How far back into the past can I request past flight points? You can request past flight points for flights flown within the past 12 months. Can I get Rapid Rewards points for flights that I completed before I enrolled? Yes, you can request points for flights completed in the past 12 months.

Yes, you can redeem your old Southwest Rapid Rewards points because, as of early 2026, Southwest points never expire. As long as your account remains open, any points you earned years ago are still sitting in your balance, ready to be used. This is one of the most customer-friendly policies in the airline industry. You can use these "legacy" points for any available seat on any flight, as there are no blackout dates. To redeem them, simply log into your account on the Southwest website or app and toggle the "Points" button instead of "Dollars" when searching for a flight. While points themselves don't expire, it is important to distinguish them from "Flight Credits" (money from a cancelled cash flight), which used to have expiration dates but were also made "permanent" for credits created after mid-2022. Your points maintain their value relative to the cash price of the flight, allowing you to fly for "free" whenever you have enough accumulated.