You can earn Southwest Points with Fast Food Rewards: Here’s How

Editor’s note: This is a periodic article, regularly updated with new information.

Accumulating points and miles for food and drink can be lucrative, especially when used top dining credit cards. However, there are other ways to earn more rewards. Dining rewards programs, including Southwest’s Fast Food Rewards program, are one of the best ways to earn extra rewards.

Southwest’s Fast Food Rewards Program is one of the simplest ways to Earn Southwest Points. While most major airlines offer meal rewards programs, Southwest’s is one of the best. That’s because earning enough points for an award ticket is relatively easy. After all, some Southwest awards cost only a few thousand points.

Here’s what you need to know to get started on your next reward flight with Southwest Fast Food Rewards.

Joining Fast Food Rewards is quick and easy. Simple register by providing your name, address, Express Rewards number and email and creating a password. After confirming your account, you can login and register credit card bonus. The next time you dine at a participating restaurant, bar or club with your registered card, you will earn bonus points through the program.

Why you shouldn’t link multiple tags

While you can apply for multiple cards with Fast Food, you generally shouldn’t. Instead, you’ll only want to sign up for one of your credit cards with each dining rewards program.

Why join multiple programs? Because most programs offer a bonus for the first meal, allowing you to earn the maximum return on your restaurant spending. However, most dining rewards programs are on the same network, so you cannot register the same card with more than one program.

For example, let’s say you sign up Chase Sapphire Reserve® with Quick Rewards Dinner and then decided to add it Alaska Mileage Plan dinner File. The card will be automatically removed from your Fast Food account, so you will no longer earn points through Fast Food using it.

Therefore, link the highest earning card to your favorite program to maximize your earnings.

Related: Make the most of your food delivery orders with these credit cards

Which cards to use with Quick Eats

Since the restaurant itself is handling your charges, you should use credit card with reward points when eating out. My favorite is American Express® Gold Cardearn 4 Membership Rewards points per dollar at restaurants worldwide.

Amex Gold also offers up to $10 monthly credits valued at select restaurants (up to $120 in annual statement credits), including The Cheesecake Factory, Milk Bar and Selective Shake Shack locations, when you sign up. While none of these are part of the Southwest Fast Food Rewards program in my area, you should check it out.

Other great card options for your dining bill include Chase Sapphire Reserve® and Chase Sapphire Preferred® Cardearn 3 Final bonus points every dollar when eating out.

Related: Finally reunited: how 100,000 points Southwest brought me home for the holidays

How to earn points with Southwest Rapid Rewards Dining

With Fast Food, you’ll earn points every time you dine at a participating restaurant, bar or club. All you have to do is use your registered credit card to pay your bill. You’ll receive an email confirmation within minutes, letting you know your purchase is eligible for bonus points through Fast Rewards. Here’s a breakdown of how many points you can earn at participating restaurants, bars and clubs through Quick Eats:

• If you choose to receive email notifications: 3 Quick Rewards points for every dollar spent and an additional 10 points for each completed dining review.
• If you choose not to receive email notifications: 1 point for every two dollars spent.

In addition to points earned for every dollar spent, Rapid Rewards Dining members can now earn the following rewards:

• New member rewards: Earn 1,000 bonus points when you spend $25 at a participating restaurant and complete an online review within the first 30 days of joining.
• First Step Reward: Earn 500 bonus points after you earn 1,500 points from eating and completing a review (once only).
• Thank you bounty: Earn 300 bonus points every time you earn 1,000 points from eating and completing reviews.

Related: How 100,000 Southwest Rewards Points Helped Me Get a Package Trip to Mexico

Some points earned through the Fast Rewards Eating program count towards Companion card. In particular, the base points are earned from the number of meals, but the bonus points are not counted.

How do I find out which restaurants, bars and clubs join?

To see which restaurants, bars, and clubs participate in Southwest Rapid Rewards Dining, enter your zip code or city and state in the search bar above. Fast Food Rewards Website. You can even click the “Show Map” button after searching to see a map of participating merchants.

Can you earn points for takeout?

You can earn points for takeout with Southwest Rapid Rewards Dining. Just provide your credit card number over the phone or pay in-store and you’ll earn points as you eat out. However, you will not earn points through Fast Food if you use a third-party booking platform or food delivery app.

Is there a limit to the number of points I can earn for dining at Southwest Rapid Rewards?

Some restaurants have a monthly limit on the number of points you can earn with Southwest Quick Rewards. Others limit the days of the week when you can earn points. Remember to check your individual restaurant pages ahead of time if earning rewards affects your restaurant decision.

Is Southwest’s Fast Food Rewards Program Worth It?

Since joining Southwest’s Fast Food Rewards program is free and you don’t have to do anything but sign up for your credit card, it’s well worth it. I signed up for various dining rewards programs eight years ago. To this day, I’ll occasionally get a surprise email saying I’ve earned points for dinner. It’s a great way to earn points on autopilot.

Related: Promo codes and food delivery offers to save you money on your next meal

If you are looking for other ways to earn more Southwest pointsconsider signing up for one Southwest credit card. Present, Southwest Rapid Rewards Plus Credit Card ($69 annual fee), Southwest Express Rewards Premium Credit Card ($99 annual fee) and Southwest Express Rewards Priority Credit Card ($149 annual fee) all offer a sign-up bonus of 50,000 bonus points after you spend $1,000 on purchases in the first three months of account opening.

Of course, make sure you are under Chase’s 5/24 Rule and meet other people application request before applying. However, if you qualify to earn one of these rewards, you can significantly increase your Southwest Express Rewards balance.

Additional reporting by Ehsan Haque and Katie Genter.