Southwest Points for flights

[DisneyDreamer08]

Hi everyone. We’ve had a Southwest card for years and love it. We’ve used our points to pay for flights in full, and charged flights in full to get double points. But we’ve never done points/charge combo. We will be booking our January flights soon (as soon as southwest releases them!). We will either have just enough points, or not quite enough to cover our 4 flights. If we don’t have quite enough, what happens at checkout? Is there an option to charge the remaining cash value? Do you have to buy points? Can you only use your points if you have enough for the grand total?
Any help is appreciated!
Thanks

 

[Sirwalterraleigh]

You’re gonna have to pre-buy the points you need...I believe?

Points don’t have a set 1:1 cash value...so if you owe say $50...they won’t charge you 50...they’ll make you buy the 3,600 points - or whatever - that it would take. That also benefits them as you will have to “overbuy” in blocks.

I’m pretty sure that’s the option...if anyone with more southwest knowledge has an idea...i can be corrected.

 

[Sirwalterraleigh]

Just as an aside...southwest does “point sales” a few times a year

They are currently doing one

 

[Queen of the WDW Scene]

Just purchase points if you don't have enough.

 

[CaptainAmerica]

That's a very poor value. Pay cash this time and use the points when you fully have enough.

Or, split your trip up into one-ways.

Person 1: Round trip, points
Person 2: Round trip, points
Person 3: Round trip, points
Person 4: One way, points
Person 4: One way, cash

Regardless, you might want to rethink your entire strategy in the long term. The Southwest card is pretty terrible. You get 1% points on most purchases and 2% on Southwest purchases. Meanwhile, the Uber card from Barclays pays 3% on ALL hotels and airfare, plus 4% on dining with no annual fee.

The Southwest card should be used every few years to get the 40,000+ point sign-up bonus and then immediately cancelled for more lucrative options.

 

[Sirwalterraleigh]

That's a very poor value. Pay cash this time and use the points when you fully have enough.

Or, split your trip up into one-ways.

Person 1: Round trip, points
Person 2: Round trip, points
Person 3: Round trip, points
Person 4: One way, points
Person 4: One way, cash

Regardless, you might want to rethink your entire strategy in the long term. The Southwest card is pretty terrible. You get 1% points on most purchases and 2% on Southwest purchases. Meanwhile, the Uber card from Barclays pays 3% on ALL hotels and airfare, plus 4% on dining with no annual fee.

The Southwest card should be used every few years to get the 40,000+ point sign-up bonus and then immediately cancelled for more lucrative options.

I think you’re going too deep there, professor...she’s obviously set this time...

Advice for tbe future though.

 

[DisneyDreamer08]

Thanks everyone! I ended up calling yesterday to confirm and unfortunately, you can’t do a points/ dollar combo. It’s one or the other. So if we are short, I most likely will use points for one way, then do a separate transaction and charge the flights coming home. It really isn’t cost effective to buy points. I did see there was a sale right now but it ends the day before flights go on sale (of course). So I’d hate to buy points if we don’t actually need them.

 

[westie]

We are going in Jan. as well. Southwest flights open up Aug. 8th!

 

[DisneyDreamer08]

We are going in Jan. as well. Southwest flights open up Aug. 8th!

They actually changed it again, to August 15th

 

[ninjaprincesst]

You will have to buy the points as mentioned in blocks, I looked on line before out travel dates were released and just used the latest dates I could with the same days of the week we would be flying so I had a pretty good idea of how many points I would need and when one of the points sales hit went ahead and purchased them. It is just a lot easier to me to do it ahead of time, you can do it at check out but it is still two separate transactions. Also if you have any friends or family with rapid reward points they would be willing to transfer to you, the charge for transfering miles is way cheaper than buying them.

 

[westie]

They actually changed it again, to August 15th
View attachment 390727

Thanks! Booked today. $812. from CA to FL. Only 1 stop, AZ and TX with 1 hour layovers each. Picked warmer climates just in case its a snowy January!

 

[DisneyDreamer08]

We had enough points for our 4 round trip flights!!!

So excited!