How to Earn Points on Southwest for Frequent Flyer Benefits

You earn points for Business Select, Anytime, and Wanna Get Away fares. The different fares each earn a different level of points. You always select the type of fare you want when you book your flight, with Business Select being the most expensive and Wanna Get Away the cheapest. If you book a Business Select Fare, you’ll earn 12 points for every dollar. For an Anytime fare, you’ll earn 10 points per dollar. When you book a Wanna Get Away flight, you only earn 6 points per dollar.^[2]

• You only earn tier qualifying points if you pay for the flight. You will not earn points if you’re redeeming Rapid Reward points or if you’re on a charter flight.
• Business Select and Anytime fares are refundable and offer same-day changes, while Wanna Get Away fares do not.^[3]

Type in your Rapid Rewards account number when you book a flight. After choosing all of your flight details through Southwest, locate the text box labeled “Rapid Rewards Account #”. Type in the account number you were sent when you enrolled in the Rapid Rewards program. Fill out the rest of the personal and billing information on the page to purchase your tickets and earn your points.^[4]

• Your points will post to your account within 72 hours of the entire trip.
• If you forget to enter your account number, you can request past points up to 12 months after the flight.
• You will not earn points if the name on your ID doesn’t match the name on your Rapid Rewards account.

Southwest Rapid Rewards Priority, Premier, and Performance cards earn points. You can earn tier qualifying points by making regular purchases with both consumer and business credit cards. Check out the different card options on the Southwest website and pick the one that best fits your needs. After you get approved for the card, you can start making purchases and building up your points.^[5]

• You can compare and apply for Southwest credit cards here: https://www.southwest.com/html/rapidrewards/partners/credit-cards/southwest-airlines-rapid-rewards-cards/index.html.

You’ll get 1,500 points for every $10,000 USD you spend. Even though you earn Rapid Rewards points on each individual purchase, those are not considered tier qualifying points. You will only earn tier qualifying points after spending at least $10,000 USD. You’ll see the points appear on your account at the end of your credit card’s billing cycle.^[6]

You’re capped at 15,000 points from Southwest cards every year. If you spend a total of $100,000 USD, you’ll earn the maximum amount of points possible. After that, you can only earn the remaining points you need from booking flights with your Rapid Rewards account. At the start of the next calendar year, you can start earning points from cards again.^[7]

You get priority check-in and boarding. You get these perks for both A-List and A-List Preferred. When you book your ticket at least 36 hours before your flight, you’ll automatically get reserved for an earlier boarding time so you can get on the plane earlier. When you arrive at the airport, you also get to use a Fly By priority lane so you don’t have to wait in a security line for as long.^[12]

• You will still need to check-in within 24 hours of your flight to get your boarding passes.
• You also qualify for same-day standby if you want to get on an earlier flight. You will still need to pay for any taxes or fees if your itinerary changes.

You earn bonus points whenever you book a qualifying flight. If you’re in the A-List tier, you get 25% more points whenever you book a flight that would normally earn you points. If you’re able to get into A-List Preferred, you earn double the points instead. That way, you can maintain reach and maintain your tier level easier.^[13]

A-List Preferred offers free wifi during your flight. You will have to pay for wifi if you’re only in the A-List tier. Once you earn enough points to bump up to A-List Preferred, you automatically get access to the Internet whenever you book a flight.^[14]

Enjoy your benefits through the calendar year and the entire next year. As soon as you reach A-List or A-List Preferred, you immediately get the perks for the remainder of the current year. Once the new calendar year begins, you still have access to all of your perks, but your tier qualifying points reset.^[15]