How Do I Start Earning Frequent Flyer Miles with Southwest Airlines?

In a nutshell: Rapid Rewards is Southwest Airlines' loyalty program that allows members to earn points instead of miles, with no expiration as long as the account remains active. Points can be gained through various partners and can be redeemed for flights, hotel stays, rental cars, and select merchandise. Members can increase their points

Adam Goldkamp is the editor / author responsible for this content.
Feb 18, 2026

Introduction

Rapid Rewards is Southwest Airlines' frequent flyer program. Members earn points instead of miles, and those points do not expire as long as the account remains active. You can also earn points through participating partners. Some of their partners include NRG Home, Icelandair, banks, Marriott Bonvoy, Radisson Hotels, Best Western, Dollar Car Rental, and many more. Rapid Rewards points can be redeemed for flights, hotel stays, rental cars, and other travel-related rewards, as well as select merchandise. So how do you start earning more points with Southwest's Rapid Rewards? Read this guide for instructions on maximizing your points.

Use the Estimate Your Points Tool From Southwest

You can maximize your points by using the tool, which helps you determine how much you can earn.

To use the tool, first select your tier. Then enter the amount you plan to spend on a one-way flight and indicate how many times you expect to book that flight in a year. Fill out the rest of the form and click Estimate.

How Do I Start Earning Frequent Flyer Miles with Southwest Airlines? (Step 1)

Use Southwest Partners to Earn More Points

Click Learn More to discover how you can maximize your points with Southwest Airlines partners. For example, through the Rapid Rewards Shop and Dine programs, you can earn points by shopping at hundreds of participating retailers, including 1-800 Flowers, Sephora and Macy's.

Be sure to review each partner’s FAQ section to understand how points are earned and credited. If you have an eligible debit or credit card, use it to earn more Rapid Rewards points.

How Do I Start Earning Frequent Flyer Miles with Southwest Airlines? (Step 2)

Earn More Points by Taking Advantage of Promotions

Visit the promotions page to see current offers from Rapid Rewards. You may be able to earn additional points by participating in a Featured Promotion. Click Get Started or Buy Points to learn more about how the promotion works and whether you qualify.

How Do I Start Earning Frequent Flyer Miles with Southwest Airlines? (Step 3)

Take Advantage of Offers

Want to earn more points? Take advantage of offers. Just click See Offers to sign in to your account and view the offers available.

Rapid Rewards members can also buy or transfer points to other members, and even donate points to select charities. If you’re close to redeeming a reward but don’t have enough points, you may purchase additional points to help qualify for the reward.

How Do I Start Earning Frequent Flyer Miles with Southwest Airlines? (Step 4)

Conclusion

As mentioned, Rapid Rewards points never expire. However, all points are terminated if you close your account. If you no longer want to use the program, transfer your points to another Rapid Rewards member. You can gift up to 60,000 points to another member per day. To know more about how the Rapid Rewards work, visit the official website.

Want to redeem your points? Just log in to your account and use your points to pay for a flight or hotel stay. For other concerns or clarifications regarding the Southwest Airlines frequent flyer program through Rapid Rewards, please contact Support.

Further questions?

Ask a followup or related question and we will try to provide an answer in seconds.
Adam has been tirelessly trying to help customers find the best tips and tricks to get through phone trees and writing many guides for prickly customer service problems. He's been featured in the Wall Street Journal, Inside Edition and Bloomberg.
How Do I Start Earning Frequent Flyer Miles with Southwest Airlines?

Why does GetHuman Write How-to Guides for Southwest Airlines Problems?

GetHuman has been working for over 10 years on sourcing information about big organizations like Southwest Airlines in order to help customers resolve customer service issues faster. We started with contact information and fastest ways to reach a human at big companies. Particularly ones with slow or complicated IVR or phone menu systems. Or companies that have self-serve help forums instead of a customer service department. From there, we realized that consumers still needed more detailed help solving the most common problems, so we expanded to this set of guides, which grows every day. And if you spot any issues with our How Do I Start Earning Frequent Flyer Miles with Southwest Airlines? guide, please let us know by sending us feedback. We want to be as helpful as possible. If you appreciated this guide, please share it with your favorite people. Our free information and tools is powered by you, the customer. The more people that use it, the better it gets.

Southwest Airlines

Asked 6 years ago
Updated 7 days ago
Viewed 252,798 times
Southwest Airlines
Southwest Frequent Flyer program
Enroll in Southwest Rewards program
rapid rewards program
Was this page helpful?YesNeeds work
Sharing is what powers GetHuman's free customer service contact information and tools. You can help!