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?
While signing up for a Southwest credit card is the EASIEST way to earn a bunch of points all at once, you’ll want to keep your Southwest point coffers full, so you can keep flying free.
Here’s our ultimate guide to earning Southwest points… You’re welcome 😉
Please note: Anything marked as a “bonus” point aside from credit card “bonus” points, DO NOT qualify for the points needed to earn the Southwest Companion Pass.
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 for yourself
2. Purchase a subscription to Barron’s for yourself
3. Purchase a subscription to The Economist
4. Purchase a subscription Motley Fool ($99)
5. Purchase a subscription to ESPN+
6. Buy a Restaurant.com gift certificate for a discounted meal
7. Subscribe to McAfee.com and earn 7 points per $1
8. Subscribe to Stitch Fix and earn 20 points per $1
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 – 550-700 points
13. Sign up for meal delivery service Blue Apron – 200-550 points (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 – 350-700 points
15. Sign up for meal delivery service EveryPlate – 200 points
16. Sign up for meal delivery service Freshly – 550 points
17. Sign up for meal delivery service Gobble – 650 points
18. Sign up for meal delivery service BistroMD – 1,600 points
19. Purchase Fetch pet insurance – 850 points
20. Get grocery delivery service via Instacart – 350 points
21. Purchase anything from Sam’s Club and earn 5 points per $1
22. Subscribe to Hulu
23. Subscribe to Disney+
24. Subscribe to the Winc’s monthly wine delivery service
25. Subscribe to Wine.com’s monthly wine delivery service
26. Subscribe to Bright Cellars’ monthly wine delivery service and earn 35 points per $1
27. Subscribe to FirstLeaf’s monthly wine delivery service – 850 points
28. Subscribe to Hu Kitchen and earn 5 points per $1
29. Subscribe to Sirius XM
30. Buy a mattress from NECTAR Sleep – 1,800 points
31. Buy an adjustable mattress from Tempur-Pedic
32. Get a magazine subscription from DiscountMags.com (usually 20 points per $1)
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 cell phone plan to Verizon Wireless for 3,600-4,500 points
37. Buy a new iPhone through Apple
38. Purchase a discount dental plan through DentalPlans.com for 1,800 points
39. Get AT&T TV and Internet – 2,700 points
40. Get a personal trainer with Find Your Trainer – 1,800 points
41. Switch to Verizon Fios TV & Internet – 1,600 points
42. Make a purchase through Thrive Market – 700 points
43. Subscribe to Paramount+ – 300 points
44. Subscribe to WW, aka Weight Watchers – 350 points
45. Sign up for VSP Vision Care Direct – 200 points
46. Purchase office supplies at OfficeDepot.com
47. Order flowers from 1800Flowers.com and earn 7 points per $1
48. Order gifts from Harry & David and earn 3 points per $1
Other Shopping
These opportunities are outside the Rapid Rewards Shopping Portal, but still allow 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 $49.99
50. Buy items at Marathon gas stations and earn points through Make it Count
Flying Southwest
51. Book a flight on Southwest and earn 6 points per $1 for Wanna Get Away Fares
52. Book a flight on Southwest and earn 8 points per $1 for Wanna Get Away Plus Fares
53. Book a flight on Southwest and earn 10 points per $1 for Anytime Fares
54. Book a flight on Southwest and earn 12 points per $1 for Business Select Fares
Southwest Credit Cards
55. 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.
56. Apply for a new Southwest business credit card and earn bonus points for meeting the minimum spend.
57. 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.
58. Go to Chase Refer-a-Friend to find out if you have a referral code and get friends or family to sign up for the card.
You can also share on social media accompanied with information about how you use the card to fly free.
Earn 20,000 points PER REFERRAL up to 100,000 points per year across ALL Southwest cards.
You can refer to ANY Southwest card.
Here’s how to find your referral code.
59. Hold the Southwest credit cards for at least a year and earn between 3,000 and 9,000 anniversary points yearly
60. Pay for a SouthwestVacations.com package with your credit card and earn 2-3 points per $1, depending on the credit card you hold
61. Pay for a Southwest gift card with your credit card and earn 2-3 points per $1, depending on the credit card you hold
62. Book a hotel through SouthwestHotels.com and earn up to 10,000 bonus points
63. Use your Southwest credit card to PAY for above hotel and earn 2-3 points per $1, depending on the credit card you hold
64. 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
65. Donate to a charity using your credit card, as most nonprofits now allow you to pay with a credit card
66. Pay for your college student’s tuition
Please use the links within this post or in the CREDIT CARDS links in the GotoTravelGal.com main menu shown below to review or apply for any credit cards. This allows us to earn a commission — at NO COST TO YOU — to help support our free content. Thank you so much for your support!
Other Credit Cards (these points DO NOT qualify for the Southwest Companion Pass)
67. Transfer points earned from 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 Chase Sapphire Reserve (read our full review) to Southwest at a 1:1 ratio
69. Transfer points earned from Chase Ink Business Preferred to Southwest at a 1:1 ratio
70. Transfer points earned from Chase Ink Business Cash to Southwest at a 1:1 ratio
71. Transfer points earned from Chase Ink Business Unlimited 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 Chase Freedom Unlimited 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 and earn 1,200 points
76. Book a hotel through RocketMiles to earn up to 10,000 points
77. Book your Hertz rental car through Southwest and earn up to 2,400 points
78. Book your Budget rental car through Southwest and earn up to 2,400 points
79. Book your Avis rental car through Southwest and earn up to 2,400 points
80. Book your National rental car through Southwest and earn up to 1,200 points
81. Book your Alamo rental car through Southwest and earn up to 1,200 points
82. Book your Thrifty rental car through Southwest and earn up to 1,200 points
83. Book your Dollar rental car through Southwest and earn up to 1,200 points
84. Book your Payless rental car through Southwest and earn up to 1,200 points
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 Radisson through Southwest
89. Book a hotel room at Hyatt through Southwest
90. Book a hotel room at Best Western through Southwest
91. Buy gas at Marathon gas stations and earn through Make it Count
92. 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 to earn Southwest points (only in certain states)
94. Switch your electric bill to Reliant to earn Southwest points (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 Christmas gift
What did we miss? Do you have a favorite way to earn Southwest points? Please share below!
Want more points for free flights on Southwest?
Check out the Chase Southwest Rapid Rewards Visa 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 two years.
These include...
-
- Chase Southwest Rapid Rewards® Plus Credit Card (Personal: Earn 50,000 points after a $1,000 minimum spend in 3 months)
- Chase Southwest Rapid Rewards® Premier Credit Card (Personal: Earn 50,000 points after a $1,000 minimum spend in 3 months)
- Chase Southwest Rapid Rewards® Priority Credit Card (Personal: Earn 50,000 points after a $1,000 minimum spend in 3 months)
- Chase Southwest Performance Business Credit Card (Small business: 80,000 points after a $5,000 minimum spend in 3 months; $199 annual fee)
- Chase Southwest Premier Business Credit Card (Small business: Earn up to 120,000 bonus points - 60,000 points after a $3,000 minimum spend in 3 months and an additional 60,000 points after a $15,000 minimum spend in 9 months; $99 annual fee)
Keep in mind you can only hold ONE personal Southwest card at a time, though you can hold two 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 others inside our Families Fly Free membership, the simplest, most organized, most supportive system for flying your whole family for free.
My Favorite Travel Credit Card: Chase Sapphire Preferred
If you want to earn EVEN MORE Southwest points, Chase Sapphire Preferred, my FAVORITE travel credit card, offers 60,000 points upon meeting a $4,000 minimum spend in the first three months and a low $95 annual fee.
Thanks for using our affiliate link to apply below...
- 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
- 2X points on travel
- 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.
