(EXPIRED) Southwest promo: Get 35,000 bonus points with 6 one-way inter-island flights this month

Southwest Airlines came out with a targeted promotion this summer that doesn’t have a lot of time left to go, but I thought it was worth a quick mention for anyone planning a trip to Hawaii or anyone who lives in Hawaii as it could work out to be worth booking an extra flight or two if it helps you meet the terms of the promotion.

The Deal

• Southwest Airlines is offering a promotion to get 35,000 bonus points when you register and fly 6 one-way or 3 round-trip inter-island flights (on revenue fares) by August 31, 2023. Register under the “Promotions” tab in your Southwest account (if targeted)

Key Terms

• Earn 35,000 Rapid Rewards bonus points when you register, book, and fly six one-way inter-island flights between June 19 and August 31, 2023 (the “Promotional Period”).
• To register for this promotion, you will need to provide your Rapid Rewards account number at the time of registration. If you do not have a Rapid Rewards account number, you may enroll for free. Once you complete and submit the enrollment form, you will be automatically registered for this promotion if all eligibility requirements are met.
• Member must register for this promotion between June 19 and August 31, 2023 and registration must be completed prior to commencement of travel. Member’s qualifying flight must be booked through Southwest Airlines® during the Promotional Period for Member’s travel during the Promotional Period.
• Member’s flight must be completed between June 19 and August 31, 2023.
• Member’s Rapid Rewards account number must be entered at the time of booking Member’s qualifying flight to earn the 35,000 Rapid Rewards bonus points during the Promotional Period. If a Member books and flies more than six one-way flights during the Promotional Period, Member will still only earn 35,000 Rapid Rewards bonus points under this promotion.
• A qualifying flight is a one-way revenue flight that the Member flies on Southwest Airlines from Honolulu (HNL), Kahului (OGG), Kona (KOA), Lihue (LIH), or Hilo (ITO) to Honolulu (HNL), Kahului (OGG), Kona (KOA), Lihue (LIH), or Hilo (ITO), including any intermediate stops and/or connections or a round trip revenue flight on Southwest Airlines from Honolulu (HNL), Kahului (OGG), Kona (KOA), Lihue (LIH), or Hilo (ITO) to Honolulu (HNL), Kahului (OGG), Kona (KOA), Lihue (LIH), or Hilo (ITO) and back to the originating airport or carrier-recognized co-terminal.
• Travel booked or flown prior to registration for this promotion is not eligible for the 35,000 Rapid Rewards bonus points offer. Member will receive Rapid Rewards bonus points when the base points are deposited for the Member’s final qualifying flight within 72 hours after completion of entire ticket.
• Charter flights, group travel, Companion Pass®, Southwest Vacation® Packages, and reward travel do not qualify for promotion.
• Valid on Southwest Airlines published scheduled service. Changes made to the Member’s itinerary after purchase may eliminate Member’s qualification for promotion. This promotion cannot be combined with any other promotion.
• All Rapid Rewards rules and regulations apply and can be found at Southwest.com/rrterms. Southwest® reserves the right to amend, suspend, or change the Rapid Rewards program and/or Rapid Rewards program rules at any time without notice.
• See promotion page for full terms

Quick Thoughts

This promotion is pretty good if you’ve been targeted and will be in Hawaii before it expires at the end of this month. The 35,000 bonus points are being advertised as a ticket to the mainland for completing six inter-island one-ways or 3 inter-island round trips. Whether or not you use them that way, the 35K bonus points will buy you around $470 worth of airfare. That probably doesn’t make it worth wasting time with six inter-island flights that you don’t need, but if you’ll already need four or five it would be worth a “mileage run” for the last couple. I see flights from Honolulu to Kona from $44, so it certainly may be worth adding a quick turn if that helps you reach enough segments for the promo.

It looks like you could actually complete a same-day turn in as little as 2hrs and 45min, so it might be worth it if you’re going to be close to the number of trips required.

I imagine that most people wouldn’t want to take time away from their Hawaiian vacation for this, but if you’re already flying some between the islands and/or if you live in the islands, this could be a good promotion. Southwest is already a decent choice if the schedule meets your needs given the fact that everyone still gets two free checked bags on Southwest, which makes them a very good deal in most instances on inter-island flights (assuming you need to check bags). Keep in mind that you need to book revenue fares for this promotion – award tickets do not count.

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