Can You Use Southwest Points For Car Rental

Six means to make the nigh of your Southwest points

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In that location are lots of reasons to love the Southwest Rapid Rewards program, like the excellent client service and absenteeism of alter or counterfoil fees. And earning Southwest points is a good choice because they don't have coma dates on honour flights and the cost of an accolade flying is tied to the greenbacks cost, so cheaper tickets cost fewer points.

Some of the best airline credit cards can help you to hands earn Southwest points. Permit's look at what you tin do to make the most of those points in one case you lot've earned them.

One of the best ways to utilize Southwest points is to position for cheaper flights out of big cities, like Atlanta. (Photo past Sean Pavone/Shutterstock)

All-time ways to employ Southwest points

When it comes to using Southwest points, they're a bit dissimilar than most miles or points. The Southwest award chart is far from traditional — flights aren't broken upwardly into geographic or distance-based zones. With Southwest, the cost of an award ticket is tied to the greenbacks price of the flight. You'll typically find that Southwest points value are worth well-nigh 1.5 cents on boilerplate toward Southwest airfare. Simply there are some ways to use your Southwest points that are better than others.

Booking "Wanna Get Away" fares

While the bodily value you become per Southwest betoken will vary, you lot'll about always get the most value per point if you lot use them to book Wanna Get Abroad fares (the cheapest ones). Here are some points prices for Southwest flights from Atlanta to New York:

And here is the cash price for those same tickets:

Here's the value per point for each of those flights:

Wanna Get Away i.59 to 1.81 cents each
Anytime 1.43 to 1.45 cents each
Business Select i.42 to ane.45 cents each

You tin see that not only are Wanna Get Away fares cheaper, simply yous'll get more bang for your cadet as well. This is but one example I randomly pulled up, so it's possible on some flights the difference in value won't be as extreme. Only regardless, you'll always be more likely to go a better value for your points if y'all stick with Wanna Go Abroad fares.

Flights to the Caribbean & Hawaii

While Southwest flies primarily domestic U.Southward. routes, they're also a great option if you're interested in a tropical getaway. They fly to these destinations in the Caribbean area and Hawaii:

Aruba
Bahama islands
Belize City
Costa Rica
Cuba (for at present)
Dominican Democracy
Grand Cayman
Hawaii (Honolulu, Lihue, Hilo, Kahului, and Kona)
Jamaica
United mexican states (Cancun, Puerto Vallarta, Cozumel and Los Cabos)
Puerto Rico
Turks and Caicos Islands

This is great if you don't have a flexible schedule because Southwest doesn't accept blackout dates. As long as the seat is open you tin book information technology with points.

But the prices practise increase as the cheapest fares are booked up and the toll will really jump up if there aren't anymore Wanna Get Away fares. And so if you want to get the best deals to popular spots like these, you should book your flights as before long as Southwest opens up their schedule (subscribe to our newsletter and nosotros'll permit you know when it happens).

Positioning flights

Just because Southwest doesn't fly to Europe, Asia, or South America doesn't mean Southwest points can't salve yous coin in getting to those destinations. Nosotros often meet sub-$400 round-trip fare deals to Europe — only it'south often the case that those flights are only from major airports.

The good news is that there are cities where Southwest has an operating base (hub):

Atlanta
Baltimore/Washington (BWI)
Chicago (Midway)
Dallas
Denver
Houston
Las Vegas
Los Angeles
Oakland
Orlando
Phoenix

And so whenever you see a deal from any of these cities to Europe, Asia or South America, there is a good chance yous can inexpensively spring on a Southwest flying to catch your international plane.

Bringing forth a lap infant for free

If you're traveling with an infant less than 2 years old, you'll find that Southwest has a very generous policy. On all domestic flights, you tin bring 1 lap infant along for free with each adult (12+ years former). Because Southwest doesn't take assigned seats, you've besides got a much better chance of having an empty seat next to you to use for the infant.

Even on Southwest's international flights, you tin bring along a lap babe for simply the cost of the taxes and fees for the international segment. That'south typically a solid deal considering that many airlines accuse at to the lowest degree 10% of the developed fare, fifty-fifty on award flights. You will need to evidence your child's age so be sure to bring some sort of identification like a birth certificate or passport.

Purchase (or re-book) flights during Southwest sales

Southwest has regular fare sales and because the award and cash prices of tickets are linked, you lot can book Southwest flights for fewer points during sales. Not only that but Southwest doesn't take cancellation or change fees. If the flight you've already booked drops in price during a sale, you can easily re-volume at the lower price.

To stay up to date on the latest sale yous can bookmark our Southwest fare sale page, subscribe to our newsletter or follow us on Twitter.

Instantly (nearly) double your value with a Southwest Companion Laissez passer

If you aren't familiar with the Southwest Companion Pass, you should be. It'south the best tool for making your Southwest points are worth more. If you take a Southwest Companion Pass you lot tin bring along your designated companion on any Southwest flight (points or cash) for just the cost of taxes and fees. On domestic flights that ways it but costs ~$eleven to bring along your friend, spouse, or family fellow member.

To earn a Southwest Companion Pass you'll to need to meet ane of these requirements in a calendar year:

Earn 125,000 qualifying Southwest points
Complete 100 one-way Southwest flights

The best Southwest credit cards to earn points

If earning the Companion Pass sounds like an impossible task, it's actually more than realistic than information technology seems considering the Southwest points you earn from Southwest credit carte du jour sign-upward bonuses from travel credit cards similar the post-obit, count toward earning a Companion Pass:

Southwest Rapid Rewards® Plus Credit Card
Southwest Rapid Rewards® Premier Credit Card
Southwest Rapid Rewards® Priority Credit Card
Southwest® Rapid Rewards® Premier Business Credit Card
Southwest® Rapid Rewards® Operation Business organization Credit Card

Before yous attempt this strategy there are a couple of rules you lot'll desire to be aware of. Commencement off, y'all can only concord one personal Southwest card at a time. And you can merely earn the sign-up bonus on one personal Southwest card every 24 months.

But you can hold a personal Southwest card and both Southwest Business cards at the same fourth dimension. And yous might qualify for small business credit cards and non fifty-fifty realize information technology. You don't need to be a total-time business or even take a special business concern construction setup if you are a sole proprietor. So it's much easier to qualify for the Companion Laissez passer if you open up both a personal and pocket-sized business menu.

The Southwest Companion Pass is valid for the calendar year yous earn information technology in and the unabridged next calendar year. So if y'all earn a Companion Pass in April of 2020, information technology will exist valid until December 31, 2021.

Don't forget about Chase'due south 5/24 dominion, as it does touch on the Southwest cards. If you've opened five or more cards from any bank in the by 24 months, you won't be eligible for whatsoever Chase credit cards. But sure minor business cards won't show up on your personal credit report, and then they won't add to your count.

Bottom line

Southwest is a favorite airline of many because of its customer-friendly policies. And fifty-fifty though they don't have a traditional honour chart like other airlines, in that location are still plenty of means to get great value from the best means to use Southwest points.

Y'all could apply your Southwest points to position yourself to take advantage of a cheap flight to Europe or to fly to a cute tropical destination in the Caribbean or Hawaii.

Joseph Hostetler is a full-time writer for One thousand thousand Mile Secrets, roofing miles and points tips and tricks, every bit well every bit helpful travel-related news and deals. He has also authored and edited for The Points Guy.

Editorial Note: We're the Million Mile Secrets team. And we're proud of our content, opinions and analysis, and of our reader's comments. These oasis't been reviewed, approved or endorsed by whatsoever of the airlines, hotels, or credit menu issuers which nosotros often write about. And that's just how nosotros similar it! :)