No, Southwest Rapid Rewards points cannot be transferred directly to another airline.
Southwest runs a closed-loop loyalty system. Think of it like a proprietary composite material—you can optimize it internally, but you can’t just bolt it onto another aircraft without an interface that doesn’t exist.

Why Southwest designed it this way

From a system-architecture standpoint, Southwest built Rapid Rewards to be:

• Revenue-based, not distance-based
• Simple to manage (no alliances, no award charts)
• Cost-predictable for the airline

Most legacy carriers (American, United, Delta) rely heavily on alliances (oneworld, Star Alliance, SkyTeam). Southwest intentionally stayed out of those. That decision reduces complexity, partner risk, and accounting gymnastics—but it also means no point transfers to other airlines.

I’ve seen similar decisions in aerospace programs: when you design a system to be robust and low-maintenance, you often sacrifice interoperability. Southwest made that trade knowingly.

What can you do with Southwest points?

Here’s where people often miss some flexibility:

1. Transfer to another person (Rapid Rewards member)
   • Yes, but there’s a fee (usually ~$5 per 1,000 points).
   • This is rarely cost-effective unless you’re just topping someone off.
2. Redeem through partners (non-airline)
   • Hotels
   • Car rentals
   • Experiences
   • Gift cards (usually poor value)
3. Book flights for anyone
   • This is the hidden superpower.
   • You don’t need to “transfer” points—you can book a Southwest flight for anyone directly from your account.
4. Companion Pass (this is the gold)
   • Earn it, and your companion flies free (plus taxes) on every Southwest flight you book—paid or points.
   • From a value perspective, this often beats airline transfers by a mile.

Why there’s no “backdoor” airline transfer

People often ask about workarounds—credit card portals, conversions, etc.

Here’s the engineering reality:

• Chase Ultimate Rewards → Southwest? Yes
• Southwest → Chase → Another airline? No

Once points enter Rapid Rewards, they’re “cured composite”—you can’t remelt and reshape them.

Real-world consequence of misunderstanding this

I’ve seen travelers stockpile Southwest points expecting flexibility later, only to realize they’re locked in. That’s like discovering late in the build cycle that your material choice doesn’t meet a new load requirement—technically sound, strategically limiting.

How to think about Southwest points strategically

If you fly:

• Mostly domestic
• Value flexibility (free cancellations, no change fees)
• Travel with family or a frequent companion

Then Southwest points are extremely efficient—just not transferable.

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Now, let me make sure I’m answering the right question for your situation:

• Are you trying to move points because you don’t fly Southwest anymore?
• Would you like examples comparing the value of Southwest points vs. airline miles like United or American?
• Do you want to understand when it does make sense to earn transferable points instead?
• Would you like a real-world scenario showing how people maximize Southwest points (especially with Companion Pass)?
• Or are you managing points for a business or family account and trying to reduce waste?

Tell me where you’re stuck, and we’ll zoom in until it’s crystal clear.