Southwest Rapid Rewards Contest Takes Winners To Surprise Destinations

09.11.2023 - 04:41 / forbes.com

Southwest Airlines has been through a rough patch. But like John Belushi in Animal House after the latest fiasco at the Delta frat, the airline is bellowing “Road trip!” to its Rapid Rewards customers, with a new contest.

A Southwest theme has long been “love,” as in the love potions they began marketing with in 1971, their flights out of Love Field in Dallas, and their stock ticker symbol, LUV.

Unsurprisingly, the new contest is called the Destination: Love Sweepstakes. It is designed to give Southwest Rapid Rewards members the chance to win a trip to an exciting mystery destination based on what they love. (If you are not already a Rapid Rewards member, you can create a free account at Southwest.com/enroll.)

The catch about the contest: people don’t know the exact locations—only the theme. With “Destination Love,” Southwest Rapid Rewards credit cards from Chase give Rapid Rewards members a shot at winning vacations about love of barbecue, about living out the fantasy of their favorite streaming TV show, or trying one of America’s fastest-growing sports, pickleball.

When entering for a chance to win, Rapid Rewards Members can specify which themed locations they are interested in traveling to.

Three winners will each win one of the three five day/four-night trips to the surprise destinations, complete with activities tied to the area, for them and a ‘plus one.’ The prize will include hotel accommodation, airfare, and 25,000 Rapid Rewards bonus points towards future travel with Southwest Airlines.

Winners are also awarded a stipend of $3,500 they can use as spending money, (say for food and activities), in addition to four nights of hotel accommodation in a standard double occupancy room.

Destination: Barbecue

Southwest promisers that the winner will enjoy some of the tastiest barbecue in the U.S. Winners will also get the chance to enhance their barbecuing skills from the pitmasters themselves.

Destination: Pickleball

Southwest is all in on the pickleball craze. Southwest is the Official Airline of the Professional Pickleball Association (the PPA Tour), and the Southwest Rapid Rewards Priority card has been designated the PPA’s Official Credit Card.

Winners of the pickleball prize can immerse themselves in America’s fastest growing sport. For Destination: Pickleball, the winner and plus one will get time on the court, interactions with top coaches, and a swag package with all the equipment they need to play the game.

Destination: Stream Come True for Western TV fans

While Southwest and Chase won’t name their “Western TV vacation” destination, BREAKING BAD, for example, is set in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Should that be your winning destination, or if you just want to soak up the BREAKING BAD