Southwest Airlines offers a unique program called Cash + Points, allowing Rapid Rewards members to combine points with other forms of payment for flight purchases. But can you directly convert Southwest travel funds to points? Let’s dive into the details of the Cash + Points program and explore the possibilities.
How Southwest Cash + Points Works
Cash + Points gives Rapid Rewards members flexibility when booking flights. Instead of solely relying on points or cash, you can use a combination of both. Here’s a breakdown:
- Redemption Options: Members are presented with up to five options for point redemption, starting with as few as 1,000 points.
- Minimum Redemption: The minimum point redemption option for the selected flight(s) is shown on screen.
- Booking Changes: While changes are allowed, Cash + Points cannot be used to cover any fare increase related to modifications.
Alt text: A Southwest Airlines Boeing 737 aircraft lifting off from an airport runway during daytime.
Earning Points with Cash + Points Bookings
The rules for earning Rapid Rewards points on Cash + Points bookings depend on when the final flight in your itinerary is completed.
- Flights Completed Before January 1, 2025 (2:59 AM CST): Cash + Points bookings will not earn Rapid Rewards points, Rapid Rewards Business points, tier qualifying points for A-List or A-List Preferred status, or Companion Pass qualifying points.
- Flights Completed After January 1, 2025 (3:00 AM CST): The cash portion of a Cash + Points booking will earn Rapid Rewards points, Rapid Rewards Business points, tier qualifying points for A-List or A-List Preferred status, and Companion Pass qualifying points.
- Mixed Itineraries: If your booking includes flights both before and after January 1, 2025, the cash portion of the booking will earn points on all flights.
Using Cash + Points
Here’s how to use Cash + Points when booking a flight:
- Select “Dollars”: Choose “Dollars” in the booking flow on Southwest.com.
- Payment Option: Apply Cash + Points as a payment method in the “Cash + Points and other forms of payment” section on the “Passenger & Payment Info” page. Note that Cash + Points isn’t available in the “Points” booking flow.
Alt text: An individual using a laptop to book a Southwest Airlines flight via Southwest.com.
Can You Convert Travel Funds to Points?
Unfortunately, Southwest does not offer a direct way to convert travel funds into Rapid Rewards points. Travel funds are essentially credits that can be used towards future flight bookings.
Other Important Details About Cash + Points
- A-List and Companion Pass Qualification: Yes, flights paid for with Cash + Points count toward qualifying one-way flights for A-List, A-List Preferred, or Companion Pass status.
- Cancellation Policy: If you cancel a reservation booked with Cash + Points, the remaining point balance will be returned to the Rapid Rewards account. Unused taxes/fees can be refunded or converted into a flight credit. Other forms of payment are refunded according to standard rules.
- Eligible Payment Methods: Besides points, other eligible payment methods include credit and debit cards, Southwest gift cards, flight credits, and Transferable Flight Credits™.
- Varying Point Values: The number of points required for Cash + Points bookings varies based on destination, time, day of travel, demand, fare class, and point redemption rate.
- Companion Pass: Using Cash + Points doesn’t prevent you from adding a Companion to your reservation.
- Rapid Rewards Credit Card: Using your Rapid Rewards Credit Card for the cash portion of a Cash + Points booking earns points based on the card’s terms.
- Minimum Redemption: The minimum redemption is 1,000 points, but availability depends on the fare.
- Changes to Bookings: Changes can be made to Cash + Points bookings, but any fare increase requires another form of payment.
- Points Source: Points must come from a single Rapid Rewards account.
- Booking Channels: Cash + Points is available on Southwest.com, swabiz.com, and Southwest mobile channels.
- Membership Requirement: All members with enough points can use Cash + Points.
- Eligible Fares: Cash + Points is available for all Southwest fares: Business Select®, Anytime, Wanna Get Away Plus®, and Wanna Get Away®.
Cash + Points for Business Customers
Rapid Rewards Business members can use Business points for Cash + Points bookings when logged in to SWABIZ® as a travel manager. If logged in as a traveler, points will be deducted from your personal Rapid Rewards account.
Conclusion
While you can’t directly convert Southwest travel funds to Rapid Rewards points, the Cash + Points program provides a valuable way to utilize your points and other payment methods for flight bookings. Understanding the rules and benefits of Cash + Points can help you maximize your travel rewards with Southwest Airlines. Remember to always check the latest terms and conditions on the Southwest website for the most up-to-date information.
