How Much Are Southwest Points Worth?

With the Southwest Airlines Rapid Rewards program, you can maximize your spending. As a budget carrier not affiliated with any alliance, Southwest offers specific ways to earn and redeem points.

Earn points by flying with Southwest, using their co-branded credit cards, or through select travel and dining partners. Redeem these points primarily for Southwest flight tickets, which usually provide the best value.

If you have a Southwest Rapid Rewards credit card, you can also use points for gift cards, merchandise, experiences and events. Additionally, the program offers three membership tiers, with A-List and A-List Preferred members enjoying bonus points on flights and other perks.

How much Southwest points are worth depends on your selected redemption method. When redeemed for flights, the value of Southwest points is around 1.4 cents. The points you earn depends on the actual cost of a ticket and not the distance your flight covers. If you use them to book flight tickets, their value also depends on the route you wish to fly and the fare type.

The Southwest Rapid Rewards program offers fairly average value compared to frequent flyer programs other popular airlines offer.

You earn Rapid Rewards points on qualifying Southwest Airlines flights paid entirely with cash and on cash purchases of Southwest LUV Vouchers, travel funds and gift cards. You may also earn points when you spend with any of the program's partner merchants.

Joining the Southwest rewards program is relatively simple — it’s free and available online. You must enroll for an account with your first and last name, date of birth, mailing address and email address.

As a member, you earn rewards points on qualifying Southwest Airlines flights that you pay for using cash. The number of points you earn depends on how much your ticket costs and the fare type. Currently, Southwest offers four fares:

• Wanna Get Away fare comes with 6X points per dollar.
• Wanna Get Away+ fare will let you earn 8X points to a dollar.
• Anytime fare comes with 10X Rapid Reward points per dollar.
• Business Select fare comes with 12X points per dollar.

You get more than 25% earning bonus points if you’re an A-List member. A-List Preferred members earn 100% more bonus points.

Once you move up the membership ladder, you earn bonus points. Other tier-specific benefits you may enjoy include free in-flight Wi-Fi, priority boarding and same-day changes.

To earn Southwest points, you have several options, including co-branded credit cards and a transfer partner. Southwest offers multiple credit cards tailored for personal and business use. These cards come with varying annual fees and rewards structures, including points on Southwest purchases, hotel and rental car partners, and other categories like local transit, internet and cable services. Here's a quick summary of each card

• For those new to Southwest's rewards program, the Southwest Rapid Rewards Plus Credit Card offers a manageable annual fee of $69 and a generous introductory offer, making it a solid entry point.

• If you're looking for more points on your Southwest purchases, the Southwest Rapid Rewards Premier Credit Card steps up the game with 3X points and an annual fee of $99.

• Frequent Southwest flyers might prefer the Southwest Rapid Rewards Priority Credit Card, which offers the same earning rate as the Premier card but includes additional perks for a $149 annual fee.

• Business owners who travel often can benefit from the Southwest Rapid Rewards Premier Business Credit Card, with tailored rewards for business-related expenses.

• For the ultimate Southwest business traveler, the Southwest Rapid Rewards Performance Business Credit Card maximizes points earned on Southwest purchases, perfect for those who are frequently in the air for business.

In Addition, the Chase Ultimate Rewards Program allows for direct point transfers to Southwest at a 1-to-1 ratio, providing a straightforward way to convert credit card rewards into Southwest points.

The Southwest Airlines Rapid Rewards program allows members to earn points by spending with its partner merchants from across categories.

• Rapid Rewards Dining. Members earn 3X points per dollar if they opt-in for email communication. Otherwise, they can earn 1X point per $2 spent. Earning bonus points is also possible in other ways.
• Rapid Rewards Shopping. Earn points when you use the Rapid Rewards Shopping platform to make purchases through more than 800 stores, such as Staples, Sephora and Macy's.
• Other Shopping Partners. Earn Rapid Rewards points when you shop with partner merchants such as 1-800-Flowers.com, Laithwaites, Harry & David and Home Chef.
• Southwest Hotel Partners. Rapid Rewards points can be earned by booking eligible stays through partner hotels such as Marriott, Hyatt, MGM, Best Western and Choice Hotels. You may also earn points when you book through Southwest Hotels and Rocketmiles. You can also convert hotel rewards points to Southwest points.
• Southwest Vacations. Earn points when booking vacations via Southwest Vacations.
• Car Rentals. Earn 600 points per qualifying car rental through Alamo, Avis, Budget, Dollar, Hertz, National, Payless and Thrifty at participating locations.
• Other. Rapid Rewards points can be earned through NRG Home, Reliant, Rewards for Opinions, e-Rewards and Emergency Assistance Plus (EA+).

Buying Southwest points can be an option if you find yourself just a few points shy of booking that dream trip. You can purchase points directly through the Southwest Airlines website by logging into your Rapid Rewards account. The cost starts at $60 for 2,000 points, equating to 3 cents per point. As you buy more, the price per point may decrease slightly.

However, buying Southwest points is generally not cost-effective. The value of a Rapid Rewards point redeemed for flights is about 1.4 cents, so you’re paying more than double their worth if you buy them outright.

There are specific scenarios where buying Southwest points might make sense. For instance, if you're just a few points short of the amount needed to book an award flight, purchasing the extra points can help you secure your desired travel dates without waiting to accumulate more points through other means.

Additionally, Southwest occasionally offers limited-time promotions where you can earn bonus points for purchasing a certain amount. Buying points at regular prices is not always a great deal, but grabbing them during a sale can be a smart move.

Transferring points from various rewards programs to the Southwest Rapid Rewards program is possible. The transfer rate varies from one partner to the next.

• World of Hyatt: Get 2,400 Rapid Rewards points for 5,000 World of Hyatt points or 24,000 Rapid Rewards points for 50,000 World of Hyatt points.
• Marriott Bonvoy: Get 3,000 Rapid Rewards points for 9,000 Marriott Bonvoy points or 10,000 Rapid Rewards points for 30,000 Marriott Bonvoy points.
• Best Western Rewards: Get 1,200 Rapid Rewards points for 5,000 Best Western Rewards points.
• Radisson Rewards Americas: Get 200 Rapid Rewards points for 2,000 Radisson Rewards points or 5,000 Rapid Rewards points for 50,000 Radisson Rewards points.
• Choice Privileges: Get 1,800 Rapid Rewards points for 6,000 Choice Privileges points.
• Chase Ultimate Rewards: Get 1,000 Rapid Rewards points for 1,000 Chase Ultimate Rewards points.
• Diners Club: Get 1,200 Rapid Rewards Points for 1,500 Diners Club Rewards points.

Given the poor transfer ratios in most cases, transferring points from other rewards programs to the Rapid Rewards program might not be in your best interest unless you see no use for them in the programs to which they belong. For example, you might be better off booking a Southwest flight through the Chase Ultimate Rewards platform instead of transferring your Ultimate Rewards points to the Rapid Rewards program and then using them for a Southwest flight.

If you're wondering how to use Rapid Rewards points, know that you can easily redeem them for flight tickets. However, since Southwest Airlines is not a part of any alliance and does not have any airline partners, you are limited to using your points for flying with Southwest. Co-branded Rapid Rewards credit cardholders may redeem them for other rewards too.

Log in to your Rapid Rewards account to book airline tickets. Then, look for flights based on your travel dates and fares. View how much different alternatives cost in points and make a selection. Remember that you'll need to pay fees and taxes in cash.

If you have a co-branded Southwest Airlines Rapid Rewards Credit Card, you may redeem your points through the More Rewards platform for international flights with global airlines, rental cars, hotel stays, events and more.

• Gift cards: Get gift cards from popular names like Apple, Best Buy, Lowe's and Target. When redeeming your points for gift cards, you may expect to get a value of 0.25 cents to 0.65 cents per point.
• Merchandise: Choose from an array of merchandise through various categories. In this case, you may expect a value of 0.2 cents to 0.7 cents per point.
• Experiences: Purchase experiences, such as cruises, biking, rafting, spa packages and jeep tours. These offer below-average value, too.

Southwest does not have a fixed redemption chart. The number of points you require to book a flight ticket depends on its actual cash price. As a result, booking a ticket when prices are low will require fewer points.

Using your points to purchase flight tickets during Southwest sales might work well because there’s a direct link between the number of points you need and actual ticket prices. In addition, Southwest Airlines doesn’t have any cancellation fees, so you can re-book your ticket if prices drop.

Learn more about Southwest points to dollars value to determine which redemption method might work best for you through these commonly asked questions.