Southwest Rapid Rewards is the simplest major airline program in the U.S., and also the one with the best perk in domestic travel. Points are tied to the fare, so a reward flight costs fewer points when the fare goes on sale. Then there's the Companion Pass, which lets someone fly with you for taxes and fees for the rest of the year you earn it and all of the next.
This guide covers how Southwest Rapid Rewards works from end to end: how you earn on flights and off them, how redemptions are priced, what A-List and A-List Preferred get you, how the Companion Pass is earned, and where the five Chase cards fit. Every program and card figure comes from Southwest's and Chase's own pages, read on October 7, 2026.
How You Earn Points on Southwest Flights
Southwest pays points per dollar of base fare, and the rate depends on the fare you buy. Southwest's own estimator shows 2 points per dollar on Basic, 6 on Choice, 10 on Choice Preferred and 14 on Choice Extra. On its example $200 base fare, that's 400 points on Basic and 2,800 on Choice Extra.
That spread is the first thing I'd internalize. A Basic fare is cheap for a reason, and one of the reasons is that it barely moves your balance.
Status multiplies it. A-List members get a 25% earning bonus on every qualifying flight, and A-List Preferred members get 100%. Cash + Points bookings earn on the portion of the base fare you pay in cash. Reward flights, Companion Pass travel and charter flights don't earn points.
Earning Without Flying
Southwest lists several ways to earn on the ground: a Southwest Rapid Rewards credit card from Chase, the Southwest Rapid Rewards Debit Card, Getaways by Southwest vacation bookings, and partners for hotels, rental cars, shopping, dining, home and energy. The Rapid Rewards Shopping portal alone covers more than 1,100 online stores.
You can also move points in. Chase Ultimate Rewards and Bilt both transfer to Rapid Rewards, and our Southwest transfer partners guide covers how each one works and what doesn't transfer.
Buying points is the last resort. Southwest sells them in blocks of 500, or 1,000 during a points sale, with a 2,000-point minimum on your first purchase and a daily combined maximum of 60,000. Southwest is explicit that purchased, gifted and transferred points don't count toward tier status or the Companion Pass.
How Redemption Works
Southwest sets the points price of a reward flight by the fare. In its words, "When fares go on sale, so do the points needed for redeeming a reward flight." It advertises unlimited reward seats and no blackout dates, and Rapid Rewards points don't expire.
To book, log in, search with fares shown in points, pick the flight and check out. Cash + Points lets you mix points with cash on the same booking. Points also cover gift cards, merchandise, hotels and experiences through Southwest's More Rewards catalog, and Southwest cardmembers can use Pay Yourself Back to redeem for a statement credit against the annual fee or other eligible purchases.
Because the price follows the fare, the way to get more from your points is the same as getting a cheap ticket: book when fares are low. Our Southwest Rapid Rewards program page shows what we measured points to be worth across ten routes.
A-List and A-List Preferred Status
Southwest has two status tiers, both earned on a calendar year. Once you earn either one, you keep it for the rest of that year and all of the next.
- A-List: 20 qualifying one-way flights or 35,000 tier qualifying points (TQPs). You get Group 1 boarding, a Preferred or Standard seat at booking when available, your first checked bag free and a second for $35, same-day standby, a 25% earning bonus, Priority and Express Lane access and priority phone support.
- A-List Preferred: 40 qualifying one-way flights or 70,000 TQPs. You board before Group 1, can pick an Extra Legroom, Preferred or Standard seat at booking when available, check two bags free, earn a 100% bonus and get up to two premium drinks per leg on select flights of 251 miles or more.
TQPs come from revenue flights booked with Southwest and from spending on certain Chase cards. The Premier card earns 1,500 TQPs per $5,000 in purchases a year, the Premier Business earns 2,000, and the Priority and Performance Business earn 2,500. Reward flights, Companion Pass travel and bonus points, unless Southwest designates them, don't count toward status.
The Companion Pass
You earn the Companion Pass by flying 100 qualifying one-way flights or earning 135,000 Companion Pass qualifying points in a calendar year. It lasts for the rest of the year you earn it plus the following full calendar year. Your companion flies free of airline charges whenever you buy or redeem a flight, paying only taxes and fees from $5.60 one way, and you can change your designated companion up to three times each calendar year.
What counts toward the 135,000: revenue flights booked through Southwest, points earned on Southwest credit and debit cards, and base points from Rapid Rewards partners. Southwest cardmembers also get one boost of 10,000 Companion Pass qualifying points each calendar year, one per member, and the debit card adds a 7,500-point boost of its own.
What doesn't count is the part people miss. Southwest's terms exclude purchased points, points transferred between members, points transferred from Chase Ultimate Rewards and other partner programs, Getaways by Southwest bookings, enrollment points, tier bonus points, flight bonus points and partner bonus points, except the bonuses on Southwest's Chase cards. Card points also count only in the calendar year they post to your statement, so a purchase after your December statement date counts toward next year.
Timing is the whole game here. Our Companion Pass timing guide explains why qualifying early in a year gets you close to two years of companion flights, and our Companion Pass strategy guide lays out the card plan.
The Southwest Rapid Rewards Credit Cards
Chase issues three personal and two business Southwest cards. All three personal cards give the cardmember and up to 8 passengers on the same reservation a free first checked bag and Group 5 boarding, and each gives a 10,000-point Companion Pass boost every year. Here's how they differ, from Chase's card pages:
- Southwest Rapid Rewards Plus, $99 annual fee. 2 points per $1 on Southwest purchases, 2 points at gas stations and grocery stores on the first $5,000 in combined purchases each anniversary year, 1 point elsewhere. You get 3,000 anniversary points and a Standard seat within 48 hours of departure when available. Chase's new cardmember offer on October 7, 2026: 50,000 points after $1,000 in purchases in the first 3 months.
- Southwest Rapid Rewards Premier, $149 annual fee. 3 points per $1 on Southwest, 2 points at grocery stores and restaurants on the first $8,000 in combined purchases each anniversary year, 1 point elsewhere. You get 6,000 anniversary points, a Preferred seat within 48 hours of departure when available, and 1,500 TQPs per $5,000 spent. The offer: 55,000 points after $1,500 in the first 3 months.
- Southwest Rapid Rewards Priority, $229 annual fee. 4 points per $1 on Southwest, 2 points at gas stations and restaurants, 1 point elsewhere. You get 7,500 anniversary points, a Preferred seat at booking and unlimited Extra Legroom upgrades within 48 hours of departure (both when available), and 2,500 TQPs per $5,000 spent. The offer: 60,000 points after $2,000 in the first 3 months.
On the business side, the Premier Business costs $149 a year and the Performance Business $299. Our Southwest credit card comparison puts all five side by side.
Where I'd Start
If you fly Southwest a few times a year, open one personal card early in a calendar year, since its points and the 10,000-point boost both count toward that year's Companion Pass. The Premier is the one I'd pick for most people: 3x on Southwest, 6,000 anniversary points and TQPs toward A-List for $149.
Buy Choice fares or better when the price gap is small, because Basic earns 2 points per dollar against 6 on Choice. Keep Chase Ultimate Rewards or Bilt points for paying for flights, not for qualifying. And book reward flights when fares drop, because that's when the points price drops too.
