Your next Southwest flight may earn you a paltry amount of Rapid Rewards points after the airline took a sledge hammer to how many points those fares earn.
Without a word of warning, Southwest just slashed earning rates by as much as two-thirds. The airline confirmed that the change took effect immediately for any ticket purchased after 12:00 a.m. CT on Tuesday, March 4. Flights booked before this date retain the previous earning rate. Danny Deal Guru first spotted this drastic and negative change.
As always, you'll earn Southwest points based on the type of fare you buy and how much it costs … just far fewer of them, unless you buy the airline's priciest fares. Here's a look.
| Fare Type | Old Earning Rate | New Earning Rate |
|---|---|---|
| Wanna Get Away | 6x points per $1 | 2x points per $1 |
| Wanna Get Away Plus | 8x points per $1 | 6x points per $1 |
| Anytime | 10x points per $1 | 10x points per $1 |
| Business Select | 12x points per $1 | 14x points per $1 |
Travelers with A-List and A-List Preferred status still get a 25% and 100% earning bonus, respectively. But unless you're buying Southwest's most expensive fares, those bonus amounts will be much smaller.
As you can see, this is brutal on the lower end of Southwest's fares – particularly the cheapest (and most popular) Wanna Get Away, which drop from earning 6x points per dollar down to just 2x points. Even (relatively) new Wanna Get Away Plus tickets will earn fewer miles going forward.
Only on the upper-end is there an upside here, with earning rates remaining unchanged on Anytime tickets and inching up on Business Select® fares. But let's be real: You thrifty travelers aren't buying those pricier tickets anyway.
Here's an example. Had I bought this nearly $297 Wanna Get Away fare from Minneapolis-St. Paul (MSP) to Denver (DEN) and back earlier this week, I'd have earned nearly 1,500 Rapid Rewards points – you only earn points on the fare itself, not the taxes and fees.
Now, booking and taking that same flight would earn you less than 500 points. Meanwhile, A-List members would earn 625 points, and A-List Preferred members would earn 1,000—66% fewer points in all cases.
You'll also earn bonus points on the purchase itself by using one of Southwest's co-branded credit cards – and those rates (of up to 3x) remain untouched. That's telling.
These days, flying is far from the best way to rack up frequent flyer miles. That's been the case for years, whether you're traveling with American, Delta, Southwest, and even international carriers.
As airlines shifted away from rewarding miles based on how far you fly and instead hinged upon how much you spend, all the action has tilted toward credit card programs. If you really want Southwest points, you're much better off focusing on using one of its credit cards – or better yet, something like the *chase sapphire preferred*, whose points you can transfer to Southwest.
Southwest is in the midst of reinventing itself to dig out of a financial rut, ending its controversial boarding policy while introducing extra legroom seats and fees to pick where you sit. The brass at the Dallas-based airline likely figured it could save a few (million) bucks by doling out fewer points. The loyal passengers it cares about most will pay more for the fares that'll still earn plenty of points, right?
Bottom Line
Southwest just did a real hatchet job with its cheapest Wanna Get Away and Wanna Get Away Plus fares, slashing how many points they earn … by as much as 66%.
Going forward, the cheapest Wanna Get Away fares will earn just 2x points per dollar – a drastic cut from the previous 6x rate. Wanna Get Away Plus, meanwhile, will earn 6x points instead of the 8x points per dollar they previously earned.
And Southwest did it all without a word of warning or explanation to travelers. Ouch.