Southwest Airlines Miles and Loyalty Program Overview

[2025.3 update] Southwest announced today that it will roll out a series of changes, such as charging for checked bags, introducing a basic fare, extending the expiration period for airline credit, and potentially ushering award tickets into the dynamic redemption era. In short, now that the airline has grown, it seems to be moving toward the same operating model as AA/UA.

• News link

Details below

• Southwest Airlines® will continue to offer two free checked bags to Rapid Rewards® A-List Preferred Members and customers purchasing Business Select® fares, and one free checked bag to A-List members and certain other customers. Southwest will provide Rapid Rewards credit cardmembers with one free checked bag benefit. Customers who do not qualify for free checked bags will pay for their first and second checked bags (weight and size restrictions apply). These changes will apply to flights booked on or after May 28, 2025.
• The airline recently adjusted the number of Rapid Rewards points customers earn on qualifying flights. Customers now earn more points when purchasing Business Select fares, and fewer points when purchasing Wanna Get Away® and Wanna Get Away Plus® fares. Southwest's loyalty program, Rapid Rewards, will also introduce demand-based redemption rates. (In other words, points and fares will no longer necessarily redeem at a fixed ratio; tickets with higher cash prices may require more points than before.)
• Southwest will launch a new Basic fare on the lowest-priced tickets purchased on or after May 28, 2025, followed by assigned seating and extra legroom options.
• Southwest continues to expand its distribution channels to attract new customers, and as of last month, customers can book flights and fare products through Expedia.
• Airline credit from refunded tickets purchased on or after May 28, 2025 will expire one year or less from the date of issue, depending on the fare type purchased.

As you can see, there will be a lot of changes after May 28, so you may want to book the flights you plan to take before then to still enjoy two free checked bags and refund credit with no expiration.

About Southwest

Southwest (SW) is a low-cost carrier, but it has grown very quickly and its network in the United States keeps expanding. In recent years, it has also launched routes to Mexico and the Caribbean. In addition, like the big three U.S. airlines UA, AA, and Delta, SW has its own loyalty program, with multiple membership tiers and mileage earning from flying. But Southwest's most attractive feature is its Companion Pass. Once you get it, two people can fly together while only paying for one person's ticket, which is much better than Delta, BA, and others. It also has one of the most generous change rules, making it a very good plan B.

One thing to note: low-cost carriers sometimes use smaller airports in a city, so pay attention to which airport you are actually booking. For example, Chicago may mean Midway Airport rather than the ORD we usually use.

Earning points

You can earn Southwest points through flights, credit card signup bonuses, point transfers, shopping portals, and more, with the main sources being the first three.

Credit cards

The benefits of both personal cards and business cards basically cover the annual fee, so you can decide whether to get a card with an annual fee based on how often you fly Southwest. In general, when applying for a card, the main question is whether you can line it up to help you qualify for Companion Pass, which will be covered below.

[2025.2.12 update] The current signup bonus now gives you a full year of Companion Pass, valid through February 28, 2026! It's a great deal, so apply if you need it!

Personal cards are below:

Business cards are below:

Flying

The miles you earn by flying Southwest, and the miles required to earn and redeem tickets, depend on your membership tier.

Transferring points

You can transfer Chase Ultimate Rewards to Southwest at a 1:1 ratio, and it posts instantly. Using an Ultimate Rewards value of 1.6 cents per point, transferring points to book tickets is basically break-even. If you have a lot of points you can't use, this can be a good option. Southwest award bookings are basically worth a fixed value of about 1.54 cents per point. The exception is if you have Southwest Companion Pass and are traveling as two people, in which case transferring points to book tickets is still a pretty good deal. The same goes for Marriott. Other hotel points are a very poor option and do not need to be considered.

Redeeming points

Southwest points are very easy to use! You can think of points almost like cash. Any seat that can be booked with a cash ticket can also be booked with points. The value of the points is basically fixed, so just use them when you have them. Searches are done on the official website, just select points.

The value of Southwest points is basically fixed, though it can fluctuate a little. Different fare classes have different redemption values, and Wanna Get Away usually gives the best value. The differences are not huge, so choose based on your situation.

• Business Select: 1.32 cents/point
• Anytime: 1.39 cents/point
• Wanna Get Away+: 1.49 cents/point
• Wanna Get Away: 1.56 cents/point

Companion Pass

One of Southwest's signature features is the Companion Pass. Simply put, Companion Pass (CP, or companion ticket) means that after you buy a Southwest (SW) ticket, you can designate one person to fly with you without paying an extra airfare. Even more importantly:

• No matter whether the ticket was purchased with cash or redeemed with points, you can use CP to get a second free ticket.

If you usually pay cash for Southwest flights, having CP is like buying two tickets for the price of one. For business travelers or conference-goers, that means a free chance to bring a family member along on the trip. For those of us who don't want to spend money traveling, having CP is equivalent to doubling the value of Southwest points. Originally, 10,000 SW points could redeem a $130 ticket; now that is effectively enough for two $130 tickets!

Of course, such an attractive CP is not handed out casually. SW has seemingly very high requirements, and you only get CP once you meet them. But if you understand the rules behind it and use credit cards, point transfers, and other methods, it is still possible to earn CP quickly. This article will first explain the CP usage rules and how to earn CP quickly.

How to use Companion Pass

After you earn Companion Pass, the first thing to do is add your Companion. Family and friends are all fine; the airline does not restrict who you choose.

One thing to note: after you designate a Companion, you can change the Companion only three times per year, and you need to call SW to make the change.

After you add a Companion, if you want to use the CP benefit, you first need to book your own ticket. You can use CP whether you book with cash or with miles. After you book, go to your itinerary (up coming trips) and click: Add Companion. Then the Companion information you added will appear. Just follow the steps and you can successfully add that person to your trip.

After the Companion is added, they will have their own confirmation number

Things to keep in mind

• If the ticket holder cancels their own flight, the Companion's flight will also be canceled, and the Companion cannot fly separately
• Although the Companion's ticket fare is waived, a small amount of taxes and fees still need to be paid (around $5). International flights will also have things like the 9/11 tax
• When checking availability, it is best to make sure the flight you booked has more than 2 seats available; otherwise you cannot use CP

How to earn Companion Pass

Earning Companion Pass is not easy. Southwest requires, within a single calendar year, either 100 one-way flights or 135,000 qualifying points! Unless you travel on Southwest for work, reaching 100 flights is probably very difficult (roughly one flight every four days). So most people qualify by earning 135,000 qualifying points within a year.

This specifically refers to qualifying points, so some points count and some do not.

These count:

• Points earned from flying SW; how many points you earn depends on the fare you buy and your membership status
• Points earned from credit card welcome bonuses and spending on co-branded cards (Chase Southwest Premier and Southwest Plus, Southwest Priority, Southwest Premier Business, Southwest Performance Business )
• Points earned through the Southwest shopping portal, similar to a cash-back portal (https://rapidrewardsshopping.southwest.com/)
• Other Southwest activities such as Hotel, Dining, and more

These do not count:

• Hotel points transferred to Southwest (currently Hyatt and Marriott points can be transferred)
• Transfers from Chase Ultimate Rewards
• Extra promotions from the Southwest shopping portal (for example, spend xx and get an extra xx)
• Buying points directly from Southwest

Things to keep in mind

• Once you hit the points or segment requirement, you will earn CP for the rest of that year and all of the following year. So it is best to complete the requirement early in the year, which can get you nearly two years of CP
• When calculating the requirement, only the points you earn count; spending them does not matter
• The points requirement is only used to qualify for CP. After you get CP, those points are still yours
• After you complete the points requirement, you will receive a physical Companion Card, but apparently it is not very useful

How to get Companion Pass quickly

Now is the beginning of the year. If you can quickly meet the 135,000-point Companion Pass requirement, then you can enjoy the benefits for the rest of this year and all of next year! And once you have Companion Pass, the 135,000 points you earned are worth $3,250 in redemptions! If you are not relying on flying, the fastest way right now is through Southwest co-branded credit card welcome bonuses. One thing to note is that, at the moment, you can only apply for one personal card (a second application in a short period will be automatically denied), so you can only apply for one business card in addition.

Based on the welcome offers, you can mix and match. Business cards usually offer 80,000 points, so if you are in a hurry, a personal card with a welcome bonus of more than 50,000 points is enough. If you do not want to apply for a business card, you will have to wait until a personal card welcome offer reaches 80,000 points, then make up the rest with some flying and other spending, which is still fairly difficult.

My suggestion is that if you have some credit history, can apply for a business card, and can meet the welcome spending requirement, it is best to apply for both cards on the same day. Here is why:

• Applying for two Chase cards on the same day will combine the hard pulls, reducing the impact on your credit score (see AOR analysis)
• It is easier to control when the welcome bonus posts. If you apply at the end of the year and receive the welcome bonus at the start of the next year, that is ideal, because then your Companion Pass will last for two full years

In addition to earning the 135,000 points directly like this, sometimes Southwest co-branded card offers come with a one-year Companion Pass. Keep an eye out and apply at the right time.

"2025.2 update" The current welcome bonus comes with a one-year Companion Pass, valid through February 28, 2026! It is a great deal, so apply if you need it!

Best redemption

Although the points value is fixed and there is no real award chart, Southwest still has some unique advantages.

• Easy to redeem points: If there is a seat, you can redeem it, and if you have points, you can use them. So if a flight works for you, go ahead and redeem it!
• Lower fares: As a low-cost carrier with frequent redemption promotions, domestic flights are usually cheaper than average. Just make sure the airport is the one you want.
• Companion ticket: If two people are traveling and the airport works for you, the buy-one-get-one-free benefit is really a great deal. Even award redemptions can be buy-one-get-one-free!
• No fee for changes: Southwest allows cancellations and changes up to 10 minutes before departure, so if your travel plans are uncertain, Southwest is worth considering~

A-List

Their elite status is not very useful. I will leave the link here in case you want to check it out.

• Intro link

Summary

Southwest's points program is relatively simple. The biggest highlight is Companion Pass, so I recommend focusing on that. If it works for you, keep an eye on the credit card welcome bonuses and go for it!

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• Delta SkyMiles Mileage and Membership Guide “2024 Full Update”
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Others

• Southwest Airlines Mileage and Membership Program Guide “2025 Full Update”
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