Southwest Is Giving Away 4 Million Rapid Rewards Points To Help With Your Next Vacation

Hopping on a flight for a summer getaway might not be on your agenda during the coronavirus pandemic, but one airline is helping you plan for whenever you do get to take that dream vacation. Southwest Airlines is offering customers the chance to win free Rapid Rewards bonus points, which they can use toward their next trip. Here's how to enter Southwest Airlines' Summer Rapid Rewards Sweepstakes with no purchase necessary.

Southwest Airlines announced the "Summer How You Wanna" sweepstakes in a press release on Monday, July 6, and it's a pretty straightforward deal. When you enter, you'll have the chance to win 40,000 Rapid Rewards bonus points to use towards a future vacation. (Rapid Rewards points never expire, so you can use them whenever you decide to travel.) Throughout the month of July, the airline will give away up to 4 million total Rapid Rewards bonus points. The sweepstakes began on July 6, and you can take part through the closing date, Sunday, Aug. 2 at 11:59 p.m. PT. Before you can enter, you'll need to first make sure you have an eligible Rapid Rewards bonus points account. If you don't have one, you can sign up for free on Southwest Airlines' Rapid Rewards website.

Once you're set with your Rapid Rewards account, you can visit the Southwest Airlines Instagram account for weekly prompts. The first one was posted on July 6, and asks would-be travelers to share a photo of where they #WannaGetAway. The other three prompts for the given entry periods will be posted on Mondays in July — 13, 20, 27.

To enter the sweepstakes, you'll need to share a photo on your Instagram account of a destination you'd like to visit, following the instructions of the IG prompt. To be eligible for the sweepstakes, your Instagram profile will need to be public. When you post, make sure to tag @SouthwestAir and use the hashtags #WannaGetAway and #sweepstakes in the caption.

There are four entry periods during the sweepstakes:

• Entry Period One runs from Monday, July 6 at midnight PT, through Sunday, July 12 at 11:59 p.m. PT
• Entry Period Two begins Monday, July 13 at midnight PT, through Sunday, July 19 at 11:59 p.m. PT
• Entry Period Three begins Monday, July 20 at midnight PT, through Sunday, July 26 at 11:59 p.m. PT
• Entry Period Four begins Monday, July 27 at midnight PT, through Sunday, August 2 at 11:59 p.m. PT.

The weekly drawings will happen on or around the next business day after the conclusion of the entry period, which would be the Monday after the Sunday closing date — and 25 winners will be chosen from each entry period. If you have a winning entry, you'll be notified via Instagram and receive an email address from the sponsor, which you'll be asked to contact for next steps. All non-winning entries will carry over to the next entry period.

Each prize consists of 40,000 Southwest Airlines Rapid Rewards bonus points with an approximate retail value of $512. In addition to purchasing flights, you can also use your Rapid Rewards bonus points on hotels, rental cars, shopping, and more. You're eligible to take part in the sweepstakes if you're a legal resident of the United State/Washington, D.C., excluding Alaska, Florida, New York, and Rhode Island. You also need to be 18 years or older at the time of entry.

You can use your Rapid Rewards points anywhere Southwest Airlines flies at anytime, since the points never expire. As of June 28, the CDC guidelines for traveling in the United States during the coronavirus state that staying home is the best way to protect yourself and others from getting sick. If you must travel, the CDC recommends you wear a face covering and implement regular hand washing/sanitizing. You should also avoid touching your eyes, nose, and mouth, and maintain a distance to prevent close contact with others. You should not travel if you are sick. It's also important to know that while on board, Southwest requires passengers to wear face coverings. You'll also need to complete a Health Declaration during check-in that confirms you don't have symptoms of COVID-19 and haven't been diagnosed with or exposed to the virus 14 days prior to travel.

Since the Rapid Rewards bonus points being given away during the sweepstakes never expire, if you win, you can alway save them for a time when travel is less risky.

If you think you’re showing symptoms of coronavirus, which include fever, shortness of breath, and cough, call your doctor before going to get tested. If you’re anxious about the virus’s spread in your community, visit the CDC for up-to-date information and resources, or seek out mental health support. You can find all Elite Daily's coverage of coronavirus here.