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Offers for the Southwest Rapid Rewards® Premier Credit Card are not available through this site. Some offers may have expired. Please see our card marketplace for available offers
Over the last year, a lot has changed at Southwest — from the end of Bags Fly Free to ditching its open seating policy. The airline that set itself apart in a crowded U.S. market since its founding in 1971 is now opting to emulate what every other airline does.
Still, there's value in the Rapid Rewards program, particularly if you can earn the Southwest Companion Pass. If you're accumulating Rapid Rewards points, you might be wondering if they have a fixed lifespan or are at risk of expiring. Here's what to know.
Do Southwest Points Expire?
Southwest Rapid Rewards Points do not expire as long as your account remains open. Per the Southwest terms and conditions page:
“Points do not expire. Should a Member close its account, the points in the account will be terminated.”
Track your points and miles expiration for 630+ loyalty programs and get email alerts before your miles expire by signing up for a free AwardWallet account.
How You Can Earn Southwest Points
Since Southwest points don't expire, you can focus your efforts on building up a healthy Southwest points balance. You can earn Southwest Rapid Rewards points in the following ways:
- Fly with Southwest and include your Rapid Rewards number in your ticket/booking.
- Join Rapid Rewards Dining and use an enrolled card to earn points the next time you dine out.
- Click through the Rapid Rewards shopping portal to earn points for online purchases.
- Buy Southwest points.
- Stay with Southwest’s hotel partners and opt to earn Rapid Rewards points for your stay.
- Take Rewards for Opinions surveys.
- Share opinions through eRewards.
- Other obscure earning opportunities, such as purchasing wine from Laithwaiteswine.com.
Earning Southwest points through credit card spending
Since Southwest points don't expire, you can feel confident with a large points balance. One of the easiest ways to rack up a bunch of Southwest Rapid Rewards points is by snagging one of the following Southwest credit card offers:
- Southwest Rapid Rewards® Plus Credit Card (Rates & Fees): Earn Companion Pass through 2/28/27 and 20,000 bonus points after spending $3,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening.
- Southwest Rapid Rewards® Premier Credit Card : Earn Companion Pass through 2/28/27 and 30,000 bonus points after spending $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening.
- Southwest Rapid Rewards® Priority Credit Card (Rates & Fees): Earn Companion Pass through 2/28/27 and 40,000 bonus points after spending $5,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening.
- Southwest® Rapid Rewards® Premier Business Credit Card (Rates & Fees): Earn 60,000 points after you spend $3,000 on purchases in the first 3 months your account is open.
- Southwest® Rapid Rewards® Performance Business Credit Card (Rates & Fees): Earn 80,000 points after you spend $5,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening.
$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
$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
$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
With so many credit cards to choose from, we've got a dedicated article to help you decide which Southwest card is right for you.
Related: How much Southwest Rapid Rewards points are worth
Boosting your Southwest Rapid Rewards points balance
Ultimately, you still have options if you are a few points short of redemption. Southwest is a Chase Ultimate Rewards transfer partner, meaning you can transfer some Chase points to boost your balance.
Chase points transfer to Southwest at a 1:1 ratio in increments of 1,000 points. In addition, transfers are immediate, so there is minimal risk of your award being snapped up while you wait for the points to arrive in your Southwest account. And since Southwest points don't expire, it's not a big deal if you transfer points to Southwest and then need to cancel your award and redeposit your points.
You also have a few less-desirable transfer options that you can use to pad your Southwest account for your next flight redemption:
Related: Ultimate Guide to Earning A Southwest Companion Pass.
Tracking Your Points With AwardWallet
Unfortunately, Southwest is one of a few U.S. airlines that have prevented AwardWallet from tracking their customers' points. This was done back when Southwest points expired, but it's hard to understand why the airline continues to do this since it eliminated points expiration. Not allowing AwardWallet to track its points only serves to inconvenience travelers.
While this is frustrating, fortunately, there is a workaround allowing you to use AwardWallet to track your Southwest Rapid Rewards Mileage balance. You can check out our detailed post on how to track your points. It also includes how to track Delta and United miles.
Related: How to Earn and Maximize Southwest A-List and A-List Preferred Elite Status.
Bottom Line
Southwest has changed — and not always in ways longtime fans would have hoped. As the airline moves closer to a traditional legacy-carrier model, some of the simplicity and differentiation that once defined the brand have faded.
That said, one thing Southwest hasn't changed is its points expiration policy. Rapid Rewards points still don’t expire (at least for now). That makes it easier for travelers to build a meaningful balance over time. Pair that with instant point transfers from Chase and the continued outsized value of the Companion Pass, and there’s still plenty of reason to engage with the program.
Southwest may no longer feel special in every way it once did. But, as long as points never expire, Rapid Rewards remains one of the least stressful programs to earn and use.
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), and Southwest® Rapid Rewards® Performance Business Credit Card (Rates & Fees)
