Southwest Airlines’ (NYSE: LUV) new program allows Rapid Rewards members to earn points by shopping with more than 700 online retailers, marking the first time the airline is offering frequent fliers the opportunity to earn points for all kinds of online shopping.
With the average U.S. online shopper projected to spend $516 on gifts in 2011 according to Internet Retailer, Southwest could potentially award millions of Rapid Rewards Points, even if just a quarter of eligible Members do all their holiday gift buying with Rapid Rewards Shopping.
“We are continually looking to add ways for our Members to earn points, and what better time than the holidays to add shopping at top online retailers to the mix,” said Jonathan Clarkson, Director of Southwest Airlines Rapid Rewards. “We selected Cartera because they have the most comprehensive offer platform that meets our needs today and gives us the flexibility to easily expand the program in the future. We expect our Members will be delighted with the program.”
The Cartera platform – a fully hosted, managed service – enables Southwest Airlines to access merchant offers from Cartera’s exclusive Offer Cloud™, display offers via multiple marketing channels, track and confirm offer redemptions, and deliver Rapid Rewards Points – all while ensuring maximum security and privacy protection. Initially launched with online shopping offers, Southwest plans to expand the program with additional earning channels in 2012.