Travel Advertiser Disclosure. The best ways to earn and use Rapid Rewards points. Published: October 20, Author: Robin Ratcliff. Author: Katherine Fan. Editor: Rebekah Hovey. Reviewer: Cathleen McCarthy.
Our guide gives you a complete overview of the Southwest Rapid Rewards program: how to earn and redeem points, book a flight, gain elite status and more. Filed Under:. The content on this page is accurate as of the posting date; however, some of our partner offers may have expired. Terms apply to the offers listed on this page. For flyers weary of the hassles and hidden fees often associated with air travel, Southwest Airlines is a welcome alternative.
With affordable fares and customer-friendly policies like free checked bags and open seating — not to mention the opportunity to snag its coveted Companion Pass — Southwest is consistently ranked as one of the most popular airlines in America. The Southwest Airlines Rapid Rewards loyalty program is one of the easiest frequent-flyer programs to navigate.
It lets you earn points on flights, purchases with its hotel and car-rental partners, everyday spending and more, which you can redeem for a variety of awards, including Southwest airfare which is by far your best redemption option, but more on that later. Although your flight options with the Rapid Rewards program are limited mainly to domestic travel Southwest serves only 10 countries outside of the U.
Plus, Southwest booking policies are very flexible, allowing you to change and even cancel your ticket at the very last minute for free — and with a full refund of your points. One of the best ways to accumulate points and miles for free Southwest travel is with a Rapid Rewards credit card.
All of them come with generous sign-up offers and anniversary bonuses that can quickly put you on the path toward qualifying for the Companion Pass — which lets you bring one lucky friend or family member on every Southwest flight you take for up to two years, depending on the time of year you earn it.
See related : What is the best airline credit card. Check out our list to see which options best fit your lifestyle. However, one of the fastest ways to do just that is to qualify for a Southwest card sign-up bonus, which you do by spending a certain amount of money within a designated time period:. Since Rapid Rewards points are valued at about 1. Learn more More things to know:. Earn points through everyday spending You can accrue additional points through everyday spending on the Southwest credit cards.
Every dollar you spend with Southwest Airlines or its partners earns you 2 to 4 points depending on which card you have , plus 2X points on local transit and commuting including rideshare and 2X points on internet, cable, phone services and select streaming with the personal cards. You might be surprised to find there are other credit cards that allow you to earn rewards that can be converted to Rapid Rewards points.
Chase Ultimate Rewards points can be transferred to dozens of travel, entertainment and dining partners. One of those partners is Southwest Airlines, which allows instantaneous point transfers in increments of 1, points at a ratio. Each of the following cards comes with a generous sign-up bonus that can amount to hundreds of dollars in Southwest travel:.
The Rapid Rewards Shopping portal is an online gateway that offers higher points earnings on purchases from Southwest partner retailers. Similar to its shopping portal, Southwest offers bonus points for dining with participating restaurants, bars and clubs through its Rapid Rewards Dining program.
However, Southwest has two additional fare classes: Anytime and Business Select. In addition to some added perks, Anytime fares earn 10 points per dollar spent, and Business Select earns 12 points. In some cases, it could make sense to buy the pricier ticket to earn some extra points quickly.
If you manage to find a fare where the cost difference among the three classes is minimal, it might be a good value to spend the few extra dollars to buy that higher-fare ticket and earn up to twice as many points.
And if you buy a Business Select ticket, it comes with priority boarding and a free premium drink to boot. Southwest partners with eight different rental-car partners with a global presence:. Make sure you get credit for your car rentals by booking through the Southwest portal. Earnings rates will vary depending on the partner, but all qualified rentals will earn you Rapid Rewards points that get you closer to your next bucket-list trip.
Remember that these rentals also earn 2 points per dollar when you pay for them with a Southwest credit card. Earnings will vary. Terms apply to the offers listed on this page. At Bankrate, we have a mission to demystify the credit cards industry — regardless or where you are in your journey — and make it one you can navigate with confidence. Our team is full of a diverse range of experts from credit card pros to data analysts and, most importantly, people who shop for credit cards just like you.
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Southwest Airlines has been a longtime favorite of travelers heading to destinations in the U. The airline has affordable flights, flexible booking options and minimal fees.
Rapid Rewards is a free loyalty program that allows customers to earn points by purchasing Southwest flights, making purchases with a partner or spending on a Southwest credit card. You can use points on travel expenses with Southwest or one of its partners. As you can see from the table below, the exact value might fluctuate slightly depending on the details of your flight.
Both are excellent ways to earn and double-dip points earning, especially if that's spending you're doing anyway. Gas at Marathon gas stations: Rapid Rewards members can earn 1 point for every gallon of Marathon fuel they purchase, plus additional points on select in-store purchases and other specified achievements through the MakeItCount program. To earn, members must sign up ahead of time and select Rapid Rewards as their earning partner.
Switching electricity providers: Members in some states can also earn a sign-up bonus and ongoing bonuses when they switch their power service to NRG Home or Reliant. Check the Rapid Rewards website to see if your home is eligible. Taking surveys: Participate in market research and earn points when you share your opinion via the e-Rewards and e-Miles platforms. Generally, you can buy Rapid Rewards points at a rate of 2. NerdWallet values Rapid Rewards points at an average of 1.
You must transfer a minimum of 1, points. You can also transfer points from rental car and hotel programs to Rapid Rewards, though — unless you don't anticipate using those points in their original form — the exchange rate is pretty bad, so we don't typically recommend this. To book flights on Southwest, go to the booking tool on Southwest's website, enter your travel information and choose the option to see the fare in points rather than dollars.
If any fare classes are sold out for a given flight, that will be indicated in the results. While all fare options are available, prices in points are directly tied to their cash price. But if you hold a Southwest credit card, you'll also have access to the More Rewards program , where you can redeem your Rapid Rewards points for hotel stays, rental cars, gift cards and more.
But here's the thing: spending Rapid Rewards points on anything other than actual Southwest flights is, in most cases, not the best use of your points. We ran the numbers on dozens of redemptions in the More Rewards portal. Using our airline miles valuations , which peg a Rapid Rewards point at 1. International flights: Rapid Rewards points may also be used to book international flights to destinations Southwest doesn't fly to on over 50 carriers.
To find which routes and airlines are available, visit the Southwest Rapid Rewards website and explore rewards. When using your miles for international flights on other airlines, expect to get a value of around 1 cent per point for flights, which is a lower value than you get using points for Southwest flights.
Rental cars: Rapid Rewards points can be used on rental cars. By using Southwest's travel portal, you can reserve and pay for a rental car using their Rapid Rewards balance. Merchandise and gift cards: Finally, as with many different rewards programs, you can use your points for merchandise and gift cards.
As with other frequent flyer programs, the value of such redemptions is poor: Expect to get a value of 0. Here's how. Southwest Wanna Get Away flights: The best possible way to use points is toward Wanna Get Away fares aboard Southwest, which is the lowest of the Southwest fare classes. On average, when you use your points toward Wanna Get Away airfare, expect to get a value of 1.
International flights: Southwest is primarily known for its flights within the contiguous United States and Hawaii.
But don't overlook its international flights to destinations in Central America and the Caribbean. But these tend to be a terrible deal. When we searched for gift card rewards, values were as low as 0. This makes getting gift cards and other items from a merchandise store a very bad use of points. Hotels: Although you could use Rapid Rewards points for hotel nights, the value you'd get from your rewards will be low.
When we searched for hotels, values were as low as 0. You can sign up for the Rapid Rewards loyalty program for free, which allows you to earn points toward Southwest elite status and award flights. You gain elite status as soon as you earn it, and it's good through the next calendar year. A qualifying one-way flight is defined as a trip from origin to destination, including any connections. Tier qualifying points are counted differently from Rapid Rewards points. Although you can obtain Rapid Rewards points in all sorts of ways as described above , there are only two ways to earn tier qualifying points: 1.
Purchasing tickets for Southwest flights. To arrive at these dollar figures, we made many assumptions about how each status was used. Check the methodology in the link above for a more detailed breakdown.
Why so low compared to other airline program elite status programs? In a word: Upgrades. Other airline programs offer complimentary first-class and premium-class upgrades to members, while A-List status only grants early boarding. All of the estimated value from both status tiers comes from the bonus Rapids Rewards Points they accrue.
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