There's a little - known trick to capping
Southwest flight redemption costs in many cases thanks to Southwest's ongoing merger process with AirTran.
Not exact matches
Southwest states that many
flights will remain at the same
redemption rate.
The number of points needed for any particular
Southwest flight is set by
Southwest and will vary depending on destination, time, day of travel, demand, point
redemption rate, and other factors and is subject to change.
The number of points needed for any particular
Southwest flight is set by
Southwest and will vary depending on destination, time, day of travel, demand, point
redemption rate, and other factors and are subject to change.
Unlike most other airlines,
Southwest award
flight redemptions are based on the cost of the ticket in most cases.
This is a much better strategy than just collecting
Southwest points; you'll greatly increase your
redemption options but can redeem for
Southwest flights as needed.
The point
redemptions on
Southwest flights are mostly dependent on the exact cost of
flights, and over the years
Southwest has become increasingly less transparent in this regard.
The number of points needed for any particular
Southwest flight is set by
Southwest and will vary depending on destination, time, day of travel, demand, point
redemption rate, and other factors and is subject to change.
The number of points needed for any particular
Southwest flight is set by
Southwest and will vary depending on destination, time, day of travel, demand, point
redemption rate, and other factors and are subject to change.
There are basically three different ways to book award
flights domestically: 1) revenue - based awards with
Southwest, JetBlue, or Virgin America; 2) distance - based
flights with British Airways Avios; or 3) traditional region - based award
redemptions with domestic airlines, such as United, American, Delta, and Alaskan (or any other alliance partners).
British Airways is great for short - haul
flights because they're cheap and have minimal or no surcharges added; Virgin Atlantic, Air France KLM and United are good options for transatlantic
flights; Korean Air has solid
redemptions to Asia, including Japan, Korea and Hong Kong; And
Southwest, the largest low - cost carrier in the world, offers cheap domestic
flights and only partners with Chase.
Because
Southwest ties their award
redemptions to the cost of the
flight at the time of booking, its points function like the no blackout date credit card programs of Barclays Arrival and Capital One Venture.
Although the rewards earning scheme is the same as many other airline cards,
Southwest offers its members two free bags on each
flight, and
redemptions are based on the cash price of a ticket.
This is pretty standard for
Southwest but keep in mind that your average
redemption rate for
Southwest flights could be a little higher or lower.
Weaknesses: Expensive
flights mean expensive point
redemptions (similar to
Southwest once «Wan na Get Away?»
You earn
Southwest Rapid Rewards points based on how much your
flight costs and
flight redemptions cost more or less points based on the cash price of a ticket for the same
flight.
International award
redemptions work the same as domestic ones, and these
flights are eligible for use with the
Southwest Companion Pass.
flights on US Airways and
Southwest that would have been poor value
redemptions with other miles
Amex Platinum: Numerous direct
redemptions like gift cards, Uber rides and travel; transfer points to one of 18 airline partners (like Etihad and Singapore) or three hotel partners Citi Prestige: Redeem points directly for airfare at a rate of 1.25 cents per point; transfer points to one of 15 airline partners Chase Sapphire Reserve: Redeem points directly for travel at a rate of 1.5 cents per point; transfer points to one of nine airline partners (like British Airways and
Southwest) or four hotel partners (like Hyatt) Hilton Amex Aspire: Redeem points for stays at hotels in the Hilton Honors portfolio of brands Ritz: Redeem points for stays at Ritz - Carlton or Marriott hotels AAdvantage Executive: Redeem miles for
flights on American and its various partners (like Etihad and Cathay Pacific) United Club: Redeem miles for
flights on United and its various partners (like Lufthansa)