When Should You Transfer Chase Ultimate Rewards to Southwest? When Should You Transfer Chase Ultimate Rewards to Southwest?

When Should You Transfer Chase Ultimate Rewards to Southwest?

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The Southwest Airlines Rapid Rewards program is a transfer partner of Chase Ultimate Rewards. If you've got an Ultimate Rewards-earning credit card — such as the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card (Rates & Fees), Chase Sapphire Reserve® (Rates & Fees), Sapphire Reserve for Business℠ (Rates & Fees) or the Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card (Rates & Fees), you can transfer the points you earn to Rapid Rewards at a 1:1 ratio in 1,000-point increments.

In this article, we'll explain the basics of redemptions with the Rapid Rewards program and share some insight on when it makes sense to initiate a transfer.

Southwest Rapid Rewards Is a Revenue-Based Program

Historically, airline loyalty programs adhered to either a region-based or distance-based award chart — or some combination of the two. In short, this is where you'll pay a set amount of miles based on the regions your travel includes or the distance of the flights you book.

With Southwest, you won't find any award charts. If a seat is for sale, you can redeem your Rapid Rewards points to pay for it. The cost of your award ticket correlates with the cash price for that seat. The higher the cash rate, the more points it'll cost you.

Passengers boarding a Southwest aircraft via stairs
Passengers boarding Southwest's unique Imua One Livery aircraft. Credit: Lucas Hoang/Unsplash

The value of Rapid Rewards points sits within a range. You'll get anywhere between 1.25 and 1.54 cents per point when you cash in for a flight. Unfortunately, you won't be able to redeem points for any better value than that. It's one of the drawbacks of fixed-value points currencies.

By extension, cheaper fares present more valuable redemptions. Generally, Wanna Get Away fares will offer you better value for your points than Business Select or Anytime fares. This is simply because they require fewer points. And there's not much of a benefit to redeeming more points for a more “premium” award fare. The added benefits aren't necessary if you're just trying to get from Point A to Point B.

Related: Southwest Airlines Cash + Points Feature: How It Works

When Should You Transfer Points From Chase Ultimate Rewards to Southwest?

We'll be clear: Southwest Airlines isn't Chase's most valuable transfer partner. On average, AwardWallet users redeem Rapid Rewards points for 1.52¢ apiece. This is good, but not great.

Other airline programs that Chase partners with — such as Air France–KLM Flying Blue (2.16¢ apiece) and Virgin Atlantic Flying Club (3.64¢ apiece) — offer a higher average redemption rate. It's worth noting that high-cost, low-points business class redemptions skew the cent-per-point numbers positively in these programs.

There's nothing wrong with transferring Chase points to Southwest. However, there are certain instances where it makes sense to transfer and others where you're better off paying for your Southwest flight with points through Chase's travel portal. This largely depends on what Chase card you have in your wallet and your travel goals.

Southwest 737 landing.
Credit: Forsaken Films/Unsplash

What are Chase points worth towards Chase TravelSM redemptions?

On redemptions through Chase Travel, your Ultimate Rewards' value varies by card. Here's a look at the value you'll get, broken down by Chase's currently available cards:

For most travelers, one simple question will help determine when (and when you shouldn't) transfer Ultimate Rewards points to Southwest: Will you redeem fewer points by transferring to Southwest than by paying with points through Chase Travel?

  • If yes, transfer Ultimate Rewards 1:1 to Rapid Rewards and book directly with Southwest.
  • If no, pay with points in the Chase Travel portal.

However, this can be complicated by factors such as point earnings on cash fares and whether or not you're seeking Southwest A-List elite status.

Real-life example

For example, here's a flight between Orlando (MCO) and Chicago (MDW). Should you transfer points to Southwest or book through Chase Travel?

Chase Travel Southwest fare from MCO to ORD
Credit: Chase

Through Chase Travel, the $102 Wanna Get Away fare requires the following number of Chase points — depending on the rate you get when redeeming through Chase Travel. For example, at the following redemption rates:

  • 1.5 cents per point = 6,800 Ultimate Rewards points
  • 1.25 cents per point = 8,160 Ultimate Rewards points
  • 1 cent per point = 10,200 Ultimate Rewards points

Alternatively, you can book the same flight directly with Southwest for 6,709 Rapid Rewards points.

Southwest itinerary from MCO to ORD
Credit: Southwest

Given that you can only transfer in 1,000-point increments, those with the Sapphire Reserve should book through Chase Travel, while those with other cards would be better off transferring Chase points to Southwest.

Why? Well, Sapphire Reserve would need to transfer 7,000 points to Southwest to book this flight vs. potentially paying just 6,800 points through the Chase Travel portal. Plus, booking this cash fare would earn 491 Rapid Rewards points, dropping your net redemption to around 6,300 points.

Chase Sapphire Reserve®
Chase Sapphire Reserve®
Annual Fee$795
Welcome Bonus Earn 100,000 bonus points + $500 Chase Travel℠ promo credit after you spend $5,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening.
Chase's flagship Ultimate Rewards card. You get a $300 travel credit, airport lounge access courtesy of a Priority Pass membership and industry-leading travel insurance benefits. New cardholders earn 100,000 bonus points + $500 Chase Travel℠ promo credit bonus points after you spend $5,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening.
  • Earn 100,000 bonus points + $500 Chase Travel℠ promo credit after you spend $5,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening.
  • Get more than $2,700 in annual value with Sapphire Reserve.
  • Earn 8x points on all purchases through Chase Travel℠, including The Edit℠ and 4x points on flights and hotels booked direct. Plus, earn 3x points on dining worldwide & 1x points on all other purchases
  • $300 annual travel credit as reimbursement for travel purchases charged to your card each account anniversary year.
  • Access over 1,300 airport lounges worldwide with a complimentary Priority Pass™ Select membership, plus every Chase Sapphire Lounge® by The Club with two guests. Plus, up to $120 towards Global Entry, NEXUS, or TSA PreCheck® every 4 years
  • Get up to $150 in statement credits every six months for a maximum of $300 annually for dining at restaurants that are part of Sapphire Reserve Exclusive Tables.
  • Count on Trip Cancellation/Interruption Insurance, Auto Rental Coverage, Lost Luggage Insurance, no foreign transaction fees, and more.
  • Get complimentary Apple TV+, the exclusive streaming home of Apple Originals. Plus Apple Music - all the music you love, across all your devices. Subscriptions run through 6/22/27 - a value of $250 annually
  • Member FDIC
  • Rates & Fees
  • 8x points on all purchases through Chase Travel℠
  • 4x points on flights and hotels booked directly
  • 3x points on dining worldwide
  • 1x points on all other purchases

However, purchasing the cash fare through the Chase Travel portal is much more costly for other Chase cardholders. Sapphire Preferred and Ink Preferred cardholders would need to redeem more points through the portal vs. transferring just 7,000 points to Southwest to book an award, and the 491 point earnings from booking the cash fare doesn't do much to close the gap.

How To Transfer Points From Chase to Southwest

Transferring points from Chase to Southwest is much easier than you’d think. Log in to the Chase Travel portal and choose “Transfer to Travel Partners.”

screenshot of options for what to do with points in the Chase travel portal, including indication of the option to transfer points to travel partners like Southwest Rapid Rewards
Credit: Chase

After you select Southwest, enter your Rapid Reward details. It’s important to note that you can only transfer points to yourself or one authorized user on your account.

screenshot of transfer page to send Chase Ultimate Rewards points to Southwest Rapid Rewards
Credit: Chase

Then, choose how many points you want to transfer — in increments of 1,000 Ultimate Rewards points.

screenshot of choosing to transfer 10,000 Chase points to Southwest
Credit: Chase

Finally, review your information and hit submit.

screenshot of confirmation page after sending Chase points to Southwest
Credit: Chase

Data points from AwardWallet users show that most transfers are instant. Also, it's important to know that your point transfers are final. Once you transfer the points, you cannot transfer them back to Ultimate Rewards. That means you shouldn't transfer until you have a redemption in mind and priced out!

Related: How To Transfer Chase Ultimate Rewards Points: A Step-By-Step Guide

Other Factors To Consider

Among the many reasons to love Southwest Airlines, we've found two that stand out. First, Southwest is the only U.S. commercial airline still offering free checked bags to all passengers (subject to weight and size limitations). In fact, you get two free checked bags per passenger!

Additionally, Southwest doesn't charge award change or cancellation fees. If you book a ticket using Rapid Rewards points and need to change or cancel your award, you can do so without penalty — redepositing your points for no additional charge.

Also, if you need to change your award, you can do so simply by paying the difference in the fare with your points. Even better, if you notice the fare drops before your fight, you can go to Southwest’s website and have the difference refunded to your Rapid Rewards balance.

Finally, it's also worth considering whether you can buy Southwest points at a reasonable rate before transferring Ultimate Rewards points to Southwest. Sometimes, this option may make more sense than transferring or booking through Chase Travel.

Bottom Line

If you want to book a Southwest flight with points but aren't sure whether you should transfer Chase points to Southwest or book through Chase Travel, look at the number of points required for either option.

Depending on the Chase card in your wallet, you may find better value in booking through Chase Travel — or by converting Ultimate Rewards points to Rapid Rewards points at a 1:1 ratio and booking through Southwest.

For rates and fees of the cards mentioned in this post, please visit the following links: Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card (Rates & Fees), Chase Sapphire Reserve® (Rates & Fees), Sapphire Reserve for Business℠ (Rates & Fees), Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card (Rates & Fees), Chase Freedom Unlimited® (Rates & Fees), Ink Business Cash® Credit Card (Rates & Fees), and Ink Business Unlimited® Credit Card (Rates & Fees)

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