How Can I Book a Flight with Southwest Airlines using my American Express Points?

Q: I want to use my American Express points to book a flight with Southwest Airlines. How can I do this?
A: Southwest Airlines uses a slightly different online booking system than other airlines. For this reason, you can’t book a flight with Southwest Airlines online if you want to use American Express Points. However, you can call Southwest Airlines Customer Service at 1-800-435-9792. A customer service representative (CSR) will be able to help you. Simply tell the CSR you are using American Express Points to pay for your flight.
While you cannot complete the booking process online, you can go to and view the available flight times and prices. If you find one that suits your needs, go ahead and write down or print out all the information.
That way, when you talk to the CSR, you can give the information, and won’t have to wait for the CSR to call out flight times. This will save you time. If the flight isn’t available, the CSR will help you find one that is similar to it.
Again, remember to tell the CSR that you are using American Express Points. This will assure you that you are getting the best airline fare using the least amount of points. This way, you will have some points left over to use in other ways.
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