How to Accumulate Southwest Points Using the Rapid Rewards Shopping Portal

A common misunderstanding for newcomers to loyalty programs is that earning points and miles requires frequent flights or an airline credit card. However, you can actually earn points for future travel right from your living room by incorporating one simple step into your online shopping habits.

This easy step involves visiting an online shopping portal and navigating to your merchant through it, rather than heading straight to their website. Most major airlines provide a shopping portal, but in this guide, I’ll focus on how to earn points through the Southwest Airlines Rapid Rewards Shopping portal.

What exactly is the Southwest Rapid Rewards Shopping portal?

Through the Southwest Rapid Rewards Shopping portal, you can earn points at hundreds of different merchants.

If you have a Southwest Rapid Rewards account, simply log in to the portal using the same username and password you use for flight bookings. You can then use the search feature to discover your favorite stores or products, as well as compare prices and earning rates. Look for stores offering above-average earning rates, special deals, or promotions.

Once you’ve chosen your merchant, click on the store, product, or offer, and the portal will take you to the merchant’s website. The store will notify the portal once your purchase is completed, and your points will be credited to your Southwest account. You’ll receive an email confirmation once your points are posted, which may take up to 15 days.

Earning potential through the Southwest Rapid Rewards Shopping portal

The Southwest Rapid Rewards Shopping portal features hundreds of stores. Earning rates vary frequently, typically ranging from 1 point per dollar up to 20 points per dollar. Some merchants offer fixed points for eligible purchases, such as the 1,200-point bonus for your first month of a paid TrustedHousesitters subscription.

You might want to click the heart icon next to your favorite merchants. By doing so, Southwest will notify you via email when those merchants present higher-than-normal earning rates.

To search for a specific item or brand, click "Find a store or product" at the top of the page and enter your query. Results will appear as you type, so select the one that catches your eye. For instance, if I'm looking for a new Keurig, I would simply type "Keurig."

I could make my purchase through keurig.com, where they currently offer 2 points for every dollar spent. However, if Black Rifle Coffee Company has the type of Keurig I’m looking for, I could earn 3 points per dollar instead.

The Southwest Rapid Rewards Shopping portal determines your earnings based on the net amount of your eligible purchases. This means you won't earn points on taxes, special handling fees, returns, freight charges, shipping fees, or any unshipped items.

Promotions on the Southwest Rapid Rewards Shopping portal

Beyond standard earning rates, shopping portals like Southwest Rapid Rewards Shopping often feature promotions designed to encourage spending. Occasionally, these promotions focus on specific merchants.

Occasionally, promotions apply across the entire site, allowing you to benefit from discounts at various merchants. Be sure to bookmark our dedicated page for airline shopping portal promotions to stay updated on these offers throughout the year. Many top promotions often align with back-to-school shopping and Black Friday.

Qualifying points for the Southwest Companion Pass

If you're aiming to earn the prestigious Southwest Companion Pass, utilizing the Southwest Rapid Rewards Shopping portal is a straightforward method to accumulate more qualifying points.

To obtain the Southwest Companion Pass, you need to accumulate 135,000 qualifying points or complete 100 flights within a calendar year. Once you have the pass, you can take a friend or family member along on paid and award tickets for just the taxes and fees.

Base points earned through Rapid Rewards partners, including the Southwest Rapid Rewards Shopping portal, are considered qualifying points for the Companion Pass. However, points labeled as "bonus points" in a Rapid Rewards Shopping portal offer do not count as Companion Pass-qualifying points.

Top credit cards to use with Southwest Rapid Rewards Shopping

It's generally advisable to use one of the best cards for online shopping for your purchases after entering the Southwest Rapid Rewards Shopping portal. However, if you're aiming to earn the Southwest Companion Pass or accumulate Southwest points for an upcoming redemption, using a Southwest credit card can be beneficial.

Whichever card you select, make sure to check which credit card merchant offers are available to you if you want to enhance your purchases further. These programs provide cardholders with discounts or rewards for spending at specific merchants, allowing you to potentially stack multiple offers.

Guidelines for utilizing the Southwest Rapid Rewards Shopping portal

Navigating the Southwest Rapid Rewards Shopping portal is quite simple. Here are a few key points to remember:

• Start by clicking the link to the Southwest Rapid Rewards Shopping portal and complete your purchase on the page that opens. Avoid leaving and returning later, as that could prevent you from earning Southwest points on your purchase.
• Ensure your web browser is set to accept cookies. These cookies help the Rapid Rewards Shopping portal "track" your purchase and allocate points accordingly.
• Only apply promotions or discount codes sourced from the Southwest Rapid Rewards Shopping portal. Using other discounts may render your purchase ineligible for earning points through Southwest Rapid Rewards Shopping.
• Review the specific restrictions in the Rapid Rewards Shopping portal for your chosen merchant. Many retailers do not consider gift cards as eligible purchases, and some may exclude certain items.

You can install the Rapid Rewards Shopping browser extension to alert you whenever you're on a website where you can earn Southwest points or access discounts. Alternatively, if you'd like to evaluate your earning options, consider using a shopping portal aggregator like Cashback Monitor. These aggregators enable you to easily compare earning rates for a particular merchant across different online shopping portals.

Final thoughts

The Rapid Rewards Shopping portal offers a simple and efficient way to accumulate Southwest Airlines points while shopping online with your preferred merchants. You can earn points on everyday purchases, ranging from clothing to gadgets. Even if you only receive an extra point or two for each dollar spent, these rewards can quickly accumulate, bringing you closer to your next Southwest award flight.