You Can Now Book Southwest Flights Through Chase Travel

Southwest Airlines has long been a favorite choice for flyers across the U.S., but one of the frustrations with the domestic carrier is that its flights were only visible and available for booking through its own website.

Now, however, Chase cardholders can access Southwest fares and book them through Chase Travel — here’s what you need to know about this exciting development, which was initially discovered at the end of last year per AwardWallet’s reporting and has now been more widely publicized.

Southwest Tickets Bookable Through Chase Travel

Chase Travel allows cardholders to book a range of travel elements — including flights and hotels — either in cash with their cards or by redeeming Ultimate Rewards points from spending on the range of products that earn them.

Chase Travel is special among issuer-supported travel portals as it allows those with certain cards to redeem their points at elevated rates of either up to 1.75 cents (with the Chase Sapphire Preferred^® Card or Ink Business Preferred^® Credit Card) or up to 2 cents per point (with the Chase Sapphire Reserve^®) on select flights and hotels via Points Boost.

And now, cardholders have the ability to book Southwest flights through Chase Travel. Previously, the airline restricted people to booking only through its own channels.

However, this isn’t the beginning of the partnership between Chase and Southwest. The airline’s co-branded credit cards are issued by Chase, and Chase Ultimate Rewards points that are earned from eligible cards can be transferred to Southwest’s Rapid Rewards program at a 1:1 ratio.

Even better for flyers, Southwest flights booked with Ultimate Rewards points through Chase Travel will earn both Rapid Rewards and Ultimate Rewards on the purchase, opening up the ability to achieve the coveted “double-dip” in rewards earning.

Currently, Chase Travel is the only third-party online travel agency (OTA) that allows for Southwest bookings. This adds a lot of value for Chase cardholders who are now exclusively able to book the airline’s flights through a travel portal, which opens up more possibilities for booking, including transferring points to Rapid Rewards and redeeming Ultimate Rewards points through Chase Travel.

Final Thoughts

Southwest Airlines flights are now bookable through Chase Travel. Previously, Southwest flights were only bookable through its own channels, but now Chase Travel is the only OTA through which these tickets can be booked, which adds value for Chase cardholders.

If you have a Chase card and are a fan of flying Southwest, you’ll definitely want to check the Chase Travel portal to assess all your options before you book your flights!