Southwest Airlines has built an excellent reputation for its low air fare prices. For anyone considering making a domestic or international trip any time soon, enrolling in the Southwest Airlines Rapid Rewards program is a wonderful option.
Anyone can join this program, free of charge. By signing up, you earn points for every airline trip you take. These points will never expire. This means that even if you fly every once in a while, you can accumulate enough points to make it worth your while soon enough.
About the Southwest Airlines Rapid Rewards Program
Based on the numbers of passengers served in the United States, Southwest Airlines is associated as a low-cost carrier. In 2018 alone, Southwest Airlines served more than 160 million passengers, outranking other prominent U.S. airline carriers such as, United Airlines, Delta Airlines, and American Airlines.
The Dallas-based carrier also reaches nearly 100 destinations across the world, from the United States to the Carribean with a preeminent collection of Boeing 737s. Since the airline has destinations in Dallas, Denver, Chicago, Los Angeles, and Baltimore, it’s very simple for any passenger to earn reward points by traveling to any major U.S. city.
The Southwest Airlines Rapid Rewards Program is beneficial for all kinds of passengers, especially with its customer-friendly policies. For example, all passengers can receive two free checked bags on every flight up to 50 pounds.
If you choose to fly with your family or with a friend, you could earn the Companion Pass, where you can buy one and one ticket for free in addition to fees and taxes. There are also no change fees with this program. This is an ideal benefit for people who desire flexibility in changing their flights at a moment’s notice.
How Much are Southwest Airlines Rapid Rewards Points Worth?
Reward points from the Southwest Airlines Rapid Rewards program are worth about 1.6 cents each. To arrive at this figure, we compared rewards points and cash prices for round trip destinations across numerous dates and destinations.
Next, we divided the price of the reward ticket by the price of the cash ticket to determine the individual value of the rewards points for this program. Finally, we averaged this amount across different flights and times.
However, it’s important to remember that this value is simply a baseline and not a maximum amount. Therefore, passengers can expect to earn 1.6 cents for every rewards point they receive or more.
If you’re strongly considering enrolling in this program, you should first determine the value for the number of miles you expect to take on your trip. To accomplish this, you’ll need to divide the monetary value of your ticket (minus any fees and taxes) by the number of miles for the trip.
So, if your ticket were to cost $90 ($11 in taxes) for 14,000 miles, here is how the math would appear:
($90 – $11) / 14,000 = 0.0056 or $0.56 cent per mile
How to Buy Southwest Airlines Rapid Rewards
The Southwest Airlines Rapid Rewards program is different from many traditional programs because it values rewards points instead of traveled miles. Passengers can earn rewards points in the following ways:
● By flying on a Southwest Airlines flight
● By dining and shopping with partners of Southwest Airlines
● By using the Southwest Airlines credit card
It’s also worth mentioning that Southwest Airlines is partnered with the Chase Ultimate Rewards program. Again, these rewards points will never expire. If you were to close your account, however, the points will be nullified.
Earn Rewards Points During a Flight
The number of points you can receive usually depends on the cost of your airline ticket, your status in the program, and the kind of fare you purchase. The table below will break down the rewards points you can receive for each type of flight:
- Wanna Get Away:6
- Anytime: 10
- Business Select:12
- Wanna Get Away:7.5
- Anytime: 12.5
- Business Select:15
- Wanna Get Away:12
- Anytime: 20
- Business Select:24
● Wanna Get Away: This is the cheapest type of fare Southwest Airlines offers in this program. There aren’t any additional benefits for passengers with this status. Typically, you can earn 6 points for every $1 you spend.
● Anytime: This type of fare is generally very flexible, especially for people who can cancel a flight at a moment’s notice. When a flight is canceled, the original amount can be allocated to another flight for up to 12 months or refunded. Passengers can also earn 10 points per $1 spent.
● Business Select: Business Select is the most expensive fare in this program, but it provides a luxurious experience for passengers. While offering the same flexibility advantages as Anytime fares, Business Select allows travelers to become one of the first people to board the plane and receive a complimentary drink of their choosing. These customers can earn 12 points per $1 spent.
Before flying, you should know that Southwest Airlines isn’t partnered with any other airline. Therefore, you won’t be able to earn rewards points by boarding a flight with another airline provider.
Nonetheless, you can still use your rewards points to travel to Hawaii and other countries around the world, purchase rental cars, cruises, and book hotels. It’s not recommended to consider these options due to the low redemption value.
Receiving Rewards Points With a Credit Card
Southwest Airlines offers two business cards and three consumer credit cards issued by Chase Bank. The Southwest Rapid Rewards® Premier Credit Card is the most ideal option for consumers.
Using this credit card will help you earn 2 points per every $1 spent with airline, hotel, and car rental partners. When you use this option, you can begin substantial progress toward receiving the Southwest Companion Pass.
When you sign up, you can earn approximately 40,000 points after spending $1,000 in airline related purchases within at least three months. You can triple these points by purchasing eligible delivery services in the first year of enrolling. Passengers will have to pay an $99 annual fee to take advantage of these benefits.
Receiving Rewards Points Via Partners
Travelers can earn rewards points through specified partners, which include:
● Hotels: You can earn rewards points depending on the hotel you’re staying in. Typically, you’ll receive 1 point for $1 spent.
● Marathon Gas Stations: Southwest Airlines is partnered with Marathon. Passengers can earn 1 point for every gallon of gas they purchase from Marathon gas stations.
● Shopping & Dining: You can earn rewards points at more than 800 retail franchises across the world. You can earn 3 points for $1 spent at restaurants, and even more when you leave a review.
● Transportation: Car rentals through partner agencies can also help you earn
rewards points.
Gift Southwest Airlines Rapid Rewards Today!
Overall, the Southwest Airlines Rapid Rewards program is ideal for anyone. Whether you plan to fly consistently or every once in a while, you can redeem enough points to take advantage of numerous airline benefits.
Accumulating rewards points can happen whenever you decide to fly, dine, or stay at a hotel. Therefore, enrolling into this program is an excellent way to achieve luxury the next time you buy a plane ticket.
