Southwest Points Value Calculator: Southwest Points To Dollars
Quick Overview
- Southwest points can be redeemed for flights, gift cards, hotels, merchandise, experiences, and more.
- The highest Southwest points value is achieved by redeeming them for award flights with Southwest, offering around 1.3 cents per point.
- If you have a co-branded Southwest credit card, you can redeem points at a Southwest points value of 1 cent per point toward the card's annual fee.
- Redeeming Southwest points for gift cards, experiences, and non-flight travel options typically yields a lower Southwest points to dollars value.
Use our Southwest points to dollars calculator to calculate Southwest points value for flights, hotels, gift cards, and more. Get an estimate of how much your points are worth on average.
Southwest points value
Southwest points value averages 1.3 cents per point when redeemed for award flights. Other redemptions will range from 0.25 to 0.531 cents per point.
This means 10,000 Southwest points could be worth between $25 and $130, depending on your redemption choice.
Here's our breakdown on Southwest points value:
| Redemption options | Southwest points value (in cents) |
|---|---|
| Southwest flights | 1.3 |
| Pay Yourself Back® | 1 |
| Gift cards | 0.333 - 0.667 |
| Hotels | 0.52 |
| Car rentals | 0.25 |
Southwest Flights
Southwest Points will have the best value of 1.3 cents per point when redeemed towards flights on Southwest. Rates for award bookings with Southwest are based on the cost of the fare, so the higher the cash price, the higher the cost in Southwest Points.
Since this is the case, Southwest doesn't really offer any "high-point" redemptions or sweet spots like many other airlines. This fits in line with Southwest being a simple, no-frills airline meant to get you where you want to go.
With that being said, Southwest is an excellent option for getting to several popular destinations including several out of country. Here are a few of the top destinations for Southwest:
- The Caribbean: Southwest flies to many destinations in the Caribbean including the Bahamas, Turks and Caicos, Dominican Republic, Aruba, and Belize. Southwest is one of the few airlines still operating flights to Havana, Cuba as well. If it's on your bucket list, you can easily get there flying from Fort Lauderdale, FL or Tampa, FL.
- Mexico: Southwest flies to Cabo San Lucas, Cancun, Cozumel, and Puerto Vallarta. These are all great options if you're looking for an easy getaway to some fun in the sun.
- Hawaii: Southwest flies to all of Hawaii's major cities. This includes Hilo, Honolulu, Kahulul, Kauai-Lihue, and Kona.
Pay Yourself Back®
Chase allows you to redeem Southwest points as a statement credit toward the annual fee of a Southwest credit card at a Southwest points value of 1 cent per point. This option provides better value than most non-flight redemptions, though redeeming points for flights remains the best use.
Gift Cards
Redeeming Southwest points for gift cards will give your points a value of between 0.333 and 0.667 cents per point. Redemptions start as low as 3,000 points for a $10 gift card and go as high as 15,000 points for a $100 gift card.
Redeeming Southwest Points for gift cards will give your points a value of between 0.266 cents and 0.531 cents per point. You'll get the best value of 0.531 cents when you redeem your points for gift card denominations of $50 or higher.
Hotels
Redeeming Southwest Points for hotel bookings will give your points an average value of 0.52 cents per point. You can book stays with several major hotel brands including Marriott, Hyatt, and Best Western.
Car Rentals
Redeeming Southwest Points for car rentals will give your points an average value of around 0.25 cents per point. The More Rewards portal features all of the major car rental companies such as Enterprise, Hertz, and Alamo.
When renting cars through the portal, you'll find that many rentals will cost significantly more than your standard Southwest flight.
Experiences & Merchandise
Southwest Points can be redeemed for experiences as well as merchandise through the More Rewards portal. The value of these options will vary based on the redemption.
You can use the Use Southwest Points or Pay Cash calculator to calculate the cash value of these redemptions if you know the average retail price in cash and the price in Southwest Points.
Southwest points to dollars calculator
Use our Southwest points calculator to estimate Southwest points to dollars for flights, hotels, car rentals, gift cards, and more. This tool provides an average value for all available redemption options for your Southwest points.
Calculator: What's the dollar value of your Southwest points?
| Redemption | Average Dollar Value |
|---|---|
| Southwest Flights | $0 |
| Pay Yourself Back® | $0 |
| Hotels | $0 |
| Gift Cards | $0 - $0 |
| Car Rentals | $0 |
Average redemption value
The table below lists the value of Southwest Rapid Rewards points for several denominations when valued at an average of 1.3 cents per mile.
| Southwest Points | Cash Value |
|---|---|
| 1 Point | $0.013 |
| 1,000 Points | $13 |
| 5,000 Points | $65 |
| 10,000 Points | $130 |
| 20,000 Points | $260 |
| 25,000 Points | $325 |
| 40,000 Points | $520 |
| 50,000 Points | $650 |
| 60,000 Points | $780 |
| 70,000 Points | $910 |
| 75,000 Points | $975 |
| 85,000 Points | $1,105 |
| 90,000 Points | $1,170 |
| 100,000 Points | $1,300 |
Redemption value calculator
Use the Redemption Value Calculator to determine the exact cash value of your Southwest Rapid Rewards points. You'll need to know the full cost of the redemption in cash and the price in points plus any additional cash, taxes, or fees you may have to pay.
This will help you easily calculate which redemption gives you the best value.
How does Southwest points value compare?
Here's how the average value of Southwest points stack up against other major U.S. airlines:
Credit cards that earn Southwest points
Southwest offers a handful of co-branded credit cards that can be used to earn Southwest points on everyday spending. If you frequently fly Southwest, you will want to consider picking up one of their cards.
Here are the cards they offer:
- Earn 3X points on Southwest® purchases
- Earn 2X points on local transit and commuting (including rideshare) and on internet, cable, phone services, and select streaming
- Earn 1X points on all other purchases
- Receive up to $75 back on Southwest purchases made throughout the anniversary year with the card
- Receive 4 upgraded bookings per anniversary year that applies to positions A1-A15 on Southwest Airlines
- Receive 7,500 anniversary points just for being a cardholder
- Earn 1,500 Tier Qualifying Points for every $10,000 you spend on the card
- $149 annual fee
- Card Value & Rewards Calculator
- Earn 3X points on Southwest® purchases
- Earn 2X points on local transit and commuting (including rideshare) and on internet, cable, phone services, and select streaming
- Earn 1X points on all other purchases
- Receive 2 EarlyBird Check-In per year.
- Receive 6,000 anniversary points just for being a cardholder
- Earn 1,500 Tier Qualifying Points for every $10,000 you spend on the card
- $99 annual fee
- Card Value & Rewards Calculator
- Earn 2X points on Southwest® purchases
- Earn 2X points on local transit and commuting (including rideshare) and on internet, cable, phone services, and select streaming
- Earn 1X points on all other purchases
- Receive 2 EarlyBird Check-In per year
- Receive 3,000 anniversary points just for being a cardholder
- $69 annual fee
- Card Value & Rewards Calculator
- Earn 4X points on Southwest® purchases
- Earn 3X points on purchases made with Rapid Rewards hotel and car rental partners
- Earn 2X points per $1 spent on local transit and commuting, social media and search engine advertising, and internet, cable, and phone services
- Earn 1X points per $1 spent on all other purchases
- Receive 4 upgraded bookings per anniversary year that applies to positions A1-A15 on Southwest Airlines
- Receive 9,000 anniversary points just for being a cardholder
- Get reimbursed for up to $8 per day when you use the card to pay for In-Flight Wi-Fi on Southwest flights
- Earn 1,500 Tier Qualifying Points for every $10,000 you spend on the card
- $199 annual fee
- Card Value & Rewards Calculator
- Earn 3X points on Southwest® purchases
- Earn 2X points on local transit and commuting, including rideshare
- Earn 1X points on all other purchases
- Earn 1,500 Tier Qualifying Points for every $10,000 you spend on the card
- Receive 6,000 anniversary points just for being a cardholder
- Receive 2 EarlyBird Check-In per year
- $99 annual fee
- Card Value & Rewards Calculator
Use partner credit cards
Southwest is a direct credit card transfer partner of one major credit card rewards program: Chase Ultimate Rewards. This opens up a small handful of additional credit cards you can use to earn a large of points via intro bonuses and day to day spending.
Here are the Ultimate Rewards credit cards that allows you to transfer points to Southwest:
- Earn 10X points on hotels and car rentals booked through Chase Travel℠
- Earn 5X points on flights booked through Chase Travel℠
- Earn 3X points on travel worldwide and dining at restaurants
- Earn 1X points on all other purchases
- $300 statement credit for travel purchases charged to the card each anniversary year
- Complimentary Priority Pass Select membership
- Up to $120 towards a Global Entry, TSA PreCheck, or NEXUS application fee
- 50% boost to point value on travel booked through Chase Travel
- $550 annual fee
- Card Value & Chase Sapphire Reserve Points Calculator
- Earn 5X points on travel booked through Chase Travel℠
- Earn 3X points on dining, online grocery purchases, and on select streaming services
- Earn 2X points on other travel purchases
- Earn 1X points on all other purchases
- 25% boost to point value on travel booked through Chase Travel
- $50 credit every cardmember anniversary good towards hotel stays booked through Chase Travel
- 10% bonus points based on how much you spend the prior cardmember year
- $95 annual fee
- Card Value & Chase Sapphire Preferred Points Calculator
- Earn 3X points on the first $150,000 spent on travel and select business categories each account anniversary year
- Earn 1X points on all other purchases
- 25% boost to point value on travel booked through Chase Travel
- $95 annual fee
- Card Value & Chase Ink Preferred Points Calculator
We've run the calculations and checked them twice — here are the credit cards that consistently provide outstanding value to our users:
- Best flexible travel card: Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card
- Best overall value year after year: Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card
- Best for high cash back: Blue Cash Preferred® Card from American Express
- Best for foodies: American Express® Gold Card
- Best for business travel rewards: Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card
- Best for heavy business spenders: Capital One Spark Cash Plus
Earn points paying rent with no transaction fee using the Bilt Mastercard®.
Redeem points towards future rent payments or transfer them to airline and hotel loyalty programs.
Earn status with Bilt Rewards and get treated like a VIP in your neighborhood with bonus points and access to exclusive benefits at local restaurants, fitness studios, and more.
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