How To Transfer Chase Ultimate Rewards Points to Southwest 

• Written by Sarah Hostetler
  

  Sarah Hostetler

  Credit card rewards, family travel, premium travel

  Sarah Hostetler is a freelance writer focusing on credit cards and travel rewards. For five years, she has written and edited for travel websites such as The Points Guy, Million Mile Secrets, and Dollar Flight Club. She has also frequently contributed to prominent sites such as AP News and TIME. Sarah has redeemed millions of miles and points to book her family on trips to luxury resorts in lie-flat plane seats. She routinely gets tens of thousands of dollars in travel each year from her credit card rewards. Still, her favorite rewards trips are for simple domestic travel to see family.

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• Edited by Jasmin Baron, CCC™
  

  Jasmin Baron, CCC™

  Credit Cards, Travel Rewards, Loyalty Programs, Family Travel, Credit Building, Credit Scores

  Jasmin Baron is a NACCC Certified Credit Counselor™ and CardCritics’ senior editor, responsible for editing and writing credit cards, travel rewards, loyalty program, and other credit-related content. She is passionate about personal finance education and enjoys sharing tips and tricks for making the most of credit card points and miles with her readers. Her expertise in maximizing credit card travel rewards originated from over two decades of aviation industry experience, including 18 years working as a pilot and college professor/flight instructor in her native Canada. Her work has appeared on sites such as CNN Underscored Money, Business Insider, The Points Guy, and point.me. When she’s not planning her next trip with credit card rewards, you’ll probably find her tinkering around in the kitchen, hanging out with her three kids, or playing with her dog, Benji.

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• Last Updated Mar 12, 2026

Of the many ways you can spend valuable Chase Ultimate Rewards® points, transferring to Southwest is one of your best options.

Yes, Southwest Rapid Rewards has undergone serious changes in the past few months, but it’s still a solid destination for your Chase points. If you’re unsure of how exactly to turn your Chase points into Southwest points, you’ll be delighted to know that it’s extremely simple. But just for good measure, we’ve created a step-by-step guide to help you along.

Let’s examine how to transfer Chase points to Southwest.

Can You Transfer Chase Points to Southwest?

Yes. Chase transfer partners span more than a dozen airline frequent flyer programs and hotel loyalty programs, including Southwest Rapid Rewards. This allows you to instantly convert Chase points into Southwest points. There’s just one critical detail: You must hold a specific Ultimate Rewards-earning credit card to initiate a transfer.

While credit cards like the Chase Freedom Unlimited® and Chase Freedom Flex® earn Ultimate Rewards points, they don’t give you the ability to transfer to Southwest. Only Chase’s best travel credit cards come with that privilege, including:

• Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card
• Chase Sapphire Reserve®
• Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card
• Sapphire Reserve for Business℠

Note: Despite its similar name, the Ink Business Premier® Credit Card does not earn transferable points. Its rewards are strictly cash back.

Importantly, transfers from Chase to Southwest are a one-way street; when you convert your Chase points into Southwest points, you can’t convert them back. Make sure you’ve checked Southwest’s site for available seats and reasonable prices before you formally request a transfer.

Chase Ultimate Rewards to Southwest Transfer Ratio

Chase Ultimate Rewards transfers to Southwest at a 1:1 ratio. That means transferring 1,000 Chase points will yield 1,000 Southwest points. Pretty simple.

Southwest points have a more predictable value than many other airline miles. That’s because Southwest’s points prices are closely related to the cash value of each seat. Generally speaking, Southwest points are worth around 1.3 cents each toward air travel on Southwest. With a 1:1 transfer ratio, you can reliably expect about 1.3 cents per Chase point you transfer.

You can transfer Chase points to Southwest only in increments of 1,000.

Step-by-Step: How To Transfer Chase Points to Southwest

Let’s take a digestible glance at how exactly to transfer Chase points to Southwest.

Step 1: Navigate to Chase Ultimate Rewards

Go to the Chase Ultimate Rewards site and log in. 

Remember, not all Chase credit cards allow you to transfer points — you’ll have to go to the landing page of whichever eligible card(s) are in your arsenal, such as the Chase Sapphire Preferred Card.

Step 2: Locate the Points Transfer Page

The last tab on your account’s landing page is named “Travel.” When you click on it, a drop-down menu will reveal a “Transfer points to partners” link. Click that.

Step 3: Click on Southwest

Near the bottom of an (ever-increasing) list of Chase partners, you’ll find Southwest Rapid Rewards. Click that.

To transfer Chase points to Southwest, you must:

• Have a Southwest loyalty number
• Enter that loyalty number on this page when prompted in order to link your account

If you haven’t completed both of these steps, you’ll have to do so.

Step 4: Input the Number of Points You Want To Transfer

Chase will ask you how many points you’d like to transfer to Southwest. Again, you can only transfer in increments of 1,000.

That’s it! Your points should be deposited into your Southwest account instantly for immediate use.

When Does It Make Sense to Transfer Chase Points?

It makes sense to transfer Chase points to Southwest on a few different occasions:

• You’re getting a better deal than you can find elsewhere: If Southwest gives you a competitive value per point, it’s a great option.
• You want to take advantage of Southwest’s flexibility: If benefits like no-fee award changes and the ability to cancel up to 10 minutes before takeoff appeal to you, transferring points to Southwest could be a good idea. Southwest is ideal for those whose plans aren’t set in stone.
• You need to top off your Southwest points balance: There may be only a few thousand points separating you from your desired flight. If that’s the case, throwing a handful of Chase points at Southwest can be a quick solution.

It’s worth mentioning that Southwest points earned as a result of converting Chase Ultimate Rewards points are not Companion Pass-eligible. You can read about how to qualify for the Companion Pass in our Southwest Rapid Rewards guide — and learn how to easily earn this incredible perk with the best Southwest credit cards.

When Does It Not Make Sense to Transfer Chase Points?

If the value you’ll get per point is similar to what you’d get by booking through the Chase Travel℠ portal, you may want to forgo the transfer and “pay” for your fare with Chase points. That way, you’ll at least earn Southwest points for the flight. You’ll earn redeemable points and get closer to Southwest A-List elite status — neither of which you’ll receive when booking award flights.

Transferring to Southwest also doesn’t make much sense if your travel is routinely to destinations that Southwest doesn’t serve, such as Europe and Asia. Southwest is primarily a domestic airline, though it does fly to destinations like Mexico, Central America and the Caribbean.

Common Mistakes To Avoid When Transferring Chase Ultimate Rewards Points to Southwest

There are a few things you should consider before eagerly transferring your points to Southwest. Keep these things in mind to avoid making common mistakes.

Examine Other Transfer Partners for Better Deals

Southwest can sometimes offer a less favorable deal than competitors. Because its prices are closely tied to the ticket’s cash price, you can’t get the outsized value available with airline programs such as United MileagePlus or Air Canada Aeroplan.

For example, I’ve booked a flight from New York (LGA) to Columbus, Ohio (CMH) on Delta via the Chase partner Air France-KLM Flying Blue for 6,000 points. The same trip would have cost 16,000 points on Southwest. That’s a huge savings.

Don’t Try To Transfer to Someone Else’s Account

At some point, you may want to transfer your Chase points to a friend or family member’s Southwest account. You can’t do this. However, you can still transfer Southwest points to your own account and book travel for anyone you like.

You can also transfer Chase points to another member’s Ultimate Rewards account — as long as they are of your household. If you’ve never transferred Chase points to others, you’ll have to call and link your accounts.

The information related to the Chase Sapphire Reserve®, Chase Freedom Flex®, Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card, Sapphire Reserve for Business℠, and Ink Business Premier® Credit Card was collected by CardCritics™ and has not been reviewed or provided by the issuer of this product/card. Product details may vary. Please see issuer website for current information. CardCritics™ does not receive a commission for this product.