Status: checked against official sources; automated independent review
Part of Southwest Rapid Rewards hub
GUIDE
How to buy Southwest Rapid Rewards points
Buying Southwest Rapid Rewards points means paying Southwest Airlines, by credit card, to add Rapid Rewards points to an account for personal use or as a gift. [6] Southwest sells points in blocks of 500 when off promotion and 1,000 during promotional periods, with a minimum purchase of 2,000 points and a daily maximum of 60,000 points combined across personal and gift purchases. [6]
Facts checked: 18 October 2026
Key takeaways
- Rapid Rewards members can buy points with a credit card for their own use or as a gift, in blocks of 500 (1,000 during promotional periods), with a 2,000-point minimum and a 60,000-point daily maximum. [6]
- Bought points sit in the account like any other Rapid Rewards points, but Southwest says purchased, gifted and transferred points do not count toward Tier or Companion Pass status. [4] [5]
- Purchase, gift and transfer transactions are nonrefundable and nonreversible, and Southwest asks members to allow 72 hours for points to post. [4] [5]
How do you buy Rapid Rewards points?
A member can purchase points for personal use and as a gift, and point purchases must be paid for with a credit card and can be made online through Southwest.com. [6] Point value is quoted in U.S. dollars and the transaction is settled in U.S. dollars. [6] Southwest notes that the summary of pricing may differ from what the member is charged because of the exchange rate or foreign exchange fees associated with a credit card issued through a foreign bank. [6]
Points can be given to an existing Rapid Rewards member or to someone who is not a member yet; a non-member must enrol in Rapid Rewards to claim gifted points, and gifted points must be claimed within 12 months of purchase or they are forfeited. [6]
| Rule | Detail |
|---|---|
| Where to buy | Online through Southwest.com [6] |
| Payment | Credit card [6] |
| Block size | 500 points off promotion; 1,000 points during promotional periods [6] |
| Minimum purchase | 2,000 points [6] [4] [5] |
| Daily maximum | 60,000 points, combined for personal and gift purchases [6] [4] [5] |
| Posting time | Allow 72 hours [4] [5] |
What purchase limits apply, and what changes during promotions?
As of 18 October 2026, the programme rules set the size of a purchase: points are offered in blocks of 1,000 during promotional periods and 500 when off promotion, with a minimum purchase of 2,000 points and a daily maximum of 60,000 points combined for personal and gift purchases. [6] Southwest's own points pages describe the same caps as purchases in blocks of 500, an initial minimum purchase of 2,000 points, and a daily combined maximum of 60,000 points. [4] [5]
The documented difference between a promotional period and normal trading is the block size — 1,000-point blocks during promotions and 500-point blocks otherwise — while the 2,000-point minimum and the 60,000-point daily maximum stay the same. [6] Southwest reserves the right to amend, suspend or change the programme and its rules at any time without notice, and members do not acquire property rights in accrued points. [6]
Do purchased points count toward A-List or Companion Pass?
No. Southwest states that purchased, gifted and transferred points do not count toward Tier or Companion Pass status. [4] [5] The Companion Pass section of the programme rules also lists purchased points among the items that do not count as Companion Pass qualifying points. [6]
Companion Pass requires 135,000 Companion Pass qualifying points, or 100 qualifying one-way flight segments, in a calendar year. [6] A-List requires 20 qualifying one-way flight segments or 35,000 tier qualifying points per calendar year, and A-List Preferred requires 40 qualifying segments or 70,000 tier qualifying points. [6] Tier qualifying points are earned through travel completed on Qualifying Flights, or through spending on eligible Southwest Rapid Rewards credit cards from Chase. [6]
How do purchased points work with Rapid Rewards awards?
Once the points are in the account, they can be redeemed for any available seat on any flight booked through Southwest, and for other products or services approved by Southwest. [6] The number of points a reward flight costs varies with destination, time, day of travel, demand, fare class, point redemption rate and other factors; it is disclosed on the Southwest website and can change at any time until the booking is confirmed. [6] Southwest also says the number of points needed for a reward flight depends on the fare, and that when fares go on sale, so do the points needed for a reward flight. [4]
Reward travel is subject to taxes, fees and other government or airport-imposed charges from US$5.60 per one-way trip, and the passenger must pay them when the reward travel is booked. [6] The same charge applies to Cash + Points bookings, the option Southwest dates to 22 April 2024 for paying with a combination of cash and points. [4] [6]
Not every ticket can be bought with points: special fares such as military and government fares are excluded, along with charter flights, group travel, Getaways by Southwest vacation bookings, service-charged, reduced-rate and trade-out travel, and travel not purchased through Southwest Airlines directly. [6] A member can use points to buy seats for themselves or for other people, but a passenger travelling on another member's points cannot change the itinerary — the member has to make the change. [6] Points also stretch beyond flights, through the More Rewards range of merchandise, hotel stays, gift cards and experiences, while cardmembers can use Pay Yourself Back for a statement credit against the card's annual fee or other eligible transactions. [4]
Exceptions and limits
- No refunds or reversals. Southwest's points pages state that the underlying transactions are nonrefundable and nonreversible, and that members should allow 72 hours for points to post to a Rapid Rewards account. [4] [5]
- Points do not expire, but closing the account forfeits them. The programme rules say points do not expire, and that if a member closes their account the points in it are forfeited. [6]
- No pooling of points. Membership is for individual travellers who enrol separately, and members may not pool or combine points with other members. [6]
- Points cannot be sold or bartered. A member may not sell, purchase, redeem, broker or barter points, rewards, old Companion Pass cards or drink coupons for cash or other consideration; such points are void, and the action may lead to account termination and forfeiture of points. [6]
- Unclaimed gifts are lost. Gifted points must be claimed within 12 months of purchase, and unclaimed points are forfeited. [6]
- Where the rules apply. All transactions and activities relating to Rapid Rewards are deemed to take place in Texas, United States, and monetary amounts and fees are expressed and processed in U.S. dollars only. [6]
Frequently asked questions
How is a Rapid Rewards points purchase priced?
Southwest quotes point value in U.S. dollars and settles the purchase in U.S. dollars, and warns that the pricing summary may differ from the amount charged when the card is issued through a foreign bank, because of the exchange rate or foreign exchange fees. [6] Purchases must be paid for with a credit card. [6]
What is the minimum number of Rapid Rewards points you can buy?
The minimum purchase is 2,000 points, sold in blocks of 500 when off promotion and 1,000 during promotional periods. [6]
Is there a daily cap on buying Rapid Rewards points?
Yes — 60,000 points a day, combined across personal and gift purchases. [6]
Do bought points count toward Companion Pass or A-List?
No. Southwest states that purchased, gifted and transferred points do not count toward Tier or Companion Pass status. [4] [5]
Can you buy Rapid Rewards points as a gift?
Yes. Points can be bought for personal use or as a gift for an existing member or a non-member, who must enrol in Rapid Rewards to claim them, and gifted points must be claimed within 12 months of purchase. [6]
Sources
Sources checked on 18 October 2026. It covers direct point purchases from Southwest Rapid Rewards only; earning points by flying, credit card spending, partner activity and transfers between programmes are not covered, and neither are other airlines' points-purchase schemes.
- How to redeem Rapid Rewards points, Southwest Airlines, checked 18 October 2026
- How to earn Rapid Rewards points, Southwest Airlines, checked 18 October 2026
- Rapid Rewards terms and conditions, Southwest Airlines, checked 18 October 2026