Earn Up to 10,000 Southwest Points Per Hotel Night

by Enoch

Southwest Airlines appears to be promoting their hotel booking website, and is now offering up to 10,000 Rapid Rewards points per night when you book with them. Southwest’s booking portal is actually a partnership with Booking.com, which is owned by Priceline, so you’re not really booking a night through Southwest, per se.

Earn Rapid Rewards points when you book your hotel through Southwest

Earn Rapid Rewards points when you book your hotel through Southwest

I searched through a dozen of cities through the next few months, and couldn’t actually find a hotel that is offering 10,000 points per night. However, many come pretty close. For example, you can book the Hilton New Orleans Riverside and earn 8,000 Rapid Rewards points per night.

Earn 8,000 points when you book a night at the Hilton New Orleans Riverside

Earn 8,000 points when you book a night at the Hilton New Orleans Riverside

I can consistently get about 1.5 cents per Rapid Rewards point, so just booking one night here will yield me 8000 * 0.015 = $120 in value! This is a pretty good deal, especially since the portal shows you the Standard Rate that the hotel charges (~$300). Just make sure to enter your Rapid Rewards number when you book.

You can book the same Standard Rate that Hilton offers on Southwest's portal

You can book the same Standard Rate that Hilton offers on Southwest’s portal

However, there are a few things to note when booking through third-party websites. You will not be able to take advantage of any members-only rates that hotel chains offer, and you will not earn hotel points from the stay. With some hotel chains (like Hilton), you will also not receive elite benefits when you book through third party websites like Southwest’s portal.

You should also check out Rocket Miles, which allows you to earn airline miles and points through hotel stays. RocketMiles is also owned by Priceline, so you can actually get the same offer on many hotels. Here is the same offer—8,000 Southwest points with a night—on RocketMiles’ website.

You can earn the same number of Southwest Rapid Rewards points when you book at Rocket Miles for many of the properties

You can earn the same number of Southwest Rapid Rewards points when you book at Rocket Miles for many of the properties

There have been pretty consistent reports that Southwest points earned through regular bookings with RocketMiles do count towards the companion pass (but not A-List). However, any “bonuses,” like first booking, sign-up, or referral bonuses do not appear to count. I am not entirely sure whether this “promotion” is categorized as regular earnings, or if the points will count as a bonus. I’d tread carefully, though it’d be a nice bonus if the stays can help you earn the Companion Pass! Note also that this is only for RocketMiles; there hasn’t been enough reports about whether bookings through SouthwestHotels.com counts towards the companion pass.

And if you prefer another airline’s miles, some properties are also offering the same number of miles in other currencies. For example, you can earn 8,000 United MileagePlus miles instead of 8,000 Southwest Rapid Rewards points with the Hilton New Orleans Riverside. I know some of you can definitely derive far better than 1.5 cents per mile with United! If you’re new to RocketMiles, sign up using my referral link to earn 1,000 bonus miles with your first booking.

Alternatively, earn 8,000 United MileagePlus miles when you book the Hilton New Orleans Riverside

Alternatively, earn 8,000 United MileagePlus miles when you book the Hilton New Orleans Riverside

Not all hotels are offering lucrative bonus miles when you book with them, so make sure you check what the bonus for your desired hotel is. This promotion is also not for everyone, especially if you would rather earn hotel points. But with the right combination, you can earn a ton of points through this promotion!

(HT Slickdeals)

The responses below are not provided or commissioned by the bank advertiser. Responses have not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by the bank advertiser. It is not the bank advertiser's responsibility to ensure all posts and/or questions are answered.

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10 comments

Jeff November 14, 2016 - 1:29 pm

Big question for me is if this counts towards Companion Pass/A-List?

Reply
Enoch November 14, 2016 - 1:37 pm

Hi Jeff! Points earned through RocketMiles for regular, nightly stays do count toward Companion Pass (but not A List), but any “bonuses” do not. I have updated the post to include this information.

Reply
Alicia September 20, 2017 - 2:23 am

Would bonus points be clearly labeled as bonus points?

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Christopher November 14, 2016 - 7:37 pm

Are the points earned for booking through Southwest (aka Booking.com) also Companion Pass eligible?

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Erin February 27, 2017 - 8:57 am

Has anyone been able to figured out if the southwest.com booking points count towards the companion pass???? There is a better points deal on southwest.com that rocketmiles right now but if they don’t count towards the companion pass then not worth it….

Reply
EC July 26, 2017 - 10:47 am

Yes they count towards Companion Pass miles. And Ive been seeing my points posted within a week of check out (when I book the ones that offer a large amount miles, denoted by the blue button). I try to only pick those instead of those that offer regular miles amounts.

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Sandra July 10, 2017 - 3:18 pm

When do your points get rewarded to you southwest account? Is it after your stay at the hotel, several weeks after your stay, or when you purchase the stay?

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Brad November 9, 2018 - 7:13 am

I second this question. I am looking to find out when the hotel points get credited. For example if a trip was booked in november and points are credited in a few weeks later does it take effect for the year of the booking i.e. November/December? or would the points fall into the next year…( really hope its not this option.)

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Ryan October 23, 2018 - 11:24 am

Does anyone have a way of searching the Rapid Rewards Hotels to figure out the ones that have the least cost and most points? Using towards Companion Pass.

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Andrea Dixon November 28, 2019 - 10:46 am

I phoned customer service regards the BONUS accumulation for hotel stays and Companion Pass.
They said, to count for 2019 you MUST COMPLETE YOUR STAY before 12/30/2019. Then it can take up to 4 weeks to post to your account. IF AFTER THIS POSTING you accumulated enough points for COMPANION PASS, you will be granted one, but the date will be the posting date for 1 year which started 1/1/2020

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