Southwest Rapid Rewards Program: Everything You Need to Know

Southwest Airlines is one of the largest airline carriers in the United States by passengers served. Its network includes more than 100 destinations in the U.S. and Mexico, Central America and the Caribbean.

Southwest is also known for its flyer-friendly policies, such as no ticket change or cancellation fees and the option to bring two free checked bags up to 50 pounds each on every flight. That’s better than the luggage policies offered by more expensive airlines.

Southwest Rapid Rewards is also one of the best and simplest airline loyalty programs out there. Earning and redeeming Rapid Rewards points is extremely easy. You never have to worry about blackout dates or award availability. Any seat on a Southwest flight that’s for sale is eligible to be booked with Rapid Rewards points.

Rapid Rewards points never expire, meaning that you should sign up for this program even if you rarely fly with Southwest. Not to mention, enrolling in the program is completely free, so there’s no reason not to join.

There are many ways to earn Rapid Rewards points beyond flying, and the points can be used for more than award flights. Here’s everything you need to know about the Southwest Rapid Rewards program.

Southwest Rapid Rewards Overview

Southwest Airlines is hugely popular among U.S. travelers for its low fares and customer-friendly policies, including two free checked bags up to 50 pounds each, free snacks on board and no change or cancellation fees.

Many also enjoy Southwest’s “first come, first choice of seat” boarding policy, which allows passengers to choose whatever seat they like. This is especially helpful for families who wish to sit together.

Southwest’s frequent-flyer program also has become a favorite among U.S. travelers. Rapid Rewards points are easy to earn; redemption options are simple to understand; there are no blackout dates for award flights; and the coveted Companion Pass is one the most valuable perks in the entire airline industry. All of this makes Southwest Rapid Rewards a program that’s definitely worth getting involved in.

Unfortunately, Southwest doesn’t have any international partners or a standard award chart. All award flight prices are tied to the cash price of the seat. This means that it’s difficult to find particularly high-value awards through the Rapid Rewards program. Still, Rapid Rewards points are valued at a solid 1.5 cents apiece, and you sometimes can find slightly more value with certain awards.

Southwest Elite Status

The crown jewel of the Southwest Rapid Rewards program is the famous Companion Pass, which allows you to add a second passenger to your booking free of charge (with the exception of taxes and fees). However, Southwest also has two elite status tiers that are far easier to attain than the Companion Pass and also come with some valuable perks.

Achieving elite status with Southwest requires you to take a certain number of paid flights with Southwest in a calendar year or earn a certain number of tier-qualifying points in a calendar year. Tier-qualifying points can be earned from paid flights booked with Southwest or by meeting certain spending thresholds on one of co-branded Southwest credit cards.

Rapid Rewards program enrollment bonus points, purchased points, tier bonus points, flight bonus points and partner points don’t count as tier-qualifying points and won’t help you achieve elite status with Southwest.

When you earn elite status (including the Companion Pass), you’ll hold that status for the remainder of the calendar year in which you earned it as well as the entire following calendar year.

So, if you were to earn elite status in December 2022, it would be valid through December 2023. However, if you were to earn elite status in January 2023, it would be valid until the end of December 2024. Obviously, it’s better to earn elite status earlier in the year

Southwest A-List Elite Status

To achieve Southwest A-List elite status, you’ll need to either fly 25 qualifying flights with Southwest in a calendar year or earn 35,000 tier-qualifying points in the Rapid Rewards program in a calendar year.

Perks that come with Southwest A-List elite status include:

• Priority boarding
• Priority check-in and security lane access
• Free same-day standby
• 20% bonus points on paid flights
• Dedicated A-List member customer service phone line

Southwest A-List Preferred Elite Status

To achieve Southwest A-List elite status, you’ll need to fly 50 qualifying flights with Southwest or earn 70,000 tier-qualifying points in the Rapid Rewards program in a calendar year.

With Southwest A-List Preferred elite status, you’ll enjoy all the benefits of A-List elite status as well as the following perks:

• 100% bonus points on paid flights
• Free in-flight Wi-Fi
• Dedicated A-List Preferred member customer service phone line

Companion Pass

As of Jan. 1, 2023, Southwest requires 135,000 tier-qualifying points or 100 qualifying flights to earn the Companion Pass.

This perk allows you to bring a companion on any Southwest flight free of charge. You’ll just have to pay the taxes and fees on their ticket. Unlike many other companion certificates offered by other airlines, there are few restrictions on when or how you can use the Southwest Companion Pass.

You can use this perk on both paid and award tickets, even if the ticket was booked in your name with someone else’s credit card. There’s no limit to how often you can use your Companion Pass. There are no blackout dates, and the Companion Pass can be used for any seat on any Southwest flight.

However, you can’t use your Companion Pass if you’re already flying on someone else’s Companion Pass. You also can’t use your Companion Pass if there aren’t any more available seats on your flight.

If you want to use your Companion Pass, go to the “My Trips” section of your Southwest account and then navigate to the “Upcoming” section. Click on the “Add Companion” link and enter your plus one’s information. Then, once you click the “Purchase” button, your companion will be booked on the same itinerary free of charge (except taxes and fees).

How to Earn Rapid Rewards Points

While the most obvious way to earn Southwest Rapid Rewards points is to book flights with Southwest, there are several other ways to earn points as well, some of which don’t require you to ever step on an airplane.

Flying with Southwest

As you probably already knew, you can earn Rapid Rewards points every time you take a paid flight with Southwest Airlines. The number of points you’ll earn depends on the cost of your flight, the fare class and whether you have elite status with Southwest.

Southwest has four fare classes: Wanna Get Away, Wanna Get Away Plus, Anytime and Business Select. All four fare classes come with different benefits. Those with a Business Select ticket will enjoy priority boarding and a free alcoholic drink on board.

Additionally, each fare class earns a different amount of Rapid Rewards points per dollar spent. Here are the earnings rates for each class:

• Wanna Get Away: 6X points
• Wanna Get Away Plus: 8X points
• Anytime: 10X points
• Business Select: 12X points

These rates are applied only to the ticket’s base fare, meaning that you won’t earn any points on fees and taxes. You can view the base fare for your flight when you purchase a ticket on Southwest’s website.

So, if you were to purchase a ticket through Southwest with a base fare of $100 in Wanna Get Away fare, you would earn 600 Rapid Rewards points. However, if you took the same flight in Wanna Get Away Plus fare, you’d earn 800 points. An Anytime Fare ticket would earn 1,000 Rapid Rewards points, and a Business Select ticket would earn 1,200 Rapid Rewards points.

As mentioned, the number of points you earn on a flight also depends on whether you have elite status with Southwest. A-List elite status members earn a 25% points bonus on paid flights while A-List Preferred elite status members earn a 100% points bonus on paid flights.

So, if you were to purchase a ticket through Southwest with a base fare of $100 in Wanna Get Away fare, you would earn 600 Rapid Rewards points without any elite status. However, if you purchased the same flight and you were an A-List elite status member, you would earn 750 Rapid Rewards points. Likewise, you would earn 1,200 Rapid Rewards points if you were an A-List Preferred elite status member.

When it comes to Southwest elite status perks, the mileage bonus is by far the most valuable, allowing you to earn a ton of extra miles when you fly with Southwest.

It’s also worth noting that Southwest Airlines doesn’t have any airline partners, meaning that you can’t earn Rapid Rewards points for flying on any airline other than Southwest.

Spending with Southwest Credit Cards

By signing up for one of co-branded Southwest credit cards, you can earn Rapid Rewards miles without ever stepping foot on a plane.

Southwest offers five credit cards: three personal cards and two business cards, all of which are issued by Chase. Each of these cards comes with different benefits and annual fees, meaning there’s a Southwest credit card that fits your lifestyle whether you travel frequently for business or you like to travel occasionally for pleasure.

Here is a breakdown of all five Southwest co-branded credit cards:

It’s also worth noting that all co-branded Southwest credit cards have no foreign transaction fees. So, you can take a Southwest flight to an international destination and use your Southwest card abroad without having to worry about fees.

Each of these cards also offers a welcome bonus that you can earn by spending a certain amount on the card in a certain amount of time—usually within three months. These welcome bonuses often offset the card’s annual fee by giving you enough rewards for (almost) free flights. So, if you want to quickly boost your Rapid Rewards points balance, that’s a great way to do so.

Transfer Partners

Southwest also has several transfer partners that allow you to convert their points into Southwest Rapid Rewards points at various conversion rates. Here is a breakdown of Southwest’s transfer partners.

As you can see, the only partner that provides a favorable transfer ratio is Chase Ultimate Rewards, which allows you to convert your points at a 1:1 ratio.

Hotels and Rental Cars

Not only can you transfer points to Southwest Rapid Rewards from one of their partnered hotel loyalty programs, you also can earn Rapid Rewards points directly for booking stays with these hotel chains.

Both Marriott, MGM Resorts and Hyatt allow you to earn 600 Rapid Rewards points per qualifying stay. You will need to choose Rapid Rewards as your rewards currency when you’re making the booking, and you should be prepared to present your Rapid Rewards account number when you check in.

Unfortunately, you can’t earn both Rapid Rewards points and hotel points on the same booking, so you’re going to want to compare which rewards currency will provide you with the most value.

If you’re booking a stay at a boutique hotel that doesn’t have its own rewards program, you may be able to earn Rapid Rewards points by booking through Southwest Hotels or Rocketmiles. You may be eligible to earn up to 10,000 points for a single qualifying stay by booking this way, but it’s usually a lot less.

It’s also possible to earn Rapid Rewards points by making bookings with one of their rental car partners: Alamo, Avis, Budget, Dollar, Hertz, National, Payless and Thrifty. You’ll earn 600 points per qualifying rental with all eight partners. You may also be able to get discounts by providing your Southwest Rapid Rewards account number when making your booking.

Rapid Rewards Shopping

Like most other airline loyalty programs, Southwest has its own shopping portal called Rapid Rewards Shopping. You can earn Rapid Rewards points for qualifying purchases from more than 1,000 merchants by making purchases through this portal. All you have to do is sign up for the program and do your shopping through the Rapid Rewards Shopping portal.

If you want to make matters even easier, Rapid Rewards Shopping members who have Google Chrome can add the extension button to their browser. This extension allows you to go shopping online as normal and will alert you if there’s an opportunity to earn Rapid Rewards points for making a certain purchase. It will also automatically apply coupon codes at checkout.

It’s also worth noting that you will still earn credit card points in addition to Rapid Rewards points if you make your purchases through Rapid Rewards Shopping with a rewards credit card.

Rapid Rewards Dining

Southwest also has its own dining rewards program that allows you to earn Rapid Rewards programs by eating out or ordering in with your favorite restaurants. To do so, you can go to the Rapid Rewards Dining website, sign up for an account and link a credit card. Then, every time you make a purchase at a participating restaurant, you’ll earn up to 3X points per dollar.

When signing up for the program, make sure to allow email notifications. By opting in for emails, you’ll earn 3X points per dollar. However, if you choose to opt out of email notifications, your earnings will be cut to just 2X points. Also, apparently, you need to open these emails from time to time as well or Southwest will bump you down to 2X points.

You also can earn points by leaving reviews, and there are several bonuses offered within this program that reward you with extra points after you meet certain earnings requirements.

If you want to specifically seek out restaurants that participate in Rapid Rewards Dining, you can search for restaurants in your area through the Rapid Rewards Dining website by entering your city, state or ZIP code in the search bar.

Also, like with Rapid Rewards Shopping, you will also earn credit card points on top of your Rapid Rewards points when you make purchases at a participating restaurant.

Transfers from Friends and Family

Southwest does give members the option of transferring Rapid Rewards points between accounts. However, we strongly advise against it. They charge a hefty fee of $5 per 500 points transferred. And, since 500 Rapid Rewards points are valued at about $7, you’re losing the majority of the value by transferring your points to another member.

Southwest gives you the option to make a flight reservation for someone else. So, instead of making a points transfer from someone else’s Rapid Rewards account into yours so you can book an award flight, you’re probably better off just asking that person to make a booking in your name.

How to Redeem Rapid Rewards Points

While there are several ways to redeem Rapid Rewards points, you’re almost always going to get the most value by redeeming your points for flights with Southwest. Other redemption options such as gift cards and merchandise tend to offer far less value.

You also should be aware that Southwest Rapid Rewards points never expire. So, if you can’t find a redemption that looks attractive right now, you can always save your points for the future.

Booking Southwest Flights

To book an award flight with Rapid Rewards points, you simply need to navigate to the Southwest homepage, input your flight information and then select the “Points” option.

Then, you’ll be presented with your flight options as well as the costs for different fare classes with the taxes and fees.

Near the top, you can also filter results by departure time, arrival time, number of stops, price and duration.

When it comes to which fare class you should choose, we recommend going with Wanna Get Away. While Anytime fare class is more expensive, the only real advantage that it offers over Wanna Get Away is that your ticket is fully refundable. However, any booking made with points through Southwest is fully refundable anyway, so Anytime fare class really doesn’t provide any advantage at all.

Wanna Get Away Plus tickets are usually only slightly more expensive than the same tickets in Wanna Get Away fare class. The main difference between the two is that Wanna Get Away Plus tickets come with same-day confirmed flight changes, same-day standby and the option to transfer flight credits to other Rapid Rewards members if you need to cancel your flight.

If these benefits are worth the minor price increase over Wanna Get Away fare class, you may want to consider going with Wanna Get Away Plus instead.

Similarly, the additional benefits of a Business Select ticket aren’t worth the additional cost. A Business Select ticket comes with priority boarding, expedited security access and a complimentary alcoholic drink on board. And, when Business Select class can cost as much as three times more than Wanna Get Away, those benefits just aren’t worth it.

One of the best parts about Southwest is that it allows you to cancel or change any booking for free, even award flights. The only time you’ll have to pay is if you change your award reservation to a more expensive flight, in which case you’ll have to pay the price difference in cash or points between the two flights. On the other hand, if you change your reservation to a cheaper flight, you’ll be refunded the price difference.

On top of that, sometimes Southwest will give you a refund if the price of your flight goes down after you book it. For instance, if you book a flight for 10,000 points and the price of the flight later drops to 8,000 points, you can submit a request to Southwest to refund you that 2,000-point difference. Similarly, you can cancel and rebook your flight. So, it’s worth keeping an eye on the price of your flight after you book it.

When it comes to canceling an award flight, it’s extremely simple. You can cancel your flight online, and your points will be refunded to your account without any additional cancellation fees.

More Rewards

If you have a co-branded Southwest credit card, you can access its More Rewards program by signing in with your card details and account information. This program allows you to redeem your Rapid Rewards points in ways that other Rapid Rewards members (without Southwest credit cards) can’t, including buying gift cards, booking flights with other airlines, purchasing merchandise and booking experiences.

It’s worth mentioning that Southwest doesn’t have any international airline partners. Those who have a Southwest credit card can use their Rapid Rewards points to book international flights with other airlines through the More Rewards program. Still, using Rapid Rewards points to book flights with other airlines is typically a low-value redemption, so you’re better off using your Rapid Rewards points to book flights with Southwest.

In fact, nearly every redemption option that’s offered through the cardmembers-only More Rewards portal provides low value. So, when it comes to redeeming your Rapid Rewards points, you’re better off sticking to award flights through Southwest.

The Bottom Line

Southwest Airlines is one of the most beloved U.S. carriers because of its low fares and customer-friendly policies. Likewise, the Southwest Rapid Rewards program is equally popular because of how easy it is to earn points and how simple it is to redeem them for award flights. And, of course, the Companion Pass is one of the most valuable perks in the airline industry.

While most of us will never fly with Southwest enough to attain the Companion Pass, Southwest also has two lower elite status tiers (A-List and A-List Preferred) that are a bit more achievable and can help you earn Rapid Rewards points significantly faster.

Even if you don’t have elite status with Southwest, racking up points is fairly easy between flying with Southwest, getting a co-branded Southwest credit card, dining, shopping or staying at one of Southwest’s partner hotels.

Once you earn some points in your Rapid Rewards account, though, the only redemption option that provides solid value is purchasing award flights operated by Southwest. Most other redemption options provide minimal value.

Overall, Southwest Airlines provides an excellent customer experience whenever you choose to fly with the airline. By joining the completely-free Rapid Rewards program, you’ll enjoy earning valuable points that can be used to purchase award flights and other redemptions in the future.