Southwest Airlines Improves Rapid Rewards With Flexible Points Payments, Hotel Redemptions

07.05.2024 - 18:50 / travelpulse.com / Jonathan Clarkson / Southwest Airlines / Laurie Baratti

Southwest Airlines is introducing new enhancements to its Rapid Rewards loyalty program, offering members greater flexibility and value when it comes to booking flights and hotels. 

With today’s launch of the new Cash + Points capability, Rapid Rewards Members can use a combination of points and other eligible forms of payment to purchase flights directly with Southwest, with redemption eligible on as few as 1,000 points.

"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."

What’s more, Southwest is also extending these benefits to its business customers, allowing Corporate Travel Managers to utilize a combination of cash and Rapid Rewards Business points for their company’s travel bookings made through swabiz.com.

In addition to purchasing tickets for Southwest flights, Rapid Rewards Members can now use their points to book hotel stays through hotels.redeemrapidrewards.com, powered by Rocket Travel by Agoda. This expanded feature offers members the option to pay for hotel bookings using only points, or a combination of cash and points, benefitting from access to competitive rates for points redemption o  flights and hotel bookings at over 400,000 properties around the globe.

"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."

Southwest’s Rapid Rewards program aims to simplify and expedite the process of earning reward flights by ensuring every seat is a reward seat, without any blackout dates and points that don't expire. Customers can easily join the Rapid Rewards program on Southwest’s website to start earning rewards faster and enjoy the benefits of flexible redemption options for flights and hotel stays.

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