The Complete Guide to Southwest Rapid Rewards
Southwest offers many opportunities to earn and redeem Rapid Rewards points. Plus, your points don't expire.
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Southwest Airlines' loyalty program is free to join — and you should, since it’s necessary if you want to earn Southwest points to use for future flights.
Southwest points never expire, and as the largest budget airline in the world, the airline can take you to over 100 destinations to visit when you redeem Rapid Rewards for free flights, including Hawaii, Mexico, the Caribbean and Central America.
Here’s what you need to know about Southwest Rapid Rewards.
Photo courtesy of Southwest.
Southwest Rapid Rewards sign-up
You’ll need to sign up for a Southwest Rapid Rewards account to earn Southwest points. It’s free to join and only takes a few minutes. You can register here.
How much are Southwest points worth?
Current Southwest rewards value
Based on our most recent analysis of actual award flight redemptions, NerdWallet values Southwest Rapid Rewards points at 1.3 cents apiece.
Previously, Southwest offered the same redemption value across all bookings. But in 2025, it implemented dynamic pricing for awards. This means it's possible to get more than 1.3 cents per point on certain routes — but in other cases, you might get less.
» Learn more: What is the value of Southwest Rapid Rewards points?
How to earn Southwest points
There are multiple ways to earn Southwest Rapid Rewards, including:
Flying on Southwest.
Spending on a Southwest credit card.
Transferring Chase Ultimate Rewards® or Diners Club Rewards to Southwest.
Making purchases with non-airline partners.
Having multiple ways to earn Southwest rewards make it relatively easy to grow your rewards account for future redemptions.
» Learn more: Ways to earn Southwest points
Earning Southwest Rapid Rewards points when you fly
The number of points you earn for a flight depends on the price of the ticket, the fare class of your Southwest ticket and your status level within the Rapid Rewards program.
Southwest fare type | Benefits |
|---|---|
Basic (formerly Wanna Get Away). |
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Choice (formerly Wanna Get Away Plus). |
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Choice Preferred (formerly Anytime). |
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Choice Extra (formerly Business select). |
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Earning Rapid Rewards points with a Southwest credit card
The fastest way to stack Southwest Rapid Rewards points is by earning the welcome offer on a Southwest credit card. You’ll also earn bonus rewards on purchases with Southwest and in other bonus categories depending on the card you have.
Points earned from the welcome bonus on a Southwest credit card can help you qualify for a Companion Pass, which requires earning 135,000 qualifying points in a calendar year (sign-up bonuses and points earned from credit card spend count). Once those requirements are met, you’ll earn a free Companion Pass (plus taxes and fees) for the rest of that year and the entire following calendar year.
Chase issues three consumer credit cards and two small-business Southwest credit cards, including:
$229.
$149.
$99.
• 4 points per $1 on Southwest purchases.
• 2 points per $1 at gas stations and restaurants.
• 1 point per $1 on all other purchases.
• 3 points per $1 on Southwest purchases.
• 2 points per $1 at restaurants and grocery stores on the first $8,000 in combined purchases per anniversary year.
• 1 point per $1 on all other purchases.
• 2 points per $1 at gas stations and grocery stores on the first $5,000 in combined purchases per anniversary year.
• 1 point per $1 on all other purchases.
• When available, Standard or Preferred seat selection within 48 hours prior to departure for the cardholder and up to eight passengers on the same reservation for flights operating in 2026.
• Free checked bag for cardholder and up to eight additional passengers on the same reservation.
• 7,500-point anniversary bonus each year.
• 25% back on in-flight purchases.
• 2,500 TQPs toward A-List status for every $5,000 you spend.
• When available, Standard or Preferred seat selection within 48 hours prior to departure for the cardholder and up to eight passengers on the same reservation for flights operating in 2026.
• Free checked bag for cardholder and up to eight additional passengers on the same reservation.
• 6,000-point anniversary bonus each year.
• 25% back on in-flight purchases.
• 1,500 TQPs toward A-List status for every $5,000 you spend.
• When available, standard seat selection within 48 hours prior to departure for the cardholder and up to eight passengers on the same reservation for flights operating in 2026.
• Free checked bag for cardholder and up to eight additional passengers on the same reservation.
• 3,000-point anniversary bonus each year.
• 25% back on in-flight purchases.
If you own a business, you may qualify for a Southwest business credit card, which can sometimes be even more rewarding than a consumer credit card.
on Chase's website
on Chase's website
$149.
$299.
Note that all Southwest credit cards are issued by Chase and are subject to Chase’s 5/24 rule, where you won’t be approved for a new Chase credit card if you’ve been approved for five or more cards in the past twenty-four months.
Before you jump in, here are the things to know before getting a Southwest card.
Save a note in your phone showing which credit cards earn bonus points in specific categories, so you can maximize the number of points you earn from everyday purchases. And spend only what you can afford to pay back each month.
» Learn more: What is the best Southwest credit card offer?
Transferring credit card points to Southwest Airlines points
Points from two credit card rewards programs can transfer to Southwest Airlines points: Chase Ultimate Rewards® and Diners Club Rewards. That partnership allows you to transfer rewards earned in those programs to Southwest Airlines pointsRapid Rewards at the following ratio:
Chase Ultimate Rewards® transfer to Rapid Rewards at a 1:1 ratio (1,000 Chase UR = 1,000 Rapid Rewards). You must transfer a minimum of 1,000 points.
Diners Club Rewards transfer at a 1.5:1.2 ratio (1,000 Diner Club Rewards = 800 Rapid Rewards).
Transfers from Chase and Diners Club are usually instantaneous, though Chase says they can take up to one week to process.
Earning Rapid Rewards through non-airline partners
Southwest doesn’t have airline partners, so you can’t earn Rapid Rewards by flying with another brand like United or Delta. However, you can earn Rapid Rewards points by making purchases at partner stores, restaurants, hotels and car rental agencies.
Hotels: You can earn Rapid Rewards points by staying at partner hotel chains, including Hyatt and Marriott. Terms and conditions and earnings rates vary based on brand. See partner hotels here.
Car rentals: Southwest partners with a handful of car rental companies. Terms and conditions and earnings rates vary based on brand. See partner car rental agencies here.
Shopping and dining: Earn points at more than 800 retailers when you shop through the Southwest Rapid Rewards Shopping portal. Meanwhile, the Southwest Rapid Rewards Dining program allows you to earn up to 3 points per $1 spent at participating restaurants, plus bonus points for submitting restaurant reviews.
Switching electricity providers: Members in some states can also earn a sign-up bonus and ongoing bonuses when they switch their power service to NRG Home or Reliant. Check the Rapid Rewards website to see if your home is eligible.
Taking surveys: Participate in market research and earn points when you share your opinion via the e-Rewards and Rewards For Opinions platforms.
You can also transfer points from partner rental car and hotel loyalty programs to Rapid Rewards. The exchange rate is generally pretty bad, so we don't often recommend this. However, it could be a way to top off your account balance for an upcoming redemption.
Buying Southwest Rapid Rewards points
Generally, you can buy Rapid Rewards points at a rate of 2.75 to 3 cents each, but buying points at these prices is usually a bad deal. You'd be hard-pressed to redeem these points for 3 cents apiece.
That being said, buying Southwest points can still make sense in a few scenarios, like:
When you're traveling with the Southwest Companion Pass. When you hold the Companion Pass, your designated companion can travel for free whenever you fly. This effectively doubles the value of your points, which makes it more attractive to buy Southwest points when you can buy them at a good price.
During a bonus points promotion. Southwest holds regular bonus promotions where you will receive extra points on your purchase. These promotions can substantially increase the number of points you receive, which reduces the overall cost per point.
When you don’t have Chase Ultimate Rewards® or Marriott points. Southwest is a transfer partner of both of these programs (more on this below).
» Learn more: When it makes sense to buy airline miles
Transferring Southwest points to another person
You can transfer Rapid Rewards points from your account to another member’s account. But we don’t recommend this, as Southwest charges a hefty fee that amounts to $5 for every 500 points transferred.
A better option would be to book a reservation for someone else using your account and having them reimburse you.
Southwest Companion Pass
The Southwest Companion Pass is effectively a buy-one-get-one deal on your Southwest flight. Every time you buy a ticket or redeem points for a free flight, you can choose a companion to fly with you for free (plus the cost of taxes and fees). There is no limit to the number of flights you can bring a companion, making it among the most valuable benefits of its kind.
To qualify for a Southwest Companion Pass, you'll need to do one of the following:
Fly 100 qualifying one-way flights in a calendar year.
Earn 135,000 Rapid Rewards points in a calendar year. Qualifying points include those that you earn through revenue flights booked via Southwest; those that you earn on Southwest credit cards; and base points you earn from Rapid Rewards partners.
If you meet either of those criteria, you'll earn the Companion Pass for the rest of the year in which you qualified and the following calendar year. So if you earn the Companion Pass in, say, July 2025, it will be valid through the end of December 2026. You'll need to re-qualify every year to hold on to your status.
The quickest way to amass a pile of points is by earning the sign-up bonus on a Southwest-branded card.
If you can time it so you qualify for the pass in January, you'll essentially be getting two-for-one tickets for nearly two years. That could add up to some serious savings.
» Learn more: Things to know before flying Southwest
Do Southwest points expire?
No, Southwest Rapid Rewards points don’t expire, which is especially helpful for travelers who don’t fly Southwest often. However, if you close your Southwest account, you will lose your points.
How to maximize your rewards
You want a travel credit card that prioritizes what’s important to you. Here are some of the best travel credit cards of 2025:
Flexibility, point transfers and a large bonus: Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card
No annual fee: Wells Fargo Autograph® Card
Flat-rate travel rewards: Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card
Bonus travel rewards and high-end perks: Chase Sapphire Reserve®
Luxury perks: The Platinum Card® from American Express
Business travelers: Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card
1x-5x
Points75,000
Points
1.5%-5%
Cashback$200
2x-5x
Miles75,000
Miles