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The Southwest Speedy Rewards program is without doubt one of the most versatile airline loyalty packages on the market. Incomes Speedy Rewards factors is extremely simple and redeeming them is very simple. With this system, you by no means have to fret about blackout dates or award availability — so long as there’s a seat out there on the market, you should utilize your Speedy Rewards factors to ebook your self a free flight.
Apart from the easy-to-use program, there’s additionally one other large profit: You may cancel a flight booked on factors for completely no price. So long as you cancel 10 minutes previous to the flight’s departure time, all factors redeemed will return into your account, and all taxes and costs shall be refunded again to the bank card used.
Moreover, factors by no means expire, all passengers can verify two luggage for no price and with the coveted Southwest Companion Pass, one other passenger can fly with you an infinite variety of occasions for nearly free.
Fortuitously, there are lots of methods to earn Southwest Speedy Rewards factors — even if you happen to aren’t flying Southwest flights fairly often. Between Speedy Rewards companions and the Southwest co-branded bank cards, you may earn factors earlier than you even step foot on a Southwest airplane.
Firstly, you’ll have to enroll in the program, which is free and easy to do.
When flying Southwest Airways on a paid fare, you’ll earn factors based mostly on three elements: the ticket worth, your fare class and your elite standing.
Southwest presents three fare courses: Enterprise Choose, Anytime and Wanna Get Away. There are a couple of further perks if you buy a Enterprise Choose or Anytime ticket, however most Southwest flyers will wish to buy a Wanna Get Away ticket, which is the bottom worth on provide. Notice that you’ll solely earn factors on the pre-tax value of a ticket on the following charges:
- Enterprise Choose Fare: 12 Speedy Rewards factors per greenback spent
- Anytime Fare: 10 Speedy Rewards factors per greenback spent
- Wanna Get Away Fare: 6 Speedy Rewards factors per greenback spent
In case you have elite standing with Southwest, you’ll earn bonus factors. A-Listing members will earn an extra 25% Speedy Rewards factors, whereas A-Listing Most well-liked members will earn an extra 100% Speedy Rewards factors.
For instance, if you buy a $97 ticket ($119 post-tax) from Baltimore (BWI) to Ft. Lauderdale (FLL) on a Wanna Get Away ticket, you’ll earn 584 Speedy Rewards factors.
You too can earn Southwest Speedy Rewards factors for purchases you’re already making in your day-to-day life. With many Southwest partnerships, you may earn Southwest Speedy Rewards factors for purchases exterior of flying — from buying on-line to renting automobiles.
One of many best alternatives to earn bonus factors is by utilizing the Southwest Rapid Rewards online shopping portal. For many on-line purchases you make, particularly these at giant retailers, you may earn bonus factors for every greenback you spend. All it’s important to do is begin on the buying portal, choose your service provider and then you definately’ll be directed to that service provider’s web site and may full your buying as you usually would.
For instance, if you happen to’re seeking to store at Macy’s, as a substitute of going straight to the Macy’s web site, you’ll wish to begin at Southwest’s buying portal and seek for Macy’s. The portal will inform you the precise variety of factors you’ll earn, which might fluctuate all year long, and also you’ll then be taken on to Macys.com. After you place your order, you’ll obtain the factors earned inside the subsequent 12 weeks — some retailers publish faster than others.
Just like buying on-line, you may as well earn bonus factors by taking part in Southwest’s Rapid Rewards Dining program. By linking your bank card, you’ll robotically earn Southwest Speedy Rewards factors at taking part eating places.
Be sure that to opt-in for electronic mail communications, as you’ll earn three factors per greenback spent. In case you aren’t enrolled to obtain emails, you’ll earn a a lot inferior one level per two {dollars} spent. There are additionally many bonus alternatives all year long, reminiscent of new member bonuses, assembly sure spend thresholds and writing evaluations for eating places.
You too can earn Southwest Speedy Rewards factors by crediting your lodge stays and automobile leases to Southwest. With all eight automobile rental companions — Alamo, Avis, Funds, Greenback, Hertz, Nationwide, Payless and Thrifty — you’ll earn 600 Speedy Rewards factors per qualifying rental. Nevertheless, we don’t suggest crediting your lodge stays to Southwest, as you’ll sometimes forgo incomes any factors with the lodge chain itself.
However, if you happen to’re seeking to make a reservation at a boutique lodge that doesn’t have its personal loyalty program, you may make a reservation with Southwest Hotels or Rocketmiles.com. With each third-party lodge websites, you may earn as much as 10,000 Speedy Rewards factors per reservation — though it’s sometimes lots much less.
Many different widespread Southwest Speedy Rewards companions embody reserving journey actions via Southwest Airways Experiences, ordering flowers from 1-800-Flowers and filling out surveys with e-Rewards.
Throughout the Southwest suite of co-branded bank cards, there are three private and two enterprise playing cards, which all earn Southwest Speedy Rewards factors. With all 5 playing cards, you’ll earn factors with each buy you make on the cardboard.
You’ll additionally discover that some playing cards have totally different class bonuses, which suggests you’ll earn an elevated variety of factors on sure purchases, reminiscent of Southwest flights, telecommunication providers, native transit and commuting bills.
New card holders can earn a bulk variety of factors with the co-branded playing cards’ respective sign-up bonuses:
- Southwest Rapid Rewards® Plus Credit Card: Earn as much as 100,000 bonus factors — 50,000 factors after you spend $2,000 on purchases within the first three months, plus an extra 50,000 factors after you spend $12,000 on purchases within the first 12 months from account opening.
- Southwest Rapid Rewards® Premier Credit Card: Earn as much as 100,000 bonus factors — 50,000 factors after you spend $2,000 on purchases within the first three months, plus an extra 50,000 factors after you spend $12,000 on purchases within the first 12 months from account opening.
- Southwest Rapid Rewards® Priority Credit Card: Earn as much as 100,000 bonus factors — 50,000 factors after you spend $2,000 on purchases within the first three months, plus an extra 50,000 factors after you spend $12,000 on purchases within the first 12 months from account opening.
- Southwest Rapid Rewards® Premier Business Credit Card: Earn 60,000 bonus factors once you spend $3,000 on purchases inside the first three months after opening the account.
- Southwest Rapid Rewards® Performance Business Credit Card: Earn 80,000 bonus factors once you spend $5,000 on purchases within the first three months after opening the account.
Now, if you need a extra versatile card that lets you redeem factors on Southwest together with many different lodge and airline companions, you would possibly want both the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card or the Chase Sapphire Reserve®. Each playing cards are a part of Chase’s Final Rewards program the place factors switch to 14 totally different loyalty packages at a 1-to-1 ratio, together with Southwest. This implies all factors earned on the 2 playing cards can instantly be transferred to your Southwest Speedy Rewards account.
Southwest has one of many easiest packages in terms of redeeming your factors. There’s no worrying about blackout dates or award availability. As an alternative, so long as there’s a seat out there to buy, you should utilize your Speedy Rewards factors to ebook any award flight. The variety of factors you want is immediately tied to the ticket value.
Whereas Southwest doesn’t have a precise redemption charge, factors are sometimes redeemed for round 1.4 cents apiece for a Wanna Get Away Fare. Nevertheless, based mostly on the route and whether or not you’re flying throughout an off-peak or peak interval, it would require barely extra or fewer factors. You too can redeem factors for Anytime or Enterprise Choose fares, however you’ll need to spend extra factors — and the advantages aren’t sometimes value it.
To redeem your factors, when you’re on the Southwest web site, enter your required metropolis pair and dates. You may then toggle between a paid fare and factors redemption. And in case your journey dates are versatile, you may as well simply have a look at a calendar view to ebook on a date the place fewer factors are required.
In case you’re a Southwest Speedy Rewards cardmember, there are additionally a couple of different non-airline partnership alternatives to redeem your factors, however the redemption worth is extremely low. Whereas we don’t suggest these various redemptions, if you happen to’re seeking to deplete your account, you do have choices. By the unique More Rewards portal, you may redeem your factors for automobile leases, merchandise, occasions, present playing cards and journey experiences.
There are two totally different Southwest elite standing ranges: A-Listing and A-Listing Most well-liked. Whereas these two elite ranges gained’t lengthen a seat in firstclass — since all Southwest planes provide only one seat kind — there are some perks you’ll obtain to make your expertise that significantly better.
For A-Listing standing you’ll have to fly 25 one-way qualifying flights on Southwest or earn 35,000 tier-qualifying factors in a calendar yr. Advantages embody precedence boarding, precedence check-in and safety lane entry, same-day standby, devoted cellphone line and 25% bonus factors earned on all qualifying flights.
The necessities for A-Listing Most well-liked standing are double, the place you’ll have to fly 50 one-way qualifying flights on Southwest or earn 70,000 tier-qualifying factors in a calendar yr. Along with the A-Listing advantages, you’ll additionally obtain a 100% bonus on all qualifying flights and complimentary inflight Wi-Fi.
You may earn tier-qualifying factors by flying Southwest Airways on eligible paid flights or via bank card spend with many of the Southwest co-branded bank cards.
The Southwest Companion Pass permits a buddy or member of the family to fly with you without spending a dime (plus taxes and costs) all through the lifetime of the cross. To earn the cross, it’s essential to earn 125,000 qualifying factors inside a calendar yr. Factors might be earned from flying eligible fares on Southwest, bank card spend in your Southwest co-branded bank card or from Southwest Speedy Rewards companion exercise.
When you earn the cross, it’s yours for the rest of the yr, plus all the following yr. For instance, if you happen to earn the cross in April 2022, the cross doesn’t expire till Dec. 31, 2023. With the cross, your companion can fly with you an infinite variety of occasions with no blackout dates or some other restrictions.
Whereas there are lots of methods to earn the cross, one of many best strategies is thru Southwest credit cards as a result of the factors earned from the sign-up bonus and common bank card spend rely as qualifying factors. And with the present provide the place you may earn as much as 100,000 factors, that may get you extremely near securing the cross.
Finally, the Southwest Speedy Rewards program is without doubt one of the easiest airline loyalty packages on the market with some ways to earn factors, in addition to a simple redemption course of.
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