Airline Loyalty Rewards
Southwest Airlines Rapid Rewards Loyalty Program Review
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Southwest Airlines Overview
While Southwest started as a budget airline, today it’s one of the largest U.S. airlines. Southwest has continued to expand its offerings with flights to Hawaii and several popular international destinations, including Mexico, Central America, and the Caribbean.
Despite difficulties at the end of 2022 that resulted in an operational meltdown, Southwest remains a favorite airline for many travelers due to its customer-friendly policies, such as free checked bags and no change fees.
Rapid Rewards is the airline’s loyalty program that allows passengers to earn and use points for flights.
How To Join Southwest Rapid Rewards
Visit the Southwest website and click Create account to join for free.
How To Sign In to Your Rapid Rewards Account
You can sign in to your Rapid Rewards account on the Southwest.com homepage. You’ll need your account number or username and password.
Viewing Your Account Activity
After logging in, click on My Account to see a summary of your trips, points, promotions, and progress toward elite status.
Points Expiration
Rapid Rewards points don’t expire if your account is open and in good standing.
Southwest Rapid Rewards Elite Status and Companion Pass
There are 2 levels of Southwest Airlines elite status — A-List and A-List Preferred. The Southwest Companion Pass isn’t technically an elite status, as having the pass doesn’t come with any elite benefits, but it offers huge perks when flying on Southwest Airlines.
Southwest A-List Status
Southwest A-List status is earned after flying 20 qualifying one-way flights or earning 35,000 tier-qualifying points in a calendar year.
Tier qualifying points are only earned in 2 ways — through paid Southwest flights or credit card spending. You can earn 1,500 TQP per $5,000 spent on select Southwest credit cards
A-List status comes with the following benefits:
- 25% point bonus
- Dedicated A-List member phone line
- Free same-day standby
- Priority boarding
- Priority check-in and security
- Same-day confirmed changes with no difference in base fare
Southwest A-List Preferred Status
Southwest A-List Preferred status is earned after flying 40 qualifying one-way flights or earning 70,000 tier-qualifying points in a calendar year. It comes with all of the benefits of A-List status plus these additional perks:
- 100% point bonus
- Dedicated A-List Preferred member phone line
- Free inflight Wi-Fi
Southwest Companion Pass
The Southwest Companion Pass is considered one of the best deals in travel. It essentially lets you fly 2-for-1 for up to 2 years.
To earn the Companion Pass, you’ll need to fly 100 qualifying one-way flights in a calendar year or earn 135,000 qualifying points in a calendar year.
Companion Pass qualifying points include credit card welcome bonuses plus points earned from revenue flights, Southwest credit card spending, partner hotel and car rentals, Rapid Rewards dining, and Rapid Rewards shopping.
After earning the Companion Pass, you can add a companion to any Southwest ticket for the rest of the calendar year in which you earn the pass plus the entire following calendar year. All you need to do is pay the taxes and fees for the companion, which are $5.60 for a domestic one-way flight (taxes and fees are higher on international flights).
Value of Rapid Rewards Elite Status
One of the most significant benefits of A-List and A-List Preferred status is priority boarding. Southwest’s boarding process differs from other airlines because there are no assigned seats. Instead, you’re assigned a boarding position based on a few factors, including when you check in and your status level.
Having Southwest elite status removes the need to check in exactly 24 hours ahead of time and more or less guarantees you’ll be able to get seats with your traveling companions — and won’t get stuck in a middle seat.
If you generally pay for EarlyBird Check-In or value not having to worry about your boarding position, Southwest’s elite status can be very valuable.
How To Earn Southwest Rapid Rewards Points
There are many ways to earn Rapid Rewards points.
Flying on Southwest Airlines
You earn Rapid Rewards points for Southwest flights based on your fare type and price, excluding taxes and fees:
- Business Select: 12 points per dollar
- Anytime: 10 points per dollar
- Wanna Get Away Plus: 8 points per dollar
- Wanna Get Away: 6 points per dollar
Travelers with A-List status earn additional bonus points.
- A-List: 25% bonus Rapid Rewards points
- A-List Preferred: 100% bonus Rapid Rewards points
Earn Points With Travel Partners
You can earn Rapid Rewards points by booking travel through select travel partners.
- Car rental partners: Alamo, Avis, Budget, Dollar, Hertz, National, Payless, Thrifty
- Hotel partners: SouthwestHotels.com, Best Western, Radisson Rewards Americas, Choice Hotels, Hyatt, Marriott, MGM Rewards, Rocketmiles
Earn Points With Shopping, Dining, and Specialty Partners
Southwest has a variety of ways to earn Rapid Rewards points without flying, including shopping, dining, home, and specialty partners that can help you earn more Rapid Rewards points.
- 1-800 Flowers
- Emergency Assistance Plus
- eRewards
- Laithwaite’s Wines
- Harry & David
- Home Chef
- NRG
- Rapid Rewards Dining
- Rapid Rewards Shopping
- Reliant
- Rewards for Opinions
Earn Points With Credit Cards
Southwest offers 5 co-branded credit cards:
You can also earn Rapid Rewards points through Ultimate Rewards credit cards since Chase and Southwest are 1:1 transfer partners.
You need at least 1 premium travel rewards card (marked **) to transfer to Southwest. As long as you have 1 eligible transfer card, you can consolidate all your Ultimate Rewards points to that card to then transfer them to Southwest (or any of Chase’s other partners).
Branded and Partnered Credit Cards
You can use several credit cards to earn Rapid Rewards points directly or through points transfers.
Southwest Rapid Rewards Credit Cards
You can earn Rapid Rewards directly with any of the 5 Southwest co-branded Chase cards. First, let’s take a look at the 3 consumer cards available.
This card focuses on the Southwest traveler with anniversary points, travel credit, upgrades, and money back on inflight purchases.
The Southwest Rapid Rewards® Priority Credit Card is the most premium personal Southwest card offering from Chase. When you peel back the curtain, it is easy to see why.
Not only does the card offer multiple bonus categories to help you earn more Southwest Rapid Rewards points, but it is also loaded with benefits that are sure to offer quite a bit of value to Southwest flyers.
Here is a full overview of the card to help you decide if it is a good fit for your wallet.
- 3x points per $1 on Southwest purchases
- 2x points per $1 on local transit and commuting, including rideshare purchases
- 2x points per $1 on internet, cable, phone services, and select streaming purchases
- $149 annual fee
- Does not earn transferable points
- Earn 50,000 bonus points after spending $1,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening.
- 7,500 anniversary points each year.
- Earn 3X points on Southwest® purchases.
- Earn 2X points on local transit and commuting, including rideshare.
- Earn 2X points on internet, cable, and phone services; select streaming.
- $75 Southwest® travel credit each year.
- No foreign transaction fees.
- Member FDIC
- APR: 21.49% - 28.49% Variable
- Foreign Transaction Fees: None
Earn Southwest points on every purchase, plus anniversary points, Tier Qualifying Points, and points toward the Companion Pass!
Another week, another flight. Flying weekly can get tiring, but you know that every flight gets you closer to taking some great vacations with your significant other or your favorite travel buddy.
To save money on the flights, you like to use Southwest Airlines.
So why not get the Southwest Rapid Rewards® Premier Credit Card to help you earn extra Rapid Rewards points?
- 3x points per $1 on Southwest purchases
- 2x points per $1 on Rapid Rewards hotel and car rental partners
- 2x points per $1 on local transit and commuting, including rideshares
- $99 annual fee
- Does not earn transferable rewards
- Earn 75,000 bonus points after spending $3,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening.
- 6,000 anniversary points each year.
- Earn 3X points on Southwest® purchases.
- Earn 2X points on local transit and commuting, including rideshare.
- Earn 2X points on internet, cable, and phone services; select streaming.
- 2 EarlyBird Check-In® each year.
- No foreign transaction fees.
- Member FDIC
- APR: 21.49% - 28.49% Variable
- Foreign Transaction Fees: $0
This card makes it easy to earn unlimited points and qualify for the Southwest Companion Pass.
If you spend a lot of time in the air, it’s important to get a great deal on your plane tickets.
Southwest Airlines can help you get those deals.
One way to save is by using the Southwest Rapid Rewards® Plus Credit Card. This card helps you earn points for all your spending, and earning more reward points is always a good thing for a busy traveler!
- 2x points per $1 on Southwest purchases
- 2x points per $1 on local transit and commuting, including rideshares
- 2x points per $1 on internet, cable, phone services, and select streaming
- $69 annual fee
- Does not earn transferable rewards
- Earn 50,000 bonus points after spending $1,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening.
- 3,000 anniversary points each year.
- Earn 2X points on Southwest® purchases.
- Earn 2X points on local transit and commuting, including rideshare.
- Earn 2X points on internet, cable, and phone services; select streaming.
- 2 EarlyBird Check-In® each year.
- Earn 1 point for every $1 spent on all other purchases.
- Member FDIC
- APR: 21.49% - 28.49% Variable
- Foreign Transaction Fees: None
Additionally, there are 2 Southwest business cards:
Southwest frequent flyers will love the upgraded boarding positions, inflight Wi-Fi credits, and bonus points on each cardmember anniversary.
The Southwest® Rapid Rewards® Performance Business Credit Card is a phenomenal option for business owners who are Southwest frequent flyers. It helps you earn more points on all of your business expenses, offers upgraded boarding certificates and Wi-Fi credits, and helps you reach higher levels of Southwest elite status.
- 4x points per $1 spent on Southwest purchases
- 3x points per $1 spent on Rapid Rewards hotel and car rental partner purchases
- 2x points per $1 spent on social media and search engine advertising, internet, cable, and phone services
- $199 annual fee
- Doesn’t earn transferable rewards
- Earn 80,000 points after you spend $5,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening and an additional 40,000 points when you spend $15,000 in 9 months.
- 9,000 bonus points after your Cardmember anniversary.
- Earn 4X pts on Southwest® purchases.
- Earn 3X points on Rapid Rewards® hotel and car rental partners.
- Earn 2X points on rideshare.
- Earn 2X points on social media and search engine advertising, internet, cable, and phone services and 1X points on all other purchases.
- 4 Upgraded Boardings per year when available.
- Member FDIC
- APR: 21.49%-28.49% Variable
- Foreign Transaction Fees: None
Business owners who fly Southwest often can earn extra points for all of their spending, and add employee cards at no additional cost.
The Southwest® Rapid Rewards® Premier Business Credit Card is built for business owners that regularly fly with Southwest and are looking for a card that helps them earn more points while providing benefits such as 25% back on inflight purchases and EarlyBird Check-In certificates.
- 3x points per $1 on Southwest purchases
- 2x points per $1 on Rapid Rewards hotel and rental car partners
- 2x points per $1 on local transit and commuting purchases, including rideshare, passenger trains, buses, taxis, tolls, and parking lots and garages
- $99 annual fee
- Doesn’t earn transferable rewards
- Earn 60,000 points after you spend $3,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening and an additional 60,000 points when you spend $15,000 in 9 months.
- 6,000 bonus points after your Cardmember anniversary.
- Earn 3X points on Southwest Airlines® purchases.
- Earn 2X points on Rapid Rewards® hotel and car rental partners.
- Earn 2X points on rideshare.
- 1 point per $1 spent on all other purchases.
- 2 EarlyBird Check-In® each year.
- Member FDIC
- APR: 21.49% - 28.49% Variable
- Foreign Transaction Fees: None
Chase Ultimate Rewards Credit Cards
Chase Ultimate Rewards points transfer to Southwest Airlines at a 1:1 ratio. That means you can take advantage of the numerous bonus categories on Chase Ultimate Rewards cards to earn lots of points, which can be instantly transferred to Southwest.
A fantastic travel card with a great welcome offer, good benefits, and perks for a moderate annual fee.
The Chase Sapphire Preferred® card is one of the best travel rewards cards on the market. Its bonus categories include travel, dining, online grocery purchases, and streaming services, which gives you the opportunity to earn lots of bonus points on these purchases.
Additionally, it offers flexible point redemption options, no foreign transaction fees, and excellent travel insurance coverage including primary car rental insurance. With benefits like these, it’s easy to see why this card is an excellent choice for any traveler.
- 5x points on all travel booked via the Chase Travel portal
- 5x points on select Peloton purchases over $150 (through March 31, 2025)
- 5x points on Lyft purchases (through March 31, 2025)
- $95 annual fee
- No elite benefits like airport lounge access or hotel elite status
- Earn 60,000 bonus points after you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening. That's $750 when you redeem through Chase Travel℠.
- Enjoy benefits such as 5x on travel purchased through Chase Travel℠, 3x on dining, select streaming services and online groceries, 2x on all other travel purchases, 1x on all other purchases, $50 Annual Chase Travel Hotel Credit, plus more.
- Get 25% more value when you redeem for airfare, hotels, car rentals and cruises through Chase Travel℠. For example, 60,000 points are worth $750 toward travel.
- Count on Trip Cancellation/Interruption Insurance, Auto Rental Collision Damage Waiver, Lost Luggage Insurance and more.
- Get complimentary access to DashPass which unlocks $0 delivery fees and lower service fees for a minimum of one year when you activate by December 31, 2027.
- Member FDIC
- APR: 21.49%-28.49% Variable
- Foreign Transaction Fees: None
A top player in the high-end premium travel credit card space that earns 3x points on travel and dining while offering top luxury perks.
If you’re looking for an all-around excellent travel rewards card, the Chase Sapphire Reserve® is one of the best options out there.
The card combines elite travel benefits and perks like airport lounge access, with excellent point earning and redemption options. Plus it offers top-notch travel insurance protections to keep you covered whether you’re at home or on the road.
Don’t forget the $300 annual travel credit which really helps to reduce the annual fee!
- 10x total points on hotels and car rentals when you purchase travel through Chase TravelSM immediately after the first $300 is spent on travel purchases annually
- 10x points on Lyft purchases through March 31, 2025
- 10x points on Peloton equipment and accessory purchases over $250 through March 31, 2025
- $550 annual fee
- Does not offer any sort of hotel elite status
- Earn 60,000 bonus points after you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening. That's $900 toward travel when you redeem through Chase Travel℠.
- $300 Annual Travel Credit as reimbursement for travel purchases charged to your card each account anniversary year.
- Earn 5x total points on flights and 10x total points on hotels and car rentals when you purchase travel through Chase Travel℠ immediately after the first $300 is spent on travel purchases annually. Earn 3x points on other travel and dining & 1 point per $1 spent on all other purchases
- Get 50% more value when you redeem your points for travel through Chase Travel℠. For example, 60,000 points are worth $900 toward travel.
- Get complimentary access to DashPass which unlocks $0 delivery fees and lower service fees for a minimum of one year when you activate by December 31, 2027.
- 1:1 point transfer to leading airline and hotel loyalty programs
- Access to 1,300+ airport lounges worldwide after an easy, one-time enrollment in Priority Pass™ Select and up to $100 application fee credit every four years for Global Entry, NEXUS, or TSA PreCheck®
- Count on Trip Cancellation/Interruption Insurance, Auto Rental Collision Damage Waiver, Lost Luggage Insurance and more.
- Member FDIC
- APR: 22.49%-29.49% Variable
- Foreign Transaction Fees: None
Business Owner? Check out our article on the best Chase business cards that earn Ultimate Rewards points.
How To Redeem Southwest Rapid Rewards Points
Southwest awards are only available on Southwest flights and are revenue-based, so the price in points will be based on the cash cost. Finding awards is straightforward. Search on Southwest.com, and if a flight is available to book in cash, it will also be available to book using points.
You can easily toggle back and forth between the points and cash costs of any flight. The dollar amount shown under the points price is the taxes and fees.
The information regarding the Chase Freedom Flex℠ was independently collected by Upgraded Points and not provided nor reviewed by the issuer.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Southwest Rapid Rewards? Is it worth it? What does it cost?
The Southwest Airlines frequent flyer program is called Southwest Rapid Rewards. It is similar to other airline loyalty programs in that you sign up, earn points and elite status, and redeem for rewards.
It is a free program, which means the benefits are typically worth the effort of signing up.
What are the benefits of Southwest Rapid Rewards?
Once you’ve signed up for Rapid Rewards, you gain the ability to earn and use points on flights as well as the opportunity to earn elite status.
Rapid Rewards points are easy to earn, and there are no blackout dates when it comes time to redeem them. If a flight is available in cash, it can be booked with points.
Southwest’s elite status tiers are A-List and A-List Preferred, and benefits include priority boarding and bonus points.
In addition to using points to book rewards tickets, you can also use your points on travel partners. These include hotels and rental cars as well as shopping and more.
Where is my Southwest Rapid Rewards number?
If you have it available, you can find your Rapid Rewards number by signing into your account with your email and password; your number will be shown on the My Account screen.
You can always call Southwest customer service to find your number.
What is the Southwest Rapid Rewards login? How do I sign up?
You can log in to the Southwest Rapid Rewards program and sign up for the program.
When do Southwest Rapid Rewards expire?
Southwest Rapid Rewards points don’t expire as long as your account is active and in good standing.
What are Southwest Rapid Rewards points worth?
Southwest Rapid Rewards points are worth about 1.3 cents each.
Are Southwest Rapid Rewards points refundable?
Yes, if you cancel a Southwest flight that is booked with points, your points will be redeposited into your account.
Are Southwest Rapid Rewards points transferable?
Yes, Rapid Rewards points are transferable, but it’s expensive. You’ll pay $5 per 500 points transferred with a minimum of 2,000 points per transaction. A better option would be to use them to book a flight for someone else.
What are the Southwest Rapid Rewards partners?
While a complete list can be found here, some of them include:
Best Western, Choice Hotels, Hyatt, Marriott, Avis, Hertz, Dollar, 1-800-Flowers, and Reliant Energy.
What is the Southwest Companion Pass?
The Southwest Companion Pass is the highest award in the Rapid Rewards program.
Once you’ve reached 100 one-way flights or earned 135,000 qualifying points in a calendar year, you can take a companion on any flight with you for just the cost of the taxes and fees, which in the U.S. are $5.60 each way.
This status is good immediately once you meet the requirements through the remainder of the following calendar year. For example, a Companion Pass earned in October 2023 will be valid through December 2024.
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About Alex Miller
Founder and CEO of Upgraded Points, Alex is a leader in the industry and has earned and redeemed millions of points and miles. He frequently discusses the award travel industry with CNBC, Fox Business, The New York Times, and more.
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