Southwest Rapid Rewards Transfer Partners: Which Bank Points Transfer In

Which Bank Points Transfer to Southwest Rapid Rewards?

Southwest Rapid Rewards is Southwest's loyalty program. Members earn points on eligible flights and partner activity and can apply them toward available Southwest fares, subject to program terms.

This comparison answers one narrow question: of the four major transferable bank-points currencies, which ones can be moved directly into a Rapid Rewards account?

Of the four, one can: Chase Ultimate Rewards. Chase lists Southwest Airlines Rapid Rewards among its Ultimate Rewards airline transfer partners. American Express Membership Rewards, Capital One Miles and Citi ThankYou Points do not list Southwest among their published transfer partners.

Each "not listed" entry reflects the absence of Southwest from that issuer's own published transfer-partner materials, linked in the source notes below. Partner rosters change, and the issuer's live page controls.

Chase Ultimate Rewards: A Listed Southwest Transfer Partner

Chase publishes Southwest Airlines Rapid Rewards® in its Ultimate Rewards airline partner list, alongside Aer Lingus AerClub, The British Airways Club, Air France KLM Flying Blue, Iberia Club, JetBlue TrueBlue, Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer, United MileagePlus, Virgin Atlantic Flying Club and Air Canada Aeroplan.

Three mechanics matter before a transfer is initiated, all stated on Chase's own page:

• Card eligibility. Transfers require one of the Sapphire Preferred®, Sapphire Reserve® or Ink Business Preferred® cards. A Chase points balance earned on a card outside that set cannot be moved to a travel partner.
• Increment. Points transfer in increments of 1,000.
• Timing. Most transfers process by the next business day, and can take up to 7 business days. That window matters when a specific fare is being tracked, because Southwest award pricing moves with cash pricing.

Chase does not publish a transfer ratio on that page, so this comparison does not state one. Confirm the ratio displayed in the Ultimate Rewards portal at the moment of transfer.

One-way and final. A transfer into a loyalty program is not reversible. Once points sit in a Rapid Rewards account they follow Southwest's rules, not Chase's.

Amex Membership Rewards: Not a Listed Southwest Partner

Southwest does not appear on the U.S. Membership Rewards transfer-partner list American Express publishes, which carried 20 airline and hotel programs as of August 28, 2026. Membership Rewards remains a broad currency with its own airline and hotel partners and several direct redemption routes, but a Southwest itinerary is not reachable through a direct points transfer.

The distinction worth holding: a currency being widely transferable does not make it transferable to a specific airline. Partner rosters are program-by-program.

Capital One Miles: Not a Listed Southwest Partner

Capital One's published transfer-partner guide lists airline and hotel programs that miles can be moved into. Southwest is not among them. As with Amex, Capital One Miles can be useful for other eligible redemptions, and a relationship with a different airline does not imply a Southwest ratio, minimum or processing time.

Citi ThankYou Points: Not a Listed Southwest Partner

Citi's ThankYou Rewards materials list the loyalty programs points can currently be transferred to. Southwest is not among them. Transfer access can also depend on which eligible Citi product holds the account, so a program-level answer is not identical for every cardholder.

Building a Rapid Rewards Balance Without a Bank Transfer

A bank transfer is one route into a Rapid Rewards account, not the only one. Southwest publishes earning through qualifying flights and a range of partner activity, and members can earn points on eligible spending with a Southwest co-branded card.

It is also worth separating three things that sound similar:

• Bank-program transfer — moving a currency such as Chase Ultimate Rewards into an airline account, where an official relationship exists.
• Southwest member-to-member transfer — moving points that already sit in Rapid Rewards accounts.
• Buying or gifting points — separate Southwest transactions under Southwest's own rules.

Southwest’s buy, gift and transfer points page states that those transactions are non-refundable and nonreversible, and that purchased, gifted, transferred and donated points do not count toward A-List, A-List Preferred or Companion Pass qualification.

Methodology and Limitations

This comparison uses one threshold: whether the issuer's own current U.S. materials list Southwest Rapid Rewards as a transfer partner. A program is treated as a route only when the issuer publishes the relationship.

Where an issuer does not list Southwest, this article records that absence rather than inferring mechanics. It does not assign a cents-per-point value, because the outcome of any redemption depends on the fare available, the points price displayed at booking, and the taxes and fees that apply.

Partner rosters, card eligibility, increments and processing times change. Before moving points, confirm the current terms on the issuer's live transfer page and the fare's points price on Southwest.

Verified against the first-party sources below on August 27 and August 28, 2026.

Bottom Line

For a traveler holding transferable bank points and looking at a Southwest itinerary, Chase Ultimate Rewards is the currency with a published direct route, available on the Sapphire Preferred®, Sapphire Reserve® and Ink Business Preferred® cards, in 1,000-point increments. Amex Membership Rewards, Capital One Miles and Citi ThankYou Points do not currently publish Southwest as a transfer partner, so those balances are better matched to their own partners and redemption routes.

Sources

• Chase — How to transfer Chase Ultimate Rewards points (partner list, eligible cards, 1,000-point increments, processing times)
• Southwest — Rapid Rewards (program overview and earning), Buy, gift & transfer points (transaction conditions) and Rapid Rewards Terms & Conditions (buying, gifting and transferring points)
• American Express — Membership Rewards (published U.S. redemption options) and Membership Rewards transfer partners (published U.S. partner list and transfer ratios)
• Capital One — Capital One miles transfer partners (published partner list)
• Citi — ThankYou Rewards FAQs (published transfer partners)

This content is for informational and educational purposes only and is not financial or investment advice.