Southwest Airlines Introduces Flexible Payment Option and Enhanced Rewards for Rapid Rewards Members
- Rapid Rewards Members and Rapid Rewards Business Members can now pay for flights with a combination of cash and points;
- Members can also redeem Rapid Rewards points, or use a combination of cash and points, on hotel bookings.
(IN SHORT) Southwest Airlines Co. (NYSE: LUV) unveiled Cash + Points, a new payment option allowing Rapid Rewards Members to combine points and other forms of payment to purchase flights on Southwest.com/cashpluspoints. With this flexibility, members can use as few as 1,000 points to buy flights. Additionally, Southwest introduced new capabilities for Corporate Travel Managers to use a mix of cash and Rapid Rewards Business points for company travel bookings through swabiz.com. Furthermore, Rapid Rewards Members can now redeem points for hotel stays at over 400,000 properties worldwide on hotels.redeemrapidrewards.com, with the option to use a combination of points and cash for bookings. These enhancements aim to provide Southwest customers with more options to redeem points and enjoy a seamless travel experience.
(PRESS RELEASE) Dallas, TX, 2024-May-7 — /Travel PR News/ — Southwest Airlines Co. (NYSE: LUV) introduced Cash + Points1, a new flexible payment option for Rapid Rewards®2 Members. For the first time, Southwest Rapid Rewards® Members can now use a combination of points (starting with as few as 1,000 points) and other eligible forms of payment to purchase Southwest® flights on Southwest.com/cashpluspoints.
“We launched several enhancements to our award-winning program last year that made it easier to earn more points and achieve tier status, said Jonathan Clarkson, Vice President Marketing at Southwest Airlines. “This year, we’re continuing our commitment to lean into Customer preferences by giving them extra flexibility to make points go further by offering new ways to use their points.”
Business Travel Counts, Too!
Southwest also is launching new capabilities for Southwest Business Customers. Corporate Travel Managers can now use a combination of cash and Rapid Rewards Business points to purchase flights for their company’s travel using Rapid Rewards Business points3 through swabiz.com.
From Flights to Hotels
But wait, there’s more! Southwest Airlines® is going the extra mile and is now offering its Rapid Rewards Members the ability to use their Rapid Rewards points for hotel stays on hotels.redeemrapidrewards.com powered by Rocket Travel by Agoda. Additionally, Members booking travel with points can choose to pay for hotel bookings using only points, or a combination of cash and points, and can benefit from competitive rates for redeeming points for flights and hotel bookings at more than 400,000 properties worldwide.
“Our Purpose is to connect People to the places that matter most to them by offering a seamless travel experience,” said Phil Gouel, Vice President Travel Products at Southwest Airlines. “These enhancements allow Members additional opportunities to redeem their earned points for hotel stays, with more flexibility and more value.”
Join Rapid Rewards
The Southwest Rapid Rewards program is designed around a simple concept—to make earning reward flights faster and easier. With Rapid Rewards, every seat is a reward seat, there are no blackout dates, and points don’t expire. Customers can create an account to become a Rapid Rewards Member at Southwest.com®.
ABOUT ROCKET TRAVEL BY AGODA
Rocket Travel by Agoda is the strategic partnerships arm of Agoda, a Booking Holdings (NASDAQ: BKNG) company. Rocket Travel by Agoda partners with global brands to bring their customers rewarding and engaging travel experiences that bring together technology and distinctive customer service to maximize rewards, deliver value, and build loyalty.
ABOUT SOUTHWEST AIRLINES CO.
Southwest Airlines Co. operates one of the world’s most admired and awarded airlines, offering its one-of-a-kind value and Hospitality at 121 airports across 11 countries. Southwest took flight in 1971 to democratize the sky through friendly, reliable, and low-cost air travel and now carries more air travelers flying nonstop within the United States than any other airline2. Based in Dallas and famous for an Employee-first corporate Culture, Southwest maintains an unprecedented record of no involuntary furloughs or layoffs in its history. By empowering its more than 74,0003 People to deliver unparalleled Hospitality, the maverick airline cherishes a passionate loyalty among more than 137 million Customers carried in 2023. That formula for success brought industry-leading prosperity and 47 consecutive years4 of profitability for Southwest Shareholders (NYSE: LUV). Southwest leverages a unique legacy and mission to serve communities around the world including harnessing the power of its People and Purpose to put communities at the Heart of its success. Learn more by visiting Southwest.com/citizenship. As the airline with Heart, Southwest has set a goal to work toward achieving net zero carbon emissions by 20505. Southwest has also set near-term targets and a three-pillar strategy to achieve its environmental goals. Learn more by visiting Southwest.com/planet.
- Cash + Points will allow Rapid Rewards Members to combine points with other eligible forms of payment to purchase flights. Members will be presented with up to five options for Point redemptions, starting with as few as 1,000 points. The minimum redemption option for the selected flight(s) will be presented on screen. While Members who book using Cash + Points can make changes to their reservation, Cash + Points cannot be used for any fare increase related to a modification. Cash + Points bookings will not earn Rapid Rewards points, tier qualifying points for A-List or A-List Preferred status, or Companion Pass® qualifying points. Flights paid for with Cash + Points will count toward a Member’s qualifying one-way flights for A-List, A-List Preferred, or Companion Pass status when flown.
- All Rapid Rewards rules and regulations apply and can be found at Southwest.com/rrterms.
- All Rapid Rewards Business rules and regulations apply and can be found at business.Southwest.com/Terms-and-Conditions.
- Based on U.S. Dept. of Transportation quarterly Airline Origin & Destination Survey since Q1 2021
- Fulltime-equivalent active Employees
- 1973-2019 annual profitability
Media Contact:
Visit the Southwest Newsroom at swamedia.com for multimedia assets and other Company news.
Media Relations Team: 214-792-4847, option 1
Source: Southwest Airlines
###