Earn 3x Southwest Rapid Rewards points on flights to/from IAH, ORD and MIA
Update: Some offers mentioned below are no longer available. View the current offers here.
When Southwest announced that it would be expanding to George Bush Intercontinental Airport (IAH), O'Hare International Airport (ORD) and Miami International Airport (MIA), it came as a surprise to many. The expansion brought Southwest into the turf of United and American, which maintain hubs at these airports. Both airlines have a major presence at ORD, while United has an IAH hub and American has an MIA hub.
Now, after several months of operating flights to these airports, Southwest is incentivizing customers to fly on flights to/from those three major airports by offering 3 Rapid Rewards points per dollar spent until July 28, 2022. Registration is required.
How much can you earn with this promotion?
It’s important to note that the bonus from this promotion is limited to Rapid Rewards points. That means you’ll earn the standard number of points for A-List, A-List Preferred and Companion Pass.
Still, you can leverage this promotion to unlock generous returns on your air travel.
Southwest sells three different fares: Wanna Get Away (6 points per dollar), Anytime (10 points per dollar) and Business Select (12 points per dollar). With the promotion, those earning rates go up to 18, 30 and 36 points per dollar, respectively.
TPG values Rapid Rewards points at 1.5 cents apiece, so earning 36 points per dollar spent is effectively a 54% return on your air travel.
You can also pay for your Southwest flight with a credit card like the Southwest Rapid Rewards® Priority Credit Card (3 points per dollar on Southwest flights, 4.5% return) or The Platinum Card® from American Express (5 points per dollar on Southwest flights, 10% return).
By booking a Business Select ticket and using the Amex Platinum card, you’ll earn the most: 41 points per dollar spent (36 points per dollar on Southwest Rapid Rewards and 5 points per dollar with Amex Membership Rewards).
That’s an unbelievable return on your air travel.
How to register for this promotion
To register, you’ll need to log into your Rapid Rewards account and visit the “My Account” screen. Under the “My promotions” tab, you will see a place to register for the promotion. Signing up is easy and you’ll be on your way to earning bonus points.
In our tests, all Rapid Rewards accounts were eligible for the promotion.
Related: What is Southwest Airlines elite status worth in 2022?
Bottom line
Thanks to this promotion, you can earn up to 41 points per dollar. Given that it’s rare to see airfare promotions where travelers can earn more than 20 points per dollar, this is an appealing way to accumulate points that can be redeemed across Southwest’s network.
Make sure to register before your flight.