will explore how to earn Rapid Rewards points, highlight redemption options, explain the program’s expiration policy, and discuss how to earn elite status and the nuances of Southwest’s award pricing.
How to Earn Rapid Rewards Points
Flying On Southwest Airlines
Earning Rapid Rewards points is straightforward when flying with Southwest Airlines. Points are earned based on the fare type and the cost of the ticket rather than the distance flown. Here’s a breakdown of the points earning structure:
This revenue based earning model means that even if you only fly 300 miles, your mileage earning will be determined based on how much you pay for the ticket.
Depending on your status, you will also earn additional miles per dollar you spend:
Credit Card Spend
Southwest cobrands its credit cards with Chase. There are several interesting Southwest credit cards offered, which allow you to earn Southwest points on everyday purchases while getting exciting benefits when flying on Southwest flights. They also offer a slew of benefits when flying on Southwest, including early boarding passes.
Here are some of the most popular Southwest cards out there:
BRAND
Credit Card
Welcome Bonus
Application
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Credit Card Transfer Partners
In tune with Southwest’s exclusive cobrand partnership with Chase, you can also transfer Chase Ultimate Rewards points to Southwest at a 1:1 ratio. Since Southwest points are generally related to the cash fare of a flight, you may find that there’s a significant opportunity cost to transferring your points to Southwest as opposed to another transfer partner.
Buy Miles
Southwest also allows you to purchase miles, which can be good if you need just a few more points for an upcoming award redemption. Unfortunately, purchasing points is an expensive endeavor: it usually costs $30 USD / 1,000 Southwest points.
Additionally, Southwest also runs several points sales, which can make it significantly cheaper to purchase points. For instance, I've seen points on sale for just 1.8 cents per point, which is a lot better than what's typically on sale.
Do Rapid Rewards Points Expire?
Rapid Rewards points do not expire as long as your account remains active. This means you need to earn or redeem points at least once every 24 months to keep your account active. Activities that count towards keeping your account active include flying with Southwest, using a Southwest credit card, and earning points through partners.
How To Earn Southwest Elite Status (A-List)
Rapid Rewards offers two elite status tiers, providing various benefits to frequent flyers. To earn status, you need to earn Tier Qualifying Points (TQPs) or fly a certain number of qualifying one-way flights
A tier qualifying point is any Rapid Rewards point that will count toward A-List or A-List Preferred. Southwest has a well defined list of criteria that make it clear whether or not an activity will earn TQPs:
Who Are Southwest’s Airline Partners?
Unlike many other airlines, Southwest does not have traditional airline partners or belong to an airline alliance. Instead, Southwest focuses on providing a robust network of domestic and limited international flights on its own. However, Southwest has partnerships with several hotel, car rental, and retail partners that allow members to earn and redeem Rapid Rewards points.
Consequently, Southwest does not have any codeshare or interline agreements with other airlines.
How Southwest Prices Its Award Flights
Southwest Airlines uses a dynamic pricing model for award flights, where the number of points required for a flight is directly tied to the cash price of the ticket. Consequently, this revenue based model for award redemptions makes it harder to extract outsized value out of your Southwest points.
Thus, there are not really any true “sweet spot redemptions” when it comes to using your Rapid Rewards points. Your points are essentially “locked in” relative to the cash fare of the flight—the cheaper the fare, the less points it’ll cost.
The Southwest Companion Pass
The Southwest Companion Pass is one of the most valuable benefits in the airline industry, offering significant savings for frequent travelers. It allows you to designate one person to fly with you for free (excluding taxes and fees, which start at $5.60 one-way) every time you purchase or redeem points for a flight. Notably, you can also use the Companion Pass on award tickets, which can allow you to save half of your points when booking.
Earning the Companion Pass is straightforward:
The Companion Pass can be used an unlimited number of times while it is active and is applicable across all fare classes. Notably, you can also receive the Companion Pass via credit card sign up bonuses and other promotions, so it’s worth keeping an eye out for these type of deals when they come around.
Southwest Award Cancellation & Change Policy
Southwest has one of the most flexible cancellation policies in the airline industry. If you need to cancel a flight booked with points (as long as it is greater than 10 minutes before departure), the points are redeposited into your Rapid Rewards account without any fees. Additionally, any taxes and fees paid are refunded as travel credits. This flexibility makes booking with Rapid Rewards points low-risk and convenient.
If you booked a non Anytime or Business fare and try to cancel an award reservation less than 10 minutes before departure, any points & taxes/fees paid will be forfeited. Anytime and Business Select fares can cancel literally right before departure and still receive a full refund of their points.
Conclusion
The Southwest Airlines Rapid Rewards program is a user-friendly and valuable frequent flyer program with numerous earning and redemption opportunities. While its redemption opportunities are generally capped in terms of value, if you need a solid airline with free checked bags and other consumer friendly practices, Southwest could be a great option for you.
Annual Fee: $95
$95
Sign-up Bonus: 60,000 points
60,000 points
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