Travel on Point(s)

Recently, we discussed the best credit cards to use to earn Southwest Rapid Rewards on ongoing spend (hint: it's not a Southwest credit card). The fastest way to earn Rapid Rewards is through credit card sign up bonuses. If you really need Rapid Rewards quickly, you can top off your account from Chase Ultimate Rewards or you can purchase miles.

Travel on Point(s) is an independent, advertising-supported website. This site is part of an affiliate sales network and receives compensation for sending traffic to partner sites like Cardratings.com. This compensation does not impact how or where products appear on this site. Travel on Point(s) has not reviewed all available credit card offers on this site. Reviews, analyses & recommendations are the author’s alone, and have not been reviewed, endorsed or approved by any partner entities.

Recently, we discussed the best credit cards to use to earn Southwest Rapid Rewards on ongoing spend (hint: it's not a Southwest credit card). The fastest way to earn Rapid Rewards is through credit card sign up bonuses. If you really need Rapid Rewards quickly, you can top off your account from Chase Ultimate Rewards or you can purchase miles.
Travel on Point(s) is an independent, advertising-supported website. This site is part of an affiliate sales network and receives compensation for sending traffic to partner sites like Cardratings.com. This compensation does not impact how or where products appear on this site. Travel on Point(s) has not reviewed all available credit card offers on this site. Reviews, analyses & recommendations are the author’s alone and have not been reviewed, endorsed, or approved by any partner entities.

Recently, we discussed the best credit cards to use to earn Southwest Rapid Rewards on ongoing spend (hint: it's not a Southwest credit card). The fastest way to earn Rapid Rewards is through credit card sign up bonuses. If you really need Rapid Rewards quickly, you can top off your account from Chase Ultimate Rewards or you can purchase miles. Today, Southwest announced a promotion of up to 45% off when buying miles. Let's take a quick look at this offer.

The Promotion

Southwest announced a promotion when buying miles.

  • You can buy 2,000-9,000 points and receive a 25% discount
  • You can buy 10,000-14,000 points and receive a 35% discount
  • You can buy 15,000+ points and receive a 45% discount

Initially, a 45% discount sounds really good. But is it worth considering?

Our Analysis

To receive the maximum 45% discount, you must purchase 15,000+ miles. 15,000 miles costs $226.88, or 1.51 cents per point. As we have mentioned before, Southwest Rapid Rewards miles have a fixed redemption value of 1.5 cents each. Even with a 45% “discount,” you pay more for miles than they're worth! Plus, buy buying miles instead of using the cash for the flights, you give up earning points (a minimum of 6x per dollar) and having those flights count towards companion pass and A-List or A-List Preferred.

In our opinion, you should never consider buying Southwest Rapid Rewards miles unless the discount is 55% or more.

Final Thoughts

While we would never tell you to “never buy miles,” as there are times when it definitely makes sense to do so, this promotion just doesn't make any sense for anyone. At best, you overpay for miles by 0.1 cents per point and you lose all earning potential on those flights. If you need more Southwest Rapid Rewards, consider transferring Chase Ultimate Rewards to your Southwest account and/or applying for a new Southwest or Ultimate Rewards card. As always, please let us know your thoughts and opinions in our Facebook group.

Travel on Point(s) has partnered with CardRatings for our coverage of credit card products. Travel on Point(s) and CardRatings may receive a commission from card issuers. Opinions, reviews, analyses & recommendations are the author’s alone, and have not been reviewed, endorsed or approved by any of these entities.

SIGN UP TO RECEIVE
ToP TIPS STRAIGHT TO YOUR INBOX

We promise to keep things short, sweet, and packed with awesome insights!