Has Choice Stopped Allowing Transfers to Southwest?
A reader Janice commented, asking:
Does Choice still allow one to exchange Choice hotel points for Southwest miles? I logged into www.choicehotels.com, but Southwest isn't listed.
You can transfer Choice hotel points to Southwest and earn the Southwest Companion Pass. If Choice has stopped allowing point transfers to Southwest, it would be a game changer.
Southwest Companion Pass
Your companion can travel with you for up to two years for free* when you have to the Southwest Companion Pass.
They only pay airport taxes and fees. So it's practically free.
You get a Southwest Companion Pass after earning 110,000 Southwest points in a calendar year.
The fastest way to earn 110,000 Southwest points is by applying for two Southwest credit cards, completing the minimum spending, and transferring Choice hotel points:
- 50,000 Southwest points sign-up bonus for Southwest credit card #1
- 50,000 Southwest points sign-up bonus for Southwest credit card #2
- 2,000 Southwest points for completing the minimum spending on Southwest credit card #1
- 2,000 Southwest points for completing the minimum spending on Southwest credit card #1
- 6,000 Southwest points for transferring 24,000 Choice hotel points (with 1,200 Southwest points leftover)
Choice hotel points transfer to Southwest points at a ratio of 6,000 Choice points to 1,800 Southwest points.
You can read my post on how to transfer Choice hotel points to Southwest.
Choice Hotels New Website
There's good news and bad news...
The good news: Choice recently updated their website.
The bad news: The redeem points for airline miles function has been temporarily disabled.
I called Choice to see when we'll be able to transfer Choice points to Southwest.
The good news: You can transfer Choice points to Southwest over the phone by calling Choice.
The representative I spoke with (after a lengthy discussion with someone on the technical side) wasn't sure when the online transfer function will be reinstated. But at least you can still transfer Choice hotel points to Southwest.
Conclusion
You can transfer Choice hotel points to Southwest and get a Southwest Companion Pass.
To earn a Southwest Companion Pass that lets your companion travel with you for free (pay taxes only) for up to two years, you have to earn 110,000 Southwest points in a calendar year.
The quickest way to earn 110,000 Southwest points in a calendar year is to get two Southwest credit cards, meet the minimum spending on both cards, and transfer Choice hotel points. Choice hotel points transfer at a ratio of 6,000 Choice points to 1,800 Southwest points.
Here's how to transfer Choice hotel points to Southwest.
Choice's new website temporarily doesn't allow you to transfer Choice points online to Southwest. So you have to call. But they hope to restore that function soon and Janice and everyone else can transfer our Choice points to Southwest online.
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