Southwest has long been a traveler favorite for its fare sales, lack of change and cancellation fees, and two free checked bags policy. In fact, Southwest is generally considered the largest low-cost carrier in the U.S. And while its airfares are usually more affordable than the competition, booking Southwest flights for free on points is even better. But to book flights on points, you'll need to earn them.

Happily, earning Southwest points is fairly easy and the airline offers plenty of opportunities to do so through tactics including spending on Southwest credit cards, traveling with Southwest partners, dining, shopping and more.

The one downfall: Southwest does not participate in an airline alliance, so you won't be able to mix points for bookings on airlines. Though, it has a significant domestic presence (you'll also find Southwest flights to Hawaii) and it even flies to destinations internationally, with a significant offering of Southwest flights to the Caribbean).

So with that, here are more than a dozen ways to earn Southwest points for its Rapid Rewards loyalty program, sorted by best to worst.

18 ways to earn Southwest points quickly

1. Fly Southwest

Unsurprisingly, the most straightforward way to earn Southwest points is by actually flying! Unsurprisingly, you can earn Rapid Rewards points on flights you take on Southwest. Points earned depend on the fare type and the flight cost (taxes don't earn points):

Wanna Get Away fares: 6 points per $1 spent.

Wanna Get Away Plus fares: 8 points per $1 spent.

Anytime fares: 10 points per $1 spent.

Business Select fares: 12 points per $1 spent.

2. Hold Southwest elite status

Holding Southwest elite status is about more than just priority boarding (though boarding early to ensure you have first pick of your seat is always a win). Your points earning rates increase as you achieve elite status with Southwest. A-List members will earn a 25% bonus, while A-List Preferred elites earn a 100% bonus.

Below is a breakdown of Southwest Rapid Rewards point earnings by fare and elite level.

3. Spend on Southwest credit cards

The fastest way to rack up lots of Rapid Rewards points in a short amount of time is by earning the welcome offer on Southwest credit cards.

Although welcome offers typically begin at 30,000 points, they can be as high as 100,000 points, with the higher offers usually available for a short period of time. So if you see an offer you’d like to jump on, it's better to apply sooner than later.

Here are the current offers on Southwest consumer credit cards:

Southwest Rapid Rewards® Plus Credit Card (annual fee: $69): Earn 50,000 bonus points after spending $1,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening.

Cardholders earn 2 points per $1 spent on Southwest Airlines, local transit and commuting, internet, cable, phone services, and select streaming, and 1 point per $1 on all other purchases. Every year, on your cardmember anniversary, you’ll receive 3,000 bonus points.

Southwest Rapid Rewards® Premier Credit Card (annual fee: $99): Earn 50,000 bonus points after spending $1,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening.

You'll get a higher earning rate on Southwest purchases (3x), but the same rates on everything else as noted above and a 6,000-point anniversary bonus.

Southwest Rapid Rewards® Priority Credit Card (annual fee: $149): Earn 50,000 bonus points after spending $1,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening.

You'll find the same earning rate as the Premier, but with 7,500 points every year on your card anniversary.

This card comes with travel perks, such as four upgraded boardings per year, a $75 Southwest travel credit and a 25% rebate on in-flight drinks and Wi-Fi purchased with this card. Considering the extra perks and that the $75 Southwest travel credit brings the annual fee down to $74, the Southwest Rapid Rewards® Priority Credit Card holds great value if you fly Southwest at least once per year.

Note that all Southwest credit cards are issued by Chase and are subject to Chase’s 5/24 rule, which is an unwritten rule where Chase limits the number of credit cards you can be approved for within a two-year period to five.

Get up to 80,000 bonus points with our favorite Southwest cards

Check out our nerdy picks for the best Southwest credit cards and find the right card for you.

BROWSE CARDS

Here are the current offers on Southwest business credit cards:

If you own a business, you may qualify for one of Southwest's business credit cards — and these can sometimes be even more rewarding. Those cards are:

Southwest® Rapid Rewards® Premier Business Credit Card (annual fee: $99): Earn 60,000 points after you spend $3,000 on purchases in the first 3 months your account is open. You’ll also earn a 6,000-point bonus each year on your card anniversary.

Southwest® Rapid Rewards® Performance Business Credit Card (annual fee: $199): Earn 80,000 points after you spend $5,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening. You'll also earn a 9,000-point bonus each year on your card anniversary.

Earning that bonus puts you well on your way to getting the Companion Pass, which you'll get after accumulating 135,000 qualifying points (credit card welcome offers count). This is an important consideration if you fly Southwest a lot, as it essentially allows you to bring a companion along with you for just the price of taxes and fees (which are typically just $5.60 each way for flights within the U.S.).

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4. Refer a friend to a Southwest credit card

And if you've got a Southwest card, perhaps you can convince a friend to get one. Chase’s refer-a-friend promotion can earn you up to 50,000 points per calendar year. You'll earn 10,000 Rapid Rewards points per referral (that's a value of about $140) when you refer a friend to apply for a Southwest credit card that you already hold. After your friend is approved, the bonus points will post to your account within eight weeks.

5. Direct spending toward Southwest credit card bonus categories

Okay, last point on the Southwest credit cards, we promise.

In addition to earning Southwest points when you swipe your credit card on Southwest purchases, you can also pick up bonus points on purchases in specific categories.

The Southwest® Rapid Rewards® Performance Business Credit Card earns 3 points per $1 on Southwest purchases and 2 points per $1 on social media and search engine advertising, internet, cable and phone services.

The Southwest Rapid Rewards® Plus Credit Card, Southwest Rapid Rewards® Premier Credit Card and Southwest Rapid Rewards® Priority Credit Card each earn 2 points per $1 on Southwest purchases, hotels and car rentals.

The best choice in terms of most bonus categories is the Southwest® Rapid Rewards® Performance Business Credit Card. However, if the extra bonus categories aren’t relevant to you, the other four cards all provide a solid 2x earning rate on travel bonus categories.