Southwest Airlines and peer-to-peer rental car company Turo have a new partnership to earn up to 30,000 Rapid Rewards points.
- 2,000 points after your first trip (minimum $50)
- 500 points for each additional trip (minimum $50)
- 10,000 points the first time you rent out your own car (minimum $50).
Southwest Rapid Rewards points are worth about 1.5 cents apiece in travel. So 2000 points is worth $30 in travel, a hefty rebate on a modest rental.
Pocketing $150 in Southwest travel (10,000 points) from renting your car out is huge, it could make sense to rent it to a friend for $50++ since for the net cost of transaction charges they’d pocket 2000 points and you’d have 10,000. Bear in mind that the ‘trip fee’ can be up to 25% of the rental rate, and some jurisdictions impose taxes. Also note that cars will usually have a mileage maximum included, with additional mileage charged.
You’ll want to link your Southwest and Turo accounts before booking or listing.
(HT: @elliott_wdc)
Watch out for renting from Turo if you expect your credit card insurance to cover you. Chase coverage specifically excludes Turo rentals. My auto insurance carrier wouldn’t give me a straight answer as to whether I’d be covered either. If you have an accident in a Turo vehicle, the only coverage that is certain is that the owner of the car isn’t liable, but *you* may be fully liable.
Given the coverage uncertainty, I won’t be renting from Turo.