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Offers for the Southwest
Travelers have tons of ways to earn Southwest Rapid Rewards points — from flying to credit card spend to shopping and dining out. Whether you want to book award flights, earn Southwest status, or earn the coveted Southwest Companion Pass, this guide covers all the ways to build your points balance.
Editor's note: Southwest Rapid Rewards is undergoing significant changes on January 1, 2027, including updates to earning rates, elite status, and Companion Pass qualification. This guide reflects the current program rules. We'll update it as the changes take effect.
Earn Rapid Rewards Points by Flying Southwest
Perhaps the most obvious way to earn Southwest points is by flying with the airline. When you fly a Southwest itinerary booked with cash (or via the Chase Travel℠ Portal), you can credit the flight to your Rapid Rewards account to earn redeemable and A-List qualifying points. The number of points earned depends on the base fare, fare type, and your elite status.
The four fare types from cheapest to most expensive are Basic, Choice, Choice Preferred, and Choice Extra. Here are the Rapid Rewards-earning rates for each after the latest changes:
| Southwest Point Earnings by Fare Class | Rapid Rewards Member | A-List | A-List Preferred |
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic | 2 points per dollar | 2.5 pts per dollar | 4 pts per dollar |
| Choice | 6 points per dollar | 7.5 pts per dollar | 12 pts per dollar |
| Choice Preferred | 10 points per dollar | 12.5 pts per dollar | 20 pts per dollar |
| Choice Extra | 14 points per dollar | 17.5 pts per dollar | 28 pts per dollar |
Likewise, the higher your status, the more points you earn per dollar spent. That means that the highest earning rate goes to A-List Preferred members booking Choice Extra fares. For example, a Choice Extra ticket with a $300 base fare would net an A-List Preferred member 8,400 Rapid Rewards points.
Other than the point-earning rate, the differences between the fares include increased ticket flexibility, boarding priority, included checked bags, and free drink vouchers.
You can also earn Rapid Rewards points on Southwest-operated flights booked through participating international airline partners, including Icelandair. These flights earn 500 to 1,500 points per segment based on distance flown, provided you add your Rapid Rewards number to the reservation. Flights operated by the partner airline itself don't earn Southwest points.
Earn Southwest Points With Credit Cards
Whether you earn points directly with a Southwest co-branded credit card or with another bank that can transfer to Southwest, this can be the best way to earn a ton of Southwest points.
Southwest Rapid Rewards credit cards
The easiest, and arguably best, way to earn Rapid Rewards points is with a Southwest credit card. Southwest offers three personal and two business credit cards, all issued by Chase. Each offers different perks and benefits. Annual fees for the personal cards range from $99 to $229.
$99Rates & Fees
- 2X points per $1 spent on Southwest® purchases
- 2 points for every $1 you spend at gas stations and grocery stores on the first $5,000 in combined purchases per anniversary year
- 1X point per $1 spent on all other purchases
$149
- 3X points per $1 spent on all Southwest® purchases
- 2X points per $1 spent at grocery stores and restaurants on the first $8,000 in combined purchases per anniversary year
- 1X point per $1 spent on all other purchases
$229Rates & Fees
- 4X points per $1 spent on all Southwest® purchases
- 2X points per $1 spent at gas stations and restaurants
- 1X point per $1 spent on all other purchases
The two business cards have annual fees of $149 and $299. One excellent perk offered by the Southwest® Rapid Rewards® Performance Business Credit Card is complimentary Preferred seat selection at booking, subject to availability.
$149Rates & Fees
- 3X points per $1 spent on Southwest® purchases
- 2X points per $1 spent at gas stations and restaurants on the first $8,000 in combined purchases per year
- 1X point per $1 spent on all other purchases
$299Rates & Fees
- 4X points per $1 spent on Southwest® purchases
- 2X points per $1 spent at gas stations and restaurants
- 2X points per $1 on hotel accommodations booked directly with the hotel
- 2X points per $1 spent on rideshare
- 1X point per $1 spent on all other purchases
The introduction of bag fees, seat selection fees, and a new boarding process makes having a Southwest credit card more relevant than ever. Cardholders can earn 2X–4X points when using a Southwest credit card for its own flights — on top of the points earned based on fare as explained above.
Beyond everyday spending and welcome bonuses, existing Southwest credit cardholders can earn additional Rapid Rewards points by referring friends who are approved for a card through Chase's Refer-A-Friend program.
All these earning opportunities can help you build a substantial Rapid Rewards balance and qualify for the coveted Southwest Companion Pass.
Southwest debit card
Southwest also offers a debit card. The earn rates are not as lucrative as the credit cards, but this can be a nice alternative for someone who doesn't want or can't get a credit card. There may also be an instance, like paying college tuition, where using a debit card can avoid a costly transaction fee.
The Southwest debit card earns 1 point per $1 spent on eligible Southwest purchases, dining, and subscriptions, plus 1 point per $2 on other qualifying purchases. It also comes with a 2,500-point welcome offer and the chance to earn up to 7,500 bonus points based on annual spending. Just keep in mind that there's a $6.99 monthly fee unless you maintain an average monthly balance of at least $2,500.
Transfer from Chase Ultimate Rewards
In addition to co-branded cards, Southwest partners with two potentially worthwhile transfer partners: Chase Ultimate Rewards and Bilt
Related: When Should You Transfer Chase Ultimate Rewards to Southwest?
Remember, holding a combination of Chase or Bilt cards can be even better for earning Rapid Rewards points over the long term than holding Southwest co-branded cards. Cards like the Chase Freedom Unlimited® (Rates & Fees) will earn points at a far superior rate on everyday spending. When paired with an Ultimate Rewards-earning card, you can transfer the points needed for your flight.
Likewise, holding the Bilt Palladium Card will give you 2X points on all spend, besting the non-bonus earnings on the Southwest cards.
The downside when transferring points to Southwest is that they don't count toward the Companion Pass. Keep that in mind if earning one is a priority for you.
Southwest also partners with a few other transfer partners with ratios not worth considering unless you're desperate to top off your account:
Earn Southwest Points Through Shopping and Dining
Another great way to earn Rapid Rewards points while doing your everyday shopping is through shopping and dining portals. These can be easy points in addition to what is earned on the credit card that you use for purchases.
Rapid Rewards Shopping
The Rapid Rewards Shopping Portal lets you earn bonus points at over 1,100 online retailers. Simply click through the portal before making a qualifying purchase. You can also compare earning rates across shopping portals using an aggregator like cashbackmonitor.com.
Depending on the store, you can earn anywhere between 1 and 20 points per dollar spent. Plus, certain stores offer special bonuses for meeting specific criteria, including bonuses as high as 20,800 points!
Points earned via the Rapid Rewards Shopping Portal count toward Companion Pass qualification. It's also worth noting that the Rapid Rewards Shopping portal regularly offers bonuses for certain spending activities.
Rapid Rewards Dining
Southwest's Rapid Rewards Dining program is very simple yet effective. First, register your Rapid Rewards account and link a payment card to start earning points at participating restaurants. You'll earn 3 points per dollar if you opt in to promotional emails or 1 point per $2 if you don't.
Occasionally, Rapid Rewards Dining will offer bonus points to new members and bonus points as an incentive once you hit certain earning thresholds.
You can stack these earnings with rewards from your credit card. For example, using the Southwest Priority Card lets you earn additional points on dining purchases. Plus, points earned via Rapid Rewards dining count toward Companion Pass qualification.
Earn Southwest Points With Travel Partners
Southwest Hotels and hotel partners
Southwest has its own hotel booking portal, powered by Rocket Travel. Southwest Hotels allows Rapid Rewards members to earn bonus points for booking a room via the portal. You can book hotels all over the world, not just in destinations served by Southwest Airlines.
As you can see above, some properties offer more points than others. Moreover, Southwest typically gives you the option to pay a premium for more bonus points when selecting your room. You'll always earn at least one point per dollar spent.
The best part? Points earned through Southwest Hotels count toward Companion Pass qualification.
In addition to its own hotel portal, Southwest also partners with five other hotel
| Hotel Partner | Earn Points | Transfer Points |
|---|---|---|
| Hyatt | 600 RR points per stay | 5,000 Hyatt points -> 2,400 RR points or 50,000 Hyatt points -> 30,000 RR points |
| Best Western | Varies | 5,000 Best Western Rewards -> 1,200 RR points |
| Radisson | N/A | 10:1 ratio (100,000 Radisson points = 10,000 RR points) |
| Choice Hotels | N/A | 6,000 Choice points -> 1,800 RR points |
| Marriott | 600 RR points per stay | 3:1 ratio, plus a 5,000 point bonus for every 60,000 Marriott points transferred |
| MGM Resorts | 600 RR points per stay | N/A |
Unfortunately, none of these earning or transfer rates are incredibly lucrative. Unlike points earned from the Southwest Hotels portal, points transferred from hotel partners do not count toward Companion Pass qualification. Therefore, unless you have zero interest in points with certain hotel brands, you're better off earning hotel points and transferring to Southwest only as a last resort.
Rental cars
Southwest's car rental partners function much like its hotel partners. As of this writing, Southwest members can earn 600 Rapid Rewards points per qualifying rental with any of these partners, although promotional offers may provide opportunities to earn more.
Typically, these bonus points are earned by including your Southwest Rapid Rewards number when booking directly through a car rental company. You don't need to go through a specific rental portal. With that said, each partner has unique terms and conditions, including frequent-flyer surcharges and consecutive rental policies. Make sure you check these out before you make a reservation.
Vacation packages
Aside from booking flights, hotels, or car rentals separately, Southwest also offers the chance to bundle those bookings and earn more points. Getaways by Southwest allows you to package two or more aspects of your travel to save money and earn points. This can be handy and possibly cost-effective in popular vacation destinations.
The bonus points earned with a Getaways package are split amongst all the Rapid Rewards members traveling on the reservation.
Other Ways To Earn Southwest Rapid Rewards Points
There are several other ways to earn Rapid Rewards points that may be less known or targeted.
Southwest promos
Southwest does a great job of engaging Rapid Rewards members with regular promotional offerings. These make it even easier for
- Bonus Southwest Points on credit card spending
- Bonus Southwest Points in select categories
- Double Companion Pass Qualifying points in select categories
It's not uncommon for the airline to offer multiple promos at the same time. If you want to stay up to date with Southwest promos, check out our regularly updated post covering
Energy partners
If you live in an eligible state and can switch your energy provider to NRG or Reliant, Southwest offers the following incentives:
- After two months as an active NRG Home customer, members will earn 10,000 enrollment bonus points
- Switch to Reliant on the Reliant Secure 24 plan with Rapid Rewards and earn 15,000 enrollment bonus Rapid Rewards points after signup and 500 additional points each month for the next 24 months.
Emergency Assistance Plus
Southwest Rapid Rewards members can earn 1,500 points for enrolling in Emergency Assistance Plus (EA+), a travel assistance membership, and another 1,500 points for each annual renewal. Certain membership upgrades also earn bonus points.
These points do not count toward Companion Pass or elite status qualification.
Rewards for opinions
If you sign up for Southwest opinions and complete your first survey within three months of enrolling, you receive 500 Rapid Rewards bonus points.
Southwest also partners with e-Rewards, allowing members to exchange rewards earned from participating in surveys for Rapid Rewards points.
How To Maximize Your Southwest Rapid Rewards Earnings
The best way to earn Southwest points depends on your travel habits. Frequent Southwest flyers can build their balances through paid flights, especially with elite status and higher fare types. For everyone else, credit card welcome bonuses and everyday spending can offer the fastest path to a substantial balance.
Southwest credit cards are particularly useful for their travel perks and Companion Pass qualification, while Chase Ultimate Rewards and Bilt Rewards cards can offer better earning potential on everyday purchases.
Shopping, dining, and travel partners provide additional opportunities to boost your balance.
Bottom Line
Southwest has undergone several changes of late, but there are still many reasons to love the airline. Southwest has an extensive route network in the U.S., and award seats are always bookable as long as there is an available seat on the plane.
That makes Rapid Rewards points a useful currency for booking award flights, especially since there are so many ways to earn them. With a little planning, your next Southwest redemption could be closer than you think.
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For rates and fees of the cards mentioned in this post, please visit the following links: Southwest Rapid Rewards® Plus Credit Card (Rates & Fees), Southwest Rapid Rewards® Priority Credit Card (Rates & Fees), Southwest® Rapid Rewards® Premier Business Credit Card (Rates & Fees), Southwest® Rapid Rewards® Performance Business Credit Card (Rates & Fees), and Chase Freedom Unlimited® (Rates & Fees)
