buying points on southwest

[Dznypal]

I just got an offer from SW for 50% off buying points I only need 3000 with the sale would be only 45$ for a free one way ticket I would probably pay cash for the return or do more checking to see what round trip would be

anyways has anyone bought and used points are they in your account right away--we leave the end of Jan and the fare is pretty high now
so could someone walk me through how this works

thanks

 

[TinkAgainU]

I bought some and they were in my account in a few minutes. The advantage of booking with points is Every flight is "fully refundable" so you can book the cheapest tier flights (Wanna Get Away) for each flight. Pretty sure you can cancel any flight 10 minutes before and have All the points back in your account in a couple minutes (might need to be further in advance, be sure to check). You just don't get the Early Bird (early boarding at $25 or so per flight) fee back if you want it and pay for it upfront, then cancel.

 

[Lewisc]

The transfer is virtually instantaneous with either a cash purchase or transfer from Chase Ultimate Rewards. One of them requires leaving the screen and I think refreshing. Maybe even logging out.

Buying points make sense if you need to top off your account. Even at 50% savings its not a great deal. Some people book tickets for relatives or even kids friends. If you have to cancel the credit will be in the name of the pax, not the person who paid. Book with RR points and a cancelled flight puts the point back in your account. Otherwise book WGA+. Those credits can be transferred.