SW Points Calculator or Formula?

[ladynmom94]

I'm new to booking flights with points with southwest. Is there a calculator to figure how many points are needed per $? I have booked my family's return flight home in August with points & I check daily to see if the price drops to get credit, but I was surprised to see the points needed per flight has jumped even though the cost in terms of dollars has stayed the same. Example flight from MCO to MKE 8/30 was 8,140 points ($140 cash price) & today it is 8,198 points still $140 cash price. I was under the impression that with SW there was a set point per dollar calculation? TIA

 

[ladynmom94]

I think I found my own answer, it is 70 points per base fare dollar. To find the base fare you have to select the flight in cash, then click on the price for the 'Fare Breakdown'. Now my question is how does the base fare change but the overall price remain the same?

 

[Dacky619]

I'm just curious, why do you need a formula for it? When you search on SW you can search for tickets cash or points.

I have found it odd that there are slight variations when it comes to points per ticket, but they are usually so small that it doesn't matter to us.

 

[LisaS]

I think I found my own answer, it is 70 points per base fare dollar. To find the base fare you have to select the flight in cash, then click on the price for the 'Fare Breakdown'. Now my question is how does the base fare change but the overall price remain the same?

I agree, that doesn't make sense. When the base fare goes down, so does the excise tax (7.5%) while everything else stays the same (segment fee: $4.00, passenger facility charge: $4.50, security fee: $5.60) assuming it's still a direct flight. So if the base fare is reduced or increased, the total cost should change as well.

Doing the math, if the flight was offered for 8,140 points that indicates a base fare of $116.29 and the excise tax would be $8.72. Add on the other fees listed above (totaling $14.10) that comes to $139.11, not $140. Now perhaps they round up the fares to a whole dollar amount for display purposes but actually charge the lower amount if you book the flight? I hope so anyway.

By the way, points may no longer be worth 70 points/dollar starting April 17, 2015. Southwest has stated that they will be varying the point cost of flights "based on destination, time, day of travel, demand, fare class, and other factors." http://www.southwest.com/html/rapidrewards/rr-program-update.html

 

[ladynmom94]

I'm just curious, why do you need a formula for it? When you search on SW you can search for tickets cash or points.

I have found it odd that there are slight variations when it comes to points per ticket, but they are usually so small that it doesn't matter to us.

Even though the variation is small I was just under 700 points shy of booking 5 more flights (waiting for my next billing cycle with SW VISA). Now with the variation I am about 1000 points short. Even though the cash fare shows the same. I was hoping to book those tickets before the changes take place on April 17th. I guess I'll just keep my fingers crossed that the fare will drop or I might have to book 4 tickets & wait for my anniversary points.

 

[Dacky619]

I guess I'm just used to seeing those differences and I didn't think there was a hard value per point. Like right now, on our flight home a ticket is $119 or 6538 points. There are 3 later flights that cost $115 but they each would be 6570 points.

 

[LisaS]

I guess I'm just used to seeing those differences and I didn't think there was a hard value per point. Like right now, on our flight home a ticket is $119 or 6538 points. There are 3 later flights that cost $115 but they each would be 6570 points.

Usually when you see a flight that costs less in dollars but is higher when paying with points when compared to other flights, it's because one is a direct flight and the other has a connection.

The base fare for a direct flight is usually a bit more than for a connecting flight so the cost in points for a direct flight would be a bit higher since it is 70 x the base fare. However, connecting flights have higher fees than direct flights, making the total cash price for the connecting flight more expensive.

On a direct flight, you get charged one segment fee ($4) and one passenger facility charge ($4.50). For a connecting flight, you pay double the segment fee ($8 vs $4) and depending on the airport you connect through, you may be charged a second passenger facility charge ($9 vs $4.50). The flights you mention differ by only $4 so I'm guessing the $115 flight is direct and the $119 is a connecting flight with $8 in segment fees but only one passenger facility charge.

 

[keishashadow]

hold onto your hats

https://www.southwest.com/html/rapidrewards/rr-program-update.html

"We created Rapid Rewards® because we think you deserve to actually feel rewarded. And, from time to time we must make some updates to our program. Beginning April 17, 2015, the number of Rapid Rewards Points needed to redeem for certain flights will vary based on destination, time, day of travel, demand, fare class, and other factors. However, there are still many flights which will stay at the current redemption rate. And don’t forget that when fares go on sale, so do the points needed for redeeming for a reward flight on those fares."