How Do I Redeem My Frequent Flyer Miles for a Flight with Southwest Airlines?

So, you're a member of Southwest's Rapid Rewards program and finally have enough points to redeem for a trip? Congratulations. This guide will walk you through how to redeem your points. It's actually pretty straightforward but there are some other things to think about.

Things to Keep in Mind

1. The number of points per dollar can vary greatly due to many factors, such as fare type, destination, day of travel or demand. The best way to get an estimate of how many points you'd use is to enter your flight information and view the fares based on points.
2. Keep in mind that when you book, there are still going to be fees and other charges not covered by your points that will need to be covered by a credit card. Things like extra bags, inflight drinks, pets and unaccompanied minors cannot be purchased with points.
3. Also, if you don't have enough points to redeem for a flight, then you would need to purchase additional Rapid Rewards points with a credit card.
4. Please note, that if you are booking a round trip, you would need to book two one-way tickets, one can be purchased using rewards points and the return ticket can be purchased with cash or any other acceptable payment method.
5. Other fares, like infant, child, government, and military cannot be booked with rewards points.

Redeeming Your Rewards Points

1. Points can be redeemed online at southwest.com or via the app. You can also call Southwest Customer Service here to reserve your flight for up to 24 hours before you redeem your points. If you don't purchase the flight with your points within 24 hours, your reservation is canceled and the seat is released back into the database for purchase. Also, fares in reserved flights are subject to change until the ticket is purchased.
2. To redeem online, go to southwest.com and log into your account. Click on the Rapid Rewards option and select the Redeem Points for Flights option.
3. You should see a search page with fields for the departure and return dates, and defaulted to showing results by points instead of dollar amounts. The points option is located close to the right side of the page and above the passenger drop down and promo code field.
4. You can change your booking if you purchased it with redeemed points at southwest.com. If you have any other questions, feel free to call Rapid Rewards customer service here.
5. Once your points are deducted, you will receive an email to the email address for your account. You can also check online to verify the withdrawal of points.