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Buy Southwest Rapid Rewards Points With up to a 50% Discount [Targeted]

James Larounis's image
James Larounis
James Larounis's image

James Larounis

Senior Content Contributor

543 Published Articles 1 Edited Article

Countries Visited: 30U.S. States Visited: 35

James (Jamie) started The Forward Cabin blog to educate readers about points, miles, and loyalty programs. He’s spoken at Princeton University and The New York Times Travel Show and has been quoted in...
Edited by: Juan Ruiz
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Juan Ruiz

Compliance Editor & Content Contributor

77 Published Articles 640 Edited Articles

Countries Visited: 40U.S. States Visited: 27

Juan has been involved in credit cards, loyalty, travel, and personal finance for more than 10 years. He has worked for several outlets including The Points Guy and Forbes and was previously Editor-in...

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Southwest Airlines is currently running a targeted promotion through which you can purchase Rapid Rewards points and receive a discount of up to 50%.

Let’s take a look at the details of this offer and discuss whether it makes sense or not.

New Promotion to Purchase Southwest Points

Through Southwest’s new sale, you’ll receive up to a 50% discount if you buy at least 3,000 Southwest Rapid Rewards points. This promotion is valid until 11:59 p.m. CST on April 2, 2024.

  • Buy 3,000 to 9,000 points, get 40% off
  • Buy 10,000 to 14,000 points, get 45% off
  • Buy 15,000+ points, get 50% off (1.5 cents per point)

Some important notes:

  • The daily maximum amount of points you’re able to purchase is 60,000. You can, however, make multiple transactions over several days if you want to purchase more than 60,000 points.
  • Purchased points do not count toward elite status or earning the coveted Southwest Companion Pass.
  • You can purchase points as a gift, so you could use this promotion to top off another member’s account if you wish.

Is It Worth It?

Southwest Rapid Rewards is a revenue-based program, meaning you’ll receive a fixed value for each point you redeem. If you purchase a “Wanna Get Away” fare (the airline’s cheapest ticket), you’ll receive about 1.2 cents of value per point. And if you maximize this promotion, you’ll be paying about 1.5 cents per point.

Southwest Upgraded Boarding
Image Credit: Southwest

Even with a discount of 50%, this promotion isn’t necessarily enough to make it a great deal. Because the points you purchase are actually more expensive than the redemption, you’ll want to keep point purchases to a minimum when dealing with Rapid Rewards.

In most instances, it only makes sense to purchase Rapid Rewards points if you need to top off your account for a redemption you’ve been planning. However, transferring your existing Chase Ultimate Rewards points to Southwest might be a better way to top off your account.

Hot Tip:

Want to learn more about Southwest’s loyalty program? Check out our full review of the Southwest Rapid Rewards program.

Final Thoughts

Purchasing Rapid Rewards points, even with a discount, doesn’t offer much value, so it’s generally not recommended. If you’ve been planning a redemption for a while and just need to bridge the gap between your account balance and the ticket cost, this could be a good chance to do so at a discounted price.

James Larounis's image

About James Larounis

James (Jamie) started The Forward Cabin blog to educate readers about points, miles, and loyalty programs. He’s spoken at Princeton University and The New York Times Travel Show and has been quoted in dozens of travel publications.

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