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Southwest Rapid Rewards has made “keeping it simple” a core value — a key reason it's our top pick for the easiest frequent flyer program.
On balance, Southwest Rapid Rewards is an easy-to-use program that gives members various ways to earn and redeem points for Southwest flights while providing some quality benefits and policies that take the stress out of travel.
Simply, there's a lot to love.
Page Contents
- Why Southwest Airlines Deserves a Closer Look
- Rapid Rewards Points Are Easy To Earn
- Rapid Rewards Points Are Easy To Redeem
- Rapid Rewards Provide (Mostly) Consistent Value
- Earn Your Way up to Southwest’s Famous Companion Pass
- Extremely Friendly Award Change and Cancelation Policy
- Check Two Bags for Free
- Final Thoughts
Why Southwest Airlines Deserves a Closer Look
If you're looking for rewards that can take you to the opposite side of the world, Southwest isn't the best choice. But, if you're like most U.S. flyers (and AwardWallet members), most of your travel is within Southwest's route network.
Southwest serves 120+ destinations with a fleet of 800+ Boeing 737s. If the airline can't get you where you need to go, there's a high chance you can get pretty close.
And while you're flying (and even on the ground), you can earn Rapid Rewards points — Southwest's mileage currency. These points are great because they're easy to earn and redeem. Soon enough, you'll be on your next award flight.
If Southwest serves your home airport, the Rapid Rewards program can deliver excellent value. Here are six reasons why Southwest Rapid Rewards is the easiest loyalty program.
Rapid Rewards Points Are Easy To Earn
Southwest's Rapid Rewards program is great for accumulating a ton of points quickly and easily. The faster you earn points (and save yourself a major headache in the process), the sooner you can treat yourself to a vacation.
In addition to points earned from flying, members can take advantage of a full lineup of co-brand credit cards issued by Chase or transfer points from Ultimate Rewards. You can also buy Southwest points and earn extra points on hotels, car rentals, dining, and online shopping through Southwest's travel, dining, and shopping portals.
Southwest Rapid Rewards credit cards
There are five flavors of Southwest credit cards — three personal cards and two business cards. What makes these cards worth a look is that all points earned with them — including the signup bonus — count towards the Southwest Companion Pass. More on this later.
Here's a side-by-side comparison of Southwest's personal credit cards:
- 2X points per $1 spent on Southwest® purchases and Rapid Rewards® Hotel and Car Rental Partner purchases
- 2X points per $1 spent on local transit and commuting, including rideshare
- 2X points per $1 spent on internet, cable, phone services, and select streaming services
- 1X point per $1 spent on all other purchases
- 3X points per $1 spent on all Southwest® purchases
- 2X points per $1 spent on all Rapid Rewards® Hotel and Car Rental Partner purchases
- 2X points per $1 spent on local transit and commuting, including rideshare
- 2X points per $1 spent on internet, cable, phone services, and select streaming services
- 1X point per $1 spent on all other purchases
- 3X points per $1 spent on all Southwest® purchases
- 2X points per $1 spent on all Rapid Rewards® Hotel and Car Rental Partner purchases
- 2X points per $1 spent on local transit and commuting, including rideshare
- 2X points per $1 spent on internet, cable, phone services, and select streaming services
- 1X point per $1 spent on all other purchases
Or, if you run a small business, you'll likely find more utility with one of Southwest's business cards:
- 4X points per $1 spent on Southwest® purchases
- 3X points per $1 spent on Rapid Rewards® hotel and car partners
- 2X points per $1 spent on social media and search engine advertising, Internet, cable and phone services
- 2X points per $1 spent on rideshare
- 1X point per $1 spent on all other purchases
- 3X points per $1 spent on Southwest® purchases
- 2X points per $1 spent on Rapid Rewards® Hotel and Car Rental Partner purchases
- 2X points per $1 spent on local transit and communting, including rideshare
- 1X point per $1 spent on all other purchases
Southwest's co-branded credit cards are issued by Chase, which means they're subject to Chase's 5/24 policy. In addition, the personal Southwest cards have an additional restriction preventing you from holding more than one of them at a time. Plus, you can't receive a welcome bonus on a personal card if you've earned one on a Southwest card in the previous 24 months (but this doesn't apply to business cards).
Related: How To Choose the Right Southwest Airlines Credit Card
Transfer points from Chase Ultimate Rewards
The only transferable points that convert to Southwest Rapid Rewards are Chase Ultimate Rewards, which you can move at a 1:1 ratio.
If you have a card like the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card (Rates & Fees) or the premium Chase Sapphire Reserve® (Rates & Fees), you can effectively earn Southwest points at a much faster rate than using Rapid Rewards credit cards.
Earning Ultimate Rewards and transferring them to Southwest Rapid Rewards when you see a redemption you'd like to make is one of the best functionalities of transferable points. This way, you're not resigned to only earning Southwest points and can make a redemption through another program if something catches your eye.
Related: When Should You Transfer Chase Ultimate Rewards to Southwest?
Receive bonus points via Southwest hotel, rental car, and shopping portals
It's also possible to rack up a bunch of Southwest points by using the Rapid Rewards Shopping Portal, Rapid Rewards Hotel Portal, and Rapid Rewards Dining program. These points are in addition to those earned on your credit card.
The payoff from using a portal means added points on things you already buy or a bonus of a few thousand points when you book a hotel room. Portals present an easy way to earn towards your next reward flight.
Earn Rapid Rewards points by flying Southwest
Southwest has one of the easiest-to-understand earning structures of any frequent flyer program — issuing points based on the class of flight and your A-List status. Here's what you'll earn on your next Southwest flight:
| 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 |
| Wanna Get Away Plus (Choice) | 6 points per dollar | 7.5 pts per dollar | 12 pts per dollar |
| Anytime (Choice Preferred) | 10 points per dollar | 12.5 pts per dollar | 20 pts per dollar |
| Business Select (Choice Extra) | 14 points per dollar | 17.5 pts per dollar | 28 pts per dollar |
Compared to many other airline programs, the rates at which you'll earn Rapid Rewards points by flying Southwest are very lucrative. If you fly the airline frequently, your points will add up really fast.
Rapid Rewards Points Are Easy To Redeem
One of the most frustrating aspects of traditional frequent flyer programs is restricted award availability. Having a stash of miles but finding no flights to book with them is painfully annoying. Thankfully, you won't run into these issues with Southwest.
Southwest doesn't make a specific number of seats available for award redemptions or impose arbitrary blackout dates like other major U.S. carriers. Instead, if there's a seat available to purchase with cash, you can book it with Rapid Rewards points. It's as simple as that.
To showcase this, check out January 2024's award availability for flights between Seattle (SEA) and Chicago Midway (MDW). Look at all that availability!
The convenience of award availability alone makes award travel on Southwest super accessible for most people. After you build a stash of Rapid Rewards points, all that's left to do is find some dates that work for you and book your trip.
On top of that, Rapid Rewards points don't expire as long as your account remains open.
Rapid Rewards Provide (Mostly) Consistent Value
Southwest uses a nuanced version of dynamic award pricing, which helps deliver consistent value for its Rapid Rewards. As the cash price of tickets fluctuates up and down, so do award prices. But unlike United MileagePlus and Delta SkyMiles, which also use dynamic pricing, Southwest fixes the value of Rapid Rewards points within a narrow range.
This value is anywhere from 1.3¢–1.6¢ per point, depending on the circumstances.
It's hard to get outsized value from fixed value rewards points, so you'll get the most value on cheaper flights in cheaper fare classes. This way, you'll have points left over to put towards future vacations.
Mostly consistent value?
In late 2023, Southwest announced a devaluation of Rapid Rewards by 4% that took effect on January 1, 2024. While 4% seems like a nominal change, this is the second devaluation in a few years.
Now, the value of Rapid Rewards fluctuates between 1.25 and 1.54 cents per point.
Compared to the devaluations other loyalty programs have undergone, 4% is relatively small. While the devaluation still stings, knowing you can redeem points in a fixed range is still a net positive — and something many other airlines don't offer.
Earn Your Way up to Southwest’s Famous Companion Pass
Possibly the most sought-after money-saving perk in award travel, the Southwest Companion Pass allows you to take a “plus one” on any flight for just the taxes and fees.
You can earn the Companion Pass by flying at least 100 segments or earning 135,000 qualifying points in a calendar year. While this seems like a lot of flying and Rapid Rewards points (it is), earning the Companion Pass is surprisingly achievable if you commit the time and the resources to earning it.
If you make a purchase through Southwest's shopping portals or earn a welcome bonus on a co-branded credit card, those points count towards the Companion Pass-qualifying point requirement. With the right spending and strategy, one of the best industry-wide perks can be quickly within reach.
Related: Earn a Southwest Companion Pass Through 2026
Extremely Friendly Award Change and Cancelation Policy
Have you ever booked a flight far in advance, only to have your plans change? Lots of us have, and we've paid the fees to prove it.
While many U.S.-based airlines have relaxed their award change and cancelation policies, Southwest's policies are among the friendliest.
Rapid Rewards bookings are free to change or cancel. If you're making a change, you'll only pay the difference in price. And if you're changing to a cheaper flight, you'll get those points (or cash) back into your account.
Cancelations are painless if done at least 10 minutes before the flight's scheduled departure time. Even if you've checked in, Southwest has you covered.
The only caveat is for cancelations on Wanna Get Away or Wanna Get Away Plus tickets that occur in the 10-minute window before departure. On these hopefully rare occasions, you'll forfeit the points, taxes, and fees you've paid toward your award reservation.
If you cancel an Anytime or Business Select within 10 minutes of departure, you'll get your points back and have your taxes and fees converted into a flight credit.
Related: Airline Award Ticket Change and Cancellation Policies
Check Two Bags for Free
Most airlines in the U.S. have restrictive baggage policies that can cost you hundreds of dollars to check your bags. On Southwest, your first two checked bags fly free!
A family of four that takes three round trips per year with Southwest could easily save nearly $1,000 in baggage fees. That's not a small number. This also means you can skip the agonizing logistics of sharing a checked bag with a companion or trying to cram everything that doesn't fit in your first checked bag into a regulation carry-on.
Not having to jump through hoops with elite status or carrying the right credit card to save on bag fees is another major plus for Southwest.
Final Thoughts
If you're looking for a simple, easy-to-understand airline rewards program that offers consistently great value and a top return on your everyday spending, it's hard to look past Southwest Rapid Rewards.
With friendly policies, helpful perks, and an easy way to make redemptions, the Rapid Rewards program is worth taking full advantage of if you make Southwest your airline of choice.
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® Performance Business Credit Card (Rates & Fees), Southwest® Rapid Rewards® Premier Business Credit Card (Rates & Fees), Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card (Rates & Fees), and Chase Sapphire Reserve® (Rates & Fees)
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