Buying Southwest points is easy, but there are only a few scenarios in which it would likely make sense, including if you’re just short of the points you need for a particular award ticket and don’t have any Chase Ultimate Rewards points to transfer. If you find yourself in that predicament, buying the points you need could be worth it.
Full Answer
How much does it cost to buy southwest points?
The price of Southwest points depends on how many points you’re purchasing as well as whether or not there are any current promotions. Normally, buying between 2,000 and 4,000 points will cost 3 cents a point. Purchases of 5,000 – 60,000 points cost 2.75 cents each.
What can you redeem southwest points for?
What can reward points be redeemed for?
- Gift cards. Reward programs typically include gift cards as a flexible redemption option. ...
- Statement credit. Your reward points can be redeemed as statement credit.
- Travel. If you've earned points through an airline or hotel credit card, then you might be required to redeem points directly with the brand.
- Cash. ...
Should you buy southwest points?
While you theoretically may be able to buy Southwest points for roughly the same as TPG’s valuation, typically, the only one time I’d suggest someone take advantage of a Southwest buy points offer is if you’re trying to book a great S outhwest deal before it sells out or have an urgent flight need and:
How much to transfer southwest points?
- Flexible points transfer to Southwest at a 1:1 ratio instantly and are worth DOUBLE if you have a Southwest Companion Pass
- 3X points on dining
- 2X points on travel
- 10% points bonus annually on spending
- Primary car rental insurance
- Trip interruption and cancellation insurance
Is it worth it to purchase Southwest points?
Generally, no. Southwest points are worth about 1.5-1.7 cents per point, but they sell for 2.75-3 cents per point. However, there are some instances when it might make sense to purchase points. For example, if you need to quickly top off your account for a specific redemption, buying points can be a good idea.
How much is 50000 Southwest points worth?
about $700How much are 50,000 Southwest points worth? According to NerdWallet's analysis, 50,000 Southwest points are worth about $700.
How much does 4000 Southwest points cost?
3 cents a pointThe price of Southwest points depends on how many points you're purchasing as well as whether or not there are any current promotions. Normally, buying between 2,000 and 4,000 points will cost 3 cents a point. Purchases of 5,000 – 60,000 points cost 2.75 cents each.
Are Southwest Rapid Rewards Worth It?
The Southwest Rapid Rewards program is the 7th best frequent flyer program for 2022, according to WalletHub's review. Some of the best features of Southwest Rapid Rewards are points worth an average of 1.37 cents apiece that do not expire, numerous ways to earn points, and up to 100% bonus points on bookings.
How much are Southwest points worth 2021?
about $0.014 to $0.018 per pointSouthwest points are worth about $0.014 to $0.018 per point when you redeem them for Southwest flights. After going over their value, we'll explain how to redeem them and how Southwest Airline points compare with the miles other airlines offer.
Do Southwest points expire?
Do the points I earn expire? No, your Rapid Rewards points do not expire. However, if you choose to close your account, the points in your account will be terminated.
Can you cash out Southwest points?
Rapid Rewards is Southwest's frequent flyer program, which can be used not only for flights, but also for Southwest cruises, Southwest car rental services, and Southwest rewards shopping mall. Not only that, but you can sell Southwest miles or rewards for cash.
How much is 65000 Southwest points worth?
Since Southwest award redemptions are tied to the cash price of the flight, 65,000 points are worth at least $845 in Southwest flights based on our valuations — but you might be able to get even more value depending on the route you book!
Does buying points count towards Companion Pass?
Purchased points DO NOT count toward the Companion Pass, so it's not possible to buy points toward earning the Companion Pass.
What is the $75 Southwest annual travel credit?
$75 Southwest® Annual Travel Credit: A statement credit will automatically be applied to your account when your Southwest Airlines Rapid Rewards® Priority Card is used for Southwest Airlines® purchases (excluding Upgraded Boardings and inflight purchases), up to an anniversary year maximum accumulation of $75.
Is it worth it to upgrade to Southwest Priority Card?
Is the Southwest Priority Card Worth the Higher Annual Fee? The simple answer is yes. For an extra $50 in annual fees more than the Chase Southwest Rapid Rewards Premier card, each year you will receive: 1,500 additional anniversary points.
How many points is $1 in Southwest?
7. Fly SouthwestBaseA-ListWanna Get Away Fare6 points per $1.7.5 points per $1.Anytime Fare10 points per $1.12.5 points per $1.Business Select Fare12 points per $1.15 points per $1.
Can I use my Southwest points to buy a ticket for someone else?
It`s important to remember that the value of Southwest points depends on how they are redeemed. They have the most value when used for Rapid Rewards flights. In addition, one of the best ways to increase the number of Southwest points that you earn is to apply for a …
Rapid Rewards® Promotions - Southwest Airlines
Earn 75,000 points. Offer ends July 11 Wanna get more sights for the seeing?. 3,000 anniversary points and 2 EarlyBird Check-In® each year 2X points on Southwest® purchases and 2X points on rideshare; 2X points on internet, cable, phone services, and select streaming services
Southwest Low Fare Calendar | Southwest Airlines
1 First and second checked bags. Weight and size limits apply. A golf bag or skis in a container acceptable to Southwest can be substituted for one checked bag. 2 If you need to change an upcoming flight itinerary, you’ll only pay the cost in fare difference. 3 Failure to cancel a reservation at least 10 minutes prior to departure may result in forfeited Travel Funds.
What does this value mean?
Our value of 1.4 cents per Southwest point is an average, baseline value that can help determine whether a given redemption is "worth it." The value is based on real-world data (see below) and is effectively what you can expect to get from your Rapids Rewards points if you use them for a random redemption.
How to convert Southwest points to dollars
Use this Southwest point value calculator to determine the cash value of any number of Rapid Rewards points. This is useful when determining the value of a promotion, or when trying to decide whether to use cash or miles to book a flight.
How flexible are Southwest points?
To put it frankly: Rapids Rewards points aren't very flexible. Sure, you might be able to use them for non-flight options through the "More Rewards" portal for stuff like merchandise and gift cards, but these redemptions rarely match or exceed the value of using them to purchase Southwest flights.
How do Southwest points compare to other airline loyalty miles?
Per our analysis, Southwest Rapid Rewards points are some of the most valuable airline awards available. See the table below for how they stack up with other programs.
How has this value changed over time?
We’ve been tracking Southwest Rapid Rewards points since 2019, and this most recent valuation saw a small dip in value, from 1.6 cents the previous years to the current value of 1.4 cents per point.
How did we determine the value of Southwest Rapid Rewards points?
We collected hundreds of data points comparing the cash value to award (point) value for the same routes and dates. That is, we compared the cost of a given ticket in either cash or points across many tickets.
How much is Southwest points?
This can vary from 1.5 to 3.3 cents per point, but is typically closer to 1.5-1.6 cents. So if you can buy Southwest points at close to that value, you’ll actually do better to purchase your fare in points instead of cash.
How many Rapid Rewards points can you buy?
Enter your payment details. Select Pay Now. You are allowed to purchase up to 60,000 points per day maximum and it can take up to 72 hours for points to credit to your account. Also, purchased points ARE NOT refundable.
Do airline points expire?
Points NEVER expire and you can use them to book ANYONE on a flight. So if you buy the equivalent points and THEN purchase your flight with points, if you need to change or cancel, the points simply go right back in your account. Easy peasy.
How much does Southwest Points cost?
Normally, buying between 2,000 and 4,000 points will cost 3 cents a point. Purchases of 5,000 – 60,000 points cost 2.75 cents each.
Can you gift Southwest points?
Yes, you can give Southwest points as a gift. Gifting Southwest points is similar to buying Southwest points. Follow Steps 1-3, but at Step 3, click the “Gift points” button instead of the “Buy points” button.
Is buying Southwest points a last resort?
To determine whether a promotion is a good idea, do the math to see what you’re paying per point compared to the average 1.5 cents per point in value you’ll usually get from Southwest points.
How to buy Southwest points
Southwest Airlines partners with Points.com to sell its Rapid Rewards points. Follow these steps to learn how to buy Southwest points for your next award flight.
How much do Southwest points cost?
The base cost to buy Southwest points starts at $60 for 2,000 points, which is 3 cents per point. As you buy larger amounts of points, the price per point decreases. Sometimes Southwest offers a bonus points promotion, like 40% off when you buy more than 15,000 points, which can make the price per point drop even further.
When you should buy Southwest points
Unlike United Airlines or American Airlines miles, Southwest points have a fairly fixed value. Because of this, it's hard to find outsize value that justifies the cost to buy Rapid Rewards points. That being said, buying Southwest points can still make sense in a few scenarios, like:
Alternatives to buying Southwest points
Because the price per point is higher than the average redemption value of Southwest Rapid Rewards points, you may be hesitant to purchase them. Thankfully, there are alternative ways to earn additional Southwest points without flying:
So should you buy Southwest points?
For travelers who need extra points, Southwest Airlines allows Rapid Rewards members to buy points to boost their account balance. While these points can be used to book travel, they do not count toward earning the Companion Pass or A-List elite status. Buying Southwest points can be significantly more expensive than the value of those points.
How long does it take for Southwest points to post?
Southwest states to “allow 72 hours for points to post to the applicable Rapid Rewards account.” This means that if you’re in a time crunch purchasing points for a last minute flight might not work out.
What is the cheapest time to purchase Southwest Rapid Rewards?
Promos. The cheapest time to purchase Southwest Rapid Rewards is whenever they are running a promotion. Southwest is known to offer promotional offers for purchasing their points. For example, you might be able to receive a 30% or a 40% bonus when purchasing Southwest Rapid Rewards.
How much does Rapid Rewards cost?
Rapid Rewards are usually set at an established price. They will cost 3 cents per point at the lowest level of 2,000 points but once you get at 10,000 Rapid Rewards and beyond, they will cost you 2.75 cents per point. 2,000 points for $60 = 3 cents per point. 10,000 points for $275 = 2.75 cents per point.
How many points do you need to purchase a promo?
If purchasing for a promo, there may be a minimum points threshold that needs to met. For example, the terms might state: “A minimum 3,000 points purchase threshold must be met on a per transaction basis in order to qualify for the discount.”
Do Southwest points earn bonus points?
When you purchase Southwest points they are processed by Points.com and so you are not typically going to earn bonus points such as those for travel with your credit card.
Do Southwest gift points count towards A-List?
Purchased/gifted/transferred points do not count towards A-List, A-List Preferred, or Companion Pass qualification. This is a big one as some might expect to meet those elite levels or obtain the Companion Pass with purchase points but that’s just not possible with Southwest.
Can you buy Southwest Rapid Rewards?
Purchasing Southwest Rapid Rewards is often not the best idea because you’re purchasing points at a price that’s twice as high as the amount of value you might be getting from them. However, if you need to top-off your points or if you’re able to jump on a good promo, it might not be the worst idea ever. I’d still recommend that you just consider paying cash for the airfare though since you’ll earn Rapid Rewards and probably earn more points with a solid travel rewards credit cards.
Southwest Rapid Rewards selling points with a discount
Through Tuesday, February 15, 2022, Southwest is offering a bonus of up to 75% when you purchase Rapid Rewards points. The discount is tiered, as follows:
How much are Southwest points worth?
Southwest Rapid Rewards is a revenue based frequent flyer program, and the number of points required for a flight is directly correlated to the revenue cost of a flight. Back in April 2021, Southwest devalued Rapid Rewards points, and now you need to redeem roughly 83 Rapid Rewards points for each dollar of airfare on Southwest.
Is buying Southwest Airlines points worth it?
Let me cut to the chase — there are few situations where it makes sense to purchase Rapid Rewards points. Even at the discounted cost, there’s not usually value in buying points for ~1.57 cents each when you can only redeem them for ~1.2 cents each.
Which credit card should you buy Southwest points with?
If you’d like to buy Southwest Airlines points, note that purchases are processed by points.com, meaning they don’t count as an airfare purchase for the purposes of credit card spending.
Other ways to earn Rapid Rewards points
If you’re looking to earn Southwest Airlines points, there are a couple of best ways to do so:
Bottom line
Southwest is selling Rapid Rewards points with up to a 75% bonus, which brings the cost down to 1.57 cents per point.
How many points do you need to buy Southwest?
That's not much, but it narrows the advantage. Also, you need to buy Southwest points in increments of 1,000 points. That makes it hard to buy just the right amount of points for a flight.
How many points does Southwest give per dollar?
This means that the award price is directly tied to the revenue price. After a recent Southwest devaluation, Southwest now charges between 81-83 points per dollar of base fare.
How long does it take to get Rapid Rewards points?
Purchased points may take up to 72 hours to post in the applicable Rapid Rewards Account. Transactions are non-refundable. The 65% bonus will get you a 39,000 bonus on the maximum purchase of 60,000 points.
Do you have to pay for PFC points?
When redeeming points for a flight , you don't have to pay the Passenger Facility Charge (PFC) that's collected by the airline and remitted to airports. On really cheap flights, the PFC can be a significant amount of the cash price. And, on connecting itineraries, you have to pay the PFC to multiple airports.
Does Southwest use points?
Like many other loyalty programs, Southwest uses Points.com (a third party) to process point purchases. This means that although the purchase occurs on Southwest's website, it won't qualify for any travel category bonus offered by some credit cards.
Can you buy points and miles on AwardWallet?
At AwardWallet, we don't generally recommend buying points and miles speculatively. Most loyalty programs sell points at a price point that makes it difficult to receive outsized value, so you're often better off holding onto your cash. However, there are at least a few exceptions.
How much does it cost to redeem 105,000 points?
If you buy the maximum allowed in this promotion, you’ll end up paying $1,650 for 105,000 points making the cost 1.57 cents per point. If you can only redeem points for 1.2 cents per point, but have to pay a minimum cost of 1.57 cents per point, you’re never going to come out ahead.
How many miles can you earn on Delta in 2021?
Plus, in 2021 you can earn even more bonus Medallion® Qualification Miles (MQMs) to help you reach Medallion Status. Earn 3X Miles on Delta purchases and purchases made directly with hotels. Earn 2X Miles at restaurants worldwide, including takeout and delivery and at U.S. supermarkets.
Do purchased points count towards A-List?
Purchased points do not count towards A-List status or towards earning the Companion Pass. The only time I can think where it would make sense to buy a revenue-based loyalty program’s points is if you’re just short of a reward and need to top up an account to save yourself considerable money.