Refer a Company FAQs 

How does Refer a Company work? 

Q: What is Refer a Company? 

A: Refer a Company is a promotion in which anyone may participate and refer any eligible company. The referrer will be awarded 25,000 Rapid Rewards® bonus points for each qualifying referral up to a total of 125,000 Rapid Rewards bonus points in a 12-month period. 

Q: How many times can an eligible company be referred? 

A: An eligible company can only be referred once. However, you may refer as many eligible companies as you want. 

Q: Do I have to “opt-in” to emails regarding Refer a Company to participate in the promotional offer? 

A: Yes, Southwest Airlines® needs your consent to be able to send status updates for the promotion. 

Q: What happens if my contact at the company I referred is not the corporate travel manager? 

A: If they are not the corporate travel manager, they have the option to forward it onto the correct corporate travel manager. If the eligible company successfully completes the referral process based on your qualifying referral, you will still be awarded 25,000 Rapid Rewards bonus points. 

Q: What is a corporate travel manager? 

A: A corporate travel manager is the employee/employees responsible for operating a company’s travel program. Their duties can involve booking, scheduling, and pricing a company’s travel program. 

Q: How will I know if the company I referred has already been referred? 

A: Southwest® will notify you that the company you have referred is ineligible to complete the referral process, and you are encouraged to refer a different company. 

Q: What happens if the company/CTM I have referred does not opt-in to be contacted regarding the referral process? 

A: If the company/CTM that you referred does not opt-in to receive emails to be contacted regarding the referral process within 30 days, you will be notified that the company is no longer eligible to complete the referral process. You are encouraged to refer a separate different company. You will not be able to refer the same company again. 

Q: Will I receive status updates about my referral? 

A: If the company that you referred is not eligible to complete the referral process, you will be notified. If the company is eligible, but does not opt in to be contacted regarding the referral process, you will be notified after 30 days that the company is no longer eligible to complete the referral process. If the referred company is eligible and does opt in to be contacted regarding the referral process, we will notify you if they successfully complete the referral process. 

How do I receive Rapid Rewards bonus points with Refer a Company? 

Q: How many total Rapid Rewards bonus points in a 12-month period can I be awarded through the Refer a Company promotion? 

A: You can be awarded up to 125,000 Rapid Rewards bonus points through this promotion in a 12-month period. 

Q: How many eligible companies can I be awarded Rapid Reward bonus points for in a 12-month period? 

A: You can be awarded Rapid Rewards bonus points for referring up to five eligible companies in a 12-month period. 

Q: How many Rapid Rewards bonus points am I awarded for each successful referral? 

A: For each completed qualifying referral you will be awarded 25,000 Rapid Rewards bonus points. 

Q: How will I know if I have been awarded the Rapid Rewards bonus points? 

A: Southwest Airlines will notify you once you have successfully been awarded the Rapid Rewards bonus points in your Southwest Airlines Rapid Rewards account. 

Q: How will I know the company I referred has completed the referral process? 

A: Southwest will inform you if the eligible company you referred completes the following steps: Completes the referral process by enrolling in SWABIZ® within 30 days of when Southwest Business sends an email notifying the company it is qualified; within 90 days from when the company you referred enrolls in SWABIZ, the company books using their company's corporate identification number; an eligible traveler of the company flies one qualifying revenue round trip flight.  

Q: How long does it take for my Rapid Rewards bonus points to be awarded after the company I referred successfully completes the referral process? 

A: We will notify you if you have successfully been awarded the Rapid Rewards bonus points. It can take up to eight weeks for your Rapid Rewards bonus points to be added to your balance. 

Q: Can I refer more than five companies? 

A: Yes; however, you will only be awarded up to 125,000 Rapid Rewards bonus points within a 12-month period, even if more than five eligible companies that you refer enroll. 

Q: Do the 125,000 Rapid Rewards bonus points awarded through this promotion count toward Companion Pass®? 

A: Yes, Rapid Rewards bonus points awarded through this specific promotion will count toward Companion Pass qualification. However, remember that to qualify for Companion Pass, you must fly 100 qualifying one-way flights or earn 125,000 qualifying points* in a calendar year, and you’ll earn Companion Pass for the following full calendar year, plus the remainder of the year in which you earned it.

Q: Can I participate in this promotion every 12 months to earn Rapid Rewards bonus points? 

A: Yes you can, as long as the Refer a Company promotion is still ongoing after 12 months. Please note this promotion is subject to change and may be canceled at any time without notice.    

Who is eligible for Refer a Company? 

Q: Do I need a Rapid Rewards number to participate? 

A: Yes. You can register for a Rapid Rewards account for free here. All Rapid Rewards rules and regulations apply and can be found at Southwest.com/rrterms. 

Q: If I am a Southwest Employee, can I participate as well? 

A: Yes. We encourage our Southwest co-hearts to participate in Refer a Company. However, if you are an Employee within the Southwest Business department, you cannot participate in the promotion. 

What are the Tax implications for Refer a Company? 

Q: If I am an Employee of Southwest Airlines, will I be responsible for payment of the taxes on Rapid Rewards bonus points awarded to me in this promotion? 

A: Yes. By choosing to accept the Rapid Rewards bonus points, Southwest Airline employees will be responsible for payment of the taxes after the Rapid Rewards bonus points have been awarded to their accounts. The dollar value of the Rapid Reward Points received will be reported as imputed income in their paycheck. The applicable tax withholding rate will be applied to the imputed income in order to determine how much tax will be withheld. This withholding tax rate will vary from Employee to Employee depending on state residency and overall individual tax situation. For federal taxes (income, Social Security, and Medicare), the estimated average tax withholding rate is approximately 30%. 

Q: If I am an Employee of Southwest Airlines who has chosen to accept Rapid Rewards bonus points, will the taxes be reflected in my paycheck? 

A: After the Rapid Rewards bonus points have been awarded, Employees should expect to see the taxes for it reflected in your paycheck within the following next two paychecks understanding that the taxes to be withheld will vary by Employee depending on state residency and overall individual tax situation. For federal taxes (income, Social Security, and Medicare), the estimated average tax withholding rate is approximately 30%. 

Q: If I am not an Employee of Southwest Airlines, will the earnings be reported to the IRS? 

A: Earnings from Rapid Rewards bonus points valued $600 or more will be reported to the IRS in the calendar year in which the Rapid Rewards bonus points are awarded. 

Q: If I am not an Employee of Southwest Airlines and have been awarded earnings over $600 dollars in Rapid Rewards bonus points, do I need to report this to the IRS? 

A: Yes. Southwest will send you a W-9 Form to fill out and send back to Southwest. Southwest will then send you a 1099 Form to report to the IRS. Per the Refer a Company Terms & Conditions, failure to submit a W-9 Form upon request will result in forfeiture of the Rapid Rewards bonus points earned. 

What is happening to Refer Your Company? 

Q: What is changing about Refer-Your-Company? 

A: Southwest Airlines will be ending the Refer-Your-Company promotion on 10/3/22. Those who wish to refer their company may participate in the Refer a Company promotion going forward. 

Q: I referred a company in the Refer-Your-Company platform and haven’t heard back. What is my update on this? 

A: Southwest Business is currently processing the remainder of referrals through the Refer-Your-Company promotion. Going forward you may refer companies through the Refer a Company promotion.