Rapid Rewards points are the reward currency for the Southwest Airlines Rapid Rewards loyalty program. The airline is known for being one of the most consumer-friendly in the U.S., thanks to popular policies like no change fees and two free checked bags on every flight.
Southwest Rapid Rewards points are just as straightforward as the airline itself—a simple program where points don’t expire and there aren’t any blackout dates. One of its most significant highlights is the Southwest Companion Pass, which allows frequent flyers to take someone along with them that flies for free.
Sound like your kind of program? Here’s everything you need to know about earning, redeeming and using Southwest Rapid Rewards points to fly for nearly free and get that coveted Companion Pass.
Before you can redeem points, you’ll have to start by earning them. Do so by signing up for a free Southwest Rapid Rewards account here.
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How To Redeem Southwest Rapid Rewards Points
Redeeming Southwest points is relatively simple. Although you can redeem your points for other types of rewards, get the most value by redeeming them for flights. It’s easy to do so via the Southwest website. Just search for the flight you want, and click the section that shows that price in points (instead of cash). Select the fare class and flight you’d like, then purchase using your points.
How Much Are Southwest Rapid Rewards Points Worth?
The first thing to know about Southwest points is that the value is tied to the cash price of plane tickets, so don’t expect a clear-cut award chart with this airline.
But once you understand how much the points are worth, it’s fairly simple to see if you’re getting a good deal. Since there’s only one cabin class (economy), you don’t have to worry about premium economy or business class.
However, you should know that Southwest has four different fares: Business Select, Anytime, Wanna Get Away and Wanna Get Away Plus. Each fare class comes with different benefits and points earnings, which we’ll cover more later on.
Southwest Rapid Rewards Points Valuation
In order to figure out how much Southwest points are worth, we did some research to test things out. We priced out several Southwest itineraries on various routes and dates in both cash and points, dividing the cash rate by the points to assign a value for each and then taking the average.
After carefully running through several itineraries, looking at plane tickets over the holidays (as well as during low-season and next summer to popular vacation destinations like Hawaii and Cancun) and everyday routes to spots like Denver, Nashville and Dallas (on both weekends and weekdays), we deemed the value of Southwest points to be 1.4 cents per point. Note that we didn’t take taxes and fees into consideration when calculating the value.
When deciding if your redemption is a good value, divide the price of the ticket by the number of points. If the number is much lower than 1.4, you aren’t getting a good value from your points. If it’s around 1.4 or higher, that’s a solid redemption—go for it. That being said, since points rates are tied to the cash value of the ticket, in most cases, you should see a similar value when redeeming Southwest points for airfare.
What Can You Use Southwest Rapid Rewards Points For
Flights
The best-value option for using your Southwest Rapid Rewards points is to redeem them for flights.
Although the airline doesn’t have award charts, it’s easy to toggle between the cash and points rates for flights after doing a quick search on the Southwest website for your desired flight. It’s simple to check (divide the cash rate by the points rate) if you’re getting a solid value, as it should be around 1.4 cents per point or even higher.
Other Rewards
Cardholders of any of the aforementioned Southwest credit cards can also redeem points for things like gift cards, merchandise or events. When deciding if this is a good-value redemption, stick with that 1.4 cents per point. In most cases, things like gift cards or merchandise don’t offer nearly as high of a value as a flight redemption would.
How To Earn Southwest Rapid Rewards Points
It’s possible to earn Rapid Rewards points in many different ways; the most obvious is by flying with the airline.
Flying
When flying Southwest, you earn points depending on your fare class. Here’s the breakdown:
- Business Select: 12 points per dollar spent
- Anytime: 10 points per dollar spent
- Wanna Get Away plus: 8 points per dollar spent
- Wanna Get Away: 6 points per dollar spent
Elite members can earn even more points when flying Southwest: A-List members can earn 25% more points and A-List Preferred members can earn 100% more points.
Southwest Co-Branded Credit Cards
Earn additional points and enjoy added perks using one of Southwest’s co-branded credit cards.
Southwest Rapid Rewards Priority Credit Card
With the Southwest Rapid Rewards® Priority Credit Card, you can earn 50,000 bonus points after spending $1,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening. It also comes with perks like a $75 annual Southwest flight credit, four upgraded boardings per year, 7,500 bonus points on the cardmember anniversary and 25% back on inflight purchases. The annual fee costs $149.
Southwest Rapid Rewards Premier Credit Card
The Southwest Rapid Rewards® Premier Credit Card* offers cardmembers 50,000 bonus points after spending $1,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening and has perks like 6,000 additional points every year on the cardmember anniversary and two early bird check-ins each year. The annual fee is $99.
Southwest Rapid Rewards Plus Credit Card
The Southwest Rapid Rewards® Plus Credit Card also offers 50,000 bonus points after spending $1,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening. The annual fee is $69.
All points earnings from Southwest credit cards, including the bonus points, count toward the Companion Pass.
Business owners can also earn points with the Southwest® Rapid Rewards® Premier Business Credit Card and the Southwest® Rapid Rewards® Performance Business Credit Card.
Compare Southwest Co-Branded Credit Cards
Shopping and Dining
Earn additional points using Rapid Rewards Shopping, the airline’s shopping portal. It works by offering bonus points if you click through to certain retailers. The portal tracks your purchases using cookies in order to add the points to your account. Just click on the retailer you want to shop at via the Rapid Rewards Shopping website, then click Shop Now and you’ll be routed to the retailer where you can shop as normal.
This is an easy way to earn bonus points on purchases you’ll already make anyway, like holiday shopping or back-to-school buys.
The Rapid Rewards Dining Program requires you to sign up (you may also get a new member bonus for doing so). After you do, you can earn Rapid Rewards on every dollar spent (three points per dollar spent if you opt in for email communication, one point per two dollars spent if not) at participating restaurants.
Car Rental, Hotels and Other Partners
You can earn bonus points with Southwest’s travel and lifestyle partners—which include brands like Marriott or Hertz. However, this may not be the best value, so make sure to do the math first. For example, Rapid Rewards members can earn 600 Rapid Rewards points for a stay at Marriott, but it could be a much better value to earn Bonvoy points for your stay instead.
Transferring Chase Points
Chase Ultimate Rewards® points transfer at a 1:1 ratio to Southwest. Transfer points by logging into your Chase account and visiting your Ultimate Rewards homepage.
How To Earn the Southwest Companion Pass
The Southwest Companion Pass is one of the most coveted benefits of any airline loyalty program. Once you’ve earned it, you can choose one companion to fly with you for free (except for taxes and fees, which are typically $5.60 each way for domestic trips). Here’s how to get it.
Flying
Fly 100 qualifying one-way flights or earn 125,000 qualifying points in a single calendar year for the Companion Pass. Starting in 2023, you’ll have to earn 135,000 qualifying points. The pass is valid for the remainder of the year in which you earned it, as well as the full following year. Qualifying flights are one-way flights booked directly with Southwest; flights booked on OTAs don’t count (and they won’t earn you points, either).
If you’re trying for the pass, remember that certain fare classes offer more points per dollar spent than others, and elite members also get additional points for flying.
Credit Cards
The Southwest co-branded credit cards mentioned above offer limited-time bonus point offers for new cardholders that count toward the Companion Pass. You can earn points for every dollar spent on these cards (and more in certain bonus categories), so this is an easy way to ramp up those points earnings and move closer to obtaining the pass.
Shopping and Dining
Southwest points you earn from shopping and dining also count toward the Companion Pass.
Note that purchased points, tier bonus points, points earned from program enrollment, gifted points and transferred points won’t count toward the Companion Pass.
How To Use the Southwest Companion Pass
Add Your Companion
Once you have the Companion Pass, it’s time to put it to use. Start by choosing your companion in the My Account section of your profile. Select the Choose Your Companion tab. Once you enter the required information in the “Enter Companion info” section, the Companion Pass Member Kit should arrive within 15 business days. If you would rather add your companion by phone, you can always call 1-800-435-9792 to do so.
Book Your Companion’s Flights
Start by booking your own flight. Once your flight is booked, look for it in the Upcoming Trips section of your account. Click “Add Companion” to begin booking their flight. Click continue, where you’ll enter payment details for the taxes and fees. Finally, select “Purchase” and you and your companion should be all set to fly.
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Redeem Your Southwest Rapid Rewards Points With Ease (and Earn That Companion Pass)
Now that you’re fully armed with all the info you need, you can start earning and burning your Southwest Rapid Rewards points. When booking flights, remember that the value of Southwest points should be around 1.4 cents per point—this way, you know you’re getting a good deal. And for those hoping to earn the Companion Pass, signing up for a Southwest credit card may be the best way to get a solid start on those points earnings.
