Quick Overview

  • Southwest has over 10 partner credit cards you can use to earn Southwest points.
  • Southwest is a 1:1 transfer partner with Chase Ultimate Rewards, making it the top credit card transfer option for earning Southwest points.
  • You can also earn Southwest points with co-branded hotel credit cards from programs like Marriott, Hyatt, and Choice, which are great for topping off your account.

This page lists all Southwest credit card transfer partners and shows the conversion rates of partner credit card rewards to Southwest points. Use our calculator to determine which Southwest credit card transfer partners will earn you the most Southwest points based on your monthly spending.

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Southwest credit card transfer partners

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Chase Ultimate Rewards credit cards

Chase offers three Ultimate credit cards that allows you to transfer points to Southwest Rapid Rewards. Points earned with these cards can be converted into Southwest points at a 1:1 ratio meaning that 1,000 Chase points will give you 1,000 Southwest points.

One of the best benefits of using Chase's Ultimate Rewards credit cards is that it offers more flexibility than Southwest's credit cards. For example, you can redeem Ultimate Rewards points for 1.25 to 1.5 cents apiece for travel booked through the Chase Travel portal. This gives you another way to use your points.

Here are the Ultimate Rewards credit cards that allow you to transfer points to Southwest:

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Marriott Bonvoy credit cards

If you're loyal to Marriott (or at least spend time at their hotels often enough), you can earn a hefty amount of Southwest points. Marriott offers a whopping 6 credit cards with 5 of them earning 6 points per $1 on Marriott purchases — that comes out to the equivalent of 2 Southwest points per $1 spent due to 3:1 transfer ratio.

That doesn't sound like a lot, but when you combine Marriott credit card spend, base points, and additional points earned from Marriott Bonvoy status, you can earn up to a total of 23.5 points per $1 spent. That's a max of 7.83 Southwest points per $1 spent at Marriott brand hotels.

Of course these points would be better suited for free nights with Marriott, but you would easily be able to top off your Southwest account whenever you needed to.

(As a side note, Chase Ultimate Rewards points can be transferred to both Southwest and Marriott... so if you enjoy both programs, you should consider a Chase Ultimate Rewards credit card).

Here are the credit cards that Marriott offers:

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World of Hyatt credit cards

World of Hyatt offers two co-branded credit cards that you can use to earn points on Hyatt stays as well as on everyday purchases. Points earned with these cards can be transferred to Southwest at a 2.5:1.2 ratio meaning that every 2,500 Hyatt points you transfer will give you 1,200 Southwest points. On top of that, you'll receive a bonus 5,000 Southwest points for every 50,000 Hyatt points you transfer.

While the transfer rate is pretty good and the transfer bonus is a nice touch, the drawback to transferring Hyatt points is that it is easy to get upwards of 2 cent or more per point with very little effort. This means that transferring your points to Southwest (and other partners) will likely result in devaluation unless you have a really solid redemption lined up.

Here are the co-branded credit cards that Hyatt offers:

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Choice Hotels credit cards

Choice Hotels points can be transferred to Southwest at a 10:3 ratio. Every 10,000 Choice Hotels points you transfer will give you 3,000 Southwest points.

Choice's co-branded credit cards can earn you as much as 10 points per $1 spent at their properties which comes out to being equal to 3 Southwest points. If you frequent Choice brand hotels, it can be worth it to pick up one of their cards.

Here are the credit cards Choice Hotels offers:

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Best Western credit cards

Best Western Rewards points can be transferred to Southwest at a 5:1 ratio. Every 5,000 points you convert will give you 1,000 Southwest points.

Best Western credit cards can earn you up to 10X points per $1 spent at Best Western brand hotels — equal to 2X Southwest points. You will not earn much using Best Western, but it's still an alternative way to easily top off your Rapid Rewards account.

Here are the credit cards Best Western offers:

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Southwest credit cards

If you fly Southwest often, it will be beneficial to pick up one of their co-branded credit cards. Not only do they earn points at a solid rate across day-to-day purchases, but they each offer a handful of benefits that easily offers great value for any Southwest flyer.

Here is the list of co-branded Southwest credit cards:

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What's the best credit card for Southwest points?

Input your monthly and yearly spend amounts into our credit card finder tool to find out which credit cards will earn you the most Southwest points and best return per $1 spent.

Results will include all co-branded Southwest credit cards and all Southwest credit card transfer partners. Results will show up to the top 20 cards.

Want More Customization?

This calculator uses our valuations, the intro bonuses we have in the database, and includes the maximum (calculable) bonuses for each card. If you want to have control over these options and much more, check out this tool:

Rewards Credit Card Directory & Calculator: Southwest Points

Currency Codes

Any currencies you add to the tool will be selectable when entering spend into the Spend Categories section of the calculator.

Do note that any foreign currencies selected will automatically be converted to the card's default currency when calculating rewards.

Currency Controls

Currencies

Sections of the calculator allows you to choose a currency. You will be able to choose from the options below. If you want more options, add them!

Currency Conversions

This site's currency rates update once per hour. If you have a different exchange rate in mind for any of the added currencies, you can change the rate here.

Calculator Options

Year 1 or Year 2+?

Year 1 - Calculate how much you will earn in your first year of being a cardmember. Includes Intro Bonuses (if toggled on) and will use the free or reduced first year annual fees for any cards that have them.

Year 2+ - Calculate how much the card will be worth the 2nd year and onward. Automatically turns off intro bonuses and will ignore first year free/reduced annual fees.

Include Intro Bonuses?

If set to yes, intro bonuses will be included for a card's calculation ONLY IF you have met the monthly spend criteria based on what's entered into the tool.

Note: We do not have intro bonuses for all credit cards (mainly partners and popular credit cards), and we cannot calculate intro bonuses for some cards due to the complexity of some spend requirements.

Authorized Users

Some banks charge an additional fee to add family, friends, or employees to the credit card account. If you plan on adding authorized users to your credit card(s), you can enter that amount here.

Note: Some credit cards have a cap on how many authorized users you can add. While we do keep track of the fee structures, we do not keep track of caps. So be sure to check the rates and fees before applying.

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Max of 100.
Calculate Foreign Transaction Fees?

Many cards will charge you a foreign transaction fee when making purchases in a foreign currency. This is typically between 2.5% and 3% for most credit cards.

If set to yes, we will calculate the estimated fee for any spend entered into the calculator that is considered foreign. This amount will appear in the calculations as well.

Note: We do not have the foreign transaction fee rates for all credit cards.

Monthly/Yearly Spending

Add Categories
Search for categories and click 'Add Category' to add selected categories to the calculator.
When On, only shows currently selected categories.
When On, shows the descriptions for each of the categories.
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Selected Categories
Results Will Appear Here

No Results. This is usually due to:

  • There's no good card options based on the spend entered.
  • The calculator is having a brain-fart and is not calculating rewards properly.

Enter different values or try again later.

Results

Listed below are the results based on what you entered into the tool above. These estimates are to help guide you towards making the best decision when it comes to picking up a rewards credit card.

You can click on "Show Calculations" to see a breakdown of how the rewards were calculated, click on the card itself to learn more/apply through our partners (big thanks if you do!), or click on any of the other links to learn more about the card and it's rewards.

Do note that some of the calculations are rounded so it is possible that the estimated values may be off by a point or two when added up.

Remember that this particular tool uses our point/mile valuations, the intro bonuses we have in the database, and includes the maximum (calculable) bonuses for each card. If you want to have control over these options and much more, slide over to the Rewards Credit Card Directory & Calculator.

These calculations should be used for illustrative purposes only.