How to Claim Missing Southwest Miles

Ramsey QubeinDecember 27, 2019
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Southwest Rapid Rewards has ardent fans and supporters, but don’t let missing points slip through the cracks. Always remember to save your boarding pass and ticket receipt until points posts to your account — and it’s always wise to check your account a week after any flight to be sure the points posted properly.

These steps are important for overall point accrual, as well as for your ability to earn Southwest A-List status (after 25 qualifying one-way flights or 35,000 tier-qualifying points in one calendar year).

Request missing Rapid Rewards credit

If you are not sure whether your Rapid Rewards number is in the reservation, you can always check by retrieving your reservation — or add it after booking via the Add Rapid Rewards Number page.

Start by logging into your account and navigating to the My Account section. From there, the Manage Account tab will take you to the Request Past Points page.

There, you can request points for flights within the past 12 months by entering the record locator or confirmation number for your trip. It can take as many as five days for the points to post.

The record locator will be on your ticket receipt or boarding pass. Phone agents will not be able to easily find this information for a past reservation, so it’s best practice to keep track of these documents until points have posted.

The bottom line

If you’re not a member of Rapid Rewards, you can always sign up and request retroactive credit for past flights. Southwest is among the more generous airlines when it comes to requesting missing credit even before you joined, as you can accrue points for flights taken 12 months before joining.

How to Maximize Your Rewards

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Planning a trip? Check out these articles for more inspiration and advice: Find the best travel credit card for you Your guide to booking award flights on Southwest Airlines

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