For people who like low fares and hate fees, Southwest Airlines is one of the best airlines out there — and the Southwest Rapid Rewards program is one of the best airline loyalty programs to take advantage of all of its benefits. It's free to join — and you should, as it's the only way for you to earn points every time you fly Southwest (which you can turn around and use for future flights).

And Southwest points don't expire, so even if you only fly Southwest every few years, you'll still eventually rack up enough points for the total to be worth something.

Southwest Airlines is considered the biggest low-cost carrier in the U.S. in terms of passengers served. It flies to about 100 destinations in the U.S. (including Hawaii), Mexico, Central America and the Caribbean.

It's relatively easy to earn Southwest Rapid Rewards points and redeem those Southwest rewards for future travel.

Southwest’s customer-friendly policies is one main feature that sets it apart from other major airlines like Delta, American Airlines and United. Southwest allows two free checked bags up to 50 pounds each on every flight, no change fees, and no expiration dates on Southwest Travel Funds. Southwest is our favorite loyalty program for families.

Southwest also offers the Companion Pass, which allows you to bring a friend with you for free (aside from taxes and fees) for at least an entire year.

Here's everything you need to know about Southwest Rapids Rewards.

Photo courtesy of Southwest.

Southwest Rapid Rewards sign-up

To earn points with Southwest, you’ll need to sign up for a Rapid Rewards frequent flyer account. It’s free to join, and you can register here.

How much Southwest Rapid Rewards points are worth

Based on our most recent analysis of actual award flight redemptions, NerdWallet values Southwest Rapid Rewards points at 1.5 cents apiece. Read more about how we arrived at these figures.

This is a baseline value for Southwest points, based on real-world data collected from hundreds of economy routes, not a maximized value. Aim for award redemptions that offer 1.5 cents or more in value from your Southwest points.

Unlike some other airlines, the value of Southwest points rarely changes from flight to flight, as the airline offers no award chart. If the cost of a plane ticket goes up, so does the number of points needed to book the flight. Given that, Southwest doesn’t really have “sweet spots” for award bookings. When you book flights with points, you'll generally get the same value for your points every time.

To determine the value of your miles for specific flights, divide the cash value of the ticket (less any applicable taxes/fees if you redeem miles) by the number of points required for the flight. So if the ticket would cost either $100, or 15,000 points + $10 in taxes/fees, the math would be as follows:

($100 – $10) / 15,000 = 0.006, or 0.6 cent per point.

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Southwest Rapid Rewards points value over time

Southwest Rapid Rewards value recently declined in NerdWallet's latest valuation.

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Southwest Airlines vs. competitors: How it stacks in 2023

Despite the number of people who love Southwest, the airline came in fourth out of nine airlines in our most recent analysis of the best airline loyalty programs.

Where Southwest really shines is its low fees. Much of that stems from the fact that Southwest doesn’t charge a fee to check a bag. It did come in last in terms of elite status benefits. There’s no such thing as Southwest first class, so there’s no potential to get upgraded to a lie-flat seat with complimentary champagne.

Here's a closer look at how Southwest competed across categories:

Fifth in rewards (mile) value.

Fourth in operations.

Last in elite status benefits.

First in terms of total fees.

Third in terms of in-flight experience.

Second in most pet-friendly airlines.

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Photo courtesy of Southwest.

What it's like flying on Southwest

Unlike most other airlines, there are no first class seats on Southwest. Newer planes have USB ports in seat backs, and complimentary soda, coffee and tea are served on most flights, alongside complimentary snacks.

But, there are some airfare types that are better than others, offering first class benefits of sorts. The four types of fares you can choose between on Southwest are:

Wanna Get Away: The cheapest fares are aptly named “Wanna Get Away.” These fares have no additional benefits from those listed above and earn 6 Rapid Rewards points for every $1 spent in base airfare.

Wanna Get Away Plus: This elevated fare level gets you 8x on airfare spending and a few additional perks like transferable flight credits, same-day confirmed changes and access to the same-day standby list.

Anytime: Anytime fares are a little more flexible than Wanna Get Away and Wanna Get Away Plus fares because canceled trips can be refunded to the original form of payment or used toward another flight for up to 12 months. Flyers also earn 10 Rapid Rewards points for every $1 spent on base airfare.

Business Select: For travelers who want the Southwest luxury experience, Business Select fares are the most expensive but offer the most benefits. In addition to the above perks, Business Select passengers can use the priority security lane at the airport (where available) after checking in. At the gate, Business Select flyers are guaranteed to be among the first 15 people to board. And in the air, these passengers also get one free complimentary premium drink of their choice. Business Select customers also earn the most Rapid Rewards, earning 12 points per $1 spent on base airfare.

Even in the cheapest fare class, though, Southwest can be pretty generous. Southwest’s lack of hidden fees, including two free checked bags, are refreshing — so much so that it came in first in NerdWallet’s 2023 Best-Of Awards for lowest fees.

Southwest also makes it easy to change and cancel flights. If you want to cancel a Wanna Get Away or Wanna Get Away Plus fare, you'll receive Southwest travel funds if you decide to cancel. Though, if Southwest cancels your flight, you are automatically entitled to a refund (if you opt not to rebook on another). If your Southwest flight is delayed, you might be able to be rebooked or get compensation from Southwest for extra expenses like lodging, but policies vary by circumstance. If your flight is delayed by 30 minutes or more, you’ll be notified by email, phone or text within half an hour of Southwest being aware of the delay.

Photo courtesy of Southwest.

Maybe you want some of the Business Select perks, but not all of them. You can certainly just purchase a more expensive seat, or you can upgrade your Southwest flight a la carte. For example, you can purchase EarlyBird Check-In to get an earlier boarding position, which is likely cheaper than the difference between a Business Select versus Wanna Get Away fare.

Southwest's boarding process

Speaking of boarding, the Southwest boarding process is unlike most other airlines. Rather than assigned seats, you're assigned a boarding position, which is the order you can board the plane. From there, you can take whichever available seat you want.

Want that front row window seat? Check out NerdWallet's guide to hacking Southwest boarding groups.

Photo courtesy of Southwest.

Can pets fly on Southwest?

Southwest Airlines allows travelers to fly with pets that are small enough to be stowed under the seat in front of you during the flight. Pets must always remain in its carrier, and only one pet carrier is allowed per ticketed passenger. Larger pets won't be able to fly Southwest, as they aren't allowed to fly in cargo.

Learn more about Southwest's pet policy here, and check out NerdWallet's guide to pet-friendly airlines to find the best fit.

Photo courtesy of Southwest.

How to earn Rapid Rewards points

You can earn Rapid Rewards points several ways: by flying on Southwest, by shopping and dining with partners, or by spending on a Southwest Rapid Rewards credit card. Southwest is also a transfer partner of the Chase Ultimate Rewards® program.

Earning Rapid Rewards points when you fly

The number of points you earn for a flight depends on the price of the ticket, the type of fare you’re buying, and your status level within the Rapid Rewards program. All fares include two free checked bags up to 50 pounds each, no change fees and reusable funds for up to 12 months if you cancel your flight or fully refundable flights depending on the type of fare booked.

You earn a different number of Rapid Rewards points depending on the fare class you book:

Wanna Get Away: Earns 6 Rapid Rewards points for every $1 spent in base airfare.

Wanna Get Away Plus: Earns 8 Rapid Rewards points for every $1 spent in base airfare.

Anytime: Earns 10 Rapid Rewards points for every $1 spent in base airfare.

Business Select: Earns 12 Rapid Rewards points for every $1 spent in base airfare.

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Earning Rapid Rewards points with a credit card

Southwest offers five co-branded credit cards through Chase: three consumer credit cards and two business cards.

Southwest Rapid Rewards® Plus Credit Card.

Southwest Rapid Rewards® Premier Credit Card.

Southwest Rapid Rewards® Priority Credit Card.

Southwest® Rapid Rewards® Premier Business Credit Card.

Southwest® Rapid Rewards® Performance Business Credit Card.

We discuss the credit cards above that earn Rapid Rewards points in-depth later in this article.

Earning Rapid Rewards points through partners

Southwest has a robust list of non-airline partnerships, allowing you to earn points for your spending on rental cars, hotels or a box of fancy pears from Harry & David.

Hotels: You can earn Rapid Rewards points at some hotel chains. At most hotels, you earn 1 point per $1 spent, but it’s possible to earn more depending on where you stay. See partner hotels here.

Car rentals: The earn rate at car rental companies varies. For example, Alamo is currently offering 600 Rapid Rewards points for a rental. See partner car rental agencies here.

Shopping and dining: Earn points at more than 800 retailers when you shop through the Southwest Rapid Rewards Shopping portal. Meanwhile, the Southwest Rapid Rewards Dining program allows you to earn up to 3 points per $1 spent at participating restaurants, plus bonus points for submitting restaurant reviews. 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 Rewards For Opinions platforms.

Unfortunately, Southwest doesn’t have any airline partners and isn’t a member of an airline alliance, so you can’t earn Rapid Rewards points by flying on other airlines.

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Transferring other points to Rapid Rewards

Two credit card rewards programs offer the opportunity to transfer points to Rapid Rewards: Diners Club and Chase Ultimate Rewards®.

Diners Club cardholders can convert Diners Club Rewards points to Rapid Rewards points at a rate of 1,500 Diners Club points to 1,200 Rapid Rewards points.

If you earn Chase Ultimate Rewards® from a Chase Sapphire® Card, you can also convert those points to Rapid Rewards at a one-to-one rate. You must transfer a minimum of 1,000 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.

Buying Rapid Rewards points

Generally, you can buy Rapid Rewards points at a rate of 2.75 to 3 cents each, but it’s not advisable. Since we value Rapid Rewards points at an average of 1.5 cents each, buying points at these prices is a almost always a bad deal.

One exception to the rule is if you have a specific redemption in mind and need to top off your account.

Do Southwest points expire?

No, Southwest Rapid Rewards points don’t expire, which is especially helpful for those that don’t fly Southwest often. However, if you close your Southwest account, you will lose your points. Make sure your account is still open to keep your points valid.

Not only do Southwest points not expire, but Travel Funds — which you accrue should you cancel a flight in the Wanna Get Away or Wanna Get Away Plus fare classes — also do not expire.

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Photo courtesy of Southwest.

How to redeem Rapid Rewards points

Anyone who is a Rapid Rewards member can redeem points on Southwest’s website for flights.

To book flights on Southwest, go to the booking tool on Southwest's website and login to your Rapid Rewards account. Then, 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.

Good redemption options

Here are some of the highest value ways to redeem Southwest points.

Southwest Wanna Get Away flights: The best way to use Rapid Rewards points is toward Wanna Get Away fares aboard Southwest, which is the lowest of the Southwest fare classes.

International flights: Southwest is primarily known for its flights within the contiguous U.S. and Hawaii. But don't overlook its international flights to destinations in Central America and the Caribbean.

Bad redemption options

Avoid spending your points in the airline’s More Rewards portal, which you have access to if you have a Rapid Rewards credit card. Here, you can purchase non-Southwest operated international flights, hotels, rental cars, merchandise and gift cards.

However, these tend to be a terrible deal. When we searched for gift card rewards, values were as low as 0.6 cent per point — less than half of the value of using points for the average flight. This makes getting gift cards and other items from a merchandise store a bad use of points.

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How many Southwest points are needed for a free flight?

How many Rapid Rewards points you need for a flight depends on what type of Southwest ticket you’re booking. Wanna Get Away tickets will be the most inexpensive. Since the price of tickets is more or less tied to the cash cost, the cheaper the flight in cash, the cheaper the flight will be in points.

Take a look at this example showing the cash cost and points cost.

You can purchase a Wanna Get Away fare for $49 or 2,655 points + $5.60 in taxes. If you use points, you’re extracting a value of 1.6 cents per point, which is slightly above NerdWallet’s valuation of 1.5 cents each.

Since it's so easy to earn Rapid Rewards points, you can easily end up with a free flight.

Southwest deals and when to pay cash

Southwest often runs fare sales and allows you to search flight deals by specific destination. In addition, the airline also sends out emails advertising flight deals for as low as $59 each way. And sometimes, those prices can be even lower as seen in the example above.

If you have Southwest points and you see that there’s a fare sale going on, it’s a good opportunity to redeem your points.

Since the value of Southwest points remains constant and there is no award chart, using points for a flight will never result in an outstanding redemption. That’s why it’s smart to keep your eyes out for these flash sales (typically found in your inbox).

If you don’t have enough points to book the award ticket, paying cash — especially if you’re getting a flight deal — could still be a good value since you’ll also earn points on that flight.

Southwest A-List status

You can sign up for the Rapid Rewards loyalty program for free, which allows you to earn points toward Southwest elite status — otherwise known as A-List — and award flights. At the A-List and A-List Preferred tiers, you earn more points and enjoy some additional perks.

Southwest A-List benefits

Having A-List status on Southwest can sweeten the deal for your next flight. Benefits include:

How to earn A-List on Southwest

To attain A-List or A-List Preferred status, you must fly a certain number of “qualifying one-way flights” or earn a certain number of “tier qualifying points” in a calendar year. You gain elite status as soon as you earn it, and it's good through the next calendar year.

To earn A-List status, you must fly 25 qualifying one-way flights or earn 35,000 tier qualifying points. A List Preferred's requirements are doubled: Fly 50 qualifying one-way flights or earn 70,000 tier qualifying points.

A qualifying one-way flight is defined as a trip from origin to destination, including any connections. So if you’re flying from Los Angeles to Chicago Midway Airport, it counts as a single one-way flight regardless if it's nonstop or you have to change planes.

Tier qualifying points are different 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:

Purchasing tickets for Southwest flights.

Spending on a Southwest credit card, including the Southwest Rapid Rewards® Priority Credit Card, Southwest Rapid Rewards® Premier Credit Card, Southwest® Rapid Rewards® Performance Business Credit Card or the Southwest® Rapid Rewards® Premier Business Credit Card. With all cards, you earn 1,500 tier qualifying points for each $10,000 spent.

You may also be able to earn A-List through a Southwest status match.

How much is A-List status worth?

NerdWallet did a comprehensive analysis of airline elite status programs to determine the dollar value of each tier, including Southwest’s A-List and A-List Preferred status.

NerdWallet estimates that the perks of Southwest A-List status are worth $123, and A-List Preferred status perks are worth $984.

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.

The Companion Pass

The Southwest Companion Pass is a valuable and sought-after perk of the Rapid Rewards program. The pass allows a guest to fly with you nearly for free (you'll both have to pay taxes and security fees starting from $5.60 one way) from the time you earn it through the next calendar year.

To earn the pass (beyond any passes that come with a Southwest card sign-up bonus), you must either fly 100 qualifying one-way flights or earn 135,000 qualifying points in a calendar year. Qualifying points for Companion Pass include points earned from buying Southwest tickets, points earned with Southwest credit cards and points earned from select Rapid Rewards partners.