Start here: Southwest Rapid Rewards — join, earn, redeem and status

Step 1: What Rapid Rewards is and who it suits

You will learn: what kind of programme Rapid Rewards is, what Southwest may change, and who is eligible to join.

Rapid Rewards is a rewards program offered by Southwest Airlines Co. for Southwest Airlines Customers [1]. Southwest reserves the right to amend, suspend or change the program and its program rules at any time without notice, and reserves the right to end the program with six months' notice [1]. Members do not acquire property rights in accrued points and rewards, and by enrolling or participating a Member agrees to abide by the rules [1].

Membership is granted by Southwest and is for individual travellers only: individuals must enrol separately and may not pool or combine points with other Members, and except where specifically approved by Southwest, corporations, groups and other entities may not be enrolled [1]. Where the Member is a minor, the parent or legal guardian enrols and confirms that they, not the child, are providing the child's information [1].

Go deeper: Start here: airline miles for how reward currencies work in general, and TrueBlue vs Southwest Rapid Rewards for a side-by-side with another US programme.

Step 2: How to join

You will learn: the details enrolment requires, how account information reaches you, and what you must keep up to date.

Enrolment happens individually at Southwest's Rapid Rewards page, and a Member is limited to one account [1]. A Member must provide a legal name matching government-issued photo identification, plus address, phone number, valid email address, gender and date of birth, and account-specific information is sent by email to the primary email address on the account [1].

A Member is responsible for notifying Southwest immediately of any change of name, email address or physical address [1]. Name change requests must be submitted in writing with photocopies of legal documentation, while email address and physical address changes can be made on Southwest.com after logging in [1]. Southwest is not responsible for unauthorised access to a Member's account and will not replace stolen points [1].

Go deeper: the Southwest Rapid Rewards programme hub for every Flyerfolio page on the programme, grouped by task.

Step 3: How earning works

You will learn: the three earning sources, what makes a flight a Qualifying Flight, and how the points total is calculated.

Points can be earned by completing travel on Qualifying Flights operated by Southwest, from qualifying purchases with Rapid Rewards partners, and from Getaways by Southwest vacation bookings [1]. Qualifying Flights include flights operated by Southwest Airlines and paid entirely with dollars, Southwest LUV Vouchers, gift cards, vacation travel credits or flight credits, and those paid with Cash + Points — on a Cash + Points booking, points are earned only on the portion of the base fare paid with dollars [1]. Reward flights, charter flights, nonrevenue travel, Companion Pass travel, vacation packages booked through online travel agencies, and tickets booked through online travel agencies where the operating carrier is not disclosed before purchase are excluded [1].

The Member must provide their account number when making the reservation or prior to commencement of travel; a Member who does not can request points for past Qualifying Flights for up to 12 months after the flight by visiting Southwest.com [1]. Except for Group Travel and Getaways by Southwest vacation bookings, the number of points is calculated after completion of the entire ticket, based on the final dollar amount paid for the base fare, the fare product purchased and the Member's tier status [1]. Taxes and fees imposed by US and foreign governments, including airport-assessed Passenger Facility Charges, federal segment fees and the government-imposed September 11th Security Fee, are not eligible to earn points [1]. Where a ticket combines different fare types, the points are calculated by multiplying the base fare for each segment by the corresponding number of points per dollar for each fare product [1].

Go deeper: the Rapid Rewards earning guide, partner earning, and Southwest Rapid Rewards credit cards.

Step 4: How to use points

You will learn: what points buy, what the points price depends on, how taxes and fees work, and the rules on buying, gifting and transferring points.

Points can be redeemed for any available seat on any flight booked through Southwest, and for any other products or services approved by Southwest [1]. The number of points required may vary based on destination, time, day of travel, demand, fare class, point redemption rate and other factors, and is disclosed on the Southwest website [1]. That number is subject to change at any time until the booking is confirmed, and changes to the itinerary after the initial booking may change the number of points required [1].

Reward travel, and Cash + Points bookings, are subject to taxes, fees and other government or airport-imposed charges from $5.60 per one-way trip, which vary by destination and must be paid when the reward travel is booked [1]. A Member can use points to buy seats for themselves or for others, but the Member is solely responsible for changes to the itinerary, and a passenger travelling on another Member's points must contact that Member to make changes [1]. Military and government special fares cannot be bought with points, nor can charter flights, group travel, Getaways by Southwest vacation bookings, service-charged, reduced-rate or trade-out travel, or travel not purchased through Southwest Airlines directly [1].

Points may also be bought for personal use or as a gift, paid for by credit card online through Southwest.com, 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 [1]. Gifted points must be claimed within 12 months of purchase, and unclaimed points are forfeited [1]. Points may be transferred to another Member, or to a preselected charity chosen by Southwest with an active Rapid Rewards account; costs to transfer points to another Member must be paid by credit card, and transfers use the same block sizes, a minimum transfer of 2,000 points and a daily maximum of 60,000 points [1].

Go deeper: booking Southwest Rapid Rewards awards, the Rapid Rewards fees guide, buying Southwest Rapid Rewards points, and the glossary entries for Cash and Miles and revenue-based redemption.

Step 5: Status: A-List, Companion Pass and the 2027 changes

You will learn: the thresholds and conditions that apply today, and what Southwest has said changes on January 1, 2027.

Current rules. A Member who flies 20 qualifying one-way flight segments or earns 35,000 tier qualifying points per calendar year qualifies for A-List status, and 40 segments or 70,000 tier qualifying points qualifies for A-List Preferred [1]. A qualifying one-way flight segment is a one-way trip operated by Southwest from an origin city to a destination city, including any intermediate stops or connections on Southwest, and excluding reward flights, charter flights, nonrevenue travel and Companion Pass travel [1]. Reward flights, Companion Pass travel, programme enrolment points, bonus points not specifically designated as qualifying, nonrevenue travel unless specifically designated as eligible, charter flights and stops at intermediate cities on connecting or through flights do not count towards A-List or A-List Preferred qualification [1]. Status is kept for the remainder of the calendar year in which it was earned and for the entire calendar year immediately following, and must be requalified each calendar year [1].

Companion Pass today. A Member who earns 135,000 Companion Pass qualifying points or flies 100 qualifying one-way flight segments per calendar year qualifies for Companion Pass, which allows the Member to designate one individual to fly with them on Southwest flights purchased by the Member and completed during the validity period, with the Companion's reservation booked through Southwest [1]. The Member may change the designated Companion up to three times each calendar year that Companion Pass status is maintained, and Companion Pass travel has no blackout dates but is subject to availability [1].

From January 1, 2027. Rapid Rewards introduces a tier structure of Silver, Gold and the all-new Platinum; Gold replaces A-List Preferred, and Platinum includes unlimited Companion Pass trips [2]. Companion Pass qualifying points are retired and tier qualifying points become the single qualifying points currency for earning Rapid Rewards tiers, Milestone Rewards and Companion Pass trips, with members continuing to earn tiers and benefits when reaching the required number of qualifying flights [2]. A Companion Pass earned in 2026 under the current programme rules continues with unlimited Companion Pass trips through December 31, 2027 [2], and Rapid Rewards points do not expire [2].

Go deeper: the Rapid Rewards elite status guide, the Rapid Rewards Companion Pass guide, the glossary entry for companion ticket, and US airline elite status benefits compared.

Step 6: Your first concrete action

You will learn: the five things to do now so that a new account is set up correctly and nothing is lost later.

1. Enrol with your legal name exactly as it appears on your government-issued photo identification, one account per person, at Southwest's Rapid Rewards page [1].
2. Add your Rapid Rewards number to every Southwest reservation before travel; if you forget, request the points on Southwest.com within 12 months [1].
3. Before redeeming, check the points price and the taxes and fees on the Southwest website, and remember the points required can change until the booking is confirmed [1].
4. If you are working towards A-List or Companion Pass, note that the qualification structure changes on January 1, 2027 and read Southwest's official updates page [2].
5. Keep the account open: points do not expire, but they are forfeited if the account is closed [1].

Next: work through the earning guide first, then the award booking guide when you are ready to spend points.