How To Redeem Southwest Rapid Rewards for Gift Cards—A Brief Guide

Cost-conscious travelers fawn over Southwest’s loyalty program, and for a good reason. In addition to letting you fly on a budget, you also have the chance to score non-airfare rewards.

So, how do you put your points to good use during the off-season? In this article, we’ll show you how to redeem Southwest Rapid Rewards for gift cards. We’ll go over the pros and cons of spending your points this way and list other available redemption items. To spice it up, we’ll show you how to earn free gift cards the easy way—using Mode Mobile’s reward-based system!

How Does the Southwest Rapid Rewards Program Work?

The Southwest Rapid Rewards program is the airline’s loyalty program known for its flexibility and straightforwardness. Besides flying, you can earn points by:

• Signing up for a Southwest credit card
• Shopping through the Rapid Rewards Shopping portal
• Dining at participating bars and restaurants
• Buying gas at Marathon gas stations
• Transferring points from hotel loyalty programs
• Taking surveys via e-Rewards and Rewards for Opinions

The points closely reflect the cash prices of domestic and international air travel, which is another reason the Southwest Rapid Rewards program is so popular. You can also redeem them at your convenience since there are no expiration dates.

If you happen to cancel a flight that was purchased via Southwest points, you won’t be charged a cancelation fee. As long as you do it at least ten minutes before the official departure time, the airline will refund your points to your Rapid Rewards account.

Source: Vander Films

What Rewards Are Up for Grabs?

Rapid Rewards points are most commonly redeemed for airfare, but the company offers a wider selection of prizes. Once you sign up for a Southwest Rapid Rewards credit card, you gain access to the More Rewards portal, where you can browse through the full rewards list.

In addition to gift cards, Southwest points can be exchanged for resort stays, concert tickets, jewelry, and other products and experiences. Check out the table below for more details regarding the redemption items:

How To Redeem Southwest Points for Gift Cards

Southwest reward points are redeemed online via the company’s website. The process is straightforward—log in to the Rapid Rewards program and choose an item equal to the total value of your points. If you’re interested in a free flight, you can set different parameters, like departure/arrival, destination, etc.

If you want to redeem your Southwest Points for gift cards, follow these steps:

1. Visit the More Rewards page
2. Choose Explore Rewards under Redeem for More Rewards
3. Log in to your Rapid Rewards cardmember account
4. Browse through the item selection and find a gift card you like
5. Add the gift card to your shopping bag and enter your shipping details

While Southwest’s Rapid Rewards program is packed with amazing prizes, you should consider the return rate before you make a decision. For example, it takes approximately 15,000 Southwest points for a standard $100 retail gift card which amounts to an average value of 0.6 cents per point. The rates are even lower for other redemption items, specifically physical products.

Ultimately, if you’re unable to travel at the moment but would still like to redeem your points, gift cards can be considered the “lesser evil.”

Source: Owen Lystrup

The Mode Earn App—Your Ticket To Free Gift Cards 

Source: Mode Mobile

The Mode Earn App is available on Google Play—no subscription or in-app fees are required. Once you install it on your Android device, it will keep track of your phone-based activities and automatically award you points for each earning task you complete. The app offers dozens of fun and simple earning tasks, such as:

• Streaming songs
• Playing games
• Tracking fitness goals
• Answering surveys
• Watching short videos
• Trying new apps

With the Mode Earn App, you get to choose the activities and decide how much time you’ll spend on your phone. You will even be rewarded for locking your phone or charging the device.

The reward points can be exchanged for gift cards from Starbucks, Google Play, iTunes, Sephora, eBay, TJ Maxx, Target, and other leading merchants. Besides gift cards, you can also score other awesome redemption items. Check out the table below for more details regarding the rewards list:

The Mode Earn App has proven its worth, holding a steady 4.4-star rating with over 2.6 million user reviews on Google Play and having more than 30 million downloads. Download the Mode Earn App today and work your way to up to $600 a year in supplemental income!

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Better Ways To Earn Free Gift Cards

Hold on to your Southwest points and book that trip to Ibiza because there are faster and more lucrative ways to obtain free gift cards and gift card codes. You can try:

1. Entering a giveaway
2. Taking online surveys
3. Using a reward-based app

Entering Giveaways and Sweepstakes

Many companies organize massive sweepstakes where customers have a chance to win hundreds of dollars in gift cards. Major retail chains, such as Walmart, actually host one each year.

Sweepstake participants need to meet a few eligibility requirements. For example, if you’re under the legal age of majority or don’t have U.S. citizenship, you most likely won’t be able to enter the competition.

Another way to win free gift cards is to keep track of giveaways and promotional offers. A plethora of notable brands, like Shein and Victoria’s Secret, often collaborate with influencers and internet celebrities who, in turn, provide special discounts for their followers. Depending on which gift card you’re after, you can follow several verified accounts on TikTok, Instagram, Steam, and similar platforms for more opportunities.

It also can’t hurt to search your feed for free giveaways using the appropriate tags, like #freegiftcard, #giftcardgiveaways, #freebiefriday, #sweepstakes, etc.

Completing Online Surveys

If you don’t mind answering questions about miscellaneous topics, mostly related to consumer satisfaction, you can earn free gift cards fairly easily. You’ll be rewarded with gift cards or discount vouchers for online and in-store shopping in exchange for your data. Your answers and personal information will later be forwarded to a partnering company or government department, depending on the subject in question.

Currently, there are hundreds of active platforms, but the most popular survey websites include Survey Junkey, Branded Surveys, YouGov, and Swagbucks. Before you decide on a website, make sure it:

1. Offers the gift card you’re after
2. Demands a low payout threshold
3. Hosts surveys that align with your interests

Keep in mind that you’ll probably have to spend hours completing online forms before you can collect your gift card. Some survey websites provide additional earning opportunities, like watching ads or referring to a friend, but it mostly boils down to answering tedious questions.

Using Reward-Based Apps

Reward-based apps enable you to collect redeemable points by performing various online activities, like watching ads, shopping, participating in free offers, or even gaming. The points can later be exchanged for free gift cards and other rewards.

Unlike survey websites, these apps offer multiple earning methods, picking up the pace at which you collect rewards. Even with increased opportunities, though, you’re still limited to one or two activities per day (or week, depending on the platform). Another potential bump in your money-making journey is the high payout thresholds that can affect your earning rate. 

While reward-based apps can be fickle, they’re still an excellent way to make money on the side. All you have to do is pick the right one! That’s where Mode Mobile comes in.

The company has created a reward-based system that lets you combine multiple earning tasks without weekly or daily restrictions. If you install Mode Mobile’s reward app—the Mode Earn App—you can earn free gift cards and other amazing prizes with zero effort. If you also get the company’s custom device—the Mode Earn Phone—you can double the earning rate.

Get the Mode Earn Phone and Double Your Side-Income

If you want to double your supplemental income, get a Mode Earn Phone for the ultimate boost. The Android-based smartphone can help you earn twice as much as the Mode Earn App installed on a different device.

The Mode Earn Phone comes with a built-in Mode Earn App and an earn-as-you-go software widget that allows you to collect points in 16 earning modes:

1. Music Mode
2. Games Mode
3. Charge Mode
4. Lock Screen Mode
5. Share Mode
6. Weather Mode
7. Task Mode
8. Watch Mode
9. Save Mode
10. Fitness Mode
11. News Mode
12. Finance Mode
13. Crypto Mode
14. Surf Mode
15. Data Mode
16. Cash Mode

Thanks to this combo, you’ll be able to collect twice as many points for the same phone-based earning tasks and earn over $1,200 annually.

Besides skyrocketing your side income, the Mode Earn Phone will blow you away with its next-gen components. The device is equipped with an Octa-core processor that lets you go back and forth through multiple apps without experiencing lag and an expandable 128GB storage. Other notable features include a top-notch security system with fingerprint and face ID and HD front and back cameras.

To top it all off, the Mode Earn Phone is a Dual SIM compatible with all major GSM carriers.

Source: Mode Mobile

How To Get the Mode Earn Phone

You have two options to get a Mode Earn Phone:

1. Buy the device for $109
2. Subscribe to the phone—Start with a free trial and then pay a monthly subscription fee of $9.99 (billed quarterly)

Customers who choose to continue their subscription get a new, upgraded model every 18 months. Buy or subscribe to the Mode Earn Phone today and start your winning streak!

Feature image source: Kyle Brown