Southwest Rapid Rewards

Airline, run by Southwest Airlines

Two card currencies transfer to Southwest Rapid Rewards. 1:1 from Chase and Bilt.

Our value
1.44¢ a point, checked Sep 8

Ratios checked Sep 4 to Sep 11, 2026.

Transfer to Southwest Rapid Rewards from

2 card currencies transfer here. Ratios are as each program states them.

What a Point Is Worth

1.44¢

per point · valued

The 10 redemptions behind that number

The published 1.44¢ is the median of these 10 redemptions: each one an award price set against the cash price of the same booking, read on . Read the full method

  • DAL–HOU · Economy

    1.51¢

    Miles
    8,500
    Taxes
    $5.60
    Cash price
    $134
    Fare class
    Choice

  • LAS–LAX · Economy

    1.61¢

    Miles
    5,500
    Taxes
    $5.60
    Cash price
    $94
    Fare class
    Choice

  • BWI–MCO · Economy

    1.40¢

    Miles
    15,500
    Taxes
    $5.60
    Cash price
    $223
    Fare class
    Choice

  • MDW–DEN · Economy

    1.46¢

    Miles
    12,500
    Taxes
    $5.60
    Cash price
    $188
    Fare class
    Choice

  • MDW–PHX · Economy

    1.45¢

    Miles
    12,000
    Taxes
    $5.60
    Cash price
    $179
    Fare class
    Choice

  • BWI–DEN · Economy

    1.48¢

    Miles
    14,000
    Taxes
    $5.60
    Cash price
    $213
    Fare class
    Choice

  • MDW–SAN · Economy

    1.43¢

    Miles
    12,500
    Taxes
    $5.60
    Cash price
    $184
    Fare class
    Choice

  • MDW–LAX · Economy

    1.42¢

    Miles
    15,500
    Taxes
    $5.60
    Cash price
    $225
    Fare class
    Choice

  • SAN–BWI · Economy

    1.38¢

    Miles
    16,500
    Taxes
    $5.60
    Cash price
    $234
    Fare class
    Choice

  • BWI–LAS · Economy

    1.32¢

    Miles
    23,000
    Taxes
    $5.60
    Cash price
    $309
    Fare class
    Choice
The same sample, cut by cabin and by fare choice.
Median of Rows ¢/pt
Every counted redemption 10 1.44¢
Basic substituted 10 1.42¢
How we got there: the full method

1.44 cents per point: the median of 10 cash-versus-award pairs read off the program's own booking engine on 2026-09-08, logged out, one search after another in the same session. Ten routes, two in each of five bands of nonstop block time, all departing 2026-10-15 one way: DAL–HOU, LAS–LAX, BWI–MCO, MDW–DEN, MDW–PHX, BWI–DEN, MDW–SAN, MDW–LAX, SAN–BWI, BWI–LAS. For each route the flight sampled is the airline-operated nonstop with the lowest economy award price that day, and the award and the cash price both come from that one flight. Southwest sells one cabin, so no route carries a premium row; what it sells instead is four tiers of that cabin, every one of them priced in points as well as dollars, so each pair compares a fare against itself. The counted tier is Choice rather than Basic: Basic is the stripped product, and it is not always sold — it is missing from five of the sixty-eight nonstops read, in both currencies, while Choice is sold on every one. Basic is recorded beside each counted row so the substitution can be computed. Taxes are $5.60 on every award, the September 11th Security Fee and the whole of what Southwest adds to a points booking. The recorded select-depart.html URL is honoured cold: fetched with no cookies and no prior session it returns 200 with no redirect. The cash search is the same URL with fareType=USD. A shorter select.html URL carrying only part of the parameter set is redirected to the empty booking form, which is why this session began by driving the form. Each pair is (cash fare minus award taxes) divided by award points. Economy alone medians 1.44c, and substituting the cheaper economy fare across the same 10 rows would give 1.42c. Every figure is a live price on a bookable date, and it will move. The rows themselves are on this page above, with the search that produced each one.

How to Earn Southwest Rapid Rewards

Cobranded cards for Southwest Rapid Rewards

Tier qualifying points from cards
Through 2026: three rates by card, 1,500, 2,000 or 2,500 tier qualifying points per $5,000 spent. From January 1, 2027: 1 tier qualifying point per $1 spent on purchases.
Companion Pass qualifying points from cards
Through 2026: 10,000 Companion Pass qualifying points per calendar year, a separate currency from tier qualifying points. From January 1, 2027, Companion Pass qualifying points go away and the Companion Pass is earned through tier qualifying points or qualifying flights; credit card welcome bonuses stop counting.
Elite earning bonus
Through 2026: A-List earns 25% more points; A-List Preferred earns 100% more. From January 1, 2027, the tiers are Silver, Gold and Platinum.

Reading on Southwest Rapid Rewards

Program Mechanics

Expiration. Points do not expire. Points are forfeited if the account is closed.

Elite Tiers

  • A-List (through 2026)

    20 qualifying one-way flights or 35,000 tier qualifying points.

    Earn 25% more points. One free checked bag, with a second at $35.

  • A-List Preferred (through 2026)

    40 qualifying one-way flights or 70,000 tier qualifying points.

    Earn 100% more points. Two free checked bags.

  • Companion Pass (through 2026)

    100 qualifying one-way flights or 135,000 Companion Pass qualifying points. Not a status tier. Replaced by the 2027 rules below.

    Bring a chosen companion on any flight for taxes and fees only.

  • Silver (from January 1, 2027)

    35,000 tier qualifying points (TQPs) or 25 qualifying flights.

    Preferred or standard seat free at booking; Extra Legroom upgrade within 48 hours; Group 1 boarding; 1 checked bag; 40% bonus; Priority and Express Lane access; Priority Member Support; same-day standby on Basic fares.

  • Gold (from January 1, 2027)

    65,000 TQPs or 50 qualifying flights.

    Any seat free at booking, including Extra Legroom; boards before Group 1; 2 checked bags; 60% bonus; Priority and Express Lane access; Priority Member Support; same-day standby on Basic fares; 2 premium drinks.

  • Platinum (from January 1, 2027)

    140,000 TQPs or 100 qualifying flights.

    Unlimited Companion Pass trips; any seat free at booking; boards before Gold; 3 checked bags; 120% bonus; Priority and Express Lane access; Priority Member Support; same-day standby on Basic fares; 2 premium drinks.

  • Companion Pass (from January 1, 2027)

    95,000 TQPs or 75 qualifying flights earns three Companion Pass trips (Milestone Reward 2, between Gold and Platinum). Platinum makes the trips unlimited. Not a status tier.

About Southwest Rapid Rewards

Through 2026, Southwest has two status tiers and a third thing that is not status at all. A-List takes 20 qualifying flights or 35,000 tier qualifying points; A-List Preferred takes 40 or 70,000. The Companion Pass takes 100 qualifying flights or 135,000 Companion Pass qualifying points — and those are a separate currency from tier qualifying points, not the same number counted twice. From January 1, 2027, A-List becomes Silver (35,000 tier qualifying points or 25 qualifying flights), A-List Preferred becomes Gold (65,000 or 50), and a new top tier, Platinum, takes 140,000 or 100. Companion Pass qualifying points go away: the Companion Pass is earned through tier qualifying points or flights, with unlimited Companion Pass trips at Platinum and three at a Milestone Reward of 95,000 tier qualifying points or 75 flights. Credit card welcome bonuses stop counting toward it, and cardmembers earn 1 tier qualifying point per $1 spent. A 2026 Companion Pass keeps its benefits for its full term.

Through 2026, A-List earns 25% more points and one free checked bag, with a second at $35. A-List Preferred earns 100% more and two free bags.

Through 2026, cards contribute tier qualifying points at three different rates by card — 1,500, 2,000 or 2,500 per $5,000 spent — and separately grant 10,000 Companion Pass qualifying points a calendar year.

Status earned in a calendar year is held for the remainder of that year and all of the next, and must be re-qualified each year. Rapid Rewards points do not expire, though they are forfeited if the account is closed.

Southwest prices awards against the cash fare and publishes no award chart.

Next Steps