If you want to fly free, you’re going to need to earn Southwest points … well … LOTS of Southwest points :).
Of course, you want points because you’ll be able to use them to book FREE flights on Southwest, but also because you’re going to need 135,000 qualifying points to earn the BEST DEAL IN TRAVEL: the Southwest Companion Pass!
The Southwest Companion Pass lets you bring one person with you for FREE (aside from the mandatory $5.60 per person per way government security fee) on EVERY flight you take for up to TWO YEARS!
How will you earn all those points?
As someone who’s flown Southwest at least 6 times a year since 2015 for FREE, I’ve got some personal suggestions…
Note: Anything marked as a “bonus” point aside from credit card “bonus” points, DOES NOT qualify for the points needed to earn the Southwest Companion Pass.
Here’s my ultimate guide to earning Southwest points… You’re welcome 😉
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101 Ways to Earn Southwest Points
Rapid Rewards Shopping
One of our FAVORITE ways to earn Southwest points is by not only starting all of your online shopping at the Southwest Rapid Rewards Shopping Portal to earn between .5 to 25 points per $1 on your purchases, but also to take advantage of inexpensive subscriptions that can earn you thousands of points on the cheap!
Keep in mind the points for various subscriptions and stores change frequently, so the points listed below may not be entirely accurate.
Read our post on how to use the Rapid Rewards Shopping Portal, so you understand how to maximize this points-earning opportunity.
1. Purchase a subscription to the Wall Street Journal
2. Purchase a subscription to Barron’s
3. Purchase a subscription to The Economist
4. Purchase a subscription to Motley Fool
5. Purchase a subscription to ESPN+
6. Buy a gift card at Giftcards.com
7. Subscribe to McAfee.com
8. Subscribe to Stitch Fix
9. Buy your new specs at Target Optical
10. Buy an appliance at HomeDepot.com or Lowe’s and have it delivered
11. Buy electronics on BestBuy.com
12. Learn a new language with a subscription to Babbel
13. Sign up for meal delivery service Blue Apron – (here’s how you may be able to earn these points FREE; this trick may also work for HelloFresh below)
14. Sign up for meal delivery service HelloFresh
15. Sign up for meal delivery service EveryPlate
16. Sign up for meal delivery service Gobble
17. Sign up for meal delivery service BistroMD
18. Subscribe to Hu Kitchen
19. Get grocery delivery service via Instacart
20. Buy your dog’s essentials at Chewy.com
21. Purchase anything from Sam’s Club
22. Purchase movie tickets from Cinemark
23. Buy concert or event tickets from SeatGeek
24. Subscribe to Hulu
25. Subscribe to Disney+
26. Subscribe to Sling TV
27. Subscribe to Paramount+
28. Subscribe to Firstleaf’s monthly wine delivery service
29. Subscribe to Wine.com’s monthly wine delivery service
30. Subscribe to Bright Cellars’ monthly wine delivery service
31. Buy a mattress from DreamCloud
32. Get a magazine subscription from Magazines.com
33. Book airport parking through Airport Parking Reservations
34. Buy new luggage from eBags.com
35. Buy some noise-canceling headphones from Bose
36. Switch your internet plan to Verizon
37. Get AT&T Internet or cell phone service
38. Subscribe to Sirius XM
39. Buy a new iPhone through Apple
40. Purchase a discount dental plan through DentalPlans.com
41. Sign up for VSP Vision Care
42. Make a purchase through Thrive Market
43. Subscribe to WW, aka Weight Watchers
44. Subscribe to NutriSystem
45. Purchase office supplies at OfficeDepot.com
46. Purchase office supplies at Staples.com
47. Order flowers from 1800Flowers.com
48. Order gifts from Harry & David
Other Shopping
This opportunity is outside the Rapid Rewards Shopping Portal, but still allows you to earn Southwest points by entering your Rapid Rewards number and using a special promo code.
49. Subscribe to Laithwaite’s Wine Club through Southwest and earn 2,000 points for an introductory wine club purchase for $69.99
Flying Southwest
50. Book a flight on Southwest and earn 2 points per $1 for Wanna Get Away Fares
51. Book a flight on Southwest and earn 6 points per $1 for Wanna Get Away Plus Fares
52. Book a flight on Southwest and earn 10 points per $1 for Anytime Fares
53. Book a flight on Southwest and earn 14 points per $1 for Business Select Fares
Southwest Credit Cards
54. Apply for a new Southwest personal credit card and earn bonus points for meeting the minimum spend.
You can hold only 1 personal Southwest card.
Here are full details on current offers and a comparison of all Southwest cards.
55. Apply for a new Southwest business credit card and earn bonus points for meeting the minimum spend.
56. Apply for the OTHER Southwest business credit card (leave 30 days between applications) and earn bonus points for meeting the minimum spend.
You can hold BOTH Southwest business credit cards.
57. Refer a friend to sign up for a Southwest credit card
Earn ~20,000 points PER REFERRAL up to 100,000 points per year across ALL Southwest cards. You can refer to ANY Southwest card no matter which card you hold.
Here’s how to find your Southwest referral link.
58. Hold the Southwest credit cards for at least a year and earn between 3,000 and 9,000 anniversary points yearly
59. Pay for a SouthwestVacations.com package with your credit card and earn 2-3 points per $1, depending on the credit card you hold
60. Pay for a Southwest gift card with your credit card and earn 2-3 points per $1, depending on the credit card you hold
61. Book a hotel through SouthwestHotels.com and earn up to 10,000 bonus points
62. Use your Southwest credit card to PAY for above hotel and earn 2-3 points per $1, depending on the credit card you hold
63. Pay for items with your Southwest credit card and earn 2-3 points per $1 on Southwest and partner purchases (some hotels and car rental companies) and 1-2 points per $1 on everything else, depending on which card you hold
64. Donate to a charity using your credit card, as most nonprofits now allow you to pay with a credit card
65. Pay for your college student’s tuition
66. Pay your federal or state taxes
To apply for credit cards in this post, please click on Cards in the Main Menu at the top of the page (shown below) to help support my small business. For Southwest and Capital One, you can also use the links within the post. I greatly appreciate it!
Other Credit Cards (These Points DO NOT Qualify for the Southwest Companion Pass)
67. Transfer points earned from the Chase Sapphire Preferred (Lyn’s FAVORITE travel credit card; read our full review) to Southwest at a 1:1 ratio
68. Transfer points earned from card_name (read our full review) to Southwest at a 1:1 ratio
69. Transfer points earned from the card_name to Southwest at a 1:1 ratio
70. Transfer points earned from the card_name to Southwest at a 1:1 ratio
71. Transfer points earned from card_name to Southwest at a 1:1 ratio
72. Transfer points earned from Chase Freedom Flex to Southwest at a 1:1 ratio (must have a Preferred card to do so)
73. Transfer points earned from card_name to Southwest at a 1:1 ratio (must have a Preferred card to do so)
74. Transfer Diners Club points to Southwest at a ratio of 1,500 Club points = 1,200 Southwest points
Other Travel
75. Purchase Emergency Assistance Plus travel insurance
76. Book a hotel through RocketMiles
77. Book your Hertz rental car through Southwest
78. Book your Budget rental car through Southwest
79. Book your Avis rental car through Southwest
80. Book your National rental car through Southwest
81. Book your Alamo rental car through Southwest
82. Book your Thrifty rental car through Southwest
83. Book your Dollar rental car through Southwest
84. Book your Payless rental car through Southwest
85. Book a hotel room at Marriott through Southwest
86. Book a hotel room at MGM through Southwest
87. Book a hotel room at Choice through Southwest
88. Book a hotel room at Hyatt through Southwest
89. Book a hotel room at Best Western through Southwest
90. Buy a gift card through Southwest
91. Book a SouthwestVacations.com package and earn points on the airfare portion
More Ways to Earn Southwest Points
93. Switch your electric bill to NRG (only in certain states)
94. Switch your electric bill to Reliant (only in certain states)
95. Answer surveys through eRewards
96. Answer surveys through Rewards for Opinions
97. Enroll in Rapid Rewards Dining and earn points when dining at select restaurants
98. Buy points at Southwest.com
99. Have someone transfer Southwest points to you ($10 fee for every 1,000 points)
100. Have your spouse transfer their Chase Ultimate Rewards® points to your Chase Ultimate Rewards® account and transfer them to your Southwest Rapid Rewards Account at a 1:1 ratio
101. Ask to have points gifted to you as a gift
What did we miss? Do you have a favorite way to earn Southwest points?
Want More Points for Free Flights on Southwest?
Check out the Southwest Rapid Rewards® Credit Cards, which let you earn tens of thousands of points that you can use to book free flights on Southwest!
These points also qualify for the 135,000 you need to earn the Southwest Companion Pass, so one person can fly free with you for up to 2 years.
See my full review of the Southwest cards.
Keep in mind you can only hold ONE personal Southwest card at a time, though you can hold 2 Southwest business cards.
To ensure you time these cards in the best way possible to easily ALWAYS have a Southwest Companion Pass, join hundreds of travelers inside Families Fly Free, where I share a simple system to always fly your family for free together with the 1-on-1 support and real-time information you need to be successful year after year.
My Favorite Travel Credit Card: Chase Sapphire Preferred
[Read My Full Review]
If you want to earn EVEN MORE Southwest points, check out the Chase Sapphire Preferred card, my FAVORITE travel credit.
- Flexible points transfer to Southwest at a 1:1 ratio instantly and are worth DOUBLE if you have a Southwest Companion Pass
- 3X points on dining, streaming and online grocery purchases
- 2X points on travel purchases
- 10% points bonus annually on spending
- Primary car rental insurance
- Trip interruption and cancellation insurance
Please note, this card’s points DO NOT qualify for the Southwest Companion Pass but CAN be used to book FREE flights on Southwest.
Read my full review of this card.
Read More:
- 5 Amazing Southwest Airlines Destinations for Your Next Vacation
- Reader Question: Do Points From Chase Sapphire Preferred Qualify for the Southwest Companion Pass?
