Southwest Airlines has recently made changes to its Rapid Rewards loyalty program, slashing flight earnings rates in March and implementing a new policy of charging most customers baggage fees. Since then, Southwest also unveiled a big credit card refresh and announced its open seating policy will end Jan. 27, 2026.
Despite these changes, there are still reasons you might want to use the Southwest Rapid Rewards program. Southwest operates some useful nonstop routes that are unserved or underserved by other carriers, and it still offers its valuable Southwest Companion Pass. So, here’s how to earn Southwest points.
Earn points on Southwest flights
In March 2025, Southwest slashed earnings on flights. Now, Rapid Rewards members earn as follows on qualifying Southwest flights:
- Basic (previously Wanna Get Away): 2 points per dollar
- Wanna Get Away Plus: 6 points per dollar
- Anytime: 10 points per dollar
- Business Select: 14 points per dollar
A-List members get a 25% earning bonus on qualifying flights, while A-List Preferred members get a 100% earning bonus. Southwest defines qualifying flights as those paid for with dollars, Southwest LUV Vouchers, gift cards, flight credits or Cash + Points. If you make a Cash + Points booking, you’ll only earn Southwest points on the portion of the base fare you pay with dollars. Reward, charter, nonrevenue and Companion Pass flights do not qualify.
You can also earn Southwest points if you book an itinerary through Icelandair that includes a Southwest-operated segment and associate your Rapid Rewards number with the booking. You’ll only earn Southwest points on the segments operated by Southwest, and you’ll only earn 500 points for flights of 1,000 miles or less, 1,000 points for flights of 1,001 to 1,800 miles, and 1,500 points for flights longer than 1,800 miles.
Earn points with a Southwest credit card
An easy way to earn points is to use a Southwest credit card for everyday spending. Plus, many Southwest cards have welcome offers that can earn you bonus points if you meet specific spending thresholds within the first few months after opening your credit card account.
Here’s a look at some of our favorite Southwest cards, including their welcome offers, earning rates and annual fees.
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| Card | Welcome offer | Earning rates | Additional earning rates through Dec. 31, 2025 | Number of points you get every year on your cardmember anniversary | Annual fee |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Southwest Rapid Rewards® Plus Credit Card (see rates and fees) | Earn 100,000 bonus points after you spend $4,000 in the first five months from account opening | 2 points per dollar spent on Southwest Airlines purchases
2 points per dollar spent at gas stations and grocery stores (on the first $5,000 in combined purchases per anniversary year) 1 point per dollar spent on all other purchases |
2 points per dollar spent on Southwest Cruises purchases and Rapid Rewards hotel and car rental partners
2 points per dollar spent on local transit and commuting, including rideshare 2 points per dollar spent on internet, cable, and phone services and on select streaming |
3,000 | $99 |
| Southwest Rapid Rewards® Premier Credit Card | Earn 100,000 points after you spend $4,000 in the first five months from account opening | 3 points per dollar spent on Southwest Airlines purchases
2 points per dollar spent at grocery stores and restaurants (on the first $8,000 in combined purchases per anniversary year) 1 point per dollar spent on all other purchases |
3 points per dollar spent on Southwest Cruises purchases
2 points per dollar spent on Rapid Rewards hotel and car rental partners 2 points per dollar spent on local transit and commuting, including rideshare 2 points per dollar spent on internet, cable, and phone services and on select streaming |
6,000 | $149 |
| Southwest Rapid Rewards® Priority Credit Card (see rates and fees) | Earn 100,000 points after you spend $4,000 in the first five months from account opening | 4 points per dollar spent on Southwest Airlines purchases
2 points per dollar spent at gas stations and restaurants 1 point per dollar spent on all other purchases |
4 points per dollar spent on Southwest Cruises purchases
2 points per dollar spent on Rapid Rewards hotel and car rental partners 2 points per dollar spent on local transit and commuting, including rideshare 2 points per dollar spent on internet, cable, and phone services and on select streaming |
7,500 | $229 |
| Southwest® Rapid Rewards® Premier Business Credit Card (see rates and fees) | Earn 60,000 bonus points after you spend $3,000 on purchases in the first three months from account opening. | 3 points per dollar spent on Southwest Airlines purchases
2 points per dollar spent at gas stations and restaurants (on the first $8,000 in combined purchases per anniversary year) 1 point per dollar spent on all other purchases |
3 points per dollar spent on Southwest Cruises purchases
2 points per dollar spent on Rapid Rewards hotel and car rental partners 2 points per dollar spent on local transit and commuting, including rideshare |
6,000 | $149 |
| Southwest® Rapid Rewards® Performance Business Credit Card (see rates and fees) | Earn 80,000 bonus points after you spend $5,000 on purchases in the first three months from account opening. | 4 points per dollar spent on Southwest Airlines purchases
2 points per dollar spent at gas stations and restaurants 2 points per dollar spent on hotel accommodations booked directly with the hotel 2 points per dollar spent on local transit and commuting, including rideshare 1 point per dollar spent on all other purchases |
4 points per dollar spent on Southwest Cruises purchases
3 points per dollar spent on Rapid Rewards hotel and car rental partners 2 points per dollar spent on social media and search engine advertising, internet, cable, and phone services |
9,000 | $299 |
The points each card gives you every year on your cardmember anniversary can offset some of the card’s annual fee. For example, 6,000 points are worth $84 based on TPG’s July 2025 valuations.
The information for the Southwest Rapid Rewards Premier credit card has been collected independently by The Points Guy. The card details on this page have not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer.
Convert transferable points to Southwest points
You can transfer Bilt Points, Chase Ultimate Rewards points and Marriott Bonvoy points to Southwest Rapid Rewards.
Chase Ultimate Rewards points transfer to Southwest at a 1:1 ratio, meaning 1 Chase point can become 1 Southwest point. Other Chase Ultimate Rewards transfer partners — such as World of Hyatt — often provide more value. But if you need to top off your Southwest points balance to book an award, transferring Chase points to Southwest may be worthwhile.
Bilt Rewards points also transfer to Southwest at a 1:1 ratio. Bilt added Southwest as a transfer partner in April, but other Bilt Rewards transfer partners may provide more value.
Marriott Bonvoy points, on the other hand, transfer to Southwest at a 3:1 ratio, meaning 3 Marriott points can become 1 Southwest point. Considering the value you can get when redeeming Marriott points, this isn’t usually a move I’d recommend.
Related: Why transferable points and miles are worth more than other rewards
Earn Southwest points with partners
You can also earn Southwest points when interacting with various partners, including some unrelated to travel. Here’s an overview of your options.
Rapid Rewards Shopping
Rapid Rewards Shopping is an online shopping portal that gives you Southwest points when you click through it before making an eligible purchase. After you make an eligible purchase through the portal, points are usually posted to your Rapid Rewards account within 22 days.
Related: Use a shopping portal aggregator to maximize your online purchases
Rapid Rewards Dining
Rapid Rewards Dining is a dining rewards program that allows you to earn Southwest points when you dine at participating restaurants. Enroll one or more of your favorite dining credit cards in Rapid Rewards Dining, and you’ll automatically earn extra Southwest points each time you use an enrolled card to pay at a participating restaurant.
If you remain opted in for email communication, you’ll earn 3 points per dollar spent at participating restaurants. But if you opt out, you’ll only earn 1 point per $2.
Related: Can you earn rewards with a dining rewards program and a credit card at the same time?
Hotel stays
You’ll earn at least 500 points per reservation when you book hotel stays through Southwest Hotels, but you can also earn up to 10,000 points per night. However, you usually won’t get hotel elite benefits and earnings when you book through Southwest Hotels.
You can book directly and set your earning preference to Southwest points with Best Western Rewards, Marriott Bonvoy, World of Hyatt and MGM Rewards. You can also earn Southwest points by converting Hyatt points, Best Western points, Choice points and Marriott points (although the transfer ratios are poor, so you usually won’t want to do so).
Rental cars
You can earn 600 Southwest points per eligible rental with Alamo, Avis, Budget, Dollar, Hertz, National, Payless and Thrifty. However, only airport rentals are eligible for some car rental companies.
Taking surveys
You can earn Southwest points for taking surveys through Rewards for Opinions and the e-Rewards Opinion Panel.
Rewards for Opinions gives you 500 points for completing your first survey within three months of enrolling in the program, plus you’ll earn points for every survey you take. Meanwhile, e-Rewards gives you e-Rewards Currency when participating in market research surveys. You can then redeem $15, $25, $50 or $100 of e-Rewards Currency for 300, 600, 1,200 or 2,400 Southwest points, respectively.
Other partners
Here’s a look at some of the other ways you can earn Southwest points when you interact with Rapid Rewards partners:
- Emergency Assistance Plus: Earn 1,500 Southwest points when you enroll and every year you renew, plus earn an additional 500 points if you select an add-on during enrollment, upgrade your membership or renew an add-on.
- NRG Home: Members who reside in select states and choose NRG Home as their electric supplier can earn 10,000 Southwest points as an enrollment bonus after two months as an active NRG Home customer. Plus, these members will earn 2 points per dollar spent on the supply portion of their energy bill on an ongoing basis.
- Reliant Secure 24: Members who reside in Texas and switch to Reliant on the Reliant Secure 24 plan can earn 15,000 Southwest points as an enrollment bonus after sign-up and 500 additional points each month for the next 24 months.
- Laithwaites wine club: Earn 2,000 Rapid Rewards bonus points with your purchase of an introductory Laithwaites’ wine club case. Then, earn 1,000 points for any future Laithwaites’ wine club case you purchase.
Buy Southwest points
You can also earn Southwest points by purchasing them outright. However, the standard cost when purchasing Southwest points is 3 cents per point, more than double the 1.4 cents per point used by TPG’s July 2025 valuations. As such, even with a bonus offer or discount, it’s unlikely that buying Southwest points will provide good value.
You could also have another member transfer their Southwest points to you. However, they’d need to transfer at least 2,000 points and pay $5 per 500 points. As such, I don’t recommend using the points transfer option.
Related: When does it make sense to buy points and miles?
Bottom line
You can earn Southwest points through many different avenues. But you’ll likely earn most of your points through flights and Southwest credit cards. If you fly Southwest frequently, it may be worth adding a Southwest credit card to your wallet to get extra benefits when flying Southwest and earn points on your everyday purchases.
