Southwest Rapid Rewards points question

[MrsHammer]

I have a Southwest Rapid Rewards points account. Every now and then, I get emails offering 50,000 points to sign up for a credit card. I've never given this much thought because I very rarely fly anywhere, but it is looking more attractive. My main question is this. Let's say I sign up and get 50,000 points. Can I only apply points to my specific ticket or can I also apply my points to tickets for my husband and daughter? 50,000 points would almost cover a round trip flight to Orlando for all 3 of us. But, if the points could only be used toward my ticket, then I don't think it would be worth it.

 

[FCDub]

You can use points in your account to purchase tickets for others.

 

[DVC-Don]

You have to charge 2 or 3 thousand $ before you get the 50,000 points.

 

[sparkellyy]

I just recently took advantage of this and I had to charge $1000 in addition to a $99 annual fee. In my opinion it was worth it.

 

[PatMcDuck]

My husband and I each got our own SW cards, so we each got 50,000 points. I did have to charge a few thousand $$ on each, so we charged life insurance premiums, my daughter's community college tuition, etc. I think we also were buying a new couch. But tried to just charge stuff we were already getting or had to spend. We timed applying for each card to when those expenses were due (I think we had to spend it in 3 months).

 

[huskies90]

Can I only apply points to my specific ticket or can I also apply my points to tickets for my husband and daughter?

This is the main reason why I LOVE and mostly use my SW credit card to rack up SW points. My wife and I fly all the time so when I book flights for us, I usually pay cash because if the flight goes down or we decide not to take the trip, we can re-book and/or cancel, and get the credit. We know we will use it within the year.

However, when booking trips for my daughters or their friends, we use our points because if the price drops or if we cancel, the points come back into OUR account where if you booked with cash, the credit goes to them and may not get used in a year. It just makes air travel so much more flexible and less stressful.

 

[MrsHammer]

Thanks for all of the info. Gives me things to think about and do further research on. I appreciate it!