Key Takeaways:
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Southwest boasts diverse travel partners spanning major hotel brands like Hyatt and Marriott, prominent rental car companies, and numerous restaurants and online retailers.
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Learn how to transfer Southwest points to other members for free!
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Find out Southwest points value, especially beneficial for avid airline enthusiasts.
Embarking on a journey with Southwest Airlines and its Rapid Rewards program opens a world of possibilities beyond the airline loyalty program.
With Southwest transfer points, you enjoy greater flexibility with a unique array of redemption options.
From flights to hotels, car rentals, and more, members can leverage partnerships not only to accumulate more points but also to redeem existing points effectively.
Join us as we explore the value of Southwest points and dive deep into Southwest Airlines transfer points to unlock the full potential of your points.
Southwest Transfer Partners
Southwest Airlines doesn’t participate in traditional airline mileage transfer programs like other carriers, where you can transfer miles directly to partner airlines.
Instead, Southwest has partnered with various hotels, rental car companies, online retailers, and more to provide additional redemption options.
This way, Southwest transfer points offer flexibility and value, so you can enjoy a range of benefits beyond flights alone. Let’s explore Southwest’s diverse partnerships and transfer options in more detail.
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Southwest Hotel Transfer Partners
Southwest Airlines has established partnerships with various hotel loyalty programs, allowing travelers to earn Southwest Rapid Rewards points through qualifying hotel stays.
When staying with Southwest’s hotel partners like Marriott, Hyatt, or MGM, members of both the hotel loyalty program and the Southwest Rapid Rewards program can earn 600 Southwest transfer points per qualifying stay.
But it is always better to earn hotel loyalty points directly to yield maximum value, particularly for your extended stays during traveling. The redemption rates for transferring hotel points to Southwest vary for each hotel program.
Hotel Partner Transfer Ratio 3:1 (9,000 Marriott points = 3,000 Rapid Rewards points)
Plus 5,000 bonus points for every 60,000 points transferred
5,000 Hyatt points = 2,400 Rapid Rewards points
50,000 Hyatt points = 24,000 Rapid Rewards points + 6,000 bonus points
3. Best Western
5,000 Best Western Rewards points = 1,200 Rapid Rewards points
4. Choice Hotels
6,000 Choice Privileges points = 1,800 Rapid Rewards points
5. Radisson
10:1 (10 Radisson Rewards points = 1 Rapid Rewards point)
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Southwest Airline Transfer Partners
Southwest Airlines, popularly known for its domestic routes, does not directly partner with other airlines for point transfers.
Southwest cardholders can access the Southwest More Rewards Program, which allows them to redeem their points for international flights with select airlines like Air France, American Airlines, British Airways, Delta Air Lines, and United Airlines.
As Southwest doesn’t support point transfers to airlines, it’s best to utilize Southwest points directly for Southwest flights for maximum value and simplicity in redemption.
Where does Southwest fly internationally? Rapid Rewards members can book Southwest Airlines international flights at various destinations like Aruba, Montego Bay (Jamaica), Nassau (Bahamas), and Cancun (Mexico).
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Southwest Car Rental Transfer Partners
When it comes to Southwest transfer points, the airline allows Rapid Rewards members to earn points through rental car bookings with several partners, including well-known names like:
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Alamo
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Avis
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Budget
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Dollar
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Hertz
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National
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Payless
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Thrifty
By selecting Southwest Rapid Rewards points at the time of rental, you can earn approximately 600 points after returning the rental car. For long-term benefits and rewards, we advise you to sign up for an individual car rental loyalty program.
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Southwest Shopping Partners
Southwest Airlines offers a range of opportunities for Rapid Rewards members to earn points through various shopping transfer partners.
The Rapid Rewards Shopping portal allows you to accumulate points from over 800 famous online retailers and brands, such as Macy’s, Staples, Home Chef, and Groupon.
It helps you earn quick points based on your purchases, which typically vary by retailer. Here are some of the Southwest transfer shopping partners, which move you closer to rewards like the Companion Pass by increasing your Rapid Rewards balance.
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Home Chef
Earn up to 6,000 points (1,200 points on each of your first five boxes) and get 10% off your first order.
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Laithwaites
Earn 2,000 points with an introductory wine case and 1,000 on future club cases. Get 3 points per dollar spent on non-club purchases.
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1-800 Flowers
Earn 1,000 points for each order of $29.99 or more
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Harry & David
Earn 1,000 points on each order of $29.99 or more
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Home Chef
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Southwest Dining Partners
With the Rapid Rewards Dining Program, members can earn points at participating restaurants. Southwest Airlines allows you to register up to 12 credit cards on rapidrewardsdining.com, where you can use one of those cards to pay while dining out.
You can earn 3x points per dollar spent if you agree to receive dining email from Southwest, and 1 point per 2 dollars spent if you don’t opt for emails. You may also earn bonus points for writing restaurant reviews.
Participating in Southwest Rapid Rewards Dining can yield significant rewards, roughly equivalent to a 4% return on restaurant bills in the form of Southwest points.
Transferring Southwest Points to Friends and Family
You can even transfer your Southwest points to other members’ accounts, including friends and family. But the transfer comes with a significant fee.
Southwest Airlines allows members to transfer their points between accounts by incurring a fee of $5 for every 500 points transferred.
Members can transfer up to 60,000 Rapid Rewards points to another Southwest member in 1,000-point increments each day. You can perform multiple transactions within the daily limit.
Wondering, how to transfer southwest points to others? Simply, log in to your Southwest account and navigate to the Rapid Rewards section. Now, select ‘Buy or Transfer Points’ under Manage.
Then, click on ‘Transfer’ and enter the recipient’s name, email, and Southwest Rapid Rewards account number. Once the transfer is complete, the points will be added to the receiver’s account.
PRO TIP: If you want to transfer Southwest points without any fees, opt for Southwest Airlines co-branded cards like the Southwest Rapid Rewards Performance Business Credit Card or the Southwest Rapid Rewards Premier Business Credit Card.
Both these cards offer up to $500 fee credit for points transfer every year, helping you make fee-free Southwest points transfers.
Alternative? To avoid the fees altogether, a more efficient way is to use your Southwest transfer points to book flights directly for friends or family members – rather than transferring points. It even maintains the maximum value of your Rapid Rewards points.
What is the value of Southwest Points?
Southwest Airlines Points are typically valued at 1.5 cents per point. This serves as a benchmark to determine the worth of redemption, where Southwest points to dollars equal to $0.014.
They offer the best value when redeemed for booking flights with Southwest over other redemption options. Plus, Southwest points do not expire as long as your account remains active.
Unlike other loyalty programs, Southwest points are tied directly to the cash price of a flight, meaning as flight price fluctuates, so do the points required for booking.
Apart from flights, you can also redeem your Southwest Rapid Rewards points for hotels, car rentals, gift cards, and merchandise – yielding significantly low value.
Southwest points are valued more than United and Alaska Airlines miles. Although, the Southwest award system lacks complex ‘sweet spots’ found in other programs, and the option to use earned points to book flights with partner airlines.
But the travel simplicity and straightforward rewards the airline offers help travelers use the points for flights, ensuring consistent value for each redemption.
FAQs
Can you transfer Southwest points?
Yes, Southwest Airlines allows you to transfer your Rapid Rewards points to another account member. However, there is a fee associated with transferring points.
How to transfer Southwest points?
To transfer Southwest points, log in to your Rapid Rewards account online, go to the ‘Buy or Transfer Points’ section, select the number of points you want to transfer, and provide the recipient’s information. You will be charged a fee for this service.
How to transfer Chase points to Southwest?
To transfer Chase points to Southwest, log in to your Chase credit card account, go to the Ultimate Rewards page, and select the Chase credit card you want to use.
Then, choose Southwest under the Airlines section and enter the Rapid Rewards account number. You can transfer Chase Ultimate Reward points in increments of 1,000 at a 1:1 ratio to Southwest Airlines.
Can you transfer Southwest points to another person?
Yes, you can easily transfer Southwest points to another person with a Southwest account by logging into your Rapid Rewards account and initiating a point transfer.
How to transfer Southwest points to another person for free?
To transfer Southwest points for free to another person, you will need either the Southwest® Rapid Rewards® Performance Business Credit Card or the Southwest® Rapid Rewards® Premier Business Credit Card, offering up to $500 fee credit for transferring Southwest points to other account members.
How to transfer points from Chase to Southwest?
To transfer points from Chase Ultimate Rewards to Southwest Airlines, log in to your Chase account, navigate to the Ultimate Rewards portal, select ‘Transfer Points’, and choose Southwest as the transfer partner.
Then, enter your Rapid Rewards account details and specify the number of points you wish to transfer. Confirm the transaction and the points will be deposited to your Southwest account within 24 hours.
How much does it cost to transfer Southwest points?
The cost of transferring Southwest points is generally $5 for every 500 points transferred.
Can I transfer Southwest points to my spouse?
Yes, you can transfer your Southwest points to your spouse or any other individual with a Rapid Rewards account by using the point transfer service provided by Southwest Airlines. Note a fee will apply for this transaction.
Can I transfer my Southwest points to someone else?
Yes, you can transfer your Southwest points to someone else as long as they have a Rapid Rewards account.
How much are Southwest points worth?
The value of Southwest Rapid Rewards Points varies depending on how you redeem them, but typically one Southwest point equals 1.5 cents when redeemed for flights with Southwest Airlines.