Should You Buy Southwest Points?

One of my favorite cities in the US is New Orleans and my favorite way to get there is by flying Southwest. I visited in November for my college reunion and though it was a quick weekend, wow, it was amazing to be back in this beautiful and engaging city. 

And now, New Orleans has a brand new airport that makes flying there even easier. Right now, Southwest is offering a points promotion to encourage people to start traveling again. 

The deal is a 45% bonus when you buy points between June 12th -25th and another 45% bonus if you choose to buy more points between July 1st-12th. 

Now I'm not usually a big fan of buying points, I would rather use the shopping portals and earn points on purchases I make anyway. But if you need points for an upcoming trip, you may want to jump on this deal. Do take note, the points do not count towards the companion pass. You must purchase at least 2,000 points to get the discount. 

For example: 

2,000 points normally cost $60 but with the promotion cost $33, 

10,000 points normally cost $275 but with the promotion cost $151.25 

If you look at flights to get an idea of the value, a flight from San Diego to San Francisco will cost you 9,723 points one way. If you switch that to dollars, it's $129. So even with the promotion, buying the points does NOT offer any value. 

However, if you just need to top off an account to get a FREE flight, then it may make sense. 

It's something to consider depending on your travel plans.