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It is possible to earn points and miles for dining with top dining credit cards. There are other ways to make more money. Southwest's RapidRewards Dining program is one of the best ways to earn additional rewards.

Southwest's Rapid Rewards Dining program is an easy way to earn points. Southwest has one of the best dining rewards programs of any airline. You can earn enough points for an award ticket. Some Southwest awards cost a small amount of points.

You need to know what to do in order to get started on your next reward flight.

How to join Rapid Rewards Dining

Rapid rewards dining is very simple to join. To sign up, you need to provide your name, address, RapidRewards number and email. You can register your credit cards after logging in. You can earn bonus points when you use a registered card at participating restaurants, bars and clubs.

WWW.RAPIDREWARDSDINING.COM

Why you shouldn’t link more than one card

You can register more than one Rapid Rewards Dining card. You should only enroll one credit card with each program.

Why don't you join more than one program? The first-dine bonus allows you to earn the maximum return on your restaurant spending. Most dining rewards programs are part of the same network, so you can't register the same card with more than one program.

You can register your Chase Reserve with Rapid rewards Dining and then add it to your Alaska Mileage plan dining profile. The card will be removed from your account when you use it, so you won't be able to earn points with it.

You can maximize your earnings by linking your highest earning card to your favorite program.

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Credit cards can be used to make the most of food delivery orders.

Which cards to use with Rapid Rewards Dining

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If the restaurant is processing your charges, you should use a credit card that earns bonus points on dining. The American Express Gold Card earns 4 Membership Reward points for every dollar spent at restaurants around the world.

If you enroll in the Amex Gold, you can get up to $10 in monthly credits at select restaurants, including The Cheesecake Factory, Milk Bar and Shake Shack. Not all of these establishments are part of the Southwest Rapid Rewards Dining program in my area.

You can earn 3 Ultimate Reward points for every dollar you spend on dining with the Chase Reserve and Chase Preferred cards.

Southwest points are taking me home for the holiday season.

How to earn points with Southwest Rapid Rewards Dining

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Every time you eat at a participating restaurant, bar or club, you'll earn points. You just have to use a registered credit card. Within minutes, you will receive an email confirmation that your purchase qualifies for bonus points. The amount of points you can earn at participating restaurants, bars and clubs is shown here.

  • If you opt in to receive email notifications: 3 Rapid Rewards points per dollar spent and an additional 10 points for each completed dining review.
  • If you opt out of email notifications: 1 point per every two dollars spent.

Rapid rewards dining members can earn bonuses for every dollar they spend.

  • New member bonus: Earn 1,000 bonus points when you spend $25 at a participating restaurant and complete an online review within the first 30 days of joining.
  • First-step bonus: Earn 500 bonus points after you earn 1,500 points from dining and completing reviews (one-time only).
  • Thank You Bonus: Earn 300 bonus points each time you earn 1,000 points from dining and completing reviews.

Southwest gave me 100,000 bonus points, which I used to go to Mexico.

Frequently asked questions

Do points earned through Southwest Rapid Rewards Dining count toward the Companion Pass?

The Companion Pass is based on points earned through the Rapid rewards dining program. Bonus points are not counted, but base points are.

How do I know which restaurants, bars and clubs participate?

You can find out which restaurants, bars and clubs participate in Southwest Rapid Rewards Dining by entering your zip code or city. After searching, you can click the "show map" button to view a map of merchants.

Can you earn points on takeout?

Points can be earned on takeout. If you give your credit card number over the phone or pay in the store, you will earn points that can be used to dine in. You won't earn points if you use a third-party booking platform or food delivery app.

Is there a limit on the number of points I can earn with Southwest Rapid Rewards Dining?

There is a limit on the number of points you can earn at a restaurant. You can't earn points on certain days. If earning rewards are a factor in your restaurant-picking decision, you need to check the individual restaurant page.

Is Southwest’s Rapid Rewards Dining program worth it?

Signing up for the Southwest Rapid Rewards Dining program is free and you don't need to do anything else. I joined various dining rewards programs in the past. Occasionally, I will get an email telling me I earned points. You can earn points on autopilot.

Save money on your next meal with food delivery promo codes.

Bottom line

A dining rewards program is a great way to increase your spending. Southwest has low fares and various bonuses that make it easy to earn free flights. Enroll now and get ready for your next flight.

Signing up for a new Southwest credit card is one way to get more Southwest points. You can get a sign-up bonus of 50,000 bonus points if you spend $1,000 on purchases in the first three months.

You must meet other application requirements if you want to apply. If you're eligible to earn one of these bonuses, you could really boost your Southwest Rapid rewards balance.

The additional reporting was done by Ehsan