Southwest Airlines Rapid Rewards, loyalty program of Southwest Airlines, is a program that allows you to book Southwest Airlines flights. The airline was founded by Herb Kelleher and if you’re interested in more background about the airline, I really enjoyed Herb Kelleher’s interview on NPR’s How I Built This Podcast.

Southwest Airlines does not have any award chart redemptions per say so this post will differ from the previous posts on the Chase Ultimate Rewards partners.

Even without redemptions, I’ve found that there are 4 positives about the program. One, you can up to 2 free checked bags. Two, Southwest doesn’t have change fees.  Three, Southwest has non-stop flights from the US to Central America and the Caribbean.  Four, the Southwest Companion Pass.

With these 4 items in mind, here’s what I would take into account as you evaluate your award booking:

• Southwest uses a revenue-based program – when revenue flights are expensive, the points required are high and vice versa
• Flights can be booked one-way – no stopovers (staying more than 4 hours after you land en route to your destination)
• Southwest only partners with one major transferable program: Chase
• Southwest offers three fare classes: Business Select, Anytime, Wanna Get Away

With an overview of the Southwest Airlines Rapid Rewards program in hand, let’s dive in to what makes this program great:

1. Up to Two Free Check Bags

Southwest does not charge for your 1st carry on, 2nd carry on (personal item ie. book bag), 1st checked bag or 2nd checked bag.

Ashlee and I currently use my Companion Pass (we used her Companion Pass in 2015-2016) for our U.S. domestic and Caribbean flights.  This perk alone has saved us thousands of dollars in bag fees.

2. No Change Fees

Southwest does not charge a fee for paid or award flight changes.  If you need to modify your flight, the only cash or points you will pay is the difference in cash or points at that time (assuming there is a fare difference).

Southwest has an added bonus in that if the fare you booked drops in cost, you can call and ask to be booked on the cheaper fare, netting the positive difference in cost.  Make sure to be on the lookout for their fare sales!

3. Caribbean and Mexico

Southwest continues to expand its footprint in Central America and the Caribbean. The airline currently flies to 7 Central American and 8 Caribbean destinations.

Here are examples of Southwest non-stop routes for your next trip to Central America and/or the Caribbean:

Denver (DEN) <> Cabo (SJD)
Nashville (BNA) <> Cancun (CUN)
Houston (IAH) <> Grand Cayman (GCM)
Fort Lauderdale (FLL) <> Turks and Caicos (PLS)

4. Companion Pass

The Southwest Companion Pass allows you to receive a companion fare (read free) for any revenue or award flight.For example, if I book a revenue or award flight, I simply add Ashlee and she flies on the exact same flight for only $5.60/flight in taxes and fees. It’s incredible!

The Companion Pass is earned in two ways: 1) Earning 110,000 Rapid Rewards points in a calendar year, or 2) Flying 100 flight segments in a calendar year.

Earning 110,000 points is the route to take and can obtained by the sign up bonus points from the Southwest business and personal credit cards.

Credits Cards to Book Southwest Airlines Flights

Before you book Southwest Airlines flights, it’s helpful to know how best to maximize your spend. Credit cards that have high earn rates in the travel bonus category are ones that I prefer to use.

The Chase Sapphire Reserve is a card I love to use to book Southwest Airlines flights. It earns 3x points on Southwest flights and also has excellent travel coverage. Consider using the American Express Platinum (Learn More Here) as well. It earns 5x points when you book directly with Southwest Airlines and it comes with airport lounge access.

Business owners should consider using the Chase Ink Business Preferred. The Preferred earns 3x on travel purchases. Another card to consider is the Amex Business Platinum (Learn More Here). The Platinum earns 5x points when you book directly with Southwest Airlines and comes with airport lounge access.

All in all, consider using credit cards that earn transferable points. Amex, Capital One, Chase, Citi, and Marriott are the 5 transferable point programs. Nearly all of these programs currently offer credit cards that come with sizeable welcome offers.

Conclusion

The Southwest Airlines Rapid Rewards program is much different than the major U.S. airlines in American Airlines, Delta, and United. The Southwest free frequent flyer program benefits are geared towards the economy class and family-oriented traveler groups.

How do you book Southwest Airlines flights? Please let me know in the comments or by sending me an email on my contact page.

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