Southwest Rapid Rewards Program Guide: 2025 Program Overview
| Southwest Rapid Rewards Quick Facts | |
|---|---|
| Southwest points value | 1.4 cents |
| How many Southwest points for a free flight? | Varies based on the cash ticket price. A $100 cash ticket should cost less than 7,500 Rapid Rewards points, plus taxes and fees. |
| Where does Southwest fly? | To 42 of the lower states, Hawaii and limited destinations in Mexico, Central America and the Caribbean. |
| Southwest hub airports (U.S.) | Southwest does not operate traditional hub airports like other airlines. However, there are a number of airports with a concentrated number of flights, including Atlanta (ATL), Baltimore (BWI), Chicago-Midway (MDW), Dallas-Love Field (DAL), Denver (DEN), Houston-Hobby (HOU), Las Vegas (LAS), Los Angeles (LAX), Phoenix (PHX) and St. Louis (STL). |
| Do Southwest Rapid Rewards points expire? | No, as long as you keep your Rapid Rewards account open. |
| Southwest airline alliance | Doesn't belong to an alliance. |
Southwest Rapid Rewards is the frequent flyer program for Southwest Airlines that rewards loyal members who fly with the quirky carrier. The program is fully revenue-based, meaning the number of points earned or needed for an award reflects the cash fare. Southwest points are flexible and easy to redeem, with no blackout dates, making it wise to get on board with the Southwest Rapid Rewards program. The program also includes a strong co-branded Southwest Rapid Rewards credit card lineup (most have no foreign transaction fees) and the opportunity to earn the Southwest Companion Pass — a beloved perk of the program.
How much are Southwest points worth?
Because Rapid Rewards points are directly tied to the cost of the associated cash fare, it is fairly easy to calculate a Southwest Rapid Rewards points value. We estimate that a Southwest point is worth about $0.014, which compares favorably to many other airlines. Here’s a rundown of how much popular airline miles are worth and how Southwest points measure up:
- American Airlines AAdvantage, $0.017
- Southwest Rapid Rewards, $0.014
- United MileagePlus, $0.013
- JetBlue TrueBlue, $0.010
- Delta SkyMiles, $0.011
| Usability Overall Score = 4.0 out of 5 (Excellent) | |
|---|---|
| Miles expiration | 5 out of 5 |
| Flight network | 2 out of 5 |
| Award availability | 4.6 out of 5 |
| Ease of booking | 5 out of 5 |
| Complexity | 3.8 out of 5 |
Southwest Rapid Rewards points value varies depending on the route and dates booked.
But the price of plane tickets is falling, so that’s good news. And as a general rule, shorter, cheaper cash tickets offer better value per point than longer or pricier fares, though this doesn’t hold true 100% of the time. For example:
| Trip | Price | Points required | Point value |
|---|---|---|---|
| Las Vegas to Los Angeles, nonstop (in October 2025) | $104 | 6,809 (+ $5.60) | $0.014 |
| Chicago to Dallas, nonstop (in October 2025) | $199 | 14,144 (+ $5.60) | $0.014 |
| San Jose, Costa Rica to Baltimore, 1 stop (in September 2025) | $304 | 16,600 (+ $65.45) | $0.014 |
| Oakland to Denver, nonstop (in September 2025) | $169 | 11,827 (+ $5.60) | $0.014 |
| Boston to Los Angeles, 1 stop (in October 2025) | $279 | 19,935 (+ $5.60) | $0.014 |
| Seattle to Boston, 1 stop (in October and November 2025) | $184 | 12,213 (+ $5.60) | $0.015 |
How do you know if using Southwest points is worth it?
We value Southwest points at around 1.4 cents per point — if a fare is worth around 1.4 cents per point, then it’s likely worth it to use points. To calculate the value of points, use this simple equation:
Southwest Rapid Rewards pros and cons
Rapid Rewards, Southwest’s frequent flyer program, has long been a favorite for its simplicity. Because Southwest makes every seat available as a reward seat and offers a flexible cancellation policy, it’s no surprise that many frequent flyers are incredibly loyal to Southwest.
Rapid Rewards has even been named “Program of the Year” numerous times by the Freddie Awards, which honors companies and programs in the business of travel loyalty. Rapid Rewards also received a second-place ranking among travel and transportation loyalty programs in Newsweek’s “America’s Best Loyalty Programs 2024” awards. (Southwest also has one of the lowest tarmac wait times of any airline.)
Pros
- No change fees. When you change a cash or award ticket, you only pay the difference in fare, in either points or dollars.
- No cancellation fees. While some Southwest fares are still nonrefundable, you retain the entire ticket value for a future flight purchase. Award fares can be canceled for free and all miles redeposited up until 10 minutes before departure.
- No blackout dates for award seats. All seats on all dates are offered as reward seats in the Southwest Rapid Rewards program.
- Cheap award flights at times. When revenue fares are very low, Southwest reward seats are available for very few points.
- Two free checked bags. All Southwest fares include two free checked bags.
- Companion Pass. The famed Companion Pass allows you to designate a travel companion who can fly with you for free (only paying taxes and fees) on any Southwest flight in the year you earn it and the entire following year.
- Easy point redemption. Point values are fairly consistent between fare types, so it’s easy to figure out how to redeem points for the best value. Not to mention, Southwest has a user-friendly website.
Cons
- The revenue-based system is a double-edged sword. While Southwest points have above-average value, you can’t get outsized value by using points for premium seats, as you can with some other carriers.
- Expensive reward flights during peak travel periods. When revenue fares are very high, Southwest reward seats require a large number of points.
- Lack of airline partners. Southwest Airlines does not belong to an airline alliance, and it is currently starting its only airline partnership, a phased process with Icelandair, which began in early 2025.
- Limited international flights. You’re mostly restricted to flying between 42 contiguous U.S. states and Hawaii, plus a limited number of nearby international destinations.
- Lack of regional airport coverage. Southwest Airlines generally flies to medium-to-large airports.
- No first class. Southwest has a single cabin class (economy), although the airline has announced its intention to add some rows to aircraft with extra legroom in the future.
Southwest international flights
Southwest primarily flies within the United States, including 42 of the lower states and Hawaii, but it also serves a limited number of other countries near North America. While route maps can frequently change, Southwest currently flies to the following countries and territories:
- Aruba
- Belize
- The Bahamas
- Costa Rica
- Cuba
- Jamaica
- Mexico
- Dominican Republic
- Turks and Caicos
How to earn Southwest points
There are plenty of ways to earn Southwest Rapid Rewards points, from flying on Southwest Airlines to getting a Southwest Rapid Rewards credit card to earning through Southwest’s shopping and hotel partners. Here are some of the top ways to earn:
Southwest credit cards
Southwest Rapid Rewards partners with Chase to offer five different co-branded Southwest credit cards — three personal credit cards and two small business products. If you’re a small business owner or self-employed, you might consider a Southwest Rapid Rewards business card so every business purchase can add to your stash of points. Using a co-branded Southwest Rapid Rewards card is one of the fastest ways to earn Southwest points quickly, since the cards often have generous welcome offers.
| Credit Cards | Our Ratings | Welcome Offer | Rewards Rate | Annual Fee | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Southwest Rapid Rewards® Plus Credit Card*
|
100,000 points
Limited Time Offer: Our best points offer this year, earn 100,000 bonus points after spending $4,000 on purchases in the first 5 months from account opening.
| 2X points
| $99 | ||
Southwest Rapid Rewards® Premier Credit Card*
|
100,000 points
Earn 100,000 bonus points
after you spend $4,000 in the first 5 months from account opening.
| 2X - 3X points
| $149 | ||
Southwest Rapid Rewards® Priority Credit Card*
|
100,000 points
Limited Time Offer: Our best points offer this year, earn 100,000 bonus points after spending $4,000 on purchases in the first 5 months from account opening.
| 2X - 4X points
| $229 | ||
Southwest® Rapid Rewards® Premier Business Credit Card*
|
60,000 points
Earn 60,000 points after you spend $3,000 on purchases in the first 3 months your account is open.
| 3X points
| $149 | ||
Southwest® Rapid Rewards® Performance Business Credit Card*
|
80,000 points
Earn 80,000 points after you spend $5,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening.
| 1X - 4X points
| $299 |
Transfer Southwest points
You can also transfer points from a premium Chase Ultimate Rewards® card — including the Chase Sapphire Reserve®, Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card and Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card — to the Southwest Rapid Rewards program.
Chase also offers a line-up of great rewards cards, including several no-annual-fee cards. You can combine these cards with a card that earns Ultimate Rewards, and earn points at a much faster rate than with an individual Southwest card. Then you can pool and transfer your points to the Southwest program.
| Credit Cards | Our Ratings | Welcome Offer | Rewards Rate | Annual Fee | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Chase Sapphire Reserve®*
|
125,000 points
Earn 125,000 bonus points after you spend $6,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening.
| 1X - 8X points
| $795 | ||
Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card
|
75,000 points
Earn 75,000 bonus points after you spend $5,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening.
| 1X - 5X points
| $95 | ||
Chase Freedom Unlimited®
|
$200 cash back
Intro Offer: Earn a $200 Bonus after you spend $500 on purchases in your first 3 months from account opening
| 1.5% - 5% cash back
| $0 | ||
Chase Freedom Flex℠*
|
$200 cash bonus
Earn a $200 bonus after you spend $500 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening.
| 1% - 5% cash back
| $0 | ||
Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card*
|
90,000 points
Earn 90,000 bonus points after you spend $8,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening.
| 1X - 3X points
| $95 |
The most straightforward way to earn Rapid Rewards points is to fly with Southwest Airlines. The number of points you earn depends on the type of ticket booked and your Southwest status level. The cheapest Southwest fares are branded as Wanna Get Away, though these flights are completely non-refundable. The other fares, Wanna Get Away+, Anytime and Business Select, are more expensive but also offer more flexible fare rules.
Points earned from Southwest flights generally post within 72 hours. Note that you only earn points on revenue fares; Rapid Rewards points are not awarded on reward tickets.
| Flight option | Basic | A-List (25% bonus) | A-List Preferred (100% bonus) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wanna Get Away | 2 points | 2.5 points | 4 points |
| Wanna Get Away + | 6 points | 7.5 points | 12 points |
| Anytime | 10 points | 12.5 points | 20 points |
| Business Select | 14 points | 17.5 points | 28 points |
The expansive network of Southwest Rapid Rewards partners includes car rental agencies, hotels and even energy companies. When spending with these partner services, you could both earn Rapid Rewards points and enjoy a discount on the service itself. Partners include:
Hotels
- Best Western Hotels & Resorts
- Choice Hotels
- Marriott Bonvoy
- MGM Resorts
- Southwest Hotels
- World of Hyatt
Car rentals
- Alamo
- Avis
- Budget
- Dollar
- Hertz
- National
- Payless
- Thrifty
Shopping and dining
- 1-800-Flowers
- Harry & David
- Laithwaite’s Wine
- Rapid Rewards Dining
- Southwest Rapid Rewards Shopping
Home and lifestyle
- NRG
- Reliant Energy
Other
- Rewards for Opinions
- e-Rewards
- Emergency Assistance Plus
Details on earning Rapid Rewards through these various travel and other partners can be found on the Southwest Rapid Rewards Partners page.
The Southwest Rapid Rewards Dining program allows you to earn Rapid Rewards points by dining at restaurants within the network:
- Once you register, you’ll earn 1 point per $2 spent
- Opt in to email to earn 3 points per $1 spent
- Earn a one-time bonus of 500 points after earning 1,500 cumulative points in the dining program, plus another 300 bonus points for every 1,000 you earn after that.
- Completing reviews provides you an additional 10 points per dine.
- You can currently earn a sign-up bonus of 500 Southwest Rapid Rewards dining points by signing up, adding a credit card to your profile, spending at least $25 at a qualifying establishment and then writing a review within the first 30 days.
The Southwest Rapid Rewards shopping portal lets you earn points by shopping with more than 1,100 online retailers. This is a great way to earn extra rewards for shopping you’re already doing.
Popular retailers change over time but can include Apple, Chewy, Home Depot, Kohl’s, Nike and Sephora, among many others. The number of Southwest Airlines Rapid Rewards earned can vary from 0.5 points per $1 spent to 20 points per $1 spent, depending on the retailer. Some retailers offer a bundle of points, such as 2,500 or 5,000 points per purchase, instead of a certain number of points per $1 spent. This can be a great way to accumulate a chunk of points quickly.
Southwest Vacations is a great way to bundle your flights and either hotel or rental car together into a cheaper package. You can both save money and earn bonus Rapid Rewards points, depending on the package you book — though you’ll always earn additional points on the flight portion of your package and may also earn even more points if Southwest is running a vacation package promotion.
Southwest partners with Research Now Group to offer Rewards for Opinions, a site where you can earn Rapid Rewards points by completing online surveys. The surveys are consumer market research, asking questions about various services, products and advertising. Each survey opportunity will show the approximate time to finish it and the number of Rapid Rewards points awarded upon completion. As of March 2025, there is a sign-up bonus of 500 points when you complete your first survey within three months of enrolling.
If you already have a Southwest Airlines Rapid Rewards travel credit card, you can earn bonus Rapid Rewards points for referring friends for the card. As of 2025, you can earn 20,000 Rapid Rewards points per successful referral, up to 100,000 points per year. A successful referral is one where the recipient applies for a Southwest Rapid Rewards credit card through your referral link and is approved for the card. (In case your friend is wondering, there is no published minimum credit score for a Southwest Rapid Rewards card but you generally need good to excellent credit for a travel credit card.)
The Chase Refer-A-Friend program for Chase Southwest Rapid Rewards credit cards allows the referral recipient to choose their favorite Southwest Rapid Rewards card, so they are not locked into the exact card you hold.
Rocketmiles is a service that allows you to rack up points or miles on hotel stays. You can earn Southwest Rapid Rewards points quickly and easily by booking lodging for your next trip through Rocketmiles, which offers access to over 400,000 properties around the world.
Start by visiting the Rocketmiles site and plugging in your destination airport or city and the dates of your trip. Make sure you select Southwest Airlines Rapid Rewards, as Rocketmiles also partners with other airline loyalty programs. You can filter results for amenities you’re seeking, like free breakfast, parking or a pool. You can also filter by star rating and guest rating or look for properties in a specific neighborhood.
You’ll get a list of Southwest Rapid Rewards hotels in the area with cost per night, location and rating of the property, plus the total number of Southwest Rapid Rewards points you’ll earn for your entire stay. You can earn up to 10,000 points per night for your stay, making this a potentially good way to accumulate a stash of Southwest points without flying. You get your points within two weeks of checkout from your stay.
Southwest lets you buy Southwest Rapid Rewards points for either yourself or for any other program member. Points are offered in increments of 1,000 during promotional periods but may be offered in increments of 500 points at other times. You can purchase a minimum of 2,000 points at a time and a daily maximum of 60,000 points for personal and gift purchases. Unless there are discounts available, you’ll be purchasing these points for 3 cents apiece.
Given the typical value of Southwest points is only 1.4 cents, this is not a good way to add to your Rapid Rewards balance. Southwest sometimes offers sales of Rapid Rewards points, but even then, it rarely makes sense to purchase points unless you need to top off your current balance so you can use your points to cover a flight.
How to use Rapid Rewards points
Wondering how to use Southwest Rapid Rewards points for maximum value? Redeeming your Southwest Rapid Rewards points for Southwest flights is generally the best way to go, and Southwest makes it simple and straightforward to redeem Southwest points for flights.
Here’s a rundown on how to spend Rapid Rewards points:
To book a flight using your Rapid Rewards points, you’ll need to either head to Southwest.com or use the Southwest mobile app — you don’t need your Southwest Rapid Rewards login to search for flights since you can do so without signing in.
1. From the main page, you just need to enter your origin, destination, travel date(s), number of passengers and whether you want to search in dollars or points. (Note, you can easily toggle between dollars and points in the search results.)
2. Once you submit your search, you’ll be presented with flight options. You can use the button in the upper right corner to toggle between dollars and points, to determine the value you’re getting for your Rapid Rewards points.
3. You can also check out the Low Fare Calendar to find the cheapest day to fly.
4. You can choose among four fare types: Wanna Get Away, Wanna Get Away+, Anytime and Business Select. Wanna Get Away fares are the cheapest and generally the best option, since the other fares usually don’t offer enough benefit to justify the additional points. Business Select and Anytime fares are fully refundable as revenue fares, which is the main benefit of booking these fares with cash. However, all award tickets are fully refundable, so booking with points negates this benefit of the more expensive fares.
5. Once you’ve selected a fare, you’ll be taken to the booking screen where you’ll confirm your choice, pay the taxes and fees and then finalize your booking. You must have sufficient Rapid Rewards points in your account to complete the booking.
| Business Select | Anytime | Wanna Get Away+ | Wanna Get Away |
|---|---|---|---|
| Refundable | Refundable | Non-refundable (transferable flight credit if you cancel) | Non-refundable (flight credit if you cancel) |
| Priority boarding A1-A15 | EarlyBird check-in | Free same-day confirmed change | Two bags fly free |
| Complimentary premium drinks (up to two) | Priority and Express lanes | Plus all the benefits of Wanna Get Away | No fees to change of cancel |
| Free in-flight internet Plus all the benefits of Anytime | Plus all the benefits of Wanna Get Away+ | Free same-day standby |
Does Southwest have first class?
The number of Southwest Rapid Rewards points you need to fly Southwest varies depending on the cash price of the same ticket. If the cash price is low, then you may need a relatively small number of points to fly Southwest. On the other hand, if you are flying to a vacation destination over Christmas or spring break and fares are high, you will likely need a lot of Rapid Rewards points.
For example, an October 2025 flight from Atlanta to Denver costs $179 to book with cash. That same flight requires 12,600 points plus $5.60 in government fees to book. This gives you a value of around $0.014 for your Southwest Rapid Rewards if you were to book that flight.
While booking Southwest flights is the primary use of Rapid Rewards points, Southwest offers other options for using your points through More Rewards. You can redeem your Southwest Rapid Rewards for:
- Gift cards
- Merchandise
- Experiences
- Hotels and travel (including flights on other airlines)
- Statement credits on a Southwest airline credit card
- Rapid Rewards Access Events such as wine tastings, destination getaways and more
If you want to know how to use Rapid Rewards points for car rental, or learn how to redeem Southwest Rapid Rewards points for gift cards, you can do that through the Southwest More Rewards program.
Southwest Companion Pass
The famed Southwest Rapid Rewards Companion Pass is one of the most sought-after benefits of any airline loyalty program. Southwest’s pass allows you to choose one person to fly with you for free (you will only be responsible for taxes and fees starting from $5.60 each way) each time you purchase or redeem points for a flight. The pass is valid for the remainder of the year in which you earned it, as well as the following full calendar year.
Some restrictions to keep in mind when earning the Southwest Companion Pass:
- You must fly 100 qualifying one-way flights or earn 135,000 qualifying points in a calendar year.
- Your Southwest Rapid Rewards Companion Pass will be valid for the entirety of the following calendar year, plus the remainder of the year in which you earned it.
- Qualifying points include those earned from flights, shopping and dining and from spending on your Rapid Rewards credit card.
- Points transferred from hotel and bank programs, like Chase Ultimate Rewards® or Marriott Bonvoy, do not count toward the Companion Pass.
Southwest A-list status
Rewards program members can unlock extra perks with Southwest Airlines by meeting requirements for Rapid Rewards status. Southwest offers two tiers of status: A-List and A-List Preferred, which include benefits such as a dedicated check-in lane and Southwest Rapid Rewards upgraded boarding, which may allow you to snag a better seat. A-List Preferred goes even further with two free premium drinks and complimentary Wi-Fi.
There are two ways to earn status with Southwest: by flying and by accumulating points that count towards status, known as tier qualifying points (TQPs). If you have a Southwest credit card, you earn 1,500 points that count toward status for every $5,000 you spend on the card.
In addition to Southwest Rapid Rewards benefits that make flying easier and more convenient, status allows you to rack up points more quickly by offering A-List members a points-earning bonus for every Southwest flight.
| Southwest Status Levels | Requirements | Benefits |
|---|---|---|
| A-List | 20 qualifying one-way flights or 35,000 tier qualifying points |
|
| A-List Preferred | 40 qualifying one-way flights or earn 70,000 tier qualifying points | A-list benefits, plus:
|
Is there a Southwest status match?
Do you have status with a loyalty program for another U.S.-based airline? If so, you may be able to get Rapid Rewards status for free with Southwest status match. To get a status match, you simply sign up for Rapid Rewards (if you’re not already a member) and then provide Southwest with your full name, Rapid Rewards number and a screenshot or other proof of your status with another airline. Southwest Rapid Rewards promotions change regularly, but Southwest is currently sweetening the deal with an offer to extend your A-List status for an extra year with qualifying flights.
Frequently asked questions
Yes, you can redeem Rapid Rewards points for stays at Southwest Rapid Rewards hotels through the Southwest More Rewards program.
Yes, you can transfer Southwest points to another Rapid Rewards member. You can transfer points in blocks of 500 (1,000 during promotional periods) with a minimum transfer of 2,000 points and a maximum of 60,000 points in one day. There is a charge of $5 per 500 points transferred, so it costs $100 to transfer 10,000 points. However, you can avoid fees by using your points to directly book a ticket for a friend or family member.
Having trouble finding your Southwest Rapid Rewards login information? You can find your Southwest Rapid Rewards number in the initial email communication from Southwest. You can also retrieve your Rapid Rewards number on the Southwest website or contact Southwest Rapid Rewards customer service.
No, Southwest Airlines does not have its own airport lounges like some other major airlines (for example American, Delta and United) do. This lack of lounges is on-brand, as Southwest has always been known as a no-frills airline and has no first-class cabin. Southwest has tested offering Priority Pass airport lounge membership to select customers but has not announced any plans to continue or expand that perk.
Yes, it is free to join and participate in Southwest Rapid Rewards.
Yes, Southwest does fly to a handful of international destinations in North America, Central America and the Caribbean, including Aruba, Belize, Costa Rica, Jamaica and Mexico. You can use your Rapid Rewards points to book these international flights. It is important to note, however, that international flights may come with higher taxes and fees than U.S. domestic flights.
The information related to the Southwest Rapid Rewards® Plus Credit Card, Southwest Rapid Rewards® Premier Credit Card, Southwest Rapid Rewards® Priority Credit Card, Southwest® Rapid Rewards® Premier Business Credit Card, Southwest® Rapid Rewards® Performance Business Credit Card, Chase Sapphire Reserve®, Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card and Chase Freedom Flex℠ has been independently collected by LendingTree and has not been reviewed or provided by the issuer of this card prior to publication. Terms apply.
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